‘Thud’

As I loosed an arrow from my bow it faintly echoed through the archery range and the sound bounced back into the dojo. I loved the sound an arrow made when it sunk into a hay target. That was just one of the many reasons I enjoyed shooting. It was also quiet, and since no one else used it, it was a place where I could be alone.

It was quiet, and a good way to blow off steam and clear my mind. Since I was good at it too, it meant that it wouldn't add to my frustration I was beginning to feel from being so physically inferior.

Upon realizing how drastically my train of thought had changed from the moment I got reincarnated, I almost shuddered. ‘Maybe Mara is winning after all…’

Just as I drew my bowstring back The door slid open unexpectedly, causing me to flinch and shoot just slightly off-center. ‘What the. Who would that be?’ I turned to see the young man that had sparred with Finlo atop the warbeasts.

“Oh, my lady, I didn't know you were here. Do you mind if I join you?” He bowed elegantly. His long black hair was spiked and almost reminded me of porcupine quills as it bushed out from his head. Besides just that, he had this intensity about him that never seemed to quite go away, even when he smiled.

‘My lady? Who is he talking to?’ When I realized I was literally the only person in the room it became so clear that I felt a bit silly. I slowly lowered my bow. ‘I kind of came here to be alone…’ “Sure…” I said, begrudgingly.

He walked in closer and took a look down range at all the targets before looking back at me in astonishment. “Are these all your arrows?”

Just by looking at the fletching, you could tell they were short arrows shot from a child's bow. I was sure he knew that too, and was just surprised by the fact I was using such a weak weapon. “Yeah…” I muttered

“That's impressive. I must admit I'm glad I startled you into missing just now. If every one of your shots was a bullseye I might have been discouraged.”

To my surprise, he was focused on my accuracy, rather than my lack of strength, or the fact I was shooting with a child's bow. I looked down range at the several arrows I had shot. I hadn't even realized it, but he was right. I had shot a perfect score until my last arrow.

I had always been relatively good, but never that good. ‘Is this from the magic too?’ I thought back to when I had shot with Airsidh, being able to see my arrow's trajectory as if it had already been fired.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Some of my arrows had even split others. Thinking about it on my own I would have thought it to be impressive, but the only voice I could hear in my head was my family telling me that my skill was irrelevant, since I was too weak for it to matter.

“My lady?”

“Oh sorry, I was just…” I turned to face him, but he had gotten so close that it startled me and I froze. His face was covered in sweat and dirt, his hair was no different, and he had a large scar across his right cheekbone. The thing that stuck out the most though was his eyes.

He tilted his head and shifted his weight, waiting for a response.

I had completely forgotten what he had even said and my mind went blank as I stared into his purple eyes that had an intense glow to them. “It's rude to get this close to someone.”

Without either of us breaking eye contact he took a step back. “Sorry, I'm still getting used to your culture. Where I'm from, it's common to stand close to people you're talking to. I didn't mean to offend you.”

He walked over to the bow rack, grabbing and stringing a war bow with ease. ‘Where he's from? So he's not just an adventurer, but one from a different nation.’ “Your name's…”

“It's Zǐyǎn Zhě.”

I chuckled. “Right…” ‘I should have guessed he wasn't from Skorveyati.’

“And you are Siyasaveid Aliah Nayanathulu.”

I sighed, rolling my eyes. ‘His name is hard to pronounce, but it's not like mine is any better.’ “Just call me Siya.”

He nodded. “In that case, you may call me Zu as well.”

‘That's a relief. I would have butchered that name so many times…’ “Finlo told me you're an adventurer, and you're traveling with Catherine right?”

He nodded before drawing and instantly releasing an arrow from his bow. “I am…” His arrow struck the target with an impact that crushed and shattered several of my arrows that I had shot earlier.

I grimaced, letting my annoyance show on my face. I liked the sound of arrows hitting the targets, it was satisfying somehow. But the sound of larger arrows shattering my own only agitated me.

“These bows are heavier than I would have thought.” He loosed another arrow the exact same way.

“That style…” I was almost in awe at how fast he was able to draw and shoot his bow, and how accurate he was with that speed.

He looked over grinning when he saw my expression. ‘I didn't look that dumbfounded did I?’

“Are you impressed?”

I narrowed my eyes, analyzing what I had seen. “Surprised.” I said back. ‘His stance is too open, and his anchor point isn't consistent, probably because he draws so fast. He torques the bow too, instead of keeping it vertical.’

“Why don't you try it? This is the style of archery practiced in my homeland. The key difference is the draw and release speed. It forces you to aim before you even draw the bow.” He shot another arrow and hit the bullseye.

‘I guess in the end how good or bad his technique is doesn't matter if he hits his target…’ “Sure, I'll try it.”

He stepped closer, offering me his bow.

“This one’s fine…” Honestly speaking I wasn't entirely confident I could even draw the bow he was using.

He looked confused but retracted his bow regardless.

“If I use a heavier bow then I might pick up bad habits while I'm learning.”

He nodded. “That's smart. This way you can focus on what you're doing without worrying about anything else.”

I smirked. It wasn't exactly a lie. It was smart, and a good idea. It just conveniently left out the part that the bow he was firing was stupid heavy.

I walked up to one of the firing lines and drew an arrow. I had fired so many of them that the movement was basically drilled into my brain. Relying completely on muscle memory and instinct I fired the arrow off as fast as I could.

“Bullseye.”