Chapter 14:

  Mira raised her fist again, this time toward his face. Shogai wasn’t an idiot. He knew the basics. He parried her fist and instinctively moved to counterattack before remembering that Mira wasn’t an enemy. It didn’t matter, though. His world turned upside down as he felt himself get slammed onto the wooden cart’s floor.

  “What was that?” Shogai put a hand on his head. Jade was stirring.

  “My move? Basic defence. Your move? A suicide attack, clearly. You didn’t think. You overcommitted and overextended. You just let a healer sweep your legs out from underneath you. How are you going to fight a Deviant?”

  “I’m not PLANNING to fight a Deviant!” Shogai lied again, his voice rising. Mira only shrugged.

  “No victim has ever planned to be attacked. And if you’re going to join Nexus, you need to be ready.”

  “Are you even listening to me? I’m sightseei-”

  Mira’s next punch struck him between the eyes. She’d hit him under his guard and made him stagger backwards. The ruckus caused Jade to wake. She sat up and watched with confusion. The scene was absurd. Mira was standing above Shogai with blood on her fists. Mira apologised. “Sorry, that was harder than expected. I thought you’d be able to take the attack better. Let me heal it-”

  “No.”

  Shogai regained his footing, his nose bloody. This wasn’t about doing what she said anymore. This was about proving himself.

  “One more time, come at me.” Shogai raised his hands defensively as Jade smirked, enjoying the show. This time, Shogai parried Mira’s fist and jumped over her leg sweep. He had her now. He was about to land on his feet, and he intended to gently but firmly tag Mira on the head, securing this as his win, but she dropped to the floor faster than he could reach her. She grabbed onto the blanket she’d been sleeping on and whipped it around, laying it under Shogai’s feet right as he landed. Before he could plant his weight, she yanked the fabric out, causing him to tumble to the floor with a thud. She offered him a hand.

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  “Better, but your movements are too telegraphed. You’re fighting an intelligent opponent. That means I can read your body language. But you focused on defence. That’s good.”

  “How are you so good at this?” Shogai took Mira’s hand, in complete awe. Martial arts were only useful against humanoid opponents, so it was no wonder he’d never developed them in Nomun. Aberrants came in too many different shapes and sizes. But here he was, far stronger than Mira, but losing. If he could apply that against Sekara…

  “I’m not. Compared to my sister and the rest of the Nexeans, I’m not competent. But you have existing strength to back up the skills I’ll teach you. So do the Nexeans. So remember what I’ve shown you. There is far, far more to a fight than who can hit harder.”

  With that, Mira lay back down. The moon was high in the sky.

  "If I close my eyes enough, I can sometimes trick myself into being asleep. Wake me up when we make it to Sunden, please."

  Shogai nodded as Mira put a cloth over her eyes and lay down. This was a nice feeling Shogai had never really felt before. Being someone's genuine friend, not just to pay back a debt. The people of Nomun may have been his family, but this wasn't the same. Shogai valued this peace. It would almost make him forget that he was being hunted.

  Jade was smiling warmly at Shogai.

  “What?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “Nothing. It’s just… I’ve never seen you so happy. You didn’t notice the big dumb smile you had during the sparring?”

  She couldn’t help but laugh, and she lay back down to sleep. Shogai tried to focus on the horses, but his mind kept wandering. Mira wanted him to be a Nexean, and she wanted to train him to be able to hold his own against Deviants. That was thinking really far ahead, wasn’t it?

  After he makes it to Nexus, gets Sekara killed, and then maybe even becomes a Nexean, then what? Mira and Jade would go home. Would he see them again? Were Nexeans allowed… friends? It was a stupid question, but if this was meant to be a secret place, wouldn't the fighters have to stay hidden? When was the last time Nifa visited home? Could she only show up in private on patrol? If those were the rules… Shogai wasn't really ready to say goodbye. He put it out of his mind and continued travelling.

  Before Shogai knew it, Sunden was on the horizon. At the same time, dawn was approaching. He shook Mira and Jade awake. Mira put her hands over her eyes immediately, but Shogai noticed how bloodshot they were. When Mira took her hands away, she blinked away tiredness, but her eyes appeared refreshed. So that's what she'd meant.

  Jade stretched as soon as she stood up. She said she was feeling as good as new and thanked Mira, who had a bright smile on her face.

  "You two, go and have some fun," Mira said. "I'll sort out the horses and get us some hiking equipment. It won't be an easy journey. Enjoy the capital of Tenebris!"