Chapter 6

A couple more months passed in peace- well, peace for Cain, anyway. He kept up with his training and practiced diligently, never neglecting it and staying at the top of the class. Matthew had come to be a consistent training partner with him, and the two had grown closer as time went by; this didn't go unnoticed by some of the other students, though Cain was always too busy to pay attention to such gossip. The one thing he did pay attention to was the state of Matthew's well-being.. and it's apparent deterioration. The drills were getting harder and the practices longer, and it didn't seem as though the teen could keep up.

"Alright, let's take a break." Cain tossed his sword to the side and flopped down in the grass. It wasn't a scheduled break in his regimen, but he could see that Matthew was worn out; he didn't want to run his partner ragged. He'd just have to make up for the slack later.

Oswin really hadn't been lying when he said this wasn't for the faint of heart; Matthew watched as those who were less experienced with this type of training drop out, and he was probably the only low-experience trainee left. Nevertheless, that didn't mean it was easy for him. It was well obvious he was the lowest in the class; his determination outweighed his own body's limits.

He was especially exhausted one evening as he trained with Cain; he knew this wasn't a scheduled break, but was glad for it nonetheless. At least the redhead wasn't giving up on him...

Matthew eagerly flopped down on the grass, breathing heavily as he looked up at the sky. Something had been running through his mind ever since this morning... "Hey, Cain," he breathed out. "Do you think I'm a lost cause?"

"A lost cause...?" Cain echoed, following Matthew's gaze up towards the sky. "Nah. I don't think anyone's a lost cause. But..." He hesitantly started to say something, but then stopped, and shook his head. "Heh. Nevermind. It's getting cold, isn't it?" He changed the subject quickly; it was strange, and unlike him. Usually when he had something to say, he'd say it, but for this... It seemed to be something he was still thinking about.

Matthew glanced over at Cain, noticing how the other hesitated to say something else, but decided not to press on it as he simply gazed back upwards. "Yeah... Winter is coming, isn't it?" he mused aloud as he wondered how training would go in the snow. He then visibly flinched as he realized he might not even be able to see it... Shape up, or you're out of here, Oswin had told him, and he sighed out.

"Yeah. The Winter Dance is in a couple months..." The ghost of a smile pulled at the corner of his mouth; that was always a fun event. "Before that, though, we've got our performance finals. You know Oswin, he never goes easy." Cain chuckled, but it was without true humor. He was quiet for a few more moments, and then let out a sigh; he had to say something about what was on his mind, even if it might hurt Matthew to hear. "Hey... Remember when I said you didn't really look the soldier type?"

"The Winter Dance..." Matthew murmured out; they had one back in Caelin, but he had never gone to it. Perhaps this year he would. The teen glanced over towards the redhead as he was addressed once more. "Oh, yeah, I remember that. I guess I probably still don't, huh? It's not like I'm all decked out in armor with rippling muscles."

"Well, listen..." Cain wasn't sure how to phrase what he wanted to say, but he'd already started and it was too late to back out now. "You're clearly the fastest in our class, and I'd put my money on you for being the most agile, too. That's awesome, but... I think Oswin is looking for people with a different skillset. I'm just not sure if being a knight is suited for you." He looked at Matthew as he spoke; his red eyes showed genuine concern, and weren't at all condescending.

Once what Cain was actually going to say finally came out, Matthew looked a little hurt. He went quiet for a moment, before averting his gaze from the redhead. Managing a weak smile, he sighed. "You don't need to tell me about that; Oswin already threatened to kick me out." He replied back softly. Up here, alone in Ostia, he didn't want to be kicked out of the only place he was part of. Leaving meant making a long, miserable journey back to Caelin... "So I am a lost cause here, huh?"

"That's not what I meant," Cain said quickly, then paused before continuing. "I'm not giving up on you. I just think that you have something to offer to Ostia in a different way than this. I... I don't know what that is, to tell you the truth. But if you continue like this, well... You'll probably just end up getting yourself killed." That was really saying something, especially coming from Cain, who was known for his recklessness that often resulted in his own injury.

"..." Matthew didn't respond at first, going quiet as he laid there in the grass. He always knew he probably wasn't going to make it in the long run, but hearing it aloud hurt a bit, especially from Cain. Was it inevitable, then? There was nothing he could do to succeed? Slowly, the teen rose to his feet, grabbing the wooden sword that had been placed next to him. "...Sorry for wasting your time, then," he murmured out before he turned to leave.

The silence was deafening, and Cain fidgeted uncomfortably where he sat. After a moment, Matthew got up to leave, and Cain jumped to his feet; he reached out and seized Matthew's arm, preventing the other from going any further. "Wait a minute. Didn't you hear the part where I said I'm not giving up on you?" He released his hold after the teen turned back to look at him. "Being a knight isn't the only path to take here. We'll find something. Besides... I'd miss you if you went all the way back to Caelin." He smiled. "I'd have to find someone else willing to work themselves to the bone with me after school."

It felt nice to know Cain was willing to keep helping him despite the fact it looked inevitable Matthew would be kicked out of knight training. Matthew even managed a small smile, though it quickly faded away. "Well, if I left you'd have to find someone else anyway. I don't see why you'd want to keep training with someone so far behind you."

"Wanna know the truth? I do a lot more extra practice than just this." Cain offered a smile, even when Matthew's faded. "These times, heh... Well, they were mostly for you, trying to help you get caught up." The drills they did were pretty far behind what Cain was capable of, but he scheduled it like that on purpose to help steer Matthew on track. "I'll get my training in regardless. It's you I'm worried about." He seemed a bit embarrassed to admit such a thing.

Matthew blinked as the other explained they were only doing this because of him. "That would've been nice to know earlier, before I felt bad for keeping you back," he said, though he managed another smile and this time kept it. Knowing the other did it just for him... it filled his chest up with warmth, and he felt genuinely happy. "Well... I guess it'll be fun while it lasts, huh?"

"That's the spirit," Cain encouraged with a grin. "Now, come on... Our day's not over yet. You've gotta stick around long enough to go to the Winter Dance, at least! Maybe get a few muscles on you, impress some girls?" He winked, and then leaned to grab his own wooden practice sword.

Matthew laughed out as Cain mentioned the Winter Dance and how he'd have to impress some girls. "Well, there is one person I'm trying to impress," he said with a smile as he turned around fully, making his way back to their training grounds. "I'm ready when you are!"