Learning to Fly (4)

*CLANG!*, *CLANG!*

Deafening sounds of swords clashing echoed throughout the dense forrest.

"HAHA! That's my son!"

Hawke proudly declared, his scarred right arm clenching a long double edged sword.

*CLANG!*

"Argh!"

Berkah exclaimed, his prepubescent frame propelling backward towards a large tree trunk.

Twelve years had already passed since Berkah, or rather Simon was reincarnated as a Harpy.

"Come on dude! Why can't we use mana?!"

Berkah screamed at his Harpy father who was teaching him the ways of the sword, like he had been for the past six years.

"I told you my son, you cannot truly learn the way of the sword if you rely on Mana."

Hawke declared, stroking the blue beard on his chin.

[Don't lie! It's because you know I'd whoop you!]

Berkah spat inwardly, glaring at Hawke with his piercing blue eyes.

"Also, didn't I tell you..."

Hawke muttered, his expression suddenly stern and his grip on the tilt of his sword tightenening.

"IT'S DAD!!, D-A-D!! Why do you keep saying Dude? What even is that?! It's not cute anymore!"

Hawke shouted, lunged toward Berkah and swung his sword.

*CLANG!*

Berkah blocked the strike with his sword.

"Ugh! So heavy!"

Berkah exclaimed.

"Say it Berkah ~"

Hawke demanded, his piercing blue eyes shining brightly.

[Nah! I'd rather eat a shit sandwich!]

"No! I'll call you what I want!"

*CLANG!*, *CLANG!*, *CLANG!*

The two of them continued sparring for the next hour or so.

//

"*huff*, *huff*..."

Berkah laid flat on his back, his clothes completely drenched in sweat.

"*huff*... You are so stubborn!"

Hawke shouted, standing on his knees and balancing himself with his sword.

"I'm not stubborn, dude."

Berkah said, dragging his body off the ground.

"Why you little..."

Hawke grit his teeth and stood upright.

"Pfft! Haha! Watch your stress levels old man, your hair will turn grey if you keep it up."

Berkah spat, and ran away a short distance.

"Oh? I'll tell your mom to cook something nice for you on your birthday tomorrow. Keke."

"Hey! Why would you do that?!"

"Haha! Call me dad and I won't do it."

Berkah pondered for few seconds.

"Nah, I'll gladly eat her food."

"Tch."

Hawke clicked his tongue and folded his arms.

*Flap!*,*Flap!*

Hawke and Berkah heard a sound from up in the air, prompting them to raise their heads and they saw Lark.

"Captain! Berkah!"

Lark waived at them before landing on the ground.

"Oh hey Lark, what a nice suprise!"

Hawke exclaimed, walking over to Lark.

[A suprise huh...]

[Not to me, I knew he was coming from a kilometer away.]

Berkah mused, walking toward his father and Lark.

For years Berkah had always kept his Mana Dome active, he was so used to doing it that it was practically passive, like breathing.

Berkah's Mana Dome had become so thin that it's invisible to the naked eye nor is anyone he's ever encountered able to sense it.

His Mana Dome has a radius of roughly 1000 meters, meaning Berkah was aware of anything and everything within 1000 meters of himself.

[This guy, Lark...]

[Whenever he enters my Mana Dome I've always sensed that he's feeling conflicted, what's up with that?]

[Now that I think about it... Didn't he cry the most when Hawke was injured all those years ago?]

[Is he fruity for Hawke or something?]

[Pfft! Cute couple.]

"Keke."

A chuckle escaped Berkah's lips.

"What are you laughing at son?"

Hawke turned his gaze to Berkah.

"It's nothing..."

Berkah shrugged.

"Lady Anaise told me that you guys were training out here, so I brought you some water."

Lark reached into his bumbag and took out two pouches of water.

"Thanks Unc, I was parched."

Berkah grabbed one of the water pouches and drained all the water down his throat.

"Unc?"

Lark blinked in confusion.

"Ignore him, he says strange things sometimes."

Hawke said, grabbing the other pouch.

"So, what brings you all the way out here Lark? I'm still on my leave you know."

Hawke knew that Lark wouldn't just come for a social visit, so there must have been pressing matters.

"Ah yes, there is something we must discuss, but..."

Lark glanced at Berkah and shut his lips tight.

"I'll head out first, see you later dude."

Berkah understood that they needed to discuss matters in private so he walked away.

Lark waited until Berkah was a considerable distance away.

"Captain, there have been multiple reports of kidnappings throughout the villages in the past five days."

"They mainly target young children and adolescents."

Lark said with a heavy heart.

"Yes, I am aware but what I wonder how they manage to pass through the barrier?"

"And seeing as how they are not laying siege to the villages or plundering them, can we assume that it's a group unrelated to the human army?"

Hawke scratched his blue hair, his eyebrows furrowed.

"We also don't understand how they got through, we can't find any gaps in the barrier no matter how many times we check."

"And yes... It is safe to assume that the kidnappers are a separate entity from the human army..."

"But... We know for sure that it's humans, they are only race that is obsessed with enslaving others."

Lark responded, his heart growing heavier with each word that came out of his mouth.

The human army had been attacking Frostfront ceaselessly for decades, if they knew about the gap in the barrier they would have come pouring in with their mouths salivating.

"So? Have you found the whereabouts of their base?"

"No Captain, we have not. They are adept at hiding their tracks."

"*sigh...* These damn humans."

Hawke clenched his fist, veins pulsating on his forehead.

He added:

"Who knows what has become of those children... Put more men on the effort to find them."

Hawke barked his orders, taking deep breaths to quell his rage.

"Now then... is that all?"

Hawke knew Lark wouldn't fly all the way out here for just that, and yet he crossed his fingers hoping that was all he had come to report.

Tomorrow is his son's birthday after all, he wouldn't want to miss it, especially because it's his 12th birthday.

"I'm afraid not Captain."

Lark paused briefly before continuing.

"Our scouts have returned with news; They saw a carriege heading toward our castle walls."

"The carriage is carrying the one the humans call Atticus Klein."

Lark felt his mouth become bitter after he uttered the name of that human.

"Ugh! That pain in the ass is still alive?!"

Hawke shouted and grit his teeth.

"Yes... Unfortunately. "

"How long will it take before he reaches Frostfront?"

Hawke enquired, pinching his eyebrows.

"Between one and two days."

"I see..."

Hawke turned his eyes from Lark and watched his son who was slowly disappearing into the thicket.

[When will this war end? I just want to spend some time with my family...]

Hawke took a deep breath and continued his conversation with Lark.

///

[It feels like those two are having a serious conversation... Well whatever. ]

"It sucks that I have to walk all the way home from here, it's so damn far!"

Berkah spat, kicking a stone in his path.

[I'd be there in the blink of an eye if I use Thunder Step, but that damn old man said I can't use magic, some bullshit about coming of age and what-not.]

For the past year, Hawke banned Berkah from using magic, something about it being a Featherblade coming of age tradition.

In Harpy culture when one reaches the age of twelve they are considered young adults because their wings become fully developed allowing them to fly.

Though Berkah had his complaints about the tradition, he listened to Hawke's words and hasn't cast a single spell for the past year, the only exception being his Mana Dome.

[Well, I'll be allowed to use magic again soon so I guess I can hang on until then.]

Berkah continued walking with his hands in his pockets until he suddenly stopped and glanced up a tree.

"Seriously, why are you always following me you little creep? Are you a stalker or what?"

He said, his blue eyes reflecting a young Harpy his age, with a doll like appearance, long eyelashes and long silky silver hair that cascaded down to his shoulders.

[This gloomy little brat is so annoying.]

"... You don't want to be followed? Then give me my rematch."

The kid retorted, his grey eyes staring down at Berkah.

"Huh? Nah I can't be bothered, leave me alone you damn stalker."

Berkah replied nonchalantly, digging his pinky finger in his ear.

"Ah I see, what a disgrace you are to the Featherblade name. "

The kid spread his wings to make his appearance larger, an aggressive and provocative body language.

He added:

"You bring shame to your father."

[!!]

Berkah's clenched his jaw and frowned, his eyes piercing through the adolescent above him.

[This little fucker really doesn't learn... I should beat him half dead this time.]

"Do you want to get beaten that badly Ariel?"

Berkah spat, with an icy cold glare.

"Bring it on, Berkah!"

Ariel shouted with his fists clenched and lunged towards Berkah!