Hello!

I will continue to update this book since I already have some chapters available in advance, but I think it will be a little slow since I haven't rolled out of my "vacation" mind yet haha. There should be at least 2 chapters every month. Sorry for being slow! I'll try to update as much as I can.

Advanced chappies are now available on mylovelywriter.com. Read up to Chapter 33.

While everyone else went off to prepare for bed, I took the chance to break away. I made my way down into the praying grounds, sitting before the statue of Kaliya. The familiar cold energy of death circled around me and I thought I could spot one or two Veils hanging around the vicinity.

There weren't as many in here as in Venerya for some reason. Lovarda was much closer to the West in terms of distance, considering all trades and drop-offs were mainly done here as well. However, there seemed to be more in Venerya than here in Lovarda...The gathering must not be solely because of the topography. They must be coming over for something, right?

"There are more and more of them every day," I muttered under my breath. I then took out the booklet that I was given during the tournament a while ago and sat down crossed leg on the ground.

The technique Mistress Veronika gave me was a movement technique. This would benefit me a lot. We weren't really allowed to use weapons against our opponents, so we'd be stuck with close quarters combat and our fists the entire way through the tournament—or so I hope. This particular technique launched off on the wisdom imparted by the Movement of the Seven Dragons but capitalized on the offensive characteristics of it.

"Pierce the Scales, huh? Kind of uninspired to call it. What does this refer to?" I asked myself. I ran a finger down the pages, pointing at specific poses to see what they would entail. If I were to put myself in the feet of the one performing this...what exactly could they be up against?

I memorized the first few stances and walked into the open space to execute the first couple of moves. The lines in the illustration emphasized the use of force. The fist would punch, then the elbows would sweep in from a spin.

"I think I get it..."

I could see what this was trying to pull. From what I remembered when she told me this was made especially for her, I had a vague impression that she made this herself—which was more impressive than it seemed. Mistress Veronika seemed to have comprehended something from the "story" that was told through the Movement. This brought to the table her own interpretations, particularly of how to cut through a seemingly impenetrable defense.

In other words, this technique specialized in breaking down a fortress. If I were able to master this, I should have no problems cutting through a certain degree of defensive measures that my opponent would fall into—but that would be if they indeed would take the passive stance in the fight. I had to be very aggressive if I were to use this attack, which was much harder to do in actuality.

This would give me an upper hand when taking back the rhythm of the fight. However, the disadvantage would be that I would have to proactively be in offense—and to do so, I would have to open myself as well. The level of aggressiveness on this one was...exceedingly high.

This thing took a lot of guts to do. And I could understand why it wouldn't be suitable for Erenol at the moment. Like was already mentioned, this took a lot of guts. Eren currently didn't have a lot of that, and this might indeed only put her on the spot and cause her doubt where she should be taking action. Also, considering the lack of time, it would be a wiser move to capitalize on her strengths as a fighter rather than improve on the weaknesses. The latter would take more time to work on rather than the former, especially on our case. We needed something fast.

I paused to think. "The serpent in the legends boast of a seemingly impenetrable defense. From what I remember...the tail is the weakness, right?" I whispered to myself.

"Dun. Tail is indeed the weakness," somebody intoned.

I turned and found, once again, my newly found friend in Elion approaching with a smile. "The serpent...strongest of all eight..." he tapped on his biceps, "physically," he said in his native tongue, unable to find the word for it. "It is impervious—not affected by elements."

"The serpent is known as the neutralizer, isn't he?" I told him in Lovardi. "I understand. Intende," I switched over to his native tongue. "Oh...and, um...I'd like to learn your language. I'm picking up some words from you guys here and there, but would you be willing to teach me?"

"You want...learn Simar?" he asked. His eyes glinted with excitement.

Actually, considering my ability, I could already comprehend the language. Nonetheless, it would be jarring if I could suddenly speak it overnight. I needed a good cover. My mistresses had been tutoring me on the different major languages of Erindal since I was young, so I would be able to tell them the reason why I could communicate efficiently in many Erindalian tongues. The same could not be said for Vertvalden, though. The only access I have to them were books—I wasn't supposed to be fluent in their language at all.

"Simar, that is the easternmost country in Vertvalden, right? Just south of Astoria?"

"That is right," he replied. "You...you are half, right? You know country where?"

"You mean where I come from?" I asked.

He nodded.

I shook my head. I had no clue, to be honest, though I had some speculations on where I could possibly come from—but those were just speculations. I would ask him what he knew and show him the blanket that I was wrapped in as a baby, but I wasn't sure if that would be a good idea. Although Elion seemed like a promising young man, he wasn't trustworthy to me just yet.

I could start working on getting to know everyone in the camp. I just...had to muster up the courage to open myself to the idea first, at least. I wasn't quite the people's person after all. The community and the sheer amount of people around wasn't quite comfortable to me yet, though I was slowly adjusting.

"Why you here again? You...practice?"

I nodded.

"You...you are Lionheart, aren't you?"

I looked over. "You watch the matches?"

"It is...interesting."

I grinned sheepishly. "Was it that obvious?"

"When your clothes burn, skin I see. You...different, you know?" he struggled to say.

I looked the other way as I scratched my head. "Ah...well, I guess there's that," I muttered. My skin color was indeed unique...though I didn't think I would get found out very quickly.

I should ask my mistresses about it...in case it became a problem. I probably shouldn't hang out with Erenol and Maun in our outfits too often as well. I didn't know about the situation, but we were supposed to be in hiding. A very public event like this was bound to get us discovered if we weren't careful.

"I...train," he pointed to himself, "as...kivaner to a lord."

"Kivaner, you mean like a warrior?"

"No, not yet warrior." He shook his head fervently. "B-baby warrior?" he hesitantly said.

"Oh. Like in training?" I chuckled, bemused. "A baby warrior is...an interesting way to put it."

He flushed. "Sorry, I...I no good."

I stifled the rest of my laughter and went over to the place where I placed the book I was given. I could not leave lying around so casually with somebody else with me. Mistress Veronika told me strictly to take care of it and not pass it on to someone without her permission.

"You're getting better though! You can speak Simar with me every now and then if you can't figure out which word to say. I'll help translate it for you! I'm pretty fast with picking up words solely from context! We can figure it out together!" It wasn't like I would struggle, so I shouldn't burden him too much. I was starting to feel a little guilty.

"Oh! Ooh!" He gave a thumbs up. "Anyway, I like help you."

"You want to help me?" I clarified. I pocketed the book that I was given by the mistress and looked over to Elion. "How though?"

"Serpent is our...guardian symbol. Much of our ways...are from him."

I reopened the technique manual and deliberated further on the movements.

"The serpent...has very strong physical defense, doesn't he?" I asked.

Elion nodded. "Erindal is good with elements. Vertvalden...great with body!" He held up a muscular arm and patted his bicep proudly.

If I wasn't mistaken, he meant to help me with training. He spoke of being a sort of disciple to the warriors as well, so he must have gotten some formal training himself.

What he stated earlier about the differences of the two continents were true. Erindal was very in tune with the natural and "living" energy of the world. The affinity and fondness for it shaped the current development of technology and society. On the other hand, from what I gathered on the books I had read, Vertvaldenians being a sort of warrior-society would point towards them being very keen on the physical and combat ingenuity. They settled matters best...with "regulated" violence. War and conquest for them were a typical part of their everyday lives.

I was a bit hesitant in considering this matter because the practices typically differed between this continent and the other. But as long as I knew how to discern what I needed, knowledge could only be an advantage to me at this point.

"Evyionne...are you okay?"

I looked up, snapped out of my thoughts by Elion waving a hand at my face. "I understand!" I exclaimed. "Please teach me what you can!"

"I no good with words...but I am good...with fist!"

"Indeed." It might not be an exaggeration to say these guys communicated better through their fists!

"I will be defense. If you can...land attack, you win."

"You'll stay in defense, then? You won't attack?" I asked.

"In Vertvalden, if you cannot hurt, you are not worth attack."

"Ah, so that's how it is," I said with a grin. "Let's see how good your defense is, then."

I wouldn't say I knew the principles of the technique that Mistress Veronika had given to me just yet. After all, I only very recently received it. However, it wouldn't hurt experimenting right now. For this kind of thing, the best way to master it is to do it.

"Thank you for your help in advance," I said.

"You're wel—"

I couldn't let him finish since I had already moved in with an attack. I started with a basic punch. He easily evaded and stepped aside, not even needing to do anything else to protect himself. I quickly followed up with a high kick, this time backing it with more speed and certainty. He moved back leisurely, so I moved in for another offense, this time doing a combination attack—a punch, a swivel and knee-kick. He evaded another one, ducked for the other and finally made contact by catching my knee.

The hold he had on me was firm, so I broke away by sending another punch his way. He weaved his head to the side, so I targeted another weak point—the soft part of his throat. This time, he let me go.

I bounced back and reevaluated my opponent.

Perhaps it was time to try to put that technique Mistress Veronika had given me. After all, I had just the perfect subject to test it out on. It would be a waste if I could not take advantage of this opportunity.

"You're good," Elion said.

"Really, now? I haven't even landed an attack," I said. "But I can get better."

"Then come." This time, he took on a much more serious stance. I eyed the form. It was balanced, steady, and it seemed as though he guarded himself properly. I could not see an opening, no matter how much I tried to look—but that was maybe just my inexperienced self talking.

Surprisingly enough, this guy was the real deal.

I'M SO SORRY I THOUGHT I ALREADY PUBLISHED IT TWO DAYS AGO BUT IT TURNED OUT TO STILL BE IN DRAFT WAGGGH

Advanced chappies are now available on mylovelywriter.com. Read up to Chapter 33.