4 A Genius Commander

Over time, everyone got to know each other, but there was still Blade and Leo, who did not get along. Blade had a high standard on boys, Leo did not fit into his image at all. He simply could not accept this weakling. Leo was no different, he knew that Blade was stronger than him, but he didn't want to be treated like that. In the meantime, there were only 5 days left until they would leave the kingdom and went exploring. Leo was convinced of his abilities but he never stopped worrying.

Not only because of the cooperation of the group, but also because of the many dangers that this world hid.

(„What will become of me, how am I supposed to survive on my own. I can only rely on others for now...it's my only choice...")

The most surprising thing for him was the development of Marah. In one week she made incredible progress with black magic. The reason why this magic was so dangerous is that the black smoke was not only deadly but also absorbed mana from the environment. When iron or similar metals came into contact with it, corrosion occurred extremely quickly, literally dissolving non magic armor and weapons. But this was not the best or most frightening ability of this magic. One could create a so-called shadow image. This shadow imitated the user and mirrored his movements and attacks, it had a mind of it's own and protected the user at all times. A black reflection that could not be destroyed by swords or arrows sounded absurd but it was possible. However, if the user suffers severe injuries, it disappears immediately. It consumes an incredibly large amount of mana to maintain this shadow. It can take years before one can use this ability. But Marah already showed signs of it after 3 weeks, she was truly a chosen one. Instead of listening to the praise, she preferred to talk to Leo. On the other hand Adrian had reached a very high fighting level that could match elite warriors, even the knights had no chance against him. It came just in time that the commander, who would accompany them on their journey, arrived at the training ground. The five were surprised, he was almost the same age as them. Truly, Jures Grae was the youngest commander the kingdom has ever had. From a young age he was a prodigy, surpassing the talent of all others. He was a man of discipline but also of justice. Unlike other commanders, he sat down at a table with his soldiers and treated them like himself outside the battlefield. Leo liked this attitude, his goal was to make friends with him immediately. In battle, Grae did not use a sword and shield but two smaller swords, with which he was more mobile and energetic. Although he had no real cover it looked like he easily dodged or countered any attack. His joyful nature made him easier to deal with. Of course, he wasn't just there for tactical discussions and threat intelligence, most of his interest was in the abilities of the five. For himself, he wanted to assess whether they had the full potential to be heroes. He dealt with each in turn. After a few words everyone was tested at the training ground. Graes eyes lit up, he wanted to fight very badly.

"A longsword style, how exciting. Show me what true wind magic looks like, hahaha!"

Grae was not only a gifted fighter but also a battle junkie.

"..."

Adrian concentrated and summoned a huge tornado that even surrounded almost the entire training ground. When Grae was in the middle of the storm, he attacked him with lightning-fast blows and then disappeared again in a flash into the tornado's vortexes. But for Grae, this tornado was no great challenge. Instead of being caught in the vortices and flying across the streams, he flew with them. As a bird flies in the air so coordinated did Grae fly toward Adrian, who was suddenly the hunted. He had relied too much on his aerial advantage that he ran out of attacks. Grae swung his swords himself like a tornado and shot Adrian to the ground with the help of the currents. The tornado dissipated and Grae landed on the ground unharmed.

"Not bad, the idea with the vortex is good. However, you should also be able to fight on the ground, after all, the real battle takes place there. If you're lucky then you can maintain the vortexes for 10 minutes and then continue fighting without mana. I think a ranged weapon is better for you, but we'll find out in the next few days. So from now on, there's only normal combat training without magic for you."

"Tsk..."

Adrian walked off in a huff, watching Grae from a distance, he had found a true opponent in him.

"I'd better pass, from what I've observed I'm completely without a chance."

"What was your name? Luke? Oh, the water mage with healing magic. I'll skip your training this time, we desperately need a healing mage. But next time you will train with me. Remember, your healing magic is only as good as your ability to defend others and yourself.

"Yes, Sir Grae!"

Luke breathed a sigh of relief and continued to practice expanding his mana.

"Blade is next. I see you have a broadsword, let me see what you can do with it big guy"

"You're about to be surprised, Mr. Prodigy. Let's see how long you can last."

"Oh quite a wild one, I like that. Just make sure you don't trip over your weapon."

Blade ran at him head on while grinding his sword on the ground. As he raised it head-on, flames erupted, forming two lines that raced along the ground toward Grae. Immediately after, he swung the sword sideways, two waves of fire erupted and flew across the air directly at Grae. His plan was to immobilize his opponent and narrow his space. The line on the ground made his opponent dodge to the left or right. During this time, he would summon the fire wave that would take out Grae. So he would have to dodge to the left or right first. Already in motion, the wave would rush towards him in the air so that he had no evasion possibilities. It was Blades special weapon: the dragon fire net. But Grae was not a normal opponent, magic was just another word for him. He took his position and let the fire rush towards him. Quick as a flash he dodged the lines, instead of avoiding the waves of fire he just cut them apart and jumped straight at Blade. Grae was much faster than him and so he forced Blade to block for so long that he had no strength left to attack. Blade's defenses crumbled, Grae held his blades to his neck: It was Blades loss.

"Too naive! Do you really think that every opponent will be killed with your special attack? You wouldn't stand a chance against a fast opponent like that. You have to learn to anticipate attacks and counter them at the right moment. Permanently blocking only consumes stamina and energy. You mobility is very low, your survival against mutiple opponents lays in the hand of others. Your mana was still as good as full and yet you didn't use magic after 2 attacks. The weight of the weapon doesn't seem to be a problem for you, then it should be easier for you to implement my advice. Tomorrow we will go over your attitude and fighting style."

"Che, I was just a little careless, next time you'll see what I'm really capable of."

Grae was actually a calm soldier who always kept his cool. Still he didn't like soldiers talking back to him and spout nonsense.

"Do i have to repeat myself Blade ? Lack of concentration leads to death in battle. You don't use your mana enough. Your attacks were too slow and your swordplay too crooked. If you use your magic better, you can expand, strengthen, and better coordinate your attacks. Your attack pattern is frontal based, you are vulnerable from the sides. In one on one you may have the advantage, but against multiple opponents you won't survive long in that condition. So think before going into battle so naive and ignorant and get your ego out of your ass!"

Blade just gave a nasty look and left the training area.

"Well, I guess we're done with that. Where's that other prodigy training black magic. I'll be your personal trainer, haven't seen anyone with that magic in a long time. As long as you follow my advice, we can raise your level of magic control before the expedition."

A bit shyly, Marah walked towards him, holding two daggers in her hand. These were her favorite weapons, which she used most of the time. When he noticed the black smoke he started to smile, he was all too related to this technique. He took his 2 short blades and held them together. Suddenly smoke came out of the metal, both blades turned black. In the next moment, a longer thin sword formed, resembling a katana.

"You're probably wondering how I did that. The answer lies in advanced black magic. One of my swords is not a real. Just as you can make a shadow fight for you, you can simply duplicate the shadow as a weapon. Instead of the shadow dissolving when the user takes damage, you can stop or at least slow down the process by fusing them together with a normal weapon of the same type. Eventually you'll be fighting with only one weapon again, if you're lucky the fight will be over by then. But how can I even use this self-developed technique if I don't have magic, let alone black magic? This is another reason why black magic is feared on the battlefield, the unique thing about it is that the user directly doesn't need to know black magic themselves. You can simply exchange mana for life energy. But this is a game of death, the lower the willpower and strengh the faster the life is stolen. So it usually happens that the user just drops dead the next day because the life theft is not limited to the use. Constantly, second by second, you are sucked out until you are left without a mind and your body decomposes from the inside. Most of those who tried this technique committed suicide shortly after, they could not stand the agony. Only if one has a strong will and energy core can one limit this lifesteal. If I am not fully concentrated at all times while holding this sword, then I may be left incapacitated and mindless. Understandably, this technique has been banned for a very long time. My curiosity almost got me killed, instead I got incredibly lucky."

What Grae told sounded like a horror movie but it was reality. This was also the reason that the other two had a hard time using their attacks with full power, Grae's weapon sucked up their mana to a small extent. When he was a child, he went into the Hall of Magic Treasures without permission and sneaked into the forbidden area. In front of him he saw a book, which was surrounded by black smoke. Without thinking, he reached into the smoke, immediately a black cloud swirled around him, with huge agony he went down. The mages heard his screams and found the boy lying there unconscious. While everyone already declared him as good as dead, his parents held on to hope. Incredibly, after a day, the black smoke disappeared and the boy woke up unharmed. The wonder boy of the new generation now became even more famous. Against the decision of his parents and the commanders, he began to study magic and after 5 years managed to use magic without effort. Still, he and everyone else knew that his energy would eventually run out. The mages gave him a maximum of 30 years of life by constant use in battle, but Grae was determined to prove them wrong. He hadn't seen his family in 7 years, he was too afraid that his presence would harm his parents and sister, that their reputation would be dragged through the mud because their only son betrayed and endangered them. And this same Grae was standing here on the training grounds at the age of 24, using the most dangerous magic just to practice with someone. No one knew if he was just an idiot who had already lost his mind or a naive but determined soldier fully aware of the risk.

Marah walked up to him and literally bubbled with anger.

"Are you aware?"

"What exactly do you mean, young lady?"

"Are you aware of how much of a burden you place on your friends and others? You may not care, but your family does, you'll just leave them alone! They don't even know if you're still alive let alone how you're wasting your life so carelessly, how can anyone be so arro-"

"Stop talking about guilt and recklessness when you have no idea! You know nothing about me, I am a commander of the kingdom and am fully aware of my responsibilities. Everything else comes after, the less they know the better. I put this burden on myself and to this day I think it was the right decision. Besides, they wouldn't recognize me anyway..."

Annoyed and provoked by Marah's words, he took a deep breath and calmed down. He was THE commander, throwing a tantrum would only leave him in doubt.

Marah didn't say another word and attacked him. As if transformed, her attacks and movements were almost perfectly coordinated. It was as if her rage accelerated her progress many times over. Grae was just barely keeping up with her movements, he was lightning fast but she was getting even faster. He changed his fighting style and limited himself to counterattacks. Grae thought that her anger would eventually be her undoing and she would become unfocused. But this didn't happen, soon he was just blocking and barely got to do his planned attacks himself. Just before he could make his special attack Marah staggered backwards and fell unconscious. She had not only used up her mana, but also part of her life force. Grae was completely surprised, her fighting talent was on his level. But to him, it was even more amazing that she could use both her mana and life force as fuel."

("Where does such an extraordinary talent come from? And I'm supposed to be a prodigy...ridiculous.")

„Don't worry, she'll be back on her feet in a few hours. The black smoke has no dangerous effect on her for now. Her life energy will not be consumed any further, as an advanced and unique magic user there is no risk of advanced life stealing especially since she used it for the first time without any significant flaws."

Leo took Marah to her room where she was treated by Luke. He was also very surprised, but more concerned about her health. Grae announced that today's training was over. Leo had already thought something like that. Why train with a person who had no talent in fighting or magic? Everyone left and went to their rooms to rest. Adrian and Blade, however, refused and trained for a few more hours. Late that evening, Leo read through various books on the weaknesses of the creatures and monsters they were likely to encounter along the way. What he saw in the drawings send a shiver down his spine, how could such monsters exist? They still had their weakpoints which were slim but decisive. It's one thing to know it theoretically but another to apply it to different situations. Leo looked at it more like a formula from school. In the tests it came up but in a different form, because of that many were not prepared for it. It was harder to find the solution. And he didn't want to spend minutes thinking about what to do and lose valuable time. As he was studying combat patterns, there was a knock on his door: in front of him was Commander Grae, who wanted to talk to him.

"You probably think that I am no different than the other people. That you're pretty much useless in combat and more of a target than a threat. But I don't get my information from the sources of the royal family and its followers, I didn't become a commander so young for nothing. You haven't noticed it, but from day one, one of my...lets call them ravens, has been watching you. The other four I could test in battle, but you were a mystery to me until recently. I have a strong suspicion about you, so I have a little test planned for you or should I say for the both of us. Let's see what you are made of."