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United States, Mississippi, 1994
Mael: 15 years old
Sabrina: 15 years old
Dean: 15 years old
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"Mael and Sabrina, from today onward, you're allowed to go out on your own. You're already strong enough to protect yourselves. Of course, if anything goes wrong, just call my name," Ariel said, dropping the bombshell.
Mael and Sabrina were currently sitting in front of Ariel, drinking tea in the living room. Sabrina had poured a ton of sugar into hers. This would be the first time they were allowed to go out alone, without Cain or Ariel protecting them. Finally, Mael could begin putting his plans into motion.
It had been three years, and Mael and Sabrina had just turned 15 a few weeks ago. Since then, Sabrina had improved tremendously and had even achieved her first victory against Ariel. Sure, Ariel had only used 50% of her power, but still—a win is a win. Honestly, considering Gabriel's bloodline, even defeating her at half strength was a big deal.
Mael, meanwhile, had been honing his powers, particularly his breathing techniques. So far, he had developed five forms of the Breath of Light and seven forms of the Breath of Darkness.
In terms of pure combat potential, no one close to him could match him. He hadn't created many new techniques, but he had drastically improved the existing ones. He ingrained the fundamentals into his very being and continued pushing his physical limits. Thanks to this, he could use his breathing techniques for much longer now, though he was still far from mastering them to the point of passive use.
Sabrina had fused her swordsmanship with her celestial power to produce devastating results. Attacks like the one two years ago—when she destroyed a large part of a forest—were nothing special to her anymore, especially after learning Ariel's light techniques. Honestly, she was starting to resemble their mother more and more.
"I know you've both become very strong over the past three years, but as your father and I have said more than once, you can't rely solely on your strength when facing enemies. It's always wise to have someone watching your back," Ariel reminded them.
"We will, Mom, you don't have to worry. I'll protect Sabrina, and I know she'll protect me too," Mael replied seriously. By now, it had become second nature for him to protect the people he loved... and he loved Sabrina deeply.
Yes, he and Sabrina had been dating since last year—ever since something happened while they were watching a movie. They hadn't gone too far yet...
Satisfied with his response, Ariel began teasing Mael and Sabrina about the cliché line he'd just said. Ever since they started dating, Ariel hadn't stopped teasing him, claiming she knew from the beginning they'd end up together. Honestly, a woman's intuition is something supernatural.
With nothing more to say, everyone went off to do their own thing.
Mael walked to the back of his training hut to swing his swords and think about his next moves.
He took the swords given to him by his parents. Even after years of daily training, the weapons looked untouched. Understandable, since they were forged from some of the finest materials.
He began practicing the forms he had developed for his unique sword styles, all while reflecting on the past three years. After Ariel taught him the basics of swordsmanship and encouraged him to find his own path, he had experimented with using his celestial, infernal, and wing-based energies simultaneously.
The result? A fighting style was born—still incomplete but undeniably powerful. As he progressed, the swords no longer felt like mere weapons. They had become an extension of himself, feeling so natural it was as though he had been missing them his whole life. Ariel once said that when you reach a certain level of proficiency, your sword becomes a part of you—you know every detail, even with your eyes closed.
His style focused entirely on offense. His defense wasn't as developed, but he could dodge or block with his wings when needed.
That was another discovery: his wings could probably block his own swords. And if that weren't enough, he could infuse energy into them, further increasing their durability.
With his path taking shape, his parents agreed it was time for him to develop his own fighting style. Cain, however, advised him to wait a few more years before challenging him.
As a Hell Knight who had lived for thousands of years, Cain's experience was no joke.
Cain was peculiar in that he never allowed Mael to use energy in their duels. He wanted Mael to rely solely on his physical abilities and swords. At first, this contradicted everything Mael had learned from Ariel. Cain, after all, often used every trick in the book to gain even the slightest edge. But after talking with him, it made sense—at a certain level of power, minor tricks don't matter. Experience becomes the key.
After their first sparring session, Mael quickly realized Cain was a true genius with a sword. Though he didn't use many flashy techniques, he knew exactly when and where to strike or defend. His style was pure lethality.
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Author's Note: Cain's fighting style is very similar to Zaraki Kenpachi's. As Kenpachi himself once said: KILL OR BE KILLED.
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Cain completely overwhelmed Mael in every battle. Mael hadn't won a single match yet—only come close.
But coming close was enough to keep him motivated, as it proved just how much progress he had made, physically and spiritually.
His only real frustration came from the fact that Cain didn't even restrict his use of breathing techniques all that much—yet Mael still couldn't land a serious hit. Cain was a monster.
He could probably give a prince of Hell a tough fight in close combat. Mael hadn't beaten him yet, but he was getting closer. Just like his mother always said, he was growing at an astonishing pace—and he couldn't wait to grow even more.
If your will is strong enough, there's no better way to grow than by facing seemingly impossible challenges. So far, this had held true for Mael.
As he finished practicing, he sat down with his swords resting on his lap and began calming his breath.
Tomorrow, he would begin putting his plans into motion. And what better way to start than by stealing from the cradle of supernatural knowledge?
After calming both body and mind, he rose from meditation and returned to the main cabin to prepare for the night.
Tomorrow was going to be a great day.
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