Ray sat in his room, staring out the window, and replaying in his mind what he had seen moments ago.

  Julia and Aidan were sparring. Julia held the sword point down, between her legs. Her eyes were fixed on Aidan, who knelt before her, panting.

  He took a deep breath and shot to his feet. Holding the sword next to his hip and slightly lower, he rushed forward. Julia stood utterly still, her sword unmoving. Aidan swung his sword upwards, diagonally.

  Julia’s sword disappeared for a moment before connecting with Aidan’s as his sword went flying. Her blade inches away from his face.

  “You still have a long way to go, Aidan,” she said as she sheathed her sword and walked away.

  He blinked—the dust had settled in his memory. He was no longer at the training grounds, but stood in his room. A smile appeared on his face. “I can see it now,” he muttered as he lay on his bed. Her sword’s movement!

  His vision blurred as he dozed off.

  The sun rose, as it does every day. Its light filtered through the window as it landed on Ray’s face. He lay still for a moment before the loud ringing snapped him awake. “Five more minutes, damn it,” he grumbled into his pillow.

  But he then decided to get up as the bell never stopped. He washed his face and strode downstairs and saw the children eating. The smell of milk and eggs filled the air. He yawned as he entered the hall. The children stared at him. Elaira was the first to speak. “You are the representative. How can you wake up so late?” Some other children followed suit and insulted him.

  Ray ignored them and sat down to eat. Elaira and Sera kept bothering him, but the only thought on his mind was Julia’s sword path. He kept replaying it in his head while eating.

  Meanwhile, at the training grounds, Julia asked the guards to bring the children while she stood near a rack stacked with wooden weapons. The children arrived after a while, and everyone rushed to greet Julia immediately. Ray slowly walked to the training ground, still yawning.

  Cedric cleared his throat, and everyone quieted down. “Today, we will test your fighting capabilities.” His voice was high as usual. Some children looked at each other with concern, while the southerners looked excited. Ray, as usual, looked unbothered. I can brawl pretty well.

  Cedric continued, “It will be like a tournament, and those who win can ask for something.”

  The children’s faces immediately lit up, and they started cheering. Julia then instructed the children to grab their preferred weapons and form a line.

  Ray chose a sword, Elaira chose two daggers, Sera chose a spear, and Jon chose a sword as well. Cedric adjusted his coat again and opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by Elaira. “Listen here, I would like to spar with him for the representative position.” Sera and Jon followed and asked for a spar with Ray.

  “I sure am popular, aren’t I?” He scoffed.

  Cedric almost started cursing, but Julia calmed him down. He raised an eyebrow once again. “I will allow it. First match, Sera and Ray.”

  The children formed a circle, and some climbed on top of each other to get a better view.

  Ray stood yawning, while Sera readied herself in a position to thrust. She’s going for a thrust. Obvious. Let’s see…

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  He immediately mirrored Julia’s stance—sword held low, point angled between his legs. Julia’s eyes widened. I did let him watch yesterday, but how is his Alber stance this good already?

  Cedric smirked and raised his hand. “Begin!”

  Sera immediately rushed forward and thrust her spear at his chest. Just like Julia's, his sword disappeared, but it didn’t connect with Sera’s spear.

  His sword missed while her spear landed straight on his chest, sending him crashing through the ground as dust flew everywhere.

  Julia looked at Cedric. “Did you see that?”

  “Yes, he understands the move, but not his mind,” he said, chuckling.

  Ray coughed as he stood up. Why did I close my eyes?

  Sera frowned. “Are you mocking me? Your sword stance… was perfect, so why did you hesitate?”

  He brushed the dirt off his clothes. She’s fast on her feet, like she’s used to running uphill. He readied his stance again. “Come at me, Sera.”

  She swung her spear, and Ray took a step back, and his sword disappeared again. But this time it connected. Her spear went flying through the air, and his blade stopped inches from her face.

  “The winner is Ray,” Cedric announced with a smile that touched his ears. The children who seemed to mock him cheered for him.

  Julia smiled. He realised that Sera’s attack depended on speed, so even though his stance was perfect and his eyes closed instinctively, his sword didn’t connect.

  Sera clenched her fists. “I’ll defeat you next time.” While Ray smiled, “I learned something from you as well, Sera.”

  She turned around and walked away.

  Cedric grunted, “Ray, since you won, you can ask for one thing.” Without a second thought, Ray asked, “Is there a library I can use?” Cedric nodded. “Then I want permission to enter whenever I want.” Cedric smiled again, “Granted. Now, next match, Elaira and Ray.”

  “Will I get another wish if I win?”

  Cedric frowned. Smart brat. “Yes… You will…”

  Ray smirked, “Alright then.”

  But to everyone’s surprise—including his own—Ray lost. Elaira stood over him, pointing one of her daggers at his throat.

  Silence fell over the training grounds until Elaira spoke. “Why did you use a different stance?”

  I tried the blue boy’s stance, but it didn’t work out well.

  Julia asked Cedric, “Why would he not use the Alber stance again? It would have worked against Elaira’s attack.”

  Cedric, whose eyes widened, coughed, “It seems he’s trying new things.” His potential increased… How?

  Ray raised his hands and stood. “I lost. Congratulations, Elaira.”

  She turned away. “Hmph, at least you understand.” She then looked at Cedric. “So, am I the representative now?” To which he just nodded.

  In the next match, Jon challenged Elaira, but he lost as well. The other matches continued until sunset. Elaira was the final victor. When asked what she wanted, she replied, “I got the representative position, so I want nothing else.” The children returned to the dormitory, while Ray followed Julia to the underground library. “The library isn’t going anywhere; rest for the day.”

  Ray shook his head. Julia sighed and led him inside. “If you need anything, just ask the guards outside.” She closed the door behind her, leaving Ray alone inside.

  The library was gigantic. Tall shelves extended as far as Ray could see. The dim lighting reflected in his blonde hair. His warm enthusiasm strayed from the cold stone walls. He smiled as if he were in heaven. His footsteps broke the oppressive silence. The scent of aged parchment and dust covered the shelves. “There should be one here.” He muttered as he started searching for something. He kept searching, forgetting to put the books back in their place. Until, “There it is.”

  He grabbed a book titled ‘Heroes of Aestoriah.’ A reasonably large book that encapsulated all the heroic deeds of people. Ray slumped on the ground and opened the book. “Come on, come on,” Ray muttered, flipping through the thick pages. “Heroes of the North… Heroes of the South…”

  Then he saw it. ‘Cedric Korax.’ He smiled. “Found you.”

  The pages contained Cedric’s sketches and his accomplishments. “Wow, he looked… just like any other guy.” He skimmed through the minor parts until his finger hovered over something that seemed important.

  ‘Cedric Korax played a crucial role in the War of the Worst. A year before the war, Cedric disappeared, and when he returned, he trained the strongest royal army on the continent. Some say he had divine intervention. Some say he encountered a dragon. But nobody knows what happened. After the War, Cedric Korax received the title, Timeless Strategist.’

  “Dragons…do they really exist?” he questioned, scratching his head. He flipped through the book. “Let’s see who else is here.”

  As he continued, he paused, and his eyes widened as he saw the following sketch: “That’s… Duval!”