The weather doesn't seem to let up at all, but it's noon.

I arrive to Alfreda's front yard, where there's a wagon filled with boxes and chests and a horse ready to pull it.

From here i can hear cluttering, a figure moving behind the window.

"Alex?"

Alfreda greets me from the front door.

She walks up to me with a small smile.

"Good morning."

"Mm."

She isn't wearing her usual white dress, but instead an ordinary brown dress, making her look like a poor peasant girl, so her only unique features still showing are her white hair and purple eyes.

"You look like your ready to leave any minute now."

"yeah, we finished packing our most important things, Mama is making sure nothing important is left behind. Oh, i'm really sorry about your house."

"My room's all burned up, so yeah, it sucks."

I reach inside my shirt and pull out a burned book.

"This is the book i read to you once. It's burned but you can have it if you want, maybe help you find another copy or something."

Her eyes light up a little and she takes the book from me.

"Really, i can have it? Thank you."

She opens it and flips through the burned pages.

"I'll treasure this with my life."

She says and holds the book against her chest.

"Or you can just throw it in the trash."

She chuckles which surprises me, i don't think what i said was funny.

"You're so silly sometimes, Alex."

Her mood shift doesn't last long though, as she gets somber again, her eyes getting teary.

"I'll miss you, Alex. I-"

"Zip it!"

I put my finger on her lips, she looks at me with wide eyes.

"We already went through this yesterday. I don't want to hear any of that weakling talk, you hear me?"

I say sternly and cross my arms.

"Y-Yes! I promise to get stronger so that we can be friends."

She says determined, her hands close to her chest.

"Good."

Her mom steps outside, carrying a small box and locking the front door with a key.

"Oh, hello Alex."

Elvina sees me, her eyes are slightly red, her ears drooping low.

"Time to leave Alfreda."

She says to her quietly, getting on the wagon and grabbing the reigns.

"Y-Yes, Mama! I guess this is goodbye then."

"Yeah."

We stand still for a moment, neither of us saying a word.

"...Alex?"

"What?"

"C-Can i hug you?"

"Sigh, fine."

She wraps her arms around me, leaning her against my shoulder.

I don't return the hug, just looking into the distance until she's done.

She then shifts, bringing her face closer to mine.

Before i can react, she gives me a peck on the cheek, then breaks the hug.

I look at her with wide eyes and she smiles at me with tears in her eyes.

"Mama used to do this to Papa every time he left for work."

She says, turning and running to the wagon where Elvina is waiting for her.

Once Alfreda gets on, she flicks the reigns to make the horse move the wagon.

i follow them ride to the main road, then watch them ride towards Luton.

Alfreda doesn't look back even once, before disappearing beneath the horizon.

I rub my hand against my cheek and then hold it in front of me.

I'm speechless, wondering why she did that.

It didn't make me blush or embarrassed, just confused.

Well, it doesn't matter anymore.

The best course of action would be for her to forget about me, permanently.

She will find and make new friends once they find a suitable school.

Her future relationships with them will provide much more than, whatever we had.

Had things turned out differently, the outcome would've been the same with me leaving eventually.

But enough about that, now it's time for me to focus on my own path.

Today starts my training with Eric, who has to leave in less than a month.

I wonder what he's going to teach me?

If it's combat then i want him to teach me everything he knows.

Back home, i find Eric in the living room.

"I take it you saw her off?"

He asks and stands up from the couch.

"Yeah, i'm ready to start my training."

"Good. Fetch your sword and meet me in the backyard."

I give him a quick nod and go to the guest room, where my sword is laying on my bedroll.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

It's hard to believe but i feel a little excited.

I step outside the backyard door and see Eric standing near the big tree, a new sword in hand.

He seems to be inspecting it, looking closely at the blade.

"I'm ready Eric. What're we going to do first?"

He thinks for a moment before answering.

"Unwrap the blade."

I do as he says and remove the cloth covering the blade.

Once off, i hold it by the hilt and look at the blade closely.

I'm not much for aesthetics but the solid black blade does look rather cool.

"Now, hold it by its hilt with both hands like this, your right hand on top of your left."

Okay, simple enough.

"Now, hold the sword in front of you and spread your legs while bending your knees slightly. This is a basic stance when wielding a sword."

The sword stance doesn't feel much different compared to my fighting stance, the position of the feet is same, just my arms and hands are held differently.

"How's this?"

"Hmm, very good, impressive. Your stance is solid, there's minimal deviation. It usually takes a few months for new recruits to perfect this basic stance."

He says while walking around me.

"There's others?"

"Yes. Stances are split into three categories: 'Defense Stance', which is all about blocking and parrying, 'Offensive Stance', which focuses on speed and power, and finally 'Balanced Stance', which contains elements of both 'Offensive' and 'Defense' stances, but places greater emphasis on mobility and counters. The stance you're now using is a 'Balanced Stance'"

"Do i have to choose one to specialize in?"

"Haha, no, it's crucial to learn them all, a proper swordsman must know which stance to use at any given moment. 'Defense Stance' is strong against 'Offensive Stance', 'Offensive Stance' is strong against 'Balanced Stance' and 'Balanced Stance' is strong against 'Defense Stance', like rock-paper-scissors."

"Uh huh, i think i get it."

"Good. Some swordsmen however, do specialize in a specific stance, due to personal preference or family tradition, but to become a true master swordsman, you need to master all three stances."

I realize i've been holding the stance for a minute and relax.

"Have you mastered them all?"

"Of course not, nor do i intend to. Only the most exceptional, most talented and truly gifted people can reach that level of swordsmanship."

I rub my chin in thought, i wonder what an individual like that could accomplish in this world?

"Do these stances just apply to swords? Do spears or axes have their own stances?"

"These stances lay the foundation of all melee weapons, each weapon type has their own unique skill sets. I used swordsmanship as an example since we're both using swords, unless you're interested in a different weapon?"

"This sword's fine, i'll keep it for now. About stances, how am i supposed to know which stance to use during combat?"

"Now that's a whole skill on its own. Swordsmen switch stances countless times during combat. You need to learn to observe your opponent, watch their body language and deduce their skills. The more skilled your opponent is, the harder it will be to recognize their stance."

Now that i think about it, it's not much different when compared to unarmed combat.

Martial arts also use stances with clear differences between offense and defense.

I think i might be able to incorporate my fighting knowledge to my swordsmanship to enhance my training.

"Let's continue, assume the stance i taught you again."

I pick up my sword and assume the stance again.

"The sword acts as an extension of your body, let it become a part of you and learn its every detail. Do your hands fit the handle? Does it feel unbalanced?"

I breath slowly and look at my sword.

As i focus, strange sensations fill me.

I've never seen this sword before, yet it feels like i've known it my entire life, a stranger whose my best friend.

My hands fit perfectly around the handle, like it was made to be held only by me.

And it's unnaturally light, the weight doesn't match the size, i could easily wield it with one hand, yet for some reason Eric couldn't lift it.

Despite it's lightness, it doesn't feel fragile.

Instead it's solid and rigid, just like any other sword,

"So? How is it?"

"It feels good, like it was made for me."

"Is that so? Interesting. Now that we have discussed stances and your sword, we'll move on to the next topic: constitution and the body. A sword is no use for you if you don't have the strength to wield it. But, seeing as you have already trained for quite a while, we can skip the body and talk about constitution. I take it was Stella who caused that giant explosion some time ago?"

"Yeah, it was her. What about it?"

"I guess you probably felt helpless after seeing that? How could someone like you or me stand a chance against magic? The answer is constitution."

I narrow my eyes at him.

"Constitution? Explain."

"Constitution is directly tied to the strength of your body. The stronger your body, the higher your constitution will be. With a high constitution you can just resist magical attacks by using your own body."

I raise my hand and pinch my nose bridge.

"Wait, are you saying i can just tank magical attacks with my body?"

Eric rubs his stubble.

"Well, to an extent, if you're naked or lightly armored. You can only train your body so far. However, this resistance can be increased by wearing stronger armor, which of course will be heavier and hinder your movement."

Interesting, this changes things quite a bit.

Looks like i won't be completely helpless when dealing with magic.

I'm not opposed to wearing armor, safety is important too, but i would prefer to also be mobile.

The choice is do i want to dodge or tank magical attacks.

"Then there is also the factor of how much talent you have. There have been many great warriors in history who could contend against the strongest of mages. For example, long time ago a great paladin was able to withstand a barrage of enemy spells for three days straight, just so he could defend his injured comrades behind him, or this one time when a great swordsman defeated an entire army with a single slash of his sword."

"Uh huh..."

I mutter with my mouth slightly open..

Hearing him talking about great warriors and what they could do makes me feel optimistic, maybe a little bit too much.

I must not set my expectations too high.

I will get strong yes, but how strong?

That remains to be seen.

I'm still a kid, i have plenty of time to realize my potential in this new world.

"Next will be talking about sword techniques. Like with stances, different weapons have their own techniques. I've only been taught in the ways of the sword, so i can only teach you that. Here, let me demonstrate."

He assumes the stance he taught me, a 'Balanced Stance'.

He then performs a series of sword techniques, striking the air from different angles while shifting the position of his feet.

His strikes are strong, fast and precise, showcasing his experience.

"Ah!"

He suddenly winces from pain and stops.

"I probably shouldn't move too much, my injuries still ache..."

He rotates his left arm while rubbing his left shoulder.

"But did you get what I meant?"

I nod, resting my hands on my swords cross-guard.

"Yeah, but one thing still bothers me. During your fight with Grem, i heard him shout 'Hell Cleave' and 'Earth Shaker', Why? And why did those attacks behave so differently?"

"Oh, those attacks? Those were martial techniques, which are enhanced versions of regular techniques which can provide various effects to your attacks. 'Hell Cleave' is an axe technique performed as a side-ways swing, while 'Earth Shaker' is an area-of-effect strike which can be used by greataxes and large blunt weapons. Grem's brother used those techniques and it looks like Grem was able to perfect them."

He looks at the bandages on his arm.

"From my observation, 'Hell Cleave' bends the air around it, and uses it to slice the target with knife-like sharpness. 'Earth Shaker' on the other hand uses momentum and kinetic energy to strike with devastating power. A direct hit would be a death sentence for the average fighter, but should it miss its target, it can still shatter the ground around it, halting your movement for a follow-up attack."

"Martial techniques, huh? Interesting. I take it that final strike of yours against Grem was also a martial technique?"

"Yes, 'Savage Strike' is a single-target downward swing used with bladed weapons."

I think for a moment.

"If martial techniques are so strong, then why don't you use them all the time, if they're so much better than regular techniques?"

"The reason is stamina. Did you think you could use such techniques without cost? Martial techniques require stamina to be used. Imagine you have a barrel filled with water, which represents your stamina. When you start a fight, you open the tap slightly, allowing the water to flow out. When using a martial technique, you momentarily open the tap all the way, allowing more water to spill out. If you were to use martial techniques with reckless abandon right from the start..."

"...My barrel will empty out immediately, leaving me exhausted and vulnerable. Yeah, i get it now."

"Very good, Alex. You're getting the hang of this faster than i thought."

"Hmph."

"Now that we have gone over the basics of learning the sword, stances and techniques, I want to see how you wield your sword."

"How am i supposed to do that when i haven't held a sword in my life?"

I scowl at him.

"Sigh, fine."

I assume the 'Balanced Stance' and hold my sword in front of me.

It can't be harder than swinging a stick around, i just have to be mindful of not letting the blade hit me.

I'll just mimic what i've seen Eric do.

I take a deep breath and start swinging the sword around, performing controlled strikes against the air.

Upward and downward strikes, diagonals and side-to-side.

My technique is far from perfect, but wielding a sword doesn't feel as bad as i thought it would.

Learning to wield it might be worthwhile endeavor.

Should i ever be disarmed, i can always fallback to my bare-handed fighting style.

"Okay, that's enough for now. Hmm, i can sense some potential in you."

"Really?"

"Yes. We have now gone over the basics, so the next step is actual training. You can start by doing 1000 downward strikes."

"Hm, easy enough."

"That's what you might think. The sword may feel light in your hands but after the first hundred swings, it's going to weigh a ton."

He takes his sword and heads inside the house, leaving me alone in the backyard.

Hmph, the concept of doing the same move over and over again isn't new to me.

In fact i've done it lots of times already by striking the tree.

I take my stance once again, and begin striking the air with my sword.

This'll be a piece of cake.

Or so i thought.

I just passed the 600 mark, but my arms are killing me, and it's getting dark.

"Huff, huff!"

My body is all sweaty.

I thought the first few hundred swings would go by quickly, but i had to keep taking breaks.

That doesn't mean i'm giving up though.

This actually fuels my determination.

I grip my sword firmly.

"HAA!"

I shout loudly and resume my swings with burning fervor.

Don't blame me if you can't sleep well.