"Yeah, just a little bit tired... " Seraph looked into Astrids caring face, his tired limbs immediately tense as his eyes turned to the side to avoid looking directly into her eyes. He didn't like her, he really didn't like her.
Astrid's expression turned difficult, Her grip tightened around her staff a bit more but then she let out a small sigh of relief and she replaced her difficult gaze to one filled with relief.
"Let me help you." Astrid's melodic-like voice similar to birds chirping drifted in and out of Seraph's tensed body. However, that only made him more uncomfortable if it was anyone else; they might have relaxed immediately and probably confessed their love to the beauty.
However, Astrid's Angelic like voice couldn't persuade seraph. Seraph was sure that Astrid noticed his change in mood while also noticing his change in how he treated her but right now his body was exhausted and he was also mentally exhausted as well he just went through two hours of a lecture then continued the lecture inside of his head while he attempted to practice his strikes.
Controlling his emotions and reactions were very difficult as a result also Seraph always had a hard time controlling his emotions even though he got better ever since he met Astrid and his step siblings, his heart was just very easily persuaded to his emotions and his body carried it out just as easily.
Astrid sat on the ground not saying another word and suddenly cradled Seraph's head and placed it into her lap. Seraph couldn't resist so he just allowed this to happen, His eyes wandered around wondering what she was doing. His eyes were attracted to her appealing cleavage but he stopped staring at his cleavage as a green light wrapped around his body, his eyes darted quickly and found a green light piercing through her palm.
A magic circle wrapped around the top of her wrist and extended to her fingertips where small magic circles were there. He felt his body rejuvenate, the exhaustion he had felt before was slowly going away and his sense began to heighten.
To the point where he realized that astrid was actually muttering something under her breath and weird whispers overlaid her voice. He quickly assumed that it was just her performing her magic.
Astrid couldn't help but to continue to feel tense, even though astrid was helping him it just served to give him mixed feelings. 'Astrid wasn't the one who bullied me but…I'm being unreasonable she's helping me… but, all of my suffering. She could've stopped it but she '
Seraph just closed his eyes, he didn't want to think about it anymore. It just made his head hurt.
Eventually astrid placed a hand on Seraph's forehead, her eyes were filled with gentleness and the way she moved looked extremely gentle like she was handling a baby. Seraph's eyes opened and he couldn't recognize her, her motherly aura made him feel warm and safe. It was completely foreign to him, he closed his eyes once more to enjoy the bliss and his hand moved unconsciously grabbing her arm.
She gasped slightly and paused, but then seraph pulled her arm to his cheek. She looked into his face and smiled "Are you feeling okay?"
Seraph didn't respond not as if he could hear her anyway.
Astrid's smile grew wider, she let out a gentle laugh and began to gently stroke his cheek.
A half an hour later, she kept her smile and was still stroking seraph's face gently.
Seraph groggily opened his eyes, He saw Astrid's smiling face and he felt her hand going up and down his cheek. He shot up and got out of her lap.
Seraph constantly apologized to her while Astrid just nodded her head and placed a hand on his shoulder "If you ever need anything just ask."
She then turned and walked off.
…
A week later.
Seraph had been training every single day with John. Astrid would always be watching their sessions sometimes she would hold the tired seraph making their relationship increase, During this time also he had finished the bible but saw that the progress bar to his new skill had not increased from 50%.
Seraph was stressed out, he re-read the book and even tried reading it backwards but stopped after seeing the progress bar not even rising an inch.
"Hey. Kid, you look worried." John was looking at seraph, his sword touching the ground as he gripped his long beard and stroked it up and down.
"I'm fine… Let's just continue." Seraph kicked his wooden sword to his hand, a simple trick he learned from john.
John smiled "Alright, kid. Tell me when you're ready." His sword hooked over his shoulder and his body slanted to face seraph.
"Ready!" Seraph immediately charged, after a few weeks fighting with john he figured out that this footstyle was all about aggression and counter attacks. In order to control the fight your opponent must be forced to act and their is only a limited amount of things they could do when a sword swings at their face.
Seraph stomped a loud thud echoing out as his sword made an arc in the air, on a direct line for John's head. His face contorted into aggression mixed with some determination making him look like a warrior.
However, If Seraph was a warrior then John was a knight. John's smiley deposition changed, he took a step to the side and tilted his body, the sword swung over his head by mere inches. Seraph attempted to pull his sword back when he saw the brown blur of john's wooden sword rapidly approach his chest.
Seraph took a step back and the sword grazed his chest, only the tip of it touching his chest. He then took John's left, his sword piercing toward John's exposed shoulder.
John turned, and swiped his sword up. Seraph's sword was deflected up with ease, opening up his chest where John closed in and slammed his fist into seraph's toned gut.
Seraph toppled onto the ground, coughing and wheezing.
"You got stronger." John hooked the sword over his shoulder as he watched seraph, "If we keep this up probably in a month or so you'll be up to standard."
Astrid was already rushing over to help the collapsed Seraph, she reached seraph and immediately began castling a healing spell. Astrid had grown on seraph, she was a nice person, she didn't want to see people get hurt and she really did care about seraph a lot.
"John! Why are you going so hard on him?!" Astrid was glaring at john.
"Cuz, you're here." He shrugged his shoulders.
"That doesn't mean you need to-" The arguments begin. ..
After Astrid came, she began raising questions about John's very questionable teaching methods who shrugged them off at every single turn. Seraph really didn't mind John's teaching methods because they were effective, he was learning and he didn't want to change it.
Seraph just looked at the two arguing, then leaned back enjoying the Sun's gaze.