Chapter 12: 12: A Test of Aptitude

 

I was standing outside with dad on the day of my 5th birthday. He said something to me about how he needed to ‘test my strength’ before actually moving on to teach me what he knows about combat. Obviously I hadn’t actually fought someone hand to hand before, since mom was a master of elemental magic and so we did mock battles with that. All I knew about fighting hand to hand was completely self taught, if you could call playing VR melee games and swinging around spellswords self taught, that is. 

He walked out of the shed with two practice wooden swords and immediately I groaned audibly. 

“What’s wrong kiddo?”

“Well, er… I’d rather not use normal weapons.”

“Normal? What do you mean?”

“You see, over the past few years in my spare time I’ve been teaching myself spellsword magic, and so that’s what I’m most comfortable with.”

He looked at me in surprise. “You self taught yourself a school of magic? On top of learning elemental magic with your mom?”

“Yes actually, I learned how to do some things combining the two as well, would you like to see?”

“I would, and you will be able to fight with it if that’s your speciality, and we’ll train with that in mind, but for now I just want to fight with these so I can get a mark of your natural aptitude for combat.” He said. “Besides, you won’t always have mana at your disposal.”

“You’re right… ok, toss me a sword!” 

He complied, and I caught the blade with both hands, still large to my small body, even though it was more like the length of a short sword. Weight and balance could be a problem. I swing the blade with both hands a few times, then with just my dominant left. The balance was good, but it was heavy one handed. I’ll have to swing with two if I want to conserve my strength. 

Dad stands with his blade in a ready stance in front of me, one hand on the grip, right foot forward, left foot back. He looks like a force of nature, standing there, serious and ready to move at any second. I echo his stance, but grip the blade with both my hands and put my left foot forward. 

“Ready?” He asks.

“Ready.”

My father makes the first move, closing the distance between us in almost an instant. For a moment I almost instinctively use magic to slow him down, but stop myself. No magic in this duel. He makes a swing at my left side, hoping to strike my weaker guard. I may not have fought for real before, but I’ve played melee duels in VR, I know these tricks. I pivot slightly and guard his strike, not taking the full brunt of it, but just enough that I can slow down its momentum and dodge out of the way. 

Before he can move into his next swing, I slash horizontally into his waist, a clean hit that makes him grunt in pain, but it leaves me vulnerable to his next strike, moving down towards the top of my head diagonally. It has the kind of speed that could leave me with a concussion, but a part of me feels he’ll pull back at the last moment. I won’t let that moment happen though. I pivot to my left, sliding my blade from the side of his waist–which would’ve made a nasty wound if it were a real blade–and narrowly dodge the blade by a few centimeters. 

He may have missed his target, but he’s far faster than I am. While I’m positioned at a 90 degree angle to him, my blade to my side, I’m extremely vulnerable, and too slow to reposition before he sweeps at the back of my feet and knocks me to the ground. Before I know it I see the tip of his blade between my eyes.

“Good match Aria! I’m impressed kiddo. You’ve got good instincts, even if your body can’t quite keep up with them yet. Are you sure you haven’t fought before?”

“On Earth we had games that allowed us to fight with avatars in a virtual reality. I played those a lot in my spare time. I guess I picked up some things.”

“I don’t quite get it, but it sounds cool! I believe there are kinds of magic which allow people to fight without hurting their physical bodies, often used to train with more dangerous magic and weapons.”

“Sounds useful! I may have to learn it someday. Speaking of magic, you said I will be able to use it during your teaching?”

“Teach to the student’s needs kiddo.” He extended his hand to me and lifted me up to my feet. “If spellsword magic is your speciality, then we’ll figure out how to make it as strong as possible. Which is why I want you to demonstrate what you can do with it.”

“Ok, I have one thing I’ve been working on I could show you. It combines elemental and spellsword magic.”

“Go for it kiddo.”

I motion for him to step back and conjure a javelin made of ice magic. It’s cold to the touch, but weighs almost nothing, and is perfectly balanced. I ready my arm back, and throw it as hard I can towards a large rock in our garden. Before it reaches its target I melt the spear into water and split it into 4, freezing them back into smaller spears that pelt the rock from multiple sides. It shatters into rubble, throwing pebbles throughout the garden, luckily not destroying any of our nice plants. I probably should’ve thought that through a little more.

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Dad claps and I bow ceremoniously. 

“That was amazing kiddo! The amount of magical control that it takes is far beyond the level of a lot of amature mages, and you’re still a kid! You’ve been practicing that much?”

“Practice is a strong word. A lot of times I just get ideas for cool moves and then just feel things out until they work. I’m surprised you haven't noticed how well our grass looks lately from all the water…”

“I guess we know who to ask whenever our plants need watered then, huh?”

“Daaaaaad I haaaaaate chores!” I say, sarcasm loaded into my voice.

“Toooo baaaaad~” 

“It was you who I was supposed to destroy my whole time! My mortal enemy, my own father!”

We laugh at each other for a while before heading back inside. Today was only day one of double my previous workload. Physical and magical training. That could be a lot, but I’m sure I’ll handle it just fine. Besides, they’re my parents. If I need a rest day or to slow down I’ll just tell them. Though right now I don’t think that’s a problem. If anything I feel more energized than usual, even after this morning’s magic lessons and the afternoon’s aptitude test. I could go for more actually. 

Though that obviously wasn’t in my parents plans, because when I came back inside, dad told me to wait out in the living area while he disappeared into the kitchen. A minute later he came out with mom holding a cake that said:

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY! 

“Oh my Goddess that looks delicious!” I say, “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome Little Song, Happy birthday!” Mom said. “Before we eat the cake though, we should probably have an actual dinner first. I made us your favorite!”

My favorite food in this world was the same as on Earth, chicken noodle soup. Most animals were pretty similar, many even with the same names and features, especially on the human continent. Chicken was pretty much the same, although for some reason I think it tastes way better here. 

We ate and laughed, dad and I talked about our training session and mom expressed how proud she was that I taught myself a school of magic on my own, especially one that she wasn’t well versed in. She told me she tried it back when she was in school but she could never get the parameters of her weapons right. They’d break in one hit, or they’d be too dull, or way too front heavy, etc, etc. 

“It’s easy to focus on trying to create the perfect weapon, but the trick is just to imagine its image, its function, not what it’s made of. These things are spells above actual weapons, and so they mold to the user. They’re an extension of your body. Just like how you taught me elemental magic, remember?”

“Right. You imagine what the element feels like. The warmth of a flame, or the coolness of water, the wind in your hair. Then it comes to you in the form you imagine. That makes sense! I can’t believe I never thought of that in the same way.”

“The student becomes the master!”

“Tell that to me after you kick my ass in a duel kiddo.”

“Oof mom, too close to home.”

“Sorry baby.” She said, then whispered, “It’s still true though.”

By the end of the night I had eaten so much I felt like I was going to pop, and slept like a baby. I dreamed of Troy, and what it might’ve been like to grow up with him here in this world, Pentadeus. I see him smile at dad and I training for the first time, clapping along with him after I destroy the rock. He comes inside afterwards with us and jokes about how silly it is to eat soup when it’s this warm outside, yet still has two bowls of his own. I imagine his smile again, and how much I miss having a friend like him next to me. How much I wanted him to be more. 

I wake up with the morning sun, tears in my eyes, not even remembering what I was dreaming of, but remembering the smile of an old friend. Hoping, praying, to see him again. No matter how impossible it might be. 

Just a few more years, and maybe I’ll be able to meet people who’ll be good friends in their own right. Even if no one will be quite like him. 

Authors note:

Hi! Just wanted to let you peeps know that the first main arc of the story with Aria growing up with her parents won't go on for that many more chapters, and we'll be moving on to the adventuring academy arc soonish. 

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