Arslan couldn’t help to weirded out by the violet-haired man circling him.

“I am quite surprised that you accepted it. Nervous that Poyraz will beat your ass?”

Lily teased, laughter accompanying his words. Arslan's frown deepened.

“You are the one who asked me to spar with you.”

Lily shrugged at Arslan’s retort.

“Poyraz asked me to. Or rather, ordered me. He said he will beat my ass if I don’t do something productive. So here we are.”

He opened his arms wide. They were in an opening outside of Whifur. Arslan watched Lily shuffle as if he was dancing. He wondered about Lily. He was an enigma. Even though he had known him for over 6 months, he just couldn’t solve him.

If he wasn’t this different from Poyraz maybe he wouldn’t be this puzzled. Both he and Poyraz were outworlders from the same world and even were friends. His first impression of both of them was they were smug humans. While Poyraz annoyed the shit out of him, he started to cultivate some respect for him despite not liking it. His growth rate, his insights, and his combat skills felt more and more out of his league every time he saw him in action. He sometimes avoided eye contact with him because of how deep his eyes looked. Deep down, Arslan sensed the experience and the heavy life Poyraz had lived through. While he himself hadn’t seen an ancient structure himself, he felt that looking at Poyraz was the closest thing to it.

Lily on the other hand was… Nonexistent? Not in a way that his presence was missing, he made himself known with his loud, nonstop talking. He felt light. Everything he says felt like it was made up out of nowhere with no experience or idealogy to back it off.

Despite all, Arslan knew that Lily was strong and that was the part puzzling him. Everyone had a goal, a conviction to get stronger, to fight whether that was freedom, wealth or simply to survive. Yet he felt none from Lily.

“No wonder Poyraz likes you.”

Arslan was startled as Lily got close to his face suddenly and said something that was unbelievable for Arslan. Their nose nearly touched before Arslan jumped back.

“Poyraz likes me? Have you seen the two of us together before? He can’t go a minute without throwing a shade to me.”

Arslan said with an annoyed voice. Lily just kept circling around the Arslan with a wide smile. His steps were light. Arslan wondered how he moved this fast with steps this light.

“That’s his love language. Have you seen how he speaks to me?”

Arslan narrowed his eyes. It was true. Despite Lily and Poyraz claiming to be best friends, Poyraz usually behaved harshly towards Lily while Lily kept annoying Poyraz all the time. However, even with that Arslan kept seeing them together constantly.

“Why the hell would he like me?”

Lily stopped circling Arslan, something that he was happy for. He was getting dizzy watching him spin. Lily raised two fingers.

“Two reasons. One is you fought together with him. That guy sees everyone bleed together with him as brothers. The second reason is; that you probably remind him of himself.”

Lily's words hung in the air, leaving Arslan contemplating the unexpected insights. The idea that Poyraz might see something of himself in Arslan felt strange to the warrior. They were different, or at least Arslan believed so. Even their race was different. He was a beastkin and Poyraz was a human.

“What the hell does that mean?”

Arslan questioned. Rather than answering his question, Lily drew his swords. They were single-edged, one-handed swords. They looked incredibly sharp but they were so thin that Arslan was curious how they hadn’t broken in battle. Arslan drew his own weapons. Twin swords against twin swords.

There was some distance between them. Arslan watched Lily carefully. He knew that Lily was a speed-focused fighter. If he could detect the movement of Lily before he actually moved he could gain the upper hand. However, despite Arslan’s intense focus Lily managed to close the distance between them before he could react. His swords somehow passed through Arslan’s guard and stopped before his throat. Lily poked his tongue out and jumped back.

“Even that frown is the same.”

Despite Lily’s light tone, Arslan was shocked. If this was a real fight he would have died right there. Before he could shake off the shock Lily came to him again. His attacks were so light, so weightless. Arslan felt nearly nothing when he managed to block them. It wasn’t something Arslan experienced before. He was used to people putting everything they had into their strikes. All their weight, all their strength but Lily’s were different. He couldn’t get a good read on him at all. It also didn’t help that Lily didn’t stay in one place. He constantly shifted and turned, causing Arslan to do the same if he wanted to face with him. Arslan felt more and more frustrated. He couldn’t move like Lily. In the end, Lily’s blade pressed down on Arslan’s neck once again.

Lily jumped back. Arslan growled with anger.

“Do you know why I am faster?”

Lily asked.

“Because you are better at Mana Manipulation than me?”

Arslan angrily tapped his foot to the ground. After several seconds of silence, Lily opened his arms wide. He let go of his swords and they spun in the air but somehow didn’t fall to the ground. It was almost like they were glued on Lily’s palms.

“No, you silly cat. It is not because I am better at Mana Manipulation.”

Lily's words hung in the air, and Arslan's frustration grew. He knew that it wasn’t his body or muscles. He had the physique of a beastkin. He was bigger and more muscular than Lily. His muscles had more explosive power. Then why couldn’t he match his speed?

“Any other guesses?”

Lily’s words caused Arslan to get even more frustrated. The only answer Arslan could think of was Mana Manipulation. As a beastkin, he had less mana and a lower degree of control compared to humans. He stared daggers at Lily thinking how stupid his question was.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

“Okay, let me tell you how we were selected for the super soldier program.”

A part of Arslan’s frustration was replaced by curiosity. He heard Poyraz and Lily talk about being a super soldier before but he didn’t know about the details. If this allowed him to become a better warrior, it was worth putting up with Lily’s irritating fighting style.

“We were already best at our units. Trained and mastered several types of warfare. We were taken to the top of a mountain. It was cold and hard to breathe.”

Lily hugged himself and shivered.

“We were given food and water just enough to not die. We weren’t allowed to sleep more than 3 hours a day. If we fell asleep we were waken up with a bucket of cold water.”

Arslan saw a flash of sadness pass on Lily’s face.

“That’s torture.”

What Lily was saying sounded like insanity to Arslan. Lily laughed.

“Yeah, it was. But that was just the beginning. We were forced to constantly do drills. We ran, we sparred, we practiced. All while being showered with insults from our superiors. We were maggots, scums, worthless trash. If one were to perform suboptimally, the entire group was punished.”

Arslan listened in silence, the gravity of Lily's words sinking in. His eyes narrowed, a mixture of disbelief and horror creeping into his expression. He had faced many challenges in his life, but this level of cruelty seemed beyond comprehension.

“How can you get stronger in that kind of conditions? You need proper rest and food to recover and get stronger!”

He protested. Lily only laughed.

“We weren’t training. We were being tested. To see who would break, who would perform imperfectly, and who would perform perfectly even in worse conditions.”

Lily suddenly lunged to Arslan causing him to barely block his strike.

“It doesn’t matter how strong your body is. What moves your body is your mind. The reason I am faster is because of my mind.”

Arslan channeled mana into his swords. He furiously swung them.

“Are you implying my mind is weaker?”

Lily gracefully dodged Arslan's strikes, his movements seemingly effortless.

“Not weaker. Hmm. Let me think.”

Even though he just attacked Arslan without a warning, Lily lowered his weapons and frowned. Arslan hesitated between attacking him like he did or letting him think. Arslan didn’t have to make a choice as Lily snapped his fingers.

“Eureka.”

He attacked once again, forcing Arslan to defend himself.

“Do you want to know how I survived that camp?”

“How?”

Arslan kept blocking Lily’s strikes. He was somewhat used to Lily’s unpredictability.

“By smiling. I smiled when our superiors called me a faggot. I laughed when we were forced to run half-naked. I thanked when I was given the paste they called rations.”

Lily dodged Arslan’s strike by leaning back so far that his body was parallel to the ground.

“You want me to smile all the time? How will that help my mind?”

Arslan shouted, not grasping what Lily was talking about. Lily let himself fall to the ground. He then took support from the ground with his hands and kicked Arslan, sending him flying back.

“Nope.”

He shrugged.

“You are more like Poyraz. He took all the difficulties we endured with a frown and gritted teeth. I wondered how he managed to keep all his teeth with how much he was gritting.”

Arslan managed to shake off the hit he took and attack Lily, who had got up.

“Just tell me whatever you mean directly! If Poyraz and I are the same then why our strengths are so different?”

Lily gracefully parried Arslan's attacks, his movements a dance of evasion and counterattacks. He chuckled at Arslan's frustration, enjoying the challenge.

“Because you are letting them slow you down. You are letting the weight of the past, the pain, the struggles, slow you down.”

“You don’t know about my past!”

Being remembered his past made Arslan sick. The imprisonment, the powerlessness. His lips curled and showed his teeth.

“I don’t need to.”

Lily responded, his dark green eyes meeting Arslan's intense gaze.

"I don't need to know the specifics. It's not about the details of the past; it's about how you carry it with you. Poyraz and I share a past that's filled with hardships, but our responses to it are different."

As they continued their exchange of blades, Lily moved with a fluidity that seemed to defy the laws of physics. His attacks were a dance, each step a testament to his agility and the strength of his mind.

"Poyraz carries the weight of his past like armor, using it to fuel his determination and strength. You, on the other hand, let it become a burden, something that weighs you down."

Lily explained, effortlessly sidestepping Arslan's strikes. Arslan, fueled by frustration and confusion, attacked with renewed vigor.

"So, what should I do? Smile and pretend everything is fine?"

“Nope. That’s my way. You have to find yours.”

Their clash intensified, the sound of steel meeting steel echoing in the open space outside of Whifur. Lily's movements became more unpredictable, his attacks more elusive. Arslan, determined to become stronger pulled his trump card. His golden mana became brighter at first but then focused along the blade. Sword Aura, the peak every swordsman dreamed of achieving covered Arslan’s blades.

“Guess that could be part of your answer.”

The intensity of the aura illuminated the surroundings, casting an ethereal glow on the battleground. Lily, though momentarily taken aback, quickly regained his composure, his eyes narrowing in focus.

"Now we're talking!"

Lily remarked, his excitement palpable. With a swift motion, Lily dodged Arslan's initial strike, his movements a blend of grace and precision. Arslan, fueled by the heightened energy of the Sword Aura, pressed on, determined to understand the elusive concept Lily was trying to convey. Lily, adapting to the heightened intensity, covered his own blades with mana.

Their clash continued until both of them were content.