l paced in front of the door to the training room. Back and forth she went, too distracted in her thoughts to stop. Her throat was constricted and she felt like she wanted to be sick. A pit of anxiety had ford in her stomach that gnawed at her ntal state. She wanted desperately just to run away.
Unfortunately, running away was tricky while her broken arm was wrapped in a sling.
For the third ti, she raised her a fist to knock and for the third ti, she hesitated. Beyond that door were not one, not two, but three Speakers! How was she supposed to be able to handle that!
“You can do it, you can do it…” she muttered to herself like a mantra. She squeezed every bit of ntal strength she could muster and knocked on the door.
There was no answer.
Of course there was no answer. This training room was a private area for instructors and Speakers. She knew about the famous sound-blocking enhancents covering its thick wooden walls. She reached down and before her instincts could stop her, she opened the door and stepped through.
Unexpectedly the training room looked like nothing special. It was also questionably quiet. Too quiet. For a mont, l considered she might be in the wrong place but then she caught sight of a man eating training buns to the side. He spotted her and waved, then gesturing for her to co over.
Further into the room, l saw three people - two demons and a human - sitting silently on the sand in a ditative pose. It was the grandmaster, Speaker Halen, and the individual who broke her arm.
Speaker Thornheart.
l approached the man who had waved at her, glad to have so instruction to follow as opposed to standing around awkwardly. She recognised him as part of the trio that had been coming in most days to train. As she walked over, she couldn’t help but note that he didn’t feel like a swordsman. Was he a mage? Another Speaker?
“Hello,” she whispered.
“Hello, sit down,” the man gestured to the floor, “They should stop for lunch soon. Are you hungry?” He offered her a bun as she settled into a respectful seiza position. l took the food with her good arm, not knowing how to refuse. She couldn’t bring herself to take a bite, feeling like she would throw anything she ate back up.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice slightly breaking. “Ahem! My instructor told to co here at this ti to, um… apologise.” She looked at the floor, feeling small and naive. She shouldn’t even be in this room! It was a room for monsters. For true masters!
“Ah… you’ll be the trainee Serena told about. Well, Alia sure gave you a beating, didn’t she? How’s the arm?” He flashed l a friendly smile.
l blinked a few tis at the man’s straightforwardness. “It’s, uh, well…” How was she supposed to answer this? “... Broken,” she finished before giving herself a ntal slap for the lacklustre response. Thankfully, the man seed to be in a sowhat cheerful mood. He didn’t seem to be training. What was he here for?
Questions she couldn’t and wouldn’t ask.
“You needn’t worry much,” the man said, popping the last bit of a bun in his mouth and swallowing. “Alia has a kind heart. She feels terrible about what she did. I’m sure she’ll heal you in a- ah, here they are!”
l scrambled to her feet and offered a deep bow at the approaching trio. With only one arm she couldn’t manage traditional Manwese etiquette so she placed her good hand on her hip and bowed in the Samino style.
“Trainee l, welco,” ca the gruff voice of the grandmaster.
“Hello again!” ca the chirpy voice of Speaker Thornheart.
She heard nothing from Speaker Halen and when she straightened her posture, she was greeted with a pair of terrifying crimson eyes that stripped away her ego and left her naked and hollow. What a fool she had been to provoke the ire of such a noble demon.
“Tsk! So this is the one that insulted House Halen with such impudent arrogance?” Speaker Halen snapped at her, putting one hand on her hips and another on the hilt of her training sword. For a mont, l thought she would pass out from the sheer presence of Speaker Halen.
“I- I’ve heard of your great achievents,” l rambled, “I think- think you’re a huge inspiration to others. And , of course. I-I wanted to apol- apolo-” l swallowed the lump in her throat and forced the words out. “Apologize for my thoughtless words the other day. I’m very sorry!”
“Bah! What an awful apology,” Speaker Halen clicked her tongue, turning her head slightly away as she looked down on l. “And what do you have to say to Speaker Thornheart?”
l glanced at the human Speaker who gave her a silent wave and a friendly smile, entirely contrasting Speaker Halen’s presence. “I’m very sorry!” She blurted out, bowing quickly again. “I failed to conduct myself properly as a trainee officer!”
“You should make her grovel,” Speaker Halen said coldly. “I would have broken both her arms if I were in your position. And a few ribs. Tsk! To speak to a Speaker like that…”
“Oh, stop it!” Speaker Thornheart suddenly piped up, turning away from l and addressing Speaker Halen. “She’s gone white as a ghost! You’re-”
“Why are ghosts white?” Asked the man sitting down. He was staring at Speaker Thornheart with a confused expression. Despite her confusion at being defended by the one she offended, l couldn’t help but also wonder where that expression ca from. Was it a human culture thing?
“Wha-” The human Speaker also looked confused. “What colour are they supposed to be? Wait, never mind! The point is that l feels bad about what she said! No need to torture the poor girl!”
l couldn’t help but wonder at Speaker Thornheart calling her a girl. She was twenty-one herself, and if she wasn’t mistaken the human looked even younger than her. If she had to guess she would say Speaker Thornheart was as young as eighteen!
No, that wasn’t possible. The human was a Speaker. No one could beco a Speaker so young. She must have used her human healing powers to make herself youthful. How old was she really? Forty? Fifty? She didn’t act like she was older.
“Whatever,” Speaker Halen rolled her eyes. “Hurry up and heal her, then. I’m hungry, and seeing her here pisses off.”
“O-okay!” Speaker Thornheart stuttered before turning to l with a smile.
l was about to ask if she needed to do anything but before she could get the words out Speaker Thornheart started to glow. It wasn’t the warm glow of a gas lamp or the white glare of an aetherlight. It was the glow of magic. Speaker Thornheart’s golden hair shone with aether, and her blue eyes intensified to a shade that l could only describe as beautiful.
She had never been this close to a mage casting a spell and for the first ti she understood what it ant to detect the formation of magic that took place within the body. As Speaker Thronheart twisted and moulded her aether l could sense it folding into the spell structure. l might not be a mage herself, but there was no doubt about the unbelievable amount of skill that Speaker Thornheart was demonstrating.
A mont passed and golden light with - if l wasn’t seeing things - blue flecks flew from Speaker Thornheart and entered l’s body. She braced herself for pain, but instead experienced a feeling of warmth and love that caused her mouth to drop open. She wasn’t being struck by the human’s magic, she was being embraced.
As the kindness rippled through her body, one thought ca to mind.
Seven hells, I’ve beco such a bitch. l thought.
She always snapped and argued with her brother. Where was the caring and supportive younger sister who would cheer him on while he trained? She mocked and bullied those weaker than her to impress her friends. Where was the girl who used to gossip and giggle about boys she and her friends fancied? When had she let such darkness into her heart?
As the magic dissipated and her feeling of self returned, l looked at the human in open wonder. How unfair it was that demonkind had no gods of healing! She glanced down and tentatively moved her arm. She slowly pulled it out of its sling and straightened it. Still feeling fine, she began to flex her arm.
It was completely healed.
No, it was stronger than ever before!
“That’s amazing…” she mumbled. “I don’t know how to-”
“Don’t worry about it!” Speaker Thornheart chirped before giving l a thumbs-up. “Just be a lot nicer to people from now on, okay?”
“I… Yes. Thank you, Speaker,” l bowed deeply to Speaker Thornheart. She felt a profound sense of gratitude towards the benevolent human. The person she was a week ago would have scoffed if soone had told her she would be thanking a human so sincerely, but here she was.
“Trainee l,” the grandmaster intoned softly, “Not many demons alive can say they have experienced human healing magic. You’re extrely fortunate to be granted her kindness, aren’t you?”
“Yes, grandmaster,” l replied as she straightened up.
“That said…” the grandmaster rubbed his beard, “It would be best if you minimised Speaker Thornhearts healing, should you ever talk about it. I’m sure your arm feels perfect right now, but keep it in a sling for another week. Do you understand, Trainee l?”
“... Yes, grandmaster,” l replied, “I understand.”
“Return to your lessons now,” the grandmaster said. “Work hard, and your talent will take you to new heights.”
“Bye!” Alia waved.
“See you,” said the man.
“Tsk!” Speaker Halen glared at her.
Thanking them again, l exited the training hall. As she walked back through the corridors to her lessons, a new-found vigour ford in her mind. She would work hard. She would break through to orange, and then yellow, and then after all that she would challenge Speaker Thornheart again after she communed the First Word! She would fight her as equals!
She would show her what it ant to be a true swordsman!
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