Sigismund had summoned a pair of skeletal hands and attached them to his shoes. He then jumped onto the bottom of a tree branch. The hands gripped onto it. This allowed him to walk upside down. When the limb ended, Sigismund jumped to the side of a streetlamp with a magical light on top. His next jump was to another streetlamp. This was how he went about his journey to class that day.

“Let’s see,” he pondered. “If I’m going to become a work of art, I need to figure out how to master myself next. Maybe I should work on making my pride a strength? Or maybe I could try to overcome one of my fears?”

Sigismund caught a glimpse of a spider on the pole he was on. He crashed down, tumbling to the ground.

“Fears next. I really need to overcome those,” Sigismund said.

He walked to class and sat at a desk. A few moments later, John and Maria stepped inside. The former smirked at Sigismund.

“You might think you’re the strongest right now, but I’ll surpass you soon enough,” John said.

“I don’t think I’m the strongest. There are plenty of people stronger than me," Sigismund replied.

“I mean in our school in our age group.”

“I’m not sure if I’m the strongest there or not,” Sigismund said.

“Well, you’re stronger than me, and I will surpass you!” John declared.

“Oh, I get it,” Sigismund nodded. “You’re jealous.”

“I am not jealous!” the duke’s son denied it.

“Jealousy isn’t always a bad thing. If you’re jealous of me, use those feelings to push yourself forward.”

“You’re too…” John started before swaying to the side.

Maria caught him before he could collapse from exhaustion. She brought her very tired fiancé to a seat.

Gustava arrived early enough to sit a distance from Sigismund. They stayed apart for most of the day.

Sigismund tried out the bagpipes in music class. Magical healers had to be called in to rescue the other students from their bleeding ears. Sigismund decided to play a different instrument next time.

Physical classes came at the end of the school period. The students were taught poleaxe techniques with some lance and sword practice.

Time passed, and the students became drenched with sweat. Their arms ached from swinging their weapons. Every single student was taking heavy breaths from the effort. Still, they kept training.

The last class ended. When the teacher had gotten out of earshot, Gustava walked right up to Sigismund. She took a deep breath.

“I need to draw on my self-hatred. I can’t have people know that Sigismund’s my friend, and I have a plan,” she thought.

Gustava’s eyes shone cold with hatred. She clenched her fists so hard that they turned white.

“Sigismund, you bastard,” her voice contained pure animosity.

The sole person at the scene who thought she didn’t hate Sigismund with every fiber of her being was Sigismund himself. And even he was worried.

“For my family’s honor, I’m going to crush you,” Gustava said.

Nervousness flowed through Sigismund when he heard her words.

“You…umm…do you really want another beatdown with my curse?” he stumbled.

“I’m not having another duel with you. Knowing your honorless ass, you probably rigged our first fight,” Gustava said. “From now on, we’re just doing really intense sparring. It’s the next best thing to breaking every bone in your fucking body.”

“You want to go right now?” Sigismund asked.

“Unlike you, I have some mercy. We’ll go somewhere private, so no one will see you get humiliated. Come with me.”

Gustava then turned to the other students.

“And if any of you dare follow us, you’ll face the full wrath of the House of Lejon,” she said.

None of the students dared follow as Gustava led Sigismund away. They went through the campus with Gustava making sure to radiate hostility. The two ended up walking into a building. Gustava locked the door behind them.

The interior was a large and mostly empty space. Its walls were lined with benches that were stacked upon one another. As for the floor, it was made of expensive wood. This was a feast hall, and these benches would be placed when guests arrived at the academy.

Gustava turned to Sigismund.

“I’m so sorry!” she said. “But I didn’t want to risk any rumors spreading that we’re friends, and…”

“It’s fine. You’re worrying for nothing,” Sigismund assured her.

“That’s good,” Gustava breathed a sigh of relief.

“So, what are we doing here?”

“I told you that I’d bring you along for my extra training,” Gustava said.

“I remember,” Sigismund nodded.

Gustava walked to the side and grabbed a pair of gambesons, helmets, and wooden swords that she had hidden under some benches earlier. Gustava handed Sigismund one set of armor and sword. She kept the other for herself. They put their equipment on.

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“I’m ready,” Sigismund replied. “I’ll make sure that you don’t push yourself too hard.”

“Thank you,” she said. “Just swords today. No magic. We don’t want to risk wrecking this place.”

“That’s for the best,” he nodded.

“And just one more thing,” Gustava said.

“What is it?” Sigismund wondered.

“We didn’t get to have a proper fight last time. So, please don’t hold back. This isn’t about seeing who’s stronger. I just want to have fun fighting you when you’re taking things seriously.”

Sigismund sighed.

“I was taking our duel seriously. I just had a goal that wasn’t winning. I didn’t mean to disrespect you.”

“It looks like we’re made of misunderstandings,” Gustava said.

“Well, you don’t need to worry. I won’t hold back. I have nothing but respect for you, and I want to show it,” Sigismund stated.

“Then let’s have the most fun we can as we work together to get stronger,” Gustava smiled.

At that moment, Gustava felt more love and warmth from and for Sigimund than she ever had from and for anyone else.

The two launched forward at the same time, their swords held back. They turned when they struck so that the full force of their bodies would go into the blow. Their weapons hit so hard that Gustava and Sigismund thought they'd fly out of their hands.

Gustava slid her sword down Sigismund's weapon and stepped in. The weak of her weapon passed by the strong of Sigismund’s, allowing her to slip her blade by. Sigismund pulled his sword back and blocked her next strike with incredible speed.

Sigismund then swung his sword at Gustava’s head. She blocked it with her weapon. He slashed his sword in a circle to strike at her other side. Gustava deflected that blow. Then, she thrust at Sigismund’s face. He stepped back to dodge the attack.

“Thank you, Sigismund,” she said with a wide grin. “For not holding back.”

Gustava unleashed a barrage of thrusts at Sigismund. He batted a bunch away before counter-thrusting at her chest. She dodged to the side.

“Please, call me Siggy,” Sigismund said.

There was a warm smile on his face.

“Alright, Siggy,” Gustava nodded.

She held her sword in a high guard and struck from above. Sigismund parried the blow before thrusting out; however, it was a feint. Gustava stabbed with her sword at the same time Sigismund did. She was struck in the chest. Sigismund was hit in the shoulder.

“Are you okay?” was the first thing he asked.

“Yes, I’m fine. Why are you so concerned?” Gustava questioned.

“Why wouldn’t I be? It’s not like we’re going to keep sparring if one of us gets injured,” Sigismund said.

“My parents made me fight even if I had a broken arm. They didn’t bring in magical healers until the training was done.”

“Those bastards,” Sigismund thought before speaking. “Don’t even think about fighting if you break your arm. Get to a magical healer as soon as you can. Now, let’s keep going.”

“Wait. You’re fine too, right?” Gustava asked.

“I am. You don’t need to worry. I’ll let you know if I'm injured,” he answered.

“Then I’ll do the same,” she said.

Sigismund thrust his sword at Gustava’s leg. She stepped back to avoid it and counter-thrusted at his chest. He swung his sword up, deflecting her blow. Sigismund followed up with a cut that hit Gustava’s arm. It hit.

Gustava threw a cut at Sigismund’s arm. He deflected it and countered with a thrust. Gustava ducked under the stab while throwing a thrust of her own. It hit Sigismund’s chest. The girl tried to follow this up with a cut; however, Sigismund swung his sword down to deflect it.

Sigismund stabbed his sword at her face. Gustava parried the blow. She thrust at her opponent. He stepped back to dodge before stabbing. They both made a mistake. Sigismund didn’t step back far enough, and Gustava kept her attack going rather than pulling her weapon back to parry.

Pain lashed through the two as the wooden swords collided with their solar plexus. They breathed heavily, dropped their swords, and clutched their bodies. The two of them stumbled for a few moments.

“I’m okay,” Gustava stepped forward with her sword in hand.

“So am I,” Sigismund said.

The two kept going, fighting nonstop without holding back for a full hour. Gustava and Sigismund both took and landed numerous blows. Sweat poured down their bodies, and an aching pain had set in. Still, they were both smiling.

“You like fighting too, don’t you?” Gustava smiled.

“I do, but that’s enough sparring for now,” Sigismund said.

“Are you sure?” Gustava grunted from the pain. “I can keep going.”

“I’m sure. Look outside. The sun’s setting. We should get back to our dorm soon.”

“It isn’t that bad. We haven’t done enough yet. I can still move,” she insisted.

“Hey, remember what I told you about doing too much? We had combat classes, and we sparred for an hour on top of that. We’ve done enough for today,” Sigismund stated.

“If you say so,” Gustava spoke with reluctance.

She took off her helmet.

“These are my wooden swords, so we should take them to our dorm,” she said. “Same thing with the armor.”

“Alright. I’ll carry one of the swords,” Sigismund stated.

“Thank you,” Gustava said.

The two left the building into the cool night air. Gustava and Sigismund saw the sunset in the distance as they walked to their dorm.

“It looks like you were right. We’re evenly matched,” Gustava smiled. “I’m really happy right now.”

“You are? I didn’t think it was a bit deal,” Sigismund said.

“I just think it’s really cool that my first friend is as good as I am. It also means that making sure you don’t fall behind me is easier,” she told him.

Then her face turned darker.

“It makes me wonder what’ll happen between us this Saturn’s Day,” Gustava said.

“What do you mean? Is something going to happen then?”

“A tournament. I saw a flier in class yesterday advertising it,” she said.

“Oh, right. A guy named John is holding it,” Sigismund replied.

“You’re going to enter, right?” Gustava asked.

“No. I have better things to do,” he said.

“Like what?”

“Watching grass grow. Watching paint dry. Counting every single feather Ogier has.”

“You don’t like tournaments, do you?” Gustava asked.

“I don’t care about being the strongest, and I don’t want their prizes. As far as I’m concerned, they’re a waste of time,” Sigismund answered. “Besides, a lot of people will be watching the tournament.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” she said.

“I’d prefer it if people didn’t know what I can do in a fight. They’d have an advantage if they do,” he replied.

“That’s a good point,” Gustava stated. “I think I’ll stay out of the tournament too.”

There was a moment of silence.

“I need to keep mastering myself. I think I need to take on my fears next if I’m going to become a work of art. It shouldn’t be too hard,” Sigismund said.

“Siggy, you’ve been helping me a lot, and I want to pay you back. Maybe I could help you become a work of art?” Gustava replied.

“I’m sorry, but that’s something that I have to do myself. I can’t rely on anyone else for it,” he stated.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Besides, all I’ve been doing is giving you a starting push. In the end, the only person who can really help you overcome your self-hatred is yourself,” he said.

“I disagree. You helped me a lot, and I want to repay you for it,” Gustava replied.

“Is that what you really, truly want?” Sigismund asked.

“Yes,” she answered.

“Alright, then,” he said. “Why don’t you get me some sausages sometime?”

“That doesn’t seem anywhere near enough,” Gustava sighed before smiling. “So, I’ll just have to make sure they’re the best sausages you’ve ever eaten.”