The Great Rebellion : Transformation And Swordsmanship

"Not bad, kid." 

Galen took steady steps, removed his coat, then hung it on a tree trunk. 

"I won't be easy on you from now on." 

He rolled up his sleeves and settled into a stance. "Come at me."

Leo rushed at Galen, clashing swords again. 

"Don't think that'll happen again, kid!" 

Galen swept his sword downward in a smooth motion, embedding its tip in the earth. 

"W... what?.. Did this guy lose his mind?" Leo froze, transfixed by the motion. 

Galen blurred forward, wooden blade slicing air.

_THUD._ 

"How could ? , I held it seconds ago..." Leo's voice trembled in shock. staring at his empty hands

He stepped back toward his fallen sword. 

"Not going to let you!" Galen lunged at Leo, weapon raised 

Leo caught his sword, snapping back into stance. 

"He's fast too," Galen observed. 

Leo stepped back, mind racing. 

"That motion... I've seen it before." 

A memory slammed into him: 

_Arthur rolling the bread loaf like a swordsman's flourish._ 

"Was it a hint?" Leo breathed. 

Just like when Arthur warned, "Watch your back." 

Leo smiled and tightened his grip. 

"Thank you, Arthur."

What are you smiling about?" Galen's eyes narrowed behind his spectacles as Leo's stance shifted. 

"Don't underestimate the masters!" Galen charged again with blinding speed. 

"I won't!" Leo said, rushing to meet him. 

Their swords clashed— 

—footsteps hammering the earth like a drumroll of blows. 

Guards gathered to watch. 

"It's rare to see Galen fight seriously," one murmured. 

"That's because he's a guardian, idiot," another snapped back

Leo screamed, pushing his sword harder. 

"He's about to do it again!" 

"Not gonna fail twice!" When Leo saw Galen's sword turn downward, he seized the opportunity. 

Leo swung his sword toward Galen's face, the blade grazed his temple, _the blade_ whispered past his temple , forcing him to abort.

Galen shoved himself backward. 

Leo's swing was true: a curtain of Silver hair sheared off, then drifted like ash onto the ground

Galen touched his shorn locks, then fixed his stare on Leo.

"Impossible," Galen said, voice laced with shock. 

"How could a wooden sword be that sharp?" He stared at the severed hair in his palm. 

"It's not the sword... It's the boy." 

Galen blew the strands into the wind, then settled into a ready stance. 

"The boy's strength is matchless." 

"Hey, kid!" Galen shouted. 

"Oh my god, he yelled!" a guard gasped. 

"You stop yelling like a woman and watch!" another snapped back. 

"Did you hold back on purpose?" 

Leo met Galen's stare but didn't respond. 

"You aimed for my hair, not my head. I saw you restrain the strike." 

A smile touched Leo's lips. 

"I did."

"That's not believable," Galen adjusted his spectacles slowly. 

"How could a boy possess this power?" 

He stared at Leo, studying his scars. 

"That explains..." 

"Those scars..." 

"This suggests intense, relentless training..." 

"Even a normal human needs rest... but this boy..." 

Galen sank into a squat, hands clasped together. 

"Hey! What are you waiting for?" Leo yelled. 

"How many months... no... how many years has that boy swung that sword for...?" 

Galen paused. 

"And for whom...?" 

"It's not about swordsmanship fundamentals anymore... it's about raw power too." 

Galen sketched in the dirt with his wooden sword, a human and a grizzly bear. 

"It's like fighting a bear bare-handed." 

"But whoever possesses greater force... always wins."

"Fundamentals? Basics? I can't teach him anything, he surpasses me," Galen whispered. 

"What was Arthur thinking..." A sigh followed. 

"Hey, Galen! What are you doing?! He'll strike any moment!" a guard shouted. 

But Galen ignored him, rising to his feet. 

"Boy... are you fighting for someone?" 

"W... what?" Leo lowered his sword. 

Galen sighed. 

"Was I unclear?" 

"Are you becoming stronger... for someone's sake?" 

Leo's expression darkened; he sniffed. 

"I don't know anymore... but," his voice thickened, 

_The horseman's face flashed in his mind.

"If I _am_ doing this for someone... I'd want them to be proud... 

... that would make me happy.

Galen kept staring...

That day... I was alone. An orphan kid starving on cold streets, rubbing my feet together for warmth.

No one accepted me.

I call myself an orphan because my parents threw me away._ 

When trash doesn't belong to you, you discard it , because it's unnecessary. With time, it becomes forgotten.

_But one day... a man walked toward me. Beside him, a giant boy carried a crusher._ 

_They didn't ignore me. The man reached out his hand._ 

_"Kid, you seem lost. Where are your parents?"_ 

"NO, HE ISN'T LOST , LOOK AT HIS CLOTHES!" The giant pointed with his crusher._ 

"Oh my! Come with me, child. You can stay at my house!"

"S-Stay there?"_ 

"W... What can I provide?"_ 

"Provide? No!" He laughed. At first, I thought he mocked me. 

"You'll stay with us for life!"_ 

"YES! BUT YOU'LL GET PORRIDGE! ARTHUR ALWAYS MAKES IT!"

"Just stay strong, kid."_

Galen kept staring at Leo... then smiled. 

"I see..."

"EEEH!" Noise erupted among the guards. 

"I thought I'd see an epic performance!" Discontent rumbled through their ranks. 

Galen turned, icy stare silencing them. 

"Oh... I must go." 

Did I leave my sword...? 

"Guys? Did someone call me?" 

Another set of footsteps approached quiet but heavy with frustration.

"Sorry, kid. I can't teach you anything..." Galen snatched his coat from the tree trunk. Three leaves clung together as they fell. 

"What?!" Leo's voice shook. 

"What do you mean you can't teach me anything?!" 

"...You're the master now." 

Galen walked away... vanishing into the castle's shadow.

Someone in the library shoved books aside, desperately searching. 

"Where is it?! Where is it?!" 

"The untold secret had been snatched away."