Chapter 27 - Sol Vs Luna

On the outskirts of the palace grounds, amidst the brush and bramble, Prince Sol was hiding. He was still only a small thing, though large for his age at only twelve. Despite his stature, he was toned and muscular. His build implied a significant might, but still he cowered away.

He was being pursued by a beast so unimaginably awful that even with all the power his body contained, he dared not face it. A beast so great, he had lost almost every battle he had fought against it to this point. He had been beaten, bruised, scratched, scraped and thoroughly defeated, over and over again. He was sure that if he attempted to resist, he would once again suffer the same kind of defeat. The best option was not to battle at all.

This was not a fight that could be avoided, however. It was an inevitable daily occurrence. Each afternoon after the palace maids cooked him his lunch, he was set upon by this monster and pursued until he eventually relented. Thus far no hiding nor running had sufficed and it was unlikely it would today either. Surrender wasn’t even an option, for the creature was wily enough to refuse any such requests. It sought an honourable battle, it would not accept an unearned victory.

As was inevitable, the beast was shortly upon him. With a sigh, he knew his time had come. He braced his body, steeled his nerves and took one last heavy breath…

When he emerged from the bushes, he was greeted by his enemy. Dirt-soaked with piercing blue eyes, scruffy blonde hair tied in the remnants of what were once neatly made twintails, too-loose boys clothing draped over a slim girlish form. This was the monster that was relentlessly pursuing him. His twin sister, Luna.

“You’ve got to stop hiding like that! You know I can do a spell that tracks you down!” She chided, already bouncing on the balls of her feet.

“That’s not fair, using magic is cheating!” Sol frowned, defeatedly loosening up his limbs, ready for the upcoming battle.

“Yes I can! You’re the one being unfair, you’re a prince! You should be bravely facing all challengers who come your way!” Luna replied, shaking her body loose.

“You’re a princess! You shouldn’t be fighting people in the first place!” Sol complained as he had a thousand times, but it fell on deaf ears.

“I’m on a win streak! I can’t stop now!” Luna grinned. “What was it… 29 wins in a row?”

“I don’t know, you’re the one who keeps count.” Sol sighed, already wanting his 36th loss to be over with.

“35 wins for me, 14 losses.” She recalled astutely. “Which means today’s bout is a big deal! This is our 50th duel! Not to mention, if I win, I’ll be on a 30 win streak! A new record!”

“29 was also a new record…” Sol groaned. “Yesterday.”

“Yes, but 30 is a round number. It feels more important!” Luna beamed.

“Can we get this over with?” Sol went loosely into a stance, hoping it would be enough to appease Luna.

“Not like that, we can't! Come on, take this seriously. This is good practice for you too!” Luna urged, hands on her hips.

Sol smirked. A grave mistake. If he hadn’t, it was likely his dirty trick would have landed. He tensed up in an instant, power concentrating in his arm. He released it all in a moment, firing a jab straight at Luna’s chest.

She dodged with ease. The second she saw his mouth twitch, she stepped back and left his fist to strike only air. Even when it didn’t land, his attack was nothing to scoff at. The air around his closed hand came whooshing toward her. It wasn’t enough to cause any harm or pushback, but it was enough to be felt.

Luna didn’t even think to chide him for his shameful sneak attack. Her mind was elsewhere, somewhere far more exciting than sibling squabbling or royal protocol, the realm of battle.

Following a straight punch, Sol had a few set follow-ups that Luna had grown used to seeing; There were six, though only four when he struck with his right hand, as he had now: 1. He would step through, using the momentum to deliver a follow-up with his left hand. 2. He would aim for an uppercut, hoping Luna’s focus would be on his right arm and allow him to strike from a blind spot. 3. A feint. He’d fake a swing with his left, only to strike once more with his right. And 4. He would back off, accepting his failure and assessing the situation.

Of the four, he most commonly chose the first. The second was the most rewarding. The third was moreso used later in their duels, a mix-up once Luna had adjusted to his other options. And the fourth was the safest.

Luna had grown so used to his usual actions that she had well-rehearsed responses to each, it was certain she could punish him if she guessed correctly. “Last time it was two, the time before that it was four.” Luna’s mind ticked, identifying the best course from the many options laid out before her. “He’ll default to one.”

Sure enough, his cross came. Immediately, the sequence of events to follow was clear. His left arm would swing, accompanied by a step with the corresponding leg. Then after, he’d spin his hips, and rotate the foot he had just stepped with to generate additional force.

That small rotation was the killer. It left her an opening and gave her momentum she could exploit. With that, it would only take a small action of her own to totally halt Sol’s attack.

As his fist approached, Luna swept her foot behind his planted one, lying in wait as his ankle began to turn, initiating his movement. She’d have an incredibly short window to act, Sol’s fist like a cannonball ripping through the air toward her. In addition to everything else, he was faster too, she could never hope to move her entire body and dodge, all she could afford was one little movement… A quick pull of her foot.

As he rotated his foot, she snagged his ankle with the flat of her own. A tiny motion, but enough to destroy the movement he was already making. With just a bit of force, he was totally thrown off balance. Before he knew it, he was falling to the ground, arm uselessly cleaving the air and missing Luna entirely.

When Sol caught up to what was happening, his sister was already standing over him, her fingers outstretched against his throat. Another fight lost. He sighed, nodding in acceptance of his 36th loss.

Luna beamed, hopping up and down with excitement. “Yes! That’s 30 in a-”

Suddenly, Sol was very far away. The afternoon sun was no longer on her back, replaced by an imposing shadow of someone behind her.

Luna turned. It was her mother, Queen Venus, in all her glory.

Venus could only be compared in beauty and perfection to a diamond. She was a jewel sharply cut and polished to a blindingly beautiful degree. It was hard to believe she was even human. Hair so brightly blonde it was practically a glowing white, elven ears so tall and sharp they sat like a second crown adorning her head, and her eyes…

Her eyes were incredible. Ever-shifting pools of colour, like differently coloured oils sitting on water, merging and separating over and over, an entire spectrum explored in just her irises. There was something magical in them, quite literally. Though in this state, they were only dormant.

“Hmm, quite a slow reaction, Luna.” Venus mused in a sing-song tone.

Luna still reeled from her mother’s sudden teleportation, her sensitivity to magic was naturally high, but she hardly felt the spell activate at all. Such was Queen Venus’ magical expertise. Although her husband was famed for having the greatest potency and raw magical ability, she was known for having the greatest skill.

“That’s not fair, teleportation is instant!” Luna pouted.

“If you weren’t doing something silly like fighting your brother, you’d have felt my mana and reacted before I even finished.” Venus spoke calmly and smoothly.

“I didn’t even know you were here! I thought you were fighting bad guys in the South!” Luna protested, growing red with embarrassment.

“I was conducting diplomacy in Homme, dear, not ‘fighting bad guys’.” She sighed, petting her daughter’s head much to her chagrin. “It’s a shame to see that this is what you were doing while I was gone though. Don’t you think Sol gets enough training with Marza?”

The girl frowned, but was unable to meet her mother’s gaze. “It’s not fair that only he gets to fight though! I wanna do it too!”

“Combat is an inelegant thing, Luna. It’s a hammer. A tool with little grace or nuance. Sometimes such force is necessary, but oftentimes more care is needed.” Venus edified. “You’re not like your brother. Your strength lies elsewhere.”

Luna scuffed her shoes against the floor, refusing to look up and acknowledge her mother’s words. With a sigh, Venus crouched down to be level with her daughter. “Show me a Munditia, dear.”

Hesitantly, Luna obeyed. She held out her palm flat, and from it steaming mana coiled and wove together into a bright blue orb. In moments it was huge, larger than her own head, pulsing and sparking with the girl’s immense magical power. It took little effort, an incredible flow of mana coming as easily as breathing from Luna’s body.

Venus smiled at the sight. “Most adventurers can’t even cast this spell, you know.” She said in her soothing, musical way.

“So?” Luna finally looked at her, meeting the gaze of her spectrum-spanning irises for the first time.

“So? This is your gift, Luna! The divine magical ability you inherited from your father! Such exceptional mana reserves are something only you and he are blessed with.” She took Luna’s hand and raised the orb to her face, showing her up close how wonderful her Munditia was.

“Not even I can do what you do.” She raised another hand, showing her Munditia next to her daughter’s. Hers was larger, but didn’t spark or dance like Luna’s, there was less energy being pumped into it on a moment to moment basis. “This is your true strength, Luna. You mustn’t let it go to waste. So stop wasting time fighting and start working a bit harder, okay? I want you to surpass me someday.”

Venus’ smile in that moment was burned into Luna’s mind. She often revisited it even as an adult, more than she did her victory over Sol that day. It was so warm and kind and loving, but so loaded with expectation. It seemed a fragile thing. Something that she could shatter at any moment.

The pride her mother took in her, it was so precious and so delicate, she could never allow herself to break it. She would do whatever she could to preserve it. She would take pride in her ability, just as her mother had, she would work harder than ever before in her studies, and she would never, ever forget where her true strength lay.