"What were you barking about? Oh... I mean... talking about?" I asked, deliberately emphasizing each word, letting the mockery drip from my voice as I watched their faces contort in annoyance. Their clenched fists betrayed the simmering irritation they were trying so hard to suppress, and I couldn't help but savor every moment of it. It was rare that I got under their skin this easily, but today was an exception. The tension between us was palpable, like a tightly wound spring, ready to snap at any second.
"Are you out of your mind?" Adonis exploded, his voice rising in frustration, his eyes flashing with barely contained anger. He seemed genuinely thrown off, and I couldn't help but grin at his reaction. It was one of the few times I could genuinely get under his skin.
I giggled, but not in any way that could be considered normal. It was a sound that came out wild and almost unhinged, echoing off the training room walls like a taunt. "I thought you all already knew the answer to that, little boy!" My voice had a singsong quality to it, almost gleeful in its taunting tone. The more I saw his frustration grow, the more I relished it.
"What was that for?" Sohan asked, his voice tight with annoyance, his hand pressed to the small, superficial cut I had intentionally inflicted on him earlier. The cut wasn't deep, but it stung all the same, and I could tell it irked him more than it should have.
I tilted my head at him, offering a deadly grin in return. "Are you seriously asking me that stupid question?" I couldn't help but mock him, my tone dripping with contempt as I spoke. I wasn't about to let him off easy, not after they both had decided to annoy me so much.
Sohan sighed heavily, trying and failing to keep his temper in check. "What the hell are you even doing here, after all?" he muttered, clearly trying to make sense of my presence and actions, but it only served to further irritate me.
I shrugged nonchalantly, not bothering to turn back to them. "It's our duty to go wherever you go, Nsomi. Have you forgotten?" Adonis interjected, his voice sharp and laced with an underlying anger. His words were like daggers, and I could hear the disdain in his tone as he spat them at me.
"Oh, yeah," I replied with feigned realization, as though the answer had just come to me. "Your punishment." My words were laced with sarcasm, deliberately downplaying the situation as if it meant nothing to me. I turned my back to them, effectively brushing them off. "Well then, do whatever you want, but just know that I'll be training here for the rest of the day," I added, my voice dripping with indifference. With that, I made my way toward the armory.
Inside the armory, rows of gleaming weapons stretched out before me, each one waiting for a hand to wield it. My fingers itched to choose one, and without hesitation, I picked up the sword that caught my attention. It was perfectly balanced, its weight distributing evenly through my grip. It felt... right.
"If you want to train with me, I wouldn't mind," I called back to them without looking. "In fact, it'd be awesome to have a reason to beat you two up." I smirked, a challenge lacing my words as I imagined the satisfaction of besting them in a duel.
Without waiting for any response, I strode over to the targets and began slicing through them with a precision and grace that only came from hours of practice. The sound of the sword cutting through the air was sharp, satisfying. Each strike landed exactly where I wanted it, leaving behind a perfect cut every time. I never missed. I couldn't afford to.
After a few minutes of this, I turned to look at them, expecting some kind of reaction. They were still standing there, rooted to the spot, staring at me with a mixture of shock and disbelief. Their faces were frozen in identical expressions of confusion. I narrowed my eyes at them, irritation creeping up my spine. "What is it?" I demanded, my patience quickly running thin.
"What?" They both asked in unison, the confusion in their voices almost comical. It only made me roll my eyes harder than I ever thought possible. Honestly, these two were infuriating at times.
"Look," I said, my tone becoming exasperated as I crossed my arms over my chest, "We can hate each other and still have a conversation. So, tell me—what is it? Why are you two staring at me like I'm some kind of alien?" I arched an eyebrow, waiting for an answer, my expression one of incredulity.
They exchanged a glance, as though silently communicating before both let out a long, drawn-out sigh. Their shoulders slumped in unison, and I could tell they were giving in to whatever was going on in their heads.
"Since when are you so... skilled at fighting with daggers and swords?" Adonis finally spoke, his voice tight, the irritation seeping into every word. His question was less of an inquiry and more of a statement, though I could tell he was genuinely surprised by the revelation.
"And why didn't anyone know about it?" Sohan added, his tone skeptical. He seemed to be trying to understand why this side of me had been hidden from them for so long.
I didn't answer right away. Instead, I continued to spin the sword in my hand idly, enjoying the way it felt, the familiar weight in my grip. "I've always been interested in fighting," I began, my voice slowing as I thought back to the events that had shaped me. "But I only decided to seriously train and refine my skills after Avyanna died from the Rosé disease." The words left a bitter taste in my mouth, each syllable carrying the weight of everything I had lost.
"As you know, she was all I had in this life," I continued, my tone hardening as I spoke, the memories surfacing like old wounds that had never truly healed. "After she died, I was left completely alone, with nothing but time to spare and a hell of a lot of chaotic feelings bottled up inside of me."
I set the sword down with a decisive motion and moved to grab a bow, taking thirty arrows with me. I set up another target, drew an arrow, and took aim. The pull of the bowstring felt natural, like breathing. One by one, the arrows hit their marks, never missing. The sound of the impact was like music to my ears. One after another, I fired, and every single shot was perfect.
"Bad and harmful feelings like the ones I've bottled up my entire life," I muttered as I fired another arrow, "are a great source of energy. A... powerful motivation, you could say." I shot another arrow, hitting the target dead center. "So, after mourning her death for almost a year, I finally decided to do something with all the rage and grief swirling inside me." I took aim again and released. "That's when I began training. Alone. Every single day. From morning till midnight."
Another arrow. Another perfect hit.
"Swords. Daggers. Spears. Bow and arrows. Crossbows. Kung Fu. Taekwondo. Jiu-Jitsu. Karate. Judo." I listed them off, my voice steady and proud. "I know it all."
I paused to fire a few more arrows, my eyes flicking to the targets as they fell one by one. The satisfaction in knowing I never missed was a feeling I couldn't quite explain, but I knew I loved it.
"I'm not a master, of course," I continued, voice laced with truth. "But I'm outstanding—I know that much for sure. And the fact that I learned everything on my own, without anyone's help, makes me a prodigy."
Without any warning, I turned to face Adonis and let an arrow fly in his direction. I didn't aim to kill, of course. It was a warning shot. The arrow grazed his cheekbone, leaving a shallow cut behind.
"Beware," I said with a smile that didn't reach my eyes, my voice low and dangerous. "That I purposely missed both the dagger and the arrow." My eyes narrowed as I took in their reactions. "Because I know you two well enough to understand that you're the type who only believes what you can see. The cuts are superficial—nothing compared to the wounds you've left on me." My words were heavy with the weight of old wounds, and I watched them closely, my smirk never wavering.
Before they could say anything else, I felt a new presence approaching. Without hesitation, I released another arrow, this time aiming just half a centimeter above the head of the intruder.
The girl screamed in fright, ducking instinctively. I knew who it was before she even spoke. It was Rebekka Lise Madsen, the daughter of Earl Madsen, and one of the competitors in the Trials. She was there, trembling, her face pale with shock and fear.
Rebekka, the scared little duckling among a sea of vipers.
And... she didn't like boys. It was a fact I'd known for a long time, and I had no idea what she was doing here, competing in the Trials where Daisuke's favor was the ultimate prize—a prize she clearly wasn't interested in.
Actually, I knew her secret. She had been in love with Avyanna. A fact that only the two of us knew. And now, I suspected, she probably hated me, too. For what? Simply for being alive when Avyanna wasn't.