I still hear my mother’s voice, hasn’t quieted in the 15 years since I last heard her. It was withered, hoarse from all her berating. Critiquing every piece of my life finding fault on the small things. No better example than our driver lessons together.
‘Left, right, left, this is not England.’ On something so simple she still found room to make fault.
So for my archery practice? Nothing short of perfection.
‘Your arm is too tense, causing trembles along the bow string.’
‘Are you five years old? Stand perpendicular to the target!’ I was only five there.
‘Lower the damn shoulder!’
It was muscle memory, open stance, staring down the shaft of the arrow, my back perfectly straight. With an exhale the tension in my shoulders left. I’m sure she would find some fault if she saw it, but I know it to be textbook.
With the release of the nock the fletching brushed my arm with a whoosh, my wrist going slack as the arrow embedded itself in the target, 8 points. It was satisfactory after years of rust, but I was raised for perfection.
I notched another arrow on the string closing my stance from an open to square. Bows are slightly different from the modern world, but are heavily the same since diverting too much from the standard would only lead to more confusion among readers. If your story items have real life counterparts and you decide to name the same thing, don’t divert too much from the world’s counterpart. Will lead to confusion from the reader, so best to remain true to life.
I closed my eyes and allowed my magic to flow into my bow. The arrow laid effortless on the notch, as the magic-infused itself within it. I released a sigh and let go of the bowstring, the arrow flew across the training field, impaled just outside of the bullseye.
“Score is voided, use of magic detected.” The monotonic robotic voice sounded off in my chamber. I was wasn’t surprised by the voice as it was exactly as in my settings.
The intention behind voiding magic for the first ranking ceremony was to show equality among students. External armaments and weapons were also banned by school from use until second year. After the second ranking test it is believed students who didn’t know magic should have grasped it. While after the first year it was believe that you should spend your summer as an adventurer hence earning enough money for the external items.
+++
When I left the room my body was covered in sweat and completely exhausted both physically and magic power. Just because we didn’t get grades for our shots using magic didn’t mean they weren’t a form of training.
“Ziph!” The voice was familiar, a harsh voice but hearing it again brought a friendly smile.
“Sky!” I spun on my heels returning his bellowing greeting. He was of average stature but this didn’t match his harsh and extremely masculine voice, but instead his above average physique.
“I almost thought you were avoiding me! How am I supposed to go on without my bestest friend?” Sky is one of many characters perfectly emulating their namesake. Despite the dark, baritone voice he was a soft person.
“I’ve been busy, this strange thing of going to class.” I replied slouching from his arm that he threw across my shoulders pulling me into his chest.
“Well no longer! We are going for a spar!” He pulled me as he marched me down the hall.
“Wait Wait, this is abuse!”
“I’ll put one hand behind my back!”
“ABUSE!”
“Shhh…This is just a loving exchange between friends.”
“I don’t want to be your friend.”
“How dare you! Then this is a fight to the death! There can only be one after today.”
“Sky, we can talk about this. Just unhand me, and we can discuss this.”
“Real men converse with their fists.” I maybe should have mentioned the fact that Sky is a fighting fanatic.
Then entered her enchanting symphonic voice, “Sky, I thought we agreed you wouldn’t torture Ziph.”
“The voice of reason! Natalie!” I exclaimed in relief, pleading for escape.
“Nat, love, how about you go the other direction so Ziph and I can catch up for lost time.” Sky was until to let up on his choke hold.
“Sky, honey, Ziph is burnt out from training. This wouldn’t be a fair fight.”
“It’s fine!” He scoffed off.
“It’s not fine!” I exclaimed in disagreement.
“It will just be one round, I’ll even put a 50% limiter on my magic.” Sky compromised.
“Ziph, do you consent? If you don’t I’ll get him off you.”
“One round?” I repeated
“One round,” He nodded.
“Fine, he’ll bother me again tomorrow if I don’t.”
“I’m going to bother you again tomorrow anyway.”
“Nat, why do you put up with him?”
“I should ask you that. You known him longer.”
“I regret everyday of it.”
“Silence! Off to the arena we go! “
I missed him.
+++
“The usual or do you want to impose school restrictions?” I asked.
“Normal, can’t let you have any excuses when you lose.” He loosely stretched and took a sword in hand.
“Stadium start the countdown!”
“Match start, 3…2…1…Start!” Was the same robotic voice from earlier in my training chamber.
With an arrow already notched, I released the bowstring and the arrow flew towards where I predicted Sky to be.
He held the sword up in anticipation and deflected the arrow enough for him to continue his charge. My magic power was already weak from training, so I couldn’t depend on it for this challenge. I could only rely on my Birth Right for this immediate situation. The world around me slowed and allowed me the time to analyze his movements. Sky had already activated his Birth Right as well and it was related to speed. Knowing this I had few options, his skill allowed him to be a charging bull but didn’t allow much mobility.
The world returned to normal speed and I infused some of my limited magic into the arrow. It cut through the air and embedded itself into his knee. His charge slowed gave me enough time to expand the distance that had rapidly shrunk.
“Already using your magic? Thought you would try to elongate this match.”
“Can’t let you have any excuses about losing because of your magic limitation.”
He pulled the arrow out and he was quick to be charging again. I shot an arrow and was quick to release a second one. He dodged the first shot and cut the second one out of the air. Not that it even slowed him down as wind entered the stadium. I immediately jumped back and felt the wind as his sword swiped the air. With a twist of his wrist, he cut momentum and lunged the blade forward. Without much choice, I blocked using my bow and used the force to gain distance.
I pulled out an arrow and tried a shot without having any footing, he didn’t even flinch as the arrow shot wide right. Through my misstep, I lost balance and stumbled out of the way of his falling blade. The blade embedded itself in the ground as a crack was left in the stone.
“I never understood why you decided to go with the bow when we spent so long sparring with blades.” He informed with a questioning tone. I understood where he was coming from, with him it was always about swords, while with my mother it was always about the bow. So was a choice an admission to not letting go of her? I’m not sure. I wouldn’t contemplate on it now though as Sky reignited our confrontation.
This rush I felt wasn’t something you could ignore. This feeling of danger, this rush of adrenaline, you couldn’t fake this, you couldn’t write what it feels to have a blade at your nose. You can’t describe the jitters as you roll out of the way of a blade by the skin of your teeth.
Kys wasn’t one to allow someone to breathe while he held the advantage and during my internal realization I had to stay completely focused using my advanced eyesight to stay on top of where the blade was coming from.
Writing a scene like this was nothing like living it, I could smell the sweat coming from us both. I could taste the iron in my mouth as he kicked me in the gut. I couldn’t feel my fingertips from the countless arrow shots.
I made another mistake as I released an arrow and while it hit its target; I fell for a feint as he slashed my eye. The pain was the worst thing I ever felt. I wanted to scream out, but I couldn’t allow myself to be so weak. I bit my tongue and with blood running down my face returned to fighting.
The ground was littered with arrows and my breathing was heavy. I couldn’t continue this much longer.
I was avoiding the idea, but as the fight dragged on, this blade constantly swinging at me caused fear, where one slip would cost me dearly.
My fighting deteriorated as the fear overwhelmed the feeling of adrenaline. My legs left wobbly as I fell with the feeling of fear elevated from the blade held to my neck.
“Pick up your bow.” He ordered his eyes red, and the feeling of wind surrounded him.
“I can’t,” I informed, my voice weak.
“I surrender,” I confirmed.
“Match completed! Winner: Sky Honor!”
Following the announcement, he lowered the blade and we were transported out of the arena. We were perfectly healed as we had technically only fought virtually. The projected were based on our current conditions but to stop students from being injured none of it was real.
That doesn’t mean the feeling wasn’t there, I still physiologically felt the sword slash my eye. I placed a hand over my left eye, feeling for a nonexistent scar.
“Ziph, congrats. A little bit longer and I might have been out of magic.” He taunted with a slap on the back.
“You did well Ziph,” Natalie complimented.
Sky winning was the expectation, but it doesn’t lessen the sour taste in my mouth.
+++
Having exchanged farewells I strolled the halls back to my dorm. It felt like the first day of school all over again, where I spend every free moment questioning what has brought me to this point. “What did I expect? To be an immediate master to where I could stand at the peak? That even if I used a bow I would be allowed to avoid a blade? That if I could see the arc of the blade before it happened I could dodge it? What did I expect! Tell me! I’m not the main character! I’m not the star! Why did I think it would be so easy then?” I complained to myself in search of some kind of explanation.
“Nothing fun is easy,” Serena again, why do I keep running into her?
“Sorry about that. Was speaking aloud.” I apologized, not certain of how much she heard.
“What’s got you down in the dumps?” Her long legs skipping, while staring in my eyes with a blinding smile.
“Uncertainty.”
“Simple, make it certain.” She shrugged as if my problem was childish.
“It doesn’t seem so simple.” I disagreed. Just because she could easily disregard worries doesn’t mean I work the same way.
“What is something you dream to do?” She inquired as her skipping went to a halt.
I paused in my stride as well, I was silent. What was my dream? My inspiration. I was only attached to these characters because they reminded me of the people I cared about before or were my children crafted with pieces of my soul.
“Maybe you should start there.” She giggled, sauntering off without care for my reply.
I do have a dream, I guess, but I can’t announce it to the world. I want to see this world fixed, and see the people I love again.
+++
I walked out to a tree at the edge of a cliff and looked out at the city below, same place I met Serena orientation night.
“Someone else came out here to relax as well?” His voice was smooth and husky.
At his voice my heart pace escalated, pounding feverously against my chest, “Most beautiful view on campus.” I nervously replied. He stood next to me staring out to the flashing red light on the back horizon.
“Exactly,” Anax responded with a hearty laugh.
He continued, “What’s bothering you?”
“How can you tell?” I questioned, his reply only heightening my unease.
“No healthy person is out at this unholy hour.” He flashed me curt smile with a snarky tone.
“So what is bothering you then?”
“I asked you first.”
I thought this fictional man to be my role model. Despite knowing his answer asking him felt natural to me, “What do you do after a lost battle?” I don’t know how many times I wrote scenarios for the singular purpose of self-reflection. Sure his opinion was only based on my idealized version of perfection, but it helped me through lots of turbulent times.
“Most learning is done in failure, as success only fosters ego.”
“Says the man at the top of class.”
“What rank are you?” He ignored my response
“675.”
“Why not rank 1?” He didn’t even look over at me as he asked the question, but I looked up to him as the question was asked. He eyes locked with the beyond, particularly the red that glinted off his eyes.
“Because you are.” ‘Because I’m not the main character of this story.’
“Why should that stop you?”
I paused, “Because I’m not the star.”
“I guess people are born that way, aren’t they? Innate Birth Right, Magic, and Family some people have them and others don’t. So, guess people are simply born stars here.”
“Exactly.”
“Aim for the moon.”
“Excuse me?”
“Sorry, guess that isn’t a big saying here. I was always told growing up, ‘Aim for the Moon because even if you miss you’ll make it among the stars.’”
