Chapter 23: Trial by Fire
The sun hung high in the sky, its relentless rays beating down on Argus as he stood in the middle of a field surrounded by strange, uneven terrain. It was not the flat training grounds he had grown accustomed to. Jagged rocks jutted from the ground, and in some areas, the earth seemed to give way to deep, hidden pits. The air was thick with heat, and the smell of dust and sweat lingered.
"Welcome to your new hell, brat!" Suzume's voice rang out from behind him, full of her usual mocking glee.
Argus turned, already feeling the tension in his muscles. This was the third day of the "new" training Suzume had promised, and so far, it had lived up to its reputation. The goal wasn't just to make him stronger—it was to break him, to see how far his body and mind could go before collapsing under the weight of exhaustion and pain.
"You think you're tough, huh?" Suzume grinned, twirling her wooden sword casually. "Well, let's see how tough you are when you're fighting on unstable ground."
Argus took a deep breath, bracing himself. "What do you have in mind today?"
Suzume's grin widened. "Simple. You're going to run." She gestured to the uneven terrain around them. "From here to the far side of the canyon. And you're going to do it with these."
She tossed something at him, and Argus caught the objects with a frown. They were metal cuffs—heavy and clearly designed to weigh him down.
"Seriously?" Argus muttered, already feeling the strain in his arms just from holding them.
Suzume raised an eyebrow. "What, you thought I'd make this easy? Put them on."
With a sigh, Argus strapped the cuffs to his wrists and ankles. The weight was immediate, dragging his limbs down as if they were encased in lead.
"Now run!" Suzume barked, smacking her practice sword against a nearby boulder to spur him on.
Argus pushed off the ground, feeling the weight tug at his legs with every step. The uneven terrain made it nearly impossible to find solid footing. His boots slipped on the loose rocks, and more than once, he nearly twisted his ankle on the jagged ground. Sweat dripped down his face, stinging his eyes as the heat of the sun bore down on him.
But he didn't stop. He couldn't stop.
"You're slow, brat!" Suzume called out from behind him, her voice laced with teasing amusement. "Pick up the pace, or you'll be doing this all day!"
Argus gritted his teeth and forced his legs to move faster, even as the weight of the cuffs threatened to pull him down. His lungs burned, and his muscles screamed in protest, but he kept going, stumbling over rocks, jumping over pits, and dodging the jagged edges of the terrain.
After what felt like hours, he reached the far side of the canyon, collapsing to his knees in exhaustion. His limbs felt like lead, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath.
Suzume appeared beside him, not even winded. She crouched down, grinning. "Not bad, brat. You made it in one piece."
Argus glared up at her, too tired to form a response.
"Get used to this," Suzume said, her tone still playful but with an edge of seriousness. "The world won't wait for you to catch your breath. You need to be able to move, fight, and think on your feet—no matter how tired you are."
Argus nodded, his resolve unbroken despite the pain. "I can handle it."
Suzume chuckled. "We'll see about that. Because that was just the warm-up."
Later, back at the training grounds, Suzume unveiled the next phase of Argus's training—a brutal endurance test that was as much a mental challenge as it was a physical one.
Rows of wooden posts lined the ground, each one about the height of a person. Suzume led Argus to the middle of the field and handed him a long, heavy wooden pole.
"You're going to balance on those posts," Suzume explained, her grin widening as she saw the look of disbelief on Argus's face. "And you're going to fight."
Argus frowned, gripping the pole. "Fight who?"
Suzume shrugged. "Me, of course. But the fun part is, you can't fall. If you fall, we start over."
Argus glanced at the narrow wooden posts, each barely wide enough to fit his feet. The idea of fighting on those seemed impossible.
"Start climbing, brat," Suzume urged, already hopping onto the nearest post with the grace of a cat. "Or do you want me to knock you off the first chance I get?"
Argus let out a frustrated sigh and climbed onto the post. As soon as he was upright, he felt the pole sway beneath him, and it took every ounce of concentration just to stay balanced. He hadn't even lifted his weapon yet, and his legs were already shaking.
"Ready?" Suzume asked, clearly enjoying herself.
Argus barely had time to respond before Suzume lunged at him. He raised the pole to block her strike, but the force of the impact nearly sent him toppling over. His feet scrambled to regain their balance, but Suzume was relentless. She moved with blinding speed, striking again and again, forcing Argus to defend himself while trying not to fall.
"You're thinking too much!" Suzume barked, slamming her pole against his with enough force to make his arms go numb. "Stop thinking about falling and start thinking about winning!"
Argus gritted his teeth, adjusting his stance. He focused on Suzume's movements, trying to anticipate her strikes. The moment he stopped thinking about the posts beneath him and focused solely on the fight, something clicked. His movements became more fluid, more natural. He wasn't just trying to stay balanced anymore—he was fighting.
Suzume's eyes gleamed with approval as Argus blocked her next strike and countered with one of his own, forcing her back.
"Now you're getting it!" Suzume said with a grin. "But don't get cocky, brat. We've still got a long way to go."
After the grueling session, Argus collapsed onto the ground, his body aching from head to toe. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest, but despite the pain, he couldn't deny the thrill of improvement. He was getting stronger. Each day, he could feel his limits expanding, even if Suzume seemed determined to push him beyond them.
As the evening sun dipped below the horizon, Suzume sat beside him, taking a long swig from her flask. She offered it to Argus, but as usual, he refused.
"You're missing out," Suzume teased, leaning back on her hands. "Nothing like a little booze after a long day of training."
Argus rolled his eyes, too tired to argue. "I'll pass."
Suzume chuckled, her eyes gleaming in the fading light. "You're tougher than I thought, brat. Most people would've quit by now."
"I'm not most people," Argus muttered, staring up at the sky.
Suzume smiled, a rare softness in her expression. "No, you're not."
For a moment, there was silence between them, the only sound being the soft rustling of the wind through the trees. Suzume took another swig from her flask, then glanced at Argus out of the corner of her eye.
"Do you know why I'm pushing you so hard?" she asked, her voice quieter than usual.
Argus shook his head.
"Because you've got something special, brat," Suzume said, her tone serious now. "More potential than most people I've ever trained. But potential means nothing if you don't have the guts to push past your limits. And that's what I'm here for—to make sure you don't waste it."
Argus didn't respond right away, but her words settled deep within him. He had always known there was something different about him, something powerful. But hearing Suzume acknowledge it made it feel more real—more important.
"I won't waste it," he said, his voice quiet but filled with determination.
Suzume smiled, the playful edge returning to her expression. "Good. Because tomorrow's going to be even worse."
Argus groaned, but despite the exhaustion, there was a small smile on his lips. He was ready for whatever came next.