We've been shown how not to live by gracious kings of old
Halo’s air bit clean and sharp against Noah’s lungs as he crossed the Citadel toward the Barracks. It was a moments reprieve from the freezing, screaming rain, and Noah was thankful for that. Snow had been packed hard beneath countless boots, the path worn smooth and pale beneath the gray sky.
Safrin’s decree lingered in the back of his thoughts: No shifts, no magic, no weapons.
For most men, that might simply mean fighting with bare hands. For Noah, it felt stranger than that. His shifts were as natural as breath. To set them aside entirely felt almost like stepping out of his own skin. Even when he was a demigod he wore his polar bear skin often, and the griffin when it came. His weaponry had been less flashy than his shifts, but he had become a master over his years of both archery and the use of a spear. Today, he felt like he had felt in his youth.
He rolled one shoulder as he stepped onto the training grounds. He knew, though, if anyone could work around that restriction, it was Deimos. The Sword had trained warriors through worse conditions than a lack of magic. Still, Noah wondered how the spar would look. How Deimos would shape his own responses when Noah was forced to rely on nothing but bone, muscle, and instinct.
Safrin’s decree lingered in the back of his thoughts: No shifts, no magic, no weapons.
For most men, that might simply mean fighting with bare hands. For Noah, it felt stranger than that. His shifts were as natural as breath. To set them aside entirely felt almost like stepping out of his own skin. Even when he was a demigod he wore his polar bear skin often, and the griffin when it came. His weaponry had been less flashy than his shifts, but he had become a master over his years of both archery and the use of a spear. Today, he felt like he had felt in his youth.
He rolled one shoulder as he stepped onto the training grounds. He knew, though, if anyone could work around that restriction, it was Deimos. The Sword had trained warriors through worse conditions than a lack of magic. Still, Noah wondered how the spar would look. How Deimos would shape his own responses when Noah was forced to rely on nothing but bone, muscle, and instinct.
NOAH
