Series: The Mountain: Book 1: The Awakening

Internal Struggle

Sounds of a whistling blade echoed through the valley as Liam swished his newly acquired sword too and fro, cutting through the air as he concentrated solely on his swordsmanship. Satisfied with the progress his slashes had shown, Liam twirled the blade in his hand, crouching low as he continuously began to jab his weapon forward whilst shifting his position every few seconds. As he focused on his training, Alice, Helen and Sylvie, who'd just arisen, stared at him as he constantly repeated his moves. 

"What's he doing now?" Alice asked, still half asleep. 

"He seems to be practicing his footwork and his thrusting technique simultaneously," Sylvie replied, keen eyes following his movements closely. 

"Really?" Alice asked in a sarcastic tone, "I hadn't noticed." 

"Hey you did ask," Sylvie pointed out. 

"It was rhetorical," Alice continued, "It's way too early to start training."

"Seems like the perfect time to me," Sylvie countered. 

"Where's Xavier?" Helen asked, looking all around for the large knight, "I haven't seen him since I woke up."

"Ah he went off to secure breakfast," Sylvie replied, still keeping her eyes trained on Liam, "He insisted on going even after keeping watch all night long."

"I see," Helen said in return, eyes straying back to Liam, "I hope he gets some rest when he returns."

As the three girls went on to immerse themselves in his odd techniques, Liam suddenly spun around, briefly making eye contact with them whilst jabbing his blade through the air. Surprised by his unexpected turn, they awkwardly averted their gaze, staring at everything else in the vicinity. Unlike previous encounters however, Liam did not react, deciding to ignore their attention and focus only on his vigorous footwork. 

"How long will he stay like that?" Alice asked after noticing his reaction, "It's already been four whole days since he's spoken to any of us."

Helen stood in silence as she too once again stared at her young saviour. After regaining his memories, Liam had withdrawn verbally from their group. Although he'd actively played a part in helping them find another way to enter the town after the bridge collapsed, no words had been exchanged between them during the process. After resupplying their stock from the town's markets and continuing on their way, Liam had begun practicing this foreign training regimen every morning before their departure. 

"This is all your fault!" Helen muttered, facing the younger girl.

"My fault?" Alice questioned, turning towards Helen, "How am I to blame?" 

"You're the one that kept bombarding him with questions," Helen accused. staring at Alice irately, "Why'd you have to push him so far?" 

"How was I supposed to know asking him questions would suddenly make him mute?" Alice said in return, "I simply wanted to know the truth." 

Whilst the two started to argue, Sylvie, rather than stop them, continued to observe Liam quietly. Unlike everyone else that decided to give Liam his space, Sylvie had secretly watched him practice those strange techniques daily. Although his form was clearly that of an amateur in the beginning, the current Liam before her was anything but. 

"There's no way he learned that on his own," Sylvie muttered to herself, grabbing her blade before heading towards Liam's direction. 

Both Alice and Helen instantly ceased their heated argument, forming a temporary truce as they curiously observed Sylvie's actions. 

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" Sylvie questioned, pulling up to Liam as he jabbed his blade fiercely through the air.

Liam however, ignored her words and continued to repeat his thrusts with almost near perfect accuracy.