After saying goodbye to Sunny and Professor Julius, Grey headed to the combat hall, where many other students were already gathered. Upon entering, everyone looked at him with faces of admiration; some even with envy or jealousy.
'What's with them?... Anyway, is that girl, Nephis, here? I'd like to train with her.'
Ignoring the various stares of the other sleepers, he went to the locker rooms and put on a dobok to train more comfortably than the previous day.
Upon leaving the locker room, he looked to his right and saw her: Nephis had just exited the women's locker room. Dressed in her dobok, her white hair and silver eyes complemented each other well.
As if sensing his gaze, Nephis turned her head and stared at Grey. He raised his hand and waved a little, greeting her. Then, he began to approach while she observed him, her face as expressionless as ever.
"Nephis, right? What do you say? Should we train?"
She looked at him for several seconds, during which Grey thought she wouldn't reply or would simply ignore him. After all, her expression hadn't changed at any point since they met.
But then, she finally answered.
"Sure."
'Huh? That's it? She took so long just to say that... What a strange girl.'
"Uh, okay, that's good. Should we go to the center, or would you prefer to use a private room for training?"
She remained silent again while looking at all the other students, who were curiously watching the two of them.
"Private room."
'What's up with her? She talks so weird.'
***
In a spacious private room filled with weapons from various cultures—spears, swords, axes, rapiers, and more—two figures stood facing each other with serious expressions, surrounded by an air of concentration and restrained excitement.
Nephis held a long wooden sword; Grey, a two-meter-long spear made of sturdy wood. Both stared intently at each other.
"Whenever you're ready," Grey murmured.
Nephis didn't make him wait. Her perfect stance glided across the floor like a predator stalking its prey. A downward strike aimed directly at Grey's shoulder.
Grey moved his spear horizontally to deflect the attack and launched a quick counterattack. But suddenly, Nephis's sword changed direction, twisting sideways in a horizontal slash aimed at Grey's waist.
Forced to use his aspect, Grey's senses sharpened, and the world seemed to slow down a bit. The smell of wood and the sound of the air cut by Nephis's sword filled his senses.
With enhanced speed and reflexes, Grey managed to block the powerful blow with the shaft of his spear.
*Crack!*
The sound of wood colliding echoed throughout the room, and Grey's arms momentarily went numb.
'Strong!'
Nephis spun around, changing her stance, her right leg shooting towards Grey's back with tremendous force.
With explosive tension in his legs, Grey leapt into the air, thrusting an aerial strike toward Nephis's chest.
Surprised by the sudden jump, Nephis managed to cover her chest at the last second with the blade of her sword. Even so, she was pushed back by the force of the blow. The instant Grey landed, he advanced, keeping the spear pointed toward her body.
He kept Nephis at a distance, searching for any opening while defending against her attacks and countering whenever he saw an opportunity.
'She is exceptional. Her swordsmanship is beautiful, like a deadly dance made to kill. Could I ever replicate something like that with my spear?'
Over time, the weapons began to crack under the strain. Nephis's powerful blows had splintered the shaft of Grey's spear, and her sword showed several cracks from Grey's continuous thrusts.
Nephis was forced back, compelled to keep her distance. With the long reach of his spear, Grey had managed to keep her at bay, though she demonstrated a better understanding and skill with her weapon.
Grey had to harden his body several times, sacrificing speed to avoid Nephis breaking his right leg with her continuous strikes. His leg throbbed and numbed after receiving four full-powered hits.
After Grey's last slash, a misstep was all she needed to seek victory.
Her silver eyes flashed with a dangerous gleam.
Nephis took a swift step as Grey lost his stance, his right leg faltering. Just steps away from him, she swung her wooden sword with all her might in a downward cut aimed at Grey's shoulder.
But then, something changed.
Grey moved unpredictably.
"You fell for it."
Nephis's eyes widened in surprise as Grey leaned back, dodging her attack. His speed was astonishing, and Nephis overshot.
Grey quickly moved behind her, raising his spear, ready to end the match.
Nephis was caught.
But a smirk appeared on her face. Her entire body began to burn with power, and a superior force emerged from within her. Her speed doubled in an instant. She spun swiftly, recovering her defensive stance.
In less than a second, Nephis abandoned that force and prepared to receive Grey's blow with her natural ability.
**Crack!!**
Their weapons shattered in a torrent of splinters.
Surprised, Grey and Nephis stared at each other for a moment.
Finally, Grey dropped his spear, now split in two, and sighed. His breath was ragged as he took deep gulps of air.
Sweat dripped down his forehead, and his muscles felt tired. Nephis wasn't in a better state; she was sweating, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
"Well, that's it. Shall we stop here? It was fun."
Nephis looked at him for a moment before standing up and brushing off her dobok, which was covered in splinters.
"Yes, it was fun."
Grey smiled at her response and went to grab two bottles of cold water from the freezer on the other side of the room.
When he reached Nephis, he offered her a bottle with a bright smile on his face.
"Thank you," she said, taking large gulps of water.
"You're welcome." He watched her throat move rhythmically as the water went down and felt a strong urge to drink as well.
He took a big gulp of water, finishing the entire bottle in seconds. Then, he looked at Nephis and all the splinters on the ground.
"You're really good with the sword. Have you been training since childhood?"
Nephis remained silent for a while; Grey thought she was recalling her past, when she was trained or memories that surfaced due to his question, so he didn't interrupt her.
After a full minute of thinking, Nephis responded.
"Yes, all legacies are trained from the moment they can walk. My family was no exception. I've been trained for as long as I can remember, so I suppose, yes, my swordsmanship is good."
She glanced at him and then spoke again, her tone still flat and calm, without any emotion.
"But you, I don't think I've seen your face in any of the legacy families. Where did you learn to handle the spear so well?"
This time, it was Grey's turn to remain silent for a while, though it was only half as long as Nephis took.
"Well, I don't know. I don't remember anything since shortly before entering my nightmare. When I use a spear, it feels so familiar that I just let my body react on its own. It works quite well, don't you think?"
Nephis took another swig from her water bottle, emptying it.
"Yes, it works well."
Grey checked his communicator and sighed.
'Well, that was fun.'
It was time to sleep.
"Well, Nephis, I'm heading out. Do you want to train again here tomorrow?"
She remained silent, resting her head on her knees, thinking and considering Grey's proposal.
"Fine, tomorrow at the same time."
"Sure, see you then."
She just nodded, and Grey left, leaving her alone in the training room.
'I don't think I'll be able to sleep. I should take a bath and then… well, I'll figure out what to do.'
…
In the training room, Nephis clenched her hands as a small tear she had been holding back finally escaped the corner of her eye.
"It still hurts too much." Her voice was a quiet whisper in the spacious training room.
---
*Note: Well, as always; give me your power stones! 😆 And, if you're feeling generous, could you leave a review? That would help me a lot. Thanks for reading! 😁
P.S.: Did I make Nephis too talkative? I think it was mentioned that, at first, she could speak normally when it came to things she was good at, right? Or did I make her too good at speaking for this point in the story?*