"What do we need to spar right now for?" Lakoi asked as he stood on a large stone platform.
"You're already in the uniform and the ring, you already know why." Professor Aivoli said before looking towards Kyle. "I don't want either of you to hold back, this may be spar but I want you to fight as if your life depended on it. You understand?" He asked.
"Yes I do." Kyle said as he stretched his arms.
"Do you, Lakoi?" Professor Aivoli asked as he turned to him.
"Yeah I do." Lakoi said as a little smirk appeared on his face.
"Alright, meet at the border of the third circle when you're ready." Professor Aivoli said as he stood at the edge of the ring.
The ring was nearly 20 feet wide in the shape of a square with three circles spaced out from each other as if they were acting as sections. The first circle was the smallest surrounding the center of the ring. Which seemed to be made of hardened clay.
As Kyle and Lakoi stood apart from each other on the first circle. They were wearing red long sleeve shirts and shorts made of an elastic like material.
"Are you ready?" Professor Aivoli asked.
"Yes." They both answered simultaneously as they got into their fighting stance.
"…" Professor Aivoli was observing Kyle's Boxer-like stance as he'd never seen it before. "Start."
Just as those words left the Professor's mouth, Lakoi disappeared from Kyle's point of view and his feet were swept off the ground, realizing he was falling as he slowly faced the ceiling .
Lakoi appears above him trying to pulverize him into the ring, Kyle twisted his body to dodge Lakoi's attack and used his arms to break his fall before he pushed himself away from him.
Kyle quickly stood up, just as he did, Lakoi pushed towards him.
"He's almost as fast as the Watchmen." Kyle thought as Lakoi was already in front of him, throwing a jab.
It was quick but Kyle was able to weave it and duck beneath his arm to hit him with an uppercut to his stomach. Although just as Kyle's fist was about to land, the image of hitting the Watchmen armor appeared in his mind.
Kyle stopped his attack and jumped back from Lakoi.
"Stop!" Professor Aivoli said almost instantly. "Why did you stop your attack, I told you not to hold back?" He asked before he saw Kyle trembling.
"I-" He shook his head before answering. "I made a mistake." Kyle said as he wiped his face. "Let's continue."
"…First circle. No hits were landed that round so it's a draw." Professor Aivoli said as he watched his trembling quickly mellow out.
Kyle and Lakoi stood apart from each, in stance.
"Start."
Lakoi immediately attacked again with a straight punch, Kyle put his arm up against it to deflect it but he immediately pulled his fist back and threw a kick to the left side of his rib which he landed.
The pain was there but compared to the Watchmen Kyle was able to barely flinch against it and grabbed Lakoi's left leg before he swept his right leg, forcing him to lose his balance with Kyle still in control of his left leg, he swiftly moved to grab his chest and slam him in the ground.
However, just as he did the image if the watchmen appeared again and he hesitated to attack.
"Stop!" He yelled. "Lakoi and Kyle, no holding back. Restart, Round 3."
Kyle and Lakoi quickly walked back to the first circle and stood off against each other, taking their stance.
"Start." Professor Aivoli said.
This time Kyle was the first to attack, grabbing Lakoi's head as he tried to slam his knee into the latter's face.
Lakoi put both of his hands up to guard his face and pushed Kyle's knee back just as he blocked his attack. Then he grappled Kyle trying to push him off of his feet however Kyle was able to keep his feet grounded for awhile before he felt his left foot leave the floor.
Kyle felt Lakoi's grip around his waist tighten and immediately wrapped his arms around his body and began to pull upwards, suddenly Lakoi stopped grappling him and allowed Kyle to lift him up so he could drop his upper body and land a kick on Kyle's face.
Using his arm to hold himself up as Kyle recoiled from the attack, Lakoi was able to use his arms to push back away from him.
Just as he landed on his feet and gained his balance, Kyle was already pushing him with blood leaking from his nose, he didn't wipe it away as he was focused solely on Lakoi.
And just as he got close to him, Lakoi tried to throw an attack at his legs to trip but Kyle disappeared from his almost as if he was blur.
*thum* Lakoi heard him landing lightly behind him and put his arms up as fast as he could, however it did nothing as Kyle landed a kick with enough force to lift him off his feet.
Discombobulating to the point he was unable to regain his balance as his feet touched the ground. Lakoi dropped, Kyle rushed him again to attack him but Professor Aivoli gently stopped him by putting his arm in Kyle's way.
"You have more fighting experience than Lakoi, I'd say you're a grade higher but you hesitate a lot. That'll be your greatest downfall, fear." Professor Aivoli said as walked up to Lakoi who was still laying on the floor. "Get up." He said as he stood above him.
"Wait…" Lakoi said as he covered both of his eyes.
"My bad, I didn't mean to hit you that hard." Kyle said as he stood next to the Professor.
"No, you did well. It was his fault for not guarding himself. He's never been hit that hard before so this is the first time he's ever felt his opponents attack." Professor Aivoli said as he grabbed Lakoi's hands to help him stand.
"Next time, I'm gonna win." Lakoi said as he shook his head. "That was a pretty good sparring session wasn't it?"
"Barely, he dominated you all three rounds in just a few moves. The only problem was his hesitation. To keep it blunt, the next test is more about your world and academic level." Professor Aivoli said as he looked at Kyle. "For now go change and then meet me at the stairs." He said as he walked away.
Kyle and Lakoi looked at each before heading to the lockers to change before they met up with the Professor. As they headed back upstairs,
"His level is actually barely elementary. The most he knows about is the last war and the royal family." Lakoi said as he rubbed the side of his head.
"I'm not really interested in your identity but given everything I've observed up until now, it is hard to ignore. Especially your unorthodox fighting style. What have you been doing up until you met Lakoi?" Professor Aivoli asked.
"…" Kyle felt as if a blanket was pulled over him as his memories began flashing through his mind. "I was living in another nation with my retainers." He answered vaguely.
"Hmm." Professor Aivoli let out as he continued to walk up the stairs. "I won't question you further. I doubt I need to actually teach you anything, I'll just give you a couple books to study and read over. You don't need to be taught anything academically, just historically and psychologically but the latter is something I can't teach you. You'll need to learn it on your own. So you'll be taking a battle course to get your mind right." Professor Aivoli explained.
"To get his mind right, what do you mean?" Lakoi asked as he got closer to him.
"…Don't worry about his lessons when you're behind." Professor Aivoli said as he didn't even look at him.
"Aw… You know , you should be happy that I brought you another student. Now you won't have to be cooped up in your office for so long sitting on your arse." Lakoi boasted in a petty manner.
"Nonsense, I'm here almost as much as you are. I was revising your future lessons before you arrived." Professor Aivoli said as they made it back to his office. "However there is something I must understand before I can begin your lessons. Are you fine with telling me?"
"Yes I am." Kyle said as they walked into the room.
He already knew what Aivoli was going to ask him, it was the same process Christian put him through before he taught him how to fight and to kill.
Once they all entered his office and the door closed behind, Professor Aivoli lit two candles and put it near the door. These candles were similar to the ones Mother lit after he escaped the CICA.
In that moment Kyle felt nostalgic, it wasn't long ago since his Mother lit these candles but he finally remembered what the smell of his parents' house was like. Ever since he was younger this candle smell filled the house. "But the smell was more noticeable back then for some reason." He thought while staring at the smoke flowing from the burning candles.
"Did you hear me Kyle?" Professor Aivoli's voice cut through his deep thoughts like scissors snipping a hanging anvil's last thread.
…
[Alfheim Kingdom, Castle's Dungeon.]
The sounds of King Fusis slowly treading down the stairs. Taking his time as if he had no worries.
The same routine as usual, the guards went upstairs and left the King to the former Queen.
"What are you here for now?" Queen Aria asked rudely as she didn't even look at him.
"Your grandson, the last of the royal family. Is he supposed to break you free?" King Fusis sat on the floor in front of the cell.
"It's funny you say that." Queen Aria just barely turned her head. "I've lost my connection with him, something like that should be impossible."
"Your connection? Should I assume he is dead then?" King Fusis asked.
"…Allow me to ask you a question." She turned her body to him.
"Yes?" He said as she finally seemed to be showing interest.
"I wondered this for decades but instead of keeping me down here, why haven't you treated me like the others." Queen Aria's face wasn't one asking for pity or one who is in regret. "I mean those you've blinded and muzzled like they were less than animals."
"Isn't it obvious for someone as intelligent as you… I thought you would've known this by now. The Empress is still chasing life, for me to sully someone as full of vigor and as beautiful as you are… It's like stepping on her royal garden." King Fusis said as he touched the cell bars.
"It seems the delusions are hereditary. You continuously come down here to get answers from me as if I have them all, I only know as much as the walls in this cell. How worried are you? Are you worried?" Queen Aria said as she leaned her head against the wall.
"Me, worried about your little seedling that's more proof of you being delusional than I. I will not be defeated by someone as fragile as he is." King Fusis said as he moved his body back.
"I said nothing about him defeating you… you've been ruling since the second half of my mother's reign. Haven't you chosen a successor already or are they all too idiotic to take up the crown. Great grandkids after grandkids after kids and not one of them after this long of a time. A bunch of hopeless duds that a wife of yours birthed." Queen Aria said as she smirked. "So how delusional am I exactly?" She asked him.
"You were awfully talkative today, maybe we oughtta gag you." King Fusis said as he stood up and walked away.
"Just like those maids of yours?" She asked aloud enough for him to hear as his footsteps faded into the echoing distance of the stairway.