The Sanctuary of the Sword always resonated with the clanging of wooden and tal swords in combat.
Even from afar, the sound of clashes between swords was constant, like an uninterrupted song of discipline and intensity.
The Water God, Reida Reia, and her young companion walked through the stone corridors of the sanctuary, led by Nina Farion, who walked with determined steps.
Upon approaching the Epheral Hall, Nina stopped. With a respectful countenance, she turned to her guests and said:
"I cannot go any further. I am not yet a Sword Saint..."
Reida nodded slightly, her gaze fixed on the young one.
"You must not be far from it, girl. Strive in your training and you will get there soon!"
Nina bowed respectfully and withdrew, heading to the advanced dojos with a seriousness rare in soone her age.
Reida watched her for a mont and then turned to her granddaughter.
"It is best that you do not relax, Isolte. That girl will soon catch up with you."
The young one with light blue hair raised an eyebrow, looking in the direction Nina had taken, full of doubts.
Then, both entered the main dojo, silently approaching the Epheral Hall.
What they saw there made them stop.
In the center of a vast training field, two warriors exchanged blows at a speed almost invisible to the naked eye.
One of them was a young beastman, with long silver hair and dark skin. His opponent was none other than Timothy Britz, the Sword Emperor.
Despite the speed and intensity of the combat, Reida could discern subtle details.
The movents of the young beastman were not exactly in the style of the Sword God, nor of the North God, although there were echoes of both.
Even so, it was sothing different... very different. And, more surprisingly, the two fighters were clearly evenly matched.
Reida frowned, curious, her gaze fixed on the young man. For a mont, an unsettling thought crossed her mind: 'This cannot be him, right...?'
Before she could finish, a loud, dry sound resonated to her left.
A warrior was thrown out of a neighboring dojo, crashing through the wooden door with a bang.
It was Lionel, the current Sword Saint who had fought with Eris when they arrived at the Sanctuary, dazed and coughing blood.
Shortly after him, a girl with long red hair tied in a ponytail erged, her eyes burning with ferocity.
"Enough!" a strong voice interrupted the scene.
And Eris halted her advance at the sa mont.
Gall Farion, the current Sword God, erged from the dojo with a skeptical smile on his lips.
Upon seeing Reida, he raised an eyebrow.
"Hoh? How did you get here so quickly? It hasn't even been a month since I sent the letter."
Reida was about to reply when a dull thud echoed from the center of the training field. All eyes turned in that direction.
Timothy Britz lay on the ground unconscious, his arm tendons broken.
His sword lay beside him, and he was foaming at the mouth after receiving a direct blow to the throat.
Standing above him, serene and intense, was Rygar Adoldia, who turned his gaze towards the visitors.
Reida felt a chill run down her spine. Instinctively, her grip on her blade tightened, as if she sensed the weight of a predatory presence.
But almost as quickly as it had arisen, that fierce intensity disappeared, as if it had never existed.
Rygar knelt beside Timothy and, without uttering a word, conjured healing magic.
A soft light enveloped the warrior's arms, healing the wounds with impressive precision. Then, he helped him to stand with a smile.
"Thank you for training with , sir."
Timothy cracked his neck with slight discomfort and looked at the young man with an expression of respect mixed with fear.
"You get scarier every day, kid..."
He looked at Gall Farion with an exhausted, sowhat worried grimace, and without saying another word, withdrew.
At that mont, Reida turned to the Sword God.
"I didn't co because of your letter, Gall. I ca because an old friend told that a monstrous talent had passed by his house and was on his way here."
Gall burst into loud laughter.
"Hahahahahahaha!"
Reida ignored him and turned her gaze to Rygar.
"Is it about you that Augusto ntioned in his letters? I did not believe it when I read, but he described it so vividly that I had to give it a chance. Young man, how old are you exactly?"
Rygar gave a slight smile and replied politely:
"It is a pleasure to et you, Water God Reida Reia. Yes, I am Rygar Adoldia. And I am 13 years old this year."
Reida widened her eyes in surprise. Beside her, Isolte could not contain her exclamation:
"What?! This is impossible! You must be lying!"
Eris, who was now closer, responded firmly:
"Rygar is not lying!"
Isolte looked at the red-haired girl, feeling the hostile aura she exuded, almost like an incessant fla.
The tension between them was palpable.
Reida, still sowhat surprised, turned to Gall Farion:
"Was he also the one you wanted to train?"
Gall nodded with a smile.
"Him, indeed! But I also want you to teach Eris."
The Water Goddess furrowed her brows, skeptical.
Her gaze turned again to Rygar, and then to Eris.
"The girl is not compatible with the Water God's Style... it would be better for her to focus on the Sword or North God's Style."
Gall Farion casually scratched his nose and said, "You think I don't know that? I want you to teach her to defend herself against the Water God's Style."
Reida furrowed her brows, pondering what the purpose of all this was.
She was clearly interested in training soone with that level of talent, but she needed to understand the reason why Gall Farion had gone so far as to summon her personally.
"And why would I teach them? Why did you bother to call ?" she asked, still addressing the Sword God.
Rygar simply maintained a discreet smile on his face. It was Gall who answered, with the sa lightness:
"These two want to kill the Dragon God, Orsted."
The silence that followed was absolute.
Reida widened her eyes.
Her eyes moved from Gall to the two young ones.
She observed their expressions, expecting to find hesitation, fear, insecurity. There was none of that. Only pure determination.
The Water God sighed deeply and murmured:
"Well... now, this is interesting..."
Gall Farion crossed his arms and, with a slight smile on his lips, said in a casual tone:
"There is also my disciple. The Black Wolf Sword King... she is also in this group."
Reida raised an eyebrow, surprised.
"Hadn't that woman beco an adventurer or sothing like that?"
Before Gall could respond, Rygar approached while sheathing his blade.
"Ghislaine is now my wife," he declared naturally, but his voice carried a subtle, firm, and definitive weight.
Reida averted her gaze to Eris for a mont, evaluating the young one, pondering. Then, she turned again to Rygar.
"I can indeed teach you... but I want you to show the Sword God's Style to one of my students as well..."
She nodded, drawing everyone's attention to a young girl by her side.
"This is my granddaughter, Isolte Cruel."
The girl with long light blue hair and bangs, wearing reinforced travel clothes, had her eyes fixed on Rygar.
Her body was motionless, as if ti had stopped for her.
"Isolte!" called Reida, in an authoritative voice.
Isolte blinked, as if coming out of a trance, and quickly bowed.
"Y-yes... I am Isolte Cruel. A Saint classified in the Water God's Style!"
Gall Farion snapped his fingers and broke into a mischievous smile.
"No problem at all. How about a little spar to warm up?"
Reida frowned, annoyed by the old master's tone, but nodded.
"Alright. Isolte, fight him."
The young girl seed to hesitate, her eyes widening slightly.
"M-?!"
anwhile, Rygar was already walking calmly to the center of the training hall, as if he had been expecting that.
"I can defeat her!" said Eris from beside, jumping in protest.
Gall Farion, with his finger in his nose, replied without even looking at her: "Wait your turn, brat!"
Eris huffed, visibly irritated, but fell silent and turned to watch.
Isolte walked nervously to the center of the field, stopping a few ters from Rygar. She bowed slightly.
"It is a pleasure to et you, sir!"
Rygar raised an eyebrow and murmured: "I am younger than you..."
He observed her attentively.
His sharp eyes examined every detail of her posture, her hands, her breathing. Internally, he thought:
'So this was Eidar's bride...? It's a pity you're not here to et her, my friend...'
His piercing gaze seed to cut through Isolte, who swallowed hard, suppressing her fear, yet still holding firmly to her classic Water God's Style stance — a solid base, counter-attack posture, centered and calculated.
Then Rygar advanced. But to Isolte, he simply disappeared. Her eyes widened. The world seed to slow down for a mont.
CLANG!
The armor at her collarbone, near her carotid, took a strong impact. The wood of the training sword dented the tal with precision. Isolte fell to the ground, the impact forcing the air out of her lungs.
Rygar was already a few ters away from her again, standing as if nothing had happened. He looked directly at Reida.
"Have you seen enough, madam?"
Reida pursed her lips, surprised. The boy had noticed her... with just one movent.
He had not shown his true strength, and yet, it was overwhelming. She felt another chill down her spine. For the first ti in years, she felt as if she were being... observed. Evaluated.
Then, she smiled. "Alright, boy. I will teach you the Water God's Style..."
Isolte struggled to rise. Her eyes were wide as she looked at the dented armor.
'If it were a real sword... no. Even with the wooden sword, if it had hit my neck... I would have died...'
The girl looked at Rygar with admiration.
Gall Farion snapped his fingers as if he had already expected this outco. "Eris! Your turn!"
Eris leapt onto the field with a smile on her face. Her gaze t Isolte's and shone with rivalry.
Isolte took a deep breath, regained her posture, and raised her sword. The fight began.
Eris advanced like a beast, with swift and wild attacks, spinning the sword in quick and lethal movents.
Isolte, on the other hand, held firm; her defense was precise, like an unyielding wall of steel.
The sound of swords echoed through the hall, drawing practitioners and disciples who gathered to watch the duel.
The floor creaked beneath the fighters' feet, sparks flew with each block. One blow grazed Eris's shoulder. Another scraped Isolte's face.
The tension mounted.
But in the end, Eris backed off for a second.
Isolte took advantage, spun her body, and executed a counterattack directly at the opponent's center of gravity, causing her to fall to her knees.
Eris remained still, staring at Isolte, out of breath.
The young blue-haired woman was equally tired, but her eyes shone. Not with arrogance, but with defiance.
Rygar observed in silence. When Eris's gaze t his, he smiled and nodded.
"You did very well, Eris."
But the young one rely gritted her teeth, appearing frustrated.
Gall Farion scratched his beard.
"That was close. But don't be discouraged, girl. You still have a lot of ti to grow! Hahahaha!"
Eris turned with a huff and walked out, upset.
At that mont, the hall doors opened again.
Ghislaine entered with firm steps. Beside her ca Aisha, who looked excited and curious about what she saw.
Ghislaine raised an eyebrow upon seeing the crowd around the training field. "Hm?"
Her eyes soon found Rygar, and the brightness in her gaze softened slightly.
"You finally returned, Ghislaine!" exclaid Gall Farion, breaking into a smile as he saw her cross the hall doors.
Ghislaine greeted her master with a nod and approached Rygar naturally, and then, Rygar pulled her into an intense kiss.
The hall fell silent for a second.
Isolte blushed imdiately, her face turning as red as a newly lit fla, surprised by that sudden display of affection.
Reida, who was watching with crossed arms, let out an irritated sigh.
"Tch. The young people these days are getting more and more shaless..." she comnted, averting her eyes.
Gall Farion laughed loudly, as if he were imnsely enjoying the whole situation. It was then that Reida narrowed her eyes upon noticing Aisha's presence.
"Weren't Saints forbidden here? Why is the brat allowed to enter?" she asked, raising an eyebrow with suspicion.
"Ah, theoretically she can be considered a Saint..." replied Gall Farion, smiling mysteriously.
Reida turned to him, confused.
"What?"
"Hahaha, but in magic, not in swordsmanship!" Gall finished, laughing.
The shock in Reida's eyes was visible, as she stared fixedly at the light brown-haired girl.
"That's right!" said Aisha proudly, placing her hands on her waist and puffing out her chest.
"I am the Water Saint, Aisha Greyrat! Who are you?"
She wore reinforced cold-weather clothes, tailor-made, a gift from her grandparents Augusto and Flute.
The fabric was dark with bluish details and reinforced seams on the shoulders and arms, protecting against wind and ice.
Even in her defiant pose, Aisha looked adorably cute and determined.
Reida remained silent for a few seconds, still processing what she had heard. Then she smiled, a calm, almost maternal smile.
"Alright... I feel like I'm getting into sothing very complicated here. Questions can wait..." she murmured, crossing her arms.
Then she bent slightly, looking Aisha in the eyes.
"I am Reida Reia, the little Water Saint. I must say... you are very much like your mother when she was your age."
Aisha widened her eyes.
"You knew my mother?"
"Only when she was very little..." replied Reida, with a distant look, as if recalling another ti.
Then she turned and faced Rygar, the smile disappearing from her face, replaced by a serious and analytical expression.
"First, let's see what all of you really know about the Water God's Style."
The gazes in the hall turned towards her, and almost everyone burned with anticipation for what was to co.
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