The sound of metal echoed through the clearing. Something sliced through the air, followed by sharp cracks and muffled thuds.
Aeris slowly opened her eyes. Her body felt heavy, her head throbbed, and the air reeked of smoke, likely leftovers from the fire Ethan had caused earlier.
The sky was a blend of orange and purple. Night wasn't far off.
She sat up slowly, glancing around. The clearing was far more destroyed than before, uprooted trees, craters in the ground, and soot scattered everywhere.
That's when she noticed the sound.
Her gaze shifted. Just a few meters away, Ethan stood with Nexus in the form of a long, black blade, spinning it casually in his hands. He swung it through the air, each slash leaving golden trails behind as if the mana itself vibrated with his movements.
Aeris spent a few seconds just watching. His posture was precise, confident. Not a single movement was wasted. It was a methodical... and at the same time, violent training session. These weren't the moves of an amateur.
She stood up, adjusting the torn remains of her dress from the earlier battle, and walked toward him.
"Ethan..." she called, a bit hesitant. "What happened...?"
Ethan spun Nexus once more, finishing the motion cleanly. The black blade instantly shifted back into glove form, no wasted movements at all. It looked like he'd been training the transitions too.
He turned toward her with a lopsided smile.
"Oh, simple. I knocked you out, remember?" he said, crossing his arms. "It'd be rude to just leave you lying around. Besides..." His eyes flicked toward Sylfie, still unconscious next to the turtle. "I realized she's a potential devotee."
Aeris blinked, processing that. Her whole body tensed. For a moment, her expression shifted completely, her eyes gleamed with a poisonous mix of irritation, and her lips tightened, nearly trembling. That look... Ethan had seen it before. It was the same one she'd given Sylfie right before their fight started.
But before her more... toxic side could take over, she took a deep breath. Clenching her fists, she lowered her head slightly, hiding part of her expression.
"I-If... if that's what my lord believes... then it must be right..." she replied, fingers tightening around the fabric of her dress. Her voice softened again, shy, full of devotion. "But... she is... troublesome."
Ethan laughed, rolling his shoulder. He didn't actually believe Sylfie would become a devotee, he just wanted to see Aeris's reaction. Apparently, her devotion was stronger than her hatred for the forest elf.
"Seems like we're all troublesome. Maybe she fits right in."
Aeris pressed her lips together, glancing away like she was trying very hard not to let her voice slip into sarcasm, or jealousy. Her hands tightened around her staff until her knuckles turned white.
"Even so..." she sighed, brushing messy strands of her black hair behind her ear, trying to compose herself. "If... if you think she's useful... then... it's fine."
Ethan watched her for a few seconds, reading her expression. The way she tried to hide her own feelings was... hilarious, at the very least.
"You're terrible at hiding it, you know?" he chuckled with his usual grin.
Aeris stammered, the tips of her ears turning red. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about..."
Ethan stretched, cracking his neck as he glanced up at the sky.
"Anyway... no more monsters or adventurers showed up. So while that one" he nodded toward Sylfie, " doesn't wake up, I might as well get some more training in."
Aeris hugged her staff tightly against her chest, taking a deep breath.
"If... if it's to become stronger... then... I'll stay here... and watch you, my lord..."
Ethan's grin widened.
"Perfect."
In a single motion, Nexus shifted back into a long blade. Ethan spun, slashed, spun again. Each movement left shimmering golden trails in the air. His footwork flowed like a precise, fast, and efficient dance.
Aeris sat down on a nearby rock, the same one Ethan had sat on while watching her fight, hugging her staff close as her gaze followed his every movement. Her eyes, once narrowed in shy uncertainty, had softened.
Amidst the sound of slashes and mana humming, Ethan asked casually, not pausing his movements:
"Aeris... you and Sylfie. What's the deal with you two? You seem to seriously hate each other."
Aeris's fingers tightened around her staff as she looked away for a moment.
"No... it wasn't always like this." She sighed, lowering her voice a bit. "We were both born in the same forest. We... technically... grew up together."
Ethan raised an eyebrow, spinning Nexus once more, this time briefly morphing it into a spear before returning it to a blade.
"Same forest? Seriously?"
Aeris nodded, her eyes focused on the ground.
"Yes... But I'm a High Elf. And she... isn't. Ever since we were little, I was always... more respected. More valued. It wasn't a choice. I just... was born that way."
Ethan smirked. "Yeah... I know how it feels to be born superior."
"She... didn't handle it well." Aeris gripped her staff tighter, her voice gaining a slightly bitter edge. "At first... she just avoided me. Then came the snarky remarks. The disdain. The sideways looks. She pretended not to care, but... it was obvious."
Nexus shifted into a chain that Ethan spun a few times before turning it back into a blade. "And you? How'd you deal with it?"
Aeris took a deep breath. "I... tried to take it lightly. At first, I thought... it was just jealousy. Or that she'd grow out of it. But... no. Over time... it turned into constant teasing. Insults disguised as jokes. And... I started to... to..." Her voice faltered, her eyes tightening. "...to hate her too."
The metallic sound of Nexus paused for a moment. Ethan rested the blade on his shoulder, glancing sideways at her.
"So basically... childhood enemies."
"Something... like that," Aeris muttered quietly.
The corner of Ethan's lips tugged into a grin. He had noticed for a while now, Sylfie was stirring more and more as Aeris spoke.
"I wonder what she thinks about all this... considering she's obviously just pretending to be asleep," he commented casually.
Aeris's eyes widened. "W-what?!"
Ethan spun Nexus once, letting it return to glove form.
"Obviously. You two are around the same level... even if she took more of a beating, you wouldn't wake up that far apart from each other."
Sylfie's body remained still, but even the turtle seemed to blink more slowly now, as if realizing the act wasn't working anymore.
Ethan glanced at Aeris, then back at Sylfie.
"So, Aeris... tell me something. Before all of this, before the rivalry, the dirty looks, the disdain... what did you think of her?"
Aeris went silent for a few moments. Her fingers tightened even more around her staff. Her gaze grew distant, lost in old memories.
"I..." She bit her lower lip, hesitating. "...I liked her."
Ethan raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"She was... fun. Sometimes we got into trouble but... we used to laugh together." Aeris lowered her head, her ears trembling slightly. "She was one of the few... who didn't treat me differently."
Silence fell. And this time... even the wind seemed to stop.
Ethan sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, glancing between the two elves, one sitting there, blushing and hugging her staff like it could somehow hold back her feelings... and the other... still pretending to be unconscious, but clearly listening to every word.
"You two... are way more alike than either of you would ever admit." He broke the silence, taking a few steps toward Sylfie. "You grew up in the same place, share the same roots, and even now you're still so connected... that the moment you see each other, you're ready to rip each other's faces off."
Aeris looked away, lips pressed tight in embarrassment. The turtle blinked at Ethan slowly, while Sylfie... finally sighed. Her eyes opened slightly, half-lidded, still trying to maintain a facade of indifference.
"You talk like you actually understand any of this," Sylfie retorted, her voice still slow, but noticeably less aggressive.
Ethan crossed his arms, smiling. "Oh, I understand. Way more than both of you. In my old life... I saw this cycle hundreds of times. People growing up together, comparing themselves, getting hurt, growing resentful, drifting apart... and in the end, realizing all of it was just a waste of precious years."
Aeris tightened her grip on her staff but said nothing.
"Wanna hear an uncomfortable truth?" Ethan stepped closer, looking directly at Sylfie. "All that jealousy, that pride, that resentment... it's the mindset of weak people."
Sylfie narrowed her eyes. "Are you calling me weak?"
"Both of you." He grinned. "You're ridiculous. You grew up in the same place, with insane talents... and you spent half your lives comparing yourselves... and the other half hating each other for it."
The air grew heavy. Neither of them could reply immediately. Both lowered their heads slightly.
"You think you hate each other... but you know what it really is?" Ethan snapped his fingers. "It's frustration. Because deep down, neither of you ever wanted it to be like this."
Aeris pressed her lips together, looking away, while Sylfie crossed her arms and turned her head to the side, clearly annoyed... but with no rebuttal.
Ethan looked at them both. "Do you really want to waste more time on this? Beating each other senseless every time you meet? I'm not saying you have to become friends... but you could at least stop being enemies."
Sylfie glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, still with her arms crossed.
"Trust me, I've had my fair share of enemies." Ethan smiled, his golden eyes glinting. "Eventually, they either became allies or... well... let's just say I didn't have to worry about them anymore."
Aeris gripped her staff, stammering. "M-My lord...!"
"Kidding... more or less." Ethan crouched slightly, taking a deep breath. "But seriously... do you two really think this whole rivalry isn't just a complete waste of time for both of you?"
Silence lingered.
Until Sylfie huffed, crossing her arms tighter. "Tch... you're annoying."
Aeris glanced at her, bit her lower lip, and mumbled, almost inaudibly, "She always was..."
But slowly, Aeris loosened her grip on the staff, and Sylfie unfolded her arms, looking off to the side.
"...It's not like I... wanted it to stay this way," Sylfie admitted quietly. "It just... ended up like this. And I... didn't know how to turn back."
Aeris took a deep breath, clutching the hem of her dress. "...Neither did I."
Ethan rolled his eyes. "Well... that's already halfway there."
The two exchanged glances, awkward, uncomfortable, almost pouty, but for the first time in a long while, there was no venom in them. Just embarrassment. And maybe... something closer to regret.
"Perfect," Ethan spread his arms, grinning. "Now, be good girls, apologize, give me a hug, and a kiss. After all, I'm the one who fixed all this."
Sylfie rolled her eyes. Aeris lowered her face, blushing, but neither of them replied. Nor did they move toward him.
Ethan dropped his arms and smiled as if it were a joke, but honestly, he had kind of expected at least Aeris to give him the hug.
'Hey... couldn't hurt to try. Can't score if you don't take the shot.'