This is the longest rest I have taken but I feel really recharged like there's a dragon rushing inside of me. Ah, the wind is really refreshing. The wind is gently blowing my face here at the veranda but I quickly turned around when I felt the tugging on my dress.
"Mother, may we..."
"...hug you?" I knelt down and hugged my boys without a word.
"Mother we'd like to..."
"...challenge you, if it's ok with you"
"Why not?" I asked then I have them get our wooden swords and climbed down to the ground.
"Come at me when you're ready" I told them and closed my eyes. I just want to do the training father has been telling us to do. Listen to their mind.
Right! Above! Below! Right!
I guess they've figured out that I can still predict their movements with my eyes closed. Their attacks sped up and are moving on an unbreakable momentum, sequence, and procedure. They've improved. Somehow, I sensed that they figured out that I'm repeating the same pattern over and over. I just have to reverse it then.
And they got confused now. I've got a feeling that there are many eyes above us. After a while they've also joined us down here.
"You don't mind us going against you right?" That's Roy's voice. I smiled. This is getting interesting.
"Come" I challenged.
"But first, why don't we use real blades?" I suggested and opened my eyes and saw that they're all holding real blades.
"I know you'd say that" Ethan said and threw my weapon to me.
"Only those who are from Pentagon know this. This is some kind of ritual we do whenever a comrade of us came back from a near death mission or situation. We put everything we feel in every strike we do. Love, anger... as long as you pour everything in that combat, wounded or not, we won't care less" Ethan explained when he saw Cougar and Tyra's puzzled expressions.
"Shall we begin?" I asked and when they all became ready, I closed my eyes again.
I'm the Queen but I'm not that invincible. Every time I come back from a mission, I always face all my comrades. I can't escape unscathed, especially now that I'm facing the future Paladins. Of course using of power is not allowed. We should learn how to fight without using our heavenly powers.
They started to attack then after a while I can hear two or three of them shouting at me then one by one, the others joined. I feel happy... doing this ritual with them. We all got exhausted after a week of continuous fight. We all got injured, me from them and them from me. But knowing that they all are exhausted, thirsty and hungry, I gathered fruits and fetched water for them and helped them to sleep as I treat their wounds. This is a payback the punished should do to the punishers. I'm not allowed to rest after they all recovered. I've missed this, I sighed.
Father, I'll do my very best to keep you close to me. I'll stick to all of your teachings.
"Mother..."
"...mother" the boys said on their sleep
"I wonder when I will see you, sister" I said out to the space as I look up.
After two weeks, they've all recovered and rested enough. And when they asked me where we will go next, I told them the Valley of Light and I got confused by the looks on their faces. It seems like they fear that place.
"Are you sure mademoiselle? That place is too dangerous even for us and the Elysian" Tyra told me
"Do you plan to commit suicide?" Andre asked sarcastically. Not so like him.
