Oktofinitum

Chapter 34

Mirakov 

I was panting hard as I slash the sword against the invisible enemy in front of me, "Always be conscious of your stance," napalingon ako kay Davizar at itinukod ang espada sa lupa pang suporta sa mga paa kong malapit nang bumigay. He suddenly went behind me and touched my lower back to straighten my upper body, and from behind he held my wrist holding the sword and guided my arm as I slash through, "And always keep your arms straight as you slash, do not bend your elbows. The key is to remember that the blade is an extension of your arms, not just a mere tool."

"I'm sorry..." Tumigil siya sa ginagawa at tinignan ako nang nakakunot ang noo, "Whatever for?"

"Well, it's been days since you taught me this stance, but I still can't get it right," ani ko naman.

He smiled in a comforting way, "It's okay. I don't expect you to learn this in days. You just have to repeat it again and again until your body remembers it through muscle memory. Here let me help you," aniya at iginiya ang isa ko pang kamay para hawakan ang puluhan ng espada gamit ang dalawang kamay, para tuloy siyang nakayakap galing sa likuran ko, "Keep your dominant hand over your non-dominant hand. Use both your elbows for support and use your whole arm..." aniya at ginapang ang palad niya sa buong braso ko nang hindi ito inilapat sa aking balat, "to put force into your every thrust of the sword."

I tried to take everything he was saying in but a sunray distracted me. Napatingin ako sa langit dahil sa pagka-silaw, ngunit naagaw ng atensyon ko ang isang taong nakadungaw mula sa stonebridge na nagdurugtong sa north wing at east wing ng aming paaralan. Hindi ko mawari ang ekspresyon sa mukha niya dahil sa layo, pero kita kong madilim ang mukha niya, marahil dahil sa against the light ang pwesto niya? Siguro. Ilang araw ko na rin siyang hindi nakikita dahil sa training kaya nagtaka ako kung bakit siya nakatambay roon.

"Hey," agad akong napalingon kay Davizar at doon ko lamang natanto ang masyadong malapit naming posisyon, "Are you okay?" Tumango naman ako at agad na umayos ng pagkaka-tayo, gayundi'y humakbang naman siya paatras.

He cleared his throat and fixed his vest before instructing me to continue with my basics. Agad naman akong tumango at pumusisyon pero bago iwasiwas ang espadang hawak ay muli akong sumulyap sa taas pero wala na doon si Aidan. He probably went back inside, I thought to myself. I decided to just focus all my attention to the task at hand and internalized every instruction Davizar has taught me so far. Learning how to wield a longsword is afterall for my own survival, who knows when demonic creatures will ever appear in front of me again, right? I need to learn how to defend myself in combat given that I still have a lot to learn in order to fully grasp my ability as a controller.

The rest of the day was spent doing the same routine over a thousand times and when Davizar gave me the signal that we're done, my limbs suddenly went limp, as if all the tiredness that my body was unconsciously suppressing came rushing all over.

"Want to go eat to replenish your energy?" agad naman akong tumango sa aya ni Davizar. He took the heavy sword out of my hand and held his palm for me, agad ko iyong tinanggap dahil wala na akong enerhiya na lumakad pa mula rito sa field hanggang sa cafeteria.

Nang makarating kami ay agad akong sinalubong nang masasamyong amoy ng mga ulam, "Mirakov! Over here!" napalingon ako sa tumawag at nakita ko ang ulo ni Veronica sa karagatan ng mga tao, as usual she's sitting with two other familiar heads. Subalit sa pagtataka ko kung bakit tila lata ng sardinas ang cafeteria sa dami ng mga estudyanteng nagsisiksikan gayong anong oras na, "Is that all you want, Your highness?" Napalingon ako sa mahihinang hagikhikan at natanaw ang sinisilayan ng mga estudyanteng hindi naman pala pagkain ang dahilan kung bakit nandito sa cafeteria. Aidan, Lady Jorgette, and the rest of the Infinitus are sitting a few tables away from where Veronica and the two lovers were. Agad akong inanyayahan ni Davizar patungo sa pwesto namin at nang nakarating ay hinila niya ang upuan para sa akin. Simple akong nagpasalamat at agad naman siyang yumuko para magsalita sa mismong tenga ko dahil sa dami ng tao ay hindi rin halos magkarinigan, "I'll order for us, if that's okay with you?" Tumango na lang ako sa kanya.