I began training with Draven the next day. We met outside the town, in an open area.

I approached the training ground with a bit of nervousness. I had never held a sword before.

"This sword is too heavy, not like I imagined," I mumbled to myself.

Draven approached me, standing in a combat stance with his blunted sword. We hadn't properly introduced ourselves before, and he didn't acknowledge my presence.

"Uh, since we haven't had a proper introduction before, my name is Kaelan, nice to meet you," I said, giving a slight bow.

He didn't move or respond, which made me even more nervous. I wondered what was on Draven's mind right now.

Finally, Draven spoke, his voice low and serious. "You seem like you've never held a sword before."

My heart sank. "I haven't, actually."

Draven nodded. "Let's start from the basics." Without further ado, he began to show me the fundamentals of swordplay.

Draven said, "Now, give it a try."

I attempted to mimic his movements, but the sword was too heavy, and I ended up fumbling.

Draven looked at me with disappointment. "Feel the weight of your sword. Bond with it; let the weight flow."

He demonstrated again, holding his sword in front of me, swinging it from side to side, up and down, and twirling it.

"Now, try it."

I tried again, but it was still too difficult for me. "You make swinging the sword look so easy," I said.

Draven responded, "Believe me, there are times when I can't swing a sword at all." His face changed, as if he felt a pang of sadness.

After a few hours of training, Draven stopped me. "That's enough for today. Practice as often as you can until you get used to it."

I smiled. "Thank you."

"There's still a lot for you to master once you're comfortable with the basics. I'll show you more interesting things," Draven said, and then he left abruptly.

I hoped this was a good start.

Every day thereafter, Draven and I trained for several hours. Eventually, I grew tired of repeating the same movements over and over again.

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"That's enough for today," he would say every time before leaving.

I had been training for over a month. I repeated the same exercises countless times, with Draven supervising my training.

I stopped moving and said, "Draven..."

"Get back to training, Kaelan."

"Isn't the training we do every day enough? I think it's time we moved on to new techniques," I said, looking at his face.

Draven stared at me sharply and then said, "You want to try it?"

"Try what?"

"A duel."

I was taken aback. "It's impossible, I'd be defeated by you instantly."

But he didn't listen and faced me with his sword pointed towards me.

"Come forward; I won't move from my spot."

Reluctantly, I took a step forward and attacked him. None of my attacks landed, but I was the one constantly getting struck by his blunted sword without any resistance.

"If this were a real fight, how many lives would have been lost by now?"

"Besides, as a beginner... It's impossible to defeat you."

"Don't make excuses. No beginner can defeat me, but at least they can withstand a few of my attacks before eventually succumbing if they understand the fundamentals of swordplay," Draven said, then continued to watch over me.

"Get back to training, Kaelan; this training will make you survive at least a little longer in a real battle."

I sighed and resumed my training.

I felt no progress at all. My muscles were sore and aching for days after each training session. I returned to the inn and saw Gunnar sitting in the living room.

"How's your training going, Kai?"

"I don't know... I think I'm not cut out for swordplay."

Gunnar laughed. "Of course, you're not cut out for it," he said while taking a sip of his beer. "No one is cut out for it if they just sit around and complain."

Several months had passed. Draven began training me in footwork, parrying, and blocking.

"Blocking and parrying are two different defensive techniques. Blocking involves using your sword to redirect and deflect your opponent's attacks, while parrying is a movement that involves using your body's strength to stop your opponent's strikes.

"Parrying is a more subtle technique than blocking and requires coordination. You can use parrying to redirect your opponent's attacks in a safe direction and open up opportunities for counterattacks. Blocking is a simpler technique and can be used when you don't have time to parry," Draven explained.

I nodded in understanding, practicing the sword movements.

Draven observed me and said, "Without realizing it, you're no longer burdened by the weight of the sword and can move more gracefully now."

Little by little, I began to gain confidence in swordplay, though there were still areas where I struggled.

One day, Draven decided to advance my training to the next level. He said, "I'm going to attack you, watch my strikes. You're only allowed to defend."

He quickly launched an attack, catching me off guard and pushing me backward as I tried to block. He attacked me from all directions until I became exhausted and could no longer defend myself.

"That's good enough. Now, practice your own attack techniques based on what I did earlier."

I more or less understood and watched as he demonstrated striking and slashing techniques.

Then, he stood in front of me again and said, "Now, attack me. Make me move from my spot, just a step."

I cautiously moved toward Draven with a wide stance and began my attack. However, he easily parried my attacks and began to counterattack. I tried to block his strikes and stepped back for a moment, then circled around him and attempted a surprise attack, but he still managed to parry it.

He continued to attack me without moving his feet, and I managed to parry some of his attacks. When an opening presented itself, he made himself appear vulnerable, and I didn't realize it was a trap until I was knocked down.

"Every day, you'll keep practicing by attacking me," he said.