Nil

Getting struck by lightning repeatedly was so much better than trying to learn the forling foxtrot. What kind of dance is this nonsense? My parents also decided to find the strictest dance and etiquette teacher alive apparently. Luna definitely picked it after I tried wiggling out of the Imperial Hunting Festival. If she’s like this because of a or two, I fully understand why my behavior doesn’t raise any alarms. I did like her screwing with Grisbane.

“That is incorrect.” My instructor, Duthane Ombrun, snapped as she swatted the leg out of position. It didn’t really hurt, but definitely stung enough to make me leap.

“Again.” Duthane snapped, glaring at me.

Duthane was quite short for a demon, standing maybe five feet tall. Her hair was kept in a tight bun, which made her head shine as it was a bright gold. The only thing keeping it from being blinding was her ram-like horns. Her skin was more of a granite color. Each time I met her, she wore thin spectacles that went well with her excessively formal attire. I was practicing the stupid dance with some form of infused mannequin. Why do I have to go along with what Luna wants? Because if I’d like one person to talk normally with, I have to. How did I get myself in this position? I’m mentally older than her and was still losing. It was ridiculous. Nil Whisperer. She does not whisper at me. Why does my family think that nickname is so entertaining? As I was distracted, I got another corrective swat. Cindelrock. I was given another corrective swat.

“What was that one for?!” I cried, rubbing where she swatted.

“Swearing mentally.” Duthane chastised, giving me her usual no nonsense glare.

“Prove it.” I grumbled, resetting to starting position.

“Try again. Focus, Crown Prince Nil.” Duthane ordered as she fixed my posture.

The only thing keeping me going was Orga giving Lux her tracking lessons. Lux hates acting like an animal. I was smirking. THWACK. FINE. I’LL FOCUS. I tried again. It’s a simple step pattern. Why is it so difficult? It was the stupid heel motion. I was still failing miserably at getting it correct. Duthane was always ready to make sure I knew it as well. Did they find a strict enough teacher? Duthane finally gave me a reprieve after hours of failure so she could lecture me on etiquette. Let me go back into the lightning field. I never dreamed I was going to miss that. Don’t bang your head against the wall. She was so dry. A desert in the middle of a heat wave would blush at how dry Duthane’s lectures were. It took every ounce of self-control to look like a good student. Because if I don’t there’s a swat and she’ll just restart. After hours of that torture, Uncle Nox retrieved me for archery practice. This is hell. The first years were just to throw me off. No wonder my parents were okay with this. I’d like to say I was an instant master that hit every bullseye; that would be true if the bullseye was painted nowhere near the target. How am I so bad at this? I almost hit Uncle Nox who was standing behind me on one of my attempts.

“Nil, I understand you might be frustrated, but take a few deep breaths. I wasn’t that good at archery to start either.” Uncle Nox assured me, making put the bow down for a minute.

“Why can’t I use my to just attack whatever I’m hunting?” I grumbled. No. It has to be hunted with a bow. WHY?!

“The Imperial Hunting Festival is about tradition and etiquette. The hunting can only be done with throwing knives and a bow and arrow. You will be meeting other kids your age as well.” Nox informed me. BUT WHY?!

“That went so well last time.” I grouched, remembering how meeting most kids my age went.

“Then think about getting to spend time with Luna.” Uncle Nox pointed out. THIS WAS HER IDEA!

“It’s her fault I’m learning the foxtrot and this.” I retorted, trying to not scream it.

“She got you out of a lot, Nil. Once you complete the lightning field training, it’ll just be lessons for this.” Uncle Nox replied. I mean, I’m not sure I’d call this an improvement.

“What do you mean?” I checked, taking a few deep breaths.

“Luna is fairly clever. She tacked on some highly unpleasant lessons to get you out of further punishments, while getting spend more time with you. It’ll be fun.” Nox informed me.

“How is it fun?” I asked, trying to see where any of this was fun.

“It’s fun to hunt for someone close to you. Luna is a good friend and treats you well; it’s a way for you to show your appreciation towards her.” Uncle Nox explained. Okay, maybe she is a good friend.

“I see.” I quipped, averting my eyes.

“You didn’t realize that did you?” Uncle Nox teased with a smirk.

“No.” I answered. I guess showing some appreciation for one of two friends I have isn’t horrible.

“Come on, let’s at least get you to hit the target.” Nox taunted as he had me try again.

Uncle Nox showed me the proper form again. I took a deep breath, drawing the string. I don’t think past me could have even drawn the string. Uncle Nox gave me some pointers on how to aim better. He also made sure I was more properly reinforcing my wrist, so the bow didn’t deflect wildly. I launched the arrow, actually hitting the target this time. A hit is a hit.

“That was good Nil!” Uncle Nox praised. We both know I hit the edge.

“What kind of prey should I hunt for Luna? What’s normal?” I asked, trying to figure out if there was something expected.

“Depends; that is an incredibly loaded question.” Uncle Nox chuckled. What?

“How is it loaded?” I inquired. It’s just hunting an animal.

“Because certain animals have very specific meanings. I’ll give you a book of them.” Uncle Nox explained. I imagine some have meanings I’d rather not say.

“Okay.” I stated. I need to read that book thoroughly.

I had to keep practicing archery. After a few hours of practice, I was at least able to hit a single bullseye. My aim was atrocious. Even as I practiced, I thought about Luna. How did she know how to get me out of trouble? Luna claimed to have visions of those around her. I still doubt it. Dinner was rather uneventful. Uncle Nox, as promised, gave me a book about the symbolism of the different animals. Part of me wanted to put off reading it. I need to decide now, or at least start thinking about it. I read several of the pages. Luna and I have been ignoring the oddness of the other. Maybe it was time to stop; I felt this odd pang as I thought that. I’d risk one of my two friends potentially. Was it risking it? I had practiced thoroughly. If I cast it in the castle, it might set off some alarms. How sure am I about Luna? Not until I was surer at minimum.

What about lightning field training? It was unpleasant to say the least. It’s and training. Lux and I had separate issues. I could sense it coming, but I couldn’t dodge it. Lux was the inverse. Lux uses her and fast reflexes. How could I react fast enough? By the time I realized it was coming, it was too late. I could start to dodge but not get out of the way. I’m not allowed to use my either. What should I do? It brought up a different thought. I’m not sure it’s feasible to make a gun. I doubted I could make a bullet faster than the . I let out a deep sigh. Lux was snoring on the bed near me. How does she snore so loudly? I grabbed the book and walked away from her. Wait. I nearly smacked myself. That was the trick to it. I practiced my a bit as I debated the solution. It should work. Lux was much quieter from a distance. Luna was right about resting and taking it easy helping my progress. Overwork was going to be my undoing.

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The next morning, Lux and I returned to the lightning field. It was a massive sand box with some that generated random lightning bolts. To entice the lightning, Lux and I had to put on metal plates. I tried focusing my more in a cone above me; I sensed the lightning slightly sooner. I quickly pivoted my body, but the bolt grazed me. My body tensed up and convulsed to the ground involuntarily. Close. That does sting. I saw Nez was sitting in Nox’s lap, with his arms around his head. They clearly don’t expect us to succeed today. The two were being so lovey-dovey. I doubted I could sense the lightning much sooner. How do I react faster? With my I could see it coming a few seconds before which gave me plenty of time to dodge.

Nox and even Nez could do it. So, it was something with my . I wasn’t moving fast enough. What did they do? Think. is reinforcing your muscles and bones with so they can produce much stronger effects. basically made armor out of to protect yourself. I was thinking I wasn’t detecting it fast enough. Lux gave me the idea of shaping my differently from her snoring. Nez could do the trick. Nez is in decent shape, but he’s more lithe and thinner. How? It clearly relies on if Nez can do it. I had complete faith in his , but not his . I had to step and twist as the lightning followed me. I sense the lightning and try as quickly as possible move. I tried again, trying to move the instant I could sense the lightning. I was rewarded with more involuntary convulsing. My can move so much faster than me. Wait. Is that possible?

Can I move my body with ? How likely to shatter bones if I messed was I? I thoroughly reinforced my body. Okay, I don’t think I can do more than this. What was the proper image? A marionette? I imagined strings of attached to my various limbs. I could feel them anchor. Please don’t break a bone. Please don’t break a bone. I tried moving my body with the trick. Good news. I didn’t break any bones. Bad news, I flipped over three times as I launched myself into the wall. I clutched my face as I writhed in pain. Why do I lead with my face? Forl this hurts. Lux began chuckling at my misery. You are such a well of support you blasted furball. My uncles walked over, inspecting my injuries.

“I don’t think you hurt yourself, just made your face sting for a bit.” Uncle Nox chimed with a smirk.

“How did you manage that, Nil?” Nez asked, eyeing the distance I flung myself.

“I was trying something.” I answered as the pain subsided.

“Be more careful.” Uncle Nox told me.

The two returned to the chairs they had, watching me now. I walked back over to my starting point. What went wrong? I moved way too fast. That speed can dodge lightning. How do I control it? I thoroughly reinforced my body again as I made the marionette strings again. I tried moving using my again. The wall gladly caught me. Why is it so fast? I scraped myself off the wall as my uncles gave me curious looks. No one said anything as I reset my . I took a few deep breaths as I mentally prepared myself to go flying. Okay. I went to use it, launching myself into the lightning field which rewarded me with a mouth of sand and a bolt of lightning. Forling bezka. I got to my feet, walked out of the field, and then dusted myself off. Lux was still laughing at my failures. Just you wait you furball.

What am I doing wrong? I replayed the in my mind. It worked. But works too well. What was I missing? Actually, why am I not hurting myself? I practiced , but with the speed this generated it should be cracking something. Just shifting my body rapidly cracked bones. This speed was way higher than that. Lux was still chuckling at me. I walked over to her. Lux was smirking at me. I used my technique to slap Lux. Lux barely deflected.

What was that for?! Lux whined, looking ready to spar.

“You’ve been laughing at me, and I needed to test.” I explained. Lux gave me a strong kick in response.

Now we’re even. Lux declared with a huff.

“Did it hurt?” I checked, massaging where she kicked me.

It was fast. That’s about it. Lux answered with her shiza eating grin.

“Thank you, Lux.” I replied. Lux was confused I seemed happy at the answer.

So, it’s all speed, no power. generated a lot of power but wasn’t as fast. This is the other half. It was a mix of these two for fighting in theory. What’s this called? Did this information help me? I mean, it’s helpful. Not sure how useful it is now. I returned to my starting position. Is it how I’m envisioning it? Improper envisioning would mean it wouldn’t work well. I guess my vision is correct. But. How did I make it work? Was this the intended solution? I looked at Lux with my . She was using to make bursts of speed. I could kick out of my foot to accelerate. I did a few test steps of that. It was fast. If I quickly burst out of points in my body, it allowed me to rapidly move. That might be more intended. I went back to the lightning. Using my improved I tried the burst Lux was using. I successfully dodged the first bolt. Success! Unfortunately, I did not dodge the second. Closer. We’re getting there. I walked over to the wall and used the burst to kick it. Ah. The wall had several cracks burst through it. That method has speed and power. Hmmm. It was likely the intended solution. What do I do? I mulled it over. Wait. I can reinforce my body well enough to do those rapid pivot kicks. What if I combined the three?

“Can you get Mom?” I requested. My uncles immediately gave me a look.

“Why?” Uncle Nox probed, clearly suspicious as why I’d need her.

“I want to try something, but I’m not sure how it’ll work.” I answered. Please end decently.

“What do you want to do?” Uncle Nez checked, giving me a stern gaze.

“The the sent me flying, the pivoting, and those bursts all at once.” I told them.

“I’ll go get Senna.” Uncle Nez chimed as he left.

“Just wait for her to get here to try it.” Uncle Nox told me.

I can heal. Lux pouted, looking offended I wanted Mom instead.

This might do a lot of damage. I’d rather not ask you to rebuild my bones. I informed her.

Lux shrugged and went back to practicing. After a couple of minutes, Nez arrived with Mom. She looked confused as Uncle Nox gave me a thumbs up. I reinforced my body. I took a few deep breaths. Okay. Let’s try it. I moved my body with the marionette and used my pivoting and burst to control where I went. Agony erupted from every muscle I flexed. Every bone creaked from the strain. But the movement was crisp, clean, and definitely would’ve dodged the lightning. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Forling hell. Lords above. Mom healed my injuries as I tried not to cry.

“That was impressive Nil!” Mom praised. I’m not trying that again for a while.

“Thanks Mom.” I replied, struggling to keep my voice level.

“I’d recommend improving your before trying that again.” Mom told me.

“Okay.” I agreed. Definitely need to be better at the pieces before attempting that.

Mom ruffled my hair before leaving. The pain still lingered from the movement. She intentionally didn’t heal me all the way back. Perfect. I practiced my until the soreness dissipated. That’s something to work on later. For now, whatever the burst was would suffice for dodging the lightning. I dodged the first and got hit by the second. My would need to be maintained better. I also think the pivoting should be used so I can dodge several. I managed to dodge three bolts before getting hit again. Lux realized I figured out how to dodge the lightning but was mastering the method. Lux was clearly annoyed I was about to be free from this torture. It took me another five attempts to get it down. But I’m done! I’m free of this! Lux shot to my side after I successfully dodged ten in a row.

How? Lux demanded, annoyed I unofficially won.

Make your more of a cone above you. Also, those burst movements were sufficient for speed. I explained to her as I began celebrating.

Lux hopped into the lightning field, and instantly replicated my answer. That’s not fair. What Lux lacked in creativity she made up for in her ability to copy things. But we’re free! We both high fived each other after successfully escaping this torment. Only took us two weeks. The two of us were smiling victoriously.

“Congratulations you two. Now you have plenty of time for your lessons for the Imperial Hunting Festival.” Uncle Nez praised with a saccharine smile. We both deflated a little.

“Why?” I whined. Don’t pull a Grisbane.

“You’re still in trouble.” Uncle Nox pointed out with a chuckle.