"Hahahahahahaha." The declaration made Elion burst into a violent fit of laughter, as if he couldn’t believe that such a thing was even possible beneath these heavens.

He only stopped after a while, and even then, there were tears in his eyes from all the uproarious laughter. Alexander had been looking to the side the whole time, pouting with a sour expression.

"S-Sorry, sorry... "Elion apologised half heartedly, but Alexander wasn’t having it. He sighed and rose to his feet, and began to walk back toward his assigned tent.

"Rest if you can." He said as calmly as he could.

Elion looked at him. "You too."

The prince gave a faint smile. "I’ll try."

Elion stared at the sky for a long while, thinking about nothing in particular, before he finally decided to go and do something productive.

The days when he simply couldn’t fall asleep were becoming greater in number.

He just didn’t feel as tired as he used to back when he was only an apprentice mage. His body could go days without sleep now, and probably without food as well, if he really pushed it.

A thought suddenly came to him.

’I told myself I would learn to wield a sword with both hands a while ago...’

He had almost forgotten about that little dream of becoming a dual wielder. And aside from that, he barely used his mage skills properly in battle either, other than to complement his swordsmanship.

He shook his head wryly.

’I really need to put a little more effort into everything other than my sword.’

He chuckled silently to himself, thinking how odd the feeling was as he moved further away from the camp and headed deeper into the forest, eventually stopping in a small clearing where the moonlight filtered softly through the vast canopy above.

Kurogoroshi flashed into his hand with a low hum. Elion glanced down at the blade.

"Don’t complain. We’re training."

The sword hummed faintly again, though whether that was approval or annoyance, he couldn’t quite tell.

He shifted the weapon into his left hand, then he began practicing his swings.

At first, the motions were simple. Downward cuts, horizontal sweeps, and short thrusts in tandem with measured steps forward and backward.

After a while, he tried mixing in a few actual techniques, attempting to imitate some of the movements that felt natural with his right hand.

It did not go well.

The angles felt wrong, and his wrist frequently turned too stiffly.

His footwork kept wanting to adjust itself to favour his dominant side, and the blade’s weight, despite being perfectly balanced, felt strangely unfamiliar when guided by the wrong hand.

After several failed attempts, Elion clicked his tongue and went back to casual swinging.

It wasn’t as terrible as he had expected, but it certainly wasn’t good either.

His left hand was nowhere near as intuitive or comfortable as his right. Every movement required more conscious effort, more correction, more patience. If he wanted to train it to the same level as his dominant hand, then this was going to take real time and discipline.

But he had nothing better to do, and so, in the dead of night, beneath the towering trees of the Great Forest, Elion swung his sword again.

And again.

And again.

The forest remained quiet around him.

Only the faint whisper of leaves, the soft shift of his footsteps, and the clean sound of Kurogoroshi cutting through the air accompanied him.

The moonlight watched silently through the gaps in the canopy.

Hours passed like that.

By the time the darkness began to thin and the first signs of dawn crept faintly into the sky, Elion had become decent enough that holding a sword in his left hand no longer felt awkward.

It was still not natural ot perfect, but at least it was no longer awkward. However, there was still a long way to go, still a lot to fix, and still far too much to train, but it was a start.

"I guess it’s time for us to leave," Elion sighed as he put the sword away.

He was sure Alexander must have been waiting by now.

Probably annoyed too.

He returned to camp, and sure enough, the prince was already ready to depart. He was speaking with Maya when Elion arrived, and since Elion could hear them from a distance, he caught most of their conversation.

Last-minute instructions.

Her role was passive, but important. Judging from Maya’s expression, she understood that well enough, even if she didn’t particularly like it.

Both of them turned toward him as he approached.

"Did I keep you waiting?" Elion asked with a smile.

Alexander snorted.

"As if you would care."

Elion gasped dramatically, touching a hand to his chest in stunned disbelief.

"You wound me, Prince Alexander. I would never."

Maya giggled softly.

Alexander gave him a tired look, then walked away, perhaps to give the pair a moment to speak before they departed.

Elion turned his gaze toward the petite but beautiful mage standing before him. Maya still carried that naturally shy air around her, but there was something steadier in her eyes now. The battlefield had changed her, little by little.

"Should I hope for a goodbye kiss?" Elion teased.

Maya blushed softly, but she still managed a small smile while shaking her head.

"I can manage a hug, maybe."

Elion spread his arms wide.

"Well, I’ll take it."

She approached him with light steps and accepted his embrace. Her arms wrapped gently around him, and for a moment, she remained there quietly before lifting herself onto her tiptoes and whispering into his ear.

"I guess this is goodbye. Good luck," she said softly. "You’ll need it." Her voice was completely casual. Elion smiled faintly as she stepped back.

"You too."

He waved lightly before turning away. Maya did the same, though, as Elion walked off, her eyes darkened slightly for only a moment.

Unfortunately for Elion, he didn’t seem to notice anything amiss since there was no malice or bloodlust in her gaze.

If anything, the only feeling she gave off was a concealed sense of longing and regret, buried beneath the quiet expression she wore so well.