Chapter 137: hearts,blades and chaos
Morning painted golden streaks over the hills, the smell of dew mixing with the faint scent of smoke from the village ruins. The newly named Lost Stars were gathering again, training under the sun, magic glimmering around their fingertips, swords clashing and laughter echoing despite the trauma.
Azrael Jr. was mid-spar with a boy—lithe, fast, clever-eyed—when he slipped and landed flat on his back.
"Y-you good?" the boy asked, offering a hand.
Azrael took it, stunned silent. Not by the fall. But by the dimpled grin of his long-time crush—Niko—a blacksmith's son who'd joined the training that morning.
"You fight like a prince," Niko teased. "Fancy, but not enough to beat me."
Azrael cleared his throat, trying not to blush. "I'll let my fire magic do the talking next time."
"Oh, I can't wait," Niko winked.
A few feet away, Caelan was already regretting letting his own crush join. Lyra, a feisty girl who had once stolen his shoes mid-class just to prove she could, was now out-performing him in every area of training.
"You keep glaring at me like that and I might think you're in love," she teased as she disarmed him—again.
"I'm not glaring. I'm strategizing," Caelan muttered.
"Strategize this," Lyra said, poking him in the chest with the wooden blade.
From the sidelines, Rina shouted, "Ooooh! Someone's in looooove!" Then tripped over her own shoelaces and faceplanted. "I meant to do that," she grumbled, dirt in her teeth.