บท 42: With blades pt.1
Marina felt the cold wind on her face as she ran away from the infirmary. Her heart was still beating fast, her face red not only from running, but above all from the embarrassment that tightened her chest. Shirei's expression kept echoing in her head: the way he stared into her eyes, the silence, her heavier breathing. She was confused, she didn't know what to do. Shirei had always been kind to her, yet the disturbance she felt around him was new, unlike anything she had ever felt.
Shaking her head, she tried to push those thoughts away. This was not the time to let go and give in to those emotions. Not with what he could hide and, above all, not with the possible threat he represented for the Lilies Park.
As she ran, the familiar sound of voices and shouts from the arena caught her attention. The demigoddess opened her cerulean eyes.
A training session was taking place, and Marina realized that the buzz of fighting and shouts of effort could be a perfect distraction from the confusion crowding her mind.
She took a deep breath and decided to head there.
I didn't expect them to have already opened it after what happened… she said to herself with a note of surprise, Corgi and Cechela's children will have solved everything as soon as possible and healed the area. I wonder if my brothers too...
It bothered her that she wasn't aware of the project, but she understood that Lorenzo was more than capable of leading the seventh house on her behalf.
Arriving at the arena, Marina stopped for a moment to observe the scene.
The place remained large, dominated by a large central space surrounded by stone steps on which other demigods crowded together. The difference in height did not exist originally, it had necessarily been built to cover the damage from the clash with the tenebrae.
Marina stopped focusing on the architecture and shifted her attention towards the actual fighting.
It was always impressive to watch those training sessions: the energy that was released from the bodies in motion, the shouts of encouragement and the sounds of weapons clashing.
That's enough, I look like Sidal's daughter like this.
She sharpened her eyes and saw a young man, the representative of the sons of Ione, who was already moving confidently in the center of the arena. She imagined that he was the one who had to lead that lesson and the fact that he was handing out wooden weapons to everyone present only supported that thesis.
Gliomedes Capobianco…
He was one of the few demigods past the age of twenty, a natural hunter with a great presence and a loner's style.
Marina hadn't had the chance to converse much with him outside of meetings between representatives, but Gliomedes, with his attentive green eyes and straight posture, exuded an aura of maturity and experience. He wore light armor that suited his physique perfectly, and the quiver dangling at his side full of arrows was a clear sign of his skills as an archer.
The son of the goddess of the hunt was giving a speech to the other demigods, his melodious and calm voice dominating the arena.
"Remember, we are not here to prove who is the strongest, but to understand our limits and overcome them. Self-control is key. There are no shortcuts to improve the art of fighting and it is good that you understand this immediately."
Marina listened to him carefully, noting the respect that the other boys and girls reserved for him.
After his speech, Gliomedes signaled the demigods to pair up to begin training. Now dominated by her usual curiosity, Marina could not help but sit on the steps and start observing. Among those present, she immediately noticed Lilia, Torari's daughter.
Her friend seemed more focused than usual, perhaps she intended to vent some anger through that training. Marina had trouble understanding her at times. Lilia was very kind and affectionate with her, but with others she was both too impatient and short-tempered, especially with Cragar's children.
She saw her clutching her sword and shield and remembered the day she told her about her story. How Cragar had caused the death of the entire Rossini family.
"Lilia, you are paired with Eury," said a voice from the group.
Marina saw a boy, who she assumed was the one they had called, approaching her friend. Eury was a small, agile guy, with blue hair that stood out under his purple hoodie. The contrast between Lilia's seriousness and Eury's playful demeanor was immediately apparent. Marina settled herself better, curious to see how the battle would unfold.
She paused for a moment on the color of the demigod's sweatshirt. Purple belonged to a specific deity.
A son of Rutia, the goddess of illusions.
The match-up was certainly in favor of her partner, but the smile that Eury wore on his face made her refrain from defining who the winner would be.
The demigod stretched out his arm towards Lilia and smiled.
"Pleasure! My name is Eury."
"Lilia," the raven girl replied dryly.
"Oh! nice name!" The two shook hands, "Is it a diminutive or is that your real name? I, for example, was called Eury, that is, but my name would be Euridice, Euridice Baldinucci."
Torari's daughter did not respond and opened her handshake.
"Yes, I know what you're thinking: Eurydice?" the demigod rolled his eyes, "Yes, Eurydice. Yes, it's a female name. No, I'm not a girl. My mom, which is funny to say because I technically have two moms… my human mom anyway, she was into mythology and wanted a little girl, and then I came out. Surprise!"
Marina smiled and thought about the sentence he had just said. Contrary to what common thought suggested, the gods were capable of procreating regardless of the sex of the mortal, as long as there was a female body in which the semi-divine embryo could grow.
"Okay and that's it. Nice to meet you, Lilia."
Gliomedes cleared his throat, "To your seats! The other couples will wait their turns."
Eury smiled, "Hey, while we're at it… take it easy, I'm not a much of a warrior."
Torari's daughter smiled sourly back, "Good luck."
The clash began with some caution. Lilia advanced with her shield firmly in front of her, carefully observing her opponent, while Eury moved lightly, trying to maintain his distance. He wasn't a physical fighter like Lilia, but Marina understood that he wasn't just a playful kid.
Torari's daughter lunged and tried to strike with her sword. The blow traveled through the air without hitting its target, but Lilia didn't seem nervous, she was almost smiling. The girl slowed down, trying to figure out the best way to attack. Her brown eyes shone as she moved in circles, trying to follow Eury's movements.
The fight continued like this for another minute, but Marina was starting to sense something wrong. Lilia didn't get nervous or show any sign of frustration, even though she hadn't yet managed to land even a single shot. Eury had not indicated any intention to attack, holding his knife still behind his back with a reverse grip. With that sly smile of his, he seemed to be enjoying himself.
Marina immediately understood that Rutia's son had told the truth. As cool as it looked, the reverse grip only worked in action movies and theatrical fight scenes. In real life, no one could properly use that grip to the point of making his weapon dangerous.
If Torari's daughter had managed to wake up, the boy would have had no chance.
I would just like to understand why she is so calm… the Lilia I know would absolutely not act like this.
The doubt crept into her that her way of acting was due to the period spent at the Daffodil Academy, however she could not have changed so much in so little. There had to be more and she wanted to know what.
Without looking away, she let the mana flow from the divine core into her sight, activating the peculiar technique of the sons of Ien.
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