As dawn broke on the mountainside, an wizened man adorned in his tarnished silver cloak moved freely within his cottage towards a pair of similarly dull, red curtains. With a quiet effort, he revealed gleaming, golden rays which lit up the room, filling it with images of levity and joy. In return, the old man offered a subtle smile to the star in the east. He basked in the comfortable glow of the new day's radiance for a while longer before returning to his previous tasks. Elegantly, and with the manner of a man belonging to ages long past, Jabal Mons, the Mystic of the Mountain, set about preparing the most important meal of the day.
Breakfast was a simple affair; it had to be, for living on a mountain did not offer the most resources. The fire sparked into existence from the small morsel of magic applied to the kindling, and a pan soon found its way onto the fledgling flame. The aged mage hummed a soft tune to himself as he cooked the simple herbs and vegetation that would constitute the morning's meal for himself and his charges. The delicate yet impactful aroma of the ingredients wafted into the surrounding atmosphere and soon found itself floating to the siblings' noses.
To their credit, the siblings awoke from their slumber, albeit quite reluctantly. The first to rise was the ever-perceptive Kuki, who, immediately upon rising from the seductive clutches of sleep, kicked her far less perceptive brother out of bed. "Rise and shine, butthead," came the admittedly immature battle cry. Groaning, her brother not only failed to wake up but also wrapped himself up with the blanket into a cocoon and curled up into a more comfortable position. Growling with righteous frustration, Kuki attacked the unsuspecting Chikyu with a passion the likes of which have never been seen before.
Finally, after several minutes of uncomfortable shifting, Chikyu relented, "Fine, fine. I'm wakin' up. Don' even worry 'bout it..." The final sentence trailed off as he fell back asleep. Jabal served as a mere spectator to the proceedings and chuckled lightly in amusement. "Something you find funny, old man?" the now awake (and thoroughly insulted) boy demanded.
"Oh, nothing, nothing," the old man calmly returned. "I was just thinking about how your sister is so much better than you are." Fiery competitiveness coursed through Chikyu's veins. He abhorred being compared to his sister. The old man knew that too, judging from the hearty chuckles and amused gleam in his eyes, which matched the gleam of the rising sun.
Grumbling, the boy turned away and got ready for breakfast. His sister was already waiting for him at the table, her long brown hair complementing the brown of the robust wood from which the table was made. She had opted to wear a red cloak, similar in design to the old man's. In contrast, Chikyu chose to don a simple green cloak, with none of the flair that was present in the other cloaks. They sat down at the table, a tacit but unsteady truce fell between them as breakfast was served.
It was, all in all, a peaceful morning.
.o.O.o.
Training that day was far less peaceful. Jabal was no fool. He knew the differences between Kuki and Chikyu were as obvious as the differences between day and night. One had long, mahogany tresses, while the other bore a clipped, chestnut mane. One was intelligent and perceptive, the other... not so much. However, what Chikyu lacked in brains, he made up for in brawn. Similarly, while Kuki may have been the brightest tool in the shed, she lacked the pure power to express it. Two opposing forces, yet they blended so very well.
As usual, training began with a spar between the two apprentices of the Mystic. It was always a close match, with the boy trying his best to get close to land a solid hit while the girl tried to maintain her distance and attack him from range using the available projectiles, which happened to be rocks. As the rocks continued pelting Chikyu, he became infuriated and rushed in to attack Kuki with renewed vigor.
Finally, he was successful in this endeavor and landed a good strike on Kuki. Stunned by the initial blow, Kuki hesitated for a moment too long and was swiftly beaten down by her brother, who was also looking far worse for wear. Huffing in exertion, the defeated girl smiled at her brother. "Congrats," she said with more than a hint of sarcasm. "That's what? Your tenth win after, like, a hindred spars. Face it, Chikyu. You just suck."
"Shut up!" he cried in response. "I've beaten you so many times. I must've hit you too hard if you're aleady forgetting." He wore an arrogant smirk to counter his sister's fierce scowl. To the side, the Mystic, temporarily forgotten, watched this encounter with a sad smile. They reminded him so much of his past comrades, the few friends he had made in the centuries that passed. These two would no doubt surpass him one day, but that was likely a long time coming. He watched the two, framed by the midday light, continue to bicker pointlessly. Jabal saw through the entire act; he had acted much the same in years gone by.
"Enough, children!" Jabal finally called out. The siblings scowled at their teacher. They hated being called children, but they understood that everyone was a child compared to the aged Mystic. "You both did very nicely. Kuki, you employed an excellent strategy by trying to stay far away from your more powerful opponent. Same to you, Chikyu. You showed good thinking when you keot rushing your opponent, and managed to secure a victory through that." The apprentices beamed in light of the praise. "However, we still have much to work on. Kuki, like what just happened, you won't always be able to stay away from your enemies. Chikyu, you won't always be able to reach your opponent even if you try your best. Luckily for you two, I happen to have the perfect solution."
Kuki and Chikyu exchanged glances, then looked the Mystic questioningly. Jabal merely smiled in response.
"Magic."
.o.O.o.
Author's Note: Welcome back! I'm afraid I'm not very good at writing fighting scenes, but I hope you enjoyed all the same. I'm on the fence about what kind of magic to give them. It's going to be related to earth, but I'm not yet sure what it will be. Again, let me know what you think, and I'll see you next time. Bye!