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She was learning to predict and to use her opponent’s momentum against them—a skill that required as much mental agility as physical. I sidestepped her advance effortlessly, pushing her to adapt on the fly. She stumbled but recovered with grace, using a low-hanging branch to swing her body around and face me again.
“Good,” I praised her. “But don’t rely on what’s expected. Surprise is your ally.”
Her lips curled into a half-smile that was all determination and fire. “Like this?” In a blink, she kicked up dirt from the ground, clouding my vision momentarily.
I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle—it was clever, unexpected as pride swelled within me at her ingenuity. “Exactly like that.”
We continued for hours until the sun dipped low and painted the sky in hues of burning orange and softening blue. As darkness approached, we settled onto the forest floor; our breathing synchronized with the night’s emerging rhythm.
“You’re holding back,” Arlet said suddenly, turning to me with those piercing eyes that saw too much.
I met her gaze squarely. “In training? Yes.” My admission was as much for myself as for her. “But not out of doubt in your abilities.”
She considered this for a moment before nodding slowly. “I know there’s more you can teach me—about fighting... about everything.”
“There is,” I conceded, plucking a blade of grass and rolling it between my fingers—a human habit I’d picked up. “And you’ll learn it all in time.”
She leaned back on her hands, looking up at the emerging stars with a thoughtful expression that mirrored my own inner turmoil.
“Something’s coming at us,” I confessed softly into the growing darkness between us. It wasn’t fear that laced my voice, but a premonition borne from years of living on edge—a sense honed beyond human understanding.
Arlet turned her head to look at me again; her blonde hair cascaded over one shoulder like liquid gold in the twilight.
“We’ll be ready,” she stated simply.
“Yes,” I agreed, my voice firm with resolve born from our bond—a bond forged in mutual respect and seamless communication. “We will be ready.”
The soft hush of the forest at night enveloped us as we made our way back to the cabin. The cool earth beneath my feet made each step a silent testament to the bond that Arlet and I had formed. She walked beside me, her breaths steady and even, asign of the peace she found within these woods—a peace I hoped to preserve for her.
Once inside, the warmth of the cabin wrapped around us like a protective shroud. We both needed rest, our bodies and minds pushed to new limits with each passing day. The bed was a simple affair, but it promised solace from the relentless march of worries that dogged our steps.
As sleep claimed me, I kept one ear attuned to the sounds of the night, an instinct I could never fully silence. My dreams were a jumble of past battles and silent promises made under starlit skies. Yet even there, in the chaos of my subconscious, I remained vigilant.
A soft vibration pulled from my dreams by — a sound out of place in the quiet night. Arlet’s phone. Her hand shot out in the darkness to grasp it, and in that moment, as she read the message on its screen, her body tensed beside me.
We warned you.
The words were like ice in my veins. My eyes snapped open to find Arlet’s face turned ghostly pale in the glow of her phone screen. Her jaw set in that familiar line of determination, but there was no mistaking the flicker of fear in her eyes.
“Arlet,” I whispered, reaching out to place a hand on her arm. “Talk to me.”
She blinked rapidly before locking her gaze with mine. “It’s another message,” she whispered. Her voice was steady, but there was an edge to it that hadn’t been there before.
A growl built in my throat—a primal response to the threat lurking unseen beyond our walls. “From who?”
“I don’t know.” She shook her head slightly, her blonde hair catching stray beams from the moonlight spilling through the window. “But it’s clear they’re not just empty threats.”
I sat up, every muscle coiled and ready for action. My mind raced through scenarios—potential risks and strategies to neutralize them—but my focus remained on Arlet.
“We need to increase security,” I stated firmly. “Starting now.”
Arlet nodded once before swinging her legs off the bed and standing up with purposeful grace. The phone still clutched in her hand seemed like a beacon of malice—a reminder that our enemies were always searching for cracks in our armor.
“We’ll trace it,” she said, moving towards her laptop with renewed vigor. “Find out where it came from.”
I rose as well, watching her movements with an admiration that went beyond mere duty or protection. She was fire and steel wrapped in human form—unyielding even when faced with shadows that sought to engulf her light.
“I’ll sweep the perimeter,” I told her as she booted up her computer. “Make sure we’re alone.”
