7-4 Precision & savagery

“G-give my all?” Aera repeated the words with a stammer. “I-I don’t understand…”

“It means to come at me with all your might, Aera,” Azaela clarified with a genteel smile, but her clenched fists shattered the tenor her smile exuded.

“I know what it means, Lady Azaela. I just… Are you sure you want me to have at you with all my strength?”

“Is there a problem?”

Aera nodded. “I can’t draw out my full strength without my rage. Even if I did, what would become of this place? I won’t be able to restrain myself…”

“That’s what we’re here for, Aera. So you can learn to control your strength.”

Aera looked to Erin for aid.

“It will be fine, Aera,” said Erin. “You can let loose. You won’t hurt anyone here.”

“...Even if that’s true, how do I draw out my strength? I like you two. I don’t think I can—”

“You can’t rely on your feral rage to draw out your power every time, Aera,” said Azaela.

“I don’t know how.”

“Then, maybe… we can start small.” Azaela approached Aera with her fists raised to her face. “Raise your fists like mine.”

Aera did as she was requested. She raised her fists to her head. She didn’t know why, but she knew she was about to find out.

Azaela threw a punch. It was slow.

Aera instinctively shrunk behind her raised fists and let her arms absorb the soft blow from the gentle punch.

“Arm raised, always. Your head is the most important part of your body in a fight. Keep your wits about you, but to do that, you will need your head. So, protect your head at all costs. Do you understand?”

Aera nodded as she peeked out from behind her arms.

“Alright. Here I go again. This time, I will use more strength. So, try not to falter.”

Aera saw Azaela’s fist coming, and she once again hid behind her raised arms. Her guard took the punch, and she fell back a single step with a wince.

“That’s no good, Aera. You need to be firm with your stance.”

“I-I can’t…”

“You must. Otherwise, we won’t get anywhere. You need to stop doubting yourself.”

“It’s not that easy.”

“Nothing ever is. Which is why it’s called hard work. Now, again,” Azaela said and immediately threw another punch.

Aera tried to stand her ground, but she still ended up losing her steps. “I can’t,” she cried. “I just can’t.”

“If you can’t do this in your current state, you won’t be of much help in your other state.”

“That’s not true,” Aera refuted with a raised voice. “I can be of great help in my divine state.”

“Show me.”

“W-what?”

“Show me.”

“I can’t just—”

Azaela took out a small twig from her pocket that was wrapped in a piece of cloth. “Break this.”

“What is this?” Aera asked. She didn’t know what it was, but she accepted the item regardless.

“It’s a cursed item.”

“Cursed!?” she exclaimed. “What kind of curse?”

“The kind that would induce rage into the person who breaks the stick.”

Aera stared at Azaela with her mouth agape.

Erin frowned. “Is this wise?”

“We are about to find out.”

“Is this wise?” Aera posed the same uncertainty.

“You won’t get your answer if you don’t take a leap.”

Aera looked to Erin for an answer once more.

“Don’t look at her, Aera. She won’t always be there to help you.”

“But I—”

Azaela sighed and feigned a lunge.

Aera reacted to the feint. Her stance hardened and her grip tightened, breaking the stick in her hand. “What have I done?” she gasped. She looked up. “What have you done? I broke the stick… You made me do it…”

“And what’s to be done about that? What can you do about it?”

“I-I…”

“Nothing. You can do nothing, because that’s all you will ever amount to, silly girl.”

Aera stared at Azaela with eyes widened. Her mouth was open, but no words were formed. Only incoherent stuttering.

“So, what can you do, aside from your constant whining and brooding?”

Aera was silent, but her gaze had turned into a glare. Her eyes were turning red and veins were showing on her temples. Violet flames enveloped her fists and smoke began emanating from her body.

“Are you going to glare at me all day, or are you going to fight?”

Aera snarled and threw herself at Azaela.

“Azaela!” Erin shouted.

But Azaela gestured for Erin to stay back.

Reluctantly, Erin complied and stayed where she was.

Aera rammed into Azaela, head first.

Azaela leaned back and caught Aera’s arms that were aiming to claw at her face. “Impressive strength you have, silly girl.”

Aera growled in response while trying desperately to scratch the Ruva Apostle’s face.

“But it won’t be enough,” Azaela said. She let go of Aera’s arms and stepped to the side.

With the sudden absence of the compelling force, Aera fell forward. She went stumbling, but she caught her footing and gathered her bearings. She turned around and lunged at Azaela once more. She threw a punch that shattered the air around her.

Azaela didn’t stop the punch, but she didn’t let it strike her either. She simply stepped out of the way of the punch. She made it look simple, but it was anything but simple. The punch was as fast as an arrow fired from a deftly made bow. To her, it was akin to a child trotting up to her.

Aera bellowed when her punch missed. She spun and threw a wide hook.

Azaela leaned away and the hook passed her by without even grazing her.

Aera broke into a scream and lunged at Azaela with a flurry of punches. Not a single one landed on Azaela. Running out of breath, Aera slowed down.

Seizing the moment, Azaela responded with a light shove that caused Aera to stumble a few steps. “Where’s your focus?” she jeered. “You fight like a toddler who doesn’t know what strength is.”

Seething in silent contempt, Aera glared and slowly moved towards Azaela with her fists hanging below her chest. Though she wasn’t snarling or growling, the flames only grew, enveloping her entire arms.

“It is unwise to leave your head unguarded in the face of an experienced opponent.”

Aera continued to totter forward in silence with her bloodshot gaze fixed on Azaela without raising her arms to protect her head.

“You have been warned,” Azaela said and moved forward.

Aera responded with a swipe, but Azaela easily swatted the feral jab away. Aera took a swipe again, but Azaela caught her wrist this time. She pulled Aera in and struck her in the chest with her palm. Aera retched and stumbled backwards. Azaela had held back her strength considerably.

“If this was an actual fight, that would have been the end of you,” said Azaela.

Aera roared. It was an actual roar, not just a scream of a helpless damsel. The room even shook in the presence of the roar.

“Zel, are you sure you want to keep provoking her?” Erin asked. She had walked off the stage and taken cover behind a pillar.

“Zel? Are we being intimate now?”

“Azaela is a mouthful.”

“I didn’t choose the name.”

“Whatever it is. That’s not my concern right now.”

“I know. But this is necessary for her. She needs to learn. Lessons are best learned in pain or humiliation. She responds terribly to the former, but let us see how well she responds to the latter.”

Aera charged at Azaela. She threw a punch that missed its mark by a huge margin. She didn’t falter. She threw another punch. That, too, missed its mark completely. Her movements were being read like an open book. Azaela was already moving before she even threw a punch.

“As I said, focus.”

Instead of focus, Aera’s aura burst forth, completely enveloping her entire body in violet flames. The walls and floors began to crack and split.

“I hope this isn’t some scheme to put me in your debt,” Erin said. “I can’t possibly afford the repairs for a place like this.”

Azaela chuckled. “How about this? If your friends manage to even land a graze on me, the damages will not be your debt.”

“Kick her fucking arse, Aera!” Erin immediately shouted.

As if fuelled by Erin’s cheer, Aera sharpened. She threw a punch, one that followed Azaela’s movement.

Azaela had to readjust her footing to avoid having her jaw dislocated. “I see. I have been on the wrong perspective.”

Aera moved in with a low stance and her arms outstretched.

Azaela tried a feint, but Aera had learned. The feint failed and Aera caught Azaela by her arms. Azaela jumped and drove her heels into Aera, pushing the wrath apostle away and giving herself a moment to breathe. “Consider the debt settled,” she said, brushing the dust off her arms. “But I doubt you would want to stop here, would you?”

Aera lunged.

Azaela sidestepped the lunge.

Aera lunged again.

Azaela parried her punch and countered with a straight into her face, sending her stumbling backwards.

Having stumbled enough, Aera stopped her stumble with a foot jutting back a step. She returned with a swing.

Azaela closed the distance and dodged into the punch.

Aera went for it, lunging at Azaela.

Azaela sidestepped at the last second. It was a ruse, but not one that Aera had fallen for.

Aera rammed into Azaela with her shoulders.

Azaela caught her by her shoulders, but Aera returned the favour by grabbing onto her arms.

Aera grinned with her fangs bared. She lifted Aera into the air and swung her around, slamming her into the ground, or at least that had been her intention.

Azaela found her footing before she could be slammed into the ground. She twirled and spun, taking Aera along, breaking free from Aera’s grip. She flipped backwards, sending her foot into Aera’s jaw.

Aera’s world exploded in dazzling lights and her entire view tumbled around. Her vision blurred and balance crumbled. She staggered and fell on her knees and hands.

Azaela rose to her feet first.

Aera scrambled to her feet while struggling to maintain her bearings.

“Get up to your feet. This spar is not over and neither are you.”

Aera snorted. She pushed herself upright and raised her fists to her head.

“At least you’re not too stubborn,” Aera said and marched forward.

Aera hurled herself towards Azaela.

“You overcommitted,” Azaela remarked and dodged her grasp. Then, Azaela went low and aimed for her belly.

Aera tried to create distance, but Azaela stuck close and launched a series of punches into her belly. Her aura protected her body, but Azaela’s strikes were strong enough to still push her back. Aera countered, but Azaela dodged the countered and riposted with a spinning kick to her head. Fortunately, Aera learned. Her arms were up and they absorbed most of the blow. Still, the blow was able to shatter her thoughts.

“Keep fighting!” Azaela shouted. She unleashed a barrage of attacks upon Aera.

Ferocity with precision. Aera stood no chance once Azaela went on the offense. She couldn’t even keep up with Azaela’s movements. She could swing her fists wildly, in hopes that one of them would land. Blows after blows, even Aera was getting tired. She was not invincible. In the end, she was knocked off the stage. Her violet aura had staved off most of the injuries, but bruises and wounds were still present.

“And that concludes our first lesson,” Azaela announced.

Aera tried to get back on the stage, but she was stopped by Erin. “E-Erin?”

“Take a rest now, Aera. You have done well.”

“B-but I—”

“Rest. It’s my turn now.” Erin kissed Aera on the forehead.

In an instant, the flames faded and Aera fell to her knees, rasping.

Erin climbed onto the stage and brandished her sword. “Shall we?”

Azaela cracked her knuckles and summoned her sword, which flew into her hand from a rack nearby.