Chapter 141 - 140: Three Blades, One Shadow
Training Grounds - Afternoon Spar
The spar began in earnest.
Lumberling moved in tandem with Aurelya, both advancing with practiced coordination. He took the left, spear in hand, while she flanked the right, her rapier already gleaming with golden light.
Behind them, Thessalia remained still, calm and unreadable, her longbow lowered but ready. Her eyes never left the target.
Vaenyra stood alone at the far end of the field. Sword in hand, her expression was neutral, composed. But the air around her thrummed. Threads of pressure rippled outward like invisible heatwaves. A crackle of restrained power danced across the space between them.
Then Lumberling struck.
His spear darted forward in a blur, precise and forceful, only to meet empty air. Vaenyra shifted her weight by inches, letting the thrust slip past her side.
At the same moment, Aurelya surged forward. Her rapier pulsed with golden radiance, light and fire swirling along its length. The mana enveloped her entirely, enhancing her speed, sharpening her perception. A shimmering veil of protection clung to her like divine armor.
’Light and gold fire?’ Lumberling thought, narrowing his eyes as he watched her. ’Are those her elements?’
Aurelya’s blade swept in with dazzling grace, cutting arcs of searing brilliance. Vaenyra raised her sword and caught the strike. The clash rang out, steel against steel, but Vaenyra only smiled faintly. "Fancy as ever."
Aurelya vanished in a blink.
Blinding flashes marked her steps, warping her trajectory into an unpredictable dance. She weaved around Vaenyra like a comet in orbit, radiant and relentless. Each flick of her wrist released bursts of light that licked across the field. She wasn’t casting from stillness, her spells emerged in motion, intertwined with her swordplay.