- Blood, sweat, tears combined together makes the fruit of enormous result...
Caeruleus felt the cold, gentle breeze of the night as he went outside the tent. Stars filled the empty night sky. Clouds slowly revealed the crescent moon, lighting up the night sky much better. The sound of the crickets masked up the silence of the night. Fireflies then slowly lit themselves as Caeruleus walks out of the tent.
"Kid, what's taking you so long?" Caeruleus asked as he takes a wooden staff almost as tall as him at the back of the tent.
Fate hurriedly eats the Ramen and replies, "Sorry, sir. I haven't finished my food yet."
"Make yourself full, kid. Feel at home," Caeruleus replies back, "I will be waiting for you outside."
Caeruleus walks away from the tent as Fate finishes his ramen. He then sits down on the field and gazed upon the moon. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Ahhh," Caeruleus gasps, "I wonder if I could still make his mind change..."
"Tsk, that guy really is a pain in the ass," Caeruleus exclaims. He then stands up and picks up his wooden staff. Caeruleus went for the tent, but Fate was not inside. He went from the back of the tent but Fate cannot be found. All that's left inside is his bag.
"Fate??" Caeruleus shouts, but he got no response from Fate. He looked everywhere, but he cannot find any traces of Fate.
Suddenly, he hears a faint shout. "That must be Fate," he said.
Caeruleus tried to follow the direction in which he had heard the shout, but it seems that his ears deceived him.
"Gahhh!"
Caeruleus heard another scream again - a distant scream that he cannot track down. "Sigh," Caeruleus exclaims as he kneels and places his palm on the ground. "Kynigiso To Asyllipto."
A continuous vibration has been released after Caeruleus chanted the spell. In no time, he found Fate, but he never tried to follow the direction in which he had found Fate. Instead, he just kneeled and continuously distributed vibrations on the ground. There, he watched Fate fighting two entities. Caeruleus distributed another burst of vibration on the ground, but he cannot get a clear view of what Fate is trying to fight.
Caeruleus sighed, "It cannot be helped. I have to use magic on this one."
"Kryvoun."
Caeruleus became invisible after chanting a cloaking spell. He then teleported to where he located Fate.
Caeruleus arrived in the woods. The trees were so tall their leaves cover the entire night sky. The only thing that lights the surrounding is the flowers that pulsate a gloomy blue-ish violet color along with the fireflies that emanate a bright yellowish light from their tails.
To remain completely concealed, Caeruleus hid behind a tree in a manner where he can still see Fate's situation.
"How did this kid get here from the tent?" he asked himself while observing Fate, "Did he get lured?"
There, Caeruleus saw Fate fighting two wolves; Fate was already in bad shape when he saw him fighting. The wolves measure three feet tall and five feet in length. Both of the wolves have sharp, canine teeth measuring up to three inches. Caeruleus analyzed the wolves; one of the wolves has a scar on its left eye while the other one has scars on both of each eye, leaving the other wolf completely blind.
***
A wolf with a scar on its left eye pounced on Fate, but he managed to dodge the attack. Fate is already exhausted and is about to pass out, but he stood his ground and persisted. "It's to kill or to be killed," he thinks.
Fate pants heavily. His sweat is dripping from his forehead down to his cheeks. His sight blurs as he breathes. Fate is about to go down to his knees, and his grip weakens. Any moment now, Fate will pass out and get himself consumed by the wolves he's trying to fight, but he raised his head and looked at the wolves with an intent to kill; wolves did the same either.
He inhaled and gasped the air around him. Fate lowered his body as he raises his right arm and made sure he holds his sickle. He tightened his grip and started to rush towards the wolves he fights. The wolves did the same and rushed towards Fate too.
Fate suddenly stopped rushing, "Got you, motherfucker."
Fate aimed his right arm for the wolf with scars on both eyes. "May the great Overseer Teranthes grant me the luckiest of the lucks..." he whispers to himself before throwing the sickle on his right arm.
Fate successfully hit the blind wolf with the sickle he had just thrown and ended its life before the blind wolf had the chance to pounce on him.
The scarred wolf growled at Fate as he jumps and lunges at him from his back. Just before Fate had the chance to slash it using his other sickle from his left hand, the wolf already landed on Fate. He fell from his back and struggles to fight back as the scarred wolf mauls him.
"Get off! Aghhhh!!" he shouts. Fate tried to kick the wolf's abdomen, but the wolf is too strong for him to kick. Fate is being overwhelmed, and his strength is already drained. He is about to pass out. He struggles to catch his breath as he struggles to fight back against the wolf.
Fate continued kicking the wolf, but he is completely drained. His arm is already weakened and the wolf is about to eat him.
Fate closes his eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry, sir... but I am far too weak to survive this. Goodbye, father... goodbye, sir..." he thinks to himself before he lets go of the sickle.
"Hey, kid."
Fate heard a familiar voice. He had heard a man's voice. He opened his eyes and he saw Caeruleus fighting the wolf for him.
"S-sir??" Fate asks, "You were here the whole time??"
"I do, kid. What you just did blew my mind," Caeruleus replied as he holds the scarred wolf in its place, "but this is not the right time to talk. Save yourself, there might be other wolves lurking in these woods. Go find a place you can hide."
Fate never sent a response and ran to a bush beside a fallen tree trunk. He then hid behind the bush and watched Caeruleus fight the wolf.
"Your kind will never learn any lessons, don't you?" he says, "How many times am I going to tell you that any under no circumstances should anyone of your kind lure a helpless person?"
The wolf lowered its tail and ran away as if the wolf got scared and understood what Caeruleus stated.
"Now, you're running away like a coward," he asserts, "how am I going to give you a hard lesson if you just ran away?"
Caeruleus held the base of his sword with both hands and lowered his body - the same thing Fate did earlier. He then leaped where the wolf ran and pierced the wolf from its head to its back.
"If any of your kind do this again, I will not hesitate to end your race," Caeruleus exclaims as he pulls out his sword from the wolf's head. He then gave a sigh and puts his sword on his back.
He went for Fate afterward, but he saw Fate lying on the ground unconscious.
"Hey, Fate," Caeruleus said as he tries to get his attention to wake him up. He tried slapping Fate's face lightly, but it did not work either. He checked his pulse, his heartbeat, and his breathing, and it seems that Fate is just alright.
"You did a good job holding yourself, kid. You deserve a rest," Caeruleus told Fate as he carries him. He then teleports inside the tent and lays down Fate on a sheet of hay resembling that of a bed.
"I guess we'll just do it tomorrow," Caeruleus thinks before he closes his eyes to sleep.
***
It is already daytime. The ray of the Sun hit Fate's face, waking him up immediately.
"Huh? Where am I?" he asks himself as he rubs his eyes, "did I pass out that night?"
Caeruleus arrives in the tent, "I am glad you're awake already, kid," he says, "how are you feeling?"
"I... my body feels heavy today, sir, and my head hurts like it's being repeatedly pounded," Fate replies as he massages his head, attempting to ease his headache.
"I am actually impressed by what you did last night, kid," Caeruleus retorts, "that was very remarkable of you knowing that you're already in your bad shape."
"Y-yeah, but I lost the other pair of my sickle as a cost. I am trying to treasure both of the sickles... it is very important for me, my father gave that as his gift. He told me it's the thing he used to pass The Juvenile's Pledge."
"Oh," Caeruleus reacts as he reveals a sickle in front of Fate, "is this the thing you're saying? I am afraid it is broken."
"Oh... that's bad..." Fate disappointedly replied as he takes the sickle from Caeruleus' hand.
"I knew you would feel that. But I tried to repair it as much as I can. I am afraid I modified it a little bit."
Fate scrutinized the sickle and it gave a smile from his face, "You saved my father's name imprinted on this?? I-I am more than thank you, sir!"
"I, too, value your father's name. I would never ever modify that part."
Caeruleus takes a cup and fills it with fresh water. "Here, kid, drink this," Caeruleus told Fate as he gives the cup of water to Fate, "The water came from the deepest well of the woods you had just entered last night. For some unknown reason, everyone who drinks it will ease the pain of the drinker. You said your body hurts, right?"
Fate immediately took the cup of water from Caeruleus' hand and drank every drop of it in mere seconds. "Ahhhh, it feels so good," Fate exclaims as he wipes his lips.
"What do you think, kid? Did the water somehow help to ease your body pain?"
"Yes, sir. After drinking the water, I felt relief."
"That means you're going to be able to train again, right? If yes, then let's go outside."
"Of course, sir! I would love training under you!"
The conversation ended the moment Fate stand up. Caeruleus went outside the tent and took the wooden staff beside him. Fate, on the other hand, took the other pair of sickles and went outside.
It is a cloudy day; the Sun is covered by thick clouds. The wind is blowing stronger than it did when Caeruleus and Fate first arrived.
Caeruleus went in front of Fate and made a distance. He coldly looked into Fate's eyes as he defenselessly stands. "Attack me with your full strength, kid," Caeruleus told Fate, coldly.
"W-what, sir?" Fate nervously asked.
"I am not going to repeat what I said. I believe I said it clearly and loudly," Caeruleus replied, again, coldly.
Without any second thought, Fate dashed towards Caeruleus. He leaped and slashed his pairs of sickles, aiming towards Caeruleus' head, but Caeruleus just blocked it with his wooden staff.
"I said with your full strength, kid. Again."
Caeruleus never fought back and let Fate attack him with all of his might. Fate rushed towards him and suddenly lowered his body, aiming for Caeruleus' foot. He used his left arm to slash Caeruleus' feet, but again, he just blocked Fate's attack.
"Again."
The moment Caeruleus blocked his attack, Fate suddenly went for Caeruleus' back and attempted to slash it, but his attack was blocked again.
"I said, again."
Fate attacked again, and again, and again, but his attacks and slashes are being continuously blocked by Caeruleus.
The fight continued for several minutes, but Fate never succeeded in executing his attacks. Fate never gave up and continued attacking him until he grew exhausted, making him give up on his tactics and rely on recklessness.
"Again."
"Again."
"You attack like a female, kid. I said, give everything you got."
"Useless."
"Futile."
"I don't see the strength in you."
Those were the replies Caeruleus told Fate every attack he does as if Caeruleus is attempting to taunt him.
It was until Fate attacked Caeruleus using both arms in a way that his slash is parallel to each other. Fate successfully ripped Caeruleus' wooden staff in half.
Fate completely drained his strength and loosened his grip on his sickles. He pants rapidly, catching his breath. The sweat from his face is dripping down to his chin every second.
"I-I broke it... I broke sir's staff..." Fate exclaims as he catches his breath. He looked into Caeruleus' eyes, expecting a response from what he had just done.
"Hmmm," Caeruleus wonders. He looked at his broken staff and tightened his grip on the broken staff.
Caeruleus looked into Fate's eyes with an intent to fight. Caeruleus smirked, giving off an impressed expression, "Bring it on, Fate. Treat me like I am your mortal enemy."
Fate smiled back to him as he looks back into Caeruleus' eyes, with an intent to fight back. He tightened his grip on his sickles. "Of course, sir, I will bring it on," Fate replies as he dashes towards Caeruleus. "I will bring it on, sir!!"
"Ooooh, this will be a fun training, Fate," Caeruleus asserts. "This will be fun!!"
Caeruleus and Fate fought each other. Fate became more aggressive in his attacks and occasionally hit Caeruleus successfully. He, on the other hand, fought back to Fate every time he successfully hit him. The fight continued for about an hour until Fate cannot keep up anymore.
It was already afternoon when their fight finished. Fate decided to give up as he cannot keep his pace with Caeruleus. He grew exhausted and laid down on the field.
Caeruleus impressively sighed, "I... I never thought you're this good at fighting, Fate."
"Really, sir?" Fate asked as he catches his breath.
"I admit, kid, I underestimated your strength capacity. I never thought the kid I am training will make me exhausted, too. I... I am very impressed, Fate. I could already see a very big progression despite training you for the second day."
Fate nervously nodded his head, doesn't know how to respond.
"I don't know if it's your determination or if it is the water I gave you earlier, hah hah hah!" Caeruleus sarcastically retorted. "You are already making big progress, nonetheless. I... I was never wrong picking you. You and your father really have that one thing in common."
"I wish he's proud of me..." Fate thinks to himself.
Caeruleus continued training Fate the way he originally trained him. He trained Fate for a month, non-stop. Every day and every night, Caeruleus and Fate will train aggressively. As Fate progresses, the training does, too. Training became harder for Fate to the point that he can never keep up, but he never gave up.
---29 days later---
"This is it, Fate. This is the day before The Triplet's Vow takes place," Caeruleus coldly said, "This is the day where you will see the results of blood, sweat, and tears you have drained to train under me.
"Fate, I am reminding you, and please, always put this inside your mind.
"The Triplet's Vow is a life-and-death situation. The odds are stacked against everyone. Rely on luck if you want. Rely on skill if you want. Rely on both if you want, but The Triplet's Vow is your biggest enemy.
"You need to trust yourself if that day comes. You can form groups, but you only have yourself. In the end, your only ally is yourself and only yourself."
Caeruleus raised his hand in the air and there appeared the sword almost as tall as him as if it was generated into the thin air. He held it using both of his hands.
"Let me see everything you have learned under me. Let me see the results of our hard work...
"...bring it on, kid. Never let me down."