By the time I got back to the mansion, it was nearly noon. Last night’s project had taken more out of me than I’d realized—I’d slept like a rock. My plan was to slip inside quietly, avoid the evil mistress, and maybe grab some food, but the sound of fighting pulled my attention.

The noise was coming from the inner yard, and as I made my way to it, I saw Alira and someone fighting. My first instinct was to rush in, my heart almost leaping out of my chest. Cooler heads prevailed and taking a moment to further observe the situation, made it clear they were using wooden swords.

He was trying to overwhelm her with fast, powerful strikes, each one calculated to cut off her escape options. At least, that’s how it looked to me. I wasn’t exactly a fencing expert. But whatever he was trying, it wasn’t working. She slipped through his attacks with effortless grace, dodging and weaving in a way that almost seemed playful.

I’d seen her fight before, but this was something else. She was faster, sharper. There was even a moment when she deliberately passed up an easy hit, almost taunting him.

The guy was struggling, clearly desperate to keep up. He switched tactics, lunging forward to tackle her, hoping his strength could tip the balance. Big mistake. She sidestepped, landed two solid strikes to his torso, and finished with a clean hit to his thigh. He crumpled to the ground, groaning.

“You need to get out from behind the desk if this is the best you’ve got,” she said, grabbing a towel and wiping the sweat from her brow.

The guy got up slowly, staring at her in stunned silence. I couldn’t see his expression, but I’d bet money it was full of disbelief. “You were always good, but damn,” he finally said. “You just took me down like I was a first-year cadet.” He raked a hand through his hair, straightening it out. “You must’ve picked up some new tricks on that little adventure of yours.”

It was probably time to make my presence known. They hadn’t noticed me yet, but that could change at any moment. “She did spend a month training with the Ursini,” I said, stepping into view. “Looks like she picked up more than a few ideas.”

Both of them turned toward me, Alira smirking faintly while the guy raised an eyebrow. “Sorry for sneaking in,” I added quickly. “Didn’t want to interrupt the spar.”

Now that I could see him clearly, I realized he looked familiar. Her brother, maybe? I’d only seen him briefly at the tower, but the resemblance was striking.

The flicker of recognition in his eyes confirmed it, he was Alira’s brother. He seemed to hesitate, unsure whether to respond to me or not. Finally, he turned to her instead. “Anyway, you’ve got to show me how you improved your reaction speed,” he said, clearly still impressed.

“Practice, dear brother,” she replied with a teasing edge, tossing the towel aside. “You should try it sometime.” Then her gaze shifted to me. “You missed breakfast.”

There was no reproach in her tone, just curiosity. That was the good news. The bad news? I was late, on my last day here before leaving. “Sorry,” I said quickly. “Got caught up in a project.”

Her eyes immediately rolled, and I scrambled to salvage the moment. “Before you dismiss it, I think you’re going to like the result.”

“We’ll see,” she said, her voice dripping with doubt.

This wasn’t the time to push for a deeper conversation, so I pivoted. “Out of curiosity,” I asked her brother, fumbling to recall his name. Something with a K, wasn’t it? “What class are you?”

“Duelist,” he replied flatly.

I couldn’t stop a chuckle from slipping out, and his sharp look made it clear he noticed. “Sorry, but... you’re not a very good duelist, are you?” I said, trying to keep the tone light.

Alira turned away, but I could see the corners of her mouth twitch as she suppressed a laugh. Her brother, on the other hand, looked like he was about to retort, but then took a deep breath instead. “No, you’re right,” he admitted grudgingly. “But I’d like to see you do better.”

An idea struck me. A sparring match might be a good way to let Alira vent her frustrations with me. I grinned. “I wouldn’t want to embarrass your little sister in front of you,” I said, deliberately baiting her.

His expression froze between disbelief and irritation, but Alira’s voice cut through the air before he could respond. “We’ll see about who embarrasses who,” she said, her tone sharp with challenge.

I glanced at her, suddenly unsure of what I’d gotten myself into. Surely she didn’t think she could actually take me down with a wooden sword? Right?

“One rule,” she said, her smirk widening as she added, “No using that shield of yours.”

My hesitation couldn’t have been more obvious, as she was now smiling from ear to ear. “What’s wrong mage boy? Are you telling me you're nothing without that spell?”

That one hit home, and she knew it. She was really getting under my skin now. I’d started this, and I couldn’t back down. I still had my Slow Time spell. She might be fast, but I was faster. And if it came down to it, a single low-power bolt would end this.

“Fine,” I said, locking eyes with her. Then I turned to her brother. “You might want to step back.”

I thought she’d start slow, maybe try to wear me down, but no—her first strike went straight for my neck. Reflexively, I triggered the Slow Time spell, barely dodging in time.

She was fast. Not quite as fast as me, but clearly she was holding back earlier. Suddenly, I understood why her brother didn’t stand a chance. She had fought in life and death situations before, but she had never been that fast. It had to be a recent development.

My stray thoughts cost me. Her next attack grazed my back as I dodged too late. Thankfully, only my pride took a hit.

Alright, she wants serious? I’ll give her serious.

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With the Slow Time spell still active, I waited for her next move and cast a quicksand spell at her feet. But spells didn’t trigger that much faster just because I was faster. Before the ground could shift, she recognized what I was doing and reacted instantly. She leapt toward me, balancing on one hand mid-cartwheel while lashing out with her sword in a single fluid motion.

Dodging was manageable—for now—but with her speed, I couldn’t afford to drop the spell. Even with my improvements, the strain was building. I tried every trick I had. The black hole spell? Too slow. A frost patch to trip her up? She danced over it like it wasn’t even there. The wind spell had potential to throw her off balance, but I needed something to finish the fight, and that wasn’t it.

The only spell fast enough to give her trouble was the lightning bolt, but here in the courtyard, I had to control its power carefully. That extra hesitation made it even slower to cast.

Minutes passed. I was starting to feel the burn, the telltale edge of exhaustion creeping in. But at least I wasn’t alone in it. She was sweating too, her breath coming quicker. She was taking this way too seriously.

Desperation nudged me toward my last untried option: arc lightning. I dodged a few more strikes, waiting for the perfect opening, then brought my hands together, summoning the crackling energy. The bolt arced toward her, the area of effect too wide for her to escape.

It hit. Her body twitched, and for a moment, I thought it worked. But only for a moment. Her sword kept coming, faster than I anticipated. I realized too late that I hadn’t put enough power into the spell, or maybe she was tougher now, too.

The blade struck my ribs. Without my shield to cushion the impact, the pain hit me like a brick, staggering me long enough for her to land another blow to my abdomen. From there, it was over in a blur. A few more strikes, and I was on the ground, staring up at the sky in defeat.

"You need to train more," Alira said, her voice sharper than I expected. "Relying on that shield alone will get you killed eventually." Her tone left no room for argument—this wasn’t a casual suggestion.

I opened my mouth to respond, but she was already pressing on. "Promise me you won’t hesitate like you did at the end. You could’ve ended it, but instead, you’re the one who’s dead."

"I..." The words barely left my mouth before she cut me off again, her voice hardening to something almost brutal.

"Promise me you’ll be ruthless!" Her eyes locked onto mine, unyielding. This wasn’t a request—it was a demand born of fear, anger, and maybe something else she didn’t want to show.

I stood slowly, the soreness in my body a stark reminder of how the fight had ended. Any trace of a smile faded from my face as I realized the truth in her words. She wasn’t wrong. Hesitation had cost me. It could cost me again.

"I promise," I said, my voice quieter but no less resolute.

Her rigid demeanor softened in an instant. "Good. I need a bath," she muttered, already turning away. But just before she left, she glanced back at her brother, who was still standing off to the side, frozen in stunned silence.

"Please get along with Tiberius," she added, a faint trace of something, hope, maybe? in her voice. "Don’t be like Mother." Then she was gone, leaving her words hanging heavy in the air.

We locked eyes in an awkward silence, each waiting for the other to speak first. In the end, it was me who owed him an apology.

“Sorry about the remark earlier,” I said, scratching the back of my neck. “Let’s just say now I know how you felt.”

“She was even faster fighting you,” he replied, his expression still somewhere between astonishment and confusion.

“Yeah… that’s a new development,” I admitted, still wrapping my head around it myself.

“Thank you,” he said, relief evident in his tone. “I thought I was going crazy. She was just so casual—‘Oh, just train more,’ like that could actually achieve this kind of result.”

Maybe dwelling on this wasn’t the best choice. “So hows the army life” I said, changing the subject.

His expression darkened. Clearly not a favorite topic. “Not good. I don’t know how much Alira tells you, but we’re stretched thin. Troll raids are constant, and most of our forces are up north, watching the border in case war breaks out with Celestria.”

I fell into step beside him as we headed toward the kitchens. He continued, his tone grim. “We’ve been sending more regiments east to deal with the trolls, but things just keep escalating.”

At least we agreed on one thing: food was a priority. He grabbed a plate as we entered the kitchen. Between bites, he added, “The treaty with the elves has been a rare bit of good news for morale.”

“Well, I hear Alira is going to be the ambassador,” I said, trying to offer some optimism. “Maybe she can convince them to send reinforcements.”

He nodded, chewing thoughtfully. “I heard that this morning. It’s a big step for her. Mother’s overjoyed, of course. Alira usually avoids the spotlight, so this is… unexpected.”

Great. More reasons for Alira to be upset with me. I decided not to dwell on it and shifted the conversation again. “So, what brings you back home?”

“I’m leading one of the regiments heading to the troll border,” he said.

“Trolls are tough,” I replied, launching into a recounting of our own experiences in troll territory.

To my surprise, the conversation flowed easily after that. We weren’t exactly on the path to becoming best friends, but for once, it felt like I had someone in Alira’s family I could actually get along with. It was… nice.

*****

I had worried it might take time for her to forgive me, that there would be long conversations and heavy silences. Instead, she skipped right over being upset, focusing instead on reclaiming the time we had left. Now, as the sun dipped toward the horizon, we moved from the bed and stood together on the balcony of her room, quietly watching the sunset.

“You’re going to be late,” she said, breaking the silence.

“Oh, is that what we’re doing now? Leaving things unresolved?” I asked, arching a brow.

“Just stating a fact,” she replied, her tone neutral, but her eyes betraying a hint of tension.

“Isla went to a lot of trouble convincing me to join them. I’m sure they won’t leave without me,” I offered, trying to lighten the mood.

Her gaze lingered on me, her apprehension clear. It reminded me of something. “I got you a gift,” I said, trying to shift gears.

She turned to me, her expression skeptical. “Please tell me you didn’t buy me a diamond necklace.”

“I didn’t,” I said, shaking my head.

She exhaled in relief, but when she caught my faint smile, she narrowed her eyes. “But?”

“I made one,” I admitted.

Her brow furrowed in confusion. “You made a diamond?”

I reached into my pack and pulled out a small bundle wrapped in leather. Handing it to her, I watched as she carefully unwrapped it, revealing the raw diamond. Her fingers brushed the surface, her expression flickering between astonishment and amusement.

“Go big or go home, right?” she said, echoing one of my sayings. It always made me smile when she did that. “But what am I supposed to do with this?”

“I’m sure a good jeweler can cut it into beautiful gemstones,” I explained. “Maybe even enchant it. By the way, what do those enchantments actually do?”

She studied the diamond as she replied. “Depends on the stone. They can enhance shine, make it more durable, or even impart magical resistance. Like what the Ursini had.”

“Not bad,” I said, leaning against the balcony railing. “So, are we going to talk now?”

Her sigh was heavy, but not with anger. “I’m not upset with you,” she said softly. “Just… everything. The offworlder thing, you leaving, me as ambassador, wars, and now demi-gods. I don’t see a clear way forward.”

“Hey,” I said, reaching out to her, gently turning her to face me. “It doesn’t matter what happens. You’re not getting rid of me that easily... well, as long as you don’t forget about me.”

She gave a mock gasp, placing a hand on her chest as if I’d wounded her. “Me? Forget about you? You’ll be off traveling with elves—perfect skin, perfect figures. You’ll forget about me in no time.”

“But who’s going to torment me then?” I countered, gesturing to my ribs where she’d left a fresh bruise during our sparring session.

Her lips curved into a smile, though her eyes were already laughing. She gave my shoulder a playful punch. “That’s not funny.”

“It’s a little funny,” I teased, grinning at her mock indignation.

Her expression shifted, a mischievous glint appearing in her eyes. “You did say they won’t leave without you, right?” she asked, stepping closer. “Let’s see just how sore you really are.”