The Reaper's Wicked Obsession
Chapter 91: Sparring With An Audience

Chapter 91: Sparring With An Audience

The wind caressed Isadora’s face, the few strands of her hair brushing against her cheeks.

The sound of the wriggling bridge filled the air as her body swayed back and forth, yet her balance remained firm.

Slowly, she opened her eyes just when the tip of a wooden sword charged toward her face, with a swift swing she knocked it away with hers. Dodging the rest of it speeding toward her.

Everything was slow before her eyes and she was able to adapt.

The wriggling bridge did not dull her movements, she became one with it, allowing the unstable platform to guide her.

The sound of wooden swords clashing in a spar echoed through the air, drowned by the heavy gusts of wind veering through.

Isadora stopped two hits, one aimed at her neck and the other at her side. Her grip tightened around her weapon as she pushed away, stumbling back but quickly finding her footing.

Vanya smirked and charged at her again, this time increasing her speed. Even though Isadora could slow her movements it was hard to keep up with a full-blooded face.

Her breaths grew raspy and her wrist hurt, but she was determined to keep going.

’More,’ she thought desperately, increasing the speed of her dodge and hits.

’More.’ She rotated her small frame and delivered a powerful strike.

’More!’ Her muscles screamed in exertion, but not once did she cease her attacks.

But then one of her wooden swords was knocked off her hold, getting lost to the abyss.

Vanya pointed the tip of her sword at her chin and signed with her other hand. "I win."

Isadora released a sharp breath she didn’t know she’d been holding, finally letting her body feel the strain. Her body almost collapsed, but she kept her stance and rested her hands on her knees instead.

"We should stop here. The finals tomorrow, you need to preserve your strength."

Isadora nodded in reply, still trying to catch her breath.

"And look, we’ve an audience."

Isadora froze and turned her wide eyes to the others, but they quickly went back to their activities as if they weren’t just gawking a moment ago.

"How long have they been watching?"

"Long enough. I think they are amazed by your progress."

"Or maybe they were waiting for me to fall to my death."

Vanya rolled her eyes. "Don’t be dramatic."

"Isa, Vanya!" Cai yelled, rolling the wheels of his chair toward them. "I brought water!"

Isadora swallowed a lump through her dry throat. That water was greatly needed right now.

They both jumped down from the bridge.

"Thank you, Cai," Isadora said, taking the flask from him and quickly drinking from it.

Vanya signed thank you and did too. The boy was very dedicated to this, he made it his mission to bring them what they need when they trained for hours.

"I could’ve sneaked in some apples too... but the cooks are vigilant now because Logi keeps eating all of them. It makes it harder for the rest of us," Cai explained. "Wintermoon is coming so we need to shorten the rations to last."

"Really? But I had enough to eat this morning," Isadora said.

Cai clicked his tongue. "Consider it your last fulfilling meal."

Isadora dreaded her stomach.

"I know that look." Vanya signed. "Don’t worry you’ll survive."

"Or she won’t get through Wintermoon, I think she has a tiny beast inside her stomach."

Vanya snorted a laugh.

Isadora blushed. "I don’t eat that much!" she defended.

Cai laughed. "Yes, yes, I believe you. I’ve got to go now, much to do," Cai said, rolling his wheels backward and turning to move away.

Isadora faced Vanya. "I don’t really eat that much do I?"

"If I said yes, then I’m lying."

Isadora rolled her eyes and sat on the boulder to drink the rest of the water, swallowing a mouth full of it and stared at her hands again. She observed them like they weren’t a part of her body.

Vanya stared at her in worry. In the past few days, this had suddenly become a habit.

Vanya sat in front of her, tapping her hands gently to snap her out of it.

Isadora blinked, lifting her gaze.

"You know you can talk to me right?" she signed. "It’s not like I’m going to tell anyone." She rolled her eyes.

This caused a faint smile on Isadora’s lips, but then it faded. "I think there’s something wrong with my weaves," she confessed. "Do you think it’s an effect of making my aura smaller?"

Vanya’s face morphed into confusion. "Making your aura smaller does not affect your weaves."

"Maybe it did..." Isadora said faintly. "I’m a mannfae."

Vanya took her shaky hands, to stop the quivers.

Isadora sighed heavily. "I-I did something," she began. "I think I tried to heal his mind."

Vanya didn’t know who she was talking about, she was more in shock about her words. She’d never heard of a skin weaver doing such a thing.

"Heal, ease, I don’t even know what I did, but it was as if I could feel his mind and it was..." she gulped as goosebumps found her body. "Scarier."

Vanya nodded slowly, although she wanted to sign and communicate how impossible that was... she didn’t judge, only listened because that is what Isadora needed right now.

She was happy Isadora was finally opening up to her because these past few days felt like she’d been training a stranger.

"And then it happened again... it wasn’t scary as the first, but I felt heavy, emotionally down and..." She couldn’t finish. "I think there’s something wrong with me."

Vanya signed. "There is nothing wrong with you, alright? Maybe you’re right, it could be an effect of making your aura smaller. But does it weaken your weaves?"

She shook her head.

Vanya sighed in relief. "That’s good to know, maybe try not making it too small. I noticed this the first time, you almost erased your aura."

Isadora nodded. "Okay."

"Cheer up, don’t be down. Face the finals with a firm mind and heart, be brave."

Isadora smiled. "I’ll try."

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