First Kill
Zion spent the entire day practicing, his movements becoming more fluid and confident with each passing hour. He practiced the techniques Elijah had taught him, and he also worked on his own, experimenting with different moves and strategies.
As the sun began to set, Zion finally stopped to rest, his muscles aching but his spirit exhilarated. He felt like he had made a major breakthrough, like he had finally grasped the essence of sword fighting.
Elijah appeared beside him, a nod of approval on his face. "You're looking good, Zion," he said. "You've got the basics down, and you're starting to develop your own style."
Zion grinned, feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment. "Thanks, Elijah," he said. "I've been practicing really hard."
Elijah smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "I can see that," he said. "You're a talented boy, Zion. You've got a real talent for this."
Zion's heart swelled with pride at Elijah's words. He knew he still had a lot to learn, but he felt like he was on the right track.
Aria appeared beside them, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "I think Zion's ready for the next level, Elijah," she said.
Elijah raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smile on his face. "Oh? And what makes you think that?" he asked.
Aria grinned mischievously. "I've been watching him practice," she said. "He's got the skills, Elijah. He's just needs to learn how to use them in a real fight."
Elijah nodded thoughtfully, his eyes never leaving Zion's face. "I think you might be right, Aria," he said. "Zion, are you ready to take your training to the next level?"
"I'm always ready!" Zion exclaimed. No one could be as ready as he was.
Elijah smiled. "But before that, I need the two of you to go into the woods nearby and gather some firewood for dinner," he said to them. "Remember to take your sword with you," he said to Zion.
"Okay," Zion replied and they immediately set off to the woods.
>>>
The sun beat down on the two youngsters as they walked through the woods, gathering firewood for the night's dinner. Zion and Aria walked side by side, their baskets slung over their arms.
As they walked, the trees seemed to grow closer together, casting deep shadows that made it difficult to see. Zion suddenly stopped, his head cocked to one side.
"What is it, Zion?" Aria asked, her voice low and even.
Zion's eyes were fixed on something in the distance. "I don't know," he whispered. "But I think something's coming."
Aria's eyes widened as she looked around.
And then, out of nowhere, a creature burst from the underbrush. It was small, no bigger than a large dog, but its body was twisted and deformed, its skin a mass of scars and welts.
Aria let out a cry of alarm as the creature charged towards her, its jaws open wide. Zion reacted instinctively, his sword flashing in the sunlight as he leapt to defend her.
"Get back, Aria!" he shouted, his sword slicing through the air.
The creature was fast and agile, but Zion was determined to protect Aria. He could not let what happened to his father repeat a second time. He swung his sword in wide arcs, trying to keep the monster at bay.
With a swift and deadly strike, Zion struck the monster down, its body crashing to the ground with a thud.
'I did it. I killed my first monster! This is how I'm going to kill all of you, I swear it!'
Aria let out a sigh of relief as Zion turned to her, his sword still trembling with the force of his blow.
"Thanks, Zion," she said, her eyes shining with gratitude.
Zion smiled faintly . He had protected Aria, and he had used his training to defeat the Rank monster.
Aria walked over to him, her eyes fixed on the monster's body. "Thank you for saving me, Zion," she said, not knowing what she would have done without him.
"But why didn't you try to fight back?" Zion suddenly asked her with a frown on his face. "You could have transformed into your beast form and fight but you didn't. What if I wasn't here to protect you, something could have happened to you." He didn't know what he could have done if something really had happened to her.
"I am sorry, Zion but the truth is that I can't transform," Aria replied, looking lost and sad.
"What do you mean by that?" Zion asked, also confused. "The last time we met, you were in your beast form so..."
"It's true but I didn't know I did it. It just came out of nowhere," Aria replied.
Zion didn't know what to make of this but he thought hard about, wanting to come up with a quick solution. The girl could not transform whenever she wanted... That means, something could have triggered her transformation and that perhaps is what he needed to know.
"What happened to you that caused you to transform?" He suddenly asked her.
"I can not remember," Aria replied while trying to hide her face.
"I see," Zion muttered. 'She doesn't want to speak...'
"I'm sorry, Zion. I just—"
"It's fine if you don't want to speak," Zion said, cutting through her speech. "But don't expect me to save you next time if you are in danger." His voice was gentle but Aria knew that he was upset from the way he was speaking.
"I'm sorry —"
"Let's go home," Zion, not allowing her to finish her speech said and carried the woods they had gathered, and began to walk back home. During their journey, no one spoke a word to each other, not even Aria who loved chatting many much.
Zion on his part wasn't truly angry, he only pretended to be so that Aria could open up to him because he feels that there is alot she is hiding from him. He hoped that with him threatening her, she would be able to open to him soon.
When they got back home, they dropped the firewoods behind the house and went to join Elijah who was in the kitchen. Seeing their faces when they returned, Elijah knew that something had happened.
"How was your trip to gather firewoods?" He asked them, his eyes scanning their faces.
Aria and Zion glanced at each other before narrating everything that had happened in the woods. Elijah listened, his eyes never leaving Zion.
And when Zion was done, Elijah nodded thoughtfully. "If you were able to defeat a monster, it means it's the weakest of them but I am glad that you were able to protect her. It shows that you are learning excellently."
Zion smiled faintly. "Thank you, Elijah. It's all thanks to you that I was able to do that. If it were before, I'd have end up cowering in fear before that weak monster," he said and Elijah laughed.
Then facing Aria, Elijah said. "Why couldn't you turn into your beast form? Don't you know that this simple act of yours could have led to the death of the one you call a friend? If your friend is in danger, you must act fast because any delay would really mess things up for not just you, but your friends as well. I understand that you may have your difficulties but you need to improve on yourself, take this as your training. If you really want to become a beast slayer, you must be willing to sacrifice."
"I am sorry, Uncle," Aria said, her head lowered. Her foolish actions made her hurt the two important persons that accepted her regardless of what she is.
"You don't have to apologize to me, you did nothing wrong to me," Elijah replied and continued with what he was doing.
It struck Aria that yes, Elijah was right. The person she wronged was Zion. As such, she had to apologize to him but unfortunately, Zion didn't give her any chance to do so as he walked away from her even before she could say anything.