5 years earlier
"Don't let up Arcine, get him!"
"Dodge it!"
"Come on! You can do it."
"Astrion, score a point for us."
Countless cheers erupted from the training ground as two combatants locked weapons during a sparring session.
"Tsk," the male combatant, Astrion grimaced as he expressed his frustration. He performed four slashes in rapid succession each aimed to end the match; yet every strike was dodged with minimal movement. Despite the barrage of attacks, Astrion's opponent, a girl his age, never showed any reaction.
Every time she dodged, her platinum blonde hair swung with her movement lightly brushing against her neck. Astrion's wooden sword skimmed past her cheek, yet her pale-blue eyes never flickered, her expression calm and composed. After dodging, she stepped back and resumed her relaxed, almost lazy stance.
This exchange frustrated Astrion even more. With his opponent's slim build, he knew one good strike was enough to end the match, yet that one strike always felt so distant. Astrion was confident about his sword techniques, and his opponent also knew perfectly what every strike was capable of. Despite that, the girl didn't retreat and met every strike, barely moving from her position. Seeing her, Astrion couldn't help but be amazed by her skill, and be frustrated at how effortless she made it look.
"You really are amazing, Arcine," Astrion muttered under his breath as he continues his attacks.
That was close! Are you seriously trying to kill me? Arcine thought as she dodged Astrion's swing by a hair's breadth. Upon dodging, she stepped back to regain distance and adjusted her stance.
In her hands were a pair of wooden daggers as her weapons.
Maybe daggers weren't the best idea against Astrion? I can't find an opening to attack. While thinking about these things, Astrion charged again, his midnight black hair clung to his forehead as he raced against the wind. Astrion performed a diagonal strike aimed at Arcine's neck, that's real bad news, I'm definitely complaining about that later; Arcine filed a mental complaint as she slipped past Astrions strike.
Yes, an opening! seeing that Astrion put his strength with that swing, Arcine assumed he is going to be off balanced. As she was preparing her counterattack, Astrion's amber eyes burning with motivation met with hers; Yikes! he looks so mad, I just want to go home and have a nice warm bath, Arcine dejectedly thought as she regained distance.
That musclehead, how can he swing like that and still have a follow-up. Also how come his eyes are on me at that moment, is he not blinking? Is he not human? Arcine mentally complained as he observed Astrion. Wait no, it's useless to think about that now Arcine, focus on the match or you're in for a world of pain, Arcine chided herself.
He's not bulky but he's stronger than he looks, I can't expect him to be outbalanced after his attacks, and with that much force, blocking or parrying is out of the picture either. Ugh! That annoying, boisterous musclehead gorilla, how is he this strong? Arcine 's mind raced on how to deal with Astrion, yet she didn't forget to add complains and insults here and there.
The heated back and forth between the combatants lasted for a while. Every spectator watched the scene in complete silence; not even a single breath can be heard. Astrion unleashed a barrage of attacks ranging from slash, thrust, grab, and even kicks, while Arcine dodged every strike coming her way yet unable to respond with an attack of her own. This stalemate continued for some time; then it finally happened.
Astrion charged at Arcine once again, a single explosive step that instantly cut the distance between them. He swung his blade in a horizontal sweep, then prepared a follow-up strike, yet Arcine's next move caught him off-guard.
"… You're hungry?" Arcine shockingly asked after dodging Astrion's blade.
Astrion stopped for a moment trying to understand the question, Arcine took his pause as confusion and continued as if it were the most natural thing to do in the situation.
"I mean, it's growling for a while now," Arcine flatly stated as she tapped her dagger to Astrion's stomach absentmindedly.
Grrrrllll! As if on cue, Astrion's stomach growled again, this time reverberating throughout the training hall.
"Match point! The winner is Arcine!" the referee's announcement broke Astrion out of his stupor. Only after seeing Arcine's wooden dagger lightly press against his stomach did Astrion fully understand the situation.
"I skipped breakfast," Astrion slowly answered, clearly more embarrassed about his stomach growling rather than frustrated in losing the match.
After the match ended, the spectators seemingly out of their trance swarmed the two combatants. The girls flocked around Arcine, while Astrion was surrounded by the boys.
"Arcine! Good job showing them who's boss!"
"How can you dodge like that?"
"That was great, you look so cool!"
"Can you teach me next time?"
Arcine, bombarded with praises and questions, blinked, unsure how to respond. What do they mean boss, I'm running for my life back there. Well, I did avoid getting hit, does that count as great? And cool? There's no way I look cool, I really thought I was going to die!
Despite the mess inside her head, she is as relaxed and composed as ever. Her breathing is slightly labored, but it just enhances her serene image even more.
"I didn't do anything particularly amazing," she said after a moment's hesitation.
I just ran around during the match.
Not far from her, Astrion was surrounded by a different kind of attention.
"Dude, that fight was awesome!"
"Seriously, you almost had her."
Astrion grinned in an almost childish way and scratched the back of his head "Thanks but almost doesn't really count."
"True, I almost thought you were amazing, if not for that growl."
"We heard that all the way to the back."
"Are you really that hungry?"
The boys around him started teasing and burst into laughter.
"You don't need to mention that!" Astrion snapped back, "I just forgot to eat breakfast."
"What were you thinking, man?"
"So, you could also be clumsy sometimes?"
The boys continued to tease.
"Just shut up, will you?" He said, almost muttering to himself. I really messed up this time; I probably should eat properly next time, and make sure Arcine's serving is ready too, he thought, a small frown crossing his face.
This reaction only made the boys laugh louder, and soon the girls joined in too. Astrion couldn't help but to also laugh, as they continue to bicker with one another.
After a while, the topic shifts from the fight to who has the higher chance of beating Arcine or Astrion in a duel.
"Do you think I stand a chance against Arcine?" someone asked, causing the crowd to voice their own opinions.
"You wish, she'll beat you up in no time."
"We actually fought once; she's just too fast I couldn't see her attack coming."
"Is that true?"
"But earlier, she didn't attack even once against Astrion," the inquirer continued.
"The dude might look like he's just swinging wildly, but each of his attacks is coordinated."
"You're saying that it's not that Arcine didn't attack, but she couldn't attack? That kind of hard to swallow."
"Really? It looks to me he's just frustrated."
"The fight him next!"
"No way, that looks scary! You're the one who should fight."
"I already did, and it's really not a good memory."
Amid the overlapping voices, Astrion silently slipped away from the crowds, the noises fading behind him as he headed towards the exit. Seeing him, Arcine quietly followed behind him.
"Going back?" she flatly asked.
"Wanna grab some food on the way back? My treat," Astrion responded without looking back at her.
"Sweet!" she said, a slight spring in her step.
Upon heading out of the training hall, the two, greeted by bright sunlight overhead instinctively cover their eyes. Looking out at the streets, they saw an already familiar scenery.
Small shops and stalls lined the road between residential houses. Town guards wearing matching gears are stationed in different areas, while some goes for patrols. The streets weren't crowded, but people moved about in easy pace, going on with their daily lives. Some are wearing a uniform, some are dressed in casual wear, and few carrying weapons and wearing different sorts of armor.
Not paying much attention to the scenery, Astrion and Arcine casually walked on the side road. After turning a few corners, they reached a small stall selling various kinds of snacks and refreshments.
"Pops, fifteen banana chips, and two chicken and egg sandwiches. Please," Astrion said to the shopkeeper.
"Got it," the shopkeeper energetically answered, "banana chips again? The kids really love these huh?"
"Yeah, Banana chips are the best! Yay! they said," Astrion replied mimicking a kid's voice.
Behind him, Arcine stood wordlessly, staring intently at the sandwich as it was being prepared.
Yay! Chicken and egg sandwich.
After paying the shopkeeper, Astrion expressed his thanks and headed back on his way. Along the walk, he had already finished his sandwich, while Arcine was still quietly munching not far behind.
This sandwich is the best! Eating it for free just makes it a lot better.
After walking for around 10 minutes, the two were now in front of the town orphanage; their destination. Upon opening the gate, they were met with overlapping voices from the orphanage children.
"Big bro, tell us about your training!"
"Sister Arcine, let's continue our game yesterday!"
"What is that on the bag?"
"Ken bullied me earlier."
"I did not! Big bro Astrion, Bis sis Arcine don't believe in him!"
The two barely had time to step inside before they are surrounded by small children, tugging on their arms, some even tried to climb onto them.
"Haha, they sure are lively today!" Arcine said smiling, lifting one child trying to hug her.
"Alright fine by me, let's play together!" she added already being pulled to the center of the crowd.
Seeing this, Astrion let out a small chuckle.
"Alright, we'll play. But go wash yourselves first, I brought your favorite," he said while showing the bag to the kids.
Hearing this, the children paused for a moment trying to process what he just said. Then they instantly let go and rushed all at once to the bath area.
"Whew, that was intense," Arcine slowly said, a wry smile on her face.
"We should hurry up too, or we'll be caught again here," Astrion replied, glancing toward the direction the children ran to.
While the children are washing themselves, Astrion and Arcine proceeded to their own quarters. Their quarters are on the same part of the orphanage, so they walked together through the familiar hallway. Halfway through they encountered a middle-aged man using a cane as a walking support.
"I see, you two are as close to the children as ever! Ha! Ha! Ha!" the man laughed. His walnut-brown hair swayed with his laugh.
Hearing no response from Astrion and Arcine, the man stopped laughing. He slowly stroked his well-kept beard with his left hand and trained his deep-black eyes to both of them.
"You look like you have something to say" the man stated seriously.
"Old man! You're supposed to help us back there!" Astrion raised his voice.
Arcine pressed a palm against her forehead. "He's right, Neisar," she said, sounding slightly annoyed.
"You're right… you're right." Neisar chuckled softly. "But you know, those kids aren't exactly easy to manage."
"Enough about that. What are your plans now?" He added, casually changing the topic.
Astrion sighed softly, "We'll play with them after eating. I bought them snacks."
"But we've gotta clean up first" Arcine said lightly, already slipping away. "See you later, Neisar!"
"I gotta go too. Take care, Neisar," Astrion stated warmly.
"Yeah… yeah," Neisar responded and waved his hand dismissively. "After all, I still have to look after all of you," he muttered.