Reverse Chronicles

Training of the True, pt. 1

“There’s three of you left?” Sir Galant enters the dojo. He looks at three of us, me, Luke, and Haruka. “I assumed only Haruka and Luke would stay, but Alan is still here. Why is that?”

The attention of the entire room is focused on me. “I don’t know where I should be going, Sir.” I reply. Syrena and Johannes are not in class. The reason I don’t know.

“If the general that I served was General Wisterion,” Sir Galant. “I would ask him to train me for the games.”

I could do that? I could ask Wisterion to train me?

Sir Galant ends the session the moment it started. He gives us the rest of his time to prepare for the games which is two weeks from today’s date. Luke and Haruka exits the dojo. There seems to be an air of tension between the two. Speaking of preparation, my training with my team is at a stalemate. We are getting nowhere with our skills and teamwork. Our recent expedition in the dungeon was a success, but our cooperation is becoming stale.

Should I ask Wisterion for training?

In Strategy class, Magistrate Elaine made us meet up with our teams to discuss our plans for the Grand Academy Games. It is the Academy version of intramurals and has four main events. The first and second events are individual battles. The first is for weapon users, while the second is for magic users. The third and fourth events are where the teams come in. The third event is also individual battles, but teams go head-to-head sending one representative from their team to fight. The representative fights on until defeated or until the opposing team’s members are all defeated. Lastly, the fourth event is a treasure hunt event that requires dungeon excursion. All the teams are to descend to the dungeon and retrieve a special item. Teams are allowed to fight other teams while in the dungeon.

Vale begins discussing our probable and toughest opponents in the third and fourth events. Luke and his team of elites are the greatest obstacles in the third event. Following that are Haruka’s, Syrena’s, and Johannes’ teams. While in the treasure hunt, Johannes’ team are the most difficult opponents if they gain momentum.

“Guys, I have to say something,” I interrupt Vale in the middle of his discussion. He stops and lets me speak nodding at me as he did. “I’m going to be away to train with General van Kealyn.”

“That’s great!” Rose exclaims. “You need all the training you can get.”

“That is true,” Paul replies “but it is also disadvantageous. While you’re away, we won’t be able to fight together as a team.”

“This is General van Kealyn, Paul!” Rose’s eyebrows touch. “Excellent in command and great in skill. I’m sure he will teach Alan a thing or two!”

“The decision is yours, Alan.” Vale intercedes before the two fights. “If you train with him, I’m sure it will benefit the team greatly. Do what you must do.”

With a decision in my head, I make it back to my room. I pack up some of my things and equipped my four main weapons—sword, spear, bow, and strings. There is no time to lose. Training with Wisterion is training for the team. Aside from that my own goals did not waver.

I have to get stronger to defeat Luke. I’ll make him eat his own words!

“Alan, wait.” Vale calls me as I exit the academy gates. He runs toward me with his hands extended to get my attention. He pants heavily when he finally catches up. “I’ve arranged for a carriage to get you to the Kealyn villa.” A carriage stops in front as he tells me. He opens the door and lets me in. “The footman should take you to the Kealyn villa. Alan, good luck,” he closes the door shut and the footman beats the reins.

The carriage is taking me back to the general that I serve. The one who found me when I arrived here in Reversia. Going back to the villa, I have a different feeling than when I was heading to the Academy. I know Wisterion and the other generals are protecting the empire and because of that I have taken pride in being his Squire.

“We have arrived, milord.” the footman announces. I open the door and stumbled on the villa where I made my first step on Xanvaldrea. After months of being in the Academy for training, I finally make it back to the villa.

“Thank you,” I shout to the footman as he rode back.

In front me is the gate to the villa, guarded by Wisterion’s own men. I show them the pendant that he gave me allowing me passage to the villa. As I made my way to the proper, an explosion from the side of the estate shakes the ground.

I run to see what had happened. The area is covered in smoke. The plants that grew withered and died, while some burned with the explosion. The stone pavement that creates the road around the area is blasted and a crater on the ground remains.

“Combine them efficiently and quickly this time,” Zenneif’s voice blares from behind the smoke.

“Understood,” Syrena’s voice also echoed.

Syrena’s here? That’s right, she is Zenneif’s Squire. It seems they are doing something dangerous.

“Alan?” Zenneif blows away the smoke with wind magic. “You’re finally here. Lord brother is waiting for you in the training grounds behind the villa.”

Syrena smiles and waves as she sees me. She was not her usual self, calm, composed, and serene. Her face is marked with stress and trouble. Zenneif is giving her a rough time.

I go directly to the location that Zenneif directed. I traverse the road steadily, when suddenly an arrow is heading towards me. I read its path and dodge it. As I was about to continue on my way, more arrows made their way towards me. When I evaded them, their trajectories changed going towards me. They circle back determined to hit me, even the first arrow that stuck on the ground made its way towards me. I drop all my stuff and used Fluid Parry to deflect each and every one of them. However, it was still not enough.

I have to destroy them!

Grabbing the strings from my side pocket, I try to manipulate the arrows by attaching the strings. I attach three strings on one arrow and broke it. I repeat the same process to another arrow, but it was not fast enough. I switch the threads with the spear and used Defensive Swirl. The impact from the spear was enough to break all of them.

Who could have fired these arrows at me? Is it him? Is he testing me?

A golem crawls out of the ground but before it could completely crawl out, I attach the strings and used Puppet’s Demise destroying it. Like the arrows, it was the first of my worries as other golems soon made their way out of the ground. Puppet’s Demise is effective, but it was slow. Puppetry has the slowest activation time as the length of the string affects the latency of skill casting.

I manipulate three of the golems and made them fight with the other golems. I used Sword, Shield, and Spear—puppetry skills that allow puppets to create weapons from their bodies. I defended triangularly from the golem horde. The golems are the corners of the triangle leaving the sides of the formation open. The battle could have been easy if it not for the homing arrows that were making their way towards me.

I make on of the golems defend against the arrows, but it was left defenseless against the other golems and it was destroyed.

What should I do? Ordinary weapons do not work against these monsters.

An idea reaches my head as I make the two remaining golems to create a circular wall around me. I cast Permafrost freezing the entire area along with the golem horde. My training with magic has paid off!

I slowly melt the ice on the two golems that protected me. I continue to the area behind the villa. I find no other troubles as I finally laid eyes on the main who was behind it all.

Wisterion fires an arrow towards me but it stops at the last second. It circles back finding its way to a target behind him hitting the bullseye.

“You have certainly improved,” Wisterion smiles giving the bow to an attendant who approached him. “However, it is not enough. The Grand Academy Games will pit you against all the other Squires. As my Squire, you have to be victorious in every battle!”

The pressure has drastically increased. Wisterion’s expectations for me are high and as his Squire I have to meet or even exceed his expectations.

“You must win, Alan.” Those words ring straight and true as my mind takes me back to memory lane.

“You must win, Alyssa. There are scouts watching,” my coach tells me. I am about to run in the 100-meter Sprint. My fellow competitors are ready on their marks.

“Go, Alyssa. You can do it!” my family cheers on loudly from the benches. The umpire fires the starting shot and we all sprint to the finish line. I won that day, but the circumstances are different now.

I have been an athlete since I was young. Using skills and casting spells are something that I have just learned months ago.