"I do know, but…"
Well, his 14-year-old self knew how to swim, but it had been 22 years since he last swam, and he wasn't very sure right now.
"You're not thinking about making me swim, are you?"
Raine's head tilted slightly. She smiled brightly, the kind of smile that could shame the sun.
"Why not?"
Vince swallowed hard.
"To be honest, I'm not a very good swimmer, Raine."
"Practice makes perfect."
Before Vince could respond, Raine took his hand and pulled him with her as she leaped backward off the cliff. His eyes widened in shock as the realization hit him!
He was plummeting down with her, spiraling through the air and water!!!
"AHHHHHHH!"
Vince shut his eyes as the violent rush of water swept him away. The combined force of the wind and the water's pressure felt overwhelming, and he was sure his lungs would burst any moment! He couldn't catch his breath!
'What is this girl thinking? Does she want me to die? Oh good Lord, I don't want to die yet! Not this way!'
Before long, Vince felt his body submerged in the water. The cold water enveloped him, and the force from the waterfall pushed him deep into the pool.
When he was deep enough, he noticed that the current had eased, allowing him more freedom of movement. He opened his eyes and saw Raine in front of him, her silver hair shimmering underwater, floating gracefully around her face.
He realized that all this time she had been holding his hand. Knowing she was right by his side, Vince felt relieved. As they said, Raine was the captain of Demon City's guardians. She was capable enough to save him.
But the relief was short-lived when Raine suddenly let go of him and started swimming away. She swam incredibly fast, as if she were part of an Olympic team!
No, no, no…!
Vince began to move. If he stayed still, he would surely drown, and he couldn't allow himself to die this way. It was too pathetic.
He hadn't gone swimming for 22 years, but the skill must still be there, right?
He started with his arms extended in front of him, then sweeping them out to the sides, pulling the water toward his chest while bending his elbows. His arm movements were timed with a kick, helping him propel forward.
'Yes, that's it, man.'
He continued with what he was doing, realizing that he was managing okay. Vince followed the path Raine took, swimming upward.
But halfway through, he began to panic. He was running out of air!
He realized he was swimming a little slower than average. After all, swimming for the first time in 22 years felt like a new experience. He wasn't exactly a newbie, but he felt like one.
'This isn't looking good.'
He was panicking, but he wasn't giving up. He pushed himself forward, moving his arms in a circular motion a little faster this time.
He wasn't naïve. Being in a fantasy world meant he could have superpowers, but there were pros and cons. With people using their bodies as weapons, danger could be around every corner.
If he couldn't survive this, how could he survive the world out there? He promised himself that this time he would have a better life. He would strive for it.
So, he needed to improve himself and grow powerful too!
Vince took a deep breath when his head finally emerged from the water.
The first thing he noticed was the sound of the waterfall. He looked behind him and saw that he had swum at least 20 meters.
He looked ahead and saw Raine standing by the rocky edge of the pool, her clothes and hair dripping wet.
Unlike yesterday, today she was dressed in a gothic-styled, dark red long-sleeved dress that hugged her figure perfectly. The high-collared dress fell above her knees, paired with black tights and black boots. To Vince, she looked like she was cosplaying a character from a fantasy anime.
With her arms crossed over her chest and standing proudly, she looked down at Vince with mirthful eyes.
"What took you so long? I thought you were drowning, so I was about to take another dip to save you. Thankfully, you are capable of saving yourself. Isn't that nice?" She chuckled. "The water here is a little warmer than the bodies of water in the city, so I brought you here to take a dip."
Vince glared at the silver-haired woman subtly and removed himself from the water. Standing next to Raine, he brushed his hair back.
"Why did you do that? You could have given me a heads-up!"
"Vince darling, don't be upset," Raine coaxed, holding his arm and looking at him with puppy eyes.
"The first part of your training is in the water, so that was the first step. Besides, wasn't it fun? I had fun!" She grinned. "Training doesn't have to be boring, and as your mentor, I want to train you and, at the same time, fill your life with adventures."
Vince glanced at the high cliff with roaring water. What an adventure, indeed.
"You're a demon, jumping off a cliff won't kill you, silly. Besides, you have me by your side. I was holding you the whole time, wasn't I?"
Vince looked at Raine, who was still smiling sweetly at him, convincing him that she didn't mean any harm. And of course, he was convinced. The girl knew how to coax him into submission.
Well, looking on the bright side, thanks to her, he was able to swim again after thinking he couldn't do it. The next time wouldn't be as scary, for sure.
"Are we going back now? Our clothes are wet."
"Going back?" She shook her head. "No, no, no. We aren't going back. We are just starting."
"That was a nice dive, Master Vince."
Vince looked behind him and saw Fiona flapping her wings. She was at his eye level. He rolled his eyes because the cat was obviously mocking him.
He returned his gaze to Raine.
"Okay, what do we do now?"
"From the waterfall, it took you almost a minute to swim 20 meters. Today's goal is for you to cover the same distance in 5 seconds. Nothing more."
"???"
Vince's jaw dropped.
"5 seconds for 20 meters? Are you kidding me?"
That wasn't impossible for Olympic sprinters, and he knew elite swimmers who had achieved that, but he wasn't even a swimmer in school back then. He just knew how to swim for leisure.
Raine took a golden pocket watch from her pocket.
"Let's change it. I'll make it 7 seconds. Right after you fall from the cliff. So the moment you fall, you must find your way immediately and swim in my direction. You need to achieve it in just 7 seconds."
Vince froze. He would have to fall from the cliff again?
"Until you achieve that speed, we won't stop today's training."
Was she training him to be a city guardian or an Olympic swimmer?