The Legend of Lemur (Book 3) - Rise of The Desert Queen

Chapter 17: The Person Makes the Sword, Part 2

Cedric stood on the other side of the arena, watching in awe of Steve's swordsmanship, and studying his movements extensively. Each slash, swing and thrust were performed with such grace and fluency, it was like watching an inspiring performance... in fact, it was an inspiring performance.

"Alright, you got that?" Steve inquired across the arena.

"Uhhh, I think so," Cedric replied.

"Let's give it a shot then."

Cedric moved towards the center of the arena and took a deep breath. He then mimicked each and every movement that Steve performed to near-perfect accuracy. Once he finished, he turned to Steve, who eyed him closely.

"Did I do well?" Cedric asked.

Steve rubbed his chin with thought, and answered, "You didn't do too bad for the first lesson. I can see why Lemur had handed you over to me to teach, however you did have some flaws in your stances and movement."

"Oh," Cedric stated.

"You see, you should open your body at a forty-five degree angle. It would provide you with more support to attack from and to withstand opponent attacks. You would be balanced better this way. As for movement, do more. Standing still is asking for a death sentence from the opponent. Utilize your surroundings, and use your legs!"

Cedric listened to Steve's pointers and tried the lesson again. This time, Cedric shown great improvement, and Steve said, "There you go, my son! Well done!"

Cedric brushed the hair past his eye and replied, "Thanks."

"Now onto the next lesson, defending yourself. The easiest thing to do is to step back to avoid an attack, however, be weary that if your opponent is quick, they can use that opportunity to stab you. Another method is to block or parry the attack with your sword. Then there is the final method, which is to counter-attack."

Steve then demonstrated each defensive maneuver to Cedric, and Cedric imitated them. After satisfying Steve, they continued training and lessons throughout the day before taking a break in the afternoon. After sitting in the bleachers, Cedric noticed a couple paintings on the wall across from it. Cedric got up from his spot and examined the pictures.

"Is this you and your brother?" Cedric asked.

Steve got up from his seat and joined Cedric before answering, "It was yes. These paintings were done moments before we arrived here on the Overworld all those years ago. They were done outside of Amberoot Woods."

Cedric couldn't help but to be in awe of the expertly made paintings, and the scenery it depicted within. Not many people get the opportunity to see the Aether, unless they had strong ties to it, or had perished in the living plane. Just viewing the depiction of such places seemed like such an honour.

"Do you miss the Aether?" Cedric asked.

Steve thought to himself and replied, "I could go back at anytime. In fact, I do frequently visit it, but I honestly miss Brine more."

"Don't you get to see him in the Aether though?" Cedric asked, "Since he's passed on, wouldn't he be there?"

Steve sighed and replied melancholically, "Unfortunately, due to his immediate contact with Herobrine, and the Nether curse, he wouldn't be able to reside in the Aether or Heaven... but since he was also one of the Aether's people, he wouldn't be able to stay in the Nether or Hell either. He spends his afterlife in what we call Purgatory."

"Purgatory?" Cedric questioned.

"It's not a dimension anyone could visit, and some question if it's truly existant," Steve answered, "Purgatory is depicted as the final place a soul could go. A place where everything changes constantly... a place where you remain in a dying state for eternity."