The next step

It was a new day at the Institute. Cain groaned as Instructor Thorne barged into the room to wake the Inductees. Yelling ensued. If there was one thing he would never get used to, it was Instructor Thorne's face waking him up every morning. It didn't take long for them to get organized and dressed, that habit was beat into them long ago. They all stood tall and confident, much unlike their first morning at the Institute. They hadn't needed to do push ups in the morning for a long time.

Once they were prepared, they walked in double file towards the training grounds. Walking this way had become a habit for them. Even during their free time, if they ever moved in groups, they found themselves subconsciously walking in two columns. Their feet were always in rhythm, their arms swinging at the same angle.

After Cain had managed to unlock Fa's Blessing yesterday, he experimented with manipulating the power after his training with Eleni. He was still in the process of figuring out how to approach the problem. Horrow had joined them almost an hour after dinner. He looked exhausted. It wasn't long before he collapsed in bed even before their scheduled sleeping time.

They now sat on the floor of the sparring grounds, waiting for Sir Bradforth's arrival. He had mentioned their last session that they would move onto a new stage of training now that he was satisfied with their basic skills. In all honesty, Cain was looking forwards to it. They had spent the last month swinging at air with Sir Bradforth correcting their form. While it was a good workout, he found training incredibly lacking. Especially when compared to how much he learned during his nightly spars with Eleni. At least his wooden Jian felt comfortable in his hands. Slowly but surely, the weapon felt like an extension of his body.

Soon, Sir Bradforth stepped onto the sparring grounds, the same lazy smile on his handsome face. He held his hands behind him, pacing in front of the Inductees.

"Good morning my adorable little students! Isn't it a fine day for training?"

The Inductees were stone faced. Every morning it was getting harder to leave the warmth of their blankets. Instructor Thorne had reassured them that they would get some thicker clothes soon. When soon was, Cain did not know.

"Oh, tough crowd. Anyway, I mentioned that we were moving onto the next step of training. Congratulations Inductees! You are now no longer bumbling infants but bumbling children! Therefore, I will now start the next phase of turning you all into obedient and effective soldiers."

He stomped on the ground, his smile seeming much more sinister.

"Sparring!"

The Inductees clamored excitedly. It seemed Cain's boredom of fighting imaginary monsters was shared among the group. They all seemed itching to test out their newly learned skills.

"Now, now, settle down. First off, why did we start sparring so late? This is because sparring with beginners is the most dangerous thing someone can do. Beginners in the martial arts never know how to control their strength. They let their emotions get the best of them. If they get hit hard, they answer by hitting harder! Now that wouldn't be sparring now would it? The essence of sparring is to emulate a fight, not to become one. To remove the risks of battle but reap its benefits. The best way to learn a skill is by practicing it! Now that I've beaten the basics of swordsmanship and restraint into you all, I believe you are all ready to spar."

When in Fa's name did he teach us restraint?

"I've heard that most of you have managed to grasp Fa's Blessing? Amazing timing. When we spar, make sure to activate your Blessings. This way, sparring will be safer, reducing the risks even more! As for now, I forbid trying to manipulate your Blessing in any way. While it is a skill we will incorporate into sparring later on, as of now its simply too dangerous. I'm looking at you Bellona. Simply keep your Blessings in their most natural state. Now, let's begin right away!"

With that, Sir Bradforth began pairing off a the Inductees. He seemed to disregard the difference in squadrons, and randomly chose two Inductees at a time. Soon enough, there were a total of twenty four pairs of students ready to begin sparring. They each chose small sections of the sparring grounds to fight in. The four overseeing Instructors we to watch over six pairs each and give advice. Of course they couldn't pay attention to all Inductees at once, so Inductees were instructed to give each other advice as well. They would spar for around five minutes, then one partner would move over to a new opponent. They weren't required to continue fighting the entire three minutes. They were allowed to yield. Sir Bradforth also said the goal wasn't to incapacitate their opponent, but merely get a feel for the flow of battle. A sort of test run. They also weren't going to be able to spar every other Inductee, but that was a given. They still had over half a year left to do so anyways.

Cain himself was paired with an Inductee from the Green Squadron. He had seen the boy in passing, but had never spoken a word to him. To be fair, he hadn't spoken a word to the Inductees of any other squadron. The boy was shorter than Cain. He had short light brown hair and eyes, with a fairly mundane face. But his body was a different matter. Cain could see bulging muscles from underneath his uniform. In a way, it reminded him of a smaller male Instructor Thorne. It was clear he would outclass Cain in strength. Cain immediately began to input the data into his battle plan. This was a habit that Eleni had beaten into him. Analyze your opponents. Find their weaknesses. Strike.

Sir Bradforth stood aside at the edge of the courtyard on the stone steps. He had what seemed to be a miniature clock on hand. Cain had never seen one before. All he knew was that it must have been incredibly expensive.

"On my mark, you may begin! Remember to activate your Blessings. And try not to kill each other. You are comrades in arms after all."

He took a pause, glancing at his clock.

"Now, begin!"

Cain turned to his opponent and bowed. The boy did the same. They both made their Prayers, and the soft glow of their Blessings enveloped their bodies. Cain already felt more comfortable behind the protective wash of his Blessing.

"Greetings, my name is Cain. Let us have a good spar."

"Greetings Cain, my name is Conrad el Lark."

Conrad fell into his battle stance. Cain joined him. Gradually, the sounds of clashing wooden swords begun to echo off the stone walls of the sparring grounds. Conrad and Cain kept their distance, circling each other. Then, Conrad took the initiative.

The shorter boy pushed off the floor with his thick powerful legs, his forward acceleration surprising Cain. He lashed out with a two set salvo: two powerful downward strikes from above. Cain stepped back to maintain distance where Conrad's strength advantage would have lesser effect and blocked the strikes cleanly. Although his blocks were near perfect, he still felt the force of the blows rattle the bones in his hands. Cain disengaged, circling to Conrad's left. Conrad turned to meet him.

To be completely honest, Cain was a little disappointed in Conrad. While he had caught Cain off guard for a moment, he didn't capitulate on that opportunity to pressure Cain back. If there was one thing he learned sparring against Eleni, it was that fighting on the back foot was a recipe for disaster. Not only that, he seemed to be reluctant to use his strength and weight advantage against Cain. Cain was taller and had longer reach. Therefore Conrad should've been attempting to pressure Cain and get into range. Yet, he was reserved in his aggression.

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After his initial attacks were fended off, he seemed hesitant to attack. He was just outside of his own reach, but well within Cain's. Every time Conrad swung, his sword would meet air. Cain would then lash out with his own counterattacks using Conrad's self-made openings. Conrad had now been struck thrice. And it only had been a minute. Conrad, frustrated by Cain's elusiveness, attempted another wild charge. This time, Cain was ready. Conrad expected to send a flurry of attacks at Cain's midsection, hopefully managing to get a lucky strike off. But he never got to deliver even his second strike. Cain expertly parried Conrad's very first slash. The force of the collision almost sent Conrad's sword flying out of his grip. Cain then used his sword like a bat, stepping in close and delivering a two-handed swing right into Conrad's exposed stomach. Cain had held back a some of his strength, but it still knocked the air out of Conrad's lungs. With a grunt, he fell over clutching his sides. He was gasping for air.

Cain kind of felt bad for the Inductee. Even if it wasn't even close to the beatings he would receive by the hands of Eleni. By no means was his technique poor. He wasn't a bad fighter by Inductee standards. He was strong, his strikes just as Sir Bradforth had taught them. But Cain was far ahead of him in experience. Conrad's attacks were incredibly predictable. Cain knew what Conrad was going to do before Conrad knew it himself. He had no real understanding of range or tempo. It was as if Conrad simply threw out the strikes he had learned at random, hoping that they would work.

Cain suddenly had unpleasant flashbacks of his original spar with Eleni. He turned to watch the others. Many were fighting just like Conrad. In Cain's eyes, they all seemed quite pitiful.

Is this how Eleni feels?

He quickly dispelled such thoughts from his mind. He had once been like then. Not even too long ago by that matter. He was in no place to judge them. But one thing was true. He was much further ahead of them than he thought. Maybe it was because there was incredible talent concentrated within his squadron, but Cain had always felt like he was lagging behind. Today, he had earned a much deserved victory.

I guess all that sparring has paid off. I never got to properly thank Eleni for sparring with me. I should let her know tonight.

Soon, Sir Bradforth called an end to their first spar. A lot of the Inductees seemed out of breath. There were a couple sitting on the floor, others with hands on their knees. Eleni seemed completely unbothered with her partner lying on the ground spreadeagled. She almost looked bored. Unbeknownst to Cain, Eleni only wanted to spar three people. Those people were Cain, Jorn, and Horrow. Or the Instructors. Maybe even Sir Bradforth. Eleni met Cain's eyes and gave him a wink.

Thank Fa she's on the opposite side of the grounds. I get beat up by her enough everyday. Besides, I deserve a couple victories for my hard work.

Horrow stood somewhere between him and Eleni in the crowd of Inductees. He was panting, sweat rolling down the sides of his head. He seemed to have taken a victory over his partner, a taller girl. What worried Cain was Jorn. He was closest to Cain, four pairs away. He had decimated his opponent within the first thirty seconds of the spar. Even holding back most his strength, he had almost knocked his partner out cold. At this rate, Cain was going to meet Jorn very soon. That was not someone he was excited to face.

"Now, I hope that was fun! Do not fear if your first spar felt awkward, or if you lost. In the end, no one loses. As long as you grow as fighters, that's all that matters. Besides, the best way to learn is by getting beat up. Pain is your greatest teacher! Remember to think over your mistakes and correct them. Since you all finished, let's move! The person closer to me at the end of the spar shifts partners."

Oh Fa.

Cain had been further away than Conrad from Sir Bradforth. Cain watched Conrad slowly trudge away. Nearby, Jorn moved closer. A boy of similar size as Cain with long blonde hair took Conrad's place.

"Ready? Begin!"

Once again, the two Inductees bowed. Cain's opponent introduced himself as William of the Yellow Squadron. This time, Cain immediately jumped in, his sword flashing forward. He attempted to take William by surprise, but William managed to deflect his strike. William followed with his own counterattack, his blade sweeping low to catch Cain's lead leg. Cain didn't even blink, stepping back to dodge the blow, then back in to attack. They took turns attacking and defending, Cain earning a stinging blow to his sword arm, William taking a stab to his left shoulder. William had a far better understanding of the battle flow compared to Conrad. While not as strong, he possessed a keen intelligence in his brown eyes. Still, he was nowhere close to the monster he sparred with on a daily basis.

It didn't take much longer for Cain to defeat his opponent. Cain had set up a trap, baiting William into chasing Cain's exposed head. Expecting this, Cain had simply ducked. As William overextended expecting to end the spar, Cain sent a volley of strikes at William's midsection. William had knelt in pain, yielding to Cain. But Cain was a bit nervous. He had attempted to end the fight nearer to Sir Bradforth to avoid Jorn, but it had slipped his attention during the spar. Once again, he would be staying at the same spot.

Jorn on the other hand finished his fight unscathed. Again. He was further away than his own parter from Sir Bradforth, standing nonchalantly while leaning on his sword. Cain could swear that he was moving towards Cain on purpose.

"Switch!"

William was then replaced by a girl named Amber. Or at least he thought that was her name. He was lost in his thoughts until he ate a stab to his midsection. He didn't even hear Sir Bradforth's voice signalling the start of their match.

Curses!

While chastising himself for being distracted, he attempting to regain his bearings. At the same time, he tried to orient himself towards the Head Instructor. However, Cain was having trouble focusing on both his opponent and Sir Bradforth. It didn't help that Amber was incredibly skilled. She was shorter than Eleni, with a slim toned physique. It was hard to gauge her range: her arms were a lot longer than what her height would indicate. She stayed low to the ground, using her superior speed to attack in off tempo salvos. Cain had trouble finding his flow. He was constantly interrupted by relentless attacks then long winded moments of inaction. He couldn't tell when she would attack, and if she did, for how many sets.

Cain grumbled and pushed aside thoughts of Sir Bradforth.

Forget positioning, if I don't focus she's going to beat me to a pulp!

This was by far the longest spar he'd had. Already three minutes in and there was yet to be a victor. Jorn stood off to the side, watching the spar with interest. Cain was slowly starting to feel the effects of back-to-back spars on his stamina. But Amber wasn't exempt to this. She was slowing considerably, taking longer breaks than before. Her breathing was more ragged and her sword seemed to shake slightly. That was when Cain struck.

As Cain was on the back foot most of the spar, he had yet been able to display his true battle prowess. He suddenly blitzed her, using his bulk and Blessing to shrug off two glancing blows. Once he was close enough, he lashed out with a horizontal slash. Due to his proximity, Amber had no choice but to block. He could see her grimace under the force of his blow. But he wasn't done.

Instead of following up with more strikes, he never gave her the room to breathe. He locked blades with her, slowly crushing her with his weight. Her face was focused, her arms exerting all the strength they had to push him away. Even though Cain was still skinny, he was much stronger and heavier than she was. Eventually her arms buckled under the strain and she faltered, threatening to fall over. Cain caught her by the waist and gently lowered her to the floor. He could almost swear she saw her already flushed cheeks grow increasingly red.

Wow, I'm smooth.

Cain took a couple steps back, but then cursed himself for making such a simple mistake. Once again, he wouldn't be moving partners. Jorn was now directly next to him. He looked over to the hulking giant. Jorn locked eyes with him, an unreadable emotion flashing through his eyes. This time, Cain didn't look away.

Pfah, fuck it. Let's get this over with bastard. I'll show you how much I've progressed.

The next fight was fairly uneventful. Cain had attacked the moment Sir Bradforth gave the signal, catching his opponent off guard. The spar ended in seconds. He would need all the rest he could get before facing Jorn. Jorn seemed to have thought similarly. He had finished just as fast as Cain. They both sat on the ground, stealing glances at each other.

There was a growing tension between them. It was so thick Cain could taste it.

I don't know why you don't like me, but I'll beat the answer out of you.

Soon, Sir Bradforth signaled the end of their current spar and instructed the Inductees to switch partners. Jorn walked towards Cain. With every step, his figure seemed to grow in size. Cain had to crane his neck to look at his face. Jorn's dark brown eyes stared back. They stood four meters apart, swords held towards the ground. Neither spoke.

"Are you ready Inductees?"

Cain pointed his sword at Jorn. He tried to suppress the edge in his voice. He failed.

"Why is it that you look at me that way? Why do you ignore the members of our squadron? What's with the aloofness, the bitterness? Don't pretend its not there, it's as clear as day. And tell me what we've done for you to direct it at us?"

Jorn let out a bleak laugh. Jorn's voice was rich and deep, the air itself rumbling with his words.

"Ha! If I had truly directed my emotions at you all, there would be eleven corpses in the Red Room. And don't even begin to think you understand me. You know nothing of me. Of my emotions. Of my past."

Cain didn't bother responding. There was no need to. He knew that he wouldn't get anything out of the man. Not yet at least. But he was going to get his answers whether Jorn liked it or not.

"Now, begin!"