For a moment, it looked as if a spear of earth was going to impale Cerila, but it was cut away by blue ice. Cerila fell onto a ramp made of her own magic and used it to escape Kaladin and regain her bearing. Cerila stood up and wiped off her shoulder.

She looked pleased with herself, but the moment she saw Kaladin’s expressionless face, any amount of joy she felt at the moment was wiped away in an instant. She looked almost mortified to see Kal looking at her like that. And even I was somewhat confused.

Cerila is putting up a good fight…why does he seem angry? Or, well…it just feels like he is angry.

A Fireball formed in Kaladin’s hand and raced toward Cerila. The Beastmen cut it in half with her sword and continued to cut down the next few. Kaladin had advanced once more, and the two were once again amid sword swings and spear thrusts.

On one of Kaladin’s thrusts, Cerila was able to lock her blade with the spear tip. Kaladin, unable to pull his weapon free, went for another punch, but Cerila wouldn’t be fooled twice. She let out a growl as she shoved Kal’s fist away and broke her sword free.

Two spires of ice broke from the ground in an attempt to crush Kaladin from the sides. But once more, the air around Kaladin’s flanks warped, and the spires were redirected backward. But Cerila was already forming another spell core.

A blue sword made of ice appeared in her hand and deftly blocked Kaladin’s spear. With her regular sword, she went to cut Kaladin on his extended arm, but Kaladin’s body jerked back suddenly…it was weird…it was like he suddenly started falling while standing…was that his gravity magic again?

He mentioned it briefly during his fight with Wyrm and Dragon…this sure does look more like “gravity” magic. It’s odd watching somebody’s body move like that. Sweat rolled down Kaladin’s body, and I could see the rise and fall of his chest. He didn’t appear to be fatigued, but he was starting to show some signs of strain…I suppose he did tell us that gravity magic was far more intense than his other schools of magic.

Even so, he doesn’t appear to be giving up. And neither does Cerila.

“Kaladin really found his type…” I muttered under my breath.

“What do you mean?” an icy voice asked me.

I blinked once and didn’t even bother turning my head. “He’s only into dangerous women that can kill him,” I said with a sigh.

I heard the rush of air beside me, but an attack never ended up reaching me fully. Kaladin narrowed his eyes, and I felt the hair on my arms stand up. Fear gripped my heart, making me forget that I was about to be assaulted by an incredibly dangerous and violent woman. 

Then, there was a bright flash followed by a loud crack. The smell of burnt soil tickled my nose. Cerila had sidestepped a Lightning Bolt, and she quickly dodged another round as Kaladin launched them from the tip of his black spear.

One of the bolts arced off to the side and hit a puddle of water. Cerila froze the floor as she barely managed to avoid the charged pool. Kal was only a few steps away from Cerila when multiple chunks of earth flew toward her, threatening to crush her from all angles, even above.

Cerila let out another growl, and I felt the spell core from here. A burst of incredible blue ice spread like a blooming flower, destroying all the stone chunks instantly. Kal also found himself in the middle of the flower, and from there, our vision was blocked by the spell.

The sound of metal on metal rang out once more, and it felt like an eternity dragged on as the two clashed in the ice prison. I could hear ice crack and burst apart as well as a few Lightning Bolts followed by more metal clashes. Eventually, a singular howl rolled out.

It wasn’t a howl from a monster but the kind of howl a storm would make. A giant blizzard flew out from the top of the flower, and I felt the temperature drop immediately. My skin tingled from the cold, and my hot breath came out in a fog. Then, for just a few moments, the battlefield was silent.

Did she…freeze both of them?

I took a hesitant step forward, but I was jerked back by the shoulder. I felt fingers grip into my shoulder with surprising speed, and I bit my tongue. The person shot out from the icy flower and was barely a blur. They nearly collided with me.

“Can’t you be more careful,” I heard Sylvia say with a sigh.

I thought perhaps it was Kaladin but instead, I found Cerila on the ground. Her breath was ragged, and blood dripped from her mouth. Her face was already turning purple from the initial punch from Kaladin, and she looked worn down.

No way…she…lost?

The ice flower began cracking into pieces and falling to the ground. Kaladin slowly walked toward the down Cerila. His face still hadn’t changed one bit since the start of the fight.

He stood over Cerila, and she clenched the dirt with her fingers. Tears rolled down her face as she stared at the dirt. Kal tossed his spear to his father and knelt down in front of her.

He used his hand to bring her face up so she would look at him. he asked.

Cerila’s let out a pained groan and shook her head. She tried to wipe her face with her dirty sleeve, but she just spread dirt and blood across herself.

A moment of confusion broke Kal’s cold expression. He narrowed his eyes, not in anger or frustration but as if to ponder her words.

He took a deep breath.

She looked up at him with teary eyes and a confused face. Kaladin just smiled softly at her.

Huh? A War God? That’s…not possible…she’s strong, don’t get me wrong…but a War God? Aren’t they supposed to be on a completely different level?

“Kal, are you sure about that?” his mother asked him.

Kal kept smiling.

He turned his attention back to Cerila, who was just looking at him with a blank expression. Tears rolled down her dirty, bloodied cheeks but despite her confusion and clear frustration, he kept smiling.

She nodded meekly, and fresh tears rolled down her face as she tried to furiously wipe them away. Kal gently held her by the arms and helped her to her feet.

“Kal…” Alanis muttered.

I looked at Sylvia, expecting her to be fuming, but she wore a kind smile as she watched on. But the second she felt my gaze, her cold crimson eyes snapped to me. “What are they saying, huh?” she said, her voice just as chilly as her gaze.

Crap…

“What is going on here!” a familiar voice shouted. “My yard! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ALL OF YOU!”

A man wearing a black and gray robe strode from the house. His long black hair bounced on his shoulders as he stomped forward. “ALL OF YOU! THERE IS A FACILITY FOR THIS TYPE OF TRAINING! YOU CAN ALL GO THERE FOR FREE! WHY!”

Ah, Headmaster Taurus looks about ready to pull his hair out.

“Kaladin! Sylvia! You two know better! Why— didn’t— you—just…” he stopped his tirade, and Headmaster Taurus’s body went rigid.

His eyes went wider than what should have been possible as he looked at Sylvia. Sylvia looked over behind her and over her shoulder, then back to the Headmaster.

The headmaster blinked once, then twice, then three times. He shook his head violently, and his hair flopped around like an animal. He wiped his eyes furiously and let out a sigh. He smiled to himself like he saw things, but his smile faded when he looked at Sylvia again.

“I came as soon as my wife told me…but I…I never imagined this…”