"Let me check."
Orion spoke as he moved towards his son with a concerned look on his face but then, with a sudden burst of energy, Vaan lunged at his father, attempting to catch him off guard and aiming at his eyes.
A deadly attack that would for sure take away Orion's vision for this battle.
Yes, it was all a feint.
Vaan was trying to fool Orion in order to win.
However, Orion's instincts were razor-sharp. He sidestepped Vaan's attack effortlessly and he then moved his leg in front of Vaan's leg, causing him to lose his balance and fall flat on his face.
*Thud*
"…"
"…"
The room fell silent.
Feeling the weight of his failed attempt at deception, Vaan didn't move. He was embarrassed and was ready to hear another round of bashing from his father, but then,
"That was good. I am impressed."
Orion praised.
"Huh…?"
Vaan blinked.
"Doing whatever it takes to win, it may not be the most noble way there is. But noble warriors are the first ones to die on the battlefield. Who wants to copy those idiots, correct?
Now if only you had a little technique to back up your creative deception." Orion sighed, looking at Vaan with a playful smile on his face as he took his battle stance.
Vaan understood what his father wanted.
He rushed towards him again, but Orion had seen it all before. With a fluid motion, he executed a flawless takedown, sending Vaan crashing to the ground yet again.
"Uggghhh!"
As Vaan lay there, his body aching, a seed of self-doubt was planted in his head.
He even used deception, attempting to take his father by surprise, yet he was, lying on the ground, while Orion stood tall, without even a drop of sweat on his body.
Heck, his right hand was still behind his back, he hadn't used that arm ever since the battle started.
This man wasn't taking this battle seriously at all!
Orion extended a hand to help Vaan up. "Are any more demonstrations needed? It is quite fun, so I can continue as long as you want me to." He spoke with a playful smile on his face.
"It is not fun at all."
Vaan snorted as he grabbed his father's hand and stood up.
"I am surprised you didn't use any other way to catch me off guard," Orion commented.
"As if that would work." Vaan was still bitter.
Orion chuckled, then, he glanced at his son and, "What do you want to do now?"
"Let's go for another round."
Vaan spoke.
"Huh?" This time, Orion was actually surprised. "Again?" He questioned.
"Yes and this time, rather than being on the defensive, I want you to be on the offensive. My fighting style is more on the offensive side, so I wish to see how much I will improve after I learn from you."
"Is that so…" Orion understood.
"Alright then, I will hold back and try not to hurt you."
"Don't worry, I can take it," Vaan spoke in a confident tone.
"No you can't take it, Kid."
Orion smiled, the Father and Son then took their battle stance again.
The dynamics of the sparring match had shifted. Orion, now on the offensive, stood before Vaan with a focused intensity.
Vaan, still recovering from his failed attempt at playing dirty, knew that he had a lot to learn. His father's offensive stance was like nothing he had ever seen before. Vaan prepared himself, completely focusing on his father, ready to react the moment his father moved.
But it was all useless.
Orion lunged forward, his strikes coming in rapid succession. Vaan struggled to defend himself, parrying the blows as best as he could. But with every strike, he felt the overwhelming difference in skill and experience.
The room echoed with the sound of their movements, but it was clear that Vaan was struggling to keep up. Orion's strikes were controlled and deliberate, each one coming dangerously close to landing on his son before stopping.
If it was a real battle, Vaan would have been brutally defeated or even died more than 10 times and it had only been a minute since Orion had gotten serious.
Seeing how his father completely messes up with his defense, then aims at his vital spot only to stop at the last second, showing him the overwhelming difference between them, Vaan's frustration grew.
However, he refused to give up. He continued to defend against his father's relentless assault the best he could, wanting to at least last a few more seconds before he 'dies'.
Yet, with each passing moment, the time difference between each of Vaan's 'Death' only reduced.
Orion had read Vaan like an open book. How he reacted to his moves, whether he would attack back, or try to get away, it was as if Orion could predict it all.
Orion's attacks seemed to come from every angle, keeping Vaan on the defensive. He executed a series of lightning-fast kicks, forcing Vaan to block and dodge with all his might. The room felt like a whirlwind of motion and skill, and Vaan struggled to catch his breath.
Finally, Orion executed a breathtaking spinning kick, this time, Vaan barely moved his hands to block that kick, however, that kick knocked Vaan's guard aside and sent him sprawling to the ground.
"Fuck!" Vaan couldn't help but curse in pain, he could feel his arms trembling in pain because of that kick.
As Vaan lay there, panting and defeated, he realized just how wrong he was.
He was absolutely no match against his father. The confidence of Christopher Davis was completely shattered.
"So? Is your father qualified enough to teach you?"
Orion chuckled as he extended his hand towards Vaan.
Vaan stood up, keeping aside his pride, he bowed his head,
"I will be in your care, Father."
"We don't need formalities, stop bowing your head. A brat like you suddenly turning so respectful feels weird."
Orion waved his hand dismissively.
"Also, don't tell your mother that I am teaching you Martial Arts." Suddenly, Orion spoke up.
"Huh? Why?" Vaan frowned.
"You think a Mage has any business learning all this?"
"Isn't this something every man should learn? Having another way to defend yourself is never bad, is it?"
"Haahh… if only more people in this world think like you do." Orion sighed.
"Your mother, however, is rigid in this matter.
'The best way for a Mage to defend himself is to learn more and master their spells. Rather than preparing to face an opponent in case he gets close to you, be so strong that you defeat your opponent before he can even understand what happened'
That is what your mother says."
Orion just sighed,
"And I can't even defeat her to prove her wrong.
How am I supposed to hit the woman I love?"
"Are you sure it is not because she is stronger than you?"
Vaan questioned with a curious smile on his face.
"Huh? What do you mean? Mind you, Kid. Your mother may be a genius of the Vesta Family, but I wasn't just anyone either. I drew against your mother when we sparred in the academy, and I didn't even use my Blessing at that time."
"So you are saying you were stronger than Mother?" Vaan raised his eyebrow.
Orion quickly moved his face away, "Well, she didn't use her Instant Spells either, so you can say it was a draw…"
"Aha, I understand." Vaan smiled.
Not liking his son's tone, Orion's eyebrow twitched, then, with a 'smile' on his face, he placed his hand on Vaan's shoulder and,
"Anyways, you wanted to learn from me, didn't you?"
Vaan frowned, his father's tone, he didn't like it.
However, before he could do anything,
"Then let's start your training, Kid."
An entirely different world was about to open up in front of Vaan's eyes.
…though the process might be a little… painful.
…
On the other side, in the Stormweaver Mansion, Seraphina sat in her room, in her hands was the report of the Magic Duels Vaan fought yesterday, her face, solemn.
"Sera, we need to talk."
Suddenly, Anderson Stormweaver, the Head of the Stormweaver Family and Seraphina's father walked into the room.
Seraphina frowned, this was the first time her father had actually barged into her room without knocking, and from the look that he had on his face,
Seraphina could tell that he wasn't here for a casual talk either.
"What is it, Father?" Seraphina questioned.
Anderson's eyes then fell on the reports in Seraphina's hands and,
"So you know about it as well."
Seraphina's expression turned solemn,
"I have just received the reports."
"He defeated 6 Mages and even killed one of them," Anderson spoke.
Seraphina nodded. She wanted to know what her father was trying to get at, but to be honest, she had a rough idea of what it was.
Anderson then glanced at Anna, the maid understood what the Family Head wanted, she bowed her head and quickly left the room.
"Stop whatever you are doing and leave Vaan alone."
