NOVEL FROG Ghost Of Winter
The sound of wood striking each other echoed throughout the training room like thunder. Each time the two weapons seemed to touch with controlled aggressiveness, the air seemed to shudder as the two bo staffs refused to even develop the slightest cracks after three straight hours of continuous exchange.
The rest of the world was shrouded in darkness for them as the pair of sisters continued their intense combat session, each strike deadlier and more precise than the previous one.
Len was slowly adapting to her younger sister's unconventional fighting style, carefully observing her footwork and overall movements. Her sister's unpredictable shuffling between attacks made her difficult to anticipate, but not impossible. She continuously fell for these deceptive maneuvers multiple times, evident from the bruises that adorned her hands.
However, she now seemed to have looked past the illusion and could now block her sister's deadly strikes.
As the training session raged on, the sisters moved with fluid grace, resembling dancers following a unique choreography to an inaudible tune. Their bo staffs--intended as imitations of blades--clashed and swept through the air in a symphony of precise movements. Each parry, block, and strike brought Len closer to learning the technique, her understanding deepening with every moment of their intense practice. She had only been familiar with it on paper before today. By combining the basic knowledge and the explanations Luna gave her during the session, she was now getting a grasp of how The Dancing Maiden worked.
'Incredible.' She thought through the sound of intense strikes. Her admiration for her sister's skills had only grown even more after today. This is how they always were. Even when they were kids, Luna always endeavored to share the techniques she usually acquired through her memories with her. Of course, some were too difficult to grasp even after the constant years of training she put herself through.
Even after the clear explanations Luna gave her.
Martial Arts had always been easy for Luna. Lena, on the other hand, could only do her best. And her best is the reason why she made it this far in life.
After a while, Luna stopped her assault and stumbled forward before falling into her sister's arms. Despite her superhuman body, she still had mundane human qualities that limited her stamina and endurance.
"I'm spent," she said wearily, her breath coming in rapid, uneven gasps. Training with an ascender was grueling for this very reason. While she might almost match them in physical strength, ascenders represented the pinnacle of human evolution. With zenshi, they could endure challenges that ordinary humans couldn't fathom. Currently, Luna's exhaustion highlights the stark difference between them despite her extraordinary capabilities.
Luna looked up to her sister. There was no sign of exhaustion on her face.
'The fates are cruel indeed.' she spat from within.
"You should go rest. I'll remain here and try to adapt to the style as you said."
Much as she didn't want to call quits, her body demanded it. Heck. Even the damn bo staff felt heavy in her hand. However, Len still had to learn how the footwork worked. There were so many gaps in her movements. She was so off track. And yet, they only had a week left before traveling south.
Luna couldn't just let herself stop like this. Not when there was so much more to teach. Len had barely touched the surface of the technique. "I will be back in three hours," she mouthed as she dropped her bo staff and led herself out of the training room.
She didn't bother cleaning up as she was too tired for that. So, she let her body rest from the comfort of her bed.
'Three hours is enough for me.'
…the next time she opened her eyes, however, the next day had dawned upon them.
Oh....
And she was late for her class.
***
"Today we will cover the visuals. One of the most important parts of a martial artist is his or her vision. However, since most of you here can use Zenshi, I will teach you another way of seeing without the need for your eyes or Zenshi. It's the same method I use to visualize the world when facing beings much faster than me…or in other cases, ascenders. This method is…"
Luna paused when she noticed that no one was listening to her. Instead, they all had their eyes on the silver-haired woman who had tagged along to see how Luna taught her class.
Luna only agreed because she had promised not to cause any commotion.
But, even without doing anything, Lena attracted attention. Everything about her screamed: "I want attention."
Luna rubbed her forehead and sighed. 'I should have done something about the silver hair.'
Of course the silver hair wasn't the only thing drawing so much attention. Most of the world now knew about Lena Feng. She was incredibly talented for her age and possessed a unique blood group that had been made public a few days ago. She was also an Ice Aura user, which was rare in this world.
The Government and army were using her position to uplift spirits and remind the world that the Feng clan was still powerful even after losing its strongest member a few years ago. This wasn't propaganda but the actual truth. The clan was still as strong as ever with Mao Feng as its current leader now that the power had shifted back to her. But some mundane still doubted this fact.
Maybe having Lena here wasn't a bad idea, some of these students needed to get into high spirits. Even though she maintained her usual cold gaze and ice-princess behavior, they still looked at her with great admiration. To achieve as much as she had, at such a young age, was a testament to her hard work.
"Regan!"
"Yes, Professor!"
The dark-haired boy sprung from his seat and faced her with a cold determination. He was so intense.
'He should loosen up.'
"I have an announcement," she spoke loudly and the class was suddenly quiet. The students also held Luna in high regard after her stunt a few weeks ago. "As you all know, the subjugation of the Crimson Tower, a level five threat will be taking place in a week by the Feng clan and its vassals. And as a member of the clan, I've been requested to join the subjugation."
The students clamored when she mentioned that. Joining a subjugation of this level was a suicide mission for someone without Zenshi. But that didn't mean that mundane humans couldn't participate. In fact, most government soldiers were humans who wanted to keep defending their world and race. It was their way of protecting their loved ones and finding a sense of duty or purpose in this hell.
Clearing her throat, she continued. "I will be fighting alongside my mother and sister for the next three to four weeks to subjugate the threat and also get a higher rank as a professor…I have to eat you know, I can't be skin and bones forever."
Regan rolled his eyes as the rest of the class laughed at her small joke.
With that said, Luna then turned to the tall dark-haired boy, keeping a professional tone. "Regan and Diana will be in charge of the class while I'm gone. He will teach all of you how to detect attacks using the qi. If you can use it by the time I'm back, you will get a tour of the Feng Estate and get to meet the legendary Mao Feng. I'm sure my sister can make that happen."
Lena raised an eyebrow. Surprised. "Me?"
Luna stared at her for a brief moment and asked with a wink: "You won't want to upset your fans? Would you, Ghost of Winter?"
Immediately, the class was sent into a frenzy after she said that. Ghost of Winter was the name most mundane humans referred to her as. Just like Dark Blade, the names were given to formidable warriors by the great monks or their masters.
Dark Blade was given to Luna by her master—her father—after she picked enchanted black steel for her sword. On the other hand, the name Ghost of Winter was given to Lena by the Master of the Northern Ice Sect where she trained after awakening and confirming that her blood was indeed going to follow their mother. The name was meant to represent the nature of her powers and how similar it was to their Mother's who was The Flame of Winter.
'Guess the apple doesn't tend to fall far from the tree.' Luna smiled a little.
"Why would I?" Lena shrugged, a small grin on her face. "I will make it possible."
Luna turned back to the class. "There you have it. Make me happy and you will get yourself a tour with Ghost of Winter."
Just like that, Luna had managed to motivate an entire class. People would die to spend a day with the great and beautiful Mao Feng, the great sorceress and one of the pillars of humanity. And for those who weren't interested, they wanted to spend time with Lena.
The boys couldn't take their eyes off the silver-haired beauty. So, Luna was confident they would want to try their luck. Not all of them though…
Regan seemed uninterested.
'I should maybe show him something he doesn't know yet. Maybe…' she suddenly had an idea.
Later, Luna bowed to the class after giving her notebook to Regan. The notebook was where she wrote some notes on the techniques she recovered from her memories. The young man's entire mood changed immediately after seeing the small drawings and notes she made when training herself. Shabby as they may have looked, they were the best notes on martial arts out there. Better than the ancient scrolls in the sects and military academies because they focused on merging the body and essence of the art.
So far, Luna had only inherited Twelve techniques, ranging from pure martial arts to great sword styles. Three of those techniques were only known to her because they were either lost or too dangerous in the hands of superpowered humans. Or both. The notebook carried what Luna wanted to pass on to the world--even though the world was already familiar with whatever she wrote down. Anyway, in the right hands, the notebook was a great tool to have around.
'Maybe I should start a Sect of my own.' She chortled at that ridiculous thought. Who wouldn't find that funny?
***
Standing outside the academy, a young raven-haired woman stood at the edge of the road waiting for her army transport to take her to where they were to board the train leading to the Southern Reach. She carried a long black briefcase that appeared to be way heavier than her because of her small design. The people standing next to her were both stunned and impressed by how she easily held the briefcase with one hand. She looked like a teenager, but her eyes beamed with fierce maturity.
Unfortunately, Len had to leave to go sort out a few things before the clan's ascenders were deployed to the Southern Reach. The evacuation was almost complete, along with the territorial barrier meant to contain the strange powers coming from the Crimson Tower. The armies had moved south and all public transport to the Southern parts had been sized to prevent infection.
For now, everything seemed to be going smoothly. Were the fates really in their favor?
Well, she was going to find out one way or another.