Chapter 40: Shiver

Kael had grown stronger over the months.

Arthur could see the results of the three-month training. Kael’s body had become more sturdy than before.

Now he could keep his body in motion in accordance with his thoughts.

Kael hadn’t evolved his core, but his presence had grown stronger.

Now he no longer looked like a spoiled noble brat. Appearances were necessary up to a certain extent.

When you looked strong, people avoided fights with you.

That was a necessary deterrent to avoid wasting time on such petty things.

Arthur had set some conditions for their spar, limiting his strength to a large extent.

Still, Arthur was no less dangerous than before.

Kael tried to use every move to at least graze the skin on Arthur’s body with his sword.

But he failed every time.

The spar ended with Kael being thrown against a tree.

Arthur felt a little guilty as Kael coughed a mouthful of blood.

Maybe he should have gone softer on Kael.

But that wouldn’t have achieved the desirable results.

Kael was stronger than the average kids his age, but he wasn’t dominant in his category.

He calculated too much during fights, which reduced his speed and the edge of unpredictability.

When you fight an enemy for the first time, neither of you knows the full extent of your opponent’s capabilities.

This unknown factor always plays a key role in deciding victory or defeat.

Kael calculated in a way that made his opponents dance on the palm of his hand, and this mostly resulted in the enemy being in the exact same spot that Kael wanted them to be in.

But this trick could be used against monsters and people with average combat prowess.

When fighting the elites, even a second’s delay could lead to your head being decapitated from your body.

And Kael’s calculations caused him that same delay.

So Arthur wanted Kael to calculate less and use more of his instincts.

As Arthur began approaching Kael to check on him, he noticed a small change.

Kael’s eyes had grown cloudy, like his soul was out of his body.

At first, Arthur thought it might have been due to the impact, but...

Kael’s presence grew denser with every passing second.

It felt like someone was taking over Kael’s body, changing the very nature of his soul.

To make things clear, Arthur gazed into Kael’s soul but found no changes in it. The soul had stayed the same.

Before he could make a move, Kael raised his head to look into Arthur’s eyes.

"...!"

Arthur felt a shiver, however small it was.

It wasn’t from fear.

No.

It felt like staring into something you shouldn’t have.

The feeling wasn’t oppressive, but it was there.

The one you feel when fighting monsters of the highest ranks.

It couldn’t be described, but it was there.

And...

With it, Arthur could also see those dead black eyes.

The darkness in them seemed to have come alive. When Arthur had first met Kael, he had felt something similar—

But at that time, the feeling was more like the darkness that was hidden in Kael’s soul.

Now it was similar to a living entity.

It was no longer an abstract concept, but the actualization of that darkness.

Was this Kael’s true self?

Did he awaken it with the injury that Kael suffered?

"I think the training’s enough for today. You should rest and heal those injuries.

We will continue the session in the evening."

Arthur said what he felt was the best thing to do.

Kael didn’t seem in the best state of mind.

Kael’s eyes held disregard for everything around him.

Arthur knew the kid—the man before him was Kael Frost.

But somewhere deep inside his conscience, he felt uneasy. He felt like he should help bring Kael out of whatever state he was currently in—

But another part of him felt like he shouldn’t touch things beyond his station.

Still, he had to try.

"Don’t overextend your body."

Arthur’s voice was softer than before.

But it was met with indifference.

No... that wasn’t the right word. Kael wasn’t indifferent; he was simply engrossed in his own world.

Arthur observed as Kael inspected the sword in his hand.

It was strange. A moment prior, Kael was sparring with him using the same sword, but now he looked at it like it was something new.

Something he had touched for the first time.

Kael balanced the sword in his hand and then, after some thought, held it in his right hand.

Huh?!

Though the change was minor, Arthur felt it.

Kael’s centre of gravity had changed. His posture felt like he was in complete control of his body.

Before, Kael used the sword as a weapon to wield...

Now it felt like the sword was an extension of his body.

The difference wasn’t visible enough for a normal person, but for Arthur, it was like heaven and hell.

Even many veterans of war failed in the very way they wielded their weapons.

They used them as tools to fight.

But in reality, weapons were meant to extend the reach of your body—to strike at places where your hands couldn’t reach.

To increase your movements and... unpredictability.

Fighting with your hands and body was the best thing, but after some time, it would soon reach its potential.

That was where weapons came into effect.

Such a simple thing, but easily ignored.

Even if taught, people couldn’t understand the difference between wielding it and making it your own.

But Kael had somehow changed his way of fighting moments after the spar.

Such sudden enlightenment shouldn’t have been possible for even the most gifted people.

"Let’s spar again, shall we?"

Kael wouldn’t budge to rest no matter what Arthur said.

So, having no choice, Arthur felt it was time to educate Kael again.

Little did he know, he would be the one educated.

Spurt!

Kael’s sword made a wound on Arthur’s neck despite him trying to evade the blow.

He had underestimated the level of Kael’s will to win.

Kael had purposefully pierced his body with Arthur’s sword to hold it in place before proceeding with his attack.

Kael’s regeneration wouldn’t allow him to die.

An effective use of all his cards.

For an outsider, the battle may have felt like some trading of blows, but Arthur knew better.

Arthur had attacked Kael according to the latter’s plan.

It wasn’t like Arthur couldn’t see through Kael’s trap.

No, that would have been pathetic.

Kael’s plans were like traps Arthur knew he was walking into, but had to respond in kind due to the nature of the situation.

Each blow was tailored, planned in a way that Arthur would counterattack only in specific patterns.

It felt like a lie to hear.

But that was the reality Arthur had to accept.

Instincts weren’t everything, nor were calculations.

A synthesis between the two was what one could call—

The basics of a fight.