It was bizarre. Although Ethan and I had been making progress constantly, it hadn’t really been apparent until around September. It had been nearly three months since we’d begun training, and it felt as though we were only just becoming good.
The more thought I gave it, the more it became clear to me that there was a multitude of reasons as to why that was the case.
First and foremost, we had finished learning all four Bare Techniques. And William made sure to constantly remind us that he had previously believed it impossible to learn them at such a rate.
After Poison Breathing, the other four Bare Techniques were Smoke, Love, and Berserk. Smoke Breathing was by far my favourite of the four. It was quick, difficult to block, nearly impossible to see coming, and as efficient as sword-fighting could get.
There was a particular Form of Love Breathing that struck me, though. It was unique. Love Breathing, Fourth Form: Shared Beat could only be used by either a person wielding two weapons or multiple people. If performed by multiple people, they would strike the target numerous times in unison, almost as though they were mirroring one another. It was great.
William had refrained from teaching us the Destructive Arts of the Bare Techniques, however. He had insisted that we would learn them all once we had finished with the Forms of the other Techniques.
Speaking of which, after we had finished Berserk Breathing, William had begun to teach us Light Breathing, the Technique usually used by children of Apollo. We could already perform the First Form, Flashy Strike, to a good standard, so we were now on the Second and Third Forms, Pulsing Sun and Beaming Slash.
It was actually kinda cool to see light itself bend and warp around us and our blades as we performed the Forms. It was a nice change from just swinging around our swords and not looking as though we were doing anything particularly powerful. Light Breathing definitely changed that.
Another boost in our confidence was, of course, William’s constant reminders that we were learning much quicker than anyone else he had ever taught. He endlessly showered the two of us in praise, often leaving us beaming as we went to bed.
Of course, I wasn’t always beaming as I went to bed; I had had my fair share of bad dreams and visions since July. But, on days other than those, I found myself excited to go to sleep and wake up for another day.
Somewhat surprisingly, Alfonso hadn’t made a single appearance ever since that dream two months ago. Not that I was complaining. It was a strange feeling, being both yourself and someone else.
I then thought back again to what I had said to myself on the day that my friends and I went to the house. I had said that I would find Alfonso and bring him as much pain as possible.
That was before everything. That was when I thought I was a normal kid. That was when my biggest concern was what I was gonna eat for lunch.
I still partially blamed myself for dragging my friends into this whole thing. Yeah, they were still demigods at the end of the day, but they would’ve found that out a lot later if it weren’t for me.
I had brought the issue up to Charlotte a few months after the war with Amy. Worried that it was all my fault, I asked her if it was just pure coincidence that my friends and I had met. In my mind, that was some crazy coincidence if so. She had then informed me that there was apparently some strange force that drove demigods to each other. So, technically, it wasn’t my fault. But that didn’t stop me from blaming myself.
I shook my head violently to stop my flurry of thoughts. There were many more important things that I had to focus on. I couldn’t worry about things that I’d already worried about countless times before.
I thought of Emma for a moment. I missed her. I missed all of my friends. Both Ethan and I had noticed how socially deprived we were. The two of us were itching to see everyone else again. It was almost unbearable, but it was for the greater good, right?
William, however, told us something at the end of that day that practically eliminated this feeling.
The three of us sat once again at the table in the far corner of the eating area, discussing our training. I had finished my dinner ages before Ethan and William even got halfway through theirs.
‘I do have to tell you something, though, lads,’ was how William began.
Ethan merely stared at him as his mouth was full, but I responded with, ‘Yeah?’
‘I know that the two of you are most likely eager to return home,’ he continued, almost solemnly, ‘and with the immense speed at which you are progressing through your training, I believe I could have you two back home by Christmas.’
Ethan choked.
‘That’s three months away,’ I spat incredulously. ‘We’re on the fifth of thirteen Techniques!’
‘You can do it.’
All Ethan and I could do was stare blankly at him. He was insane. It didn’t matter how fast we were learning. To master nine Techniques and their Destructive Arts in just three months was impossible. We knew our limits.
‘We can alter your training plan slightly to give you an extra boost,’ William said, smiling cheekily. ‘I know you can do it, lads.’
‘How much are you gonna alter our plan?’ Ethan asked, sounding almost scared.
‘Not much,’ was the response. ‘I was only planning to make Saturday another sword-training day. If that goes well then I can add Wednesday to that list as well.’
I suddenly found myself quite on board with this plan, and it looked like Ethan did, too.
‘That sounds like a good idea,’ Ethan said instantly. ‘But are you sure we can be ready by Christmas?’
‘If we all try our best, then yes,’ William said, still smiling. ‘And I know that you are both already trying your best, so all you need to do is keep it up. And I also know that there are people that miss you back home, and although I am in no rush to get rid of you, I believe it would be a nice Christmas present to be reunited with everyone, yes?’
I beamed at him. ‘Well, I’m glad you’re the mentor the Gods picked.’
William’s smile grew tremendously, and the general mood of the table was higher than ever as everyone finished their meals. It was almost saddening to leave for bed.
***
Needless to say, Ethan and I were simply ecstatic when we woke up the next Saturday. It wouldn’t have been a stretch to say it was the most excited we had ever woken up since we had arrived.
The two of us hurriedly ate our breakfast together before rushing up to the peak of the mountain, where William was already waiting for us. He, too, seemed unusually happy, but I definitely wasn’t complaining.
Since it was now September, Ethan and I had both noticed a considerable drop in temperature at the top of the mountain. We had somewhat grown used to being shirtless during the summer, but now that autumn was beginning to set in, it became more and more difficult to find the will to take off our shirts.
Pulsing Sun, the second Form of Light Breathing, was definitely one of my favourite Forms so far. To perform it, one would strike the target three times, in any area that they wish. The strikes, however, were not harsh, rather they seemed to flow effortlessly into one another. It was great.
We practised that and Beaming Slash, another good Form. It was a heavy diagonal swipe downward, which would create a deep gash on a real person. That’s how it differed from Pulsing Sun; it was heavy and violent.
William was clearly getting more and more satisfied with how Ethan and I were performing. His smile slowly grew throughout the day, fuelling me with more motivation than I could ever need.
The new knowledge that we would more than likely be home by Christmas served as another excellent motivator. I was bursting to see everyone again. I wanted to see Asbel’s damned smirk. I wanted to hear Jay’s jokes. To see the sparkle in Natasha’s eyes. To hear Peter’s contagious laugh. To see the joy on Isaac’s face. I wanted to be hugged by Emma.
I tried to hone my mind on my training; I couldn’t get distracted. Not now.
Ethan and I spent the entire weekend brutally training, and we even finished Pulsing Sun, according to William. That meant that we could move on to Beaming Slash and Scattered Rays.
Light Breathing only had six Forms, which was apparently the lowest out of all of the non-Bare Techniques. William said that the highest amount of Forms with one Technique was Dark Breathing, which had a staggering thirteen Forms. William also said that Dark Breathing was one of the most powerful techniques, though, which certainly excited me and Ethan.
I was definitely excited about the other Techniques we still had left to learn. William had hinted at there being both a Fire Breathing Technique and a Thunder Breathing one, which made my body light up with anticipation.
***
‘Don’t you ever worry about your parents?’ I said to Ethan that night as I stared up at the roof of our room. ‘Don’t you think they miss you?’
He remained silent for a moment. The silence seemed to crash down onto the room so harshly that I was certain I could hear the air itself.
‘Yeah, they probably do,’ he mumbled eventually. ‘But they insisted that they were fine with me doing this.’
‘It’ll be great to go home.’
I heard Ethan collapse onto his bed before letting out a huge sigh.
‘I miss everyone, man, I can’t even lie,’ he said, sounding tired. Not the sleeping kind, either.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
‘It’s not even like I hate training,’ I added. ‘I just miss everyone.’
Ethan saw the opportunity, and he took it. ‘Nah, you just miss Emma.’
‘Shut up!’ I shouted, sitting up. ‘It’ll be good to finally see everyone else, too!’
He glanced at me, smirking. ‘I didn’t think the thought of Jay or Asbel could make you go red like that.’
I stared at him, stunned. ‘It’s hot in here.’
‘We’re in a cave.’
‘I’m hot.’
Ethan’s smirk grew. ‘We all know you like her, man. When we get back you’ve gotta do something about it.’
‘Do something about what?’ I said quickly, feeling my face growing warmer by the second.
‘Tell her!’ Ethan cried. ‘You two are practically all over each other already, the worst she can do at this point is propose.’
‘Propose?’ I spluttered.
Ethan rolled his eyes. ‘That was sarcasm, Albert. Just promise me that, when we get back, you’ll at least tell her.’
‘Why should I tell her, huh?’ I replied confidently.
‘So you do like her?’
I swore loudly.
‘I don’t even know what liking someone feels like,’ I mumbled.
‘Whatever you feel whenever you see Emma should give you a good idea.’
I thought for a moment. It certainly was a great feeling whenever I saw Emma. It always felt as though my heart skipped a beat or two. She made me feel warm. Even the mere sight of her was enough to put a huge grin on my face.
‘You’re grinning just thinking about her,’ Ethan said, trying not to laugh.
I didn’t even have it in me to tell him to shut up. Maybe he was right.
Ethan pulled the blanket over himself and gently closed his eyes.
‘Just tell her when we get back,’ he murmured. ‘It’ll be good to see you happy again.’
Just that brief conversation filled my brain with a storm of thoughts. What if I did like Emma? What if she liked me?
She certainly did make me happier than anyone else. Right from the moment the two of us had first met, it was clear to me that she simply made me feel different. She had been a huge source of motivation over the training months. If I ever found myself stuck for a reason to keep going, thinking of her definitely helped.
Is that what liking someone felt like?
I made myself comfortable in my bed, my mind overwhelmed by unanswered questions. The problem was that the only person that could answer those questions was me.
Sighing, I thought for a moment about what it would feel like to say those words. It felt alien. I could barely imagine myself looking Emma in the eyes and saying ‘I like you’.
Happy thoughts, I discovered, were a great way to fall asleep quickly. After my conversation with Ethan had stopped, it wasn’t long before I drifted off to sleep, and into even more bizarre dreams.
I first dreamt of the flight home, which I had definitely not been expecting. Ethan and I sat in the private jet, cruising along the sky, completely buzzing with excitement. We could defeat him. And we were going home. We could see everyone.
I then dreamt of actually seeing Maltor again, but, as far as I was aware, he was not actually present in the dream.
Maltor stood a few metres in front of me. The dark grass danced at our feet and the sky was coated in clouds. It seemed as though the two of us stood on a battlefield; numerous pairs surrounded us and each and every one was engaged in combat.
The two of us stared at each other, our eyes cold. Even in the dream, I could feel his stare boring into my very soul.
I charged at him, my swords poised perfectly. I sprang forward with such impressive speed that even he seemed stunned. But, of course, I woke up right as I reached him.
I lay completely still for a few minutes before it hit me that I had woken up early, which was certainly unusual.
Unaware of the actual time, I grudgingly got out of bed, deciding that it would be best for me to grab breakfast before Ethan woke up. There was no need for him to see me disgustingly wolf down food once again.
Once I had finished getting changed, I slowly began to walk to the dining area, wiping the last bits of sleep from my eyes. If I weren’t so tired, I would’ve been completely baffled by just how early I had woken up.
One other person was sitting in the dining area. Hannah. Although the two of us rarely spoke, it was comforting to see a familiar face.
I thought for a moment about just how early the dining area was open for eating. Surely the cooks and the other staff weren’t up this early every single day.
To my relief, there were no staff. Hannah must’ve made her food herself. Upon closer inspection, this was perfectly understandable; she only had a few slices of toast and some juice.
The second she saw me, Hannah beckoned me over, and she instantly began talking, which certainly dragged me into reality.
‘How come you’re up so early?’ she asked after finishing her bite of toast. ‘You okay?’
I blinked rapidly, fumbling to remember German.
‘I woke up,’ I replied simply. ‘I thought it’d be better to come and get some breakfast rather than just lying around waiting for Ethan to get up.’
She eyed me suspiciously before pressing further. ‘Understandable. You sure nothing’s bothering you?’
My eyes widened instantly. I remembered my conversation with Ethan the previous night. About Emma. Surely that wasn’t why I had woken up so early, right? I mean, I had a tendency to not sleep well whenever something was pressing my mind, but I was certain that it couldn’t have been Emma. I hadn’t dreamt of her, so there was no way. But I didn’t feel particularly pressed about the issue of fighting Maltor. What was it?
‘Something’s bothering you,’ she said, and she looked as though she was trying not to smirk. ‘Toast?’
She pushed her plate towards me, and I slowly took a piece of toast before ripping into it. It was warm and buttery. The flavour flooded my mouth, making me almost drool.
Hannah was still watching me carefully. I desperately tried to look as though nothing was wrong; I hated it when people worried about me. However, it was obvious that I was failing at deceiving her.
She opened and closed her mouth twice, as though she had been about to say something, but she was unsure as to whether or not she should continue.
After a brief moment, she tried, ‘We’re never gonna see each other after you’re done training. You can tell me, you know.’
Without thinking, I mumbled, ‘You’re a woman.’
Hannah scoffed. ‘Really? What’s that got to do with anything?’
Her eyes widened. Clearly, my silence was more than enough for an answer.
‘You’re having girl problems, aren’t you?’ she said, beaming. ‘There’s that one girl back home that’s completely got your heart, and you don’t know what to do about it.’
I stared at her. She had somehow just explained the mess that was going on in my head.
‘I mean…’ I said slowly. ‘I guess. Ethan says I ‘like her’, but I have no idea what that means.’
‘Oh, trust me, you do,’ Hannah replied, her smile continuously growing.
‘She’s the person I miss most, if that’s what he means,’ I continued. ‘And when we hug I feel weird.’
Hannah was evidently trying her absolute hardest not to laugh. ‘If you can tell me that for certain, what’s got your mind so stuck?’
I thought for a moment. ‘I don’t know if I actually like her. Or at least like her enough to say those words. Ethan thinks I should tell her when we get back. But it feels surreal to even think about saying it.’
‘Well, as you so kindly pointed out, I am a woman,’ Hannah responded, her tone much more serious now. ‘And if the thought of her is making you wake up this early, then I think you definitely like her enough to say it. And what’s the worst she could say?’
‘Ethan says the worst she can do at this point is propose.’
‘If that’s what your best friend thinks, then it sounds to me like you and this girl are already all over each other. So, how does this sound? When you go back, when you see her for the first time in months, think about how you feel. If you feel absolutely overcome with happiness, then I think you should tell her how you feel. The worst that can happen is the two of you just staying friends.’
‘I’m fine with just being friends,’ I said slowly, taking another bite of toast.
‘Then do it, yeah? And if it works out between you two, just know that it was me and Ethan that made it possible.’
And with that, she grinned at me before getting up and heading back to her room, leaving two pieces of toast behind.
As I finished the final piece, I realised just how right Hannah and Ethan were. Emma did make me feel different. She made me feel unlike anything anyone else had ever made me feel. Maybe that was what it was to like someone. But I was still unsure.
I shook my head vigorously, trying to keep my thoughts straight. I could worry about Emma whenever I next saw her. Now was simply not the time to fret over her.
***
By Wednesday, I expected myself to have forgotten about my conversations with Hannah and Ethan, but they were still very fresh on my mind. As Ethan and I completed our numerous exercises throughout the day, I constantly thought back to what they had said. Maybe I should tell her.
Even in the absolutely overwhelming weather conditions, the memory of the conversations served as a warm reminder of what I was training for.
It was now nearly the end of September, and the weather was worse than ever. Winds battered us every single day, sometimes making it hard to not get blown off of Piz Vadret, let alone train.
There were now days that made me genuinely consider whether it would just be better to go back home. I could definitely do it. If I took off then nobody could stop me. Very few thoughts now had the power to reignite the flame within me that kept me going.
And William still insisted that we train shirtless. I did have to admit that after training shirtless for a while, the cold in August had slowly gotten easier to handle. But I don’t think I could ever possibly express how brutal the temperature was now that it was nearly October.
Thinking about training shirtless made me realise something. As I was shirtless, William had been able to see my wings the entire time. Of course, Ethan already knew about them, and he had seen them multiple times, but it was strange that William hadn’t questioned them once.
On the other hand, it was quite heartwarming that he hadn’t said anything about them. It showed that he didn’t care. He saw no reason to press me about them. He still thought that I was just a normal kid.
‘Breathe steadily,’ William said calmly, interrupting my thoughts. ‘You must keep your breathing steady.’
I hadn’t even noticed that my breathing was off. I was continuing with my umpteenth round of push-ups without even thinking about my breathing, which I didn’t think was a good sign. William must have noticed that I was bothered by this, so he reassured me as I continued.
‘You shouldn’t have to think about it, Albert. So don’t worry if something else has got your mind in a twist. It should come naturally. Let your mind run free. And if it isn’t coming naturally, still, do not worry. These things take time.’
His weirdly calming words pushed me through multiple more rounds. My arms felt as though they were about to implode. It was difficult to move them, if that made any sense.
Whenever I was tired, keeping my breathing steady just as William instructed definitely helped. It was a strange feeling, though. I felt as though I needed to pant like a dog, but I was somehow managing to contain myself and keep my breaths slow.
Progress was definitely being made, though. It was most apparent to me in our cardio. When William had first made Ethan and I run around for training, it had been one of the worst experiences of my life. It had felt as though my heart itself had been about to pop. Now, however, even with slightly longer runs, I was noticeably less tired than when we had first begun training.
I had always been more durable than Maltor, but now it simply wouldn’t even be a contest. Just as I had told Ethan, neither Maltor nor I knew what bird’s DNA we had, all we knew was what traits it gave us. My wings were more suited to flying long distances, whilst his were designed to be nimble and swift.
That’s why, I reminded myself again, even days when we did not train our sword skills were important. They were just as important as the days that we did, arguably even more so.
Thinking about all of this made me itch to fight. I didn’t even want to specifically fight Maltor. Anybody would do. I was dying to feel the adrenaline rush that came from fighting.
So, as I headed to bed that evening, I truly felt as though we had just completed a good day’s work. I felt as though we had made staggering progress, and I simply could not wait to see that progress in action. And it was clear that Ethan felt the same.
He got into bed looking particularly happy, and he even seemed to be gently humming to himself as he tried to fall asleep.
And the Gods must have been feeling generous, as I didn’t have a single bad dream that night, either. I merely dreamt about a particular day in the war against Amy. The day that my friends and I had all gone to the park and had a snowball fight. I had almost forgotten just how good that day was.
I yearned for another day like that. If we were home by Christmas, then I would have to arrange for us to do something over the holidays.
So I woke up bright on the final day of September, perfectly ready for another day of training. This time, I woke up just a few minutes before the alarm, and Ethan was already up and getting dressed, so I did not make the mistake of opening up to Hannah again.
Instead, I got through my morning without leaving any regrets. Hannah did give me a few sideway glances as she passed, presumably heading to her duties, but I tried not to let it bother me. It’s not like she now knew that I may have been in love with someone.
The day followed the same formula as the days before it, and yet we still found the drive to push through. We did the same exercises, driving ourselves forward until every single ounce of our bodies wanted nothing more than to give up and curl into a ball.
We had to save the world. We simply had to. Nobody else was brave enough to. We were the only people willing to throw away everything we had to save everyone else.
I thought, for a moment, about how alien I had felt growing up. How abnormal I thought I was. I was fighting so that no other child would ever feel that way again. Maltor wanted the deaths of innocents. I had to keep getting better until I was ready to absolutely kick his ass.