2026-09-16 14:51:57
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Chapter 25: The Royal Academy
The day before the Academy was to open its gates, Fred stood in Cedric Veyre's training yard, said man's blade resting against his shoulder. The morning air was cool, and the only sounds were the distant birds outside the stone walls. Fred had practiced in this yard for weeks. His footwork had improved, his stance had gotten better, his motions no longer wasted as much energy as they did when he first started training. He could tell the difference between Cedric's attacks meant to push him back and those meant to open him up for a killing strike, even when the other man used both a blade and Flame Magic to attack him.All the same, he was far from a finished swordsman. Cedric knew that as did he. Cedric stood across from him, his own practice blade drawn. "Put your sword down." Fred obeyed. Cedric stepped forward. "Tomorrow, you enter the Royal Academy." Fred inclined his head. "I know.""You aren't entering as a fully-formed swordsman." Fred exhaled shar
First Stage Sword Initiate 2
Two weeks remained before the Royal Academy opened for the first time and Cedric announced that the next morning would be his final test. Fred woke before dawn broke across the horizon. The practice yard was empty save for Cedric and Lucan, who stood by the wall watching the exchange. Fred drew his sword as Cedric did the same. "No instructions?" Fred asked. "You've had plenty of them," Cedric replied before lighting his hands on fire. The flames spread up his arms as he took his stance. Fred did the same. The fight began before Fred was ready as Cedric charged forward, sweeping a wall of fire with him. Ducking the flames, Fred spun to the side, but kept Cedric in his sight and struck. Cedric twisted away from the blow, but instead of forcing the clash, Fred allowed it and backed away. Another wall of fire swept across the yard and Fred was forced to leap over it. Cedric was waiting on the other side, but Fred blocked high as the older man's knee c
First Stage Sword Initiate 1
Three weeks had passed since Fred was given the sword from the royal armory. By the time his healed, his ribs no longer ached when he took a deep breath, his shoulder no longer tightened painful when he tried to raise his arm, and the numbness in his left arm had completely worn off. The healers finally announced he was fit for serious training and Fred wasted no time in finding a new location. He began making the long journey to Cedric Veyre's home each morning. Cedric's practice yard soon became Fred's second home The first few days were spent building a foundation upon what little skill Fred had been taught. Cedric spent the first few days working on footwork. While Fred had learned the basics of footwork in battle, Cedric was able to show him how he had been wasting energy with each step. Fred crossed his feet when he should have been turning, leaned too far when attacking, and placed too much of his weight on his front foot when his body wanted to push forward.
The Sword
The morning after, Fred was back in the training yard.His ribs had healed enough to allow for light activity, although Cedric had warned him not to do anything that would cause him to strain them again. For the time being, that meant learning how to move in the yard. Cedric had drawn several lines in the dirt."Stay within these lines," he said. "I'll try to force you out." Fred nodded. Cedric advanced. Fred sidestepped. Cedric turned.Fred adjusted his footing and maintained his balance. The lesson seemed straightforward, but Fred quickly learned the difficulty of controlling himself during combat."You always think about where you expect to move," Cedric said, "but where do you expect your opponent to take you?" Fred tried again. This time, as Cedric advanced him, Fred didn't step back. He moved diagonally, positioning himself so that he was between Cedric and the far edge of the yard. Cedric stopped. "Better."Just as the lesson was about to resume, the sound of the gate opening
The Swordmaster's Lesson 2
Cedric lowered his practice sword. "A fight is a conversation between opponents. Each move poses a question and the answer defines the fight." Cedric took a step forward and made a simple slicing motion. "This asks if you'll block high," He moved his wrist slightly and altered the motion. "This asks if you'll retreat," He shifted his stance "And this asks if you know that neither strike will hit because I have no intention of striking at all." Fred exhaled. "Most people believe the best swordsmen are those with the most skill." Cedric moved back and forth again. "In truth, the best swordsmen are those who can manipulate their opponent into giving away information." Fred looked back at the stones. "That would be useful against Path Mages," Cedric sat beside him. "It will be. You have a disadvantage that all Path Mages will be aware of. You cannot suddenly throw your opponent off balance with Fire, pin them with Water, or push them away with Wind. The
The Swordmaster's Lesson 1
The royal messenger departed the Meyer estate soon after delivering Fred the Academy document. He waited in the sitting room with the parchment in his hands as his family debated what it meant. The Royal Academy was no distant ideal, no school only others got to attend. He was in and they'd set up an entrance test - the test he was going to take. The greatest academy in the Kingdom was his, but so was the gauntlet. Fred folded the parchment and set it on the table. Alvin arched a brow. "Remember that the entrance exam is only a taste of what's to come. Once inside the Academy, you'll be surrounded by students who've studied magic their whole lives." Fred exhaled. "I am aware." Sarah's eyes lingered on him. "Which is why you're going to lay low until the healers say otherwise." Fred opened his mouth to argue but Salia beat him to it. “Don't even try.” Fred narrowed his eyes at her. "I wasn't going to say that." "You were." "I was thinking." "You were t
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