Carmine

I aimed and it slammed into the tree with a thud. Stepping back, I drew on the arrow gun. The string tightened and sprung, for I heard the high-pitched ping of the metal string rebounding.

Five said, "The woman, her name is Bi Go Mu, a native of Darkaith, she was being offered to him as a wife."

I said, "Is that so?" Darkaith was a seafaring nation. A powerful one at that. I wondered how prestigious she was there. A Princess perhaps?

Five continued, "She is the second child of the King’s nephew, Sathouy."

That was far down the pole for a King of Tiam's wealth and greatness.

"Sathouy has his own sea company and it is the second richest in the country with the largest reach in the north of the birth land, home to the original Shyia tribes. His mother is telling him that they only need more ground forces and ships which Tiam can fund and they can spread their routes to the deep south of that continent and control it for the future."

Ahhh, then the union would be valuable. In those lands, the reason why no countries have been made there was because the land was rocky and now infertile from overfarming or so I heard.

Shyia tribes in the past moved north settling into new lands making new empires. The land of the old empires, the birth land as we called it is mostly empty and was a drab shell of itself as only nomads roamed it.

Still, I think there are a few countries isolated down there. Om was one. The birth land still could be profitable to the fool who was crazy enough to conquer it.

Janilla was sitting on a protruding bark of a nearby tree. We were in this forest which I would find out was being harvested for fruits.

And there were a lot of them. Every tree had its fair share and it made the place look like a rainbow that hovered over us.

Janilla spoke, "It is sad that they are forcing you guys apart."

I took my other hand nearing it to the string. My finger slapped the string. I felt the pain then it disappeared as blood rolled out and wet the side of the thumb.

Sharp, I asked, "What did Canus say?"

"He refused until his brothers strong-armed him into it. Also, they know about him planning to leave. Acomn gave him up and overruled him."

I narrowed my eyes. "Coup, did they just coup the King?"

Five shrugged. "Not sure, but Acomn is angry and has ordered the wedding so—"

"Sounds like a coup," Janilla said.

"I agree." I sighed and used the dagger to slice the string. My finger was wrapped with a piece of linen. "Five, remember when I stabbed you with this?" I was wiggling the knife at him.

He stared.

I continued, "I swore I hit you and it never hit you. Actually, I think it went through and I don't kn—"

"That knife is platinum-casted Vapbon. That knife is a good knife in defense against warping."

"Warping?" I asked.

Five instantly appeared before me and the wind picked up as a rush of it hits me. A few troubled leaves dropped behind me. "It allows me to cut in between the space of time."

I jumped back. "Time?"

"Yes." Five went to take out the arrow. He came back and was juggling it from hand to hand. "We Champions are given bodies that help us to better do the task we are assigned with. But the thing you call magic is really on hand manipulation of our body's resources."

"I don't understand any of this."

"Warping manipulates time and allows me to move faster than normal or cut through the space time spectrum. My body can do that. Making bodies that can warp." He air-quoted 'warp'. "Is popular for base shells like mine."

"That sounds amazing." I looked at Janilla who seemed rather unimpressed and was just staring blankly. "Hmm, so that is why you can move so—" I was motioning my hands to describe what I meant, but just failed overall.

"It helps for the task that I needed to do. That knife though is stationary in time, because it cannot be rotated or deflected around, I will certainly be cut by it if I was trying to space through it. So, that is what happened back then. So, I rewinded back time un-injuring my hand and then I ran."

"Rewind time? Wait, wait, hold on." I looked at Janilla and she giving me a concerned glance. Back to Five who was staring at me oblivious. "You can rewind time?"

Five nodded his head. "Yes."

"Y-you can rewind time?! So- you can go back in time like two hours from now or better yet yesterday?"

"If I did that I would die. A second is what is afforded to me with this body. Anymore would vaporize my body under the spatial weight and crush it."

"Oh."

Five came up to me and laid the arrow in my hand. "Using my powers too much, not recommended. It can slowly waste my body away with overuse."

"But—"

"Mother Carmine, I suspect your interest in this topic brokers on use for turning back the hands of time. Something which no one has achieved. You cannot go back in time that far. Many have tried and died trying usually crushed in the rift of space they opened up trying to reach it."

I pursed my lips in frustration. That sucked. There was a lot I wanted to change.

Now, I was an outcast being chased around like a fox on a rope. Even sleep had become harder.

I turned and looked out into the forest. The leaves rocked and bobbed to the gentle wind. The ray of the sun slithered through towards the ground and gave us a spectacle of spotlights.

I could only move forward.

"Teach me how to fight," I said.

Five stared blankly and said, "That would be counterproductive. You have no physical conditioning, s—"

"Five, I have no choice either way. At some point, you will die from just using your abilities to protect me. I do not leave things to chance. I dislike that the most."

I breathed out, Five nodded. I said, "I am ordering you to teach me how to fight, properly."

Five said, "Okay." He turned, "Sister Janilla, grab a large branch and hand it to me."

Janilla did as she was told and took up a branch teaming with life as in maggots and insects. She grimaced and quickly dropped it in his hand.

With his free hand, he drew off his robe revealing his chiseled chest and abs. Only his trousers, short, ending at his knees, held on to his modesty.

I blinked my eyes as I blushed and looked away.

"The knife and gun will not be necessary," Five said.

I dropped them.

Five said, "Dodge." What? He came at me with an overhead swing. I jumped and ran wide of it. It still slammed into my shoulder. I cried out from the numbness.

I heard Janilla gasp.

The discomfort quickly subsided as Five stood staring at me. "Too slow," He said.

"You crazy! I thought we were going to fence! I don't have any branch here!"

Five said nothing. I reached for a stick, Five was immediately on me and slapped the top of my hand eliciting a wince as I swerved to the side.

"No weapons, just dodge," Five replied.

I growled. "I cannot learn how to fight without a weapon."

He shook his head as he paced around me. "You must learn defense before offense. You are taking Exodine so the pain will not affect you."

I grit my teeth and glared angrily. That was not the point. Being a beating stick was not part of the plan.

Five bent his knees. His eyes watched me like a poaching predator. The branch bobbed in his hand. "Mother, do not watch my hand or the branch." He moved his hands apart and straightened up a bit. "If you want to dodge, watch my body."

His body?

"To be accurate." His hand swayed over his chiseled abs. "My midsection."

Heat settled in the back of my neck, but I gathered my wits.

I stepped back and watched him. His leg shifted, my eyes trailed up his thick thighs to his chest. He turned and jumped forward. "Dodge."