Midnight Training Grounds
The abandoned eastern courtyard of Leonheart Manor lay bathed in silver moonlight, its cracked stone tiles overgrown with weeds. This forgotten place had become Cedric's sanctuary—where for nearly a year, the eleven-year-old had secretly honed his bizarre dual-wielding style.
Tonight, two modified practice weapons leaned against the mossy wall:
A shortened spear (really just a sturdy oak branch with a wrapped grip)
A wooden sword carved down to dagger-length
Cedric stretched his sore muscles—still aching from that afternoon's brutal Umbra dagger drills—and began.
The Foundation
For months, his training had followed the same pattern:
Footwork Drills - Sidestepping imaginary attacks while maintaining balance with both weapons
Basic Combinations - Spear thrust followed by sword swipe, repeated until his arms burned
Defensive Postures - Using the spear's length to keep distance while the sword guarded his flank
But tonight... tonight something clicked.
The Breakthrough
As Cedric practiced a particularly complex maneuver—a low spear sweep combined with an overhead sword arc—his foot caught on uneven stone.
Instead of falling, his body reacted:
The spear planted into the ground like a vaulting pole
The sword lashed out in a wide defensive circle
His entire body spun with the momentum
The move ended with him crouched low, spear extended behind him, sword pointed forward—a perfect defensive stance he'd never consciously practiced.
Cedric's breath came fast. This... this could work.
Refining the Technique
For hours, he drilled the new move:
Step 1: The Plant
Drive the spear's butt into the ground at a 45-degree angle
Time it perfectly with an opponent's charge
Step 2: The Pivot
Use the spear as an axis to swing his body around the attack
Maintain grip on both weapons despite centrifugal force
Step 3: The Strike
As the spin completes, lash out with the sword in a blinding arc
Immediately follow up with a spear thrust from the new angle
By dawn, the move flowed like water:
Defensive - Could evade a frontal assault
Offensive - Left him positioned for a counterattack
Unpredictable - Changed his facing completely
Cedric collapsed onto the dewy grass, exhausted but exhilarated. He'd done it—created something entirely his own.
The Flaws
As the rising sun painted the courtyard gold, reality set in:
Stamina Drain - The move left him gasping after three repetitions
Spear Integrity - His makeshift weapon wouldn't survive real combat
Close-Quarters Uselessness - Required space to spin
Need to adapt, he thought, chewing a stolen breakfast roll. Maybe...
Modifications
Over the next week, Cedric refined the technique:
Version 1: The Compact Spin
Reduced rotation from 270° to 180°
Sacrificed some evasion for stability
Version 2: The Feint
Began the move as if committing fully
Aborted midway to strike from an unexpected angle
Version 3: The Shadow Variant
Incorporated his Umbra training
Used dark energy to momentarily obscure the spin
Near Discovery
His secret almost came undone when Hugo Leonheart stumbled upon the courtyard one evening.
"Seven hells, kid," the heir chuckled, watching Cedric's latest attempt. "Where'd you learn to fight like a drunken windmill?"
Cedric froze, panic rising—until Hugo tossed him a real training spear.
"Try this. The balance is better."
As the older boy walked away, he called over his shoulder: "Aveline would skin you alive if she knew you were using swords though."
The Evolution
With Hugo's tacit approval, Cedric's training intensified:
New Move: Shadowfang Vortex
Begin with spear thrust to force enemy to commit
Plant spear and initiate spin
At the 90° mark, release dark energy to obscure vision
Complete rotation with sword slash to unprotected flank
The first time he executed it perfectly, even the crickets seemed to pause.
The Cost
Progress came at a price:
Blisters covered his hands
Dark energy exhaustion left him nauseous
Sleep deprivation made him sluggish during daytime duties
Aveline noticed.
"You look terrible," she declared one morning, throwing an apple at his head. "If you're going to be useless, at least do it quietly."
That night, a parcel appeared outside his door—a jar of healing salve and fingerless gloves lined with shock-absorbing leather.
No note.
The Forest Clearing
The dense foliage of the western forest muffled all sound, leaving only the whisper of leaves and the occasional snap of a twig beneath Cedric's boots. He had snuck out before dawn, his modified spear strapped to his back and his shortened wooden sword tucked into his belt.
For weeks, he had practiced his Shadowfang Vortex in secret, but drills against straw dummies could only take him so far. Today, he needed a real test.
And the forest had monsters.
First Encounter
It didn't take long.
A B-rank Razorclaw Lynx emerged from the undergrowth, its fur matted with old scars, its yellow eyes locking onto Cedric with predatory focus.
Cedric exhaled slowly and unsheathed his weapons.
The lynx lunged.
Shadowfang Vortex - Initiated.
Spear Thrust – Forced the beast to commit to a dodge.
Plant and Pivot – Used the spear as an axis, spinning his body out of the lynx's trajectory.
Dark Energy Concealment – A brief pulse of shadow obscured his movement.
Sword Slash – As the spin completed, his wooden blade cracked against the lynx's ribs.
The beast yowled, stumbling.
Cedric didn't let up. A follow-up spear strike to the throat ended the fight.
Breathing hard, he examined his work. It worked. It actually worked.
But something felt… incomplete.
The Lake and the Old Man
Deeper into the forest, beyond the monster-infested thickets, lay a secluded lake. Its surface was unnaturally still, reflecting the sky like polished glass.
Cedric knelt at the water's edge, washing blood from his hands—
—when a voice rasped behind him.
"Water."
He spun, weapons raised.
An old man stood there, hunched over a gnarled walking stick. His robes were tattered, his white beard long enough to brush the ground. But his eyes… his eyes were clear, gleaming with an intelligence that made Cedric's skin prickle.
"It's water," the old man repeated, as if that explained everything.
Cedric frowned. "What?"
The old man chuckled, the sound like dry leaves scraping stone. "You fight well, boy. But you're unbalanced. Too much shadow. Not enough… flow." He tapped his stick against the ground, and the lake's surface rippled in response.
Cedric's grip tightened on his spear. "Who are you?"
"A passerby. A teacher. A ghost? Does it matter?" The old man grinned, revealing a mouth missing several teeth. "What matters is what lies beneath that lake—and what lies within you."
The Five Cores
The old man's stick suddenly lashed out, tapping Cedric's chest with surprising force.
A strange warmth spread through his ribs, and for a brief moment, Cedric saw them—five glowing spheres nestled within his spirit.
One pulsed with dark energy—the Umbra training had awakened it.
The other four lay dormant, empty.
"Five cores," the old man murmured. "One in ten million have three. One in a billion has five."
Cedric staggered back, the vision fading. "What does that mean?"
"It means you're a walking storm waiting to happen." The old man pointed at the lake. "Water calls to you. At the bottom of this lake lies a Moonwater Pearl—an artifact that can awaken your second core to the water element."
The Trial
Cedric eyed the lake skeptically. "If it's that easy, why hasn't someone taken it already?"
The old man's grin widened. "Oh, it's not easy."
With that, he shoved Cedric into the lake.
The Dive
The water was cold.
Cedric kicked downward, his lungs burning as the light from the surface faded. Strange currents tugged at him, as if the lake itself resisted his intrusion.
Deeper.
Darker.
Then—a glow.
At the very bottom, nestled among skeletal remains and rusted weapons, sat a pearl the size of his fist, pulsing with pale blue light.
Cedric reached for it—
—and the lake fought back.
The Guardian
From the depths, a serpentine form uncoiled—a water wraith, its body made of liquid and malice. Its maw opened, revealing endless rows of teeth.
Cedric had no air. No weapons. No dark energy in this suffocating depth.
But he had desperation.
As the wraith struck, he twisted, mimicking the motion of his Shadowfang Vortex—but instead of steel and shadow, he used the water itself, letting the current carry him just out of reach.
His fingers brushed the pearl.
The wraith screamed, the sound vibrating through the water like a physical blow.
Cedric pulled.
Awakening
The moment his skin made contact, the pearl dissolved, its essence flooding into him.
His second core—previously dormant—ignited with blue fire.
Knowledge flooded his mind:
The push and pull of tides
The patience of glaciers
The adaptability of a river finding its path
Water Element - Awakened.
The wraith recoiled, hissing, as Cedric shot toward the surface like an arrow.
The Surface
Cedric burst from the lake, gasping, the old man watching impassively from the shore.
"Hmph. Took you long enough," the old man grumbled. "Now—"
A rustle in the bushes. The Razorclaw Lynx's pack had arrived, drawn by the commotion.
The old man sighed. "Show me what you've learned."
Cedric raised his hand—and for the first time, water obeyed.