I stood up from my wooden chair in the bright dining room after finishing my conversation with Eufrien. The thoughts of Chalreth training downstairs made me want to see her skills with my own eyes. I turned my body toward the exit of the large room and began to move my legs across the clean floor. I walked out of the dining area and entered the main hallway of the large mansion. The morning sun was still shining brightly through the high glass windows, making the long hallway look very open and warm. I walked past several closed doors and large things hanging on the solid walls. I took my time, lifting my feet one after the other, letting my boots make a regular clicking sound on the polished stones. I moved down the long pathway until I reached the heavy wooden door that led down to the lower level of the house. I reached out my right hand, grabbed the cold metal handle firmly, and pulled the door open toward my body. The dark entrance to the staircase appeared before me. I stepped through the frame and started to walk down the stone stairs into the basement. The air became cooler with every step I took down the long flight of stairs. I placed my boots carefully on each flat stone step, counting them as I moved lower and lower away from the bright morning light above. The walls of the staircase were made of rough gray stones that felt cold to the touch. I kept my balance steady as I walked down the turning stairs until my feet finally touched the flat floor of the basement area below.
I stood at the bottom of the long stairs for a brief moment to let my eyes get used to the dark space of the lower level. The basement was very large, and it had many different pathways that led to different rooms under the mansion. I started walking through the hallways, choosing the direct path that led toward the training arena. The floor here was made of rough stone blocks that did not show any light from the small lamps hanging on the walls. The air was very quiet and still, carrying only the sound of my own footsteps as I moved deeper into the space under the house. I walked down the first long hallway, keeping my body right in the middle of the stone path. I passed by several old wooden doors that remained completely closed and silent. I turned to the right side at the first major corner, entering a narrower hallway that felt even cooler than the previous one. I kept walking forward with a steady pace, lifting my legs and moving my boots across the hard ground. I turned to the left side at the next turning point, following the route that I had taken before during my training sessions. The walls of the basement hallways stretched out far in front of me, with small torches throwing moving shadows against the gray stones. I continued my walk through the twisting hallways, focusing entirely on my goal as I neared the end of the long path. After walking through the hallways for a few minutes, I finally saw the large entrance of the arena ahead of me at the end of the straight hallway.
I walked up to the heavy entrance of the training area and pushed the large door open with my hand. I stepped into the big room and went to the arena space where the fighters usually practiced their fighting moves. The arena was very wide, with a high ceiling and thick stone walls that could take a lot of hard hits. The floor was made of solid, flat stones that were perfect for fast movement. As soon as I entered the open space and looked toward the center of the floor, I saw Chalreth training. She was moving her physical body with such extreme speed that it looked completely amazing to my eyes. She was moving so fast that she is actually fighting herself in the middle of the large room. I stopped my feet near the edge of the arena and watched her actions with complete wonder. She would dart forward to one spot, swing her weapon with great power, and then instantly appear in the exact spot where her blade was striking to block her own attack. Her body looked like a fast blur that was present in two different places at the exact same time. It seemed like there were two matching shapes hitting each other in the center of the arena, but it was just her single form moving back and forth with incredible speed.
The sound of her metal weapon cutting through the empty air was very sharp and loud, filling the entire basement room with a fast sound. She would throw a quick downward chop in one direction, and then she would blur backward instantly to slide away from her own path. She spun her body around rapidly, doing a high kick in the air, and then moved her body to block the hit that was not there with her blade. Her feet moved across the flat stones so quickly that they did not seem to touch the ground at all. I stood completely still near the wall, keeping my eyes fixed on her constant physical movements as she kept fighting herself in the center of the wide arena floor. Her training was very hard, and the power of her fast strikes created small waves of air that moved across the empty space of the basement room. I watched the amazing display for several moments, thinking about how a person could move so fast by practicing every day. Every single movement she made was done very well, showing her great skill as a fighter. It looked like a real battle between two different people, but it was just her single form moving fast.
As I continued to watch her fast movements from my position near the entrance, she suddenly noticed me in the large room. She instantly stopped her fast actions and stood completely still in the center of the wide stone floor. All the blurs and extra shapes went away in an instant, leaving only her single form standing straight in the middle of the arena. The sharp sound of her weapon cutting the air stopped completely, and the room became very quiet once again. She turned her body around slowly to face the direction where I was standing and looked at me with a friendly look. She did not look tired or out of breath at all after moving her body at such a great speed across the stones. She held her weapon lightly in her hand and opened her mouth to greet me directly across the empty distance of the arena. She said, "Heyaa, Sogha." Her voice was very cheerful and clear, making a soft sound against the high stone walls of the basement room. I took a few steps forward, moving off the edge of the floor and walking closer to the center of the arena where she was standing. I looked at her and I said hi to return her friendly greeting in a nice way. I stood a few paces away from her position, keeping my arms relaxed at my sides as we faced each other on the flat stones.
She smiled brightly when she heard the sound of my voice and changed how she held her weapon. She looked right at me with an excited look and she said, "Let's spar, shall we? Don't worry, I'll hold back." She spoke her words directly to ask me to join a training match on the arena floor. She told me that she wanted to tell me that she would not use her full speed or strength against me during our practice, so I would be safe from any heavy hits. I listened to her extremely friendly offer and thought about the match for a brief moment. I knew that sparring with the current hero would be a good way for me to practice my own physical movements and improve my fighting skills before the trip we had to take. I nodded my head up and down to show her that I accepted her offer to spar on the stone floor. I stood firmly in my own spot, shifting my feet apart to create a very solid base for my balance. I reached down with my right hand toward my waist where my weapon was waiting for me. I gripped the handle tightly and drew it out, and I held my sword in front of my body with a firm grip using both of my hands. Chalreth saw that I was fully ready to begin our training match on the floor. She lifted her hand smoothly right away, changed her fingers on the handle of her own weapon, and she held hers.