Elias ducked under a punch and pivoted sharply, his muscles coiling as he swung back with a punch of his own—only to have his strike effortlessly intercepted.
He’d given up on trying to win these exchanges years ago. Now, his only goal was to last as long as possible without making a mistake. At the very least, Elias knew his opponent wouldn’t be making any mistakes. Peter never did.
His father moved with refined grace, each strike and block delivered with a precision honed over countless years of discipline.
Peter had once told him that combat was like chess—a game of action and reaction, each movement a calculated response to the last. That philosophy had become the cornerstone of Elias' training. It was a welcome shift from the mind-numbingly boring days of endlessly punching and kicking at empty air to refine his technique.
Elias was nearing the five-minute mark of their exchange when he misstepped—lunging forward when he should have stepped back.
Peter sidestepped with ease and landed a quick strike to Elias' ribs. Though the blow was light, the mistake snowballed into several more, and within moments, Elias was forced to concede the match with a frustrated groan.
"I was so close to the five-minute mark," Elias grumbled, clenching his fists as he stared down at the floor.
Peter laughed.
“You’re missing the point of this exercise, Eli,” Peter said patiently. “It’s not about how long you can last. Every time we spar, I’m holding back just a little less. I’m controlling the length of our matches based on your exhaustion—not your skill. I know it doesn’t always feel like it, but you are improving.”
“Really?” Elias asked, perking up.
“Of course,” Peter replied with a chuckle. “The purpose of this exercise is to teach you to enter a certain state of mind during combat. Don’t overthink every move—let your body flow. When you can do that, we’ll move on to the next step of your training. But for now, we’re done. We’ve got a guest coming for dinner, so you should go shower and get ready.”
Elias obediently left the dojo. If nothing else, having it right next to the house was convenient.
As he got ready, he couldn’t help but wonder who was coming to visit. They didn’t get visitors often, and if it were someone he knew, his dad would’ve told him.
When Elias stepped into the living room, he came face-to-face with a girl who looked to be about his age. She wore a lilac dress, and her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail—none of it slowing her down as she chased Kitty around the room.
She startled when she noticed him, pausing mid-step and lifting her head to meet his gaze with wide, hazel eyes.
“Um… hi. I’m Elias,” he said, forcing a polite smile. “Who are you?”
“I’m Melinda,” she replied, then immediately turned her attention back to chasing the cat.
Elias watched as Melinda threw herself wholeheartedly into a hopeless task.
He’d once believed he could catch Kitty too—until he realized she’d only let him. His pride was still bruised from that. No, he doubted the girl would come close to laying so much as a finger on Kitty tonight. At least the cat was kind enough to humor her, though Elias suspected his parents had a hand in that. Otherwise, Kitty would almost certainly be curled up with Isabela by now.
Ever since his little sister was born, she and Kitty had been absolutely inseparable. Wherever Isabela went, Kitty followed. He’d overheard his parents talking about them forming a bond or something, but he didn’t really understand what that meant.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Kitty still played with him sometimes—just far less than she used to.
Elias scanned the room and spotted two adults he didn’t recognize talking with his parents—Melinda’s parents, he assumed. He walked over to say hello and introduce himself, just like his mom had taught him.
Before he could speak, the couple looked at him strangely, as if startled by something. The unexpected reaction made Elias hesitate—but thankfully, his mom stepped in.
“Robert, Lilly, this is our son, Elias,” Vivian said warmly. Then she turned to him with a gentle smile and added, “Go on, Eli, say hi.”
“Hi,” he said awkwardly, unsure of what was going on.
“Nice to meet you, young man,” Robert replied, quickly schooling his expression.
“Nice to meet you,” echoed his wife, Lilly.
Elias looked to his mom, trying to understand what was happening—and, more importantly, what he was supposed to do. He immediately regretted it.
Vivian looked calm and smiled gently, but if there was one thing Elias knew, it was when his mom was upset. Worse, there was a strange sadness in her eyes he couldn’t quite place. Ever observant, she caught his hesitation immediately and waved him away.
“It’s okay, baby. Go play with little Melinda and Kitty, alright?” she said softly.
Elias jumped at the opportunity to leave the awkward moment behind, quickly making his way over to where Melinda was still failing to catch Kitty. As he walked away, he heard Robert speak again in a low voice.
“Forgive my rudeness, but is everything alright with your son, Peter? We know some excellent healers we could recommend.”
Despite clearly understanding the futility of the effort, Elias decided to help Melinda try to catch Kitty. Even if success was unlikely, it was still fun to chase the feline. Coordinating with Melinda was also a new experience for him—he wasn’t really used to playing with many kids his age.
Soon, though, he was panting and had to give up, leaving Melinda to play with Kitty by herself. The girl frowned and pouted, but eventually decided to take a break too, plopping down beside Elias to keep him company.
“Why are you so weak? We’ve only just started playing,” Melinda grumbled, her tone edged with resentment. “You look weak too. You should eat your veggies. My mom says it’s important to eat your veggies if you want to grow strong.”
“I’m sorry,” Elias replied, looking down in embarrassment. “I just have a really low level in Vitality…”
“Aren’t your parents trainers? Just ask them to train you so you can get stronger,” Melinda said, giggling. Then she looked around conspiratorially and whispered, puffing her chest out slightly, “That’s why we’re here, you know? Mom and Dad say I’m really talented and could become a famous adventurer, so I’m going to start training already to build up my foundation.”
“That’s not the same thing,” Elias insisted, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “I already train every day, but it’s really hard to raise attributes without leveling in the dungeon.”
“Oh, don’t be whiny. If you train, you get stronger. That’s how it works—my daddy said so,” Melinda snapped, now glaring at Elias. “If you’re not getting stronger, then you’re not training hard enough.”
Hearing those words made Elias’ vision go red in spots—a new experience for him, all things told. He was used to seeing spots, especially during physical training with his mom, but this was different. His chest tightened, air coming to him in faster, shorter breaths. However, just as he was about to say something stupid, his dad interrupted.
“Kids, come have dinner!” Peter yelled from the living room.
Melinda got up with a huff, turning her head sharply as she walked away.
Elias was left alone, fuming in silence. He only began to calm down when Kitty walked by, brushing her fluffy tail against his leg. Even so, he chose to excuse himself and go to his room instead of staying for dinner—he wasn’t hungry anymore.
Over the following days, Melinda visited often for physical training with Vivian—and even apologized to Elias for being insensitive during dinner. He didn’t feel much sincerity in the apology, but he accepted it anyway, eager to put the whole thing behind him. Part of him felt like he’d overreacted, too.
Watching her train with his mom, however, he couldn’t help but feel envious of how relaxed her sessions were compared to his. She didn’t even need a recovery potion for overexertion. And yet—despite all that, and despite the fact that he’d been training hard for years—Melinda’s performance in training was leagues above his own. His low Vitality simply made him tire out too quickly.
Still, Elias was glad to finally have someone his age around the house. Isabela was still too young to really play with him, and Kitty spent most of her time with his little sister these days, so he’d been a bit lonely.
Melinda filled the role of a playmate wonderfully, and as time passed, the two of them became good friends—the friction from their first meeting all but forgotten.