The perfect | TBATE X COTE

Chapter 27: Starting to train

Arthur's mind finally caught up with the conversation and he jumped out of bed with his hands outstretched. "Wait, wait, wait!" he said in a combination of a whisper and a shout. "What do you mean war? And how do you know about me? From my reincarnation, I mean."

I looked at him with a blank stare. "I think it's pretty obvious when you think about it, neither of you act like a child, not by a long shot, and your sword skills are exceptional, obviously honed by experience, experience a child could never acquire. "I paused, not wanting to point out anything else. "The only reason no one around us is suspicious, besides the fact that we are special in some way, is that this world does not understand the concept of reincarnation."

Arthur looked at me and opened his mouth. "So you too..."I nodded. "I lived in Japan, I was an ordinary high school student."He looked at me for a long moment before lowering his gaze to his open hands, which began to shake a little. "I was... a king."

I nodded. He was probably killed somehow, if what the doctor said a long time ago was the trope for going to another world, dying somehow. "I guess we're both from different worlds or separated in time, but it doesn't really matter." I said, catching Arthur's attention and making him turn to look at me again, Sylvie cooed and rubbed his side, comforting him. "We're in danger, I'll explain," I created a wind barrier around us. "Take care, Arthur, the fate of Dicathen is upon us."

(***)
Arthur Leywin's point of view:
I swallowed every word that came out of my... brother, yes, he was still my brother, even if he was also a reincarnated one, it didn't matter, he was my brother. And from what he said, one who was barely a student. I scolded myself for hesitating a moment ago. 

Still, the information he gave me was... devastating. Gods, war, death. It all made me worry more and more. I was a king who fought so others wouldn't have to, and hearing about war was the worst. 

"How sure are you?" I spoke as Kiyo finished telling me about his encounter with the deity, with the asura. "We can't take the word of a being."

He nodded. "Normally that would be the case, but it wasn't just any being, this one, even though it was only a remnant, emits an incomparable pressure."

I clenched my fists and looked at them, it was like Sylvia, I knew it somehow. And because I had this encounter, I couldn't deny his words. So the monster that killed her was a semi-asura from another continent. I had a long way to go. "How long?"

"I have no idea, but he assured me it won't be anytime soon, we have a few years to prepare."
I nodded. "Well, I'll get stronger hunting beasts as an adventurer, what will you do?"
"The asura left me some instructions in my core, I'll try to decipher them while I'm here, when I have something I'll share it with you." He said simply. 

I nodded and took a deep breath. Sylvie gave a slight snort at my brother's connection before climbing on top of my head and glaring at her angrily. I ignored her and took a breath, I know Kiyo had said to wait, but with the information she had given me, I couldn't just sit around and wait, so I had to get started as soon as possible. So I will have to convince my father to let me become an adventurer, it won't be an easy task.

(***)

Kiyotaka point of view:

While Arthur went about his business, I went to the courtyard, today being as good a day as any to start training. The courtyard was empty, completely devoid of the destruction it had experienced a few days ago.

I sat back in a quiet spot, where the tree's shade offered a cool escape from the heat. Here, away from everything, I could actually focus. The grass tickled my skin with every shift.

Above, Sera circled, wings gliding smoothly through the open sky. A single leaf drifted down from the branches, twisting as it fell, carried on a gentle breeze. In the distance, the mountains rose, steady and calm, their peaks sharp against the sky.

I took a deep breath, letting the peace of the moment sink in. Out here, like this, I felt free in a way that was rare for me. 

I exhaled slowly, closing my eyes and centering myself, just like the asura had taught me. Time to begin.

I dove in.

The sensation was familiar, yet different—like when I first tried piecing together the fragments of my core. Only now, the process felt more like assembling shards of something vast and formless, a puzzle deep within me that somehow already knew its own answer. My core stirred under my focus, an immense presence pulsing beneath, dormant yet potent, like a volcano held just at the edge of eruption.

Before I could think, I was submerged, floating in an endless black abyss. My consciousness, or at least what was left of it, drifted in the void. And then, as if sensing my arrival, two massive eyes flared open in the darkness, each one blazing with fire, casting a glow that made me feel infinitesimally small.

"Impressive speed, I'll admit," a voice boomed, shaking the silence. The fiery eyes flickered, watching me with something that felt like approval, or maybe curiosity. "Even in this fragmented form, it's still Beast Will. Only a strong mind could stand under this weight. I expected you to struggle longer."

"We don't have time," I replied, casting a quick glance at Sera's father.
"Indeed." His response was curt, and the landscape shifted. In an instant, I was standing on an endless green plain under a clear blue sky. It looked like where I'd just been, only stripped of houses and stretching into infinity.

In the center of it all stood a man, finely dressed, with a mane of fiery red hair tied back in a loose ponytail. Flames flickered subtly around him, as if his very presence burned in a controlled, simmering blaze. He gave me a half-smile.

"All right, let's get started." His figure blurred, and suddenly he was right in front of me, an open palm striking fast toward my throat. I managed to intercept, locking his arm to the side. "I thought you were going to teach me how to use this thing called Aether," I remarked, stepping back to create some distance.

"I will," he replied, amusement flickering in his eyes, "but I want to see your martial skills first. Aether arts pair well with Asuran techniques. There's a lot I can teach you."I shrugged, settling into a stance. "Very well."

He came at me again, moving fast, and launched a powerful roundhouse kick. As he crouched slightly, preparing to counter any block I might throw, I sidestepped just enough to dodge and aimed a punch at his side.

His orange eyebrows lifted just a fraction as he twisted out of the way, spinning to swing an elbow toward me. I caught it with my palm, immediately aiming a knee strike, but he jumped back just in time. For the first time, a grin crept across his face. "Kodri would like you."

I realized then—he wasn't faster or stronger. His strength seemed to mirror mine, like he was deliberately matching my level. This was pure martial arts, skill against skill.

He attacked again. A kick toward my neck—I leaned back just enough to dodge. Using the momentum, he sprang forward, his open palm cutting toward my forehead like a blade. I raised my guard and deflected it, but in the next heartbeat, a dull pain flared in my chest.

Looking down, I saw his arm—somehow, impossibly—plunged straight through my torso.

In an instant, I replayed the fight in my mind. He'd used the brief moment my arm blocked my line of sight to slip in a fatal strike. Blood bubbled up in my throat, and my vision began to darken.

"Not bad," he muttered, pulling his arm out. "There's hope for you yet."

Everything faded to black.

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The A-cat studio is going to animate TBATE, we are cooked.