Nico sat cross-legged in the meadow, a spear in his lap. He quietly meditated, letting tranquillity blanket his mind.
He did this before every training session as he wanted his brain to be in a state of clarity, free of any distracting thoughts.
By now, Nico was very familiar with the meditation state. The ease with which he could enter it had vastly improved from his first attempt.
Sure, the murky ball of darkness still lay sealed at the bottom of his self.
However, Nico had gotten used to it negative effects. Or at least slightly… it didn't faze him as much anymore.
That said, if he had any say in the matter, the brown-haired boy would have lived without such discomfort every time he wished to be introspective.
After all, the whole point of meditation was to soothe your mind and grant you a temporary haven from life's struggles, was it not?
'Well, I guess experiencing such discomfort is an adequate trade-off for eventually achieving inner peace.' Nico chuckled in a self-deprecating manner.
Shaking his head, Nico sighed before slowly returning his attention to the task at hand. He continued to meditate for a while longer, before eventually releasing a turbid breath and standing up.
The spear that was previously on his lap, gripped tightly in his hands.
Six days had passed since Phantom had taught him the synchronisation method.
After almost two weeks of intense training in the Camp, Nico's physique had undergone a qualitative change. Gone was his gaunt and slightly enunciated figure.
Now, hints of muscle peeked out here and there under the skin. Not to mention, his muscles became more defined and robust, able to handle more stress and pressure.
Nico could trace their outline with his eyes. Something which pleased him greatly.
Feeling the newfound power surge through his body, a refreshed smile appeared on Nico's face. He loved the feeling of making progress.
Previously, the brown-haired boy felt as if a sudden breeze could topple him down. That was just how weak he was.
Now, however, Nico had his feet planted firmly on the ground. His posture was straight, stalwart, and unflinching.
The difference these twelve days in the Camp had made to his physique was drastic. For the first time in his life, Nico was feeling more confident about his body.
Enough, he felt he was slowly shortening the gap between him and the other trainees.
If before, the strength of Nico's strikes was equivalent to a toddler - which was to say very weak - now, he sensed that he finally possessed power similar to those in his age group.
The brown-haired boy was sure that if he peeked under his clothes right now, he would find a nascent six-pack beginning to form.
His vigorous efforts in bodyweight training were bearing fruit.
Shifting his gaze, Nico stared at the luminous sun above.
The weather had been rather good the past few days, which was a surprise as he was used to having it rain on a regular occurrence.
A light sigh escaped his mouth.
Gritting his teeth, Nico began his spear training. He ignored his instructor who sat under the time-worn oak, humming merrily to himself.
Inhaling deeply, before he closed his eyes and exhaled, the brown-haired trainee performed the synchronisation method. His spear shot forward, generating a whoosh as it sailed through the air.
Nico repeated the movement again and again, honing it in his memory. Sometimes he changed his stance, having his left foot in front, whilst his right - and dominant - foot lagged a step behind.
Other times, he would try to carry out a set of successive strikes wanting to smoothen the transition between each one.
His aim was to make them seamlessly flow just like Phantom had done.
That task was easier said than done, however. Nico often messed up his coordination and balance, getting the time wrong which usually ended with him on his rear on the floor.
Not to be discouraged though, he kept on practicing.
Thrusting, jabbing, cutting. Nico flew through the clearing, diligently carrying out all the basic strikes his instructor had taught him.
His familiarity with them grew and as a result, the brown-haired boy found them easier to execute.
Coupled with the synchronisation method, Nico felt his strikes possess the substance and power he desired. He was closing in on the minimum proficiency required before he could cultivate the Reaper of Shadows.
With, only a couple of days left until the Duels…
…He was making steady progress.
***
'This boy! Can't he stop grunting!?'
Phantom muttered to himself, his eyebrows twitching in annoyance.
The constant grunts and noises coming out of his student's mouth distracted him and caused him to lose concentration multiple times… which had an adverse effect on the quality of his current painting.
The Spear instructor snapped his neck toward the boy, shooting a withering glare in Nico's direction.
'Looks like he hasn't experienced enough hell, huh? How dare he ignore me?' Phantom fumed internally.
He was sure his delicate specimen was ignoring him.
His reasoning:
How can a person not be aware of someone staring intensely at them? Especially if that person was as handsome and dashing as himself!
'Hmph!' the instructor scoffed as he narrowed his gaze. Reflected in his one good eye, was the diligent form of his student clad in an inky black Camp uniform, practicing his Spear techniques.
'Eh, this kid's not half-bad.'
Phantom sat up a little straighter as he focused on Nico's movements.
Although still clumsy, showing large signs of wasted movement and lacking a lot of grace, the instructor found to his astonishment that with every thrust they were slowly but surely being refined.
With every failure, fall on his rear, or stumble, Nico was progressing. Even if it was currently invisible to the naked eye.
The issue that stumped Phantom, however, was the speed of the boy's progress.
He had only started a few days ago yet could wield the weapon in his hands with basic proficiency.
Most people took between a week and a half to two weeks to achieve that level of skill and comfort with the spear.
So, the blue-eyed man found it abnormal for a trainee to show this expertise. Especially, having only recently begun.
Phantom's posture straightened further. An excited gleam in his eye.
'Do I have a genius on my hands?'
Although more and more geniuses were cropping up, partly because of the increasingly rampant attacks by the Demons which required better, stronger, and more skilled fighters to be birthed to combat them, it was also partly because the world desired to birth an existence that could protect it from the 'Calamity'.
That… and an increase in the world's concentration of ambient mana - a result of the First Cataclysm - also played a part.
The question Phantom wanted to figure out, was if this showing was just a fluke or… if his student truly was a genius?
If Nico turned out to be a prodigy in the Spear path, then not only would Phantom's previous dissatisfaction of having to give away his art for free dissipate, but he would also get to brag that he had taught a future powerhouse in the making!
One that was guaranteed to make it far in the future… if the Demons didn't kill him, of course.
Crack!
Phantom's face darkened briefly. His thoughts strayed to the repulsive invaders, and he unconsciously clenched his fists. The paintbrush in his hands splintered to pieces.
Several images flashed before his eye, causing his whole body to tremble in rage.
Taking a deep breath, the Spear instructor attempted to calm down. Recalling the past wouldn't do him any good.
He had to pour more of his energy into getting stronger… more energy into killing those disgusting Demons and put more energy into painting to escape the images that constantly haunted his mind.
Images that whispered alluringly in his ears, wanting nothing more than for him to lose control.
The instructor tiredly rubbed his face. The wrinkles on his forehead deepened as if he had aged years in an instant.
Inhaling deeply, Phantom shook his head and sighed. His cheerful mask instantly back in place as he shifted his focus back to his student.
'I can't wait for you to grow stronger, my little hen.'