The next day Eleanor was out of her room and they were all eating breakfast together, when Kurt suddenly asked.
"So, how was yesterday?"
"W-Well, we only did stance training, and then I came home." John answered.
"And after that?" Kurt asked.
"After that, I got some rest," John replied.
"Eleanor, I'm glad you're feeling better, it's become rather rare for you to join us," Said Kurt.
Eleanor looked a lot better than she did yesterday and was no longer tired.
"T-Thank you, dad, I got a lot of rest," Said Eleanor.
"That's good, I'm just glad that you're feeling better," Said Kurt with a smile on his face.
Serena and Ariel continued to eat as they watched with confused expressions.
***
Just as John was about to head to training, Serena stopped him at the entrance.
"What happened last night?" Asked Serena.
John cast Silentium, before answering her question, so only the two of them could hear the conversation.
"Eleanor was in a bad mood, so I kind of, showed her that spell..." John answered.
"The flying one right...?" Asked Serena as she let out a sigh.
"Yeah, that one." He confirmed.
"Does she know about how you don't need to chant?" Serena asked.
"Nope."
"Hm, alright, enjoy your training." She replied.
"Thanks, how was training yesterday?" John questioned.
He had not checked up on them and went straight to sleep after returning Eleanor to her room.
"We had to stop halfway, because someone was putting his secret at risk." Serena answered.
'Ah... Sorry, but how did you know...? Maybe it was a fluke?' John thought to himself before leaving.
***
As John approached the training field where he and his master usually trained, he was surprised to see another guest here. It was a guy; he looked just as old as his master around his 18s.
"Master... is that your friend?" John asked.
With a poker face, she nodded.
"Oi. I'm not her friend, I'm her older brother," He replied.
"O-Older brother? Wow... now that I think about it, you do look alike," John responded.
He was tall and had a good frame, his hair was dark black just like master's, his eyes were brown and the expression on his face was a lot livelier than master's.
"The only difference is the expression..." John added.
"Haha, we're told that a lot, and you are?" He asked.
"I'm master's student, John."
"Ah, I see... So you're the one my sister is training..." He muttered as he got closer.
He looked at me from the bottom to the top as if he was assessing my ability
"Hmm... How old are you?" He asked.
"Ah, hm... I'm 12 or 13," John replied.
"You don't know your exact age?" He asked.
"Ah, no, I lost my memories."
"Can't you just ask your parents?" He asked
"I'm an orphan." John answered.
"Ah, haha, you're just like us. Well then, how about we practice a little?" He suggested.
After he said that, he got into a stance, seeing that John pulled up his daggers and brought up his guard. John was getting a similar vibe that he got from his master.
"Practice? Haha, can it be lat-"
In a single blink, his dagger was right in front of John's eye, but before it could pierce him, it stopped. John leaped back and noticed that master had grabbed onto his arm.
"What are you doing?" She asked
Even though it wasn't directed at John, he could feel the pressure in the words when she asked that.
"Haha, sis, no need to get mad, I was just trying to see what your first disciple is made of. Although, I might have overestimated him."
'What the hell...? I couldn't even react to that... What is he?' John wondered.
"John." Master called.
"Y-Yes?!" John replied.
"Come over," She said.
John nervously walked towards them while gulping down the air stuck in his throat.
"Get in the stance." She ordered.
"Eh?"
John didn't like where this was going.
"Attack him again," Said John's master to her brother after he was in the stance.
'I knew it.' John thought.
"Hm? Alright." He said as he went back 20 feet.
"John, focus on his attack," Master ordered.
Without saying anything John nodded and got into the stance.
This stance involved balancing his body, John had practiced it all day with his master yesterday, it focused on shifting the balance from one side to another to dodge or counter-attacks. His master said it was a basic stance for countering. It's also different from the one that his master used.
'But will it really work? I couldn't even see him last time.' Questioned John.
"Start." Said the master.
Without wasting a single second, he moved again. Last time John was a bit distracted because he was talking, but this time John could see it. He had leaped straight at him.
John instinctively shifted the balance of his body from one side to another, causing him to nearly fall, but after all that practice, muscle memory took over, and it caused him to do a 90-degree turn.
"Hoh... Not bad, " He said as he looked at John.
His arm was stretched out with the dagger at the tip, because to the shift, John avoided it, which caused him to barely miss him.
"Than- Ow..."
John felt a stinging pain on the right side of his chest. When he checked it, he felt a shiver go down his spine. The shirt was cut and a bit of blood was pouring out of it. Even though he had dodged, the man still managed to graze him.
"Ah... Sorry, I got a little excited..." he said with a nervous smile.
'Sorry...? If I was a second slower, I would have died…' John thought.
"Well done." Said master as she gave him a pat.
"Master..."
John thought that this was perhaps the first time that she had ever complimented him.
"That was the defensive stance, we'll continue training it, but for now, we're moving to the offense," She said as she looked around for something.
His master's training was really helping John improve, he had made the right choice asking her. But sometimes he felt like he might really die again.
"John, cut it." She said as she pointed at a nearby boulder.
"Wait, why is there a boulder over there?!" John asked.
'Cut it...? She doesn't mean... Well, it should be fine if I use magic.' John surmised.
"No magic" She ordered.
"...."
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