The tip of his sword fell close to the ground, without trembling, even as the Recen candidate was huffing his lungs out.
His legs could hold his weight no longer, giving in. Alex fell down on the grass of the inner courtyard, taking deep breaths. Sweat poured down his face, hands, and back as he looked at the clear blue sky.
'Today's the day, huh?' He sighed and looked to the side, where his sword lay. Extending his hand, he grabbed his sword, holding onto it with all his power.
Various thoughts and fears coursed through his mind, but Alex found peace by gripping the sword's leather hilt.
A shadow covered his face, making Alex open his eyes and lock gazes with another young man around the same age as him.
"The swamp is strangely still. Nothing has happened in the last few months." The stranger said, sitting on the grass with a two-handed greatsword over his knees.
Alex looked at his sword's oiled blade, rotating it slightly as he watched sunlight bounce off it. "As always, before a Trial begins. It shouldn't surprise you."
"How many do you think will die?" The unnamed teen asked, ignoring Alex's remark.
"We may all die," Alex said promptly, sighing slightly.
"Why do you say that?"
Alex fell silent for a time before answering. "The swamp is a place only Renens and strong people can survive. It isn't some cozy and well-protected tree park nobles love to spend their time on a Sunday afternoon with their spouse in hand."
"Many candidates survived and even brought back beast bodies." The young man seemed skeptical of Alex's response.
"Yes, many did. Yet, a lot of boys died, even in those instances. We don't know where we will be transported or if we'll face something stronger than what we can deal with."
The young man shook his head. "The elders wouldn't allow a Trial to occur under such dangerous circumstances."
Alex shrugged. "They might. This is a Trial, after all. We should prepare to lose our lives. If one's not prepared to die, they can leave."
The young man sighed. "Maybe you're right. Maybe not. After all, there isn't a single incident where all the candidates have perished. Plus, the fatalities are low in this Trial."
Alex nodded and closed his eyes, bringing his breathing under control.
The young man stood up first. "Wanna train some more? It's still early."
Alex nodded, listening to the sounds of clashing swords from nearby candidates. "Yea, but let me rest for a bit more."
"Aight."
Around five minutes passed, neither talking to the other, the entire surroundings filled with only the sounds of metal hitting metal and grunting.
Throwing his hands in front of his body, Alex stood up, grunting in the process. "That should do it. Let's start this."
The young man nodded as well and stood up. He didn't tower over Alex, having the same height. That said, he was considerably more muscular than Alex.
Alex took his shorter Falx and slowly waved it around, shifting his weight from one foot to another. He didn't want his opponent to know whether Alex would strike first or where he would strike from.
Alex smiled, shifting his blade from side to side. "You have the reach advantage, Jhonas. Are you not going to act upon that?"
Jhonas gripped his greatsword, his forearm muscles tightening, threatening to splinter the sword's hilt. Even so, he didn't give in to Alex's taunts.
He was the stronger one between them and also had the reach advantage. There was no need to feel threatened by Alex.
Alas, Jhonas' eyes widened as they traced the tip of Alex's Falx approach to his face. He hastily brought his sword to block, but there was nothing to block.
'A feint.' He realized, taking several steps back to avoid being gutted by Alex.
Looking down at his cut shirt, Jhonas looked up at Alex, who was hefting the Falx on his shoulder.
"Nice reactions." The latter praised, though Jhonas' expression darkened.
"I would like you to take this seriously." The latter replied, exhaling a long breath.
"I am..." Alex started but was forced to stop as an unbelievable force pushed him back a few steps. 'Hitting while I was talking, huh? I'm not gonna let this lie down, Jhonas.'
Alex mused as he stomped his right foot, disappearing from his spot and appearing at Jhonas' side.
Alex swung his sword, yet it was blocked by Jhonas'. Yet, this was where Alex's Falx shined the most. The blade's curved tip snaked around the greatsword's edge, ready to pounce on Jhonas' flesh.
"Ahh!" Grunting, Jhonas pushed Alex's blade away from his body, but he wasn't unscathed. A thin scratch on his right forearm bled slowly, making the young man grunt again.
It was hard to defend against an inwardly curved sword, as the tip can strike even when defending with a shield, much less another sword.
Taking advantage of his faster strikes and high mobility, Alex brought out the best qualities a Falx had to offer.
That said...
"Ugggh!" Alex grunted in response as he fell to one knee.
Jhonas also brought the best qualities out of his sword.
"Damn your bullish strength." Alex cursed out loud, forced to roll to the side to avoid another earth-shaking blow.
Jumping to his feet, Alex struck against Jhonas' undefended back, ready to tear between his ribs and into his heart.
As this was the last training session, the candidates could use sharp weapons and strike with lethal intent.
*Ding!* *Clank!*
A sharp, pinging sound temporarily overwhelmed Alex's senses, almost making him lose focus.
A thin metal backplate stopped Alex's sword from fatally injuring Jhonas. The former frowned, looking at the now broken blade.
The Falx's curved tip broke off upon impact and fell onto the grassy ground.
*THUNK!!*
A numbing strike followed, making Alex jump back to avoid his head flying into the sky. He looked down at his shaking right hand, where his sword used to reside.
Sighing, he raised his hands. "Seems like you win this round."
Jhonas breathed hard and spoke between huffs. "We would've both lost our lives." He admitted, placing a hand over the place where Alex's sword struck.
Although the Falx failed to pierce Jhonas' body, that didn't mean the young man didn't feel the impact. "Sorry about your blade."
Alex sighed. "It's broken anyway. It wasn't the highest quality, it seems." He continued, taking the broken parts in his hands and looking at the metal's grain structure.
"Also, thanks for pulling your strike. I would've lost my head there. Sorry for not doing the same." Alex apologized.
Jhonas nodded. "You knew I wear armor underneath my shirt."
"That doesn't mean I didn't have to pull my own strike. Again, I'm sorry."
As the two young men were busy apologizing to each other, a carriage slowly rolled into the courtyard, pulled by two pairs of dark horses.
A large emblem adorned the carriage's side, exuding an overbearing presence.
The appearance caught Alex's attention.
Several elders exited the keep and watched the carriage stopping at the main entrance. They watched as a well-dressed man left the carriage and greeted him.
Alex shifted his gaze to Jhonas and grabbed the latter's shoulder.
"Let's go, Jhonas. The elders are waiting."