A constant stream of people flowed through the entrance of the Battle Center. However, entering or exiting their clothes and traits changed with a faint blue light.

  Here again. It has been a week since the Ascension Event, the first time that Larna came. This place still made his foundations shake. But this time, he had a clear reason to be there.

  He stepped in, the Battle Center and its unknown technology doing their magic. His clothes changed for the default outfit, and a sword and a shield faded into reality.

  He walked away from the crowded entrance, ignoring the welcoming string of letters to confirm on his phone that he was on time. Now rested to wait for Vale.

  “Larna!” A faltered yell came from behind. Vale was running closer. His hair was back to its red color. He had his two daggers and the default clothes still equipped like Larna.

  He breathed heavily. “You are early.”

  Larna smirked. He wasn't the one who came running from inside. “How long have you been here?”

  “I came here directly after school, but that doesn't matter. Let's go to another place.”

  They walked deeper into the Battle Center. On their way, they passed by people running and exercising, and walked through a current battle.

  After some minutes, Vale stopped. “Here we are.”

  At their side, a green hill extended, with a big tree at the top.

  Vale turned to Larna, with both hands crossed behind his neck. “What do you think?”

  Larna nodded with a smile. He itched to have some peace away from the crowd.

  He exhaled, leaning against the rough trunk of the big tree. The temperature and freshness of the Battle Center were fixed for all its places. Still, being under the shadow of the tree was strangely relaxing.

  “Ahh, this is life,” Vale said, seated beside Larna with his eyes closed. Both kept silent, enjoying the gentle breeze for a while.

  “Well, it's enough.” Vale jumped to his feet. “Wake up, Larna, we came here to battle!”

  Larna’s face wrinkled, and with a grimace stood up.

  Larna took a long breath when he glanced at Vale, looking at him with his crimson eyes,

  Larna had not shown the least sign of talent in his first battle. But looking back, he fought against a prodigy. Vale had more experience than him, but his battle with Living Armor made it clear that he was a beginner like Larna. Can I win this?

  A screen popped in front of him.

  [First Challenger challenged you to a practice battle]

  [Do you accept?]

  [Yes - No]

  Larna moved his hand, his finger pointing at the ‘yes’ button. But it stopped just centimeters away from it. He slowly breathed, trying to relax his racing heart. Images of the fight against Rising Shadow flashed by his mind. The kicks, punches, his sliced arm, and his decapitated head… Battle was crude.

  His finger was recoiling. But Larna clenched his teeth and thrusted his hand forward. If he wanted to be a battler, he couldn’t allow himself to fear a battle.

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  The already familiar wave expanded, but the tree and the short green grass remained.

  “Are you ready?” Vale asked him, his dual blades in each hand,

  Larna took the shield on his back with his left hand and unsheathed the sword with his right. He assumed what he supposed was a fighting stance.

  "Don't hesitate!"

  Larna nodded, “Well, here I go!” At first, his self-conscious body moved robotically, but he grew confident as his muscles warmed up.

  Vale grinned, following him with his gaze, before jumping into a dash to face Larna.

  He's coming! Larna closed his eyes and moved his shield forward instinctively. His front wrinkled as he expected a blow. But nothing came. He opened his eyes again. Vale was closer, but still not enough. If his opponent had been Rising Shadow, he would already have had a blade swinging at him.

  Larna focused on him again, grateful that Vale hadn't been doing physical training. But still, his eyes and smug smile showed the confidence that his battles had given him.

  Larna ran faster—he couldn't step back. He used the remaining seconds before they clashed to look at his steps and the way he carried his daggers behind his back. Maybe these weren't useful details, but it was all he could do as the gap between them diminished.

  Vale's arm muscles tensed, and his knuckles turned white as his grip strengthened. Larna's heart beat with anticipation, his teeth clenched. They were about to clash.

  He extended his shield to protect his body, but in doing so, blocked his vision. A deafening sound jolted him. The force of Vale's sword drove his shield back, but Larna stopped it with a growl. He huffed, feeling proud of his stronger body, even though he had trained for just four days.

  Larna could see his opponent now that his shield wasn't in the way. Vale grimaced, trying to recover his stance as his dual blades were also driven away by the impact.

  I can do it! Larna swung his sword towards Vale, but it passed short of him. No! Larna tried to step back to recover, but the inertia was stronger.

  Vale lunged forward, swinging his right blade. Larna leaned away through gritted teeth, the dagger's tip scratching his abdomen.

  He tried to step back to recover his balance, but his back slammed against the grass. His brain shook briefly, and when he blinked awake, Vale's other dagger was already plummeting down, menacing his chest.

  Larna gripped his shield strongly as it blocked Vale's attack.

  He rose to his feet, ignoring his trembling hands.

  A cold didn't have time to run down his spine as Vale attacked again. Larna's pupils constricted, glaring at the approaching dagger. Its blade met Larna's skin. It felt like a finger rubbing his skin from his shoulder to his opposite rib. It didn't hurt, at least physically.

  Larna stared down at the red mark across his torso. I lost.

  How dumb I was. Vale had been nonstop battling, while he had been depressed. And maybe that wasn’t the only reason for his defeat. Maybe it is like everyone says, and I’ve got no talent for this.

  "Hey," Vale softly said, gripping Larna's shoulder.

  "What?"

  “You did amazing for your first battle!”

  Larna leaned away from Vale's hand, “I don’t think so.” He looked down at his hands. “My body moves slowly and clumsily, and—”

  Vale burst into laughter, and Larna glared at him. "It's not fun."

  “Do you know how my first fight was?!"

  "The one against Rising Shadow?"

  "That was my third." Vale chuckled, "On my first Battle, I tripped right into my opponent's sword!” he said, bursting into laughter again. "He didn't have to move a single muscle!"

  Larna shook his head with a slight smile. “Thanks, Vale. I was getting quite negative.”

  “Don’t worry, we all have moments like that. Still, I’m sure you would have dismissed them on your own.”

  Larna chuckled. “I don't know.”

  Vale was lost for some seconds. His eyes were narrow as he smiled painfully. “I have to thank you, too, Larna. After my battle with Living Armor, I doubted whether I had done the right thing in challenging him, but your scream shook me awake. It reminded me of what is important.”

  Larna tilted his head. “What’s that?”

  Vale chuckled.

  “You’ll discover it on your own.”