"Your footwork is still extremely lacking. You advertise your next move before you even perform it. You also have a habit of glaring at me before you attack me, making it very obvious whether you are going to feint attack or actually try to attack me.

... Even though throughout this whole training session you have never feint attacked once."

Ezekial sighed softly as he easily disarmed Kai for the umpteenth time in the last 4 hours.

According to the blue haired swordsman, and while this may just be the way he personally saw it, the best way to become more proficient with a sword was to thoroughly ingrain it into yourself, to make nearly every action subconscious and leaving your main mind to focus on analysing your opponent.

However, how was Kai meant to accomplish that when he was constantly in pain?

After knocking the wooden sword from Kai's hand, Ezekial jabbed forward and hit the centre of Kai's chest, making him wheeze and groan slightly. Even though Kai was strong compared to other tutorial participants, Ezekial was stronger than all of them combined.

"Footwork this, footwork that, how am I even meant to improve my footwork?"

To respond to Kai, Ezekial simply shrugged, making his eyes widen in shock.

"What do you mean you don't know, you're the one that's meant to be the teacher, aren't you?"

Ezekial glanced down at the wooden sword in his hands before sighing softly. He then flipped the sword upside down and balanced wooden blade by touching the tip with a single finger.

"There are many different kinds of footwork, the same as there are many different fighting styles. The footwork I use might not nessescarily be the best option for you. It's up to you to figure out what that is.

My fighting style is all about balance, everything in my body being in perfect harmony with each other."

Kai scowled slightly, and while he did understand what Ezekial was saying, there was just no way that he could replicate it.

"That's why you can do all that stuff about subconsciously acting, meanwhile, I have to think at a hundred percent capacity just to not die."

Ezekial smiled softly as he dropped the wooden blade and caught it by its hilt just before it hit the ground.

"Then implement that into your fighting style. It's commonly known that people are at their strongest when they have something to lose. Be it their family getting threatened or their home getting destroyed, someone with everything to lose will always win over someone who has everything to gain."

Kai sighed in response. Ezekial's words made sense, but it's not like he was that desparate. He wasn't in a situation where he could lose something at any given moment, in fact, he was probably the safest in the last couple of months here inside this castle. It was his third day here and all he had done was bathe, sleep, read, eat and get teased a lot by Anastasia, a strange combo, but not one that was dangerous in anyway shape or form.

Of course, all this could change in the future, but until it did change, Kai felt as if he wouldn't be able to experience any actual growth.

And there was also the fact that he was extremely limiting himself. He was tempted to use Soul Sense in the way he had used it on Umbra on Ezekial. He wanted to test if he could replicate the blue haired swordsmans abilities. Even if he was only able to absorb a tenth of his skill, that tenth was still a much better swordsman than Kai would probably ever be.

Still, there was also the fact that Kai had no idea if he would be able to actually mimic any of Ezekial's move, he was on another level when compared to Kai. It would be like if a bird that was litteraly just born tried to fly across the Atlantic, basically impossible.

"Still, there has to be some tips you can give me, things that all beginners should know."

Ezekial fell deep into thought for a few moments, a few tips running through his brain, but majority of them were how to position your wrist or other little things that were still too advanced for Kai.

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"There's obviously the basic ones, some of them I've already told you. Don't drop your weapon, always be prepared, make sure your opponent is actually dead or incapacitated before relaxing.

Oh, and never turn your back to your opponent."

All of those were obviously things that Kai knew from his time reading or watching movies, but there was a difference between watching it play out and doing it himself.

If he hurt his wrist, he automatically got the urge to drop his weapon, it was as simple as that. It was a psychological thing, something that couldn't just be overwritten after a short while training.

"Okay then, but what about, like, sword skills? Is there anything like an ability that isn't actually a skill but to do with your sword?"

"Obviously." Ezekial answered blankly before eventually elaborating after noticing Kai's stare.

"There's various types, some are for veterans while some are for beginners. They can come in different forms as well.

They can be taught by someone, they can come on pages, holograms, dreams, epiphanys, even on a rock floating in space that's millions of years old."

With Kai's interest peaked, he was a little more involved in listening.

"Do you know any?"

Ezekial nodded.

"Of course, but you wouldn't be able to perform any of them. At least, not the current you."

Kai sighed. It's not like it was his fault that he was absolutely rubbish at weilding a sword. People on Earth proffered to use bombs and guns after all, what use was a sharp blade when the wielder could simply be sniped a hundred metres away?

"Well, is there any I can learn? Or does each Sword Style maybe have different forms? There was a series like that back on my planet, different forms with the first few forms being easier than the later forms?"

Ezekial's expression shifted slightly as he racked his brain for any answer that might please Kai.

However, it wasn't that easy.

Unlike whatever series Kai was on about, Sword Styles took numerous years of training to even perform the most basic of movements. Every fibre of your being had to be dedicated to the blade to perform it, and Ezekial could tell from a single glance that Kai had a way of fighting other than using a blade that he was hiding. That, combined with the fact he had a tendency to flail it around rather than attempt to perform any actual movements with it told Ezekial all he needed to know.

"I could look around after our training session and get back to you tomorrow if, you wish, but I wouldn't have any high expectations. Sword Styles are not simply something one can just learn, it takes dedication and the talent to match."

Kai sighed, his hopes and dreams of becoming a Demon Sla- proper swordsman squashed instantly. He was kind of talented, right? He had survived his tutorial after all, meaning he had to be doing something right.

"Alright, thanks man, I appreciate it."

It was only then that Kai glanced at the dial hanging on the wall of the training hall and realised how late it had gotten.

He was also shocked to learn that apparently every Subdimension followed the 24 hours in a day system, however, some had different Months and in some time flowed differently. A full 24 hours in one Subdimension could be only 19 in another or even 33 in a different one.

"I'm guessing you have to go do Petunia's hair?"

Ezekial sighed as he slowly placed the wooden sword he had been wielding back where he had picked it up.

Kai hid a smirk at the sight, it was almost as if he was trying to stall for time.

"Yes, I do. Even though it is His Majesty's wishes, I do not see the need to put so much effort into curling her hair."

Kai laughed softly as he also returned his wooden sword back on the rack before softly slapping Ezekial on the back.

"Well, I wish you luck then, because I'm just gonna go read and go to sleep."

And with that, Kai exited the training hall with a massive grin on his face. Still, just before he made it out the door, he shorted back to Ezekial:

"See you tomorrow dude, maybe I'll actually be able to hit you."

Ezekial shivered slightly after Kai left.

While on the way back to his bedroom, Kai admired some more of the paintings scattered in the hallways.

There were ones of the royal family, obviously, but they only contained Anastasia and Castillian, never the second or third Queen.

There were some of the castle itself, and it was then that Kai realised he was a little wrong about the proportions of the place.

In the painting, the outside of the bottom floor of the castle was completely made of a light blue ice.

Kai frowned slightly. Had he really been on the second floor and above this whole time? That black stuff outside the windows was really messing with him.

He also encountered the third Queen again. This time, she was walking with a lot more pep in her step, as if she was preparing for something.

Sadly, just as Kai was about to say high, she saw him and quickly turned around, escaping to the corner she had just walked past.

Kai could only sigh.

Once he had returned to his bedroom, Kai dismissed his tunic and grabbed another set of pyjamas out of the closet. This pair was made out of a strange sort of red linen, and was also incredibly comfortable.

Letting out a groan of comfort while getting under the duvet cover, Kai grabbed his book about Mana and began reading, something that he was going to be doing quite a lot in his time here.

However, not even five minutes later, there was a knock on his door.

"Huh."

Curiously, Kai put down his book and got out of bed, making his way to the door. Slowly, he pulled the door open and-

Was shocked to see Anastasia there.

... He was also shocked to see the nightgown she was wearing.