Days passed quietly, with few disruptions to the routine they had settled in. It was a peaceful, relatively simple life that Midhir had begun to enjoy. Practicing his swordsmanship at daylight, studying history in the afternoon, and working on his resonance casting from dusk to midnight, he found little time to think, to really ponder.
Instructor Caarda seemed satisfied when he saw her the day after she lectured him. Instructor Soraya took longer and longer to utterly defeat him in duels, and Instructor Theodore’s classes refreshed his knowledge on Eldorian history, even if they weren’t able to add anything to it yet.
Despite these peaceful days, Principal Aoidh’s words lingered in his mind. There was trouble in Olisar – something serious enough that required her to visit and deal with personally. Something that she needed to focus entirely on.
There was only a single possibility that came to mind. A tear in the Veil. A tear so dangerous that even Lord Aulorn couldn’t deal with that the Blade of the Emperor was called to action.
While this wasn’t unprecedented, it signalled the gravity of the situation. Yet something bothered him about it – what was the delay for? She had known she needed to go to Olisar for a month now, yet she remained here at Solus. Why did they let the tear fester for a month?
It was too dangerous – what if it caused an incident similar to what happened in the area centuries ago? What if something like the Bareon Disaster happened?
It was a rainy morning, with a frigid wind blowing against him as he stood across the courtyard from Instructor Soraya.
“Ready?” she asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.
He nodded, drawing his blade, and holding it with his right hand. His left hand lingered in the air, above the sword’s hilt.
“Begin!” Willow’s voice echoed across the courtyard – she was initiating the match today.
Instantly, flames spread across his blade. He struck the ground with it, forming a circle of fire around him, controlling the flames with his left hand as he readied his sword.
Instructor Soraya’s eyebrows raised, her lips parted in surprise for a split second before they curled up with an excited smile. “Good!” She shouted, kicking the ground, and dashing towards him.
Their blades met.
Fighting against her was an uphill battle as always. They danced, not stepping out of the circle of flames he created. Beads of sweat rolled down his chin as he fought against his own instincts screaming at him to run.
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He met her head on, forcing himself to keep up with her. His muscles ached, his body hurt from the effort he exerted, but somehow every swing of her sword met with his own – until he couldn’t keep up with her anymore.
Finding himself on the ground, with a blade pressed against his throat, he realised he had lost.
“Not bad,” she sheathed her blade, offering him her hand. He took her offer, letting her help him get up. “I’m sure you’d last a lot longer if you fought by conserving your strength some more, but it’s good that you’re using our duels to practice your swordsmanship more.” She waved him away, turning to face Willow. “Come on, your turn.”
“How are you not tired at all?” The young noble protested as her sword appeared above her palm. “Midhir isn’t that weak!”
“I’m just so much stronger than him,” Instructor Soraya smirked. “Midhir, initiate please.”
“Begin!” He shouted.
Wind blew against him. Willow leapt up, the pommel of her blade shining a bright, vibrant green. The winds carried her forth. The sound of metal clashing against metal echoed in the courtyard, breaking the silence of coming winter.
He returned to where Alistair was sitting. The Orlein heir had already done his duel, and though he had lasted quite a while against Instructor Soraya’s relentless strikes, he didn’t seem particularly content.
“You did quite well,” Alistair said with a low voice, absentmindedly fiddling with his sleeves.
“So did you,” Midhir replied with a scowl. “It makes me question why you’re unhappy.”
The young noble hesitated. “It’s irrelevant to class,” he finally said, leaning back on the bench. His gaze followed Willow and Instructor Soraya’s duel, which had devolved into a chase as Willow tried to put some distance between them, and the instructor didn’t allow it.
“Is something wrong?” Midhir pressed further – he couldn’t help but worry. Alistair didn’t get bothered easily by trifling matters, so whatever the issue was, it ought to be important.
Alistair shook his head. “You need not worry, it’s not a matter affecting me currently.” He raised his eyebrows as a loud clang echoed, and Willow’s sword fell to the ground.
“Not bad!” Instructor Soraya exclaimed, sheathing her sword. “You’ll be leaving for your next field assignment in two days.”
Arwen, who had been only watching the duels until now, took a sharp breath. “So soon?!” She exclaimed, wide eyed.
“Your destination is Bareon, the City of Roses,” Instructor Soraya continued, ignoring the young woman’s words. “Your person of contact will be Lord Orlein, the ruler of the Bareon region, and of the city. Alistair, I expect things will go smoothly.”
Alistair nodded, though he was clearly also taken aback.
“I will tell you the gist of the situation now, since Lord Orlein will probably have little time.” She took a deep breath. “There have been some incidents happening in the city – unidentified groups of people have been seen around the crystal mines and near the overgrown forest north of Bareon. They have also been spotted around the old palace grounds, as well as the Orlein mansion.”
Alistair pursed his lips, he listened to her with a scowl, and a worried expression.
“Your mission will consist of helping Lord Orlein keep the peace in the city. Your itinerary also includes visiting the crystal mines, and the old palace grounds, so make sure to come prepared for that. I don’t expect you to find yourselves in combat, but considering how things turned out in Lohssa, make sure to be ready for anything.”
She hesitated a moment. “This time, Principal Aoidh will be away from Solus Academy, so it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to get assistance from outside Bareon. Make sure to prepare contingency plans when you arrive and remember to follow Lord Orlein’s orders.”