"Most of us who make it out alive, come home with irreparable scars to our psyche. The horrors we witnessed are forever ingrained in our memories. Why do you think there are so few of us Descenders in the public eye?"
'That's a good question.'
Nico pondered on his instructor's words. He was right. Now that he thought about it, there really was a lack of figures who actively proclaimed their status as Descenders.
Most just stayed quiet and only revealed that fact if they absolutely had to.
No wonder his mother and Aunt Beverly refused to talk about their action-filled past. Nico berated himself internally for naively asking them to recount such horrible scenes.
'They don't care for the pity or admiration from the masses. What they saw has forever changed them and sometimes even dulled their will to live.'
Nico came to a chilling realisation. Being a Descender was not as glamorous as the Descender Association made it out to be. It seemed he had inadvertently become caught up in their propaganda campaign while being none the wiser.
The boy shivered.
'Of course, they wouldn't put there's a risk of losing your sanity when becoming a Descender in big, bold letters. That would just defeat the whole purpose of using propaganda.'
"I-" Before Nico could finish his sentence, Phantom sighed and shook his head, banishing whatever dark thoughts had plagued his mind.
"Why do you ask, anyway?" Subject to the older man's heavy gaze that was full of pressure, the brown-haired trainee unconsciously gulped. His dark-haired instructor's current disposition was a far cry from the usual… one.
"My mother is a Descender," Nico answered in a subdued tone.
He saw Phantom show a strained smile, before the heaviness of his gaze all but disappeared, replaced by large amounts of empathy. The Spear instructor knew first-hand just how much his student's mother had likely suffered.
"Shall we go back to sparring?" Nico posed, a little uncomfortable with the current heavy atmosphere.
Phantom merely nodded.
***
Nico shifted his weight and thrust forward, ignoring his muscles that screamed for rest. He was determined to at least get a good hit on Phantom. However misguided that idea seemed.
The Spear instructor quietly took a step back and easily blocked the attack. He did not retaliate. He wanted his student to gain some experience in pressing the attack, to sharpen his offensive skills.
Nico gritted his teeth, knowing that the bearded man was going on easy on him. However, until he reached Phantom's level, that would not stop.
'Dammit!'
The boy unleashed a whirlwind of attacks, chaining each attack to create a more powerful strike than the sum of its parts.
Nico also recalled Phantom's teachings earlier on and strained his senses, paying attention to the 'tempo' of their current spar.
So far this was the fifth spar. All the others had resulted in his loss.
Although he had managed not to repeat the earlier embarrassment of losing in the first few strikes as he did in the first spar, the consecutive defeats still sent a bitter taste through Nico's mouth.
The only positive thing of note that eased his misery was that he felt himself become more in tune with the spear.
He now knew of more varied attacks, such as attacking from different angles, using his opponent's blind spot, and finally, the method to disarm any opponent quickly.
Although he knew of these terms, carrying them out helped solidify his foundation. In the future, he could build upon these to become a greater and more potent Spear user.
As the spar continued, Nico did not let up his relentless attacks. Even if his muscles disagreed with him, he did not want to waste the chance that Phantom had given him.
Peering closer, the boy attempted to understand and attain 'control' of the battle. He focused on Phantom's movements, his mannerisms, and any subtle ticks that might give any indication of his instructor's next move.
As he opened his eyes wider and wider, Nico failed to notice the glint in the Spear instructor's eye.
Whoosh!
Nico sensed a gust of wind sail past him. If it was any normal gale, he would have dismissed it entirely.
However, armed with the experience of the previous fights, he knew Phantom had ended the clash. Sure enough, Nico felt the cold tip of a steel weapon on his throat.
He unconsciously gulped. The spearhead would have nicked his skin if not for the dark-haired man removing the weapon just as quickly as he had attacked.
"That's enough for today. Your body is on the edge of collapse." Phantom's gruff voice reverberated through the clearing.
Nico panted as he tried to regain his breath. He merely nodded and slumped to the ground in exhaustion.
'B-Blazing Fates!'
***
'Working hard my little hen is….'
After concluding the training session, Phantom walked back to the Camp as he mused to himself. His student, Nico, was up ahead in his line of sight, limping and groaning after the intense spars.
Phantom shifted his gaze as he idly stared at the surrounding scenery. The tall trees provided plenty of shade; the shadows dancing and drifting across the floor.
Small pinpricks of light filtered down from the heavens above, obscured by a dense canopy.
Continuing to project a laid-back demeanour, Phantom secretly raised his guard. The stillness of the forest unnerved him.
As a former mercenary and a Descender, he had rich combat experience and an intuition for danger honed through countless conflicts.
This very intuition that he trusted with every fiber of his being, now told him that something major had occurred in the East Leaf Wilderness.
'This doesn't bode too well.'
Phantom continued to escort his little hen back to the Camp. He decided he would consult his former Squadmate's opinion on the matter, before taking any action.
Five minutes later, the instructor and student duo arrived at the entrance to the Training Camp.
"Goodbye, my little hen. See you tomorrow," Phantom waved cheerfully to the brown-haired trainee with a smile.
He saw the boy quickly suppress a shiver and nod, sending a little wave of his own in response.
Witnessing this sight, the Spear instructor suddenly felt a seed of inspiration take root in his mind. His hands itched.
'Now is not the time…'
Phantom shook his head and suppressed his artistic urges. His former cheeriness dissipated rapidly, replaced by a serious expression once his student was out of sight.
He made haste toward William's cabin.
The blue-eyed man ghosted across the ground; his feet as silent as the emptiest library. The sun, high in the sky sent currents of heat that warmed his face.
A few clouds crept across the cerulean skies.
A minute or two later, Phantom stopped in front of a hut at the far end of the Camp, on the opposite end from the trainees' accommodations. A large bush obscured part of the building, such that it wasn't visible at first glance.
Only his keen senses helped him notice the cabin.
Knock! Knock!
The man with the eyepatch quickly rapped on the wood with his knuckles in a certain manner. To anyone in the know, they would immediately understand that a visitor had come with news of a serious matter.
Not a second later, the door opened showing William with a scowl on his face, which only deepened after seeing the seriousness of Phantom's expression.
With no words necessary between them, the white-haired man let the bearded man in and got straight to the issue when they were both seated.
"Something happened in the forest?" William asked with an inscrutable expression, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.
Phantom hummed, "Yes. It is more… silent than usual. My senses have picked up on a deep unease spreading through the Wilderness. Something is going to happen or in the worst-case scenario, has already happened."
The Head instructor cursed and rubbed his hair in frustration. 'Just what I needed…'
"What do you think has caused this?" He asked his peer.
The Spear instructor stroked his beard and pondered, "It could be anything from the sudden evolution of a Mana Beast to a group of adventurers or criminals messing with the natural hierarchy of the ecosystem."
William accepted Phantom's words. The dark-haired man was more experienced than him, particularly after having become a Descender.
If he, of all people, said that he felt something amiss, then the white-haired man was more inclined to believe it.
William cursed again. "Do you think giving the trainees missions to hunt in the forest is now off the table?"
"No. As long as they stay within a radius of ten miles of the Camp and are warned about the chance of increased danger beforehand, I think you can still go ahead with the missions," the dark-haired instructor said carefully.
He didn't want to affect William's eventual choice. Ultimately, he just came here to advise the white-haired man of any potential danger to his students. The final decision lay with him as the figure responsible for running the Camp.
"I see…" William replied with a thoughtful look.
Now that he had said all he wanted to say, Phantom was about to get up and leave when a sudden idea crossed his mind. "When you send the young ones off on their missions, I will patrol the boundary of the ten-mile area surrounding the Camp. That way you can be more reassured of their safety."
William sent a grateful nod in Phantom's direction. He pursed his lips together in a thin line, "That would be great, thank you."
The bearded man nodded in return, happy to be done with the matter.
With no other fanfare, he bid his acquaintance farewell and eagerly made his way out of the Camp, humming a merry tune along the way.
The image of his student's shyness vivid in his mind.