Naeve Pov
Kallen's transition into the Nightwalkers stronghold in the NQSC had been completely seamless. His birthday had passed just the other day, placing him at eighteen before he'd even venture into the dream realm.
Naeve stood at the edge of the training pool, wearing a black wetsuit with no armor type memories equipped. Seren sat just off to the side, observing the first round of training.
Young Kallen was average height for his age, with a lean, almost athletic build that spoke of his natural agility rather than brute strength. His bronze skin glistened under the artificial lights, and his deep indigo eyes—so similar to Naeve's own—were sharp and alert, though they carried a hint of defiance wherever they went. His black hair, messy and parted down the middle, fell just below his eyes.
He looks like a storm waiting to break, Naeve thought, a faint smile tugging at his lips. Confident and impulsive, but absolutely brimming with potential.
"Ready?" Naeve asked, watching the boy fidget. He was not wearing a shirt, and his pants cut off just above the knee. Earlier, Kallen had told him that his aspect was weaker when fully clothed, and though Naeve assumed it to be a product of his flaw, he did not pry. Assumedly, his aspect abilities only worked when his skin was wet—or something along those lines. Naeve was in the process of procuring a garment memory that could work around that, but he'd had no such luck as of late. It would be a shame if Kallen were forced to dampen his aspect in order to wear armor.
"Ready," Kallen said.
Naeve stepped into the pool, water rising to his waist where he moved to the center. Kallen followed, his movements fluid and measured, as if the water were already an extension of himself. Naeve noted the way his eyes were already scanning the new environment. Good.
"We'll start first with a simple spar," Naeve said. "No aspect, just you and me."
A flicker of annoyance crossed the boy's face. "No aspect?"
"I'm more interested in how you can fight without it. Your body—not your aspect—is the only true constant out there in the dream realm. If your aspect fails you, you're in a tough spot. If your body fails you, you're dead.
Kallen shrugged.
Naeve forced himself to the bottom of the pool. He took a step back, assuming a relaxed combat stance as he activated a charm that allowed him to speak better underwater. "Whenever you're good."
The boy didn't give even a second of hesitation. He shot forward, quick and aggressive, aiming a punch at Naeve's midsection. Sidestepping, the Master grasped Kallen's wrist and executed a spinning kick to his chest.
The kick—intentionally—lost all of its momentum by the time it reached him. Naeve had held back, which seemed to annoy the kid.
Letting go of his wrist, Naeve took a few steps back once more, and Kallen rushed forward again. This time, he threw a series of strikes, all coming in slow motion thanks to the resistance of the water.
Batting each away, Naeve shifted his plant foot, and slipped under his final attack. Impressive speed, he thought, dashing forward. Expectedly though, he's a complete novice. Now close, Naeve swept his feet with a low kick, striking out with an open palm to his unprotected neck.
Kallen's eyes widened and Naeve pulled back.
They kept going. The boy's frustration began to show as the spar went on and his attacks failed to land. He became more erratic, even despite the thought he put behind each of his approaches.
Kallen feinted left and swung a powerful kick toward Naeve's side, but it was caught mid air, and he used Kallen's momentum to throw him off balance.
Recovering was easier underwater, but losing your base was still detrimental in a real fight—no matter where that base stemmed from.
Their spar went on like this for another few minutes before they both rose to the surface. Somehow, treading water seemed as natural as anything to the teenager who had likely spent little time actually swimming.
"You're holding back," Kallen said. "Even without essence and your aspect."
Naeve smiled. "Of course I am. "Combat underwater is about more than just speed and strength. You need to strategize, you need to be precise and in control." Kallen's jaw tightened, but he didn't argue. "But you're doing exceptionally well for someone who's never had any training. How about we begin with the basics?"
~~~
Nave grabbed Kallen's arm, extending it out, forcing the boy into a combat stance at the bottom of the pool. He prodded, checking his base a few times before he spoke. "The most important thing to understand is how water resists your movement. On land, you move quick and direct. Down here, everything slows down. The affect of drag is of great importance in the water. Go slow and throw a punch with your right hand."
Without protest, Kallen stepped forward, twisting his hips and extending with a slow and controlled fist."
"See how easy that was?"
Kallen nodded.
"The faster you move underwater, the more it resists you. If you waste movement unnecessarily, you'll waste energy and tire yourself out—or more importantly, leave yourself open."
Of course Kallen already knew this Next, Naeve demonstrated a kick, and Kallen copied the movement. The water slowed his strike, but this time, he adjusted his stance and executed a more precise movement.
"Better."
~~~
"Another important thing to consider is your breathing and buoyancy. On land, you don't need to think about it, but underwater, it's crucial. You need to control your breath to maintain your position and conserve energy.
Nave took a breath ascending slightly. Then he exhaled, moving back down. "When you exhale underwater, your lungs deflate, decreasing the overall volume of your body. It's a subtle thing, but it makes all the difference."
~~~
Kallen Pov
Kallen was exhausted when they were done with underwater training, and they were only halfway done for the day at that.
Naeve—the damn monster in sheep's clothing—stepped out of the training pool, stretching his deceptively lean muscles. They rolled underneath his wetsuit. He left the room, coming back dried off and wearing a simple training shirt with baggy pants.
Kallen did the same. When he came back, Master Naeve, his new training partner tossed him a dull training sword. He judged the weight of it—familiar enough, but not comforting. The edge was blunt, point dulled to prevent serious injury. But it was still solid and real.
Across from him, his master stood with his own training weapon, seemingly relaxed, though his eyes were sharp. He seemed completely at ease, as if training Kallen were another routine exercise.
Training me is probably a whole lot easier than what he's used to doing.
~~~
A few days later, Kallen had begun to lay the groundwork for a fluid and dynamic combat style that would serve him well both on land and underwater.
He hadn't touched his aspect in what seemed like forever. His innate ability [Tideform] had fallen to the wayside as well, but it was not problem really. He still had quite a while before the solstice. There was still time.
Seren had also begun her training at the House of Night's NQSC Training facility. The two of them practically lived there, only traveling back to the academy to sleep, and then come back by train the next morning.
Kallen's sister wouldn't tell him what they were teaching her, but he had a few guesses because of her support ability. So far, nothing calamitous had happened due to her flaw, and that weird pressure Kallen had felt a while ago hadn't reared its head either.
The only problem he had, he realized, was how much he was going to reveal about his abilities. Sure, Naeve and the Nightwalkers of the House of Night were an invaluable training resource and could help him improve his abilities by leaps and bounds, however, the more others knew about his abilities, the easier he was to take down.
And so he had decided on only revealing his dormant ability when the time came. Naeve generally knew what it was and how it worked, but Kallen could tell that there was a deep curiosity behind those unfathomable eyes of his. Naeve was desperate to know how he'd injured himself back at the academy.
One of the best things to come from the past few days, was that Kallen had finally come up with a name for the move that had shattered his right arm. Initially, he'd toyed around with names such as 'Mantis Shrimp Punch,' or, 'Fury of the Shrimp,' but when he had truly put his nose to the grindstone, inspiration had struck him.
Mantis Fist. Kallen nearly smiled to himself. But he had bigger things to worry about at the moment.
Naeve's sword slashed at him through the open air, footwork precise and without obvious flaw. Kallen stepped back, his own movements quickening as the hours flew by, countering with a slash aimed at his master's side.
The man deflected the blow effortlessly, his sword meeting Kallen's with a sharp clang. "Better," he said, his blade swiping with a fluid grace as it stopped inches from Kallen's neck. "You're still grossly overcommitting, but the improvement is night and day."
~~~
During their spars, Naeve had occasionally begun to use soul essence to achieve bursts of superhuman speed. He had said something about Kallen needing to learn to fight physically superior opponents, but the effort of battle had erased the conversation from memory.
When he used essence, Naeve made sure to telegraph his attacks as best he could so that Kallen could get a sense for the trajectory, but that didn't make it easy.
It was a lot like fighting a faster and smarter King Jaire from his first nightmare. Only Naeve wasn't trying to kill him. Mostly.
Noticing Kallen miss-step as he retreated, Master Naeve lunged forward, a powerful overhead coming down with impending certainty. Kallen had just barely brought his sword up to block, but Naeve's sword forced the flat of his own blade down into his face.
Kallen stumbled to the ground, clutching the bump that was already forming on his forehead.
When he brought himself to his feet, through gritted teeth, he muttered, "Again."
~~~
By the tenth day of his newfound training routine, Kallen began to truly adjust to the monstrous speed and power that his master possessed. He feinted, then swung his sword in a tight arc. Naeve blocked, but Kallen stepped backward, then lunged with a quick thrust, forcing the man to the side.
He followed Naeve's retreat, shifting his thrust into a slash at the neck, but his Master expertly slid his blade along the length of Kallen's, trapping his sword in his crossguard.
The dulled point of a training sword pointed at his neck.
"Again!"