After a very long day of training, Sky was exhausted. His body hurt all over, and he was covered in bruises. He had never felt so sore in his very short life. Fara and Kroma looked overly energetic, a complete contrast to himself.
"Tomorrow, we'll start with some basic hand-to-hand combat," Kroma said as they all made their way back to the castle. "You need to learn how to fight."
"I don't know if I can do this," Sky said, his confidence wavering.
"You can do it," Fara said, encouragingly smiling. "You have us, after all."
After a short while, Sky was directed to a decently sized room with a bed and a window. It also had a door leading to a balcony overlooking the kingdom. Sky was surprised they had given him such a nice room, but he supposed it made sense since they would be training him. He quickly collapsed into a deep sleep, his body too exhausted to stay awake any longer.
The next day, Fara and Kroma came to get him early in the morning. They started with stretching exercises to warm up his muscles before moving on to the hand-to-hand combat lesson.
"The first thing you need to know is how to block," Kroma said as he demonstrated a few basic blocks. "You must be quick and precise with your movements if you want to stand a chance against an opponent."
"Fara, show him how to throw a punch," Kroma said after Sky had successfully blocked a few of his punches.
"Remember, the most important thing is to put all of your weight behind your punch," Fara said as she demonstrated the proper way to throw a punch. "And always aim for the nose – it's the weakest part of the face."
"Now you try it," Fara said, stepping back from Sky.
Sky took a deep breath and then threw a punch at Kroma. He wasn't expecting it to actually connect, but to his surprise, it did. Kroma staggered backwards, clutching his nose in pain.
"Good job," Fara said, laughing. "But don't get too cocky – you're not going to win every fight."
"Now let's move on to kicks," Kroma said, wiping the tear from his eye. "They're a bit more difficult to master, but they can be just as effective as punches."
And so the lesson continued. Sky learned how to block and counterattack with both punches and kicks. He was starting to get the hang of it, but he knew he still had a lot to learn. He was constantly getting knocked down, but he kept getting back up and trying again.
"You have to gain certain skills to keep up with us," Fara said.
"Skills?" Sky asked, unsure of what she meant.
"When you practice an action repeatedly, the system will reward your efforts with a skill. I'm sure you have some skills already."
"What skills do you have?" Sky asked, interested in what they could be.
"We each have our own unique set of skills," Kroma said. "But some skills are more common than others. For example, both of us have the skill 'Dash'. We use it to move quickly in short bursts."
"Can you teach me that skill?" Sky asked.
"Yes, but it will take some time," Fara said. "Right now, you need to familiarise yourself with your body and movements. Once you have a good understanding of that, we can move on to skills."
So the training continued from morning to night. Of course, they had their fair share of breaks in between, but for the most part, they were working on one thing or another. And though it was tough, Sky slowly started to improve. He learned how to use his artefact more efficiently and defend himself better in combat. He even touched a piece of Kroma's clothing with his bare hand during one of their sparring sessions.
"Good job," Kroma said, surprised. "You're progressing well."
"I'm trying my best," Sky said, panting from the effort.
"I can see that," Fara said, smiling. "Keep it up, and you'll be a master in no time."
It had been a couple of days since Sky had first arrived at the castle, and he was slowly getting used to the training. He had made some progress, but this was only the beginning. There was always something around the corner that he needed to improve on.
"Relax," Kroma said, sensing his frustration. "You're doing fine. Just take it one step at a time."
"I know," Sky said, exhaling deeply. "I just hate feeling useless like this."
"You're not useless," Fara said. "You just need more practice. And we'll be here to help you every step of the way."
Sky remained quiet, feeling overwhelmed by what he was tasked.
"Sit down, Sky," Kroma said, "We need to talk."
Sky sat down, wondering what they could possibly need to talk about.
"Do you know my background? Or Fara's background?" Kroma asked.
"No," Sky said, shaking his head. "I don't really know anything about either of you."
"We come from a place called the Ancient City," Kroma said. "It's a city that's been around for thousands of years."
"What's it like?" Sky asked, curious.
"It's a beautiful place," Fara said, "But it's also very dangerous. There are all kinds of creatures there that can kill you."
"Not just creatures," Kroma said, looking at Fara over his shoulder, "But people."
Fara pressed her lips together and nodded, her eyes distant.
"It's a place where the strong survive, and the weak perish," Kroma said. "You have to be on your guard at all times."
"Why are you telling me this?" Sky asked.
"Because I want you to know that the feeling you have of not being good enough, not being prepared enough, is expected. I still feel like that to this day! No matter how much I train or how experienced I get, there's always something new that I have to face." Kroma sighed and looked down at his hands. "The key is not to give up. As long as you keep moving forward, eventually, you'll get there."
"We actually met each other in the city," Fara said, speaking up. "We were both trying to survive on our own, and we ran into each other by chance."
Kroma chuckled, "And I almost ripped your head off."
"Yes, you did," Fara said, playfully punching him in the arm. "But I'm glad you didn't because we've been friends ever since."
"I see," Sky said, understanding what they were trying to tell him. "So you're saying I shouldn't give up because things are tough?"
"Exactly," Kroma said. "Things are always going to be tough. There's no point in giving up because of that."
"And you're also saying that I should try to find someone to help me?" Sky asked.
"No, no, no," Fara said, "The lesson you need to learn is to never despair. To never give up hope. Because as long as you have hope, anything is possible."
Kroma and Fara's words resonated with Sky, and he slowly started to see his progress. He realised that he needed to be patient and that he couldn't give up just because he was struggling.
Kroma smacked his arm, "And that's enough of your moping! It's time to rest!"
"Yes, sir," Sky said, standing up and stretching his tired muscles.
As they walked toward the castle gate, a man clothed in formal attire approached them. He had a scruffy beard and wore glasses that sat low on his nose. "Excuse me," he said, "Are you Sky?"
"Yes, I am," Sky said, wondering who this man was.
"My name is Harold Burnstein," the man said, "I have been tasked with teaching you servant etiquette."
"Oh, okay," Sky said, unsure what that meant.
"Follow me," Harold said, turning and walking back the way he came.
Sky glanced at Fara and Kroma, who both shrugged before following after Harold. He had no idea what he was getting into, but he supposed it couldn't be worse than cleaning toilets.