Edward and Marcus were sitting silently on the ground. Blood dripping down their clothes left red dots on the ground. They were watching the soldiers secure the area, when a woman carrying a thin greatsword on her shoulder, walked out from the treeline. Her appearance startled the nearby men, but they quickly calmed themselves, seeing the warrior’s face. She moved towards the resting duo. Her dark hair swayed lightly with the breeze, and her blade moved up and down with every step. She looked down on the two Marked with a raised brow.

“Wow, what happened to you guys?”

Edward looked up, seeing the pristine uniform of his friend.

“How the hell… Were you even fighting or did you just have a picnic with the enemy?”

“Eh, the bastard wasn’t worth ruining my clothes over.”

Ed looked towards Marcus, but the young man only shook his head helplessly in response. Receiving no help, and too tired mentally to bother, he leaned back, lying down on the ground.

“So… You said earlier that you got attacked by another Marked. What happened?” Layla joined them, lowering herself, and sitting down with her legs crossed.

Marcus perked up, focusing his attention on Edward.

“She took me by surprise.. I’d probably be done in a single strike if not for one of my soldiers.” Edward admired the clouds, observing their fluffy, wool-like shapes move slowly through the blue sky.

“How’d you kill her?”

“It wasn’t easy, but I’d also say she was a type of opponent suited to my abilities. When the surprise attack didn’t work, she tried to drain me by making numerous smaller wounds. Of course, both my shield and healing capabilities counter that pretty much perfectly.”

Marcus nodded in understanding.

“Guess they didn’t have any info on you. Well, they couldn’t since it’s your first appearance. But be careful, it won’t always be that easy.”

“I know, believe me… Even now I couldn’t save everybody…”

The others didn’t inquire further, seeing their friend lost in his own thoughts. They understood what he felt too. As more experienced fighters, they obviously also lost some people, but there’s nothing worse than losing someone you feel you were responsible for protecting.

The trio sat together in silence, making use of their well earned break. Everyone present was aware, this was just one of many battles. The real war was just getting started, who knows when’s the next time they could get some rest.

***

Ed finally got back to his room. Too tired to appreciate the calm cozy interior, his slumped figure fell flat on the bed.

After the battle, all personnel of important standing had to participate in the debriefing. They went over what went down, the losses, the casualties and what’s going to happen next. The scouts confirmed the enemies’ retreat, so for now the area was secure, but waiting for another attack was unlikely. It seemed like the command was going to send them forward and go on the offensive.

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

Edward was already tired after the battle, and all the talking completely drained his mental faculties. His body might recover quickly, but his spirit doesn’t. In fact his wounds have already healed completely, maybe even a bit faster than he anticipated.

The young warrior furrowed his brows. He thought back to what the ethereal voice said after he defeated the other Marked.

‘I’ve proved myself and my legend grew stronger…’

His brain started connecting the dots. He turned on his back, and bringing his hand above him, he clenched his fist tightly. After repeating the action several times, his curiosity overwhelmed his fatigue. The young warrior reluctantly dragged himself out of bed, grabbed his sword, and pushed the button to open the door.

The facility was almost empty in the evening, and nobody questioned where Ed was going. He arrived at the hangar soon after. The same one where he met team Echo for the first time.

The dark room lit up when he entered. Edward calmly took a stance in the middle, keeping one arm on the sheath and the other on the hilt. He drew the blade, slicing through the air with one fluid movement. After a moment, he slashed diagonally. Then tried a thrust, and after that several other stances and attacks he practiced under Tarquin.

The difference wasn’t very obvious, but he definitely felt a bit faster. He knew he was supposed to grow stronger in battle, but it was fascinating to actually experience it.

Marcus could probably tell him more about this. He should ask him in the morning. For now the young warrior stayed immersed in studying this unfamiliar phenomenon. Over time his mind reached a weird state of detachment, but still aware of what his body was doing. He felt each strike clearly, perceiving every muscle engaged in the movement throughout his body.

Edward himself was unaware of how long this state lasted, but needless to say he didn’t get a lot of sleep that day…

Even when he was finally finished with the peculiar training, he kept thinking about his swordsmanship on his way back. Oblivious to when he fell asleep, only then did his mind finally stop wandering.

The next day, an alarm woke him up once again. He threw himself out of the sheets in panic, but quickly calmed down. Fortunately this time it was just his phone.

‘Huh… maybe i should change the alarm sound…’

Since he was already on his feet, he might as well get to work. He turned off the ringing and rubbed his sleepy eyes. After a quick cold shower, he sent a message to Marcus, and went to the cafeteria.

Receiving a nice hot steak, he sat at a comfortable table, reserved for the higher ranked. The first time he came here, he was positively surprised to see it resembled more something one would see in a decent restaurant, instead of a bleak cantine most soldiers were used to.

He was mostly done with his food, chewing the juicy meat with satisfaction, when his friend finally showed up.

Marcus showed up in loose shorts, similar to Ed’s own, and a long sleeve shirt. Since they were allowed to relax this morning, and the next meeting would only start in the afternoon, both of them saw no need for the usual uniform.

Edward waved over to the brown haired man, gesturing towards the empty seat in front of him.

“Hey! You said in the message that you wanted to talk?” Marcus took a seat, the usual charming smile already back on his face after yesterday’s battle.

“Yeah, don’t worry, it's nothing urgent. Have you heard from Layla?”

“Nah, she’s probably sleeping in, she tends to do that after a larger fight.”

“Alright I might have to talk with her later too. Anyways, you got some time for a duel?” A sly smile blossomed on Edward’s face.

“Oh is that what you meant when you said you wanted to talk?” Marcus chuckled while locking eyes with Ed.

“I always have time for a spar with a friend…”

“Great. Let’s go then.”

Marcus’s expression turned serious. “Wait, wait! Don’t get so ahead of yourself…”

“Hmm, what’s wrong?” Edward turned his head, already rising from his seat.

“Let a man eat first at least. Gods…”

“Oh…right.” The eager youth sat back down, putting on a calm expression and avoiding eye contact. “Take your time.”