Astara and Daylan continued training, honing his skills until he could at least hold his own against her. "You lack battle instincts. You're afraid to hurt me," she often remarked. Despite his progress, she kept pushing him, beating him senselessly, forcing him to confront the brutal reality of combat.
Daylan never relied entirely on Astara. He spent much of his time training alone, pushing himself further each day. He repeated his previous penalties, learning to endure the pain, and before long, he was able to double his reps in push-ups, squats, and shadowboxing.
Though Daylan immersed himself in training, his mind couldn't escape Slater's death and how his parents would react. But soon, his biggest fear became a reality.
Slater's family visited the monastery, demanding answers. They questioned Daylan, attempting to force the blame onto him, but Lieutenant Bruce stood firm, asserting that there was no evidence to support their accusations. Frustrated, the family gave the Honor Chivalry a week to find the killer, warning that if they failed, they would take matters into their own hands.
Daylan had expected their actions and claims to lead to some change within the monastery—perhaps the arrival of individuals with abilities that could counter his or exclusive investigators assigned to the case. But to his knowledge, nothing had changed.
He couldn't afford to dwell on it, not with the tournament just three days away and his status as a Chivalry still unconfirmed.
A few hours into the evening, Astara invited Lieutenant Bruce to observe their training. Daylan and Astara faced off, the task clear: if Daylan could hold his own against Astara, and if Lieutenant Bruce was impressed, his status would be reconsidered.
Daylan braced himself, raising his guard. He knew this was his last chance, and failure wasn't an option. Taking a deep breath, he glanced at Lieutenant Bruce, who stood by with his arms folded across his chest, watching intently.
In an instant, Astara dashed toward Daylan and struck. He dodged, quickly landing four strikes to her chest, forcing her to slide backward on her feet.
Astara glanced at Lieutenant Bruce. His expression spoke volumes, clearly showing that he believed she was intentionally losing ground to Daylan.
Realizing the moment was his, Daylan dashed forward. He slipped past Astara's strike and countered, but she dodged by a hair's breadth. In an instant, their fists blurred—each strike met with a dodge, each movement flowing into the next. Just when it seemed they were evenly matched, Astara landed a decisive blow, sending Daylan crashing to the floor.
How did that happen?—his head tilted upward in confusion.
Daylan pushed himself to his feet and began tightening his stance, strengthening his arms. Astara smiled, then dashed toward him. With a feinted kick, she launched herself into the air, landed on his shoulders, and in one swift motion, wrapped her legs around his neck and hurled him to the ground.
Daylan clenched his fists and sprang to his feet, charging straight at her. As she struck, he dropped low, sliding on his knees beneath the blow. With his hands planted firmly on the ground, he launched himself into the air, using his momentum to drive both legs into Astara's rib cage, sending her crashing hard into the floor.
Astara clutched her ribs tightly with her teeth gritted, while Daylan outstretched his hand, relaxing on the floor.
Lieutenant Bruce watched them in silence for a while, then turned and left the training center without a word. Daylan took a step forward, ready to call out—but Astara raised a hand, signaling him to let it go.
They lay on the floor for a while, letting the ache in their bodies settle. After a brief moment, Daylan stood and offered Astara a hand. They grabbed their shirts, slipped them on, and made their way toward the library.
Astara began praising Daylan for how much he'd improved. Her words meant a lot to him, and he was glad to hear them—but deep down, he knew combat wasn't her strongest suit. If he had barely scraped by against someone who wasn't even at their peak in battle, what chance did he really have in the tournament? And even if he did become a Chivalry… would he truly be able to make a difference?
Just as his thoughts began to spiral, a knock echoed through the room. Astara motioned for him to get it. With a sigh, Daylan rose from his seat and opened the door. His eyes lit up, and a smile tugged at his lips—Medora and Zira stood before him. Without hesitation, Zira stepped forward and wrapped him in a warm hug.
"I miss you, big brother."
"I miss you too, little sister," Daylan said and carried her in his arms.
"Are you a Librarian, now?" Medora said, making her way into the library.
Before Daylan could introduce Medora and Astara to each other, Astara spoke up. "Hey, Dora. It's been a while."
"Astara is that you? You still haven't grown taller," She burst into laughter.
Zira also waved at Astara with a smile.
I guess they already knew each other then… It's not surprising considering I've known Astara for almost two years.
They began catching up, sharing stories about their lives and everything they'd been up to. Medora and Zira revealed that they had been requesting to visit Daylan for quite some time, but Lieutenant Bruce had declined each time—until two days ago, when Astara intervened and spoke on their behalf.
Daylan hadn't known any of this. As they spoke about it so casually, a quiet sting settled in his chest. How could they leave me out of something like this?
Seeing the smiles on their faces, especially Zira's, ignited something in Daylan. It gave him all the reasons he needed to do whatever it took to win. He made a vow to himself—he would put all his fears and insecurities behind him. He would do everything in his power to ensure his mother felt this same happiness. It didn't matter if it cost him his life; after all, he was already dead. He wasn't going to die without doing something greater than the man he had been before.
It was getting late, and Medora needed to leave before his mother returned from her trip.
As they prepared to go, Daylan paused and turned to her. "Thank you, Dora," he said, his voice sincere. "For taking care of my sister."
Medora's cheeks turned reddish. She gave an awkward nod and climbed into her carriage.
"Take care, big brother," Zira said, her eyes drenched in tears.
Daylan knew how much she missed having her family around, and when it happened to Dexter, he didn't take it well either. The absence left a void, one that he could understand all too well.
He reached his hand for her and wrapped her in a hug. "Mother will be home soon, don't worry."
Zira nodded with a faint smile. Daylan let out of her, and she climbed into the carriage.
Astara and Daylan waved at them as the carriage rolled away.
"I want us to see Lieutenant Bruce for an answer."
Astara nodded.
Without a moment to spare, they strolled to Lieutenant Bruce's office. He was calmly seated as he welcomed them in.
"You know it's quite late, right?"
"Yes. But I think you should have given us an answer before leaving." Astara replied.
Lieutenant Bruce smirked. "I've always admired your courage, Lady Astara." He turned to Daylan. "Daylan is good, I must admit. But with his skills, I highly doubt he will survive the tournament."
Daylan's heart sank, and rashes surged across his paled skin.
Lieutenant Bruce continued his tone firm. "However, holding your ground against Lady Astara isn't something to be taken lightly. So, he can be a Chivalry for now, but his performance in the tournament will determine if he's worthy of keeping it."
A sense of relief coursed through Daylan's body as he jubilated internally. Astara turned to him and smiled.
Lieutenant Bruce reached for a spherical crystal, identical to the one he had made Daylan use during their first encounter.
"Place your hands on it," Daylan obeyed. "Intermediate, huh? Not bad."
He then handed Daylan a stack of paperwork to fill out. Daylan quickly grabbed the papers, his hands moving rapidly as he rushed to answer each question as if any delay could alter the outcome.
As soon as he finished, Lieutenant Bruce dismissed him. Daylan couldn't hide his excitement as he walked alongside Astara to the library, a wide grin tugging at his lips.
Astara seemed to find it funny as she laughed at the top of her lungs.
The moment they reached the library, Daylan bowed his head. "Thank you, Astara. I really appreciate everything you've done."
She threw a book at him. "What's the 'thank you' for? You are yet to win the tournament, remember?" She let out a sigh.
"Let's win the tournament, after that, you can thank me."
She was right, and Daylan felt a surge of gratitude for her words. This was just the beginning; the real threat still loomed ahead, waiting.