Silence descended on the grassland, as they waited for what Scarlett wanted to do.
She looks at her children, Asher and Aurora. A smile naturally spreads across her lips.
Taking a deep breath, Scarlett closed her eyes for a moment, her shoulders visibly relaxing.
Today, she wasn't Scarlett Agnes, the Iron Lily of the Battlefield, or Sword Maiden, both titles whispered with both fear and grudging respect.
Today, she was just Mom.
A tired, slightly worried mom with a responsibility to teach her children the harsh realities of their world.
"Alright, you two," she began, her voice a touch raspy. "Let's talk swords."
"You see!" Scarlett, her hand instinctively reaching forward, spreading little, and a glow of spread from her arm materialising as sword.
The blade shined with a faint, cold light appearing in her hand.
The moment was instant, it didn't take 1/100 of seconds before her Anima materialised.
"Ash, have you ever wondered," she began, her voice low, "what swordsmanship is really about?" She asked softly.
"Just a quicker way to kill, right?" he mumbled, in a flat tone. A fancy way of killing, by long knives to butcher people and beasts.
That's what Asher would in his previous world about sword and Swordsmanship or any weapon. A tool to kill humans. But in this world…
"There's some truth to that, yes," She admitted, her voice low. The boy wasn't wrong, not entirely. But there was more, so much more.
"But there's more to a blade than just its edge. Sword's aren't any fancy knives," She said, her voice low and serious.
"It's a weapon, yes," she continued, her voice dropping. "A tool of survival. A tool of death, a way to survive when all else fails." She paused, letting the weight of her words sink in.
"Swords and swordsmanship are meant to kill. That's the ugly truth. But it's not the whole story." With a practiced motion, she raised the sword diagonally in front of her, replicating the guard stance – a position of both defense and readiness.
"But it's also about more than just taking life. It's about..." Stopping for second, she searched for the right words, the ones that wouldn't sound hollow after everything she'd seen.
"Precision. Reading your opponent's every twitch, every breath." Her left hand instinctively rose near her chest to support the weight of the blade.
"Swordsmanship is not just flashy moves or brute strength. It's the understanding of your weapon, its weight, its feel. It's a dance, a conversation between you and the blade. And becoming one with it."
She met Asher's gaze, hoping to find something. Yet they remained the same, with little interest in them.
"It's not just about fighting enemies," she continued, her voice softening. "It's about discipline, control, and protecting those you care about." Her eyes warmed when muttering the last line.
Scarlett extended her arms, replicating a basic strike – controlled, yet powerful.
"It's about making the right move at the right time. And that takes focus, control, and the ability to understand your opponent like a book."
A glint of steel flashed in the sunlight as she shifted her stance, her movements subtle yet honed by years of relentless training.
"The reasons for wielding a blade are as many as the blades themselves," she said, her voice losing a bit of its edges.
"Some for glory, some to protect their loved ones, and some…" her voice hitched for a moment, a flicker of pain crossing her face, "Some just to stay alive."
"But true swordsmanship," she began, her voice dropping, "it's about finding yourself within the dance of the blade. It pushes you to your limit, exposes your weaknesses, and…" she waited a bit before finishing, "it refines your spirit, your soul… your Anima."
"Flashy moves are for show. A real swordsman makes the right move at the right time, every time." With a flick of her wrist, she launched into a horizontal slash, the movement smooth and controlled.
The blade cut through the air, stopping just above her shoulder.
But something was different this time. As the blade cut through the air, a faint tearing sound split the silence.
A thin line, almost invisible, glowed for a brief moment where the blade had passed.
Scarlett demonstrated. No flashy twirls, just a single, controlled strike, and with just a single move, the air crackled.
For a moment, it seemed as if the very air itself feared the woman who wielded those blades.
The display was over as quickly as it began. Scarlett lowered her swords. And next…
Boooooooom
The wind howled, carrying her words away. Followed by a massive cut in the distant air, that quickly repaired itself.
The Anima dissolves back into glowing particles of light, alongside with the tight air.
…
"Mama's so amazing!" Aurora exclaimed, her eyes sparkling, with excitement coursing through her.
Even her tiny fists clenched with excitement, mirroring Scarlett's powerful swordsmanship.
"Yeah~" Asher Muttered. Scarlett smiles at her daughter's enthusiasm, glancing at her son, who looks at her with a slight glance. She can spoil them later.
"But Mommy, why are you teaching Ash swordsmanship? He doesn't have a Sword Anima, right? Isn't it, like, useless?" Her tiny brow furrowed in concern, a tremor in her voice hinting at a bigger worry bubbling beneath the surface.
Her little heart was pounding with nervousness. Did their secret be found out?
"That's a secret, isn't it, my little detective?" Scarlett teased gently. She crouched down to meet her daughter's gaze, a knowing glint in her own eyes.
Aurora's cheeks flushed pink.
"Wha... What secret? I don't know what you're talking about!" she mumbled, looking away and attempting a whistle that came out more like a puff of air.
Scarlett couldn't help but laugh.
"Oh really? Trying to change the subject
makes me even more curious," she said, her voice laced with amusement. "Why not share your Anima with your brother, hmm?"
Aurora's bright eyes widened. "But I can't! It's not possible, is it?" she stammered, her voice laced with a hint of panic.
"Who says?" Scarlett challenged playfully.
"Have I ever told you that you can't share your Anima with someone who doesn't have the same lineage?"
"I... well," Aurora mumbled, kicking at a clump of grass with the toe of her boot. "I just thought..."
Aurora's shoulders slumped, the fight momentarily leaving her. She cast a worried glance at Asher, a flicker of sadness crossing her face.
Scarlett placed a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder.
"Don't worry, honey," Scarlett said, her voice softening. "I already know. Asher can share your Anima." A warm smile pulled at her lips.
Aurora pouted playfully. "Fine! It was supposed to be our secret, but it's your fault, Mamma! Huuuuh," she grumbled, but didn't deny it.
Even with a touch of resentment, there was a hidden delight in her voice. Maybe keeping this a secret wasn't so bad after all.
She could keep this together with her mamma, but Aurora still looks at her resentfully, a little happy that Asher would also learn from her.
While they were battaring with each other, Asher was reviewing the display of power in his mind.
'She didn't even use spiritual power, yet she was terrifying.' This was just a display of her pure skills, her stats to maximum, and mastery over her Swordsmanship and Anima.
'This is the difference between Tiers.'
"Sweetie, can you use Aur's Anima?" Scarlett asked, getting on her knees, facing face to face with Asher.
"Okay," While replying, he glanced at Aurora who has already summoned her Anima. She seems to be excited.
"Ash! Here here!" She gave him the Anima, while having a smug expression.
Asher tried to hold her Anima, but he hasn't materialised his own, and when he touched it, it vanished back to her.
"Ehhh?" Aurora gasped, suddenly her Anima appeared before her.
"Dear, it looks like you can't use her without your Anima." She took the note. She wanted to see the result, was it because of his Anima or something else. Now she got the answer.
But that wasn't the case, Asher rejected the ownership of the Anima for a moment, that's why it went back to Aurora.
"Now it's confirmed, Aur, we will have our spars with each other as usual but before that." she glanced at Asher.
"Let's see what you do sweetie." She muttered softly.
***
I think I'm back