To build a man...

* * *

"What is it that you fear?"

I look at the man across from me, letting the words hang on my mind just in case I need to double check my answer. There are a few things that I could say, but I'll go with the most prominent.

"Abandonment," I say, locking eyes with the man. I don't let my ego distract me from saying the truth. He nods, stepping forward.

"And why do you wish to master your weapon?" He asks. His eyes are steely with determination, as if I answered well.

"To keep up with everyone and to protect myself,"

The man chuckles, looking at the ground. He seems entertained this time, although not exactly approving.

"Quite the selfish motivation, young one," He says, looking up at me. "I trust you will find more valiant motivation in the future, regardless."

A sword appears in his hand, one identical to mine. His presence feels elegant and graceful, almost infallible. He draws his sword and assumes a stance, his sword low and to the ground in the form of a tail guard. Suddenly, I can feel his mana as if it's my own flowing through my body.

At first, it feels as brutish as the technique from the school manual... yet it's not. Every bit of mana inside me is accounted for, a complete control of the body. I take a deep breath, my pupils contracting and getting smaller as I watch his movements.

He slowly draws his blade forward in a simple arc before swirling his mana and sending it out of his body. It creates a mirror image of him and his sword not far from the real thing, transparent white mana in the form of a man. The mana clone swings in the path he had made beforehand, assuming the same position as his body.

He then swings his sword again, the mana clone following suit. Judging from what I feel right now, it should be fairly difficult for me to master... but feeling his mana move in this space helps a lot. It's like linking our souls, albeit temporarily.

I watch as he makes a series of swings, seemingly a different technique. The mana clone is likely just to bolster the offensive capabilities. I watch his movements even closer now, like a hawk. Even if I can't learn from seeing it once, I can damn sure pay attention and then re-enact later.

His blade leaves trails of mana in its wake that seem to expand seconds after he swings, drawing his blades former trajectory. It's as if it's a dance rather than a technique meant to kill. Elegance and grace where there shouldn't be.

The man smiles when he notices my attention, an old and proud smile. It's like a shock of validation runs through him when he sees my rapt expression. He continues the movement before stopping, sheathing the sword. He bows to his imaginary target and then to me, likely out of habit rather than true respect.

"This, young one, is a technique that can carry you onto the median ranks of combat when utilized correctly," He says, crossing his arms. He went from kinda mean and stingy to 'grandpa wants to impress grandkids' in no time. "For now, it is all I shall show you. Return to the sword space when you feel you can show ample mastery in the technique, and I may teach more."

I stay silent for a moment, still just staring up at him. This man... he's amazing and... surprisingly more human than he tried to portray upon our first meeting. I nod, looking at the ground before returning my gaze to him.

"Thank you, sir." 

* * *

I find myself laid back down on my bed, the sword at my side. I stare at the ceiling a while, simply processing the experience and the feeling. Standing up, I draw mana and circulate it throughout my body. It's nowhere near as precise as it felt in the... sword space, is what he called it. Regardless, I swirl my mana into a spherical pattern before attempting to surge it outside my own body.

The skin on my bicep tears in multiple small places, the scars not holding up with the feeling of my mana throttling against it. Damn, that hurts. I still achieve some semblance of success though, a burst of red mana leaving my left arm. It forms the vague outline of my arm and a sword before crumbling immediately, not having the concentration to sustain it.

This is gonna take a while to get the hang of. I should just work the basics like mana control and mana efficiency instead of trying these techniques. That would be smarter... but I feel like I've been learning through failure thus far.

I grab a towel and begin pressing it against my left arm, using it to wipe the minor blood that comes from the tears on my skin. It stings a good bit, but not enough to truly deter me from trying again soon... but I'll probably wait until tomorrow morning.

I sheathe my sword and sit on the bed, taking a deep breath and just thinking... meditating, almost. I'm just rewinding his technique over and over in my head, like a song that sticks around and bounces in your skull.

A dance of blades as elegant as the wind and as destructive as a gale. The man stood tall with pride as he showcased his craft, a pinnacle of power that I can't quite gauge yet.

It's not the strongest thing I've seen, as that would have to go to the magic during the attack on Cleras, but it's certainly the most precise and elegant. A pinnacle of swordsmanship... from my perspective, of course.

He said that it would carry me to the median ranks, so that probably means it's a B- to B+ technique. I guess it's the difference between offensive AOE magic versus short range swordsmanship technique. Knowing that such an intriguing technique is just around B rank makes me think of the spectacle that late-stage swordsmanship will bring.

One day, I can replicate such an amazing technique... or even make my own. One day, I can stand at the peak of this world... I just have to survive.

* * *

Today, I woke up early again. I get dressed and change into a different pair of clothes, walking out of my dorm and towards the classroom. It's a new day, nice and bright.

I feel eyes on me and, for once, I turn to look at where it's coming from. I look out the window and towards an anterior building roof, spotting a pair of dog ears poking out from a rooftop... like they crouched when I might spot them.

That's really weird. If they were going to harm me, they would've done so already... but I still get a tiny bit of a weird feeling for that half second.

The pair of ears disappear behind cover, now fully gone. I keep walking, rubbing the back of my neck slightly. This world gets weirder and weirder every day.

I enter the classroom, walking in and closing the door behind me. It seems Gram didn't try waking me up this time, as he's already sat in his chair. I walk towards my chair, taking a seat and looking around. Variel is set up for class, as is everyone else.

* * *