Steel Eyed Faker

Chapter 7: Save the Memories

Beta read by Shigiya and Paragon of Awesomeness.

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-The Capital, Imperial Military Academy-

(Nine years ago)

What a strange sensation this was. Esdeath grew up in her tribe with the firm belief that the strong survived while the weak perished. This concept was ingrained in her as soon as she could think. and became even more entrenched with the tragic loss of her tribe, who fell in battle because they proved themselves weak in the end, even her father, as he'd admitted with his dying gasps. For her, defeat was never an option. It was synonymous with death itself. Any slip-up in battle, any moment of weakness, would see death closing on her just as the jaws of a Danger Beast did on their prey's neck.

She was not prey.

Mistakes were forbidden, and every move had to be executed flawlessly to ensure survival.

'I... died...'

As she lay on the ground, feeling the ache in her body from the recent confrontation, she was taken aback by the sudden appearance of the anomaly before her. Her thoughts carried a hint of incredulity, but there was something more behind them, something she'd never felt before that she couldn't quite decipher. Despite the pain and exhaustion, she remained indignant, refusing to let her guard down even after her own defeat when in the presence of this enigmatic figure.

"Are you going to lie there the entire day?" the anomaly quipped, his tone teasing yet tinged with a strange sincerity. "If so, then I hope you're at least enjoying the sight. Make sure you don't go blind if you end up staring at the sun."

Esdeath narrowed her eyes, unsure of how to interpret his words. Was he mocking her, or was there genuine concern hidden beneath his jest? Regardless, she refused to be swayed by his remarks. With determination burning in her eyes, she pushed herself off the ground, gritting her teeth against the pain coursing through her body. Each movement sent waves of discomfort rippling through her, reminiscent of the trials she'd endured from the time of her early childhood while hunting Danger Beasts alongside her father.

"Again," she demanded as she tightened her grip on her training sword, her voice firm and unwavering. Despite the ache in her muscles and the exhaustion weighing her down, Esdeath was ready to rise to the challenge once more. There had to have been a mistake on her part for why she'd been the one on the ground. Indeed, she underestimated the brat from the beginning and that cost her too much - a mistake that would never be made ever again.

Pa!

Esdeath felt a surge of fury as the wooden basket was placed on her head once again, pressing her back to the ground with deliberate force. The boy now crouching beside her exuded an air of contempt, his next words a cutting reminder of her repeated failures.

"Don't bother."

It was taunting, his tone dripping with arrogance to the ears of the last survivor of the Partas tribe.

"This has been going on for more than an hour now, and I've bested you over half a dozen times now. Do you want me to break your bones or something? Because I won't go that far on a brat."

Her pride stung at his words, but still she refused to concede defeat. "Don't underestimate me," she growled, her voice tinged with defiance. Anger surged within her as a source of fuel, refusing to accept failure in the face of this smug opponent. "You were just lucky I was caught off-"

"-As if," he scoffed, cutting her off with a dismissive snort. His expression twisted into a sneer, an odd sight on someone so young. An expression that would be far more appropriate on the face of an adult, or perhaps some of the more senior students in the academy, even if they were still snot-nosed amateurs.