Shadows and Stars- A Grishaverse Fanfiction (The DarklingxOC)

.4.

Hours later after training had ended, I was back in my room. Not your room. Don't get attached, I chided myself. It would be harder to leave the more attached I was. And I would be leaving. It would be no safer here than anywhere else. And when this place fell to Nikolai's forces, I would just be executed then. Three more days, I thought. That was it. Just three more days.

I sat at the desk and began to write using a pen and paper I'd found inside. Whenever I had the time to spare, I'd write a letter to my family, updating them on my current circumstance. Of course, they'd never been sent. I'd always disintegrated the paper with my powers.

My powers. They'd made me quite popular, but what really set me apart were my fighting skills. I thought back to the training session and began to write.

I walked down the hallways away from the war room until I found the doors that lead to the training center. I reached out my hand to enter, but pulled back. If I went in there, would it mean that I was finally betraying the others? They betrayed you, I thought. I pushed open the grand doors and headed outside. Grisha were all around the center, training in some form or the other. Only a few were not in motion, but they were observing, learning.

One girl about my age came up to me. "Are you really a Sun Summoner too?"

"No," I said, suddenly shy. "I'm a Night Summoner."

"Oh," she said. "Well, I'm Raiya." From the look of her kefta, she was a Heartrender. "We're about to start, come on!" She grabbed my wrist and basically dragged me over to the group. We stood at the back of the group. Grisha of various ages stood at attention, ranging from about 14 to as old as 30.

"Grisha, one lap around the arena," the instructor said. He blew a whistle and everyone took off. I kept pace with everyone and the lap was over in 30 seconds.

"Everyone, get in partners and warm up," he said, and blew the whistle again.

"That's Dimitri. He's the new instructor and a retired 2nd army lieutenant. Partners?" Raiya asked. I nodded and we moved to an open space. She led me through their typical warm-ups. Dimitri circled the groups, critiquing forms.

He eventually got to our pair. "Sokolov, we've been over how to properly throw a punch before. Fix it." He turned to me. "Nox, thank you for finally joining us. Throw a double." I did as he instructed. "Now..." he gave a string of maneuvers that I executed. Kick, punch, dodge, punch, roll, kick. "Surprisingly decent," he said when I finished. "For not being properly trained."

Dimitri moved on, and 10 minutes later we were called together again. "Sparring rules: No maiming. No seriously injuring others. Powers are permitted, along with any weapons you may have. First two, Sokolov and Rashcaik."

Raiya stepped forward onto the mat. Another boy, maybe a year younger, stepped onto the mat. He was nervous, I could tell, because he was wringing his wrists. "Fight!" Dimitri said. Raiya took off and the boy was on the ground within seconds. "Three, Two, One, Stop!" She got off of him, and helped him up.

"Next..." the spars went on and on. Raiya was out several rounds in. Finally, it was my turn. "Nox and Dremaine," he called. I stepped onto the mat and got into a fighting stance. "Fight!" he yelled, and the match began.

My opponent had faced 10 opponents by now, and she was getting tired. She lunged first, and a step to the side, dodging her attack. She stumbled, and I used that to my advantage. I pinned her to the ground. The countdown began, "Three, Two..." Dremaine kicked me off of her and the countdown stopped. She lunged again and this time I judo flipped her. She groaned as she landed hard on her back. Pinning her to the ground for a second time, the countdown began. "Three, Two, One, Stop!"