A brief silence settled, filled only by the sound of their breathing. Kaiser studied her stance: an unshakable balance, a stability that seemed rooted in the ground itself. He tried to imitate that footing, discreetly adjusting the angle of his feet before preparing for the next assault.
This time, the exchange lasted longer. Their swords crossed relentlessly. Kaiser managed to anticipate some openings. Kethra clearly saw the difference. At one point, he even dared to counterattack between two of her strikes and forced her to deflect his weapon with more force than usual.
He had gained a little ground.
Kethra stepped back, then planted the tip of her wooden sword into the ground.
Break.
Kaiser lowered his weapon, his arm muscles burning with familiar fatigue. His breathing was still irregular, but a new steadiness was settling inside him, deeper than before.
"You're improving," Kethra noted in a neutral voice, though her gaze remained attentive. "It's not fluid yet, but you're starting to master the fundamentals. The rest will come with repetition."
"Thank you," he replied simply, his eyes already lowered to his own hands.
His palms were red, throbbing with dull pain, and yet he cherished the sensation. It was tangible proof, the physical mark of his progress. Kethra watched him for a long moment without speaking. Her expression stayed impassive, but Kaiser, now more perceptive, caught a subtle change: the absence of that distant coldness she so often wore. In its place, a faint openness, almost imperceptible.
"Resume your stance," she finally ordered, breaking the silence. "We'll finish with one last series."
Kaiser immediately returned to guard, feet firmly planted and weight evenly distributed. Kethra mirrored him, and this time there was no holding back in her movements. The exchange that followed was fast, almost continuous. The sharp clack of their blades marked the rhythm of their duel. Kaiser parried, dodged, and tried to riposte at every opening that appeared. Most of his counterattacks missed their mark, but he persisted, constantly adjusting his posture and timing.
Finally, in a well-calculated burst, he managed to graze Kethra's arm with the tip of his sword. The contact was light, but undeniable.
Kethra halted her assault and looked down at the spot touched, a suspended silence hanging between them.
"Not bad," she conceded, her tone remaining professional but without the former harshness.
A discreet smile formed on Kaiser's lips.
"Taking me as a disciple wasn't such a bad idea after all."
Kethra raised her weapon, her gaze focused and demanding once more.
"Don't celebrate your little victory too soon," she said, shattering his faint smile. "It's only the beginning. The road is still long."
Without giving him time to reply, she launched a fresh assault. They exchanged another series of blows, but the frenzied intensity of the initial fight had given way to a more measured, almost methodical rhythm. Gradually, the momentum faded until Kethra, with a fluid motion, broke contact and lowered her weapon along her side. Kaiser followed suit, panting but his face marked with obvious satisfaction.
"We'll stop here for today," she announced, her voice now more relaxed. "Don't forget to drink water and rest properly. Muscles are built during recovery, not during effort. We'll resume tomorrow at the same time."
Kaiser nodded, catching his breath.
"Alright. Thank you for the training, Kethra."
She answered with a simple nod before turning on her heel and leaving the courtyard with a decisive step. Kaiser remained alone, silence suddenly falling around him, disturbed only by the heavy beating of his heart in his chest. He looked at the training sword he still gripped tightly, then turned his attention to his fingers marked with redness and emerging blisters. Finally, he raised his eyes to the vast expanse of the sky, clear and cloudless blue.
A frank, unrestrained smile spread across his face.
The conclusion was inevitable: he was moving forward. Every aching muscle, every drop of sweat was irrefutable proof. Slowly, perhaps, but surely.
"What a damn grind!"
Kaiser let himself collapse. He felt the need for a good bath to get rid of the dirt clinging to his body, but his muscles threatened to tear if he tried anything.
He had no choice but to stay seated there, admiring the beauty of nature. After only a few seconds, he slowly drifted into a sleep he hadn't seen coming.
An hour quickly passed while the young man was still in the arms of Morpheus when a timid little voice suddenly brought him back.
"Excuse me, young master… young master…" she called, touching Kaiser's shoulder with a caution that suggested she was afraid her young lord might break.
Seeing no reaction, the little maid, still crouched, tried another approach.
"Young master, it's getting late… please wake up…"
Kaiser's brows furrowed slightly, clearly annoyed that someone was trying to pull him from his sweet sleep. At that moment, there was no bed more comfortable than this pile of dead leaves, and he had no desire whatsoever to get up.
The maid noticed Kaiser's annoyed expression, which made her hesitate for a few seconds. What should she do? What if, by persisting, Kaiser decided to punish her when he woke up? Should she just leave him there, pretending she hadn't seen him? After all, there were only the two of them right now.
A storm of questions rained down on the poor girl, who was now helpless in the face of the situation. What had possessed her to come this way? Maybe fate was playing a cruel trick on her.
Taking a deep breath, she shook Kaiser much more forcefully. He finally opened his eyes slowly to see the girl suddenly growing embarrassed.
'Shit, I fell asleep without realizing…' he thought, scanning his surroundings. It was already night, he reeked of sweat, was still wearing those dirty clothes, and his pain had eased.
"I'm sorry for disturbing you. I didn't want you to catch a cold, so I woke you up," she hurried to explain, trying to shield herself from potential retaliation.
But to her great surprise, Kaiser simply nodded while standing up and stretching a little.
"Thank you for waking me. I fell asleep without noticing."
He perfectly understood the girl's stress and reassured her before heading toward the barracks. He absolutely needed a bath. It was already lucky he hadn't had nightmares because of all that grime.