CH-28: A Practice Run and An Early Gift

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The first snow had just fallen yesterday, blanketing the garden in white and shrouding the view of the Eiffel Tower in fog.

I stood in the falling snow, my breath ragged and visible in the air. Beside me was Felicia, her blue eyes sparkling mischievously as she locked her gaze on the mansion's entrance, mirroring my focus. Her hair, tied in a ponytail, danced in the breeze.

Fox stood behind us, the only one dressed for winter with his warm clothes. Felicia and I, on the other hand, were in our gym attire.

A chill ran down my spine, and my ears perked up. Pressing my bare feet against the wet surface, I prepared to launch myself forward at the old man's signal.

"Go!"

And with that command, I propelled myself forward, rushing towards the house. Felicia followed closely behind, maintaining a cordial distance.

We reached the back entrance and swiftly turned, though I nearly slipped. Felicia used my misstep to gain some distance.

We raced through the old building, the wooden floors making it challenging for both of us, but it didn't slow us down.

As we reached the narrow passage leading to the kitchen, Felicia closed in, just a few steps behind me. I pushed myself further and looked at the dining table in the middle.

Felicia smirked, seeing an opportunity to overtake me. She planted her feet on the tiled floor and pressed her fist on the table, gracefully cartwheeling over it. Meanwhile, I chose not to exert that effort and smoothly slid under the table.

I quickly regained my footing as Felicia did the same.

"Show off." I smirked, making a sharp turn towards the stairs leading to the upper floor.

"It's called style." She retorted, climbing up.

Reaching the first floor, we stood side by side, locking eyes for a moment before restarting the race.

Through each room we ran, with Felicia taking the lead in some and me in others. Finally, we arrived at the entrance to the attic. Our eyes were drawn to the obsidian-painted, life-size lockers in the center.

Before the practice race began Fox had given us decoders. I rushed forward with mine in hand and placed it on the digital screen of the metal box. Felicia joined me seconds later.

The decoders worked through the codes one by one as we caught our breaths. However, our vigilance remained intact, with both of us glancing at each other's decoders as they revealed the password one digit at a time.

I got the code first, followed by Felicia a second later. The lockers hissed, and their mechanisms began turning. The doors opened slowly, and we reached inside, retrieving the item within.

A pirate sword.

Felicia immediately rolled back, putting some distance between us. Our swords pointed at each other, our gazes narrowed with determination, and a heavy silence enveloped the attic.

We both waited, searching for a weak spot or an opportunity to strike.

She slowly loosened her grip, leaving her left side vulnerable, but I knew it was a trap and didn't engage.

Calmly, I took a step forward and crossed my sword against hers, giving her the advantage. She deflected my blade to the side and swiftly pressed forward.

I changed my grip, deflecting her weapon and using her momentum against her, pushing her back against the lockers.

I moved forward to attack, seeing her back wide open. But she suddenly brought down her sword, facing me head-on.

Sparks flew as our blades clashed, filling the room with the sound of metal.

[That sound is fucking annoying.]

Venom grumbled internally, urging me to end the fight.

I pushed her back with force, but she didn't relent.

"Arghh!" She took a step back, adjusting her grip with both hands, and lunged forward with a stab.

I grabbed the blade with my free hand, surprising her, and pulled her closer.

Our faces were inches apart, her eyes wide with shock. I tilted my body, raised my leg, and delivered a swift knee strike to her abdomen, knocking the wind out of her.

But I didn't stop there. I immediately released the blade and kicked her abdomen, sending her crashing into the locker.

Her back hit the metal, and Felicia knelt down, gasping for air while suppressing the pain. I saw an opportunity and lunged forward, bringing my blade down from above.

Once again, our swords clashed as she drew her weapon just in time to block the blow.

She suddenly pressed herself down, sweeping my legs and causing me to fall backward, caught off guard.

Her blade pressed against mine as I fell. I had to make a choice—let go of the sword or lose the fight. The decision was easy.

I released the blade from my grasp and kept my hands down, rolling back onto my feet.

"You lost." She declared, kicking my sword aside, a pained smile forming on her face as she held her gut.

"Did I?" I smiled, quickly regaining my composure and rushing toward her without a weapon.

Felicia didn't use her blade. Instead, she twirled her body, using her leg as support, and backheeled me. I could have dodged it, but it would have disrupted my plan.

I took her kick to the face, pushing me off balance but not entirely catching me off guard. I reached out for her sword and caught the hilt.

My hand swiftly came down on her wrist, breaking her momentum and forcing her to let go of the blade. I curled my hand into a fist and swung it toward her neck, but she narrowly avoided it.

Felicia grabbed my hand with both of hers as I reached out to choke her. Then, she let go of her footing and pulled me down with her, using her legs to lock my face between her thighs.

We locked each other in a stalemate, both of us knowing it was only a matter of time before one of us tapped out. But I was determined not to be the one.

Before the decisive moment arrived, Fox intervened.

"That was a good run." He commented, stepping into the attic with a cup of steaming tea in hand.

Felicia and I glanced at him before looking at each other. I nodded first, and she followed suit.

At the count of three, we released each other and sat on the wooden floor, facing each other.

I raised my hand, and Felicia mirrored the gesture. We low-fived before collapsing onto the floor.

"Your sword skills have improved considerably, Felicia." Fox remarked, taking a sip of his tea.

I furrowed my brow in doubt. How long had we been fighting for him to make a cup of tea and still have time to assess our skills?

"And your split-second decision to leave your weapon and engage in hand-to-hand combat was a good move, Edward."

"Hu-hu." I hummed, acknowledging his observation.

"Meet me in the study once you've collected yourselves." He instructed, then exited the attic.

—----

I sat down in the study, holding an ice pack against my cheek as I disassembled the decoder, trying to figure out its programming and potentially upgrading it as I had an idea.

"Isss." I winced. Venom could have healed the bruise in an instant, but I had chosen to suppress it voluntarily to develop a resistance to pain.

"Arghhh." Meanwhile, Felicia lay on her back on the table, groaning in pain as she held her stomach.

"God, couldn't you have held back a little?" She grumbled, shooting a glare in my direction.

"Sorry." I shrugged.

"Don't blame him for your lack of skill, Felicia." Fox chimed in, donning his ever-sharp suit. "He used his strength against you in the best possible situation."

"Yeah, sure." Felicia deadpanned.

"I'm not condemning you, kid." Fox smiled and immediately frowned. "And what are you doing, Edward?"

"I'm trying to add this scanner into this decoder." I explained, pointing at the device without much enthusiasm.

"And why bother?" Felicia asked, looking up.

"The decoder functions like a computer." I elaborated, pointing at the base. "It goes through every number that the password sequence might have until it lands on the specific one. But if we had the scanner attached, we could pinpoint the exact numbers, significantly reducing the time it takes to open the locks."

"Wowww." Felicia said in a tone that clearly lacked interest. "Such a nerd."

"Thanks." I smirked, choosing not to give her the satisfaction of a reaction.

"Do what you want." Fox shrugged and stood up, opening a desk and retrieving two boxes wrapped in bright red paper.

"Happy Christmas." He smiled, handing them to us.

Felicia eagerly grabbed hers and began to open it while I took mine, eyeing it suspiciously.

"There are still two weeks until Christmas?" I asked.

"Consider this an early gift." Fox chuckled.

I slowly unwrapped mine, but Felicia had already torn through her wrapping paper.

"Uh... what's this?" She asked, pointing at a long bracelet-like object with a round, edged shape, with two placed side by side.

"That's a thief's cable." Fox answered, taking the bracelet out of the box. He pressed a hidden button on its side, and the device launched an arrow that stuck to the wall, connected to a cable.

"You can enhance your acrobatics by using this." He suggested.

"Thanks!" Felicia smiled excitedly, snatching it from his hands and giving it a try.

Meanwhile, I had finally unwrapped mine, and as I opened the box, my eyes widened in surprise.

"Is this what I think it is?!" I asked him in disbelief.

"Yes." He nodded, wearing a knowing smile.

"No freaking way!!" I exclaimed as I took it out of the box.

It was the hidden blade, and it almost looked exactly like the one from Assassin's Creed. I immediately strapped it onto my wrist and pulled a string with my fingers.

I yanked it, and--

*Sktizzzx*

A sharp blade extended from it.

"That's so cool." I chuckled, and Fox joined in, explaining how it worked.

"Boys." Felicia muttered, simply rolling her eyes.

I didn't bother trying to make her understand why I was so excited; she just wouldn't get it. This was a moment for the guys.

I didn't know what Fox had in store for the actual Christmas celebration, but I'm definitely not going to worry about it right now. I'm quite content with what I have received.

It had been a year since I started training with Fox, and three months for Felicia. I must say, today is the best day since I set foot in France.