Haise woke up, feeling the bruises on his face from yesterday's fight.
Damn, I didn't know it would hurt this much.
He groaned as he got up from his bed, getting ready for his training with Matilda.
Looking at the mirror, he saw his face bruised up.
Always the hero, Haise…
He muttered to himself as he got out of the room he was staying in.
Haise got down the stairs, seeing Matilda's father working on something.
"What are you working on, old man?"
Curiosity in his voice as he walked up to Matilda's father.
"You'll know once I'm done."
Matilda's father replied ominously as he continued to tinker.
Haise shrugged but caught a glimpse of what the old man was working on.
Old clothes?
Haise thought to himself as he walked over to the living room, where Matilda sat on a chair, seemingly waiting for him.
"There you are. Are you ready?"
Matilda asked.
"Yeah… let's go."
Haise said, uncertainty in his voice as he remembered how scary Matilda could be.
She literally left a man crippled in the middle of the street…
Haise felt a chill run down his spine as they walked out of Matilda's house.
Something inside him could tell that training with her would not be kind on his body.
As they walked through the streets of Blackreach, the thought of trying to save the boy came back to his mind.
Something about it felt right.
"Hey, you've been pretty silent."
Matilda questioned as they strolled through the cobblestone streets.
"Oh, it's just… something about trying to save the boy felt right."
Matilda gave him a small smile before replying.
"It means you liked it. Helping people—even if you got beat up in the process."
Matilda said, a smirk playing on her lips.
"Did you really have to add the 'getting beat up' part?"
Haise asked, softly glaring at Matilda.
"Heh, of course! That's why I'm training you."
Matilda replied proudly as Haise shook his head.
…..
…..
…..
They left Blackreach and headed to a secluded area.
From what Haise could observe, it used to be an old training ground for Blackreach guards.
"How do you have access to this?"
Haise questioned, knowing full well that no ordinary citizen of Blackreach could freely access it.
"I guess we forgot to tell you, but my dad's the Arl of Blackreach."
Haise's eyes widened, an 'o' forming on his lips.
So that answers it…
"Why? Are you intimidated by it?"
Matilda raised a brow, amused.
Haise shook his head.
"Then why didn't the tall man recognize you yesterday?"
Matilda smiled, brushing her hair back.
"Considering I don't usually make public appearances, why would he? And plus, whenever I do… I'm usually in a dress."
She rolled her eyes at the thought of wearing one again.
Haise still couldn't completely buy the explanation.
Matilda didn't look like any average Blackreach citizen for people not to recognize her.
"Haise! It's time to start training!"
Matilda commanded as she tossed him a wooden sword.
"But I already know how to use a sword!"
Haise protested.
"From the looks of it, I think you don't know how to use one anymore."
Matilda said, a smirk forming on her face.
Is she underestimating me?
Haise thought to himself as he picked the wooden sword off the ground.
"Oh yeah? Well I'll show you!"
Haise bolted forward, swinging his sword!
CLACK!
Haise's sword was stopped—blocked by Matilda's bare hand.
"Really?"
Matilda smirked as she drove a punch straight into his gut.
WHAM!
"Eugh!"
Haise stumbled backward and dropped to the ground, clutching his stomach.
"Told you. You don't know how to use one anymore."
Matilda walked over to him, offering a hand.
Haise accepted it, begrudgingly getting up, the strength in her grip surprising him.
"Okay… I guess we need to start over."
Haise said, still feeling the pain in his stomach.
"Very well then."
Matilda replied, a smug smile on her lips.
…..
…..
…..
The training grounds were quiet, save for the rustling of wind and the occasional grunt of effort.
"You're holding the sword like a dead rat!"
Matilda barked, adjusting Haise's grip again.
"Stop yelling at me! Seriously, you might break my eardrums!"
Haise rolled his eyes in frustration.
"Will you stop whining and just do what I say?"
Matilda retorted.
Haise groaned as he let her fix his grip once more.
…..
…..
…..
Sweat ran down Haise's face as he tried readjusting his stance—only to fall flat on the ground again.
"That's the fifth time, Haise! Seriously, what did Reiji even teach you?!"
Matilda shouted, watching him push himself up off the dirt.
"Hey! He taught me the basics! Like… how to hold a sword…"
Haise said, his voice fading into a mumble.
"You couldn't even hold a sword properly earlier!"
Matilda screamed, pinching the bridge of her nose in disbelief.
…..
…..
…..
"Try to read my movements, Haise!"
Matilda commanded as she struck forward with her wooden sword.
CRACK!
The wooden swords clashed, Haise gritting his teeth to hold his ground.
"I'm trying!"
Haise grunted.
"Then try harder!"
Matilda snapped, pulling back and coming at him again.
"You're flinching like I'm your childhood trauma."
Matilda quipped, a smirk tugging at her lips.
"With how things are going, I think you're turning into one!"
…..
…..
…..
Haise huffed, looking up at Matilda standing over him.
He could feel new bruises forming across his body.
"Is that it? Is that really the power of the Sasaki's?!"
Matilda challenged, placing the tip of her wooden sword under Haise's chin.
Haise grit his teeth and gripped his blade tighter.
With a swift motion, he slashed Matilda's sword out of her hand.
Matilda's eyes widened as she watched her weapon fly.
Haise swung upward in a tight arc.
Matilda dodged, falling back—only inches away from getting struck.
Now Haise stood over her.
"Now that… was decent."
Matilda said, a smirk present on her lips.
"I'll take it."
Haise said as he collapsed onto the ground beside her.
…..
…..
…..
The two of them were now sitting under a tree, Matilda tending to Haise's wounds.
Haise winced as Matilda pressed a cool towel against his face.
"Sorry. I might've gone overboard."
Matilda said, an apologetic look on her face.
"It's fine. Besides, like you said… I have to get strong, fast."
Haise replied, trying to reassure her.
"Where did you learn how to fight like that?"
Haise asked, genuinely curious about her strength.
"My dad told me about my fate at an early age. Ever since then, I started training—how to fight, how to use magic, and how to survive."
Matilda said, gently patching him up.
"It was hard, but… it paid off in the end."
She added, a small smile forming.
"I see."
Haise muttered as Matilda continued to tend to his bruises.
Matilda stood up once she was done and walked over to her bag.
She pulled out a sword.
"Here. This is yours now. Figured you need to get used to a real one fast."
She tossed the sword to Haise.
Haise caught it, looking at the sheathed blade in his hands.
Could I really do this?
He thought to himself as he slowly unsheathed the sword, catching his bruised reflection in the metal.
KAKAW!
A bird suddenly flew overhead, dropping a scroll down from its talons.
Matilda walked over and picked up the scroll.
"Haise. Let's go."
She said seriously, signaling for him to follow.
Haise stood, grabbing his sword, wondering what had just happened.
In the distance, an echoing roar vibrated through the air—coming from Blackreach.
ROAR!
Whatever it was… Matilda knew they needed to move.
Fast.