Vlad was tapping his foot, sending ripples across the shallow lake while he stared at the doors leading outside the arena. With his arms crossed, he was waiting for Alear to come, but she was taking her time, much to his surprise.

He sighed. "If she actually listened to me, and is still getting things together, then I'll just take that as a bonus."

A light chuckle escaped Sigurd's lips. "And here I thought you yourself were patient."

Vlad shook his head. "On the contrary. I already lost that virtue. But you know what they say about fools that teach lessons they don't uphold themselves."

"Do you like to contradict yourself that much?" the knight asked with a frown on his face.

"I tend to ask myself that question too," he remarked. "But I think it's just me organizing my thoughts out loud. I have to be frank with myself, hence why I was so apprehensive about helping Lumera in the first place."

"And the reason is…?"

Vlad tilted his head in his direction. "You've been awfully nosy recently."

Sigurd touched his chest. "I'm only trying to help a friend out."

Vlad's arms fell limp before his eyes landed on the sword he left embedded in the lake. Pulling it out with little flourish, he let the sword rest on his shoulder. "Friend, huh? It feels like people here throw that word around with little care, like it has no value."

"I'd disagree. I know full well what it means, and I would go as far as to say others too."

"That's not what I meant. I just can't wrap my head around how you, or Ethelwulf, can say it with such sincerity." He shuffled in place. "I'm not used to it."

"You make it sound like it is a bad thing," Sigurd remarked. "Even the smallest interaction can lead to a powerful bond. And those are important in such trying times."

"I don't doubt you, but the people I knew used it only as a crutch to hide their true intentions." A scoff escaped Vlad's lips. "Can't count how many times I had to snuff out a rat doing just that."

He then shook his head. "But enough about me. We've known each other for a few days now, but I still have no idea what's behind your knight's facade. You're really good at putting up a front."

To his surprise, Sigurd nodded. "I can't say it was a skill I acquired easily. Maybe it's because I'm a mere reflection of the original person that it comes this naturally."

A sudden snort escaped Vlad's lips. "And here I thought I was the only one with an identity crisis. Well, not counting—" a loud creak interrupted Vlad and he whipped his head in the door's direction. A crimson glove poked through the small opening, and he tensed up ever-so-slightly.

"Alright, you can hide now," he said, glancing in Sigurd's direction.

"Very well, and don't hesitate to draw power from the ring."

"It's honestly a given, but thanks for reminding me."

With a quick nod, the knight disappeared in a flash just as Alear was about to enter the arena. From her point of view, she only saw Vlad standing with his sword on his shoulder, haphazardly holding the handle loosely.

His eyes glided to her hair and he gave an approving nod. "Well, I'm glad you took your time getting ready."

Alear's face immediately formed a frown. "Are you happy?"

"Somewhat, yes," he said breathlessly while lowering the sword from his shoulder.

"Somewhat? So it was pointless," she stated, but Vlad shook his head.

"Far from it, even if it was something so minor," he explained. "I'd like it if you kept that a daily thing from now on. Even if you're a dragon, keeping up a decent appearance is just as important. It's a sign you like to take care of yourself."

"It's nothing more than a chore," she shot back before her arm grabbed the hilt of her sword and pulled it out with a swish. "Are we doing this then? It will be a one-sided fight anyway."

Impatient and quick to judge on top, Vlad let out a groan. I guess that goes hand in hand. Not that she doesn't have her reasons.

"Before we do, I'd like to set some rules," he said, raising his hand with a finger pointing up towards the endless sky. "First, keep your ghost friend out of this. This is between you and me."

She only responds with a huff. Vlad raised an eyebrow momentarily before raising a second finger. "Then, don't forget this is—"

His breath hitched when he saw Alear dashing towards him, her hold on the sword tight. She swung at Vlad's shoulder, and his face morphed into a frown. Heat surged from his ring finger, and his arm moved almost on its own. He leveled his large sword parallel to his body while holding the edge with his other hand, intercepting Alear's strike with a loud clang. Her frown depended and applied more pressure, but Vlad didn't move an inch.

Her eyes shot wide open. "What?"

Vlad remained passive. "So, is this how you want it?"

Gritting her teeth, she jumped away to create distance, her free hand balling up into a fist. "You weren't this strong. I saw you fight."

Vlad hummed. "You did, but you were asleep for a few days. Some things change with time."

"Still not enough to improve this much," she rebuked. "It doesn't make sense."

"Yes, it doesn't," he widened his stance and grabbed his sword with both hands before aiming the tip against Alear. "You could take your time to find out, or…"

The muscles in his legs tightened and he surged towards her. Each step he made splashed in the lake like a skipping rock before attacking Alear with a sweeping slash. She braced herself and blocked the attack entirely, incidentally letting out a grunt.

"Allow yourself to vent," Vlad said and continued his assault.

At first, he thought his sword was just too bulky, too unwieldy, but once he adorned Sigurd's ring, he couldn't help but grow accustomed to its cumbersomeness. The added strength allowed him to get away with strikes that would normally be almost impossible to pull off.

As he unleashed an overhead strike, Alear parried the strike before aiming for his hip. Vlad repositioned his sword to cover almost his entire side, and the attack clanged against the sword's lengthy blade. Alear clicked her tongue and tried to swing with her blade again, but Vlad bashed her with his entire body, pushing her away just far enough so none of them could reach each other with their weapons alone.

She took in a sharp breath before letting it out with a hiss. "This is a cruel joke."

"Don't think about it," he stated and put a hand on his hip. "I told you to leave it be and be happy to have a sparring partner. I'll be the first to admit practicing against soulless puppets gets rather repetitive."

He felt his hands shake, and his face morphed into a grimace. I wasn't expecting it to be this tiring.

"Happy?" Alear parroted. Her body grew rigid while the grip on her sword got even tighter. "I can't partake in leisures. I need to get stronger. Strong enough to kill my father."

Vlad jolted in place and averted his gaze away. "Revenge?"

She gave him a slight nod and readied herself. "You're another obstacle I must overcome."

"So, I'm nothing more than just that? An obstacle?" he asked carefully.

She didn't answer and dashed in his direction, sword at the ready, but Vlad didn't move. He saw what she was doing, but willingly decided to stay in place. He lifted his head, his chin raised high.

"So what is Lumera to you then?"

Alear's breath hitched and was brought to a stop. Her armed hand slowly grew limp. "I… She—"

"Is just another obstacle as well? Just a person you're using to your benefit to exact your revenge?" he said. He impaled his sword to the ground and crossed his arms. "Or do you have a better explanation?"

She snarled. "Don't talk about Mother like that."

"Then give me a reason not to," he challenged. "Because from what I heard from her, she went out of her way to find you, yet something so petty as revenge is your only motive? It can help you push forward, but you'd be discarded by the people you meet during your journey. They'll be hurt the most if you let that hunger control you."

"I don't need to explain myself to you."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Picking up his sword back up, he beckoned Alear with his arm. "Then if I'm nothing more of an obstacle to you, try to get rid of me."

Vlad got ready to block, even if there wasn't a strike to parry. He was taunting Alear to go in, and it made her sneer. She charged in and tried to attack Vlad, but her sword was quickly blocked, and it barely made Vlad flinch.

She clicked her tongue and went for another.

Then another.

And then another, all of which were stopped by Vlad's makeshift wall.

"Stop turtling and face me!" she shouted, catching Vlad off guard for a moment. Nevertheless, he stayed glued to his spot, even if his breaths were long and drawn out.

"I thought you needed to overcome me," he remarked.

She began huffing like a bull, and her snarl was so deep Vlad was afraid those wrinkles would stay there permanently. She dashed towards him and unleashed a flurry of blows. Each strike made Vlad buckle inch by inch. He looked up, and all he could see was the pent-up rage emanating from Alear's eyes.

Despite the situation he was in, the sight made him internally smirk. Finally, she let loose. Took her long enough.

Another heavy strike landed close to the handle of Vlad's sword, making him wince. Although I might have bitten off more than I can chew.

Alear couldn't care less if Vlad got hurt from her barrage. She was dead set on making him bend, or break, it didn't matter which. Every attack she committed made her lips inch upward ever-so-slightly until all that was left on her face was a wide grin. It made shivers run down Vlad's spine. All the precision and grace in Alear's swordplay were discarded for wild swinging, akin to a kid playing with a branch.

Vlad was glad to have Sigurd's ring feeding him the knowledge to overcome her rampage. Otherwise, he would have been minced meat by now. She became predictable, but finding a hole proved to be difficult when he was too busy keeping Alear's sword away from his body.

"I'll make you bleed!" she bellowed and brought her sword behind her back for an overhead swing. Vlad's entire body tensed up, ready to receive the blow.

But it never came.

He looked up and his eyes went wide when he saw a ghostly red hand locking Alear's sword arm in place. She tried to yank herself from the grip and was eventually successful, but it gave Vlad enough time to act. Emerging from his defense, he disarmed Alear with a precise swing, leaving her wide open.

Grabbing his weapon by the blade, he jabbed her with the pommel of the sword right against her forehead. Tearing reached his ears, and he internally hissed. Small drops of blood seeped into his gloves while Alear was knocked down to the ground with a bruise on her forehead.

Her mouth hung, staring into the sky before teardrops started to well up in her eyes while her face scrunched up.

Vlad, in the meantime, let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He looked down at his bloodied hand and winced once he balled up his fist. Taking out his glove, he covered the wound tightly before inching his way to Alear.

She held onto her legs tightly, curling up into a ball while sobs escaped her lips. Vlad's head sagged before noticing a faint glimmer from her ring. He let out a sigh.

That's twice you saved me now. Don't expect me to repay that anytime soon, though.

He knelt down. "Are you alright?"

No response. He only saw her entire body jolt under the question, but Alear refrained from looking up into his eyes.

"Hey," he said while reaching out with his arm to comfort her, but it got smacked away.

"Don't touch me!" Alear shouted before burying her head into her hands.

Vlad could only stare at her with pursed lips. He didn't know how to comfort someone. It was a job usually reserved for his wife because she did a much better job than he could. Hence why, in the early days, she was the one to raise their children. He was too busy with work.

Eventually, he slowly sat down next to her before dipping his wounded arm into the lake and giving it a good rinse. His hand itched with pain, but he powered through it nonetheless.

"You know, I said you shouldn't look into this much, but…" he turned to her. "I guess that's eating away at you the most."

She didn't lift her head or try to move away. Vlad took a deep breath and laid the sword down in front of her before putting Sigurd's ring on top of the blade. Immediately, his body became rigid and too difficult to move. He was glad it didn't make him pass out.

"At least you could open your eyes," he said through a wheeze. "The answer is right in front of you after all."

Alear didn't want to. The man that was sitting in front of her just beat her either out of sheer luck or was an excellent liar. Despite that, she peered through her fingers and saw a small glimmer of blue light piercing the little nook she made.

Her breath hitched, and her sobs stopped. "You… How do you have an Emblem Ring?"

"Because Lumera entrusted one to me," he said before quickly picking it back up and putting it on his finger. He breathed a relieved sigh. "And if you think I stole it, I wouldn't be here anymore if that was the case."

She brought her arms away from her face and went back into hugging her legs. "Mother wouldn't give away something like this for nothing."

Vlad nodded. "You're right, she wouldn't. We have an agreement, but before I tell you what it is, are you willing to tell me what your nightmare was about?"

Alear gritted her teeth. "Was this entire spar's purpose only to make me talk?"

"Like I told you, bottling everything up is not a good idea," he explained while tightening the glove around his wound. "Everything you'll say here will only be between the two of us."

Her entire body shivered. "Why would you even care?"

Vlad's breath hitched before looking down at his reflection in the water. "You saved my life, and Lumera gave me a purpose. Do I need a better reason?"

Alear narrowed her eyes. "You didn't answer my question."

A sigh escaped his lips. "Look, if I'm supposed to be your caretaker, then we have to bridge the gap between us. I thought the spar would do the trick, but…" He let out a groan. "Abusing the ring to do so was a poor choice, not to mention what I said during it didn't help either." He turned to her. "For that, I'm sorry."

Alear's eyes widened before she hid her face behind her knees. She mumbled a few words, before whispering, "I was back there."

Vlad hummed, raising his chin ever-so-slightly. "Back where?"

"Back home, with my father," her voice quivered. "Whenever I sleep, he's always there in my nightmares, watching me, and we're not alone. Many siblings I don't even recognize are killed right in front of me when they outlive their usefulness."

She sobbed. "One by one, they get mauled by the Corrupted until it's my turn."

Vlad didn't dare meet her eye to eye. "And it's a recurring theme, I presume?"

A weak nod was Alear's answer. "It doesn't stop. I avoid sleep because of it. I want it to end, but that won't happen until I kill him."

She suddenly hissed and sat up while tears flowed down her face before shouting, "But how am I supposed to do that when somebody like you beats me in a fight!?"

Vlad flinched. He never heard her speak so loudly before, and was too stunned to say anything. Alear stared down at her sobbing reflection in the water before punching the ground with a wet splash. "I'm weak! I can't even face the Corrupted without being scared deep down! Maybe… I'm just a defect after all. A useless defect."

Vlad tensed up, his hands balled up into fists so tightly that his arms jerked. "Alear."

She paused and lifted her head, partially blocked by her soaked bangs before a gentle clap resonated in her ears. Snapping her body to the side, her face suddenly started to burn, and she instinctively touched her cheek. It didn't hurt, but it made her pause before she turned back to Vlad. His palm was open, dripping with blood from his self-inflicted wound, and she looked down at her arm, only to realize her glove was redder than normal.

It dawned on her. "Did you—"

"Don't ever talk about yourself like that," he said firmly and cut her off. "Despite trying to act like a stoic statue, you wear your emotions on your sleeves. It can force you to see things in a fixed perspective."

He rubbed the wound on his palm, stifling a hiss. "Think about it for a minute. I still know very little about combat, and the Emblem Ring is nothing more than a crutch for me. The reason why I was able to beat you was because I got into your head."

"Also, I told you to not use your ring. You did just that, and it was another advantage I needed to even have the chance to win," he explained before a stern face adorned his features. "But beating yourself over something so trivial is meaningless. If Lumera heard you saying you're a defect, then she would fawn over you, telling you otherwise. That isn't bad. It only means she truly cares for you."

"But with me? If I hear you call yourself that again, then a simple slap will be the least of your worries. I'll beat that self-deprecating mentality out of you I have to."

Vlad closed his eyes. "Like a caretaker should."

Alear was too stunned to speak. Her mouth hung open before she took a sharp breath and jumped towards Vlad, tackling him down to the ground. She wrapped her hands around him in a tight embrace and buried her head deep into Vlad's brigandine.

While Alear kept sobbing in Vlad's chest, he was dumbstruck. He was expecting her to sulk, even hate him, not this. He looked down at the red hair almost completely enveloping him, and the image of his daughter doing the same was nothing but a blur, yet it was still there.

He silently clicked his tongue. He wanted to return the hug badly, he yearned for it, but every ounce in his body and mind refused to do so. Instead, he allowed Alear to finally vent undisturbed, even if it was the hardest thing to do at the moment. If there was a glimmer of hope he could return, he couldn't allow himself to be too attached.

Otherwise, an easy decision would become a lot more complicated.

AN: Well, this was a fun one. Honestly, one of my favourite chapters to write so far.

So, this is the segment where I give you the link and all that, but with how many times I've pestered you with it, it's about time I stopped. If you still wish to join the discord server, you can check out my profile. There you'll find the link.

Still, I want to thank Cavik for proofreading today's chapter. He is the unsung hero who cleans everything up to make sure the chapters are in a readable state.

Anyway, thank you for reading today's chapter.

God's speed.