In the quiet of the training room, Kenneth and Lucien were now standing face to face in the makeshift sparring ring, ready to spar. The air was tense and charged with silent determination.
"Are you ready?" Lucien called out, his voice steady, almost cold as he assumed his stance.
"Let's start already," Kenneth replied, her expression tense with anticipation.
As soon as Kenneth heard the buzzer, she charged forward, throwing a rapid series of jabs. Lucien sidestepped her strikes, moving with insane precision. He countered her attack with a quick jab, landing a glancing blow that made her recoil slightly.
"Focus," He instructed, his voice firm.
Kenneth stepped back as she nodded her head, her expression unchanged. She charged again, this time aiming a spinning kick at his head. Lucien ducked, his movements fluid as he executed a low sweep that knocked her to the mat. Kenneth almost hit the ground, but flipped her body allowing her land to her feet.
Lucien regarded her coldly, his gaze unyielding as he proceeded to launch a series of quick jabs and feints that pressed her defenses.
The entire time they fought, Kenneth couldn't help but be amazed. The way Lucien moved was almost mesmerizing, every muscle of his body moved with insane agility, making it look as if he were dancing instead of fighting. The longer they fought, the more she started to pick up on his patterns and started to notice the peculiarity of his fighting style.
"Did everyone fight like this?" She couldn't help but wonder to herself.
Lucien though he fought with such elegance, his attacks were relentless. She was able to block the first few hits, but felt the impact of his strength as he landed a powerful kick to her sides that would've sent a normal person flying.
Kenneth let out a shaky gasp as she felt the after effects from the hit she had taken. Without having to look at the spot she'd been struck, she knew it would leave a nasty bruise. She hadn't felt pain like this in a long time but instead of feeling angry or frustrated for being hit, she felt strangely elated. For the first time in a while she was being challenged, a challenge she gladly accepted. Thinking that the blow he gave her was enough to make her stand down, Lucien relaxed his stance as he looked at her.
The corner of Kenneth's lips lifted and she took this as an opportunity to strike him while he was unguarded. Was it an underhanded tactic? Yes, but Kenneth had always been taught to use any means in a fight no matter how dirty. A win is a win she thought to herself as she lunged, attempting a low kick that would sweep him off his feet.
When she had first met Lucien, all she focused on was the perpetual scowl that was etched on his handsome face, nothing more. But now that she was face to face with him, she could see why everyone fawned over him. Lucien was truly in a league of his own, and his title as captain wasn't given to him for no reason. He effortlessly sidestepped the kick, and countered with a swift punch. His long, dark eyelashes fluttered slighting as he narrowed his eyes looking down at her. He spoke in a low yet imposing voice leaving no room for discussion.
"You better not pull a cowardly move like that again. There will be no second chances."
Kenneth didn't like the way Lucien spoke to her, captain or not, she wasn't going to let someone talk down to her just because they didn't like the way she fought. It was the way she'd been taught to fight all her life, she wasn't about to let go of it now just because it upset him.
Although she took some of the blow from the punch, she quickly retaliated, throwing an uppercut that caught Lucien off guard. A complicated expression painted his face but he regained his usual composure as they continued to spar. The intensity of their exchange deepened and the differences in their styles were becoming more and more evident.
"That's enough for now." Lucien said after a while.
Kenneth nodded her head as she caught her breath, her chest heaving up and down, a trickle of sweat running down her face.
"Like I said earlier, using such cowardly moves isn't allowed here at Toleran," He continued.
"Fights are supposed to be nice and clean, and shouldn't need to involve dirty tricks to win."
Kenneth's eyes narrowed as she stared at him. "What's wrong with using tricks? As long as you win in the end, the methods shouldn't matter. She argued.
"There's a proper and honorable way of doing things here. You never attack someone when they are down, and you don't take advantage of someone when they have their guards down. I can't believe I have to explain this to you." He said in disbelief.
Kenneth frowned. Though she could understand where he was coming from—this concept was never applied back in her old world. No one had the luxury to be honorable and respectful. War was war and those who hesitated were the ones who lost. When it comes to your livelihood, you do anything you can to protect it, you use whatever means to reach your goals and you fight with whatever you have to win. Because for some people—that's all you could do to survive.
A person who didn't have to go through the atrocities of war didn't have the right to judge her, however, she was aware that things were different here, and in order for her to survive, she needed to change her way of thinking in order to succeed even if it pained her to do so.
Lucien could see a flurry of emotions cross Kenneth's normally unreadable face. He couldn't understand why she was having such a hard time coming to terms with what he said. He had always believed that it was important to fight honorably, that's how things had always been. He couldn't help but wonder about Kenneth's upbringing and what led to her being the way she was now. As he watched her expression gain some normalcy, she finally spoke up.
"I would like you to take what I'm about to say in the constructive criticism it is intended—so please don't take any offense to the words I'm about to say." She said with a serious face.
Lucien was confused by her sudden polite tone of voice but nodded his head anyway. "Alright."
"Respectfully, you don't know jack. Of course a privileged rich young master such as yourself wouldn't understand the concept of winning by any means necessary. Sometimes when you are faced with a behemoth of a wall and the chances of survival are minimal, you'll use whatever you have at your disposal to ensure your victory—no matter how dirty or cowardly it may be. This is the way I've been taught and it's a philosophy I'll always live by, however, I…I'm willing to change if it means you teaching me seriously."
Lucien stood there silently not saying anything for some time as he took in Kenneth's words. He wasn't too sure how to take them. Should he be offended by her comment or be impressed by the fact that she was willing to change. Not once had he ever had a hard time figuring out another person before. He didn't know if it was because she was a skilled Empath and was able to conceal her emotions or if it was just in her nature, but Kenneth was truly an enigma. He couldn't deny her talents and her potential and knew she would be a valuable asset to Toleran in the future. It was now a question of whether or not she was an enigma worthy of decoding.
A rare smile adorned his lips as he regarded her with keen interests.
"Alright then. I guess I can't impose my ideals on you too much, but know that a lot of people share my sentiments." He finally said.
Kenneth nodded her head, "I understand."
"...Let's begin for real now."