Nightblade (Darkest night)

" Wait a minute, how does this guy not know about the talented?" Lucian asked in disbelief.

" It's a long story," Morgan said.

Scott opened the door and whistled.

One of the robots in the hallway entered the room and began shipping out all sorts of rubbish: plastic candy wrappers, paper bags, and takeaway containers.

Another bot stopped patrol and zipped into the room and entered, collecting the dirty laundry.

"Well, time is something that I have in abundance at the moment." Lucian eagerly said.

" I'm afraid we don't," Scott said, rising to his feet.

" Come, Morgan, we have other things to attend to."

Morgan rose and walked to the door. As he stepped out, the desperate look on Lucian's face stopped him. His eyes swept around the room.

He inwardly rolled his eyes.

" Ah, I can't believe I'm doing this."

" Hey Scott, did you say the assassins who're waiting to become initiates live on the first floor?"

Scott stopped at the door, nodding in understanding.

" Sure"

Morgan turned to Lucian with a sigh. He smiled

" How do you feel about a new roommate?"

Lucian's eyes brimmed with tears.

" Are you serious? Of course, I'd be happy to have you."

Scott grinned in amusement.

" Come on, we still have so much to cover, and we can't keep Rebecca waiting."

Scott stopped in front of a giant building.

Inside, several training equipment were on display with a small exhibition combat area at the center of the hall.

The smell of sweat lingered slightly in the air.

" This is the common gymnasium. This is where official matches within the academy are held. In case someone wants to fight you, they can challenge you officially, and the student council will decide to approve or turn down the request, depending on both sides and the circumstances of the duel."

Morgan hid his surprise with a glance at Scott.

" Well, that's insane, but nothing about all this is exactly normal," he thought.

Scott walked towards the stage and swiftly climbed up.

The platform was made of a sturdy stone-like material.

" You didn't tell me about the talented. Who are they?"

Scott sat cross-legged at the center of the platform and grinned.

" It skipped my mind, but since you're so intent on knowing, I'll tell you."

Morgan slowly approached the platform and stood at its edge.

" The talented are individuals, humans, born with paranormal abilities," Scott began.

" We assassins harness umbralis from Tenebris because of our unique genetic makeup up or so we think. We like to think it's a supernatural power."

Morgan's eyes widened, then narrowed.

" You mean there are other people, other than us, that have strange, inexplicable abilities?"

Scott silently nodded.

Morgan's mind was reeling.

" One of these days, it's like everyone's got powers. What's next? You know what, never mind, I don't think anything can surprise me anymore."

Scott slowly shook his head, a faint smile playing on his lips.

" You'd be surprised. I've known about most of these things since my childhood, and I'm still surprised sometimes. There will always be something that can still surprise you, dear cousin."

Morgan furtively stole a glance at Scott, then shook his head.

" Anyway, for generations, the Talented and the assassins waged war against one another."

Morgan looked up in surprise.

" Why?"

" What other reason could there be? Fighting is a base instinct in predators. Every predator wants to establish its dominance."

Scott laughed at the befuddled expression on Morgan's face.

" I'm just kidding, but what I do know for sure is conflict gave birth to conflict and bloodshed gave rise to more bloodshed. All that resulted in centuries of more conflict. But recently, the Council of Assns and the Praesagius decided to put the past behind themselves."

Morgan shot him a questioning look.

" The Praesagius? "

Scott nodded. " Yep, that's what the organization that unites all the Talented calls itself.

Scott rose to his feet, slowly dusting himself off.

" Enough, chit chat. How about you show me what you've learnt so far?" He grinned.

His green eyes brightly sparkled with anticipation.

"Are you serious? Right now?"

Scott shrugged.

" Why not?"

He took off his blazer and shirt, neatly rolling them and placing them on the side. He also kicked off his shoes, remaining barefoot.

" Wouldn't want to damage my uniform, you see."

He lightly bounced on the balls of his feet, then got into a stance.

Morgan nodded and took off his blazer as well.

He stepped onto the stage.

A moment later, they clashed.

Unbeknownst to them, a stranger had wandered into the gymnasium and was spectating their little match.

Lucas Ash, the previous Lord of House Ash, was taking a stroll down memory lane. He was lean for his age, tall, and still retained a bit of his youthfulness.

Although he was approaching one hundred and fifty years, his appearance didn't quite show it.

His brown hair had faint grey accents that were only beginning to show. His brown irises had faint crimson hues accentuating them. He had wandered into the hall, reminiscing about his time at the academy when he'd stumbled upon the two youths.s

He stealthily masked his presence and soundlessly walked over until he was at the edge of the stage. He observed the clash for a while.

After a few moments, his brows wrinkled in confusion.

" That kid, he's not yet an initiate."

He glanced at Scott, observing his lightning-fast movements.

" The other, though, recently became one," he thought," but somehow this kid is able to keep up with him.

"Could he be awakened?"

" Well, regardless of the victor of this little spar has been decided."

Morgan felt suffocated. It felt like Scott knew his moves ahead of time.

" It's almost like he knows what I'm going to do before I do it. It's like fighting two of Frederick at the same time."

The pressure he felt was overwhelming.

" This guy, worse still, he's probably not taking this seriously. I feel like he's holding back."

Although Morgan wasn't fighting with his blades, his hand-to-hand combat skills were nothing to be scoffed at.

Morgan knew the experience gap between him and Scott was quite large, but he didn't expect to be losing so one-sidedly.

Scott's punches were fast and unpredictable. His attacks were elusive.

Morgan gasped audibly as a blow landed solidly in his solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him.

Morgan staggered back a few steps, wheezing and gasping for air. He slowly raised his fists once more, relaxing his wrists.

Scott stared at him expressionlessly.

" We can stop here, you know, I think that's enough."

Morgan stubbornly shook his head.

" No, not yet." His muscles ached slightly.

" This is nothing compared to what I've been doing with Luke and Frederick."

Frederick?" Scott asked.

"You don't know him, it's besides the point, let's continue?"

" Well, if you insist like that, how can I refuse?"

A split second later, Scott was upon him. Scott darted forward, soundlessly, unpredictably, zigzagging across the platform in what looked like a dance.

His form blurred for a second. It almost seemed like he was blinking in and out of existence.

Morgan's eyes widened .in shock.

"He's so fast, he's actually gotten faster. So he was holding back."

Scott's fists blurred, leaving after-images in their wake, and he relentlessly pushed Morgan back.

Morgan spun, evading a blow, then barely blocked a punch to the face. Another gut punch lifted him off his feet, his eyes bulging slightly.

He moved back, reeling a bit from the blow.

" I won't last long at this rate. I have to learn how to tap into that power. He jumped back, trying to create some distance between them, but Scott crossed the gap instantly.

He remembered the conversation he'd had with Conrad

" Awakening happens differently for everyone; it's unique from person to person. You need to find a path that's unique to you.

He tried to remember the emotions he'd first felt when he'd first felt that power within him.

Fear, rage, horror, no, none of those had elicited any reaction. In that brief moment, he had thought that he was going to die, then he felt...nothing.

Slowly, he felt like something was stirring within him, unbeknownst to him, a faint ethereal golden light pulsed in his eyes.

Scott's eyes widened in surprise.

Lucas smiled in amusement. " This brat, he's not quite there yet, but he's learning."