TBATE: CAERA | VALKYRIE ASCENSION

Chapter 11: Awakening-(1)

CAERA DENOIR'S POV:

The night air was cool and crisp as I swung my sword through the air, the rhythmic clash of air against metal echoing through my room. Lenora had strictly forbidden me from practicing, but I couldn't resist. It was in my blood, a part of me as essential as breathing.

My mind drifted back to the conversation I had with Lauden a few days ago. After I had asked him why he seemed to hate me, he had hesitated but as I pressured him further he finally admitted that he was afraid of losing his place in the family as the youngest child. I had been genuinely shocked by his response, unable to understand the complexity of his emotions.

Now, as I reflected on his words, I began to see things from his perspective. If Seris had taken another disciple, someone younger than me, wouldn't I have felt the same? Wouldn't I have been afraid of losing her attention and affection?

The thought made me pause. I had always assumed that love and acceptance were unconditional, especially within a family. But perhaps I had been too naive. Maybe it was possible to feel threatened by the arrival of a new family member, even if that person meant no harm.

I continued to practice, my movements becoming more fluid as I lost myself in the rhythm of the sword. But even as I focused on my training, my thoughts kept returning to Lauden. I wanted to understand him better, to see things from his perspective.

Suddenly, a loud crash reverberated through the room, and I realized that I had hit the vase on the table with my sword, and it fell to the ground with a loud crash.

"Oh no!" I exclaimed, panicking at the thought of someone hearing the noise. At the same time, I heard a knock on my door. I immediately stored my sword back in my dimensional ring and tried to calm my breathing, which was ragged due to swinging my sword. I couldn't hide the broken pieces of the vase, but I could only hope that no one would notice that I was practicing.

Arriving at the door, I unlocked it and opened it, hoping for anyone but Lenora. Fortunately, as luck would have it, it was Sevren.

"Hey Caera, I heard something falling as I was passing by..." he said, his voice trailing off as he noticed my face and body sweating. "Wait! Why are you sweating so much?"

I pulled him into the room, closing the door behind us. As he entered, his eyes landed on the broken pieces of the vase.

"Huh? How did it break... Caera, were you practicing in your room?" Sevren inquired, hitting exactly on the mark. His tone was scolding with a hint of disappointment.

I felt a surge of guilt. I knew I was supposed to stop practicing, but I couldn't resist the urge to train.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, looking down at the broken vase.

Sevren sighed. "You know mom doesn't want you to practice without supervision, right? She's just trying to keep you safe."

I nodded, feeling a pang of guilt. I knew Lenora was only trying to protect me, but it was hard to follow her orders when my passion for training was so strong.

Sevren placed a hand on my head, patting me gently. "Follow me."

I looked at him questioningly as to where he was taking me. But I followed him out of my room, we walked through the silent hallways and arrived at the back garden where a small clearing was there. Sevren moved forward and placed a small object on the nearby tree branch, and suddenly a light filled the area where we were standing. It wasn't very bright, but enough to see clearly in the night.

"What is this?" I asked, curious about the glowing object on the tree branch.

Sevren smiled. "It's a nightlight. I thought it might be useful if you wanted to practice without disturbing anyone."