The next day arrived with the crisp coolness of the morning, and Adrian found himself once again on the training field, this ti refining his movent drills. Each step, pivot, and strike was fluid, and precise, an effortless display of control that belied the simplicity of his actions.
He was alone for now—a rare mont of peace in his carefully constructed role as Kael.
That peace didn't last long though.
"Trainee Kael!"
The voice, clear and confident, cut through the quiet air. Adrian glanced up, his movents halting as he saw Aria, no, Ria approaching. Her posture was relaxed, but her steps carried purpose.
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'So, she has finally co, huh...'
Adrian inwardly sighed. Of course, she'd appear beside him. Given how smart and perceptive she was, he was sure she noticed the abnormalities. Perhaps, she even regained her mories.
"What is it?" he asked, his tone neutral.
Ria stopped a few paces away, a faint smile playing on her lips. "I was wondering if you could teach ."
Adrian raised an eyebrow visibly surprised. "Teach you what?"
"Close combat," she replied without hesitation. "Everyone says you're the best in the program. If I want to improve, there's no one better to learn from."
Her words were disarming—honest, even—but Adrian knew better than to take them at face value. He studied her for a mont, his sharp eyes catching the flicker of sothing deeper in her gaze.
"Why now?" he asked, his voice asured. "You've never shown much interest in close combat before."
"Well, it has been just 2 weeks since the program started anyway." Ria shrugged, her confidence unwavering. "Moreover, now I realize how important it is. I can't rely on magic alone forever."
It was a reasonable answer, one that could easily hold up to scrutiny. But Adrian wasn't convinced. Not entirely.
He crossed his arms, feigning indifference. "It's not easy. I won't go easy on you just because you ask nicely."
Her grin widened slightly. "I wouldn't expect you to."
Adrian exhaled, his shoulders relaxing just a fraction. "Fine," he said at last. "But don't say I didn't warn you."
Ria's smile softened, and for a mont, Adrian thought of sothing but shook his head.
Their first session began in the shaded corner of the training field, away from prying eyes. Adrian demonstrated basic stances, his movents deliberate but precise as he walked Ria through the fundantals.
She followed his instructions closely, her focus unwavering. But as they continued, Adrian couldn't shake the feeling that her attention wasn't entirely on the training.
"Why do you grip the hilt like that?" he asked suddenly, breaking the rhythm of their lesson.
Ria blinked, startled by the question. "What?"
"You're gripping it too tightly," Adrian said, stepping closer. He adjusted her hold on the wooden practice sword, his movents deliberate. "It'll tire you out faster. Relax."
"Oh." She hesitated, then nodded. "Right."
But as he stepped back, Adrian noticed the flicker of hesitation in her eyes. She was waiting for sothing—for the right mont.
And then it ca.
"Kael," she began, her tone lighter now, almost casual. "Can I ask you sothing?"
Adrian paused, his expression unreadable. "…Go on."
Her gaze t his, steady and unyielding. "Do you rember ?"
The question hung in the air, heavy with unspoken implications.
Adrian's expression remained neutral.
"I don't understand," he said carefully.
Ria's lips curved into a faint smile—a smile tinged with both sadness and hope. "You said you didn't know when we first t. But sohow… I think you do. And I think I know you too."
"Hmm..."
'How should I answer her without raising any suspicion...' Adrian muttered inwardly. There were many eyes and ears all around the city and even the training grounds of the program.
'...This might work out.'
'I will be killing two birds with one arrow...'
Adrian's gaze softened just slightly, adopting an apologetic tone as he prepared his next move. He needed to tread carefully—each word had to be deliberate, each gesture calculated.
"Ah, I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression," he began, his voice calm and steady. "It's true… When I first saw you, there was sothing about you that felt familiar. Like… I knew you, and yet, I didn't."
Ria's eyes widened slightly, anticipation flickering across her features. Her grip on the wooden sword tightened, the faintest tremble running through her hands.
Adrian hesitated for a brief mont, as though gathering his thoughts, and then shook his head with a quiet sigh. He ignored the hopeful glimr in her eyes, forcing himself to maintain the facade.
"I must have been mistaken," he continued, his tone tinged with regret. "I thought… perhaps you might have been soone I lost a long ti ago. Soone who ant a great deal to ."
Ria blinked, her expression faltering. She opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it again, seemingly unsure of what to say.
Adrian pressed on, determined to drive the point ho. "When I was young, I had a sister. A twin, actually. We were separated after our parents died. For years, I searched for her, hoping against hope that I'd find her soday." He allowed his voice to soften further, almost wistful. "When I t you… for a fleeting mont, I thought you might be her. That maybe, sohow, fate had brought us back together."
He let the words linger in the air for a mont, letting their weight settle.
"But… after careful thought, I realized I was just being hopeful. You're not her. It's clear as day. There are no real similarities between you and the sister I rember. None at all."
Ria's expression wavered, the spark of hope in her eyes dimming. Her lips parted, as though to argue, but no sound ca. She seed to struggle with her thoughts, her hands clenching the wooden sword tightly before loosening again.
Adrian stepped back, giving her space, his own expression carefully controlled. "I'm sorry if I offended you," he added gently. "I didn't an to project my past onto you. I shouldn't have made assumptions."
Ria's throat bobbed as she swallowed, her gaze darting away for a mont before snapping back to him. "I… No, it's fine. I understand," she said quietly, though her voice trembled ever so slightly. "It's just… you feel familiar to too. Like I've known you before."
Adrian's lips curled into a faint, distant smile. "Perhaps it's just coincidence," he said. "Sotis, people remind us of others we've lost. It doesn't an they're the sa."
Ria's grip on the wooden sword slackened entirely, and she lowered it to her side. She opened her mouth again, then closed it, her shoulders sagging slightly as she looked down. Not the training but the conversation seed to drain out of her, leaving behind a quiet, conflicted uncertainty.
Adrian turned his attention back to the practice field, stepping into a ready stance. "Co on," he said, his tone lightening just enough to steer the conversation away from dangerous territory. "We still have a lot to cover."
Adrian lowered his sword slightly, his tone shifting to sothing almost considerate, as though he wanted to ease the tension he'd just created. "Ah, right. If you want, I can help you with rembering your past."
Ria's head shot up, her expression caught between surprise and sothing akin to confusion.
Adrian offered her a faint smile, carefully calculated to seem genuine but not too intimate. "Let's have a clearer conversation later," he added. "Either in your house or mine. Well…" He paused deliberately, scratching the back of his neck as though sheepish. "Since I live alone, that would be… inappropriate. So, I think it'd be better if we talk at yours."
Ria blinked, visibly taken aback by his suggestion. For a mont, Adrian thought he saw a flicker of hesitation in her eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it ca.
"Besides," he continued casually, as if this were nothing out of the ordinary, "I heard it was Miss Sia who found you, right? If she's around, we might learn a thing or two from her. Maybe she knows sothing that could help."
The ntion of Sia seed to stir sothing in Ria, and her downcast expression began to brighten. A faint spark of hope returned to her gaze, and her lips curled into a small but grateful smile. "You… you'd really do that?" she asked softly.
"Of course," Adrian replied with a shrug, his tone steady but nonchalant. "If it helps clear up the past for both of us, it's worth the effort."
Ria nodded, the smile on her face growing a little wider now. "Thank you, Kael," she said sincerely. "I… I really appreciate it."
"Don't ntion it," Adrian said, already turning back to the training. "But let's focus on the lesson for now. You can't defend yourself against your mories if you can't even hold a proper stance."
His words earned a soft laugh from Ria, the tension between them easing just slightly. She raised her wooden sword again, and they resud their practice, the earlier weight of their conversation hanging in the air but no longer suffocating.
As Ria threw herself into the drills with newfound determination, Adrian watched her closely, his thoughts hidden behind his calm exterior.
'Step one: misdirection. Now I just need to control the narrative carefully.'
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