"Focus your mind!" Raphael ordered in the middle of the class.
They had moved up to the hillside, near the forest, to learn to swing their swords. This time, it was the real sword, not a wooden one. And that was their assignment in the previous meeting. Make a wide incision.
"Feel the magic run through your sword," he ordered again. That sounded easy, but actually, it was not at all. "Can't you feel it?"
"I felt something faint flowing. But I can't change its direction," replied the closest student.
Students were divided into 2 groups. Companions were under Columba, while humans were under Raphael.
"That's why you need to focus," he repeated. He had said it many times, yet it was still difficult for them to follow. "Feel the flow and try to turn it to the side of your sword," he continued.
The student followed his sentences. He even closed his eyes to gain more focus.
He tried his best. And when he swung his sword, there was only a thin slash in the tree. The disappointment was felt because he failed to reach the target or even approach it.
Meanwhile, on the other hand, companions got better results. After all, magic came from them, and they were used to it. The difference was, this time, they combined it with their new weapons.
"Look, mine is longer," Thomas said proudly to Carl, who stood beside him.
Carl saw it. He could see a long slash in the tree Thomas had just made. "Mine is deeper." He replied by boasting of his own. Somehow, he was challenged to spit it out.
Thomas glanced and found his slash made a deeper cut, though not as long as his. "Longer is better. It'll give serious damage." He still didn't want to lose.
Carl chuckled at that. He was not Dex who liked to argue with him. But sometimes, doing it was okay, right?
"No, Tom. Deep wounds are more dangerous than long wounds."
How did he know?
He studied medicine a little so that he knew the width of the wound beyond the depth of the damage, especially about the incision. It would be fatal if it got a deep wound and hit a vital spot.
Thomas thought about that for a moment. Apparently, he found his words true, so he no longer argued with him. "Anyway, how's your sword practice? Is it going well?" he asked as he prepared the next attack.
"Yeah. Everyone except me knows how to use a sword. So, I have a lot of teachers teaching me." Carl followed him, preparing for another attack. Then, they stepped forward together to attack the tree. It gave better results than before.
"That's deeper," said Thomas happily.
Carl smiled at seeing that. Thomas was indeed more expressive than him. "What about you? Who's your partner?"
"Me?" Thomas caught his breath for another attack. Just controlling magic and slashing trees was quite tiring. "I'm with Louis and Adam. They're amateurs, so I need to train them."
He closed his eyes for a moment, then attacked in seconds. The result was not much different from the last. "Oh, Dex too. I need to train him too," he added as he remembered his companion.
Carl laughed. "We're opposites. I'm the only student in my group, and you are the only teacher in your group," he concluded. One more added to their differences.
Thomas laughed at that. It sounded like a joke, even though the reality wasn't as pleasant as that. "Yeah. Those are all annoying choices. But it's even more annoying if I'm the teacher and haven't been able to master this yet." He was referring to his swordsmanship. "Who is your partner?" he asked Carl.
"Darren and Irvin."
"Oh, them." Thomas reacted by showing a nod. "How is it going?"
"As I said, I'm the only student there. So, yeah." Carl hung up on his sentence when he couldn't find the right words to describe it.
"I can feel it." Thomas chimed in as if he understood what he was going to say. It was like his situation. But, perhaps, he was more pathetic because he had to teach three people at once. Or not?
"Why? Did they bother you?"
"You know how amateurs are."
"Hey, I'm an amateur too." Carl reminded Thomas of his status. If he wasn't an amateur, he would have played his role.
"That's different. You have Miku. But for them, they just have Astrix Academy and me to learn. And you know Dex, he's annoying sometimes."
"Aren't you and Dex similar?" asked Carl while holding a laugh. He seemed to have heard someone speak ill of himself. It was ridiculous.
"No. I won't be like him. He's childish."
"And you don't?"
"Sure, no. I'll listen when someone teaches me something and improves myself."
Okay. They differed in that part. Carl admitted that.
"But, it seems my team is better than yours." Suddenly, Thomas compared as if they were competing.
Carl furrowed his brows in confusion. "How could it be?"
"You're with Darren and Irvin," Thomas answered curtly, not really answering his question.
"Then what? What's wrong with me being with them?" Carl still didn't understand.
Thomas turned to him. "You didn't hear the rumor?"
"Rumor?"
"Yes, I hear Darren and Irvin are mean. They won't forgive you when you don't live up to their high expectations. They will tell you to work so hard that you can't move your body anymore."
That was a long explanation for a rumor.
How would Carl react?
He just laughed. It was funny how rumors were created. Was it like a rumor about him and Miku?
"And why do they think so about Darren and Irvin?"
Thomas shrugged. "I don't know. But maybe, because they're quiet, and people like this are scary."
"Oh, really?" Carl showed his surprise at the assumption. Too many rumors about a quiet person. "What do you think of me? Am I quiet too?"
"You?" Thomas responded with confusion and astonishment. "You're definitely not a quiet type. You talk a lot during our time together."
Carl nodded in agreement. He did. That was because Thomas often talked to him.
"You know something?" He deliberately paused his sentence. Then he pulled his body back so Thomas could see their friends in his line. "The person you're talking about is right next to me."
Instantly, Thomas' face paled. He clearly didn't know about that. "You," he stuttered, unsure of how to react. "Why didn't you tell me?" Finally, he voiced his protest to Carl.
Carl smiled amusedly. "I didn't know you would talk like that about him."
"You-"
"I didn't know you two had much time to joke." Suddenly, another voice joined in. That was Raphael. "Have you mastered your swords?"
Carl and Thomas fell silent. They immediately returned to focus on the lesson.
"Focus on your sword, nothing else!"