Kai took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling steadily as he prepared himself.

His hair fluttered around his head like tentacles, despite the lack of wind,

His hands were already coated in thick yellow fur, striped with black.

He hadn’t extended his claws yet.

Experience had taught him that against someone faster than him, like his current opponent, claws were more hindrance than help.

Speed mattered more than power.

If you couldn't hit someone, it mattered little what you could do to them if you did.

Across the training ground stood Groll, towering and calm.

His massive club rested against the fence, leaning near his wife, who observed with her arms crossed, a silent impatience in her gaze.

Beside her, Lira perched on the fence, leaning forward with her hands gripping the wooden planks, her feathery hair almost glowing in the dark as she stared down her brother.

She knew he would embaress himself and she was so here for it.

"Start when you're ready," Groll said, his voice as steady as a stone wall.

His arms were folded over his chest, mirroring his wife's stance.

Kai smacked his lips in thought.

If he had any chance of landing a hit, it was now, while Groll was still in this laxed and calm stance.

Taking another second to mentally prepare, Kai mapped out his approach.

Then, with a burst of energy, he lunged forward like a streak of yellow lightning.

He swung his fist in a wide arc, aiming straight for Groll’s chest.

But the half-giant was already moving, his elbow snapping upward, hitting Kai's fist and throwing the punch off course.

Without hesitating, Kai brought his other hand upward in a sharp uppercut, but Groll leaned back effortlessly, lifting his chin just enough to let the punch sail past.

The height difference worked in Groll’s favor, as it always did.

Kai growled in frustration and attempted to retreat, but Groll was quicker.

One of his large feet swept out catching Kai's legs mid-step and sending him sprawling.

A loud thud echoed across the training ground as Kai’s shoulder hit the ground, quickly followed by his head.

For a moment, the world tilted, and he groaned, his vision swimming. Something flickered at the edges of his awareness. Beneath the surface that was him.

That little stunt earned him an extra loud and exaggerated snort from Lira.

He looked stupid and she was sure to let him know. Such was a siblings duty after all.

Kai rolled back up, spun around for a kick, which Groll caught with a massive hand and pushed him back.

The man attempted another attack, followed by a Finte, but no matter what he tried, it only earned him more time with his head kissing the ground.

Kai rolled back up, spinning around for a kick, but Groll caught his leg mid-air with one massive hand and effortlessly pushed him back.

He hit the ground again with a thud, the air leaving his lungs. This was becoming a pattern. One he didn't like.

From her perch on the fence, Lira let out a low chuckle every now and then followed by a mocking "Close".

Kai shot her a glare but didn’t respond, focusing instead on pulling himself back to his feet.

“Come on, kid,” Groll chuckled, his tone neither mocking nor kind. “Get up. We’re not done.”

Kai gritted his teeth and nodded, adjusting his stance. No matter how many times he hit the ground, he wasn’t backing down.

Every failure was one step closer to success.

At least he had been told so but the only thing hitting the ground like that brought him close to was a concussion.

Kai circled Groll, attempting to attack him from his blind spot.

His claws bust out of his fingers with a faint shink, their sharp edges gleaming as he lunged forward, aiming for Groll’s back.

But the half-giant was quicker than he looked.

Groll turned smoothly, one massive arm blocking the strike before it could land. Kai’s claws scraped harmlessly against Groll’s forearm, and for a fleeting moment, he wondered if they could even pierce the man’s skin.

Groll’s expression remained as calm as ever. “You’ll need more than that,” he said, his voice steady, almost bored.

Kai growled, the frustration bubbling beneath his skin threatening to boil over. His attacks were growing wild, his movements more desperate, his thoughts scattered as exhaustion pulled at his limbs.

Still, he refused to stop.

Circling again, he swung, jabbed, and clawed, every attack deflected or sidestepped with almost insulting ease. The effort felt futile, like punching a stone wall and expecting it to crumble.

Then, in the middle of his flurry, something flickered at the edges of his mind.

It wasn’t a thought, not exactly. There was another option there. It was hard to place his finger on it, to truly understand, but he knew it was possible.

Like a child stumbling in an attempt to walk, he knew instinctively that he could run, if he just though of how to do it.

He stumbled back, his breath coming in sharp gasps.

His hand reached up, running through his sweat-dampened hair as he tried to focus on that flicker.

It felt like a thread waiting to be pulled, an instinct buried deep within him.

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Kai closed his eyes for just a second, letting himself sink into the sensation.

When he opened them, his hair was no longer hair.

Well, it was, but not quiet.

The strands rippled and shifted, growing longer and thicker as they slithered down his shoulder like an inky, black ooze.

Kai grabbed a handful of the substance, holding it in front of him as his heart pounded with excitement.

A grin spread across his face.

It was the same stuff that had nearly killed him two weeks ago.

“Yes,” he muttered, his voice barely audible over the rush of adrenaline.

With a sharp flick of his wrist, the ooze shot forward, forming a thick, writhing tendril. It surged through the air toward Groll, faster than Kai had imagined. The best part? He was controlling it.

The target of his attack didn’t even flinch.

Groll’s massive hand snapped up, interposing itself between his face and the incoming black mass like a shield.

The liquid struck his palm with a hiss, steam curling as it evaporated almost instantly.

When Groll opened his hand, faint scorch marks marred his skin.

He shook his hand casually, steam trailing from his fingers. “Nice work,” he said, his deep voice ringing out as he closed the distance between them with a few swift steps.

After ensuring no lingering ooze remained, rubbing his hand on his pants in the process, which immediately began to smoke, Groll grinned.

Seeing one of the clothes she had bought him treated so carelessly made Zaspa raise her eyebrows from where she stood watching.

Without warning, Groll wrapped Kai in a massive, bone-crushing hug.

“We’ll make a warrior out of you yet!”

Kai stood frozen for a moment, completely overwhelmed by the sudden tightness around his ribs.

But then the shock melted away, and a wide grin split his face.

His chest swoll with pride, or it would have if there was any room to do so.

“Yeah!” he shouted, half-laughing, his voice cracking slightly from excitement.

“Took him long enough,” Lira muttered as she hopped down from the fence and walked over, her fiery hair bouncing lightly with each step.

Behind her, Zaspa followed, a faint but amused smile tugging at her lips.

Apparently she had been to lush with during the womans training lately, thus festering a bit of an attitude.

She didn’t say anything, but the look she shot Lira a look that made it clear that would be adjusted shortly.

As Groll's arms finally released Kai out of their chokehold he truned around and sprinted towards his sister. His grin was wide as the sky.

"I did it," He proclaimed like she hadn't seen it. "I unlocked a new ability."

Pride was oozing out of his words, and Lira's sisterly side wanted to take him down a peg. But she knew this wasn't the right moment for it.

This was his moment. He had made progress and a sisters duty didn't just inlucde mockery.

She raised her hand and met his over thier hands in a loud smack, as they passed each other.

"Good job," she said in an approving tone.

Groll trailed behind Kai, pausing briefly as he passed Zaspa to bend down, giving her an opportunity to steal a kiss.

She took it.

"Don't be too rought," He muttered as they parted.

"There is no too rough," She replied. Not if people like Dalvil could die so easily.

Groll nodded and resumed his strode, but his eyes lingered on his wife, as she followed the younger woman.

Lira slammed her fists together, a small smile tugging at her lips.

It had been almost two weeks since her last proper training session, ever since Zaspa had left to hunt drones.

She had grown quiet a bit in this time, maybe even enought to impress the other woman.

Zaspa came to a halt opposite her, arms crossed, her juding gaze devrouring her opponent.

She hadn't seen her pupil in a while, and was looking forward to sampling her progress.

“Ready?” she asked just as the men settled themselves on the fence to watch.

Lira nodded, taking her stance.

“When you’re ready,” Zaspa said simply.

One second passed.

Two.

Thr—

Fire erupted from Lira’s back, catapulting her forward with explosive force.

The gap in power between them was far smaller than that between the men, but to Lira's misforntue, Zaspa was not nearly as nice as her husband.

One moment, Lira was racing toward her opponent, head steady on her shoulders, the next her body staggered forwards without it.

Her arms shot out instinctively to catch her fall, fire erupting from her severed neck as her molten head began to reform.

Lira hated dying. The sensation was as disorienting as it was infuriating.

At least Zaspa always made sure she didn't feel the pain that killed her.

Sadly the regeneration was a bit slower then then lighthing, thus she had a second to enjoy the agony of missing half a brain and head, before she was back to normal.

She doged another bolt more by reflex, but the other womans knee already slammed into her stomach.

Vile acid shot up her throat, but before she could even choke, Zaspa retreated and rammed the same knee right back into Lira's face, breaking a few bones.

The advantage of immortality was that you couldn’t die. The disadvantage was this meant Zaspa had no reason to hold back.

Lira unleashed a shout of frustration, attempting to shift to Halfshape.

But before her brain could form the though and make it reality her head was gone and she fell over.

Again.

Damn it!” Lira hissed, frustration boiling over as she attempted to shift into her Halfshape.

But before her brain could form the though and make it reality her head was gone and she fell over her head was gone again, her body crumpling lifelessly to the ground.

This time, Zaspa stepped back and allowed her to rise.

“Could you turn it down a notch?” Lira growled.

The damage was no problem but the pain quickly got annyoing.

"You are getting repetetive."

Zaspa shrugged.

Her foot was already coming down in a vicious stomp aimed straight at Lira’s head, shattering the ground on impact.

It would have been her third death if Lira hadn’t rolled aside fast enough.

With a guttural shout, Lira spread her arms wide, and two pillars of fire erupted from her back.

The flames were an inferno of shifting colors, brilliant reds, molten golds, and streaks of iridescent blue and green.

They roared to life, storming out of her like living entities.

One powerful flap of these wings of fire sent Lira soaring several meters into the air, leaving a charred imprint of her launch point on the ground.

Kai could only manage a stunned, voiceless “Whoa,” as he watched his sister ascend, her silhouette ablaze against the darkness.

“Now you’re getting it!” Lira shouted, her voice raw with anger.

With another powerful sweep of her wings, she launched a dozen feather-shaped infernos toward Zaspa.

The flames streaked through the air, leaving trails of shimmering heat behind them.

But fire, for all its power, was not as quick as lightning.

Before the idea that her attack would never hit Zaspa could even form in her mind, the other woman was already above her.

A thin line of crackling light, that spend from the ground, towards a nearby building and right to her current position, indicated Zaspa's path.

Her hand shot out, closing around Lira’s neck with an iron grip.

With an almost effortless motion, Zaspa hurled Lira toward the ground.

The impact cracked the earth beneath her, sending up a cloud of ash and dust.

In her Heartshape, Lira’s healing abilities were amplified greatly, so her shattered body had already reformed by the time Zaspa shot down feet-first toward her.

“Isn’t that a little too much?” Kai asked Groll, deliberately looking away to avoid watching his sister’s fifth death.

Or sixth.

Or seventh…

His hair had reverted to normal, though he didn’t doubt he could morph it back to ooze without much effort

Now that he’d done it once he knew how it worked. Like a limp you didn't know you had untill someone poked it the first time.

And More than that, he knew that there was still so much more beneath the surface.

More abilities waiting to be uncovered, begging him to figure them out.

Groll wore a melancholic smile as he leaned against the fence. With his massive size, sitting wasn’t really an option.

“Zaspa’s last mission didn’t go so well,” he said simply, like that explained everything.

Kai shot him a sideways glance, skeptical.

“And how many deaths is that now?” Kai asked as his sister’s face was suddenly pointing backward.

In a burst of searing fire, her head snapped back into position before flames stormed out of her mouth, shooting toward where Zaspa had just stood.

It was the first time Kai had attended his sister’s training.

It wasn’t considered proper for the Heartless to watch those with hearts, so he had to wait until today to see where Lira's bad mood after every session came from.

Not only had he learned that but he also understood just how truly terrifying Zaspa was.

His mother had always told him stories about how Zaspa had once been a stray Shapeless, wandering the wilderness, gorging on any beast unfortunate enough to cross her path.

For beings like her, chaos usually followed in their wake.

A younger Groll had run into her during one of his hunts, resulting in a fight from which,depending on whether you asked Zaspa or Groll, the other one fled.

This dance repeated itself a few times until, one day, she simply followed Groll home.

The rest, as the villagers liked to say, was history.

They married, and now Zaspa was as much a part of the village as anyone else.

An irreplaceable force of nature who would fight for any of them to her dying breath, at least that was what her husband assured everyone.

Watching the ease with which she tore his sister apart, Kai seriously hoped Groll was right.

“Eighth?” Kai guessed, attempting to answer his own question as Lira’s torso exploded in a flash of light. In a burst of fire she was back.

“Eleventh… no, twelfth,” Groll corrected, his tone eerily calm.

Kai’s stomach churned as Zaspa’s hand speared through Lira’s freshly reformed torso, almost certainly puncturing her heart.

Good thing I train with Groll, he thought, though the notion didn’t do anything to help his sister.

In the hour her "training lasted" fire battled against lightning agian and again, loosing each clash. Sometimes narrowly, but often not so narrowly.