Nico sat cross-legged in the clearing, the blades of grass beside him rustling from a soft breeze. Small droplets of rain fell from the gloomy clouds above.
He, however, paid no heed to the drab weather.
William's words the night before reverberated in his mind, causing a frown to appear on his placid face.
If Lucas desired to get back at him, then Nico only had a few words in response:
'Bring it on.'
Nico would face whatever scheme the haughty noble had next, with his shoulders held high. He had no current plans to further antagonise Lucas. That said, he would not remain idle if the fiery-haired teen had any plans of harming him or his friends.
Releasing a turbid sigh, Nico turned his attention back to the spear on his lap. His brows knit in concentration recalling Phantom's lesson a few days prior.
'The essence of a Spear is Sharpness…'
In one of the previous lessons he had asked Phantom for some tips to help him comprehend this elusive essence… however, much to his chagrin the bearded man had said 'he was still too green to understand it'.
'That may be so. However, that doesn't make the feeling of being called a complete newbie any less annoying.' Nico grumbled to himself.
Although Phantom's assessment was accurate and on the mark, he wanted to at least attempt and see if he could glean something. Maybe Lady Luck would gift him with a stroke of good fortune and allow him to comprehend just a little of the essence of the Spear.
Unfortunately, the current results were less than satisfactory. He had just wasted his time on a fruitless endeavour.
Nico sighed again and rubbed his face wearily. He slapped his cheeks and shook his head, deciding to focus on something he could achieve some progress in. Such as…
… the second form of the Reaper of Shadows Art.
As he sparred daily with Phantom, the boy found his proficiency with the spear rising rapidly. No longer did he feel unconfident. Rather, the current him intuitively had a feeling that he would not need to sacrifice a part of his body anymore to gain the advantage in a clash.
That said, Nico made it one of his aims to one day get a successful hit on his instructor.
'Who knows when that'll be?' he inwardly mocked himself as he chuckled.
With a groan, the boy slowly stood up. His legs wobbled slightly after having been seated for so long.
Nico steadily tightened his grip on the spear. He quickly got into a stance, one foot behind the other, and inhaled. Just as he exhaled, his body shot forward, the tensed muscles in his legs propelling him with great power.
He continued to thrust, increasing his speed as if battling an unknown enemy. Nico did not let up for one moment. He kept his body constantly on the move, never allowing it even a second's rest.
The scrawny youth blazed through the clearing, his feet traversing every part of its verdant expanse. He left no blade of grass untouched.
Gritting his teeth as the agonising burn that came from straining his body too hard appeared, Nico continued to concentrate.
Thrust. Sweep. Cut.
The First Form.
Nico executed all the strikes he currently knew, his steps carrying some sort of dire urgency to them.
He did not know when an uneasy feeling in his stomach arose, but he used it to further fuel his movements. Maybe it was just him being nervous about the mission tomorrow.
He couldn't help but feel after he stepped out of the Training Camp to fulfil the quest, that something would change forever. Good or bad, he did not know.
Since he did not, and would most likely not unravel the source of his unease, Nico threw it to the back of his mind.
After finishing with the rudimentary attacks, he turned toward the Second Form. He needed to practice how to apply it. Otherwise, during the mission, if he required the services of the second form and messed up, the consequences would be dire.
With Phantom occasionally shouting some tips and diligently watching over his form, Nico steadily improved. Every repetition served to better his skill.
Whether that would be enough for the mission, only time would tell.
***
Inside hut number three, a pensive air permeated its interior. Each occupant appeared deep in thought. No doubt envisioning what would occur during their assigned mission.
The shortest trainee with raven-black hair bit his lips and glanced outside the window. Currently, they had just returned from having dinner in the Cafeteria. Night had taken over the sky's canvas, bathing the firmament in a dim ethereal glow.
As he became entranced by the sight of the twinkling constellations in the sky, the young farmer took a deep breath to ease his worries. If he were to be honest, the prospect of having to hunt down a Shadow Fang Leopard did not appeal to him.
Not only were the beasts difficult to find… he and his companions would have to be alert and ready to react at a moment's notice, lest a leopard ambushed them.
'Why couldn't we just get a simple herb-gathering mission?' Henry complained to himself.
Those types of missions were a lot easier, not to mention they were also less risky.
'Although, I guess the more difficult missions separate the truly strong trainees from the rest.' the green-eyed trainee shook his head.
If he wanted to pass the Awakening Ceremony and form a core, he would have to face much more difficult things than just hunting a measly Shadow Fang Leopard.
Henry sighed and rubbed his temples from thinking too much. He shifted his gaze and stared at his two roommates.
To his right, the burly half-blood absentmindedly wiped the golden shield clean as he continued to maintain an expressionless facade. The only sign of his engrossment in the task was the slight furrow of his brows.
Henry would have missed that minuscule action, had it not been for him peering closer.
To his left, the raven-haired trainee witnessed his brown-haired friend's face alternate between a frown and boundless excitement.
Once or twice, he saw Nico's mask crack displaying his inner anxiety.
Seeing that all three of them were on edge, Henry showed a wry smile. He chuckled to himself, before speaking to no one in particular, "Relax! It's just some overgrown kitten. What's the worst that could happen?"
Nico snapped his neck in his direction, his eyes widening.
From the corner of his eye, the young farmer saw his brown-haired companion exhibit an expression similar to that a person would make after being resigned to their doom.
Leon, meanwhile, shook his head and sighed. He appeared to be disappointed.
The smirk at the corner of his lips told a different story, however.
"Hey, come on. I was only kidding. It's not some small kitty, but a terrifying monster instead. Better?"
Henry laughed lightly as his two companions stared back blankly at him. Some of the previous tension in his shoulders had left.
With a grin, he asked, "Want to play some cards to take our minds off what tomorrow brings?"
Nico and Leon both nodded in agreement. Small smiles curled up on their lips.
"Don't forget, I'm definitely winning," Henry added with a playful smirk.
From the outside, one could hear joy and laughter resound in the insides of the hut, right until it was the time for lights out.
Silence then stretched across the Training Camp…
… a prelude to the chaos that was to come.