By the Sword

00 | The Greatest Knight

A series of cracks between two wooden swords pulsated across the chamber, conjoined with the hushed murmurs of those present. All gazes followed after the two boys in front of them; one attacked while struggling to catch his breaths, the other parried with a large smile spreading through his face.

And it went without saying that Aspen Whitlock was the latter.

Albert was practically begging for air, but never once did he spare a minute to rest. Instead, he kept on lunging forward with both hands gripped on the hilt, aiming his blade for Aspen's chest. As much as he wanted his classmate to hit him at least once, his instincts refused, forcing him to either sidestep or ward off the blow.

He did not seem like he was giving up anytime soon, but this was just going to go in circles. Also, he was getting way too tired. Sorry, Albert, but I really have to end this.

Aspen spun on his heel and delivered a blow his opponent did not even have the chance to register. Not even a second passed, his wobbling body tumbled into the floor as his sword accompanied his fall. And just like that, Albert could only grip his jaw and clench the dirt in his empty fists, while Aspen grasped the victory in his hands.

Wiping the sticky sweat trickling down his forehead, he jumped at the eruption of cheers and applause from his class.

"You're so cool!" One of the boys, Caleb, exclaimed as he approached him with the biggest grin on his face. "But I'm not surprised; you're Lord Lloyd's son after all!"

"Yeah!" Another boy barged in. "Your movements are so perfect, I can't even predict them myself. You would have beaten me in the first few seconds!"

"I think that's too much... I'm not that strong," said Aspen as he couldn't help but nervously chuckle and scratch the back of his head. They always said the same thing; that he could have instantly taken them out-which was not always the case-and that Father was involved. Funnily enough, he has always refused to wield a sword.

"Stop pretending to be so humble. It's annoying." Albert snorted, glaring straight at Aspen as he marched towards them. "Don't forget I am a Mind Reader and I can see through your crap."

Should have used his Possession to prove how wrong he was...

"You really can't handle losing, hmm? Perhaps you should just accept that Aspen's stronger than you," Caleb snorted as he stepped in between them, and Albert looked like he was about to rip him to shreds. Did they not learn their lesson from their last fight?

"Are you okay, Albert? Sorry if I was too rough there," he interrupted before anything got worse. "It was a great spar though, you did so well this time!" he proclaimed as he reached out his hand, but in a heartbeat, Albert smacked it off his way, like it was the most disgusting thing he had ever seen.

"Don't act like you're worried, you freak," he barked, forcefully bumping into both Caleb and Aspen before stomping back to the group. While the professor and the others protested his actions, he threw a sigh. Honestly, he expected that kind of reaction, no matter how many times Aspen tried talking to him.

But freak... that's a new one.

Professor Dandridge abruptly clapped his hands, cutting off all the grumbles of the class. "Alright, who is volunteering to be Aspen's next..."

When a very familiar boy rose to his feet, all heads instantly snapped toward his direction-even the professor, whose voice trailed into the air. He was never bothered by the attention; he simply brushed his messy brown forelocks with a smirk. Walking into the ring, Aspen came face to face with a pair of olive-green eyes, filled with nothing but mischief.