Chapter 27

Serene's POV

"What do you think I have been trying to do?" I was so angry right now.

"I didn't blame you, what I meant was try spending time with another guy. That will help avert everyone's attention quickly." He was hesitant while speaking.

"Oh! I see," now I understood what he was trying to say. Not that I agreed but he did have a point. Ayrden put her hand on my shoulder: "We will discuss it tonight, Arlo makes a good point. These girls are not gonna stop now that they have made a girl gang." She made sense.

It was time for our Combat class, so we left for the Training Hall. I wanted to hit something to take out all the frustration. Sarim Sensei was there to greet us. He asked us to put our backpacks aside and line up in front of him. Lavaria Sensei, Alvene and the boy with silver hair from earlier were also there.

"Those of you who had earlier class can move to the rear end and practice, while newcomers follow me outside. Alvene you are to oversee them here."

He brought us outside to the huge training grounds. "Complete two laps around the ground." He shouted at us.

We went to the starting spot and began running. One lap was around 1 km. I loved running in the forest back home so I had huge stamina. Some of us were struggling but most of us completed the laps without much effort.

"Alright folks, so most of you have good stamina. From tomorrow onwards it will be three laps and we will keep increasing them gradually. Let's get started with the first lesson. We will start with the basic martial arts training and Lavaria Sensei will oversee it." Sarim Sensei informed us as we lined up after completing the laps.

Oh! great I sucked at martial arts and had never bothered learning it. Now, I am gonna make a spectacle of myself in front of everyone, I thought.

"Martial Art is a compulsory part of your training. It will benefit you in establishing better coordination and honing your self-defence skills. It will come in handy for you during battles and duels because it will make your movements swift and you will have a greater chance of dodging an enemy attack." Lavaria Sensei explained the basics.

Then he divided us into pairs for practice. Each of us was paired with a senior. Ayrden and the brown hair boy were paired with Lavaria and Sarim Sensei, respectively. The silver-haired senior was paired with me.

"Hi! I am Zilver" he extended his hand towards me and I shook it introducing myself. Even his name was similar to his hair which was very long and neatly tied in a ponytail. I couldn't make out what his tattoo meant but it looked like a moon with a lightning bolt going inside it. His eyes were silvery grey and he was very tall and broad.

I had almost zero martial arts skills so I was afraid he was gonna crush me. "I don't have much clue about Martial Arts," I told him frankly.

" Nothing to worry about, that is why you are here to learn and I will guide you step by step." His voice and demeanour were calm and he wasn't looking down upon me. We then began practising the basics. He taught me two to three basic techniques which could help me overpower opponents double my size. I was thoroughly enjoying learning new techniques and it wasn't as bad as I had thought.

After about half an hour of practice, he told me to use what I had taught him. I was reluctant but he reassured me with a smile. I tried leg sweeps and evasion tactics but he was way fast. He didn't stay put in one place and was constantly moving, so all my attacks went in vain and I always ended up on the ground with him lending me a hand to stand back up.

Phew, I was exhausted when I fell for the tenth time and raised my hands. "I am out," he began to laugh. "Not bad for your first day, keep practising and you will get the hang of it." He smiled at me.

"Or, it will be the death of me," I blurted out while trying to breathe. "Nothing can be achieved without some blood and sweat." He smiled again.

"Good point," as I got back to my feet. Lavaria Sensei was watching us, and he came closer: "You need to read other people's movements, analyze how they are gonna attack you next. Focus on their strong hand or leg. Always remember to read your opponent." He offered some tips.

"I am trying but Zilver is too fast." I blurted out. "It's because he has more training than you. Patience and daily training is the key to perfect martial arts. Don't worry you will get there, keep trying and never giving up is the main objective here." As he straightened my hand and corrected my leg movements.

Sarim Sensei blew his whistle and announced the ending of our class. I think everyone sighed with relief. This felt like an eternity-long hour. "Tomorrow, we will commence training from here, you will have the same partners for a week before seniors go back to their own training. So make good use of this time from them. Today's classes are over, you people can head back to your rooms."

I thanked Zilver and Lavaria Sensei and made my way back to Ayrden. She looked as exhausted as me, her face was full of dirt and her hands looked swollen.

"Damn, you look even worse than me." I tried to be sympathetic. " Yeah, he didn't go easy on me at all." She laughed.

We took our backpacks and headed back. I saw Zeph while climbing the stairs, he was a bit ahead of us and looked as perfect as always without a speck of dirt on him and perfect looks. He was deep in conversation with Ralph who was shaking his head. I tried to avert my gaze but it was impossible not to stare at him.

" Hello," Ayrden's voice brought me back to reality. "Where are you lost? You alright?" She asked.

" Yes yes, just lost track of time."

We reached our room, I placed my backpack in the cupboard and took out fresh clothes and towels and headed for the washroom to get fresh.

The cold water against my skin felt so good. I washed off all the dirt with soap. Standing under the running water, I began to think of tomorrow and the possibility of losing my senses again.

What if it happens in front of everyone, I will become a laughing stock again. But, Artins Sensei promised to go with me and I am sure he had something planned. I got out of the shower deep in thought.

"You can talk to me you know," Ayrden said calmly looking concerned because of my facial expressions. "It's nothing much, just thinking about tomorrow."

"Arlo's option is not a bad one you know, I am sure those girls will leave you alone once they see you with someone else. Besides, I think Arlo has a crush on you. He never speaks to anyone, except you and creepily stares at you." She winked.

"Umm, what?" My eyes were wide open. "You gotta be kidding me. Damn, I can't deal with all this."

"He is not a bad option, though. Take your time and think about it," she smiled. "I am heading for the common room to play some board games. You wanna come?"

"Nah, I am gonna process all this and turn in early. I feel like tomorrow is gonna be a long day."

"See you soon then." Ayrden waved and left I just flopped on my bed trying to make sense of today's events.