SSS Talent: From Trash to Tyrant

By the time they left the mansion again, the afternoon had settled properly over Euclid. The snowfall had weakened into something lighter, enough to soften the road without making the walk difficult.

Trafalgar went ahead with Silas while Mayla, Cynthia and Aubrelle followed at a calmer pace with Aaron, and Rhosyn moved between both groups. They did not go far before the estate gradually gave way to the edge of the Euclid forest, where the trees grew taller and the snow remained mostly untouched.

Silas had chosen a wide clearing beyond the first line of trees, far enough from the mansion that he could move freely, but close enough that Euclid’s walls were still visible through gaps in the branches. Trafalgar took in the space before looking back toward him.

”This is where you’ve been training?”

”Most days,” Silas said. ”Caelvyrn told me I needed somewhere I could use my whole body without worrying about buildings or people. He said learning control while holding back too much would only teach me bad habits.”

Silas glanced toward the clearing, studying the untouched snow for a moment before continuing. He had clearly thought about what he wanted to show Trafalgar before bringing everyone here.

”I’ve been trying to make every movement stop exactly where I want it to. Before, I only cared about whether I could hit something. Now I have to care about everything around it too.”

Trafalgar nodded.

”Show me.”

Mana moved around Silas, disturbing the snow near his feet as his body began to change. His human form expanded as bones and muscle shifted beneath dark scales until the boy disappeared and a dragon stood in his place.

Silas had grown considerably. His body filled a large part of the clearing now, dark scales layered over a frame that no longer looked young, while his wings opened only halfway beneath the trees and still sent loose snow spilling from the branches.

Mayla stopped with Aaron held close to her chest, tipping her head back to properly take Silas in.

”He’s gotten enormous. I knew he’d grown, but it’s different seeing him like this.”

Cynthia looked toward the dragon’s head before glancing down at Aaron.

”And somehow he’s still terrified of getting too close to someone who fits in one arm.”

Aubrelle turned slightly toward him as Pipin shifted on her shoulder.

”I think that says more about how careful he’s become. A few years ago, I don’t think Silas would’ve spent this much time worrying about what was around him.”

Silas lowered his head toward Trafalgar.

”I want to try catching you. Not fighting or actually hitting you. I just want to see if I can keep up without losing control of everything else.”

Trafalgar looked at the claws half-buried in the snow.

”Then you’re going to have to watch where you put those.”

”I know. That’s part of it. Caelvyrn made me practice moving around things I wasn’t allowed to touch. He said being fast is useless if every step destroys something I wanted to protect.”

Trafalgar stepped farther into the clearing.

”Alright. Come on, then.”

Silas moved first, yet the ground beneath him shook only slightly. That was the first thing Trafalgar noticed, because a creature that size should have torn through the clearing with every step, yet Silas placed his weight with remarkable precision, claws digging just enough into the frozen earth to hold him.

Trafalgar waited until the last moment.

[Godstep]

Mana drove through his legs and the world snapped sideways. Silas’s claw closed over empty snow, while Trafalgar reappeared several metres away without drawing Maledicta or taking a stance.

Silas turned immediately, but this time he did not rush. He adjusted first, measuring the distance before shifting his weight and coming forward at an angle designed to reduce the space Trafalgar could escape into.

’Much better.’

Trafalgar moved normally at first, slipping past one claw before ducking beneath the sweep of Silas’s tail. The tail stopped before reaching a tree behind him, changing direction without touching the trunk.

”That would’ve hit the tree before,” Trafalgar said. ”You used to lose track of everything behind you once you started moving quickly.”

”I know. Caelvyrn kept making me repeat the same movements until I could tell where every part of my body was without turning to look.”

”Then his training worked. You’re controlling a body several times larger than mine without moving like you need the entire forest to yourself.”

Silas came again, faster this time. Trafalgar used [Godstep] twice in succession, appearing near the opposite side of the clearing before Silas could close the distance.

Silas followed without crashing through the trees, folding one wing closer as he turned and using the other only enough to redirect his weight. Rhosyn had moved closer while watching them, her attention following Silas’s feet more than his claws.

”Let me try.”

Trafalgar looked toward her.

”You want him chasing you too?”

”I want to see whether he can adjust when there are two people moving differently. You’re teaching him to deal with sudden movement, but he’s starting to understand your rhythm.”

Rhosyn stepped into the clearing as Silas lowered his body again. She did not use Godstep, instead moving with the natural speed Trafalgar had watched her use countless times before.

The difference was immediate. Trafalgar relied on sudden bursts, while Rhosyn’s movement was smoother over distance, difficult to predict because she never committed her weight until the last possible moment.

Silas had to think rather than simply react. He moved toward her, stopped when she cut across his front, then twisted around without allowing his hind leg to slide into a nearby tree.

Rhosyn passed beneath one wing and touched the side of his neck before moving away.

”You left that open. You’re watching where I am instead of where I’m going.”

”I couldn’t tell where you were going. Every time I thought you’d chosen a direction, you changed it.”

”Then stop following my eyes. Watch my hips and shoulders. They’ll tell you first, and by the time my feet move you’ll already know where my weight is going.”

Trafalgar recognized the lesson immediately. Dravok had drilled the same principle into him while teaching Origin Guard, forcing him to read movement before the actual attack began.

Silas tried again, and this time he did not move when Rhosyn first shifted left. He waited half a second longer and committed only when her weight followed.

Rhosyn changed direction anyway, but Silas came close enough that the wind from one claw moved her hair. She stopped several metres away and looked back toward him.

”Better. You waited for me to commit instead of guessing. Keep doing that and eventually you won’t need the extra second.”

Silas’s head rose slightly, clearly pleased with that. Watching him, Trafalgar found himself smiling without consciously deciding to.

There was no mission here, no enemy and no reward waiting at the end of the afternoon. Silas was simply showing him what he had learned, Rhosyn had joined because she felt like it, and the others watched from the edge of the clearing while Aaron slept against Mayla despite everything happening around him.

Trafalgar could not remember the last time he had moved this much without someone eventually trying to kill him. The realization made the afternoon feel strangely valuable despite how little they were actually accomplishing.

They stayed there until the light began to fade, and by the time Silas returned to his human form, snow had started falling more heavily again. Mayla had wrapped Aaron more securely, while Aubrelle kept Pipin close and Cynthia brushed snow from one sleeve.

They began the walk back together without anyone being in much of a hurry. Silas talked about what Caelvyrn still wanted him to improve, and Rhosyn corrected one detail from the way he had turned in the clearing.

Mayla occasionally looked down to make sure Aaron was warm, while Trafalgar walked beside them and listened. Ahead, the mansion lights slowly appeared through the snowfall.