Edward leaned against the wall, right outside his room, waiting for Marcus and Layla to show up. His balance tilted ever so slightly to the right. The lack of a familiar weight of a sword on his hip made him feel uncomfortable.

‘Maybe Tarquin can find me a replacement or something. I’m sure they must have some decent swords in the armory in a fortress this large…’

“Hey, what are you thinking about?”

Ed realised he was staring at the floor. He brought his gaze up, seeing Layla standing in front of him.

“Oh, hey. Just missing my sword. Feels weird, doesn’t it?” he answered.

“I understand. I feel so… vulnerable. Ugh, I hate it! They better have some good blades somewhere in this place!” Layla’s face twisted.

Another door next to them slid open, and a smiling man with a scar on his cheek walked out.

“Hey guys! Wow look at us, a matching set?” Marcus walked out from his room, wearing a similar outfit to the one he got them yesterday.

It seemed to be some sort of default utility wear in this place. Edward took a look in his wardrobe earlier, and found several sets of this same thing. He wasn’t bothered by it, but didn’t expect all of them to end up dressed exactly the same way.

“Hey Marcus. I always secretly wanted to get matching outfits.” Edward high fived the man.

“Yeah, you look like the type.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Hey Layla, you ready to go too?”

“Yeah sure, let’s go.” The woman nodded, walking down the hallway.

“These motherfuckers…” Edward mumbled under his breath, following the duo.

***

“Here it is!” Marcus announced, scanning his hand on the palm reader next to the door.

The entrance was wide enough to fit three adult men side by side, but the room behind it was even larger in comparison. Clearly constructed in the image of the training halls in The House of Alexander, it featured a high ceiling, a spacious arena, as well as some smaller duel rings. Numerous stands full of different weapons and workout equipment adorned the walls.

There was only one obvious difference in this replica. It lacked the elegant classical architecture. Edward could tell at first glance that this facility was focused on functionality and made out of purely modern materials.

The trio arrived five minutes before the agreed upon time. Familiar with Master Tarquin’s habits, they took a seat on the ground, next to one of the pillars. The fact how familiar this room felt, made them feel much more comfortable. It was as if for a moment they returned back home, waiting for Tarquin to start their usual training session.

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‘Oh how much has changed since then…’ Edward looked at his friends. They seemed just like they used to be, but at the same time they weren’t…

“What you’re staring at?” Layla looked at him with narrowed eyes.

Ed silently moved his gaze away. ‘At least some things didn’t change…’

“Nothing,” he said.

They waited, watching the clock on Edward’s phone. The moment the time hit ten o’clock a sudden gust of wind came from the entrance. A second later, an old man in grey robes appeared next to them.

“Good morning students.” Tarquin lifted his hand calmly, greeting the trio.

He didn’t wait for their response, walking towards the weapons stand. He took out two wooden shortswords, and threw one towards Edward.

Ed tilted his head out of the way just in case, but managed to snatch the weapon from the air by the handle.

“You’re up first, show me how much you’ve improved.” said Tarquin.

Someone sighed from relief next to the young Marked. The Master was already about to go to one of the smaller arenas, but the sound made him snap his head back.

“Marcus, Layla… What are you waiting for? Pair up and start your own duel. Am I supposed to guide you by the hand like I’m your dad?”

Layla opened her mouth for a moment, but quickly shut it right after, knowing better than to answer this question. Marcus looked at her from the side, trying to stop the corner of his mouth from rising.

Both pairs went their own way. Tarquin and Edward entered the ring, while Layla and Marcus went over to pick out their swords. They discussed something eagerly, but Ed was already getting completely immersed in the upcoming fight and didn’t hear a word.

“Alright, go on, show me how much you’ve grown.” Tarquin pointed his sword towards the young warrior.

Edward smirked, bringing the wooden blade to the side. Usually what he would do is jump towards his opponent, but what his teacher didn’t know about was the new technique he learned.

‘Wait I’m not going to harm him with this, am I? Alright, maybe I’m just getting too full of myself. Master is a Legend and a powerful one at that…’

Getting rid of any lingering doubts in his head, Edward quickly pushed the golden aura towards his sword, and swung it in a wide arc, releasing a golden blade straight towards Tarquin.

The old man’s brows shot up for a moment. He moved quickly, bringing his sword towards the sky. In one swift movement golden aura surrounded the sword, and Edward’s projectile broke down into pieces, dissipating harmlessly.

“Very impressive! I did not expect that. Hmm… How interesting, try doing it again.”

The young man tried repeating the action, but the moment he pulled his sword to the side, Tarquin launched himself towards him. Edward was pushing aura into the weapon, but before he could create the golden arc, the Master was already holding his sword near his throat.

“That’s what you need to watch out for… You’re leaving an opening during this attack that a fast opponent could exploit.” Tarquin relaxed his posture taking a couple steps back. “You need to learn to release this power even quicker. Preferably learn to use it from every angle so you can weave it with regular strikes too. If you can do that then you’ll become very powerful among the Marked, and take a step closer towards becoming a Legend…”

Now it was Edward’s turn to be surprised. The teacher’s insight really turned out to be exactly what he needed.

‘I knew this technique was rather powerful… But to see its full potential is something else completely.’

Edward imagined crossing swords with an enemy. Exchanging strikes one after another, and the moment the enemy stepped back to dodge his slash, he would shoot out a golden arc, catching them completely off guard.

“I understand Master. Thank you.”

“Good, now go ahead and show me what else you can do…”