It was in the late afternoon. Michael sat in the middle of the backyard as Stefan paced around him.
Obviously, he wasn't in a proper condition to continue his training with Mave but he was fine enough for Stefan's tedious lessons about mana.
Hel had his eyes closed, still shirtless because apparently that was the best way to learn, and concentrated hard about the core energy inside him. Stefan continued to blabber in his ear the importance of mana in every swordsman yet his teachings couldn't have been any more vague.
Stefan knew how to use mana, and to swordcast, but it was easier said than done. How could Michael achieve that sort of level if it took Stefan years to master? Michael wasn't some genius right out of that famous academy.
He was an improper slave without any parents and had a goal that was too unrealistic for him.
Mana existed, even if it was hard to believe. According to Stefan, it resided in every living being. No matter how poor or rich someone's parents were, everybody had a keep of mana waiting to be unlocked.
But finding how exhausting these afternoons became with Stefan, Michael was about to give it up. He learned way more from just being beat up by Mave.
Michael finally opened his eyes and was out of breath. He was more immersed in his own thoughts than being focused on the topic of mana.
"Why are you holding your breath?" Stefan leaned down. "I didn't tell you to do that."
"Then what should I do?"
"I told you to look deep, deeper than your mind and more within yourself."
"I don't know what that means."
"Don't be discouraged, Michael," Ellis said by the door, enjoying his afternoon snack. "I never unlocked my mana but I'm just as good as Mave or Stefan."
Stefan waved him away. "Ellis doesn't know what he's talking about. Mana is everything in this world. You think money has power? Wrong, mana has power. You can't live without it, that's why I'm trying to help you, kid."
Michael wiped the sweat from his brow.
"What's going through your mind right now?"
The only thing going through his mind right now was Evelyn. It was always going to be Evelyn.
"Did you hear me?" Stefan flicked his forehead.
"Ow—hey!" Michael flinched away. "I can live without mana. I've been doing fine so far, right?"
"So when that time comes, when there's a duel between you and another enemy…will you really be fine?"
"Yes, I'll be fine."
Ellis cut an apple with his knife in the back, shaking his head in disagreement.
Stefan stared into Michael's eyes. "You're lying to yourself."
Michael stood from the ground. "If you want to help me, then maybe instead of trying to teach me about mana, you could do the same thing as Mave."
"Beat you up?"
"No," he smacked his lips. "Teach me how to fight."
"Your body is still healing. Doctor's orders, you can't fight until you're better."
"I am better," he asserted. "I would rather swing a sword than sit here and do nothing."
Stefan curled his lip. "Alright, fair point."
Michael picked up a wooden sword nearby.
"No," Stefan directed him. "Go get your own sword."
"Why?"
"Because I'm going to be using mine."
Michael walked back into the house and climbed into the attic. What type of lesson was Stefan trying to teach by using their swords? Did he know Michael couldn't get up again if he was dead? At least Mave had the consideration to not kill him during her training.
He shook Evelyn awake. She liked to sleep through the afternoon mana training because they were boring to watch.
She squinted hard with her golden eyes. Once she realized it was Michael, her face softened.
He held her shoulder. "I need you."
Evelyn wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down. She purred, snuggling her face down into his chest.
Michael blinked. He somehow forgot what he came here for. Everything just seemed so relaxing, so comforting, and then he couldn't just help himself.
"Where's your shirt," she murmured. "Did you win your fight? Are we doing it now?"
"No—I need…" he cleared his throat. "I need you as a sword. I'm going to go train with Stefan."
She moaned quietly in disappointment.
"Please?"
"Just give me a minute…" she hugged him tighter.
"Ow!" he winced. "My back—Evelyn, that hurts."
But Evelyn didn't seem to care. She's been wanting to embrace him ever since but because of his stitches, they had to spend some time apart. He studied her frowning face. She wasn't even trying to pretend to be asleep anymore. It was cute.
He reached behind him and held her hand. He thought he would've had to pry her hands off his back. It was surprisingly easy.
She continued cuddling into his chest, savoring to the last second before she would turn back into a sword.
"Hey!" Stefan shouted from below. "I know it doesn't take this long to turn her into a sword!"
Michael quickly flashed her into a sword and rushed into the backyard. He hated to interrupt her sleep but he was about to have sword lessons under one of the strongest members in the Adventuring guild. This wasn't something he would give up.
Stefan spun around his sword, spotting Michael behind him.
"Don't kill him." Ellis said as he went inside. "We can't use him if he's dead."
Michael gripped his sword in defense. He didn't know what Stefan could possibly be thinking with using their real swords to train. Wooden ones couldn't cut through skin, only to bruise or scratch, so there weren't any injuries to be concerned about.
If Stefan would swing his sword at Michael, could he stop that? If he can't even beat Mave, how can he imagine himself winning against Stefan?
He gulped watching Stefan turn around. There wasn't even a hint of hesitation in his eyes. Stefan's sword was unlike anybody else's. Michael had forgotten to notice how elegantly crafted it looked.
Stefan raised his sword. "Block my attack."
Michael moved his sword in position for an easy block. What was the goal here?
He swung his sword frighteningly fast. The force of his attack was so hard, he even managed to fling Michael's sword off of his hands.
The clash of the swords blinded Michael as he fell to the ground. He didn't even understand what happened until he saw his sword laying beside him. His bond was severed in less of a second.
"That was mana," Stefan said, standing over him. "I only wanted to disarm you. Now, I want you to imagine what would happen if I aimed my sword to your body. You would have been—"
Michael grabbed his sword back and pushed himself up. He faced Stefan again.
"What are you doing?"
"I don't care about mana, I don't care if you hit harder than me. Throwing away my sword did nothing, right? I'm still alive, that means I can still fight."
"Kid, you're missing the point."
"Are you here to teach me or make fun of me?" Michael gritted. "I didn't join this party to be tossed around."
Stefan nodded off. "You're right. Then, come at me."
Michael gripped his sword. He charged Stefan with a barrage of attacks. This somehow felt entirely different than fighting Mave and he couldn't figure out why. Was it the bond with his ego sword that was giving him this source of vigor? His attacks felt more precise, more rigid, and flowed into each other. Every thrust, every swing, and even the pacing with his footwork made him feel like a different person.
But something was wrong. Through this exhilarating flow of attacks, Michael wasn't getting anywhere. He was the only one giving the effort.
Stefan didn't even move from where he stood. He deflected Michael's attacks from all around like it was some insignificance to him. Stefan positioned his sword perfectly to correspond to where Michael would land his strikes. It was like he was reading through Michael's attacks even before it would ever be put in motion.
This wasn't some wall like Michael thought when he fought Mave. Stefan was different. He wasn't anything surmountable.
Michael drifted back to catch his breath. Even the parries with his sword had sent painful vibrations into his wrists, almost comparable to when he had hit the shell of a flea.
"What's wrong?" Stefan flourished his azure sword. "Tired?"
Michael shook his head while trying to calm the pace of his breaths.
"Come on, give me everything you got."