“I really don’t think this is a good idea,” Aida said nervously as Ezra pulled a sword out of the ground. He inspected the sharp edges carefully before rounding out the blade with his fingers and handing it to Aida, hilt first.
“It will be a worse idea not to have any basic training in the first place,” Ezra responded as he formed another blade over his wand. “Besides, even though you won’t be wielding a sword in combat, it can still be useful.”
Aida looked down at the sword Ezra handed her. It was lighter than she would have expected for something that was made entirely out of metal. Its hilt was long enough for her to hold with two hands, and it looked like one of the old medieval longswords she had seen in video games with a broad guard and straight blade.
“How will knowing swordplay be useful if I don’t plan to use a sword?”
“Similar to how bare-handed martial arts and other training can be therapeutic when one is experiencing stress, using a weapon releases stress in a different way.” Ezra gave his katana a few experimental strikes in the air, testing its weight. Satisfied with the weight distribution, he blunted the blade. “I thought it might do you some good to have a target to direct your anger and aggression on.”
“I can’t hit you,” Aida protested.
“You won’t hurt me.”
“Even if I can’t hit you, I don’t want to strike at you,” Aida amended.
Ezra considered. “We can always start with one of the training golems.”
“I don’t see how this will help,” Aida repeated weakly, following Ezra to the edge of the training yard.
“I have found that when I am particularly frustrated by a problem, cutting through an object helps to relieve my frustration so I can focus on a solution with a clear mind. Granted, everyone has preferences for how to best release their stress - Caleb is perfectly happy directing his energy in physical strength training, while Suelina likes to burn things. I thought perhaps you could try what works for me.”
Aida bit her lip, approaching Ezra with the sword drooping at her side. I guess it doesn’t hurt to try.
“Hit the golem as hard as you can,” Ezra instructed. “Don’t worry about form or technique - if you want to learn, I can teach you later. This is just for you to release whatever pent-up emotions you may have.”
Awkwardly, Aida stepped up to the golem, smacking the body with her blunted sword in a two-handed grip. The impact vibrated up her glorified metal rod and through her elbows.
“Hold the sword tighter, and don’t loosen your grip when you strike. Imagine you are cutting beyond the point of contact.” Ezra demonstrated on his own golem, firmly embedding his own blunted blade into the head of the dummy.
Feeling silly, Aida copied his stance and swung her sword in a long arc from the top, feeling like she was a woodchopper. The blade crunched through the head.
“How do you feel?”
“Like I don’t know what I’m doing,” Aida confessed, pulling the sword out of the wood. The dummy smoothly regrew, patching in the dent she created. Ezra smiled briefly at her flustered response.
“That’s all right. We are not here to pass judgment on technique, just to battle our inner demons.” Ezra turned toward his practice dummy, and despite not using any mana, rained a flurry of blows down on the dummy. The magic that kept the dummy intact was barely able to keep up with his quick strikes.
Aida watched in awe as Ezra beat the dummy relentlessly. Even in the sanctioned school and sparring matches, she had never seen Ezra do anything that even looked like he was exerting himself. But against the dummy, he looked like he was fighting against an opponent who matched his own skill, despite the training golem being immobile. He dodged and spun around the dummy, every strike sending wood chips flying, each consecutive strike cutting deeper and deeper into the golem until finally he came to a stop, breathing heavily.
“Are you feeling better?” Aida asked tentatively.
Ezra sighed, dropping his arms and leaving his katana embedded in the training dummy. “Yes.”
“I’m glad, because it looked like you were really angry at the training golem,” Aida said as she circled his dummy. It was steadily filling itself in, completely unperturbed at having just been the victim of a vicious assault a moment ago.
“Really,” Ezra said softly. She glanced back at him to see a pensive expression on his face. “I suppose that is accurate.”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
“Poor training golem. What did it do to deserve your ire?” she teased as she pulled the katana out of the golem, allowing it to finally repair itself completely.
“Ezra?” Aida asked softly, when he didn’t respond. His eyes were downcast.
“If I may be frank,” he said quietly. “I was imagining that I was fighting myself.”
“Why?” Aida stepped over to him, laying her hand on his arm. “What are you thinking?”
Ezra exhaled, misery spreading across his features and making Aida’s heart ache. “I can’t help but feel I’ve misled you.”
“Misled me? How so?” Aida asked, dumbfounded. I should be the one saying that. Ezra raised a hand, his fingers hovering near her cheek before dropping heavily onto her shoulder. He couldn’t meet her eyes, and the misery came off of him in waves.
“Even though I projected confidence that as long as we were together, we would be fine…part of me is still afraid that we will struggle and not be able to make good on that promise.
“Despite my confidence in our abilities and work ethic, there is no denying our opportunities will be limited without the backing of my family…perhaps even deliberately restricted. I worry that we may be in a worse position than if I wasn’t a Riolt at all.”
“Well, worst case scenario you can probably join the Gullbeaks,” Aida said encouragingly after an unpleasant pause. She almost wanted to laugh at how inconsequential Ezra's concerns were, but knew now was not the time to make jokes. “They’re affiliated with nobody, because they came from their own destroyed village, and Kuri has said they plan to snap up as many capable candidates as they can in order to grow their group. I’m certain you will at least have a role with them, if nowhere else. And Healer Bokar doesn’t seem to care about any affiliations, either, so you don’t have to worry about me at all.”
Ezra stared at her, a mixture of disbelief and frustration on his face. “I appreciate your faith, but do you not understand the extent of the Riolt family influence?”
“They may have a lot of influence, but like you said before: people who truly are worth associating with aren’t going to let your family’s influence deter them from hiring you,” Aida argued back. “How short-sighted would they be to ignore a prodigy’s ability just for the sake of maintaining status quo?” In the back of her mind, she knew most people would be intimidated by his family’s reputation…but her argument was as much for herself as it was for Ezra. If nobody is willing to take a chance on us, then there’s no point in trying…
“Never mind,” Ezra sighed. He ran his hands through his hair. “But believe me when I say the Riolt reach may be enough to make even the Gullbeaks think twice about associating themselves with me.”
Aida shrugged nonchalantly. “Doesn’t hurt to do an assignment with Kuri, right? See if you like them, come up with your own conclusion as to what they’re like.”
Ezra shook his head mutely, sighing again. Aida tried to rally his spirits.
“Look, Ezra,” she said softly, leaning the two blades against the wall before taking his hands in her own. “I understand why you’re worried. It’s a terrifying feeling, losing something you thought you could count on…losing your footing, when you thought you were on firm ground.
“And I hope you’ll trust my experiences, but I’m used to struggling with nothing. Fighting against terrible odds. And look at me now,” Aida said, laughing lightly. “Middle of the pack, with at least one person who would like to work with me.”
Ezra finally looked up at her with a glimmer in his hooded eyes. “…You’re taking this remarkably well.”
Aida bit her lip. He was so vulnerable right now, baring his soul to her. Not at all like the cool, collected number one student at the academy. She felt like she was taking advantage of him, preserving her secrets while he shared this moment of weakness with her.
If she was Levi, she wouldn’t feel so disturbed by the unequal sharing of information, even if she was planning on supporting him. And it wasn’t fair to Ezra that he didn’t know who exactly he was talking to.
“There’s a reason I’m not upset by your fall from grace,” Aida mumbled. Now she was the one who couldn’t meet his gaze. She gripped his hand harder. She hadn’t had time to consider what Ezra’s response might be to her reveal, but she was very aware this might be the last time she could touch him.
“What is it?”
Aida hesitated. What’s the best way to tell him?
You don't have to tell him. If she didn't tell him, the only problem they'd have to deal with was his family's blacklisting efforts. But if she didn't tell him, was their relationship truly valid?
It's just a little white lie. Everybody has their secrets. In fact, it would be an easy secret to keep track of. And Ezra's estrangement from his family actually made it easier to justify keeping her lives separate.
As Aida felt herself relax into her decision to maintain her lie, a smile already spreading across her face, Levi's bitter expression flashed through her mind.
I don't want to be like Levi.
“…I’m not Aida.”
“What?”
“I’m not Aida,” Annie repeated more clearly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, raising her chin. She had to look him in the eye as she told him. He deserved at least that much. “I’m not even from this world. I woke up on the first day of school in Aida Loreh’s body, and I have no idea how I got here. I didn’t know how to use my mana, and I didn’t even know who the major families in this society are.” She couldn’t help but give a choked laugh as she finished her sentence. Ezra’s face was blank as he took in her words.
Annie bit her lip, uncertain what else she could - or should - say. There’s so much. “If you have any questions…I’ll do my best to answer them.”
Ezra’s hands had slipped out of her grasp. He hadn’t backed away from her, which was a good sign, but he also seemed to be leaning away from her now.
“I beg your pardon?”
“My real name is Annie,” she said softly, her fingers twitching as she ached to reach for him. But even with the slightest movement, he seemed to flinch. “I’m from a different world.”