A week after their aunt's funeral, Paxton called Goddard to the yard in order to continue their training. The courtyard was a wide open field behind the garden that was sorrounded by a high hedge. There was a shed in the back corner with tools for gardening, but it was also where Paxton hid a suprise for Goddard. Reaching underneath the shed, Paxton pulled out two training swords made from special wood.

  "Alright, we'll continue from where we left off," Paxton stated as though he was an adult. Tossing one of the wooden swords to Goddard, Paxton took a stance with his sword drawn.

  "Wait," Goddard shouted, "what are we doing?"

  "We're training," Paxton stated, then he rushed Goddard and shouted, "and the enemy never waits!"

  Swinging the sword in an exaggerated arc to the side, Paxton took a swing at his brother. All of Goddard's training from his warrior days kicked in, and he brought the wooden sword up to block Paxton's attack. When the two swords clashed, Paxton paused for a moment. He smiled, then brought the sword around in another exaggerated attempt at Goddard's other side. Once again, the swords clashed, causing both brothers to smile.

  "Looks like you were practicing," Paxton said, withdrawing his wooden sword. "Those were good blocks, but your movements are too slow. You'll have to keep practicing in order to catch up to me."

  "Wait," Goddard put his hands up in surrender, "what are we doing? Why are we training?"

  "Because," Paxton said with a cocky smile, "we are too weak. If someone tries to kill us, I want us to be able to fight back!"

  'No way,' Goddard thought in shock, 'Paxton has memories from the future, too?!'

  "Keep your guard up!" Paxton shouted, launching a suprise attack on his brother. On reflex, Goddard activated a bodily guard using his warrior magic. The wooden sword hit with a light thud, probably hard enough to bruise but not break. Realizing that he had just used magic, Goddard looked at Paxton in terror. He didn't know how his brother would react, but Goddard had a feeling it wouldn't be positive.

  Paxton's face was obviously suprised, but then he raised an eyebrow as though he had an idea. Once again swiping at Goddard when he couldn't get his sword up in time, Paxton collided with the warrior guard.

  "Um, what's going on?" Goddard feigned ignorance.

  "Goddard, hold still," ordered Paxton, dropping his sword and stepping forward. The older brother bent down and felt Goddard's body, noticing an invisible shield a little ways apart from his shirt.

  "Goddard," Paxton cried in amazement, "I think you just found your magic!"

  'What?' Goddard thought.

  "This is great! You can use magic! Haha!"

  "Wait, Paxton, how do you know about magic?"

  "Are you kidding?" Paxton cried out, still gleeful about his brother's power. "How do you think your body stops hurting after our training sessions? I'm healing your bruises and rebuilding your body!"

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  Goddard was in absolute shock. His memories from childhood were very fuzzy, but he couldn't imagine that his beloved brother, Paxton, was already using his white magic at six years old. Even though he had power that appeared once out of a million people, being able to use magic at five years old was an accomplishment worthy of national fame.

  As Paxton revelled in his younger brother's acheivement, Goddard had to wonder how well he really knew his brother.

  "Guard up!" Paxton shouted, thrusting suddenly at Goddard's torso. The younger brother was so lost in thought, he couldn't block, recieving a strong hit to the sternum for his loss of focus. Hitting the ground, Goddard had to breathe for a few moments before he was able to stand up again.

  "Alright!" Paxton shouted, swirling his training sword around like a professional, "now that you've got some magic, I'm going to stop taking it easy on you. Make sure you tell me if your magic stops, because these hits are going to really hurt if they connect!"

  "Wha-" Goddard was about to question his brother, but Paxton leaped forward and brought the sword around hard. Goddard could barely get his own weapon up in time to deflect before they clashed swords. Not a second later, Paxton had used the ricochet to lead into his next attack. Goddard marveled at how good his brother was with a sword, even though he primarily became a magic user during the war.

  The two fought for an hour, Goddard getting a good handle on his sword and even applying some magic to his body in order to stop getting hit. Whenever Paxton sensed that Goddard was good enough to match him, he somehow got faster and more skilled. It was at the point that Goddard, even in his armaments, were barely able to hold back against Paxton's onslaught.

  Finally, Paxton swung a blazing combo that Goddard chiefly defended with the wooden sword until there was a loud crack. Paxton looked up to see that his wooden training sword had broken, snapped in half from the sheer power of the blows. It was a moment where Paxton honestly didn't know what to do, but he was breathing heavily through his nose while Goddard was exhausted.

  "Look at that!" Paxton admired, "We broke the training sword! These things were supposed to be professional grade, and we broke it! I guess I'll ask dad to loan me a new one, or maybe we should start using metal rods?"

  "God, please no," Goddard heaved, still catching his breath.

  The exhaustion was most likely due to using so much magic when he wasn't used to it. A body that suddenly started using magic was like a desk jockey suddenly trying to sprint between cities. There's no foundation, no muscle memory, no proper technique built up, and any mistakes could lead to irreversable damage. It was incredibly dangerous for a child to use magic, especially if the body can't take the strain. 

  "Yeah, better safe than sorry," Paxton said, then he looked over at Goddard. "By the way, where did you learn to fight like that? I didn't show you any of those techniques. Did you find one of the knights to give you tips?"

  "Paxton, does the name 'Valeria' mean anything to you?" Goddard asked, watching his brother intently.

  "Is that one of mom's new flowers?" he guessed, gazing at the garden near the house.

  "No, it's the name of the princess," Goddard answered, satisfied with Paxton's response. Princess Valeria had a mutual love interest with Paxton in the future. If he had the memories like Goddard, he would have reacted much more intensely.

  "Alright, if we're asking questions," Paxton began, "do you know what an airplane is?"

  Goddard furrowed his eyes and frowned in confusion. He tried to think about what the airplane was during the war, but nothing came to mind.

  "No, what is it?"

  "It's a bird made of metal," Paxton lied, also satisfied that his brother didn't have memories from a former life.

  "What about you, brother?" Goddard turned the question around. "Where did you learn to fight?"

  "I'm a natural," Paxton excused his peerless skill with a smirk.

  There were secrets being kept, obviously, but the two brothers were satisfied that they wouldn't need to sacrifice their own secrets. Going inside, the two brothers made it very clear how mature they were when they both took off their shoes and thanked the maids for cleaning them.

  There was a silent suspicion between them, but it would take a lot more friction to cause an issue between the two brothers.