Swing, swing, slash. Swing, swing, slash.

Halerosh watched from the distance as Alexia practiced with her rather odd weapon of choice. Though calling a scythe a weapon wasn’t exactly correct, for while there were treatises on how to use it as one it was a farming tool through and through. He had done his best to convince Alexia to try something else, something effective, but the girl refused each time. The scythe was always what felt best to her, and there was no changing that.

The skill the girl had shown with it could not be denied, though whether it was because she already had an affinity for the “weapon” Halerosh wasn’t sure. She had definitely put her all into practicing, especially within the past six days. He heard she had met with Rashi and Diada, though they didn’t speak much about her. It was clear from looking at Alexia that she had been inspired in some way or another, though she didn’t know the form that inspiration had came in.

Alexia did, of course, remembering how she had made a fool of herself in front of the Orc and Helyan. She wished to be Alabaster’s replacement, and yet not only was it made clear she wasn’t seen as such, but she had been saved from falling from her own seat. It was humiliating, disheartening, and a disgrace to the man that she was to take the place of. After all, she couldn’t just be good enough, she had to be perfect. She had to live up to the legend of the man she was replacing, lest all of Euriea see her as a failure.

She would not be remembered as a failure.

The sound of footsteps broke Halerosh’s attention away from his pupil, turning to see the small yet powerful stature of Galhawk approaching from behind. The dwarf’s brown eyes were focused on Alexia, taking a seat next to Halerosh without ever turning away from her. Alexia felt the sudden addition of someone else before he had said a word, sensing his curiosity the moment he had entered the backyard of her mentor’s estate. His curiosity was mixed with doubt, contrasting with Halerosh’s joy and confidence. She hated to admit to herself it was a little distracting.

“Odd seeing you around here,” Halerosh said. Alexia did her best to focus on the target as the two started talking. “You don’t typically visit alone like this. Is something up?”

“What, a dwarf can’t drop in on an old pal?” Galhawk asked with a smile, the deadpanned look on Halerosh’s face telling him he was not being taken seriously. “No, seriously. I know we don’t get along as well as most of the others but is it really wrong of me to just drop in and see how you are doing?”

Alexia was taken off guard by hearing this, her swing nearly getting out of her control because of it.

“I guess, but I also know you,” Halerosh replied, looking away from the dwarf and to the edges of her yard. “That smile on your face is surface-level. You may have saved Alabaster's eire at that meeting but…” His eyes narrowed. “You don’t trust her yourself, do you?”

“Hmph, fine, you win,” Galhawk replied, grumbling. He was foolish to think he could fool the fae, but one day he knew Halerosh would slip. “Alabaster asked me to come and watch her training. He wanted input from someone who was likely to be less biased about her progress.”

“Wha–” Halerosh brought his hand to her chest as he tried to speak, wings straight out as a further sell of the overreaction. He then slammed his hands down on the ground. “As if I’m biased on a matter such as this! I wouldn’t make a good mentor if I said everything she did was correct.”

“Then all the talk Rashi has been telling us didn’t happen then?” Galhawk replied, his smile sincere as he saw the pout on Halerosh’s face. “It isn’t that we don’t believe she is making progress, but rather that we can’t gauge how much progress when you are talking about her like she is your daughter.”

Another strike almost missed as Alexia heard those words, her face turning a little red as she heard Galhawk speak. Halerosh was in the same position, a just as heavy blush on his face as he looked to Alexia. The girl did her best to show she heard nothing, though to Halerosh it was clear that Galhawk’s words were throwing her off balance, and the fae couldn’t help but wonder if that was his objective with those words.

“I-I-I can assure you that, while I do talk her up, it is purely because she deserves it,” Halerosh told the dwarf, trying to regain some of his composure. Composure soon turned to sinister intent as he thought up a comeback. “I’m just her mentor. You are more than happy to be her father though since you brought her up.”

“Can you two please not discuss that shit with me standing right here?” Alexia asked, not bothering to hide the fact her face was bright red in embarrassment. “Also, neither of you are my dad. Shut the fuck up, end of discussion.”

Believing she had dealt with their conversation, she turned back to the targeting dummy and continued what she was doing. Galhawk watched on, a groan escaping him as he watched the girl practice. Her attitude was wildly different from the cold and calm persona that Alabaster had around everyone. He didn’t see it as a bad thing, after all there was no way the human that replaced Alabaster would be the same. What did bother him, however, was how easily words seemed to impact the girl.

Alexia didn’t know it, but her turning to tell him and Halerosh to stay quiet had given him more detail about the girl than watching her hit a dummy over and over. He had also noticed the way her scythe had wavered when Halerosh had mentioned how he didn’t get along with the dwarf. Galhawk got up from his seat and made his way over to Alexia. As she went for a swing, the dwarf summoned forth a red orb and moved it to the dummy.

Before the scythe made contact, that orb let out a burst of fire. The shock of it caused Alexia to yelp, taking a few steps back as she watched the dummy burn. Halerosh got up and made for his pupil, who Galhawk had turned to look at with what Alexia took as dissatisfaction. His eye contact was only broken when Halerosh stood in front of his pupil, furious at the dwarf for his action.

“Galhawk, explain yourself” The fae demanded, ignoring the heat of the fire.

“I think the girl can move on from practicing on a stationary object,” Galhawk told him, his voice calm as he retracted the orb back to himself. “If you wouldn’t mind Halerosh, I would like to personally test your pupil in a spar. See if you haven’t been holding back on her.”

“There are far better ways of asking for that than lighting a training dummy on fire!” Halerosh spat back, Galhawk unmoved by the anger in the fae’s voice. “Whether or not that reason is true or not, there was another reason you did that. Tell me, now!”

Alexia had never seen her mentor in this state, that anger in her eyes strange and unsettling to the girl. His anger was something she could understand, watching as Galhawk started walking away. He didn’t laugh, and he delayed answering Halerosh’s question for as long as possible. When he finally did, the orb had changed from red to something more rocky looking before it shaped itself into an axe.

“I believe she reacts too easily to those around her while in combat,” Galhawk said, turning around and holding the axe towards the girl behind Halerosh. “When facing an enemy, especially the Lord of Terror, you must not let yourself be distracted in any form. The slightest loss of focus and…” He looked at the fae. “Well, I’m sure you can finish that yourself.”

Halerosh nearly snarled at those words, knowing the implications that were being put forward. Alexia, having noticed this, stepped in front of her mentor with one hand gripping the scythe and the other stretched out in front of the face. The shock at the dummy suddenly burning left her eyes, being exchanged for sheer hatred.

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“You bring her up, knowing the pain Halerosh still bears?” Alexia asked, pointing her scythe at Galhawk. “I thought you were kind when we first met, Galhawk. Yet now you not only question me but my mentor, despite him being one of your own.”

“Kindness matters not to me when Alabaster isn’t present. The only one I bow to is him,” Galhawk told her. “That does not matter right now though. I was sent to examine your progress and I’ll get a better idea of that through facing you than watching you wail on something that can’t fight back.”

It took all of Alexia’s will to not grind her teeth at the dwarves' words. She could see the feeling of superiority in his emotions, something that nearly made her sick. This wasn’t what the Council was supposed to be. They were supposed to be the protectors of the world, and yet Galhawk’s emotions read as if that did not matter. A man who cared only for himself, the worst kind of person to have in power.

“Fine, I’ll fight you,” Alexia said, taking a few steps forward, the scythe still pointed at Galhawk. “I’ll prove to you that Halerosh hasn’t held back on my training.”

“Good, you’re motivated then,” Galhawk replied, resting his axe on his soldier with a grin. “Now, before we begin, I wanna see your mana pool to see if it is safe to use in a spar or not.”

Alexia nodded and held her free hand out, the scythe no longer facing towards it. With it she summoned a similar orb, her manapool, which was an off-color dark green. One's mana pool was the core of their magic, and all casting was centered on it. Despite its tiny size, the power it held was immense, but it only followed where its user's hands could go.

In other words: remove or bind ones hands, and magic was impossible.

“Poison magic, far too lethal for what we are doing,” Galhawk said. Alexia nodded, as she had not intended to use it to begin with. “Very well, I shall keep myself from using my own magic then.”

Alexia watched as the axe he summoned crumbled away, his mana pool disappearing soon after. Alexia did the same soon after, her eyes locked on the fact that Galhawk didn’t bother to take out another weapon. Instead he stood still, his body relaxed and eyes locked on his opponent. The quiet of the yard was only broken by the occasional sound of people walking the streets, though they were sounded like whispers.

“The rules are simple: land a hit on my chest or back and you win. I will be attempting to do the same to you. While it wouldn’t be the case on the battlefield I will be marked against you if you injure me,” Galhawk explained. “Consider this a test of your control, not just emotionally but in your weapon skills. Am I clear?”

Alexia nodded. “Clear as crystal.”

“Then I give you the first strike,” Galhawk said. “Choose it wisely.”

Alexia had to stop herself from charging straight in, realizing immediately what Galhawk wanted her to do. He looked defenseless, too defenseless, and she knew for certain what he wanted was to mistake that for weakness. Instead, she put both her hands on her scythe and kept it in front of her body, a smile on her face. She wasn’t about to fall into his trap.

“I’m not that dumb Galhawk. I defer my first strike to you instead,” Alexia said, allowing a bit of confidence to drip into her voice.

Confidence faded when she heard Galhawk chuckle. “I figured you should have at least one chance to go on the offensive, but since you gave me the option…”

Alexia wasn’t prepared for the speed the dwarf had, his stride long despite his short legs. He threw a punch at her, the speed making up for him holding back his strength. Alexia managed to block it, spinning herself around Galhawk to try and attack from the back. It didn’t work, the dwarf catching her scythe as she tried to thrust the blunt top of it forward. This was immediately followed with him casually shoving the weapon away from him, Alexia stepping to the right so the weight of the blade didn’t take her to the ground.

In an attempt to turn that off center weight to her advantage, Alexia turned the force into a low sweep. As the objective was simply to land a torso or back hit and not kill, she extended her arm so it was the wooden part of the scythe, hitting instead of the blade. It was all for naught, however, Galhawk only had to jump over her attack to avoid it. He gave her credit for finding an opportunity, but that was about all he was going to give her. It wasn’t that easy to defeat a member of the Council of Peace.

With almost no way to stop the force, Alexia once agains staggered to the side. When she did finally have control back, her attention was immediately drawn to the dwarf approaching her front. She once again blocked him with the scythe, this time shoving him away so as to not get predictable. It did not work out, however, as the dwarf’s feet were planted firmly to the ground. Galhawk knew at that moment she would not get another blow, and his victory was assured.

With the distance between them minimal, he managed to sneak his fist behind her guard before she could stop him. She keeled over after it hit her sternum, a grimace on her face as she realized she had lost. She looked at the dwarf, both his face and emotions reading disappointment. He didn’t gloat about his victory, didn’t rub it in her face, he just stood there in great disappointment before he turned his attention to the fae.

“You plan to train the next Alabster, and this is all you have to show?” He asked the fae, his voice like poison. “A waste of time and effort. You had the chance to shape her into the finest warrior in the world, and all I see before me is a normal flesh and blood human.”

“Whatever you see Alabaster to be and what I see him as are clearly not the same then,” Halerosh replied. He walked between the dwarf and his pupil. “I’m not you, Galhawk. I didn’t take her in with the purpose of forging her into some all-powerful weapon. She’s a human, and just like Alabster she has emotions,” Galhawk could make out the bright green mana pool that Halerosh had summoned as she spoke. “Do you not realize the fact that emotions drove Alabster to the conclusion he did? Do you see him as some emotionless killer.”

“I see him as the world's hero, and as the most powerful man in all of Eurea,” Galhawk told him. “The only one to have ever beaten me, and seeing what I have of Alexia has made one thing clear: she will never be a suitable replacement for Alabaster,”

He started walking off, only for his foot to get caught on a root Halerosh had risen with her magic. The fae helped his pupil off the ground, patting her on the head and giving her a reaffirming smile. He then turned back to the dwarf, moving her mana pool so both feet were locked up by the growing roots. He had choice words for the man before him, and he wasn’t gonna let Galhawk go until he got them out.

“Let me make this very clear, Galhawk Bergebond,” Halerosh replied, his voice taking on a terrifying tone that Alexia had never seen before. “I don’t give two shits about what you say. Let me make one thing very clear, I’m not just training the “next Alabaster”, nor am I training a worthy replacement,” He leaned into the dwarves face. Galhawk noticed the particles that were coming off the fae’s wings, a bad sign. “I’m training Alexia, someone who in this day and age will be better than Alabaster. Someone who holds not the value of a time long past, but the values of here and now.”

“So you seek to undermine the very foundation of what we follow then?” Galhawk asked. “Bold, Hallie. Very, very bo–”

He didn’t get to finish what he said, a firm slap ringing out through the air as the palm of Halerosh’s right hand hit Galhawk’s face. Alexia stiffened as she saw her mentor do that, the rage contained in the fae’s eyes something she had never seen. More particles fell off his wings, Alexia quickly realizing what it was. She wanted to rush to his side, but Halerosh kept her still with a single look. One that told the human girl that this was not the time to try and break up a fight.

“Galhawk, I know you are smart. I know that despite your personality there is a reason we have you among the council,” Halerosh said. Alexia noted how more roots were starting to appear from the ground at random points in the yard. Her mana pool fluctuated, its shape expanded and changed rapidly. “Which means I’m sure you know that only one person has the right to call me by that dead name, and even they refrain. That is why I do not ask, but warn you: don’t ever call me Hallie,” She backed off to the side and pointed back towards the door Galhawk had come out of the yard from. “Get out of my sight, this instant.”

Halerosh retracted their mana pool, and the roots that not only engulfed Galhawks feet but had sprouted up around the yard disappeared. Galhawk did what he was told, knowing well that invoking the wrath of an angered fae would not be good for him. With the dwarf on his way out, Halerosh allowed himself to take some deep breaths.

“You okay Hal?” Alexia asked as she walked up to her mentor. The look of concern on her face made the fae wince.

He responded with a shake of his head. “No, Alexia. No I am not.”