During class, Sebastian and Trinity trekked up the mountains. Trinity led the way, strolling along the hiking trail, while Sebastian trudged behind, lifting the boulder over him. After following the signposts along the way, the two stumbled upon small stones that led across a stream. The two hopped over with caution before traversing deeper into the forest.

Sweat dripped from Sebastian’s back as his legs were about to give in due to the shock and sprains.

“Hey, how much longer are we going for?” He complained with a wheeze.

Trinity stopped and turned. “Uh oh, are you doing ok?”

“Do I look ok to you?”

Wow, rude much? “Look, we need to press on just a little longer. You can take it, right?”

“No!” Sebastian complained, his voice giving out. “When are we taking a break? I’m so sick of this...”

“Like I said, this is for building strength and character. Don’t let the anger control you and—”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t rest. My body is going to give out any minute now!”

Trinity sighed. “Alright then, fine. Let’s take a break. If you’re that tired and don’t want to improve, then I can carry the boulder for you.”

Sebastian’s mouth gaped open. “Hold up. You said we were almost there, correct?”

“Yeah.”

“I can muster the rest of the way if it won't take long.”

“Are you sure? Didn’t you want to take a break?”

“I can handle it.” Sebastian’s legs shook, but he mustered the strength to stand tall. “We can take our break later!” I’m not letting you get in my head and beat me, either!

Now that’s more like it…

.-.-.-.

The two continued to hike, and just as Trinity said, they reached their destination: a flat patch of grass with sparse trees, perfect for training. Sebastian set the boulder down and laid his head on it, sighing and letting the stress leave his system. He gulped on water from a bottle; after a few minutes of rest, he and Trinity headed out again to gather firewood to relax.

The moon came out despite the sun not setting yet. As Sebastian looked up at the cloudy sky, Trinity played a song on his harmonica. Not much had happened, but the training so far hadn’t been as strenuous as getting here. After taking a quick meal, Sebastian took a quick glance at Trinity, who went to polish his weapon.

“Hey, what are we doing after break? I mean, you never specified why we came here in the first place other than—”

“Sebastian, are you feeling better?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I feel great! Why do you ask?”

“I was thinking, why don’t we practice our skills again while we’re here?” Trinity offered, holding his sword up high. “Let’s see if your training from earlier has paid off.”

“Alright,” Sebastian cracked his knuckles and grinned. “I’ll show you what I’m capable of.”

He got up, taking his sword and sheath from his backpack. He walked over to the center of the fields with his mentor.

Trinity reached into his pockets and pulled out a gold coin. To avoid confusing his apprentice, he explained the reason behind it.

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“Before we begin, I’m going to flip this coin. When it lands on the ground, that’s when we start the match, understand?”

“Ok, understood.”

Trinity flipped the coin in the air. Sebastian kept a close eye on it before it could hit the ground. From the corner of his eyes, he spotted something shiny from his mentor’s grasp. Trinity charged at him with the sword in hand, causing Sebastian to jump back and draw his sword to block the attack.

“Hey, what gives?” Sebastian thundered.

“Don’t you remember what I told you?” Trinity reminded him. “You should never underestimate your opponent!”

“I know that, but you’re not the enemy here.”

“Oh.” Trinity paused and looked away. “Well, you can always pretend I am an enemy that you need to take down—”

Sebastian charged after him. Now, it was his turn to catch his teacher off-guard. Trinity blocked it with a parry as the two of them re-positioned themselves.

“So, what was that you were talking about?” Sebastian taunted him.

“Oh, it’s on now.”

The two dealt blows one after another, clashing their weapons all throughout the day. The noises clashed and echoed through the forest as they delivered swordplay while sidestepping and avoiding all their attacks. Eventually, the two grew weary from the practice. Their muscles strained as their breaths grew rampant.

Trinity exchanged glances between the ground and his hands. His grin spread as he thought up another idea. An ice sphere emerged from his fingertips as he planted ice on the ground, encapsulating the surrounding area into a frozen glacial ice cap. Sebastian had a hunch he’d pull that stunt again, but this time, he saw it coming. He threw his sword and planted it in the ground, then got on top of the bottom part so he wouldn’t slip and fall like last time.

Trinity threw his weapon at him, thinking his student had his guard down. Sebastian ducked and grabbed the handle. He readied his stance and prepared to attack, jumping off the other sword handle a great distance to deliver the finishing strike. However, Trinity pulled another sword to block the attack, and he kicked Sebastian away from him.

Sebastian clutched his stomach and ground his teeth as his feet skidded across the ground. Of course, he’d pull something like that, but he couldn’t complain now. He looked up as Trinity charged forward to swipe his weapon at him. Sebastian took advantage of his opponent’s slower stamina and dashed the other sword by sliding across the ice. He skated around the object before pulling it out and heading towards Trinity. Trinity knocked one of the swords out of Sebastian’s hand. Now, he had the advantage again but wouldn’t give up that easily. Sebastian tried to block the attacks until he got backed up against a tree. Before his mentor struck him down, he turned and climbed the tree with the sword in tow.

As Sebastian surveyed the area from above, Trinity waited for him down below, contemplating whether to chop the tree down or chase him up there. While distracted, Sebastian threw a fast blade at him, attempting to make a hit, but Trinity blocked it with ease, almost like he expected him to make that move. Sebastian leaned too close, lost his footing on the branch, and fell. He rolled on the ground, lessening the impact of the fall. He covered his eyes with his elbow and sighed.

Trinity walked over to him. Still lying down on the floor, he bent his knees.

“Hey, Sebastian, are you alright?”

Sebastian grinned. “Gotcha.” He got back up on his feet and slashed at Trinity, taking a jab at his shoulder. Trinity uttered a painful cry as he dropped his weapon and clutched his shoulder. Sebastian’s smile fell as he ran over to his teacher. “Oh no! Are you ok?”

“No, do I look okay to you?”

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to!”

What did you mean to do then? “Look, using the environment to your advantage is one thing. But pulling off a trick like that was uncalled for.”

“But, I did what you told me and...” Sebastian looked at the ground. “I don’t know what to say.” He raised his head and looked at him. “Hey, can’t you use magic to heal your wounds?”

“This is a fatal wound, though. I can’t use that kind of healing magic very well.” Trinity said.

“Do you know how, though?”

“No, I don’t...”

“Well, this is bad. I know where to get to the antidote, but it’s pretty far.”

“No worries, I can go get it.”

“Are you sure?” Trinity asked, wincing. “The minerals that can apply to my wounds are over there.” He pointed to the top of the mountain.

Are you kidding me? Sebastian slumped his shoulders.

“Well, it’s probably too much to ask, especially knowing how exhausted you must be from practice. We can always just—”

“No, there’s no time!” Sebastian interrupted. He went to take his sword out from the ground. “Besides, I got you in this mess, and I’m getting you out of it.”

“Ok, but please hurry.”

“I will.”