Hey!

You there.

HEY! There!

HEY! You there!

HEY! There!

Hey. You there. I made a new thing here. I want you to come here. (sit down!)

And read this thing I made. :D

Practice Makes Pedestrian

The following week was a blur of activity that more often than not left Yu bruised, tired, and sore.

Training itself was a pleasure; Yalathas was very diligent about giving him pointers and correcting mistakes that left him open. Not to mention the paladin was a very fair fighter, who balanced his level with Yu's to provide a decent, but not overwhelming, challenge.

In a matter of days, it already felt like he'd learned a great deal; his intuition felt even more honed, his reflexes were getting better and better, and he'd even picked up a few little tricks to help unbalance enemies that were larger than himself. The same could be said for all his friends, too.

Of course, not everything could progress so smoothly, because as it turned out, channeling their personas the mythic way was actually really fucking hard.

It wasn't as simple or as natural as it had been in the tv world. Without a conduit to focus his power, calling his persona to the fore was like pulling a disobedient horse through quicksand. Yu could feel it, like he'd felt it with the rune, but actually pulling it out and focusing that power through his actual physical body was proving a challenge. A very difficult, slow challenge that so far hadn't produced any results.

He tried not to be discouraged by this. The champions had said it would be difficult, after all, and he couldn't expect perfection in such a short time. But to not even draw a spark from something that had been second nature to him once was . . . a little disheartening.

"Focus!"

Yu snapped back to the present just in time to throw up a hasty block with his sword as Yalathas came bearing down on him. Their swords met with a dulled ring of steel, and Yu was sent stumbling, right arm going numb at the force of the blow.

Yalathas pressed his attack, and Yu sprang away to get some distance between him and his silver-eyed counterpart as he waited for feeling to return. The cellar that had been refurbished for training purposes was spacious enough without any foodstuffs or crates to get in the way, but he still had to be wary of backing himself into a corner.

At least I don't have to worry about running into anyone . . . Yu thought as he sidestepped another swipe.

Yalathas was a very graceful and efficient fighter, Yu had picked up on that right away. As such, he had to think creatively in his counter attacks.

Turning heel, he sprinted to the left, keeping his sword low and ready to swing at a moment's notice. Yalathas easily kept pace, his own sword up, tip glinting in the light of the wrought iron torches.

It was an impressive blade, fashioned of crystal rather than steel, impossibly smooth and sharp with a clarity not even a diamond could hope to achieve. Every time light struck it, the rays would scatter inside the crystal and the blade would become iridescent with color, the hues shimmering and changing with every elegant turn and twist. Small, intricate runes were traced along the base of the blade right where it was thickest, trailing about halfway up the fuller before tapering into nothing. The runic hilt was similarly engraved, and Yu had no doubt this sword had magical qualities that would undoubtedly be impressive to behold.

But he didn't need them right now.

Yu only had so much room to run, so before he ran out of pace completely, he suddenly braced his foot against the stone and kicked back. By the time Yalathas had spun around to face him, Yu was blocking his way out, the other's back to the wall and leaving little room to move without risking a blow.

Yu knew better by now to think he had the upper hand, however.

Yalathas smirked a little, slipping easily and a little too comfortably into a defending stance, "Clever. You're getting better at using your environment to your advantage."

Yu didn't answer, busy calculating where to strike that would do some damage and wouldn't compromise his safety. Yalathas was waiting for him to make the move first, he knew that. But if he could take away his sight for just a moment . . .

Quick as lightning, Yu swung his sword down in a powerful arcing sweep. There was a brief flash of orange at his feet where the sword's tip struck, the tinny of iron on stone echoing in the quiet cellar and leaving a burning scar behind it, and a shower of sparks was sent flying in Yalathas' direction.

Yalathas twisted his wrists so the flat of his sword was bared to Yu, the embers catching along the translucent crystal blade. However, it wasn't wide enough to stop them all, and Yalathas flinched his eyes shut and stepped back as several blistering sparks scattered across his face, heel striking the wall.

Yu seized his chance, and charged.

He thrust his sword out, aiming for the juncture beneath the other's armpit in what would have been a damaging blow had this been real. But for now, it may just be the strike that would turn this in his favor.

And suddenly a flash of white lit his vision, and for a moment that slowed the world around him, Yu thought he saw a barely visible blur of light, like a rippling mirage, travel down Yalathas' limbs.

And then the other man wasn't there. Faster than Yu would have thought possible for someone in armor, Yalathas dropped into a crouch, the edge of Yu's sword grazing against his cheek before the tip slammed jarringly against the wall. Yu felt the tremors all the way up his arms and vibrate in his teeth, and before he could recover, Yalathas had braced his foot against the wall and kicked off of it, slamming his shoulder into Yu's chest.

He gasped, pain radiating from his sternum to his clavicle, struggling to breathe as he stumbled. Stars flitting in and out of vision, he got his sword up just as Yalathas came at him again. Spots of black char were peppered along Yalathas' face, the only evidence that remained of Yu's surprise attack as the other exchanged blow for graceful blow with Yu. Each powerful strike sapped at Yu's strength, a strength already limited by his hard, desperate pants as his lungs struggled to compensate.

Then Yalathas swung in a sharp upward cut, blade catching hard on Yu's own and forcing his arms up, exposing his center. Without pause, Yalathas lashed out and struck him in the chest, and Yu was sent sprawling.

Damn it . . . he thought as he laid there, taking the time to breath as the session came to an end. But even though he'd lost, Yu felt a small flicker of victory as well. This was the closest he'd come to actually unbalancing his skilled counterpart. That was no small thing to sneeze at.

"You're doing much better," Yalathas commented as he extended a hand. Yu accepted it, allowing himself to be hauled to his feet as the other man's voice took a more chiding tone, "However, you still aren't focusing on utilizing your mythic."

Yu winced a little, both from his smarting chest and the subtle reminder that he still hadn't managed to bring out his power. Undoubtedly, it was the power Yalathas had used that had allowed him to react so inhumanly quick, countering before Yu could make heads or tails of what was happening. It showed such potential to him, the abilities he could use himself if he had it . . . and yet he still couldn't break the barrier stopping him. Reaching down, Yu distracted himself by picking up his sword as Yalathas went on, "I know its difficult, but the less you try, then the only outcome will be a stagnation of your power."

Yu sighed, "I am trying. But using it out here, in the real world, is . . . a lot harder than I imagined it would be," a thought came to Yu, and he asked, "How do you use it? Perhaps if I had some frame of reference, I could understand it better."

Yalathas pursed his lips thoughtfully, thumb running over the crested edge of his sword's cross-gaurd as he mulled Yu's question in his head, "Well, I guess the simplest way of describing it would be belief. Mythic does not work the way ordinary magic does. It is a creature's sheer force of will given power to alter the world around it. But you must first believe you can alter that world, that the outcome of a fight can be determined by your own resolve. Truthfully I think your issue is more of a mental one than a physical one. You know this is not the world that gave your 'persona', as you call them, the power to manifest, and as such it is blocking their power from you. Perhaps think of it less as 'this' world and 'that' world and more as just another field of battle for you to master. "

Yu nodded, listening intently. Hm, that made enough sense, he supposed. Still, learning to break that blockage was going to prove difficult.

"Wisdom of a veteran?" Yu chanced a guess, sheathing his sword.

"The power of persuasion is a great asset, young apprentice. Never forget," Yalathas replied in kind, lips twitching into a smile.

Yu chuckled slightly at that, giving a playful bow, "Alright. I'll keep your noble words in mind."

"And now you're just trying to butter me up," the other said, smiling a little more broadly as he prodded Yu in the shoulder to get him standing.

He did so, still smiling even as he leaned back in mock disbelief, "Of course not! This is strictly a professional atmosphere, and we are professional people. I would never dare sully it. "

"As you say! And as professional people, we never makes jokes, or have fun," Yalathas said, clapping his heels together in teasing formalness.

"Indeed!"

The two were both silent for a moment, until the stoic stillness was broken as they dissolved into amused chuckles. It was a little immature, and maybe a little weird to the outside eye, but Yu thought it was fantastic that someone shared his sense of humor.

Yu found he quite liked it, this newfound easiness between them. At first, it had been a little weird, to be sure. But over time, Yu had come to learn that the man shared more with him than just his face, like cooking and crafting and being an all around great listener. And cats! Anyone who liked cats was okay in his book. A few days ago, Yalathas had even whisked him away to a sheltered portion of the bailey where several felines had made their home, snooping food from the kitchens and just in general being their glorious selves.

They spent hours there before Cahira had found them and dragged them both back to the portion of the castle where they were supposed to be, all the while complaining about how Yalathas was supposed be the intelligent one. The man had just shrugged, all while sneaking a sly wink in Yu's direction when she wasn't looking. All in all, despite Nyras' rather displeased scowl, it had been a pretty good day.

Not that he could necessarily fault the woman her disapproval. The Grand Assembly was happening soon, and as such, the castle had become monumentally more busy than usual. Putting themselves out in the open could prove very detrimental should the wrong pair of eyes happen to see them, to both his friends and the Champions. Better to stay hidden until something could be done about it. Which was why they were using cellars in place of the actual training grounds.

"Well, are you willing to go another round? Or would you rather continue some of your other lessons?" Yalathas inquired, hands cupped over the pommel of his sword, tip braced against the ground.

Yu frowned. On one hand, he could keep embarrassing himself in the training ring. On the other, he could . . . do some homework.

Yes . . . homework.

Perhaps the second biggest thing Nyras had imposed upon them all aside from expanding their fighting base was to learn the native language of Endrivan. Which in and of itself wasn't a bad idea, considering they were utterly lost otherwise. However, it was also pretty difficult. English had never been his favorite subject, and while he'd passed it just fine, he could recall many a sleepless night trying to conjugate a proper verb from one language to the other.

Endrivan's language was very much the same. Even if they were only learning the alphabet right now.

Most everyone had been less than enthused by the idea. Yosuke in particular had been very upset. But they couldn't exactly deny the wisdom behind Nyras' reasoning, and though it was a chore, they accepted it.

Balancing that with trying to scrounge up more information on the ominous prophecy Yalathas and Yvir had shared with him a week ago ended up taking up much of the nights, with unfortunately little progress on both ends. But he and his friends had that direction now, and they weren't about to lose it.

But as for right now . . . hm, which one indeed?

A loud rapping snapped both Yalathas' and Yu's attention to the heavy set wooden door, watching as it swung open a moment later.

Cahira strode through the open doorway dragging a hapless Yvir with her, making a beeline for Yalathas, and Chie stepped through a moment later, brow furrowed as she followed the older woman. At Yu's questioning glance, she only shook her head and shrugged her shoulders, appearing clueless.

"I have an idea!" Cahira announced, placing her hands on her hips and grinning ear to ear, releasing Yvir in the process.

Yalathas stared at her, then glanced at his friend, who only shrugged, looking mildly annoyed, "I don't know. I was going to check in with Rhysana when she suddenly grabbed me."

Yvir was more skilled with magic and mythic than his dagger, so he'd been given the task of overseeing their channeling progress. Which left Yosuke to train with Tirin, much to the boy's chagrin.

A beat, then Yalathas returned his gaze to Cahira, gesturing for her to continue, "Elaborate . . ."

Cahira's grin somehow got bigger, and he could swear he saw her eyes begin to sparkle, "Duels," she thumbed in Chie and Yu's direction before continuing, seeing the perplexed frown Yalathas was giving her, "See, these guys can only learn so much from us. And we can give them good instruction, yeah. But, I think they could learn far better by facing opponents more they're level. See what I'm getting at?"

Oh, Yu certainly could see what she was getting at. Judging from the excitement gradually growing in Chie's eyes, she'd gotten the same.

Duels.

Yalathas placed a hand to his chin, thinking, "Hm. That's not a bad idea, Cahira. Trainees can learn a lot from their fellow students."

"Exactly!" Cahira nodded strongly.

"It might actually help draw out their Mythic as well. Two energies that share similar sources naturally resonate with each other, so that could cause synergy," Yvir commented, crossing his arms, Aife warbling from his shoulder. He looked at Cahira, "So, yeah, for once not a bad idea."

"Oh hush! The only one who can say my ideas are bad is Ylvaria," Cahira said, flicking him on the nose.

Aife snapped at her finger, but she snatched it back quick before his tiny teeth could sink into the flesh.

"Sheesh, you're in a mood," Cahira said, looking miffed.

"Rough night," Yvir replied, voice rather hushed as he busied himself scratching the space between Aife's horns.

Cahira gave him a flat look, eyebrow cocked and frowning, a look Yvir pointedly ignored, "'Rough', huh?"

Yvir didn't deign her with a response. Cahira then turned to Yalathas, who returned her stare with a level one of his own, and Yu got the distinct impression that the two were mentally trying to cow the other into submission. For some reason.

"Um . . . Master Cahira."

The woman turned at the sound of her name, only to see Chie practically dancing on her feet, looking fit to burst, "Are we really going to get to spar each other? For real?"

Cahira glanced at the men, both of whom nodded consent, and she turned back with a triumphant grin on her face, "Oh, you bet! In fact, let's give it a little test run now, hm?"

She looked Yu's way, and he knew his fate was sealed.

Chie all but squealed before running over to him and grabbing him by the arm, pulling him to the center of the cellar "Come on, come on, it'll be just like back home!"

Back home. He had a very strong feeling that this would not be like their sparring sessions out by the riverbed.

But this was followed, and he noticed Yalathas, Yvir, and Cahira move to the wall where they could observe the training out of harm's way. He took a breath to steady his nerves, hand going to his sword hilt as Chie turned to face him.

"Alright, same rules as always! No blood letting, and no foul play! First to yield or is unable to fight wins!" Cahira shouted, taking up a position on a stack of old boxes, using it as a podium of sorts. She lifted her arm up over her head, and as one, Chie and Yu both dropped into readied stances, the girl with her fists up and he with his sword bared at his side. There was a beat, and Yu smiled at her, feeling a familiar spark of adrenaline flash through his blood, "Good luck."

Chie grinned back, a burning gleam in her eyes as she replied, "You too!"

Cahira's arm dropped.

"Begin!"

Chie shot at him, as fast as lightning, and Yu jumped to the left, barely dodging her first kick in time. She was aiming for his knees, weakly padded as they were, a blow which could easily take him down if he wasn't careful.

Going at one of his friends with a sword in hand would have turned his stomach once. But after so many days of fighting himself, and with the protective charm in place, he had no trouble taking a swing at Chie's back.

But she was ready. Without pause, she ducked underneath, swerving like a snake as the blade sailed over her head, close enough her hair rustled. Still crouched, she lashed out hard and fast, heel aimed for his shin.

Yu had been prepared for that, back stepping just in time, keeping light on his feet. Chie was very strong, and fast too boot. He's seen her strength plenty in their confrontations with Shadows, far worse enemies than he was. Yu would have to keep every sense open to her, or else suffer the consequences.

Still . . . she wasn't the liquid grace of Yalathas, or the tempered yet calculated control of Cahira. She was like him . . . more polished and honed for a real fight, but still rough around the edges. He had a far more real chance of victory against her than he did with his own counterpart.

And that made him determined to try harder.

Chie was side-strafing now, circling him like a predator, always keeping her front to him as she gauged him for weaknesses. He followed her every move, keeping his sword between himself and her, waiting. Twice, she feinted, stepping towards him quick before moving back, hoping to get a rise out of him, a mistake. Yu stood his ground every time, grey eyes never leaving her form.

And, like he expected, she made the first real move, darting in for his exposed left side.

He swung fast, and he felt contact as the tip grazed her side. But it wasn't enough to stop her, as she had moved just out of range of a full blow, enough to sweep in and strike him hard in the calf.

His left leg crumpled, going to a knee, but he wasn't finished yet. Bringing his sword up, he blocked her incoming ax kick just in time, her heel catching against the flat of the blade. Before she could spring back, Yu shifted his weight and pushed up, forcing her leg up and throwing her out of balance, making her stumble and fall.

"Whoa!" Chie cried a she went down, falling onto her back with a thud. However, using the weight of her momentum, she rolled back until her shoulders and hands were braced against the ground and pushed off of them, bouncing back to her feet expertly.

That wasn't a new trick. He'd seen her do it before. But it didn't matter.

He was on her.

Chie had just enough time bring her forearms together as Yu swung at her, shielding her front from the attack but helpless as the blade slammed against her arms. She bit back a cry, sliding back on her feet as the sheer force of his swing drove her away.

But Chie was as stubborn as she was strong, and he knew that would not stop her. Already, even as she dropped her undoubtedly bruised arms, the look in her eyes told Yu she was far from finished.

So he kept coming, swinging and jabbing even as she danced between his strikes, keeping her tender arms out of harm's way. The more she focused on dodging, the less time she had to attack in return, and she would grow tired eventually. He just had to be patient.

Another thrust, and Chie jumped to the right, moving fast but clearly growing impatient.

Then, as if throwing all caution to the wind, she sprang at him. Chie kicked with all her might, a dangerous blow that could cripple him if he allowed it to connect.

But Yu saw an opening, and went for it, lashing out with the intent to end this fight here and now.

He could win this. He could win this!

His sword and her shin were a hairs breadth from each other, when a sudden flash of white lit his vision. A blur of energy rippled in the air between him and his friend, and he could see Chie's equally shocked expression just beyond the rippling veil . . . before they were both suddenly and forcefully blown apart.

Yu hit the ground hard, shoulder throbbing as it took the brunt of the fall. Darkness flickered at the corners of his eyes, threateningly close, but Yu was able to shake it away before it could take him to unconsciousness. Groaning, he pushed himself up on wobbly limbs, shaking his head to clear the ringing in his ears before looking to see what had happened.

Chie was across from his, sitting up as well and looking rather dazed, scratching the back of her head as she tried to figure out what had just occurred. Bizarrely, though, he saw that her hair was sticking up like she's just rubbed a balloon against it, the strands gravitating like they had a mind of their own.

What . . . ?

"And tie!" Cahira shouted, though her voice sounded oddly far away.

Yalathas was before him quicker than he would have thought possible, gazing at him with concern as he placed a stabilizing hand on Yu's shoulder, "Yu. Yu, are you alright?"

"I, uh . . . think so?" he replied, feeling drained and sleepy, "What happened?"

At that, Yalathas smiled slightly before turning to retrieve Yu's fallen sword, "Well, see for yourself."

He held it out to him, and at first, Yu didn't know what he was talking about.

Then he saw the ice travelling up the sword's right edge, smoking with frost as it cracked and sloughed away like dried mud, the fallen pieces melting upon impact with the stone.

Yu stared. Then he stared some more. Then, with an almost timid slowness, he reached out and brushed his fingers against the cold frost that dusted the fuller of his blade, just above the actual shell. He could feel its coldness through his gloves.

"Well, that's probably the most progress I've seen this whole week," Yvir commented, grinning smugly where he sat.

"All they needed was a little time. Gods know we did," Cahira said, helping a still stunned Chie to her feet.

Yu's gaze fell back to Yalathas, "Was that . . . did we really . . . ?"

"You did," Yalathas replied with a smile, "It might have only been a spark . . . but now we know its there for sure."

Yu's shoulders sagged with relief, and before anyone could complain, he set his sword aside and allowed himself to fall back against the stone.

He felt tired. Very tired. But the elation of his success kept him floating on cloud nine.

He'd done it. He'd done it.

Now . . . if only he could remember how exactly he'd done it, then he'd be golden.

But there was time for that later.

Closing his eyes, he reached inside and felt for the presence that had become as close as his own consciousness. He felt Izanagi stir, thrumming under his skin like a livewire, awake if still a little far away.

Man . . . he could not wait to tell Yosuke.

Sooooo tiiiired.

But I am soooooo glad I got this done! Hope you enjoyed it, for what it was worth! :)

Next up, the IT attends a party. Things are about to pop! :D