The morning air was crisp, carrying the scent of damp earth as the first light of dawn stretched across the courtyard. Catalina stood in the center, her stance relaxed but her presence sharp, like a blade waiting to strike. In her hands rested a long wind spear—its silver shaft gleaming faintly in the morning light. Though it appeared ordinary, the faint shimr of mana around it betrayed its true nature.
Luzia exhaled, feeling the lingering ache from last night’s training. Ramiro had pushed her hard, but now she faced sothing entirely different. Catalina wasn’t just a fighter—she was a magic weapon user. And despite being only twelve, she was leagues above the opponents Luzia had ever faced.
"You sure you’re ready for this?" Catalina asked, spinning the spear with a practiced ease. The air around her seed to shift with each movent, as if the wind itself responded to her will.
Luzia smirked, rolling her shoulders. "Only one way to find out."
Catalina didn’t wait.
In a blink, she lunged forward, thrusting her spear straight at Luzia’s chest.
Luzia barely dodged. The tip sliced past her ribs, and even though it didn’t touch her, the force of the air behind it knocked her back a step. She gritted her teeth—Catalina wasn’t just using the spear’s reach; she was manipulating the wind itself, making every strike carry more power than it should.
Catalina pressed the attack. A second thrust—this ti, she twisted the shaft mid-strike, sending a burst of wind toward Luzia’s legs.
Luzia jumped back, avoiding the sweep but feeling the wind tear through her stance, forcing her to stumble.
She couldn’t just dodge forever.
Taking a breath, she let her mana flow—not into her heart, but where it wanted to be. Energy coiled in her limbs, her muscles tensed, and then—
She moved.
Faster than before.
Ducking under Catalina’s next strike, Luzia closed the distance—the one place a spear fighter was at a disadvantage.
Catalina’s eyes widened slightly.
Luzia struck, aiming a fist at Catalina’s side.
But Catalina wasn’t slow.
Before the blow could land, she shifted her grip, flipping the spear around with unnatural speed. The shaft slamd into Luzia’s forearm, stopping her montum cold.
Then, a burst of wind exploded from the spear, sending Luzia flying backward.
She hit the ground hard, rolling to absorb the impact before springing back to her feet. Her arms stung from the blow, and her breath ca faster.
Catalina spun her spear once, planting the butt into the ground. "Not bad," she admitted.
Matilda, Esteban, and Ramiro stood at the edge of the courtyard, watching the fight unfold.
Matilda crossed her arms, her sharp eyes following every movent. "Luzia’s adapting fast," she murmured. "But Catalina isn’t even serious yet."
Esteban nodded, hands tucked into his coat pockets. "She’s been training with that spear for years. Luzia’s only just started learning how to fight properly." He tilted his head slightly. "Still... she’s keeping up better than I expected."
Ramiro, arms folded over his chest, smirked. "That’s because she isn’t learning. She’s rembering."
Matilda shot him a look. "What do you an?"
Ramiro didn’t answer imdiately. He watched as Luzia, despite the force of Catalina’s wind spear, adjusted her stance and charged in again. She wasn’t hesitating. She wasn’t second-guessing herself. Every move she made was instinctive—too instinctive for soone who had never trained before.
"She moves like soone who’s done this before," Ramiro finally said. "She just doesn’t realize it yet."
Matilda frowned. "That doesn’t make sense."
Esteban humd thoughtfully. "Maybe not. But look at her."
Luzia ducked under another spear thrust, weaving between Catalina’s attacks with growing confidence. Catalina, despite her experience, had to work harder to keep her at bay.
Catalina narrowed her eyes. "You’re persistent."
Luzia grinned, wiping a bit of dirt from her cheek. "You’re fast, but I’m getting faster."
Catalina spun her spear, and the air around her shifted. The wind grew sharper, swirling around the weapon.
Matilda exhaled. "She’s getting serious now."
Ramiro grinned. "Good."
Because that ant Luzia would have to push even further.
Ramiro’s smirk faded as the realization settled in.
I only noticed it yesterday while I fought Luzia... He watched as the ten-year-old ducked and weaved through Catalina’s spear strikes, moving with an instinct that didn’t belong to a beginner. She wasn’t learning—she was rembering. But how could that be?
His fingers curled against his arms as a chilling thought crept into his mind. Simple... she must have regressed.
The idea sent a shiver down his spine. It wasn’t impossible. There were strange forces in the world—magic that defied logic, powers that twisted ti itself. But if Luzia had lived before, if she was recalling a past life...
Who was she before?
And more importantly—
How did she die?
---
Catalina’s grip tightened around the spear.
She watched as Luzia darted under another swing, her movents too fluid, too natural for soone so new to fighting. The younger girl should have been struggling, scrambling to keep up—but instead, she moved with the sharp instincts of a seasoned fighter.
Catalina’s jaw tensed.
Is she playing with or sothing?
The thought stung more than she cared to admit. She was older, more experienced, wielding a magic weapon—and yet this slip of a girl kept slipping through her defenses like water through fingers.
Catalina inhaled sharply, focusing her mana.
Fine. If Luzia wanted to play gas, she’d show her just how serious this fight could get.
With a shout, Catalina whirled the spear overhead. The air scread around the blade as she gathered the wind, compressing it into a single devastating strike. She lunged forward, faster and harder than before, thrusting with a force that cracked the flagstones beneath her feet.
Luzia moved to dodge—but too late.
The spear’s shaft clipped her side, sending a shock of pain through her ribs. She staggered, the impact knocking the breath from her lungs, and tumbled across the ground in a spray of dust.
For a heartbeat, the courtyard fell silent.
Matilda’s lips pressed into a thin line. Esteban leaned forward slightly. Even Ramiro’s smirk faded.
Luzia coughed, pushing herself up onto one knee. Blood trickled from a cut along her ribs where the spear had grazed her.
Catalina planted the butt of her spear into the ground, breathing hard. "Not so fast now, are you?" she said, though her voice betrayed a flicker of uncertainty.
Because despite the blood, despite the hit, Luzia was smiling.
A small, reckless smile that didn’t belong to a frightened beginner.
She wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand. "Guess I deserved that one," she rasped.
And then—before anyone could react—she surged forward again.
And again Catalina’s strike slamd Luzia to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Luzia!" Ramiro barked, already stepping forward, his heart lurching into his throat.
On the sidelines, Esteban groaned and covered his face with his hand. Ah, what has Catalina done now? he thought. His daughter had never been good at holding back once her pride was poked.
Before Ramiro could rush in, Luzia forced herself upright, blood trickling down her side, her small figure brimming with stubborn fury.
"Father!" Luzia snapped, whirling toward him with a glare sharp enough to cut steel. "Don’t you dare co here! This is my fight!"
Ramiro skidded to a halt, blinking as if he’d been slapped. "But—" he started weakly.
From a few feet away, Roldan, still in his baby dragon form, twitched his tail, his crimson eyes glinting. Master should be able to awaken now, he thought, his wings fluttering slightly in anticipation.
Catalina, standing tall with her spear grounded beside her, narrowed her eyes at Luzia’s defiance. "You’re tough," she said, voice tight with the effort of holding back her irritation. "But that mouth of yours is going to get you killed."
Luzia wiped the blood off with the back of her hand, smirking despite the pain. "Maybe. But at least I don’t need a magic stick to land a hit."
Catalina’s face darkened instantly.
The spear thrumd in her hands as the winds around it howled, reacting to her temper.
On the side, Esteban sighed, dragging his hand down his face. "That’s it. She’s triggered her."
Matilda, arms folded, simply raised a brow, watching calmly. "If Catalina can’t handle a few words, then she deserves to lose," she said coolly.
Esteban glanced sideways at his wife. "You’re saying that about your own daughter?"
Matilda gave a tiny shrug. "Better she learns it now."
Catalina gritted her teeth, drawing her mana tighter, the air sharpening into slicing currents around her.
"You asked for it," she muttered.
The ground cracked under Catalina’s feet as she charged, her spear drawing a sharp silver arc through the air, faster and heavier than before—no more holding back.
Luzia braced herself, heart pounding—not with fear, but sothing else.
Sothing waking up inside her.
The blood roaring in her ears grew louder, her vision sharpening until every breath of wind, every twitch of Catalina’s muscles beca painfully clear.
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