Shane walked behind Acaelus, his eyes roving around the dark tunnel. His ears would pick up the occasional water trickling down from the cave ceiling, while his nose would catch an undiscernible scent from the light breeze blowing from the inside of the cave. Acaelus hadn’t informed him much about the purpose or even about the cave. Thinking of the time with the Sky Demon Slayer, Lady Adrasteia, Shane wondered if this was also such an instance, of Acaelus bringing him to meet his old acquaintances.
As they walked deeper into the cave, Shane increased his pace and finally came to Acaelus’ side.
“What are we doing here, Acaelus?” the silver-haired mage asked. As he spoke, he was also looking at Acaelus. The man was dressed differently from how Shane had seen him before. When he had passed Shane the extendable spear Breaker in Rose Garden, Acaelus had been dressed very casually. This time, he seemed to have dressed for combat.
He wore a black long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves folded up to half of his forearm, a dark brown pair of pants with the ends packed into his black combat boots. His hands were wrapped in black fighting tape. And on top of it all, Acaelus wore navy blue body armor that protected his chest and stomach with long arm guards stretched from his wrist to his elbow. He was also wearing shin guards, likewise extending from his ankle to his knees.
“I’m bringing to meet a friend of mine,” Acaelus replied nonchalantly, turning to look at Shane who was still staring intently at him before turning his attention back to the path before him.
“The last time I was told to meet your friend, it was a coin toss between death or demon slayer. I was even forced to sacrifice All Might,” Shane said, his voice level. It was still easy to see that he had harboured hard feelings over that incident despite walking out of as a Sky Demon Slayer.
“You will see when we get there. You won’t regret it,” Acaelus said. Knowing that there was nothing more he could say, Shane was silent. Another five minutes and the duo finally emerged from the cave into a forest.
Squinting slightly at the sudden ray of light penetrating through the thin forest canopy, Shane was just about to turn to his right and asked Acaelus where to next when he saw the man in the middle of unsheathing his black long sword. But he never got to complete the motion, because in the next second, a figure dashed from out of nowhere and tackled Acaelus. Adrenaline pumping, Shane went after them, already beginning to mold the wind around his arms.
Acaelus had been tackled into a clearing and when Shane entered, he saw the swordsman, sword out and to his side, wiping the side of his mouth with the back of his free hand. Opposite him, stood a man with an imperious aura about him, standing straight with his chest out. He was dressed in a very loose-fitting shirt, the buttons opened across his chest, and his bottom half was clad the same way as Acaelus.
The most striking thing about him were the twin blades that extended from the base of his wrist. Shane tried to look in closer detail, and noticed that they were actually connected to a bracer around the warrior’s wrist. Without any indication, the two warriors charged at each other again, Acaelus swinging and parrying with utmost dexterity and alacrity in his strikes while his opponent looked like he was dancing, a very fierce dance that consisted of short slashes and sudden thrusts, occasionally spruced with a kick.
Shane’s surprise continud to grow as he realized the other warrior was not actually fighting with the just the bracer-mounted swords. Those were actually part of his magic. Acaelus continued to press the initiative with his swordsmanship, his skill in the art so refined that Shane doubted there could be anyone in Fiore who would be able to match him. Yet, the other warrior was also showing off his abilities, constantly switching forms as he fought Acaelus to a stalemate with his arsenal of attacks centred around the his ice manipulation magic, constantly creating offhand and projectile weapons in combination with the twin swords.
The finale of the battle was achieved when the other warrior pulled back his right arm with his palms open and then swung it forward. In less than a second, the moment the hand was swept forward, the clinking of chain links could be heard as the ice chain extended outwards from the warrior’s grip and used it as a whip, snaring Acaelus’ sword before pulling him in close and ending the battle with a large curved saber, extending from the top of the bracer, pressed against Acaelus’ neck. With the battle at its end only did Shane observe, with surprise, the amount of weapons made from ice that littered the ground.
The warrior’s casting time had been near instantaneous, and Acaelus had been forced to not only defend against melee strikes but also the odd projectile weapons that was never off their mark. A bunch of swords used and then discarded, shurikens, kunai, combat daggers, shields and even a spear was around them. The other warrior was basically a walking armory. And Shane’s interested was piqued.
“Your victory,” Acaelus said with a grimace, tapping the other warrior’s forearm. The warrior released his grip and allowed Acaelus to take a step back as he did the same.
“As always, Acaelus,” the warrior replied with a pleased smile. “So who’s this boy you have brought?”
“Shane, say hello to your new master Solarinawan Tulii. Sol, this is Shane, Ironfist’s disciple,” the swordsman said, his voice flat. Shane walked up to Acaelus’ side and bowed slightly to Solarinawan.
“Master Solarinawan,” Shane greeted. Solarinawan Tulii was hardly surprised when Acaelus had introduced Shane with his background. The warrior’s eyes narrowed slightly as he studied the young mage before him, evaluating him. He was silent for a few seconds and then looked towards Acaelus.
“Sol, Shane will be replacing Ironfist in the fight,” Acaelus piped up in response to Solarinawan’s silence. And with that the warrior’s eyes flared wide as he looked at Acaelus with a murderous gaze.
“Ironfist’s… dead?” Solarinawan spoke slowly and cautiously. Shane and Acaelus nodded at the same time to the question.
“You told him to call me master. Are you planning on letting him carry on my legacy as well?” the warrior asked. Again Acaelus merely nodded.
“What magic do you possess currently, Shane?”
“Master Hardunn passed on All Might to me. But only recently, I have sacrificed it in return for Sky Demon Slayer magic. I learnt it from the High Lady Adrasteia.”
Solarinawan’s mouth curled into a smirk as he heard the familiar name. “I guess you have the potential if Adrasteia’s was willing to induct you into her ranks. What rank did you reach before leaving?”
“I was ranked third,” Shane answered calmly. When he heard that, Solarinawan’s face lit up with a full smile, a surprised one. He was obviously very satisfied with that answer.
“So, what do you think of my magic?”
“Based on the display, your casting time was near instantaneous. It was the fastest I have ever seen.”
“That comes from having used it as long as Acaelus has been using his sword. It was either being fast enough or… We had to be fast enough.”
Solarinawan demonstrated it with the sudden appearance of an ice sword. In slow motion, the hilt would have appeared in Solarinawan’s hand first, before the blade of the sword shot out from the hilt to complete the weapon. In normal speed, the master had done it in under a second. Shane’s eyes flew wide open, his mouth almost opening as he marvelled at the speed. It was even faster than most swordsmen’s sword draw.
Shane listened in awe as Solarinawan continued explaining the basis of ice make, the magic of creation and manipulation of ice through magic. From what Solarinawan had explained, the concept of the ice make magic was very similar to his Sky Demon Slayer magic or any other elemental magic. Using their magic power as a catalyst, Shane could create objects out of ice. What would limit the size of the object or the speed of the molding would be his magic power. His mind raced to absorb all the information Solarinawan had offered while another part was beginning to turn the concept of the magic over and over, exploring how he could make use of it to accommodate his own fighting style.
“At the more advanced levels of the magic, you are also able to control the ice in your surroundings such as making your opponent’s equipment freeze up upon contact or even covering entire floors or buildings into ice. But more practical applications would be this.”
It was another demonstration, another impressive one no less. With a single sweep of his right arm, a large ice spike, resembling a spearhead, erupted from the ground. Shane stared wide-eyed, imagining the lethality of the spell. A grin began to show.
“I look forward to your guidance, Master Solarinawan.”
Solarinawan Tulii, originally one of the strongest among the Dawn Guard in a category above Acaelus and Ironfist but no longer able to join the fight against the Godking due to a heart condition that prevented him from participating in drawn-out fights, merely nodded in approval.
-----
One month passed in the blink of an eye. Acaelus had just entered the clearing where he had had his match with Solarinawan before, when he heard the dull clack of ice against ice. Exactly one month ago, Solarinawan had promised that he would pass on everything he had to Shane, his successor to his brand of Ice Make magic. And now, on the very last day of the promised timeline, the master and student were sparring one last time to see if he was qualified to carry on Solarinawan’s mantle.
Strewn around the clearing were the discarded ice weaponry that Shane and Solarinawan had utilized over the course of their battle, which was far from over. The two were currently engaging in close combat. Solarinawan with his trademark twin spikes from the base of his palm while Shane was fighting a large curved blade extending from the top of his wrists.
The master fought with quick and precise stabs, overwhelming his student with his fierce onslaught. The student, on the other hand, was furiously blocking with his larger curved blades in wide slashes. Despite his efforts, Solarinawan was still scoring hits, with Shane always evading at the last second, always avoiding the potentially fatal blows by a hair’s breadth. Whenever he took a blow, he would trade. There had been times when he had almost managed to draw a slash on his master, but his master was too quick. His footwork worked in perfect harmony with his hands, a never-ending blur of moves.
Seeing no hope to overcome his master’s fierce stabs, Shane leaned forward and slashed outwards with both hands before kicking off the ground to perform two consecutive backflips. The curved blades on his wrists began to liquefy during the backflip. The moment they were liquefied, the ice shifted along his forearms forming into a cylindrical bar. The cylindrical bar ran along his entire forearm, extending slightly past his fists, while a perpendicular bar, a shorter one, served as a handle in his fist.
Charging back into the battle, while his master still held on to using his twin spikes, Shane re-engaged his master with the tonfas. His performance in the battle was a much better one this time around as he moved more fluidly against the rapid strikes. The stabbing spikes did lesser damage as Shane alternated between using the tonfas for defence and attacks. He was still unable to get a hit in on his master, but at least he wasn’t in a bad position compared to earlier.
As they fought, Shane began to grow a pair of curved blades around his ankles, emerging from a shin brace made of ice, curving upwards towards the back of his calf. Once they were fully grown, the silver-haired mage immediately went on the offensive, disregarding some stabs as he pressed onwards. His attacks began to include sweeping kicks and axe kicks, insisting on doing damage with the ankle blades. The battle progressed smoothly, with Shane’s fighting style gaining a flexibility he never knew he could achieve.
The battle finally ended when Solarinawan evaded below a roundhouse kick aimed at his head and caught Shane’s neck with his hands. Shane froze instantly, eyes wide as he stared his master. He knew he had lost. If this was a real fight, he would have been decapitated instantly with the two spikes piercing through his neck. But for this time, his master had broken off the two spikes before grabbing, instead opting to coat his fingertips with frozen fingertips sharpened to resemble claws. The silver-haired mage could feel the sharp tips threatening to break through skin.
“You performed well, Shane,” Solarinawan exclaimed with an approving smile. He released his hands and let Shane go, the latter massaging his neck with one hand as he straightened himself. He dropped the other tonfa from his grip as well, dropping to the grass without a sound.
“I still lost, master.”
“And you would still lose, even if I gave you a hundred more years,” Solarinawan smirked, as he put one hand on Shane’s shoulder. “But from that fight, I’ve seen your potential, your compatibility with the magic.”
“Thank you, master,” Shane said, with a grateful expression on his face just as Acaelus walked up to them.
“You fared better than I did against Sol, Shane,” Acaelus said with a laugh. Solarinawan gave him a very serious look. Solarinawan had excused his student, to let him collect his stuff from his master’s hut before returning with Acaelus.
“Give him some more time, Acaelus. I foresee that he will play a very pivotal role in killing the Godking, but until then, he still needs more time,” Solarinawan advised his old friend.
“I know, Sol. Rest assured,” the swordsman said, nodding as he spoke.
[2392 words]
As they walked deeper into the cave, Shane increased his pace and finally came to Acaelus’ side.
“What are we doing here, Acaelus?” the silver-haired mage asked. As he spoke, he was also looking at Acaelus. The man was dressed differently from how Shane had seen him before. When he had passed Shane the extendable spear Breaker in Rose Garden, Acaelus had been dressed very casually. This time, he seemed to have dressed for combat.
He wore a black long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves folded up to half of his forearm, a dark brown pair of pants with the ends packed into his black combat boots. His hands were wrapped in black fighting tape. And on top of it all, Acaelus wore navy blue body armor that protected his chest and stomach with long arm guards stretched from his wrist to his elbow. He was also wearing shin guards, likewise extending from his ankle to his knees.
“I’m bringing to meet a friend of mine,” Acaelus replied nonchalantly, turning to look at Shane who was still staring intently at him before turning his attention back to the path before him.
“The last time I was told to meet your friend, it was a coin toss between death or demon slayer. I was even forced to sacrifice All Might,” Shane said, his voice level. It was still easy to see that he had harboured hard feelings over that incident despite walking out of as a Sky Demon Slayer.
“You will see when we get there. You won’t regret it,” Acaelus said. Knowing that there was nothing more he could say, Shane was silent. Another five minutes and the duo finally emerged from the cave into a forest.
Squinting slightly at the sudden ray of light penetrating through the thin forest canopy, Shane was just about to turn to his right and asked Acaelus where to next when he saw the man in the middle of unsheathing his black long sword. But he never got to complete the motion, because in the next second, a figure dashed from out of nowhere and tackled Acaelus. Adrenaline pumping, Shane went after them, already beginning to mold the wind around his arms.
Acaelus had been tackled into a clearing and when Shane entered, he saw the swordsman, sword out and to his side, wiping the side of his mouth with the back of his free hand. Opposite him, stood a man with an imperious aura about him, standing straight with his chest out. He was dressed in a very loose-fitting shirt, the buttons opened across his chest, and his bottom half was clad the same way as Acaelus.
The most striking thing about him were the twin blades that extended from the base of his wrist. Shane tried to look in closer detail, and noticed that they were actually connected to a bracer around the warrior’s wrist. Without any indication, the two warriors charged at each other again, Acaelus swinging and parrying with utmost dexterity and alacrity in his strikes while his opponent looked like he was dancing, a very fierce dance that consisted of short slashes and sudden thrusts, occasionally spruced with a kick.
Shane’s surprise continud to grow as he realized the other warrior was not actually fighting with the just the bracer-mounted swords. Those were actually part of his magic. Acaelus continued to press the initiative with his swordsmanship, his skill in the art so refined that Shane doubted there could be anyone in Fiore who would be able to match him. Yet, the other warrior was also showing off his abilities, constantly switching forms as he fought Acaelus to a stalemate with his arsenal of attacks centred around the his ice manipulation magic, constantly creating offhand and projectile weapons in combination with the twin swords.
The finale of the battle was achieved when the other warrior pulled back his right arm with his palms open and then swung it forward. In less than a second, the moment the hand was swept forward, the clinking of chain links could be heard as the ice chain extended outwards from the warrior’s grip and used it as a whip, snaring Acaelus’ sword before pulling him in close and ending the battle with a large curved saber, extending from the top of the bracer, pressed against Acaelus’ neck. With the battle at its end only did Shane observe, with surprise, the amount of weapons made from ice that littered the ground.
The warrior’s casting time had been near instantaneous, and Acaelus had been forced to not only defend against melee strikes but also the odd projectile weapons that was never off their mark. A bunch of swords used and then discarded, shurikens, kunai, combat daggers, shields and even a spear was around them. The other warrior was basically a walking armory. And Shane’s interested was piqued.
“Your victory,” Acaelus said with a grimace, tapping the other warrior’s forearm. The warrior released his grip and allowed Acaelus to take a step back as he did the same.
“As always, Acaelus,” the warrior replied with a pleased smile. “So who’s this boy you have brought?”
“Shane, say hello to your new master Solarinawan Tulii. Sol, this is Shane, Ironfist’s disciple,” the swordsman said, his voice flat. Shane walked up to Acaelus’ side and bowed slightly to Solarinawan.
“Master Solarinawan,” Shane greeted. Solarinawan Tulii was hardly surprised when Acaelus had introduced Shane with his background. The warrior’s eyes narrowed slightly as he studied the young mage before him, evaluating him. He was silent for a few seconds and then looked towards Acaelus.
“Sol, Shane will be replacing Ironfist in the fight,” Acaelus piped up in response to Solarinawan’s silence. And with that the warrior’s eyes flared wide as he looked at Acaelus with a murderous gaze.
“Ironfist’s… dead?” Solarinawan spoke slowly and cautiously. Shane and Acaelus nodded at the same time to the question.
“You told him to call me master. Are you planning on letting him carry on my legacy as well?” the warrior asked. Again Acaelus merely nodded.
“What magic do you possess currently, Shane?”
“Master Hardunn passed on All Might to me. But only recently, I have sacrificed it in return for Sky Demon Slayer magic. I learnt it from the High Lady Adrasteia.”
Solarinawan’s mouth curled into a smirk as he heard the familiar name. “I guess you have the potential if Adrasteia’s was willing to induct you into her ranks. What rank did you reach before leaving?”
“I was ranked third,” Shane answered calmly. When he heard that, Solarinawan’s face lit up with a full smile, a surprised one. He was obviously very satisfied with that answer.
“So, what do you think of my magic?”
“Based on the display, your casting time was near instantaneous. It was the fastest I have ever seen.”
“That comes from having used it as long as Acaelus has been using his sword. It was either being fast enough or… We had to be fast enough.”
Solarinawan demonstrated it with the sudden appearance of an ice sword. In slow motion, the hilt would have appeared in Solarinawan’s hand first, before the blade of the sword shot out from the hilt to complete the weapon. In normal speed, the master had done it in under a second. Shane’s eyes flew wide open, his mouth almost opening as he marvelled at the speed. It was even faster than most swordsmen’s sword draw.
Shane listened in awe as Solarinawan continued explaining the basis of ice make, the magic of creation and manipulation of ice through magic. From what Solarinawan had explained, the concept of the ice make magic was very similar to his Sky Demon Slayer magic or any other elemental magic. Using their magic power as a catalyst, Shane could create objects out of ice. What would limit the size of the object or the speed of the molding would be his magic power. His mind raced to absorb all the information Solarinawan had offered while another part was beginning to turn the concept of the magic over and over, exploring how he could make use of it to accommodate his own fighting style.
“At the more advanced levels of the magic, you are also able to control the ice in your surroundings such as making your opponent’s equipment freeze up upon contact or even covering entire floors or buildings into ice. But more practical applications would be this.”
It was another demonstration, another impressive one no less. With a single sweep of his right arm, a large ice spike, resembling a spearhead, erupted from the ground. Shane stared wide-eyed, imagining the lethality of the spell. A grin began to show.
“I look forward to your guidance, Master Solarinawan.”
Solarinawan Tulii, originally one of the strongest among the Dawn Guard in a category above Acaelus and Ironfist but no longer able to join the fight against the Godking due to a heart condition that prevented him from participating in drawn-out fights, merely nodded in approval.
-----
One month passed in the blink of an eye. Acaelus had just entered the clearing where he had had his match with Solarinawan before, when he heard the dull clack of ice against ice. Exactly one month ago, Solarinawan had promised that he would pass on everything he had to Shane, his successor to his brand of Ice Make magic. And now, on the very last day of the promised timeline, the master and student were sparring one last time to see if he was qualified to carry on Solarinawan’s mantle.
Strewn around the clearing were the discarded ice weaponry that Shane and Solarinawan had utilized over the course of their battle, which was far from over. The two were currently engaging in close combat. Solarinawan with his trademark twin spikes from the base of his palm while Shane was fighting a large curved blade extending from the top of his wrists.
The master fought with quick and precise stabs, overwhelming his student with his fierce onslaught. The student, on the other hand, was furiously blocking with his larger curved blades in wide slashes. Despite his efforts, Solarinawan was still scoring hits, with Shane always evading at the last second, always avoiding the potentially fatal blows by a hair’s breadth. Whenever he took a blow, he would trade. There had been times when he had almost managed to draw a slash on his master, but his master was too quick. His footwork worked in perfect harmony with his hands, a never-ending blur of moves.
Seeing no hope to overcome his master’s fierce stabs, Shane leaned forward and slashed outwards with both hands before kicking off the ground to perform two consecutive backflips. The curved blades on his wrists began to liquefy during the backflip. The moment they were liquefied, the ice shifted along his forearms forming into a cylindrical bar. The cylindrical bar ran along his entire forearm, extending slightly past his fists, while a perpendicular bar, a shorter one, served as a handle in his fist.
Charging back into the battle, while his master still held on to using his twin spikes, Shane re-engaged his master with the tonfas. His performance in the battle was a much better one this time around as he moved more fluidly against the rapid strikes. The stabbing spikes did lesser damage as Shane alternated between using the tonfas for defence and attacks. He was still unable to get a hit in on his master, but at least he wasn’t in a bad position compared to earlier.
As they fought, Shane began to grow a pair of curved blades around his ankles, emerging from a shin brace made of ice, curving upwards towards the back of his calf. Once they were fully grown, the silver-haired mage immediately went on the offensive, disregarding some stabs as he pressed onwards. His attacks began to include sweeping kicks and axe kicks, insisting on doing damage with the ankle blades. The battle progressed smoothly, with Shane’s fighting style gaining a flexibility he never knew he could achieve.
The battle finally ended when Solarinawan evaded below a roundhouse kick aimed at his head and caught Shane’s neck with his hands. Shane froze instantly, eyes wide as he stared his master. He knew he had lost. If this was a real fight, he would have been decapitated instantly with the two spikes piercing through his neck. But for this time, his master had broken off the two spikes before grabbing, instead opting to coat his fingertips with frozen fingertips sharpened to resemble claws. The silver-haired mage could feel the sharp tips threatening to break through skin.
“You performed well, Shane,” Solarinawan exclaimed with an approving smile. He released his hands and let Shane go, the latter massaging his neck with one hand as he straightened himself. He dropped the other tonfa from his grip as well, dropping to the grass without a sound.
“I still lost, master.”
“And you would still lose, even if I gave you a hundred more years,” Solarinawan smirked, as he put one hand on Shane’s shoulder. “But from that fight, I’ve seen your potential, your compatibility with the magic.”
“Thank you, master,” Shane said, with a grateful expression on his face just as Acaelus walked up to them.
“You fared better than I did against Sol, Shane,” Acaelus said with a laugh. Solarinawan gave him a very serious look. Solarinawan had excused his student, to let him collect his stuff from his master’s hut before returning with Acaelus.
“Give him some more time, Acaelus. I foresee that he will play a very pivotal role in killing the Godking, but until then, he still needs more time,” Solarinawan advised his old friend.
“I know, Sol. Rest assured,” the swordsman said, nodding as he spoke.
[2392 words]
