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1090 Words
“You really don’t have any tips for me, Aunt?” Celestia asked, chuckling nervously as she stood on the empty field. The air was quiet, and the wide space made her heart race. Jeremiah had the place prepared just for today. He even made sure guards were stationed nearby to stop anyone from entering.
“Sadly, I don’t have,” Adelaide replied with a small smile. “But stay focused. You can do it," she added.
No spectators were allowed—that was Freya’s rule. She wanted Celestia to learn without anyone watching or putting pressure on her.
Freya, now standing in front of her student, rolled her shoulders and gave Celestia a serious look.
“Ready?” she asked. Celestia nodded slowly. Just before they could begin, Kieran stepped forward.
“I’ll stay back here, just to watch,” he said. But Freya raised a hand.
“No,” she said firmly. “You’ll only distract her,” she added.
“Go with Flint and train too, so you can learn each other’s weaknesses and become each other’s strength,” she said. “By the way, my son’s a werewolf,” she added.
“But why do I need to train with him? I have my warrior with me,” he asked.
“Because you will get on a long journey," Frey said. Kieran opened his mouth to argue but closed it again when Freya gave him a sharp look.
“Celestia needs to learn on her own. Let her,” Freya added.
Kieran sighed and looked at Celestia. “Fine, I'll do it. I’ll wait nearby. You’ve got this,” he said gently. Celestia smiled and gave a small nod.
“I’ll do my best. I'll see you later,” she said before turning to Freya.
Freya clapped her hands once.
“Alright then. Let’s begin.”
Kieran walked into the forest with his arms crossed. He wasn't in the mood, but he had no choice. As he reached the massive oak tree, he saw Dwayne and Flint already there.
“Are we really doing this?” Dwayne asked, looking unsure. Flint only shrugged.
“I’m just here because I was told to be,” he replied. Kieran crossed his arms tighter and narrowed his eyes at Flint.
“I still don’t trust you. Who knows what you might do,” Kieran said. Flint raised a brow, clearly not liking Kieran's tone.
“Is this still about the necklace? I already said sorry to her,” he said.
“You don’t just fix something like that with a sorry,” Kieran said, voice low.
Sensing the growing tension between them, Dwayne quickly stepped between the two.
“Alright, Alpha and Flint. Are we doing this or not?” he asked.
Kieran and Flint stared at each other for a second, then both nodded.
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
“What should I do?” Dwayne muttered as he watched the two start to walk in circles, eyes locked on each other.
In the blink of an eye, both men jumped into the air and shifted into their wolf forms. Dwayne let out a long sigh and stepped back to give them space.
The fight was fast and strong. They bit at the air, pushed, and clawed. Kieran was bigger, but Flint hides something and that was his speed. Flint slipped out of Kieran’s grip and even got behind him once. But Kieran didn’t stop either. He was calm and steady.
Dwayne crossed his arms. He was surprised. Flint was holding on well. Not many could last this long with Kieran, the strongest of Shadowclaw Pack.
Soon, Kieran got the upper hand. He knocked Flint down and kept him there. Flint growled but didn’t fight back. He knew he lost. Kieran stepped away and turned back into his human form.
Dwayne walked over, clapping.
“That was a good fight, Alpha” he said. “Flint, I didn't know you’re this strong,” he said. Flint turned back too and took a deep breath.
“Thanks," Flint whispered. Kieran looked at him.
“You’re not weak,” he said. “Still don’t fully trust you... but you did well,” he added and offered his hand for a shake which Flint immediately accepted. Flint gave a small smile.
“I’ll earn that trust," Flint said. Dwayne grinned.
“Looks like the three of us will work fine together," Dwayne said. Kieran looked at Dwayne.
“You still haven’t sparred with me, Dwayne. What the hell are you talking about?” Kieran said, making both Dwayne and Flint laugh. The tension between them was gone for now. For the first time, they looked like they were really part of the same team.
Back on the training field, Celestia stood in front of Freya, her hands slightly shaking. She didn’t know what kind of training was waiting for her, but she was ready.
“The first thing you need to learn is healing magic,” Freya said.
“Healing?” Celestia asked, confused. “I’ve never heard of that before,” she said. She liked reading the books in the archives, but she didn’t find anything about healing. Most of them were about defense and offense.
Freya nodded.
“That’s because only a few witches can do it. In our time, only two witches could master it fully—Lady Circe and Lady Lilith,” she said. “Lady Lilith’s magic was more powerful though, because she was blessed by the Goddess,” she added.
“Grand Witch Circe and her sister?” Celestia asked. Freya nodded once more.
“It’s powerful,” Freya continued. She cut her skin with a knife she brought. Blood trickled down her hand as she chanted the spell. “But it also drains your magic fast. The bigger the wound, the more magic it takes. It can even harm the caster if the wound is too deep. High-risk magic,” she said, making Celestia look amazed by what she did as the cut on her arm healed.
“Then why teach me?” she asked softly.
“Because I know what you can do with that magic of yours, Celestia,” Freya said. “Your magic is strong. You have something special, and this spell might help you save and your companions lives one day,” she added.
Celestia took a deep breath and smiled a little.
“Alright. Teach me,” she said with determination. She'll have to become stronger for everyone.
- Writer
