"Do you know what a sword master is?"
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Alex was confused, he was confused. The atmosphere was much too heavy for such a simple question.
"Isn't a sword master someone who is very strong?" He answered in a bit of confusion.
The training room was silent.
"Is that all?"
"W-well, someone who has mastered the sword must be a sword master, right?" Alex answered Eleanor's question once more.
"Let me re-phrase the question then, why do you think a sword master is strong?" Eleanor asked after thinking for a bit.
"Aura!" Alex answered energetically as if he knew he got the answer right.
"Well, you are not wrong", Alex's eyes lit up, he knew he was correct!
"But, you're not right either..." Alex seemed dismayed, he thought he had answered perfectly; at least he was sure that his answer was correct.
"So, tell me once again. What is 'Aura' then? If you think it makes a sword master strong, then it must be something incredible, right?"
Alex fell silent. He had once heard stories from his mother about the knight who slayed a wyrm using a sword made of aura. He used to listen to his father's stories about this land, how the hero made a crater using his aura. But, when asked what 'Aura' was, he fell silent.
"Hmmm? It seems you do not know...Do you want a hint?" Eleanor asked after some time passed and no answers came from Alex.
His face also seemed to contort in strange ways as if to show his confusion. He was cute. Upon hearing the question, Alex furiously nodded his head.
"Well, rather than a hint, I'll teach you everything from now on ok brother? So listen carefully." Eleanor said looking at Alex's eyes which seemed to be burning with learning passion.
"A long time ago, before there were monsters, there were no superhuman. So humans were just regular, they could only do so much, after an event which now has been lost to time, some mutations occurred in humans, you know what they could be?"
"Mana, and aura processing?"
"No, the first mutation to occur was a small node in their brain called the thalloid nexus, it was a node which allowed for humans to realize their will, through which they slowly forced their way through the natural growth limit. After which, due to this nexus, a new mutation began to occur, this one was rarer than the nexus, it was a mutation to the nexus itself. This mutation would only be realized by those who were at the peak of their paths, aura. Through rigorous training, this realization of will which started as a formless domination intimidation tactic, became a realize solid understanding of one's character, aura"
"So, aura is just a mutation in a mutation? Then, what about magic; and does that mean aura has a bigger history than magic?"
"Yes, and yes, however for you later question, the answer doesn't matter. It has been hundreds of thousands of year since this mutation occurred; historians used many techniques to find the reason, and most say it occurred because of the appearance of demons. And, now well everyone has the mutated nexus through selective breeding. Magic itself is also another mutation which occurred in the body through the creation of a new organ near the spleen, called the spell-weaver organ, this mutation was even rarer than the nexus"
"I see…but sister if mana is a result of a mutation, and so is the nexus, why is it that not everyone has a spell-weaver gland?"
"Because the human body has limitation, not everyone who has the gland can use magic, and even if they could they would implode"
Alex shuddered at the word 'implode', he didn't know what that meant, but he did not want to find out either.
"Mana, and aura are inherently repulsive to one another, due to the nexus everyone has a form of aura in them, so when these individuals who had aura also got the mana gland, well, their bodies couldn't handle it and they died. Of course, there were those who survived and through whom there are mages left in this world. These mages inherently have a weaker nexus, so they produce fewer auras while training their body"
"But, sister I thought the hero could use both aura and mana?" Alex inquired after a bit of thinking.
Eleanor was extremely proud of her brother for asking such enlightening question, she felt happy knowing he would definitely have a good future.
"And, that is when people like you come in, through even more mutation a new gland was formed. The harmonium nexus, the gland that stabilizes mana and aura in the body, the reason there are beings who can survive using mana and aura at the same time. Like you."
"Like me?" Alex was shocked; he knew his sister would sometimes say weird things while training mostly pertaining to his very own growth, but this was a whole new thing.
"Yes, like you" Eleanor looked at her brother with a satisfied look; he seemed to be coming along just fine.
"But, before you say anything or think any brother" Eleanor immediately hid her proud-ness and spoke, "In this world, everything and anything you do, you only need one of two things, perseverance and talent"
Alex looked at his sister; it seemed this topic was something she wanted him to etch in his heart.
"Talent can never be picked up, it is something you can't change, but you can change what you persevere through. So, persevere through things even when things look bleak, and there seems to be no end, ok?" Eleanor held deep melancholy in her eyes as she spoke.
"Y-yes" Alex answered not knowing why he felt un-comfortable seeing his sister make that face.
"Now, I will teach you about aura, the 'secret' ability of weapon masters, ok?" Eleanor said knowing this was a topic her brother would be most excited about.
As if fulfilling her prophecy, an immediate glow appeared on Alex's face, he furiously nodded his head.
"For weapon users, as they practice their weapon slowly their body begins to accumulate aura. This aura, unlike the force of nature called mana, or the holy power of god, is contained in the entire body, scattered through-out.
But, as we practice we are able to contain it in 3 points in our body; the brain, heart, and stomach. This force isn't aura yet, but an un-refined energy called 'aurum'. Unlike the solid aura, it is like a mist, a flame, and intangible. But, after more rigorous training, aurum becomes concentrated around the heart, and become aura.
So, mages can't practice weapons because of the inherent nature of opposition of aura and mana. If a mage were to practice a weapon, aura would become prevalent in their body, and their body would implode.
Aura is just a trophy of sorts that shows that an individual has reached a stage of human transcendence; however it only doesn't define the strength of a master. The real strength of a master is their will, their indomitable want to win every battle. That is what a sword master or any weapon master is, an un-doubting master of their weapon."
Alex closed his eyes, calming his beating heart. He was excited about sword masters, sorcery, aura, magic, everything; he was even more excited that he was special, someone who could wield both aura and mana, and even more excited that he could reach the peak of these path laid in front of him. But, in all his excitement, something seemed to gnaw at him, he was confused then he realized-
"Sister, how do you know so much about sword masters? Or even weapon-man ship?"
Eleanor began to secretly sweat.
"...Alex, did you know our ancestor was a hero who has etched his name in history? It is because of him that our bodies are so durable, and strong. So, wouldn't it be a given that a family like ours to have several books about weapon-man ship?" Eleanor came up with a believable lie.
"...Yes, sister." Alex knew something did not add up, after all she did something to him a few nights ago, when he was tickled while her sister didn't even move. But, after looking at his sister's hesitant face; he did not question any further.
"Kuhum", with a small cough, Eleanor continued her explanation.
"Like I have said before, to become a weapon master of any kind, there are two types of skills one MUST master." Eleanor emphasized the 'must'-ness of the situation.
"Skills?" Alex tilted his head.
"Yes, but do not worry. Over time you will learn them eventually as you get better with the sword. They are called auxiliary skills and weapon skills. Auxiliary skills are those that deal with one's body, and there are 3 of them; [Robur], [Celero], and [Fortis]", Eleanor explained, this topic seemed to have peaked her interests in the past.
"...[Robur]? [Celero]? Sister? What does any of that mean?" Alex quickly asked before his sister could explain anymore.
"Auxiliary skills deal with the body, and for intermediate and expert level weapon-users they provide short burst of energy, in short these skills allow the user to temporarily surpass their body's limits. In the heat of battle, these skills are the hidden cards to be used in the worst case scenario. For sword masters however, they will have these skills active at all time during battle..."
[Robur] is a skill that increases the strength of a weapon user multiple folds in the heat of battle. This was the very skill Eleanor used during her fight with the demon.
[Celero] is a skill that allows the users body to surpass its limits and strike the opponent faster than they can even react.
[Fortis] is a skill that hardens the user's body allowing them to resist any and all strikes from their opponent.
"Combined these three skills can guarantee one's victory in battle, of course to be able to maintain these forms and be able to resist the downsides to these skills one must have an extremely strong body."
"Eh? Sister, didn't you say that we have extremely strong bodies because of our ancestors? So, does that mean that even with our bodies we can't handle the backlash of these skills?"
"Yes."
"T-Then, how do people become competent weapon-users?"
Eleanor smiled at her brother's loss of words.
"That is the reason that there aren't many intermediate level weapon-users, even though weapons are very common. The path of the sword or any weapon is incredibly difficult, but the fruit of one's labor is also equally sweet. Perseverance always rewards you after all."
"If the path of the sword or even any kind of weapon is that difficult then, why do people struggle with it? Can't they just give themselves up to faith and be chosen by God to become a low ranking priests or something?"
Eleanor's smile broke in the fraction of a second. Her eyes held a melancholy sadness which couldn't be described with words. Yet, she still smiled.
"You'd be surprised how difficult it is to be chosen by God...", Eleanor's eyes continued to hold those sorrows, as she changed her topic.
"NOW! Of course you are going to learn those auxiliary skills eventually, but that's a long way to come. It has been a week since you began practicing, but I think you'll be able to learn them faster than others. So, it will likely take you 4 years."
"TH-That long?"
"Yes, that long. And, yes that's considered fast. Most people are in their teenage years when they are even able to activate those skills for a few seconds at best. It really shows how talented you are...hahaha", Eleanor laughed unable to contain her feelings.
This world was truly unfair.
"Then, weapon skills are those skills that one can learn after a certain level of understanding of their own weapons...for example for the sword, it is called [Veritas]; the skill that can cut anything, the doubtless strike..."
"Sister, what about other weapons? Like the spear? Or the bow?"
"Ah? For the spear it is called [Vires], the most perfect way to throw a spear. For the bow, it's [Vicero], the perfect shot, the most accurate strike...Why? Do you want to learn them too?"
"N-No, sister. That's not what I-"
"Alright brother, this sister of yours will make sure that you learn all of them!" Eleanor said with raised vigor, laughing along the way.
Alex raised his head as he realized the increase in his workload. He wanted to cry, but he didn't. He held in his sadness, as his face grew red like a red berry.
The sky that was orange, started to turn dark. The last of the birds were going back to their nests. With black feathers and wings that flapped every once in a while, one of the species of the birds currently flying, Raums, were making their way back to their nests.
Raums. Eleanor...no Rebecca hated them. Raums were thought to signify war, famine, and death. There were thought to be the carrier of the war god, Arian. Warriors worshipped these birds and wished for victory while normal citizens did so to wish for peace and to keep the things it signified away. Rebecca hated them because she had seen what these things signified, she had lived through them.
Taak!
With a clap, Eleanor asked a question to Alex, "Alex, how many birds just flew by?"
"N-Nine? No, E-Eight! I'm sure of it!"
"You're incorrect...How many raums were there then?"
"F-five?"
Eleanor laughed. It seems no matter how talented one was, one still required to work hard on their skills.
"There were eleven birds in total, and seven of them were raums.", Eleanor raised her hands and tugged on her brother's smooth cheeks tightly.
"Arg-Argh! T-That hurts!", Alex shouted as protest.
"Well, I need to punish you don't I?" Eleanor spoke with a smug face.
After a while of tugging and many cute screams from Alex, Eleanor stopped. The day was ending.
"Let's spar a bit. I need to check your progress." Eleanor said as she lifted her sword.
"...yes. I understand."
Alex faced off against his sister. He was ready to fight; he was ready to show Eleanor that he had gotten better.
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1 minute and 30 seconds. It took less than 2 minutes.
Alex was on the ground, sweating profusely, huffing and puffing as he tried to get up once more. He tried and tried, but his muscles gave out. He couldn't move. He turned his head towards the horizon where the sun had just set.
Eleanor was re-adjusting her black gloves. She had dug the training wooden sword into the ground, as she made sure the gloves were fully adjusted. She moved her hair back and tightened them again. She wasn't even sweating.
The spar lasted less than 2 minutes, for the majority of which Alex just tried to land some or any hits. His movements were big, as he tried to make the blow that landed, count. His movements were erratic as Eleanor dodged each strike masterfully without any excessive movements. She only attacked once when Alex was fully off balance at the end which made him fall on the ground.
Eleanor still seemed saddened about her lost abilities, but the worry was in vain. The thing she was most concerned about was her recent personality shifts, those moments of short temper, and those moments when she felt as if she wasn't herself.
Alex wondered how his sister got so strong. He stared at Eleanor as the last of the sun sank behind her. She looked so beautiful to him.
Eleanor noticed that her brother had been staring at her. She wanted to spar with him once more as 2 minutes didn't seem to be enough sparring. But, seeing as how battered up Alex was she decided this was enough. She made her way towards her brother and reached her hand out.
Alex took her hand and they made their ways out of the training camp.
It had been a long day.