Morning came and Lyra came in to check on her son. She slowly opens the door and takes a peek inside. In the room she sees her son, Licht, staring aimlessly at the ceiling. Licht turns his face towards her and meets her eyes.
"Good morning mother." Lyra blinks, surprised by her son's casual and nonchalant greeting. It takes a moment for her to compose herself.
"Licht, you're awake. Are you alright?" She asks. She walks closer to him and holds his face in her hands. She hesitates though when she sees a noticeable change in Licht's appearance.
"Licht! Y-your eye! It changed...I mean... It... What?" Lyra looked more than just confused. She didn't see how any of this was possible. Just less than a day ago, she had lunch with him but he had looked the same as he did 10 years ago.
Licht looked up at his mother, "Whatever do you mean?" He asks tilting his head slightly to the side. Lyra looked at her son with slightly narrowed eyes, "Your eyes, dear. They're all orange and strange-looking."
As Licht had expected, his mother was quick to recognize his act. Licht gasped in faux surprise, "They are?" Lyra's face scrunches up in annoyance as she clonks her son on the head with a chop.
"What the hell? Do you think I'm that stupid? What do you take me for, an airhead?" Lyra asked with a vein visible on her forehead. Licht looked away from his mother and clicked his tongue. He had hoped to keep his secret for a little while longer.
"Did you really just click your tongue at me?" Lyra threatened. Licht flinched, a bit put off. His mother's character had taken a serious 180, and he felt the need to hide. He had heard once in Japan that a mother's wrath should never be faced head-on.
"Why don't we have a little chat."
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"Licht ma boy!! I didn't know you were sooo interested in the way of the sword." William landed a sharp slap to Licht's back. Though Licht didn't move nor was he hurt, yet he still gave an annoyed glance towards his father.
"Get off me old man," Licht instructed. His father was hanging off him like they were long-lost buddies. William squeezed tighter, "Ahn! Don't be like that son!" He was now laughing his ass off, he was having the time of his life watching his son's uncomfortable expression. The changes in his face were slight, but not unnoticeable for someone who raised him.
He was somewhat surprised when Lyra had suddenly told him that Licht was now interested in swordsmanship. He had been worried at first, but his wife reassured him and said that Licht had been feeling restless since he woke up. Also, he couldn't ignore a request from his wife, when she got pissed it was absolutely terrifying just being in her presence.
"Okay, everyone! We start with 500 swings! Get to it!" Licht, Roslyn, and Leonhard were each given a wooden sword to practice with. Licht held the piece of wood in his hands and looked towards his two siblings. They held the sword like it had been totally normal, though it looked more natural to Leonhard rather than Roslyn.
This was because Roslyn was a summoner. A class that is better off at the sidelines than on an actual battlefield. But it seems that Roslyn was yet to accept this fact, she made up for her lack of close combat skills.
Leonhard, on the other hand, was given the swordsman class. His face becomes all scrunched up as he gave a sharp yell with each swing he made. Although he was annoying, everyone had taken it as a yell of continuous motivation. Though Licht didn't seem to mind. He had learned way back in Japan to tune out all things that were unnecessary. And that was basically almost everything.
After an hour, they had all finished their 500 swings. Both Roslyn and Leonhard were left panting on the dusty ground complaining about their sore forearms. They looked up at Licht in disbelief, how is he not tired yet? From what they could see, Licht hadn't even started sweating. Though, with all their panting, William did not let them take a break.
"Okay! Now it's time for the best part. 1 v 1 fights!" William yelled out with exaggerated vigor. "Ladies first, right? Roslyn, choose your opponent!"
Roslyn turned to Licht, without hesitation, with her arms straight out, pointing at him. "I choose Licht." She saw this as an opportunity to test his worth. In the world they lived in, the strength of a person also determined their worth. After the fight with the orcs, Roslyn had been constantly on edge. She had become overly cautious of Licht, so much that it was becoming somewhat ridiculous. Plus, she had complete confidence in her sword skills. She had been training for three years, since when she was nine before she got her class.
Licht gave an unamused sigh as both he and Roslyn walked onto the large stone platform, commonly used for sparring. They both took their starting stance and an uncomfortable silence floated in the air, watching anxiously.
Roslyn darts towards Licht, as soon as she was close enough she makes a wide arc with her sword, aiming for his abdomen. Though she had struck at him, he was nowhere to be seen. She took a quick glance behind her in reflex, and there he was. He gave a small half-hearted swipe to her throat and she stumbled backward in order to avoid the sudden attack. She fell to the ground ungracefully and as she struggled to get her footing, the wooden tip had already been pointed to her fore-throat.
A sweat broke out on her face as she looked nervously at her father. William had been surprised. For a second there he had lost sight of Licht completely. William chuckled nervously, his Licht definitely had the talent of a great swordsman. Lyra, on the other hand, had prepared for another surprise but she hadn't expected anything like this. They had previously discussed Licht's eye problem during breakfast, with Licht feigning ignorance. They had come up with the solution of covering it with the plainest eyepatch they could find, to avoid unnecessary rumors. Though Lyra suspected something more on the sidelines.
The patch was white and made of soft cotton. And although the idea was not to draw any attention to it, it was the first thing that one would notice if they were to see him.
"Am I done for the day? I can go back to bed, right?" Licht asked. He couldn't even leave for the forest if he tried because his mother had put out an order for an hourly checkup. That way, she would be able to keep a closer eye on him and prevent him from sneaking out.
William rushed towards Licht and held him in a strong chokehold. He felt a rush of euphoria run through him. He hadn't felt like this in so long.
"You, my boy, have the making of a young prodigy. How would you like to go to the Arias Magic Academy?"