Chapter 32: Fighting or flirting?

William sat quietly in his camp.It had been more than a week since he started living here, and by now, he had managed to set up a proper place for himself.

A large tent stood behind him—big enough to fit four people. Since he didn’t know much about building shelters, he had used the money he had to buy one instead. For light and warmth, he would collect firewood during the day, along with herbs and fruits for late-night snacks.

Now, as the night deepened, William sat cross-legged near the campfire. The flames flickered gently, casting soft shadows over his face. His eyes were closed, brows slightly furrowed in focus.

Floating about seven feet above the ground was a small stone—roughly the size of a human fist. It hung perfectly still in the air, as if held by an unseen hand.

But that wasn’t what William was trying to do.

Telekinesis wasn’t just about crushing or throwing things. Though the force could be wild and destructive, if controlled properly, it could also be sharp, quiet, and precise. That was what William was aiming for.

He wasn’t worried about running out of aether—he had plenty. What mattered now was focus. For the past half hour, he had been concentrating on that single stone, studying every detail of it—feeling its rough surface, tracing its inner layers bit by bit, trying to sense its core without breaking it.

’Alright...’

William slowly opened his eyes. His crimson irises glowed faintly in the firelight as he fixed his gaze on the stone.

Raising his right hand, he made a sharp upward motion—

SHLINK.

A thin, almost invisible line of light flashed across the stone. A heartbeat later, it split cleanly in two, each half falling softly to the ground.

A smile spread across William’s face as he rose to his feet.

Just then, his eyes caught sight of a familiar figure—a silver-haired girl quietly perched on a nearby branch, watching him.

"When did you get here?" William asked, startled.

Emma tilted her head with a small smile. "Hmm... right around the time you nearly slapped yourself and then sat down to focus."

William blinked, his eyes widening. "That was ages ago. Why didn’t you say anything? And how did I not sense you?" His tone turned half-complaining, clearly annoyed at himself.

Emma giggled softly as she leapt down from the branch, landing lightly in front of him. "I came in my beast form, so it’s no wonder you didn’t notice. And since you were training, I didn’t want to interrupt. You looked pretty serious, you know."

William raised an eyebrow. "Didn’t you get bored just sitting there and staring at me?"

"Want the honest answer?" she teased.

He leaned back a little, then sighed and shook his head. "No, not really."

Ignoring her smirk, William bent down to pick up the split stone. He studied the clean cut for a moment, pride tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Let’s call this technique... Cleave," he said thoughtfully.

Emma’s expression froze, and she quickly waved her hands. "No, no, not that."

William frowned, "Why not?"

Crossing her arms, she shuddered slightly. "Let’s just say... bad memories. Maybe go with something else—like Slash or Hack?"

William let out a helpless sigh and shook his head. "Forget it. Anyway, why are you here?"

Emma shrugged lightly. "Everyone’s training for tomorrow. It’s our most crucial year, so we should be taking this seriously, don’t you think?"

William narrowed his eyes. "And you’re here to train with me, I suppose?"

Emma nodded without hesitation. "Yes. We’ve spent time together, sure—but I still don’t know much about your fighting style."

"I’m a sorcerer," William replied flatly. "Why would I need to train with someone else?"

Sorcerers were usually support types—capable of both offense and defense, but operating from the rear of the formation. They had no one behind them to cover their backs, and that position demanded awareness more than close combat prowess.

So, technically, William didn’t need team practice.

However—

"What if you’re forced into close range?" Emma countered with a faint smirk. "You should sharpen your combat instincts too, right?"

William grinned. "And you’re going to help me with that?"

Emma gasped playfully. "Oh my, is that discrimination I hear? Based on my gender?"

William froze. "No, I—" he groaned, realizing too late he’d fallen right into her trap again. "Ugh! Fine already, let’s fight."

Emma’s smirk widened, but William knew better than to underestimate her.

Despite being a healer-class, she’d climbed to the second rank without any special training, private lessons, or help from the headmaster. She’d been flawless from the moment she entered the academy—her skill, control, and quick thinking marking her as a true prodigy.

William had watched her fight before. He knew she was no pushover.

"Are we doing it here? Isn’t this space a bit small?" he asked, glancing around at his modest setup—a campfire, a small cooking spot, and his tent. The thought of them destroying it all made him uneasy.

But Emma’s answer only confused him further. "No, this is actually a pretty large area. Let’s narrow it down first."

She crouched, picked up a fallen branch, and began drawing a circle around him—one just big enough to fit ten people standing close together.

"Alright, so here are the rules. You push your opponent out of the ring, you win. If you slam your opponent on the ground, you win. There would be three rounds so let’s give it our all."

William wryly smiled, "Well, that’s a unique way of combat."

Emma shrugged, "Not up for the challenge?"

William grinned. Getting low in his stance he said, "Don’t cry if I accidentally snap your finger."

Emma giggled, "I like that positivity."

The two stared into each other’s eyes.

A moment of silence and then—

"Huh?!" William gasped as he completely missed his mark. He only caught Emma’s afterimage—but what he felt on his stomach wasn’t imaginary.

*DHAK*

The force behind the kick was unexpected, forcing him to stagger back, but before he could have fallen out of the ring, his wrist was held.

William stared at the smiling girl in disbelief as he heard her saying,

"Don’t fall for me this soon. The night is still young."

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A/N:- Thanks for reading.