Suta POV

The strange grey skies never really changed, until the deep early hours of the night, when those grimacing twin moons would appear. Now that they had left the moonlight tribes abode. The skyward planes returned to how they looked above Candy. Suta was staring at this unchanging expanse, aimlessly gazing at where the stars would usually be by this time of the day. His chest was heaving in and out, his entire body sore, with layers of sweat, both new and old, clinging to his adolescent form.

For what felt like the entire day, he had been engaging in a one-sided spar with Anak.

"T-too fast... he's... too fast," Suta spluttered out of breath, he looked quite pathetic, but held no shame in that. This was a thousand year old vampire after all.

They had sparred about 50 times at least, and each time was as devastatingly one-sided as the last. Anak was too fast, too strong, and most prevalent of all, too cunning.

'He can read everything I do. Boxing, judo, jiu-jitsu...he nullified everything I threw at him. And only using a single finger.'

Suta might've felt deeply embarrassed if not for the early understanding that these fellows were far beyond the normal scope of what he considered human capabilities could exert. He heard the creaking wooden boards sounding beside his ears, his hazy view soon encapsulated by Anak towering over him. This scene was beginning to become the norm.

"Tell me, human... tell me a single thing you've learned between the two of us?" Anak's cold voice asked him.

'What! Is he mo-mocking me? It's glaringly clear what the problem is here.'

Suta struggled to lift himself away from the firm wooden decking. The only saving grace about this entire ordeal was Anak's exceptionally great control of his strength. With the barrage of attacks he had faced for numerous hours, Suta was quite surprised to find he hadn't broken any bones by now.

"Well... what have you learned?" Anak insisted, sounding slightly annoyed by the short pause between Suta's response. Scratching the side of his head, Suta stared at the droplets against the floor lathered in his sweat.

"That you're incredibly stronger, faster, and smarter than I am," he admitted.

'Yep, it's a clear mismatch.' He concluded inwardly

"Tsk! You're still thinking like a human. When it comes down to life and death, there are no excuses. You either lose, or you win. Hunt or become the hunted. The problem is, you're not seeing me. You're not seeking me; therefore, you miss my intent. And in a life and death situation, that spells... doom."

He understood the logistics behind it, but what Anak was saying wasn't in any shape of form truly practical. He gingerly rose to his feet again, resting his two palms against his knees in an attempt to steady his breathing.

"Of-of course I can't see you. You're too quick."

"Wrong! Even if you can't do anything about it, there are still methods you must adopt to see my intent. Think, human... think about the movement, the subtle changes within the wind, my eyes, the positioning of my body. Everyone leaves patterns. Many of us spend an age trying to mask these patterns, of course, but here is a fundamental rule.

Nobody... and I mean this, there is no one dead or breathing that was ever flawless. That is the basic law of this world. Even the Shinjin had weaknesses. But those who choose to rise above the threshold of normality find a way to turn these weaknesses into strength."

Hearing those words, a sudden realization sprouted within Suta's thoughts. He recalled an old saying his father used to tell him whenever he wanted to quit something or found his mind sinking into that depressive state of helplessness.

"Think less of yourself... but deeply about the world... I see- so that's what he meant."

Suta raised his torso upright, staggering a little but managing to find his footing. All of a sudden, there was a strange clearness settled within his thoughts. Somehow, remembering his father's words of encouragement became the glue he needed to hold together Anak's advice.

'He's right. I had already resigned myself to defeat before even trying. That's not like me... that's not like me at all.'

He used his sleeves to wipe away the sweat from his mouth, trying to remember more about those teachings his dad had bombarded him with endlessly.

"L-let's go again..."

A look of surprise briefly flashed across Anak's face before he nodded with approval, readying himself to engage once more. This time, Suta held out his palm in a straight manner, adopting one of the jiu-jitsu stances his body could remember forming. He then squared his footing, a technique learned from his boxing training, and kept his eyes wide.

He inhaled once, exhaled loudly. Inhaled again and exhaled even deeper. Sweat trickled down the side of his brow, circling just around his wide gaze. He took in every detail about Anak, from his very still breathing to the position of his footing. Every so often, those scarlet eyes would slightly waver and move towards Suta's feet. It was ever so slight, but with Suta's mind locked into full concentration, suddenly he could see holes dotted against Anak's form.

'There!' his mind screamed, his body reacting on pure instinct.

Suta lunged forward, his palm striking out like a viper, aiming for the brief opening he had spotted in Anak's defenses. Time seemed to slow, the world narrowing to that single point of contact, that fleeting chance to land a blow against the vampire who had so thoroughly dominated their previous encounters. But just as his palm was about to connect, Anak's form blurred, his body twisting away from the strike with a speed that defied belief. Suta's sat openly wide, his mind struggling to process the sheer velocity of the vampire's movements.

'So fast! How can anyone move like that?'

Before he could even begin to formulate a counter, Anak's own palm slammed into his chest, a deep gasp broke free form his lips before he felt his body free falling backwards. That strike had sent him flying backward again, his body skidding across the wooden deck like a rag doll.

"Better," Anaks ghostly voice loomed, his voice cutting through the haze of pain that enveloped Suta's mind. "You saw the opening and took it. But you're still too slow, too predictable. You must learn to think three steps ahead, to anticipate your opponent's reactions before they even know what they're going to do."

Suta tried to listen but his groans were loud enough to cover the entire boat. Eventually he did slowly rise to his feet again but suddenly felt his knees give way, sending him crashing to the deck again. "Easier... easier said than done," he managed in a strained and hoarse voice

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Anak chuckled, that cold and joyless sound again.

"No one said it would be easy, human. But if you wish to survive, to save those you hold dear... then you must endure. You must push yourself beyond your limits, beyond what you think is possible."

The vampire extended a hand, his crimson eyes glinting with a mix of challenge and encouragement. "Now, get up. We're not done yet."

Suta took a deep breath, his jaw set with determination. He grasped Anak's hand, allowing the vampire to pull him to his feet once more.

'He's right, ' he thought, his mind clear and focused despite the pain that wracked his body.

'I have to keep going, keep pushing.

***

Time passed on

'No way... this is... heh-heh, incredi-'

Before he could finish that thought, Anak vanished, Suta's heart thrumming rapidly. In the next five seconds, Anak would've closed the gap between them and delivered a blow that usually sent him flying back. His torso was usually the point of contact, but sometimes he swooped him off his feet. Suta noticed Anak leaning slightly towards his left, so in a moment of sheer gamble, Suta made a cross guard covering his right-hand side, dashing towards his own left in response.

*Whooosh -Smack*

The force was heavy handed and caught Suta directly to the point he felt his world spinning, the heavy force sent him rolling towards his left side. Although this time around, he managed to gain his footing quickly enough and swiftly regained his stance, his arm feeling numb, but a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He couldn't hide his glee

"I... I can see," the boy muttered with a slight swollen mouth.

A look of deep shock finally appeared on Anak's stone mask before he too formed a cruel smile of his own.

"Good! Now that you're beginning to sense a little of my intent, I'll start mixing it up a little. Don't disappoint me... human."

Suta nodded, his eyes narrowing as he tried to refocus on Anak's form, his mind racing to predict the vampire's next move. The world seemed to slow around him, the creaking of the ship, the rustling of the wind, all fading into the background as he honed in on the subtle shifts in Anak's stance, the flicker of his bright glowing eyes.

'Left? No, right! He's going for my legs this time!'

He sensed danger and quickly jumped, his body twisted in midair as Anak's leg swept beneath him, He landed in a crouch, his heart pounding away, but his mind was already working to anticipate Anak's next attack.

But the vampire was relentless, his form blurring as he launched a series of rapid-fire strikes, each one aimed at a different part of Suta's body. It was all the Suta could do to keep up, his arms and legs moving on pure instinct, his body driven by a newfound sense of awareness and purpose.

'I can do this! I can see his movements, predict his intentions! I just have to stay focused, stay-'

Smack

A blow to his chest sent Suta stumbling backward, his concentration shattered by the sudden pain. He gasped loudly, feeling his lungs burning as he struggled to regain his footing, his vision blurring at the edges as darkness crawled closer from all sides.

"Don't get cocky, human," Anak chided, his voice cutting through the haze of Suta's thoughts. "You may be able to see my intent, but that doesn't mean you can match my speed or strength. You must learn to use your own abilities, your own unique strengths, to counter and overcome. So don't feel victory is won over a small milestone"

Suta nodded, wiping the sweat from his brow as he straightened, his eyes locking onto Anak's once more. "I understand," he said, his voice steady despite the fatigue that tugged at his limbs right now. "I can't beat you at your own game. I have to find my own path, my own way to fight."

Anak smiled with a glint of approval glossing over those blood coated eyes.

"Now you're beginning to think like a warrior, human. One who understands that every battle is unique, every opponent a puzzle to be solved."

Suta smiled beneath his raised guard, surprisingly, he learned he was somewhat childish and felt happy being praised by Anak.

Meanwhile, a trio of fairies sat side by side on top of the ship's towering mast, overlooking the one-sided battle going on below them with intrigued faces.

"Say, aren't humans supposed to be strong?" the one with the red braid asked his fellow companions.

"I think so... but it looks like he's getting beat up quite badly. Maybe he's a defective one," suggested the purple-haired fairy, adjusting his glassless frames.

"Th-that's not true. Mister is really strong, he's just... he's just..."

"Weak! Pfft! And to think Lady Ruora is set to wed someone like him. Bah! Don't worry, I have plans of saving her from a life of a loveless marriage by challenging the human myself once we return."

The green-haired fairy could only lower his saddened, large eyes. "Do-do you believe it...he's-he's the one..."

"You mean the one who will inherit the Fairy King's will? Sigh , it's incredible to believe it! And to think he fell out from the skies."

"Nonsense!" the fairy with red hair yelped, suddenly startling the other two. "H-h-he isn't anything! It's not been decided yet, so l-l-let's calm down a little."

The other two reluctantly agreed.

"But he is rather strange... look, he's not even getting beat up as he was before," the fairy wearing round frames noticed. The other two's gazes perked up, and they too started noticing just how different the human boy was moving this time around.

Verdi, the green-haired fairy, suddenly brightened up, clapping his tiny hands together joyfully. "See-see? I told you... he was just hungry, that's all. Go get him, mister! Teach him a lesson!"

"Tsk! Humans never know when to give up... hmph! Well, since he's got the two of you, he doesn't need my support, does he?"

The red-braided fairy crossed his arms, his expression a mix of annoyance and grudging respect as he watched Suta's movements grow more fluid and precise with each passing moment.

"I have to admit," he muttered, his eyes narrowing, "he's not as hopeless as I first thought. But that doesn't mean he's worthy of Lady Ruora's hand. He'll have to prove himself in more ways than one if he hopes to earn my approval."

The Green haired fairy called Verdi chuckled childishly, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "Oh, come on, Jett. You're just jealous because the mister is getting all the attention. I bet if you asked nicely, he'd let you ride on his shoulder, too!"

Jett sputtered, his face turning a deep shade of red in response. "Wh-what? I would never... I mean, that's not... oh, shut up, you little!"

The purple-haired fairy chuckled, shaking his head at his companions' antics. "Ah, youth. So full of passion and fire. But let's not forget the gravity of the situation, my friends. This human, whether we like it or not, holds the key to our future... They say he was chosen by the fairy kings inheritance...and we all know what that means."

Verdi and Jett fell silent, their gazes turning back to the battle below, where Suta and Anak continued their deadly dance, but this time their eyes contained a strange light, for different reasons of course for the two of them. But one thing was certain between the trio, the human's growth and determination were evident in every one of his moves now. He wasn't getting beaten up so badly as before. And in their little hearts, they all somehow started rooting for him.