“Now, I have to warn you, these aren’t flying swords. You’ll have to know actual swordplay to use them effectively, which is why we’ve been sparring so much. They’re a little different from the wooden jian I’ve been having you two use, but the basics are the same: know your reach, keep your balance, and react with purpose.”

Aer pulled out another pair of swords, these ones made of plain wood.

“Now, the advantage of using one single-handed sword is that you have your other hand to use non-sword based techniques. You can complement your blade, just as your blades complement each other, and you complement each other. Now, let’s try these babies out!”

Seira jumped up, her food-induced lethargy apparently forgotten. “Okay Kiro! You take the right!”

He stood, brushing off his robes. “Alright. We attack on your signal.”

They circled the Saint together, their new swords held out in front of them. They were surprisingly light — though he supposed that that was to be expected from an air-imbued blade.

She shouted, and they jabbed from two different sides. Their master brought up her own weapons, blocking effortlessly. They jumped back, but she didn’t follow up with an attack.

“Good. You’re nice and coordinated. Now, it’s time to teach you about the powers of the Blades of Tempest. The first is one that your swords share: weight manipulation. Just channel a bit of mana into the bottom rune and see how it works.”

Seira nodded to him, and they slashed their blades down in unison. Once again, the Saint moved to block, but this time they activated the runes. It was as if she had a giant backing up her blow, splintering Aer’s wooden swords and driving straight into her shoulder. She yelped, but the sword’s momentum was too much. Thankfully, all it did was bounce off of her robes, not even drawing a drop of blood.

Aer laughed, backing up. “Well, I guess you two are going to need to do some more practice with using runes.”

Seira smiled sheepishly, bringing her now-light sword back to bear. Beside her, she could see Kiro had managed to redirect his sword into the ground, but was having trouble picking it back up. A stream of wind dislodged it, placing it back in his palm.

Aer pulled out a stack of cards, grinning. “Alright, apprentices. As much as I know you’re eager to keep on training, that can wait till tomorrow. For now, let’s play Circles!”

They looked at each other, shrugging.

“Oh come on! Don’t tell me that old hag didn’t allow Circles either!”

***

“Honored Matriarch, I come bearing information on the traitors.”

“Come in.”

Hong Ma sat at the head of the table, her Elders occupying the surrounding chairs. A large map of the surrounding worlds sat in between them, marked up with speculation and tactics.

An old, shriveled Torch walked in, her lips turned up to a sickly smile.

“Honored Matriarch, I was once the supervisor for that pesky Tang Kiro, and I must say that this is very in-character for him to betray the clan.”

She nodded. This was already known — the Torch that she had used as a ‘display of force’ had left documents detailing as much.

“Even his sister, who everyone else presumed to be blessed by the Saints, showed her true colors by reporting me to the Clan for punishing her brother’s actions!”

One of the Elders gasped, but she shushed her with a look. So this hadn’t been a spontaneous thievery, but a conscious decision by Subject 1. Not that this information changed anything. As soon as she found that impertinent gnat that had stolen her ticket to Sainthood from right under her nose, she would make her feel a thousand gruesome deaths by spirit fracture.

And, as soon as she got her hands on Subject 1… well, even a fractured spirit was preferable to the ritual used for cultivation base extraction. She blinked, realizing that the old woman was still talking.

“I tell you, the boy had no love for the clan! He was constantly late, and would deliberately drag his feet during the harvests! Why, one day he even want as far as to —”

“That will be enough, Torch. I have heard everything I require. You may leave.”

“Ah, but… if this humble Torch could suggest a course of action to the honored matriarch?”

Hong Ma sighed, gesturing for her to continue. Every moment spent listening to this woman ramble was another second of preparation wasted, but she couldn’t afford to lose any more potential soldiers.

“Well, you see… this humble Torch has had experience fighting both traitors, and… well, she thinks that she may be of use, if only her cultivation base were a little higher…”

The matriarch had half a mind to throw her out in a speech about how her talentless wreck of a core would never receive her gifts, but an idea flashed in her mind. If this was truly Anomaly 134’s supervisor, perhaps she could be used for psychological warfare. And the faster her brother cracked, the faster Subject 1 would too.

She cleared her throat, her decision made. “Honored Torch, I will reward your information with a place within my ranks. From this day forwards, you shall no longer be a Third Level nobody. Instead, you shall be known as a great Nascent Soul eccentric.”