Duke Darius Lawrence is a powerful man who reigns over much of the west of the kingdom, being a supporter of King Raphael and one of his closest friends.
"I can't wait for our lessons to begin," he said with a smile on his lips while staring at Lucas.
Lucas, who was looking at Duke Darius, not being intimidated by his presence, began to bow down.
"It is an honor for me to meet Grand Duke Darius. Just as it is an honor for me to have the king's first sword as an instructor," he said confidently while staring at Darius.
Then Darius, who was staring at Lucas with his arms crossed, began to have a smile on the corner of his lips following Lucas' words.
"It looks very interesting," whispered Darius, staring at Lucas with a smile.
The Swords of the King is the name given to the six most powerful individuals after the king within the kingdom.
They were selected by the king himself to be the representatives of his power across the kingdom and even beyond borders.
Duke Darius Lawrence, the Grand Duke of the West, is the king's first sword, known for being a formidable and intelligent person.
Arya Ingriss, the captain of the Order of the Royal Knights, is the king's second sword, known for being a merciless woman in the face of her enemies.
Marquis Daymond Reynolds, the captain of the Order of Knights of the Phoenix, is the third sword of the king, known for defending and maintaining peace on the eastern front of the kingdom.
The Daisy Lawrence signet, the captain of the Order of Knights of the White Lions, is the king's fourth sword, known for maintaining order within the kingdom with great kindness and wisdom.
Marquis Kael Draker, the captain of the Order of Knights of the Death Wolf, is the fifth sword of the king, known for being a formidable warrior.
Count Lundel Isolde, the captain of the order of knights of the ebony rose, is the sixth sword of the king, known for being a mischievous and dangerous man, but faithful to the crown.
"I think I'm going to leave you, Duke Darius. I currently have responsibilities that fall to me," said Dayvon, slightly bowing to the duke.
"No worries, Your Highness. It was an honor to see you again," said Darius, bowing slightly.
"Good luck with your training, little brother. See you later," said Dayvon as he left the training ground and waved Lucas while keeping a hand in his pocket.
After Dayvon left the training ground, Darius turned around and went to the weapons on the edge of the training ground and took a sword.
Darius advanced to Lucas and handed him the sword he had taken at the edge of the field.
"This sword seems to correspond best to the sword you have under your waist," he said, staring at the sword that Ariane had given Lucas.
Lucas grabbed the sword that Darius had held out to him and began to look at Darius with curiosity, wondering why he had given him this sword in the first place.
Meanwhile, Darius moved a little away from Lucas and stood in front of him.
"Your Highness, first of all, we will evaluate your level. You will attack me with all your strength," said Darius, holding his sword that was still in his sheath.
" Okay," said Lucas, nodding confidently.
Then Lucas removed his sword from his belt and gently placed it on the edge of the training ground.
As a small breeze began to blow, Lucas, back on the field, brandished his sword, slightly wrinkled his knees and held an almost perfect posture.
"Oh, he already has an almost perfect posture for his age," Darius thought, admiring Lucas.
"I can't wait to see what he will propose," he whispered with a smile on the corner of his lips.
Lucas let out a little breath, while staring at Darius with a concentrated air. He rushed at high speed towards Darius and, with a fluid movement, launched a horizontal blow aimed at Darius' torso.
Darius, impassive, easily blocked Lucas' attack with a simple movement.
Lucas felt his sword hit Darius's with a dry metal shock.
But the duke had not yet drawn his sword and simply used his sheath to block his attack.
"Not bad, Your Highness," said Darius with a slight smile.
"But is that all of what you know how to do? ", he said, staring at Lucas.
Lucas gritted his teeth after the duke's words. Determined to prove his worth, feeling the cool breeze on his face, he launched himself again to the Duke's assault.
This time, he faked a horizontal blow before pivoting on himself and launching a quick stock stroke towards the duke's torso, but again, the duke parad Lucas' attack with ease.
"It's impressive, Your Highness, but is that really all? ", says Duke Darius, staring at Lucas with a curious and intimidating look.
Lucas bit his lips, frustrated by the ease with which the duke blocked his attacks. He stopped abruptly and sighed slightly.
Feeling his heart beating fast, he decided to activate his stigma and place himself in an attack position.
"This time, I will give myself 100%." he said, staring at the duke with an excited smile.
"Perfect, I'm waiting for you, Your Highness," said the duke, keeping one arm behind his back and the other holding his sword.
Before Darius could say anything else, in a quick movement, Lucas jumped towards Darius by giving him a vertical blow aimed at the duke's shoulder. His sword began to draw a luminous arc in the air.
Darius, surprised by Lucas' action, decided to draw his sword to block Lucas' attack. The impact of the two metals echoed in the air, causing sparks to spring up at the point of contact.
However, Lucas did not back down. In contact with the blades, he used the duke's blade as a support point and rushed towards the duke's back, trying to carry a vertical attack towards his back.
But the duke managed to dodge the attack with a slight movement.
"Impressive," he said with a satisfied look.
But Lucas, focused on the fight, began to chain a series of quick and precise attacks. However, the duke only parried his attacks with ease, while admiring the fluidity of each calculated movement of Lucas.
As the sound of the blades clashing resonated through the training ground...
After chaining several attacks, Lucas felt tired in him, but he knew he should not give up or show signs of fatigue. He then decided to cover his sword with his golden flames.
Lucas stopped, closed his eyes, bent his knees slightly and placed his sword horizontally, slightly above his head.
"Oh, has he already mastered this technique? ", Darius wondered with a surprised look.
Lucas opened his eyes slightly, a golden glow as he left, while holding his sword surrounded by golden flames.
With a concentrated air, while staring at Darius, Lucas launched a special attack.
"Special arts of the Ingriss: Chapter 1, verse 1," said Lucas in a calm voice.
"Heavenly outbreak," he said in a calm voice and a determined look.
With a fluid movement, Lucas swept his sword in front of him, releasing a golden flame in the shape of a mythical bird that headed towards Darius with lightning speed, his wings spread out, wanting to swallow everything in his path.
Darius looked at Lucas' attack with a satisfied look and let out a small smile.
Then, with a quick movement, he covered his sword with a blue aura and cut Lucas' attack with a vertical blow.
The impact between the two energies created a light explosion, projecting a shock wave that raised a dust storm in the middle of the training ground.
"Impressive, Your Highness," said Darius with a satisfied smile on his lips while putting his sword back in his sheath.
"Let's stop there for now. Thanks to this exchange, I have already got an idea of your level," he said, approaching Lucas, who was out of breath.
Lucas, who was out of breath after his exchange with Darius, deactivated his power and lowered his sword while wiping the sweat on his forehead and watching Darius with a determined air.
"I can't wait to learn more," he said with an enthusiastic smile.
"Well, today we will start by strengthening your endurance, Your Highness," says Darius, looking at Lucas.
"You will start by running around the field until I order you to stop," he said, looking at Lucas.
So Lucas, a little surprised by this exercise, started running around the training ground while being observed by Darius.
The sun being at the zenith, illuminated the training ground with a bright light. Lucas, struck by the sun's rays, continued to run without showing the slightest sign of fatigue, despite the fact that his muscles screamed with fatigue and he was covered in sweat.
Duke Darius, standing in the center of the field, watched Lucas with a watchful eye.
He noticed Lucas' determination, who continued to run without complaining and without slowing down his pace.
"It's okay, Your Highness. You can now stop running," said Darius, looking at Lucas with a satisfied smile.
Having heard his words, Lucas gradually slowed down and finally stopped near the duke.
He was out of breath. He put his hands on his knees and tried to catch his breath. His shirt was soaked in sweat, and he could barely stand up.
"Well done, Your Highness. You lasted longer than I expected," said Darius with a curious and satisfied look.
"Well, let's take a short break before resuming training," he announced, watching Lucas, breathless.
Lucas nodded and went to a bench on the edge of the field before collapsing on it.
A few minutes later, Darius approached Lucas holding a wooden sword.
"Well, Your Highness, we will spend today improving your basics and correcting your posture," he said, looking at Lucas, lying on the bench.
"Rise up and take that sword," he said, handing the wooden sword to Lucas.
So Lucas took the sword and advanced to the center of the training ground, facing Darius.
"First of all, Your Highness, you must know that the sword is a tool made to kill.
But it is not a tool made just to kill. It allows a person to defend his values and convictions.
Unfortunately, not everyone has the same conviction on earth.
So, I hope, Your Highness, that you will find a good conviction by wielding your sword, "says Darius while staring at Lucas with a serious air.
"Don't worry, I will brandish my sword to protect my family, my people and all those who will be faithful to me," Lucas said, staring Darius in the eyes with a confident look.
Following Lucas' words, Darius sighed and, with a slight smile, he said:
"It's perfect, Your Highness. I can't wait to see what you will become in the future. "
"Well, Your Highness, now show me a vertical size," he said, looking carefully at Lucas.
Lucas obeyed and launched a fluid and precise cut.
"It's perfect, Your Highness, but you can do better. Concentrate and try to see the sword as an extension of your body. "
Lucas repeated the same movement, but slightly modifying his posture and following Darius' advice.
The blow that Lucas threw had become faster and more powerful than before.
"Very well, Your Highness," said Darius, looking at Lucas.
"Well, now try to take a horizontal blow. "
The training continued thus, Darius guiding and advising Lucas through a series of technique revisions. Each of Lucas' movements was analyzed, corrected and perfected.
A few hours later:
As the sun began to descend on the horizon, tinging the sky with an orange hue.
"You have done enough for today, Your Highness. You worked well," said Darius while putting away his swords.
"You deserve a good rest, because from tomorrow we will learn more serious things," he said, looking at Lucas, who was sitting on the floor, breathless.
Then Lucas, who was still sitting on the floor, while having his shirt soaked in sweat and trying to catch his breath, stood up again, despite the pain his muscles made him feel, and said:
"Thank you, Duke, for your lessons today. "
After these words, Lucas left the training ground and went to his apartments.
As Lucas walked away, Duke Darius began to look at the sunset with a smile, while having a small breeze of wind that passed over his face and made his hair float.
"He's almost like you, Raphael," he thought, sighing slightly, while remembering Lucas' movement who had used his sword as a fulcrum to be able to attack him from behind.
A few moments after:
Back in his apartments, Lucas took off his training outfit and quickly put on his pajamas before lying on his bed, his muscles screaming in pain.
He felt an unknown pain in his stigma, on his shoulder, and touching his shoulder with one hand, he wondered why his stigma hurt him.
But he didn't pay too much attention to it and ended up falling asleep tiredly.
As Lucas began to fall asleep, his stigma began to release a golden light.
TO BE FOLLOWED....