Omake: Shadow Boxing

"I thought we might try something new today to push you," Blake said as Salem arrived.

Blake had met Salem at what had become their usual practice room, one of several huge empty spaces carved out of the rock deep below the palace. Blake supposed that it had been dug for storage, possibly for holding supplies in the event of a siege. That had apparently been a frequent concern early in Ciel's history, even if such times were long in the past.

"Oh?" Salem asked. She held her dull practice blade tucked under one arm as she stretched out first one leg and then another.

"My teacher used her magic through her connection to us to create illusions of opponents for us to spar with. It was a safe way to practice going all out and to fight against many different styles."

Salem frowned. "Blake, my nature. I cannot touch magic."

Blake winced. "Yeah, my teacher trying to connect with you...I'm not sure what would happen. But I've been thinking about how I might get around that, and I think I came up with an idea."

Ready?

Yes.

Please be careful.

Blake let her mental grip on her shadows relax and Obsidian gathered a bundle of them for her. Manipulating them with precision Blake still couldn't match, Obsidian shaped them into the form of a familiar bipedal frog knight with a cloak and blade. The construct's surface had no color, only a solid stygian darkness like a hole in the world.

The frog shadow raised its sword in a held salute to Salem.

"Blake, that's incredible! What is it?" Salem asked, entranced.

"He was a...very skilled warrior my teacher knew long ago. A noble knight and master swordsman, she said. I don't really know any more, just that this has an echo of his skill. He'll be a challenge. Be ready."

Blake stepped to the side of the room and turned to watch. Salem nodded seriously and hefted her own blade with one hand, saluting the shadow in turn.

Recognized, it lowered its salute with a flourish and immediately opened with a great leap to attack Salem by coming down on her from above. Salem yelped in surprise and barely got her parry in place in time. The shadow rebounded off her parry and came back in an instant with a more horizontal leaping slash that Salem narrowly deflected to the side.

Ten minutes later Salem was panting and bruised from falls onto the stone, holding herself up with her sword after the shadow had finally dispersed.

"It could have killed me dozens of times if it were a real person. What was he?" Salem finally got out between breaths.

Blake made an amused noise that was not quite a laugh. She remembered having the same incredulity herself at first that the heroes could have been so skilled. "He was a great hero. My teacher doesn't believe in easy training. You did well, actually. I didn't do nearly so well my first time. We all lost in seconds. Although it was probably easier without having to be careful to avoid touching us."

Salem looked between Blake and where the shadow had melted into the floor and moved to rejoin Blake's shadow. "If it was holding back just now, I believe it. I did not realize there were any wilder knights, much less ones with such skill with the sword."

"It was...a different world, long ago," Blake said awkwardly. Her words were true, if misleading. "I couldn't speak to the tribes now."

"I see," Salem said, slowly catching her breath.

They waited together for a few moments in companionable silence as Salem recovered.

"So...Blake, could you mould shadows out of anyone, like that?" Salem asked.

Blake shrugged. Technically it was Obsidian doing the work, but she doubted any shape would be beyond her. "Anyone I remember, I suppose. Why?"

Salem smiled. "Would you...show me the friends you spoke of?"

Blake wasn't sure how to respond to that.

Obsidian?

If you wish.

...okay.

Blake's shadow extended again under Obsidian's guidance and rose to become a line of more black figures. Unmoving, like statues, this time. Ruby stood proudly with her cloak in the midst of being blown by an unseen wind, Crescent Rose in one hand planted on the ground with the great curved blade arcing over her head. Weiss stood straight with her hands resting on the pommel of the elegant Myrtenaster, point resting on the ground. Yang stood in her wide battle stance with bent knees and her arms up in an aggressive guard, hair streaming behind her. And Penny stood simply with her feet together and her arms at her sides, her spray of floating swords behind and above her.

Blake felt a pang at seeing them again, even if it wasn't really them.

Salem stepped closer and walked around them slowly, fascinated. "They look fierce. And kind."

Blake smiled in remembrance. "They are."

"You have that in common, then," Salem said, turning to her.

"I suppose we do," Blake said softly, and then shook her head to dispel memories. "Well, enough rest. Are you ready for the next one?"

Salem's eyes widened. "How many more are there?"

"A lot."

A/N: As x50413 requested. As always, feedback and error spotting is most appreciated.