Wind surged outward. Instead of trying to disperse the darkness, he used the currents to feel the changes within it. Each of her teleport displaced the air ever so slightly, tiny differences, almost impossible to notice.
She appeared beside him, her blade descending. He caught it at the perfect angle. Before she could withdraw, water spiraled around his free hand. Rather than forming an attack, it flowed across his sword.
A heartbeat later, lightning coursed through the water. The blade crackled with blue arcs before he slashed, lighting-filled water forming an arc in the air.
She vanished just before the strike connected. The lightning carved through empty air before scattering harmlessly across the distant cliff face.
She reappeared several metres away. Her golden eyes lingered briefly on his sword, impressed.
"You’ve improved."
He lowered his stance.
"I’ve become more efficient; there is a difference."
"There is... okay, shall we go again"
The battle continued. Stone shattered beneath their feet, great gusts of wind swept across the plateau, columns of earth rose and collapsed, and sheets of ice formed before melting moments later beneath bursts of flame.
Neither sought overwhelming destruction. Both exercised remarkable restraint despite the scale of their abilities.
Time gradually lost meaning as they battled, lost in the thrill of finally letting go.
Far from the battlefield, the fox cautiously stalked a mountain rabbit through patches of tall grass. Her tiny body remained low to the ground exactly as the palace beast handler had taught her.
One careful step, then another. The rabbit remained unaware.
The fox prepared to pounce, but a tremendous explosion echoed across the mountains. The startled rabbit fled instantly.
The fox stared toward the distant battlefield, then slowly looked back toward where the rabbit had disappeared. Her ears flattened dramatically.
Somewhere in the distance, Atheline sneezed. Lilith lowered her sword.
"I think someone is unhappy with us."
"I have a feeling I know who."
The sun gradually drifted toward the horizon. Golden light spilled across the mountain peaks.
Both warriors had slowed from fatigue. Atheline’s breathing had become heavier, and sweat dampened his hair.
Lilith looked a little different. Only the slightly quicker rhythm of her breathing betrayed how hard she had been fighting.
They met once more in the center of the plateau, one final exchange. Their weapons clashed repeatedly. Neither gained a decisive advantage.
Finally, both stepped back.
The mountain wind once again became the loudest sound around them. Atheline planted his sword into the ground before exhaling deeply.
"...That was satisfying."
She nodded.
"It was necessary."
He looked around at the countless scars now covering the plateau.
"I understand why you chose this place."
"So do I."
She sheathed her blade.
"You’ve adapted."
He looked at her curiously.
"To the core?"
She nodded.
"You’re no longer trying to force your power. You’re allowing it to move naturally."
He smiled.
"I suppose I finally stopped fighting myself."
She stepped closer.
"And because of that... you’ve become stronger."
The fox suddenly came sprinting back toward them, carrying a rather unimpressive field mouse proudly in her mouth. She stopped between them and dropped her prize at their feet before looking up expectantly.
Athelind laughed.
"I think we know who the true victor is today."
Lilith crouched beside the little fox, gently scratching beneath its chin.
"It appears our hunter finally caught something."
The fox puffed out her chest proudly.
"Let’s go home."
The days following their battle in the Southern Highlands passed with a quieter rhythm. Neither of them spoke much about the spar. Since they had both of them had learned what they wanted from it.
Lilith had confirmed that Atheline was no longer fighting against his slowly increasing powers. His movements had become natural, and his control over his many elemental affinities had grown noticeably smoother.
Atheline, meanwhile, had been reminded again and again that there was still someone capable of pushing him to his limits.
Life inside the palace soon returned to normal. Before dawn, the servants quietly prepared the royal residence while the kitchens filled with the aroma of freshly baked bread.
Zelpher had long since grown accustomed to the royal couple disappearing before sunrise.
Every morning, the palace guards would find them somewhere within the training grounds or the gardens, already halfway through their exercises before most of the capital had even awakened.
This morning was no different. Atheline stood beneath one of the ancient trees in the outer palace gardens, his sword moving through a slow series of forms.
There was no opponent before him. Only the soft whistle of steel cutting through the morning air. Each movement flowed naturally into the next.
Months of continuous practice had erased the unnecessary movements from his swordsmanship. His attacks no longer relied on overwhelming speed or strength. Instead, they were efficient.
Nearby, Lilith watched quietly with her arms folded. When he finally finished the sequence, she nodded once.
"I think you’re becoming more and more good-looking as we go."
He looked toward her.
"Really, I thought I was already good-looking enough. "
She rolled her eyes.
"Now you’re being narcissistic. "
She stepped closer before lightly tapping the flat of his sword.
"I’ve come to like watching you train; it’s almost ethereal in a sense."
"Now you’re making me shy."
She smiled.
"Someone as shameless as you, getting shy, the sky will fall on that day."
"That’s really mean... but I’ll take it as a compliment. "
"A wise choice."
The rest of the morning passed peacefully. Rather than pushing themselves through another exhausting spar, they focused on refining individual movements.
Lilith drawing and slashing her dagger, over and over again. To an ordinary observer, it might have looked repetitive, but to a master, each repetition removed another tiny imperfection.
Nearby, Atheline practiced transitioning between swordsmanship and elemental casting without interrupting his rhythm.
A flick of his wrist summoned a current of wind. Another gesture coated the blade with flowing water. A heartbeat later, thin strands of lightning danced along the edge before disappearing once more.