The lift doors closed with a soft chime.
Maeve stood beside Marcellus, and neither of them spoke.
"I thought you’ll ask me if I’m okay or not?" Marcellus murmured, tapping his feet on the lift floor.
"You looked perfectly fine to me," Maeve groaned under her breath, and sighed.
"Are you feeling alright, young master?" she asked.
"..."
"Yes...Are you angry? That’s a first," he leaned in.
"No, I’m not---"
"Ah, so you’re upset that I was with another woman!"
"Definitely not," she replied.
"I am certain you are pissed," he said.
*Sniff-sniff* He smelled the air.
"Ah the scent of jealous-"
"You mother- Young master! Stop having weird thoughts, please," she calmed herself down.
"Oh...?"
"Relax...she’s way too old for me," he waved his hand.
"I am relaxed!" she growled.
"No, you’re not," he replied.
"I am."
"Alright, alright, whatever calms your nerves," he whispered.
And there was silence throughout the lift.
There was a hall for training on each floor, that lied opposite to each suite in the royal wings.
Behind a heavy steel door, that sealed with a soft magnetic click. Inside, the space opened to a wide and massive room. White reinforced tiles, white walls, and white ceiling. Sound absorbing panels ran in vertical strips, dulling the edges of every noise without killing the room’s natural echo.
Marcellus still wore his dark trousers from the medical bed. He still did not have a shirt on.
Healing burns tracked across his chest and the left side of his ribs in warm and reddened patches.
Maeve followed with a silent sigh and stopped two paces in.
"You should be resting," she said
"And you’re still not dressed," She added.
"Fabric will irritate the burns," Marcellus rolled his left shoulder.
[Current Capacity: ~9%]
"But...woah this room is larger than I expected it to be," he was amazed.
"You’ve never been in the training hall?" Maeve questioned with furrowed brows.
"Uh, no. You make it sound like you come here on daily basis, haha," he laughed it off.
"I do," She replied.
"..." Marcellus paused and looked at her.
"Seriously? I never saw you enter this hall," he said.
"That’s because you sleep a lot, especially in the night," she replied. "Young Master."
"I see," Marcellus tried to warm up by rolling his shoulders again, slowly.
Then he looked back at her.
"Again that cute face...you look like you’re pissed," he said.
"No I’m perfectly normal." She replied in an instant.
"I don’t think so, I’m really good at reading people," he said, and nodded.
"The best way to relax your frustration is just to humor it out," he added.
"Or beat it out," Maeve whispered.
"...Hmm...? I couldn’t hear you," Marcellus asked.
"I’m just asking, why are we here when there are clear instructions that you need rest?" She asked.
"I will not be able to sit in one place without knowing about my powers, after defeating my very first opponent at that,"
"What are your thoughts on my power?" he asked.
"Lethal, because you can analyse and replicate anything. But if you’re talking about the ones you displayed in duel...Stopping your opponent’s force is ace. But petals...I’ll have to consider them, because first, they took a lot of time, second, they’re beautiful, yes, but completely useless against someone who knows what you can do from them," Maeve tilted her head.
"Slow?" Marcellus thought.
He raised his index finger vertically in front of him, and conjured his force control.
A small but bright pink petal glowed on the tip of his finger.
"I think it’s quite decent, I mean, even Brandt took time to use blo-"
*Bbbanghh-----Growl!*
Suddenly, the head of a black hound, completely made of shadows appeared just beside Marcellus. It protruded from the ground, and bit off the empty space beside him, rising vertically, with it’s nose touching the ceiling.
Marcellus lost his footing and stumbled on the floor looking at it. Even the pressure of air during it’s appearance sent a recoiling wave at him.
"Goodness---"
The shadow head dissolved as cleanly as it had appeared.
"See?" Maeve looked at him without a single speck of hesitation. "You would’ve been dead by the time you conjured that tiny petal," she said.
Marcellus stayed on one knee for a moment, breathing through the spike of pain in his ribs.
He looked up at her.
"She’s definitely pissed," Marcellus whispered.
"Scaring a patient who’d been on bed for hours," Marcellus stood up with support of his hands.
"You’re so cruel," He said.
"I thought we were having a duel practice," she tilted her head.
"...duel?"
[Current Capacity: ~9%]
’Yeah, I don’t need you to remind me that,’ he thought.
"I don’t think I can even stand as your opponent now that you know what my powers are," he said.
"Not a good idea...for now," he said.
"Alright." She nodded.
[Wise decision.]
"Then...what’s your take?" he asked.
"The problem is not that you’re weak. Certainly, you are not, considering the explosive force you displayed against Rafe. The problem is actively bringing out that power in an instant, in a way you don’t even have to think about it. Your technique is elegant, especially the one that was stopping Rafe from using his own force...or something along the lines," she said, and paced forward.
"The toll of using that is massive. My core exhausts and burns way too much when I use it," he replied.
"Then you still lack perfect defense and offense. One of the famous tactics that ranked cadets use is to exhaust the core of their opponent, while still holding themselves back. And only at the end, when they’re sure their opponent will fall, they use their lethal techniques," she placed a finger on his chest.
"It is somewhat like how you fought against Rafe. But I believe you fought that way because during the whole fight you were busy analysing him and thinking of creating a new technique, which was flawed because you couldn’t protect yourself from the damage of your own power."
"Your moves are of someone who has trained his whole life, but your fighting style is of someone who has stepped in the arena for the first time in their lives. That is dangerous, young master." She said.
"Observe the combatants. Their techniques, whether they be a mastery of defense or offense, observe how they use them in both manners. Their powers are not limited to range. But, yes, efficiency depends on ’comfort zone’ of your technique. But they’re never limited,"
She relaxed her palm on his chest.
"You, however, have several limitations. And these limitations do not exist because of your power, but combat decision making."
"Which can be improved a lot, if you observe how awakeners really fight. And constant duels can help you considering you just found your combat powers, but if you keep on creating something new every time you step in and face someone, you will most likely loose before the battle even begins," she said.
Marcellus remained silent for a moment. He understood her.
Her words weren’t theoretic which he was used to as Zavian, but they were insightful.
Instead of creating something new everytime he faced an opponent, he needed to have a power he can be completely familiar with. But it should be adaptable, for both defense and offense.
"You’ve thought about this a lot," he murmured.
"I have, and I still think you should rest, you can barely stand, young master," she replied.
[Current Capacity: ~9%]
’I don’t need you to remind me!’
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