by RA. Gil
“God, don't scare me like that.” She breathed. “Besides, why does my practice have to concern you? For all I know, you're the last person I ever expect to even care.”
“Don't be stupid. I don't care.” He grunted in displeasure. “Not about you.”
“Then why the hell are you here?” She asked, rolling her eyes.
“Lady Seraphina asked me to spar with you. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't obligated to.”
There was an awkward pause in the air until Valeriana decided to break the silence. “Why are you here again?”
“Do not make me repeat myself.” He said, before taking out his own sword and posing an arrogant stance. “You should be honored. For someone to improve, it'll be better if you have a more experienced opponent to point out your errors.”
“The hell should I feel honored.” She spat, snarling at his unbelievable self-centeredness. “I never asked you to be my sparring partner, anyway.”
“Just shut up and attack me with your best shot, you stupid witch.” He spat at her, face creasing both in annoyance and impatience.
“What the hell did you call me?” She made a pause as she turned to face him.
With that said, Valeriana dove forward and assaulted Corvan with a critical swing. The sound of metal hitting metal reverberated throughout the field, landing continuously in a weirdly patterned way. Valeriana must admit that this was a good way of venting her anger towards this arrogant prick, but shockingly, the sword flew out of her hand no longer than a minute after they started.
A big, egotistical smirk made its way to Corvan's face while Valeriana merely glared at him through her lashes, face burning red both in exhaustion and embarrassment. She felt a flame of shame light up inside her and she clenched her fists, wanting the uncomfortable feeling to go away.
“I gave that one away!” She reasoned fruitlessly, turning her face the other way so she wouldn't meet the gaze of the first-ranker who stood without even breaking a sweat.
“Oh, really . . .” His tone held a hint of amusement, but it mostly sounded like he was having the time of his life picking on the human girl. “That didn't even last for longer than a minute. And I even told you to give it your best shot.”
“T-that was just . . .” She sputtered, racking her mind for a logical reason for her immediate loss. “A test run . . .” She trailed off, pouting.
“Like I would believe that.” He chuckled.
“I told you already!” She stomped her feet furiously at him before turning to get her sword. “That was just a test run! Wait 'til you see! I'll last longer this time!”
“So you're basically admitting that you lost and you're going to lose again.”
“I didn't lose, bastard! Not to someone like you!” She screamed, picking up her fallen sword and charging straight at him.
With a shrill battle cry, she charged forward once more and swung a barrage of attacks his way relentlessly. Corvan didn't have a hard time fending off her hits, but true to her word, she did last longer than the last time. In fact, contrary to his expectations, the girl began showing off a few skills she learned within the period of time she spent with Seraphina.
It was almost like a cloth was stuffed to his mouth and stopped the words he previously had the confidence to say. As Valeriana grew serious about their practice match, seeing as she was obviously putting in her best efforts despite this being only a friendly fight, Corvan discovered a newfound respect for the girl.
The childish bickering immediately disappeared and both grew quiet. A silent tension crackled like electricity in the air, and nothing else could be heard other than their heavy breathing and the sharp ringing of their weapons when their blades crossed.
Although Valeriana's weapon kept being knocked out of her hand, she also tirelessly kept on picking it up to quietly resume her battle with Corvan. As they continued to spar, the lord realized that every single time Valeriana came back after having her sword flying, she grew in strength as if her loss kept on adding to her power. She lasted longer than the previous round and never made the same mistakes that caused her to lose the last time.
He had to say he was quite impressed.
“Look,” Charles chuckled as he watched their match in silence with Tamara by his side.
“Valeriana's actually quite good . . .” The third-ranker commented thoughtfully.
“She was in luck when she fought Courtney.” Charles remarked. “But even though it is a guarantee she'll keep the position of fifth-ranker, there is no telling what kind of beating she'll get from a merciless brute like Zion.”
Tamara grunted. “She has a lot of flaws . . .” Her voice quieted as a smile stretched her lips. “But she's a diamond in the rough.”
“I agree.”
“So . . .” Tamara nudged Charles with her elbow. “Wanna make a bet about who's going to win? Valeriana or Zion?”
Charles gave a grunt. “If you're talking about who officially wins, then I bet on Valeriana. If it is about really winning, then victory is handed to Zion. Either way, unless you clarify what you mean by winning, I will not fully agree.”
“Not officially, there's no fun in that. I want the actually, really winning victory stuff part.”
Charles held himself back from correcting her grammar. “Then I bet on Zion.”
“Hey! No fair! I want to bet on Zion!”
“But you're the one who praised her and said she was a diamond in the rough. You should put your bet on her.”
“But you also said the same thing!”
“Even so, you were the one who started the whole idea, so I have the right to choose first.”
“I disagree!”
Corvan sighed, irritated at their bickering, but tried to ignore them at best.
“My god . . . I'm dead tired.” The girl suddenly collapsed on the ground with shaking knees whereas Corvan still stood.
“You're still no match for me. Do you think you can defeat Zion in that pathetic state?”
Corvan had superior stamina compared to Valeriana. That was a clear fact.
“I know that, doofus.” She growled at him. “Lady Seraphina said I'm not quite there yet, but she taught me a technique. She said I can use it to defeat Zion.”
“Defeat Zion?” Corvan scoffed. “I don't know if there's any technique that strong enough that you can do in that level.”
“It's just a matter of practice!” She snapped. “I know I can do it . . .” She trailed off.
“Oh, really?” He cocked a brow. “Then try using it on me.”
“Wait a minute,” she held up a hand before shakily standing up. She placed a hand on her chest and took, long and deep breaths. “Let me . . . catch my breath.” She said.
He gave her a frown.
“Alright. I'm good.”
She got into stance and glared at Corvan. The young lord immediately prepared himself for any assault coming from his opponent, waiting patiently until the girl made her move. They stayed like that for a few moments, neither moving nor taking their eyes away from each other.
A minute passed by.
Corvan waited, but Valeriana still didn't move an inch. He thought that maybe this was a part of her so-called technique but he could not fathom how staring at your opponent would do any good. He didn't have much patience, so he started feeling irritated.
Finally, Valeriana moved, but she did not attack Corvan. Instead, her shoulders sagged and the tip of her weapon landed on the ground while she grasped its hilt in a loose hold. With a heavy sigh, she groaned, muttering something under her breath that sounded incomprehensible to the first-ranker.
Gritting his teeth while fighting the urge to kill her, Corvan spoke, “Are you making fun of me?”
“Don't . . . know . . .” She muttered. Her voice was low that Corvan only managed to make out a few words.
“You don't know?” He growled.
“I don't know!” She suddenly exclaimed. “I don't even get the technique. Lady Seraphina gave me a
briefing but she told me to figure the rest on my own . . . but how was I supposed to understand anything when she moved too fast? I was trying to figure it out a while ago but . . .”
She began wallowing in self-pity, hanging her head while looking as though she was on the verge of tears.
Looking at her, he couldn't help but think on how pathetic she really was. How exactly was this idiot able to defeat Courtney? She was seriously stupid.
Stupid . . . but funny.
He tried keeping a straight face, but a smile eventually stretched his lips. A low snicker echoed from his throat before it gradually got louder and he started laughing. Valeriana stared at him dubiously, wondering what he was having hysterics about.
Tamara and Charles, who were watching in the background, deadpanned.
“Tell me, Tamara,” Charles began. “Did the end of the world just begin?”
“Actually,” Tamara replied. “I think we actually might've died already. This must be just some crazy dream—no, this must be some illusion . . . hallucination. Or maybe I just went mad.”
“I've seen things I wasn't able to believe, but I'm starting to think that I cannot trust my eyes anymore.” He muttered.
“I totally agree.”
While they doubted whether what they were seeing was actually happening or not, Corvan continued. Though not too boisterous, his laughing fit was more than enough to astound the girl. He usually never allowed his composure to slip like this.
“I've never met an idiot like you my entire life.” He chuckled.
Valeriana bit her lower lip in anger. “Who do you think looks like an idiot right now, huh?”
When the situation dawned on him, he tried to regain his composure and cleared his throat. He reverted to his detached self and raised a brow questioningly at Valeriana.
“Killing intent?”
“I don't . . . exactly know killing intent. I think I can understand it somehow, but I'm having trouble trying to figure it out.”
He sighed. When he made that face, it didn't actually seem he was laughing a few moments ago. “I guess it's to be expected from someone like you.”
“Someone like me? What the hell do you mean?”
“Listen.”
“Yeah?”
“Let's just say that killing intent is a state of bloodthirstiness, and that hurting the person you're aiming for is your main priority.” He explained.
“Is that . . . even possible?”
“It is. There are very few people that can control their killing intent on purpose since they often lose control of themselves. You can often only feel a person's killing intent when they're on life-threatening situations and driven to desperation. I do not think this can be achieved by humans, though. The notion seems impossible.”
She ignored his last two remarks. “How do you control your killing intent?”
“It takes a great deal of practice. Usually, it takes years.” Corvan replied. “A great amount of self-control is required.”
Valeriana stared at the sword in her hand and thought, “This is impossible.”
When the time arrived for Seraphina to come and collect Valeriana, the girl unhesitatingly followed. The lady knight sensed her depression and examined the troubled-looking face she had on. Seraphina was likely to have mother hen tendencies sometimes and couldn't help but worry for the girl.
“Is there something wrong, Valeriana? Are you not feeling well? Maybe we should rest for today.”
“It's fine, Lad—Seraphina. Please don't worry about it.” She told her. “It's just . . . I wasn't able to do that technique you taught me yesterday . . . and my fight with Zion's tomorrow. I can't help but worry about the outcome.”
The knight smiled. “You don't have to trouble yourself. That technique was something I did not actually expect you to be able to pull off that easily. It usually takes years for someone to learn it. Learning how to control your killing intent takes a lot of time and perseverance.”
“I hate it. Maybe I should've practiced some more.” She muttered.
“It's alright, Valeriana.” Her guardian reassured.
“And I thought I can have something against Zion . . .” She said.
The lady knight chuckled as she stared at the girl. “I have faith in you, Valeriana.” Seraphina said. “I know you can do it.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight ♣ Prepare
The most anticipated day had finally come. Valeriana was already at her wit's end training for her duel with Zion. For the past three days, she was jumbling her schedule between her classes, studying, and training. The circle was considerate enough when they allowed her to take the time off from being their gopher for the mean time. It was a hellish experience that the girl was already in the brink of losing her sanity. The only thing that kept her going was her determination and her perseverance.
Even so, Quincy, Zoel, and Poulette proved to be a big help. So far, their eagerness and enthusiasm about helping the girl made her grateful that she had aides. If it weren't for them, she wouldn't have survived with how everything was going. She didn't know how to repay them and worried greatly about the matter, but all they said was that she didn't have to worry and that seeing her attitude towards everything she did alone made them feel inspired to work hard on their own as well. Her display of willpower and resolve was infectious that even the three felt the drive of her spirit.
Seraphina seemed satisfied with the outcome of their training, but told her it probably wouldn't be enough to make her win. Valeriana was familiar with those words, so she didn't pay much mind to it and focused on improving her skills instead.
The lady knight was quite surprised by her display of quick progress and was initially not expecting her to learn a lot of things in such a short period of time.
When Seraphina told Valeriana of her thoughts, the girl humbly denied the fact and proudly stated about having a great teacher. But, the lady knew that wasn't the case. Her explanations were detailed, but it wasn't something easily understood and done by someone only beginning to hold the sword. Shocking as it was, she started to see that Valeriana might actually deserve the name of the fifth-ranker—not that she didn't think so from the beginning. What she lacked for in the field of magical power, Seraphina had a feeling that she would be able to make up for it with her potential with the sword and other weapons which she might actually have a talent for.
Despite her comments, Valeriana seemed to remain completely oblivious of her talent. But even so, it made the whole situation a lot easier for the both of them. Having a good student was a blessing to Seraphina, and having the ability to take in a lot of things within a short period of time proved to be advantageous for Valeriana for her upcoming duel.
The girl wasn't at all able to sleep that night. She was filled with anxiety about the upcoming match that closing her eyes became impossible. Like last time, the duel would occur by the first light of dawn. Finding herself to the point of cracking under pressure, Valeriana took out her MP3 player and plugged in her earphones.
Listening to music seemed to have a calming effect on her.
It went like that for a few minutes until she got bored. Listening didn't really help at all like it always did. It seemed that she was more anxious than she thought.
Seeing as she wouldn't be sleeping anytime soon, she stood up and decided to stretch. She wasn't feeling like holding the sword since looking at it made her more nervous than she already was.
She then changed into more comfortable and loose clothes.
“Might as well do something to entertain myself . . .” She said under her breath, stretching her limbs.
Sighing, she unplugged her earphones and threw them into the bed. She put the MP3 player on its highest volume before she started dancing to Jennifer Lopez's Live It Up. She went along with the music's beat and started a little slow before she eventually attained speed.
'We don't believe in defeat, that's why we're back for a threepeat. Hi Jenny, mira que esta loco. Yo me l
ocomo como pastelitos de Coco.'
She allowed her limbs to move freely in random directions, letting the music itself judge the best choreography that would represent itself. She didn't care how she moved really, she just wanted to dance to get all of her pent up frustrations out. Slowly, she felt her anxiety disappear.
“DO THE CHICKEN DANCE!” She started flapping around like some chicken.
'Yeah push me harder, I do the same. Boy I wanna feel you in every way.'
She threw in some random kung fu moves.
She sang the lyrics under her breath, almost breathlessly, while moving nonstop with the song's melody. “I hit the spotlight, all night, ready to go. Give you a hard night, so tight, ready to blow.”
She heard a short squeal when she dragged her hand up her waist and immediately turned to look at the door. She saw Zoel, Poulette, and Quincy leaning against the open door with fascinated look on their faces. Quincy was beet red, holding both of her hands against her mouth and nose. It was obvious she had been trying to hold back her laugh.
“You guys . . . what are you doing here?” Valeriana asked, brows furrowing in confusion. “Anyway, come in and sit. Don't just stand there.”
“Oh!” Quincy jumped, quickly entering her bedchamber with the other two. “We're sorry, Miss Valeriana.”
“Please pardon us if we didn't make our presence known sooner. You were just so good at dancing and all, and the music sounds nice.” Zoel told her, smiling sheepishly.
The girl laughed. Zoel stuttered less than when they first met. She was glad that maybe somehow they were growing more familiar and comfortable with her presence. Quincy still acted a bit shy, though. Poulette was as bold as he could ever be.
“Yup! Your dance was so . . . so . . . uh . . .” Poulette paused and tapped his chin to find the right word.
Quincy pushed him aside harshly. “Unique and incredible.”
“I have a feeling you guys are lying to me.” She chuckled. “It's embarrassing you had to see that, too.”