NOVPUBThey soon moved outside of Thea's room, to the same spot below the giant oak. The bitter morning air felt especially awful for Thea, but she hid her discomfort.
In reality, she feared Vicky would ask them to go inside, and that's something Thea would hate.
It's already bad how her mother would act around the Princess. It's even worse with Yvonne.
Her eldest sibling nearly beat up Thea after hearing what she had done. Even after Vicky's initial humiliation of her sister, Yvonne's dedication in the Angelic Order only grew stronger.
Luzia's hour-long screaming and scolding of her daughter brought about this change in her attitude. For the past week, Yvonne constantly asked when will their next lesson be, so she could properly apologize.
Sadly, her mother and sister weren't the only overenthusiastic people. Her two brothers and father also became a menace when together.
With her crazy family in mind, Thea opted to stay away from the mansion, even if it meant suffering in the cold.
Vicky also didn't mind, since she loved the fresh air and the beautiful open space. It calmed her mind while helping her focus on Thea's teachings.
First, Vicky repeated everything Thea taught her about the Essence of Combat. Surprisingly, Vicky remembered perfectly to Thea's every word.
This made the sleepy girl remember all those times when Vicky failed in school. A few times she even miswrote her name, yet when it came to combat, the young Princess had a perfect memory!
Thea didn't know whether to celebrate her teaching capabilities, or cry in despair for Vicky's laziness!
"Okay, great, so you paid attention! Now we can move onto our next lesson, Principles of Combat! What do you think this subject entails?"
Vicky looked up at the tree's long branches, stretching towards the clear blue sky. Loose green leaves landed around them as the wind danced with the tall oak.
"Well, judging by the word 'principle', it's about the foundations of combat, or in other words, the rules of combat!"
A small, gentle smile stretched across Thea's face as she leaned back towards the tree's trunk.
"Pretty much so… My mother taught me and my siblings the five Principles. These are all important facts to remember while fighting to the death, or simply training with someone!"
As the wind played with her long golden hair, her piercing silver eyes landed on Vicky's white, curious ones.
"Every Principle has a specific number, but none is more important than the rest. Depending on the scenario, some can gain more significance than others. However, never forget about any of them!"
After finishing, Thea stood up, then reached down and helped the Princess to her feet.
"Come, let's walk around while I tell you about each Principle!"
Vicky was unsure why Thea suddenly decided to take a walk, but she felt too invested in the current subject to care.
They walked down the small hill, away from the large oak. Not far off, they headed inside a well-maintained garden.
Beautiful flowers bloomed left and right, bringing an abundance of color to the greenery. Within the garden, a few carved statues and flowing fountains made everything more elegant.
After nearly a minute of silence, Thea knelt down next to a few pink flowers and smelled them gently.
"So, Princess… I mean, Vicky… Can you guess the First Principle?"
Vicky watched as bees zipped around the flowers, collecting pollen. After a few thoughtful seconds, she just shrugged and guessed.
"I'm not sure. Maybe 'don't kill innocents'?"
Thea chuckled at Vicky's shy voice, and she glanced behind at the young Princess.
"Pretty good guess, but no, it's a bit more complex than that!… The First Principle of Combat is pretty simple: 'Only kill when necessary'!"
She gave Vicky time to process her words before continuing. Silently, they walked along the garden and stopped before a statue of Seraphine.
The Goddess's design seemed much more artistic than realistic. It depicted Sera in her armor, standing straight with her glaive in hand.
Sera's statue made her seem like a regal and just ruler, but also a powerful fighter.
As the sun's rays landed on the statue, a slight glow appeared around it, like a halo of light. Only then did Vicky notice the well-placed mirrors around the sculpture, creating the illusory holy glow.
While gazing at the statue, Thea elaborated on the First Principle.
"Only kill when necessary. Sounds easy. However, it's much more complicated than you would initially think!…"
Vicky's face brimmed with curiosity and confusion, while listening to Thea's words, not fully grasping their meaning.
"When stepping into a fight, a lot of times you decide if someone lives or dies. You should only draw a weapon with the intention of possibly killing your opponent!…"
"Death is a necessary part of life, however in battle we can control it. Just because someone's your enemy doesn't mean their life has to end! Your opponents don't have to die for you to become victorious!"
Absentmindedly, Vicky nodded while staring up at her mother's helmeted face.
They soon moved away from the statue, in a much more somber mood.
"But what if I can't decide? If I don't have the power or time to leave my opponent alive?" Asked Vicky, in a small, shy voice.
Thea frowned down at the Princess. They finally reached the most important part of this training…
"It's simple really… Then you have to take their life! Sometimes you can't decide who lives and dies, which means you have to kill!…"
"It will be awful, and you will feel disgusted by yourself, but you remember that this is war! In war people die, a lot of times by your own hand!… However, every time you kill someone, remember the Second Principle: 'Never fight emotionally'!"
While walking, they stopped near another statue. This one depicted Sera standing atop a dead monster, wearing her civilian clothes. Her glaive stayed inside the beast below her feet.
The wind blew her golden hair to the side. However, even as an angel of death, her face stayed serene, emotionless.
Again, Thea left some time for Vicky to process her words, but soon she continued elaborating on the Second Principle.
"In the heat of battle, emotion could easily be your demise. Never fall for insults, since anger will distract you! Never become overjoyed when defeating a strong opponent! Most importantly, never, ever dare letting your guard down!"
While talking, Thea pointed at Sera's statue.
"Our Goddess, your mother also fought emotionlessly, with pure logic and strategy. She hadn't lost a single battle, and eventually won the War of Three Alliances because of her attitude!"
Thea looked at the statue, especially proudly, and Vicky didn't want to break her bubble of illusion.
What most people, including Thea, never realized was that Sera's emotionlessness didn't come from a conscious decision, or show of superiority. It was more of a curse bestowed upon her by the splitting of her soul.
This, of course, didn't change the truth of Thea's words, though. Engaging in combat while your emotions aren't under proper control was a weakness!
It just made everything funnier in Vicky's eyes. However, she kept her fun to herself, and hid her real emotions behind a mask of curiosity and intrigue.
"Anyway, I think the Second Principle is the most self-explanatory, so let's move onto the Third!"
In silence, they walked to another statue, which yet again depicted Sera in a different state.
The Goddess stared down at a fresh corpse with her head bowed. Her face absorbed in a solemn, almost respectful expression.
Blood covered her civilian clothing and dripped along the length of her blade.
The corpse knelt before Sera, his eyes calm and peaceful. He clutched his wounded chest with one hand, while reached towards the Goddess with the other. As if he wanted to grasp the angel, to carry him into heaven!
This statue felt especially holy. Also, unlike the previous two statues, Sera had her pristine white wings tucked behind her back.
"The Third Principle: 'Respect your opponent, never look down on your enemy'."
Thea sounded less enthusiastic to talk about this Principle.
There was some pain hidden in her silver eyes, but Vicky didn't pry. Instead she listened to every word of her friends, taking her advice to heart.
"Don't ever fight your opponent like you're better than them. Always give it your all, so nobody could catch you off-guard… War isn't a joke, and you should never play with a weaker opponent, since it takes one lucky cut to end your, or someone else's life!"
For a few minutes, Thea hadn't said a word, but Vicky noticed her inner struggle. Slowly, she reached up and gently touched her hand, providing silent support for her friend.
Initially, Thea felt surprised, but then a small smile crawled onto her face, taking over her sad expression.
"I led people in the last war, but I wasn't a great leader. I left my soldiers to fight against an enemy Ascended, who I managed to kill… Sadly, I made the mistake of taking my time with him… In the meantime, most of my soldiers died…"
A lone tear escaped Thea's eyes as she reached out and touched her Goddess's statue.
"There is something you need to remember. It isn't one of the Principles, but it's just as important!"
Her gaze drifted away from the Sera statue and landed on Vicky's kind, white eyes. Just glancing into those eyes brought a gentle smile to Thea's face.
However, she pushed away any emotion, and spoke in a reflective voice.
"Never take pride in killing someone… Killing is inherently wrong… Every time you take a life, a piece of your humanity gets abolished… If you ever feel like some lives have no worth, then do the world a favor and kill yourself!" 𝚗ovp𝚞b.𝚌om
