ã€ŠA Journey of Chaos and Gloryã€‹


 Prologue and Chapter 1 A burning Question

    Prologue

    The stars faded from the night sky. As the lights died out, the village below began to slip into panic. Bells began to ring as an all encompassing shadow spread at a staggering pace.

    Jeru ,a tall but slender boy of twelve, jumped out of bed and rushed to his window, staring through the clouded glass he saw a single point of light in the center of the pitch black sky.

    ¡°Outworlder¡± he said, gazing at the lone bright spot that ebbed and flowed in the darkness.

    ¡°Jeru¡± a gruff middle aged man spoke, "go to the shelter with your mother."

    Jeru snapped out of his trance and replied, ¡°yes Father.¡±

    As Jeru ran with his mother; he saw his father emitting a faint white light from his body and a golden glow from the edges of his eyes.  He stood their frozen, watching his Father float towards the blinking light.

    The brightness faded and in a flash the night sky snapped back to its starry facade. The panic however did not subside. The screams and panic intensified as his mother yanked him away.

    Jeru looked up to see his father and beside him, where the light had been,  was a large creature, its skin was a deep red and its body emitted a harsh yellow glow. From its back was a constant stream of flames giving the appearance of giant wings.

    Jeru''s mother grabbed her son, threw him over her shoulder, and began to run. Jeru continued to stare into the sky as the massive wings began to flutter and with it a hailstorm of fire began to rain down upon the village. The last thing Jeru saw before being herded into a large cellar was his father swinging his golden blade. The blade grew brighter and struck the demon;  the resulting flash illuminating the village.

    Jeru sat huddled in the cellar with countless villagers. The constant tremors and explosions  keeping everyone in tense and suffocating silence. The earth and sky shook and the cellar creaked, time lost meaning to Jeru. Minutes, hours, days, all of it blended together and the stress and shock of what was happening began to take its toll on the boy.

    Finally there was one last thunderous crash and as silence settled in, Jeru slipped into unconsciousness.

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    Chapter 1 A Burning Question

    I never saw what happened. I only know that three days after the event I woke up and nothing would be the same. My Father and the outworlder were gone. The village was nearly destroyed; some homes left untouched, others were reduced to ash.  The ground itself hadn''t been spared from the onslaught, as it was marred with deep fissures spreading in every direction.

    I had been depressed since the accident but days still went by; the injured were tended to and borders secured. The focus of the village became rebuilding.

    ¡°Jeru, go help the others clear debris.¡± Tora, a village elder said.

    I stopped sulking and hastily replied, ¡°yes elder.¡±

    I ran to the outskirts of the village and started gathering salvageable material with the other children. There were piles for unbroken ceramics, piles for metals and unscathed materials. The village was still a husk of its former glory, but it would be restored. The land was still good for crops, trading cities were close enough and we were isolated from the beast forests.

    The labor continued late into the day until one of the children started complaining.

    ¡° Gah I hate this !¡± A short Auburn haired child yelled. "When I grow up, I will be the village guardian and no one will die. I''ll be strong enough to save the village!"

    I glared at him with menace. "You don''t know what you are talking about. You think it''s easy to stop an outworlder? Just shut up!"

    ¡°Legions of beasts, outworlders, I don¡¯t care. I won¡¯t be so weak as to let the village get destroyed!¡± The kid replied.

    I grabbed him by the collar, yanking him forward, sending him tumbling to the ground.

    He shot up rather quickly, ¡°if you want to fight we can fight,¡± the ruddy faced boy looked up at me to make sure his unflinching stare met my eyes.  ¡°My name is Skerk and just so you know I have already unlocked my element.¡±

    I cringed a bit at that, no wonder this kid had been so cocky. He had already unlocked his

    element and stated school. A muddled orange fire with tinges of black crackled and sparked upon his fists.

    My father had taught me some basic stances but this kid, Skerk, rushed at me quicker than I could react. He caught me off guard and got in two quick punches to my gut. I tried to counter him ,but I was immediately struck in the face; luckily he couldn''t maintain his flame well so my injuries were relatively light.

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    I tried to counter him but I was immediately struck in the face, luckily he couldn¡¯t maintain his flame well so my injuries were relatively light. He stood back until his flames reignited on his hands and took another swing at me, but was countered by a pillar of earth that shot towards him from  the ground, striking him in the jaw and knocking him down.

    I turned around and saw my younger neighbor Erda. She had unlocked her element last month and already had no problem creating dense columns of earth. ¡° Thanks Erda.¡±

    Skerk got back to his feet. ¡° No fair you cheaters, this was a dual between men. I¡¯m telling an elder!¡±

    ¡°You are just a runt not a man.¡° Erda said, taunting him with a stuck out tongue.

    ¡° I may be small but at least I am not a coward like him and his father." Skerk locked eyes with me.

    ¡° Take that back!¡± I glared, balling my fists ready for a second round.

    ¡° N0! ¡° Skerk said. "See for yourself, the fight continued south of the village. There is no trace of your father. He abandoned us, that''s why the village was wrecked!"

    I went to lunge at him but Erda grabbed me, she was smaller than me, but being of the earth element she was much

    stronger. I could not  break free of the small

    hands digging into my shoulder. Seeing this, Skerk dusted himself off and walked away as the other kids got back to work collecting debris.

    "Jeru don''t listen to him, he doesn''t know what he''s saying." Erda was trying to console me but I brushed her off and sprinted towards the edge of the south territory.

    The southern outskirts were littered with more signs of battle  and a large trail of downed trees. Skerk hadn¡¯t been lying about that.I continued to run, not realizing I was getting close to a gorge that

    divided our village and a massive swath a beast territory.  On the other side of the wide chasm I saw a massive crater, I climbed down a path into the empty ravine and climbed back up on the other side. From there I ventured till I arrived at the edge of the crater.

    I  paused for a moment and scanned the area. It was close to the gorge so it shouldn''t have too many beasts around, but this was still beast territory. After losing to someone smaller than me and to my neighbor, I had no false bravado left. I was weak. A red furred rat could probably rip of my leg and slowly devour me. There were things much worse than a rat in the deep forest, but I had to know what happened.

    I crawled down into the crater looking for signs my father was alive, any sort of clue. I felt a weird pain in the back of my right eye. Turning towards my right side, I saw a still flaming red lump of flesh. It must have come from the offworlder.  That''s when I saw it. Footprints that appeared human leading out of the crater.

    ¡°Dad, are you around here, are you hurt?¡± I  followed the footsteps into the forest  until they disappeared. Even after the footsteps vanished, I was still

    running deeper into the underbrush in search of my father.

    ¡°Dad where are you where did you go, why did you leave?¡±

    Was Skerk right? Someone close to him must have been part of the village search party. The deeper I went the more I doubted my father.  Skerk was right. My father had walked away from the village, leaving it in ruins.  I fell to my knees sobbing, lost in my own grief. As I sat there I was jerked back to the real world by a low growl.  Horrified, I turned to see a frostcat.

    ¡°Murste,[1]¡± I muttered.

    If it was something slow, I might have had a chance at survival , but this was a frostcat. At a little over the height of a rod[2], it wasn¡¯t the biggest of creatures but it was known for being quick and brutal. Even some of the kids from the village who had unlocked their element might not survive. The beast''s fangs and claws were clear as ice and I knew such claws could easily make short work of wood or even leave scratches on metal, let alone what it could do to my flesh and bones.  The muscles underneath its skin tightened as it prepared to pounce.  I started to back away preparing to turn and run, but before I could, a slip of parchment whizzed through the air and I heard a loud bang,  which sent me  tumbling to the ground.

    1.  A local favorite curse word

    2.  A rod referring to measuring system, one rod being roughly 2.4 feet or .73meters derived from the length of the core component of the average short sword

 Chapter 2 When the Pupil is Ready

    Chapter 2

    "Are you alive, if so get up.¡± I heard a callus shout and looked around seeing a gray haired man.

    ¡°What the hell are you doing out here kid?¡± the Old Man asked.

    ¡°I I am looking for my father, he was protecting our village, it was attacked by an outworlder and he disappeared.¡±

    ¡°Follow me¡± the old man replied.

    I hesitated but followed, curious to see if he had found my father. The haggard man walked a little further into the woods to a clearing where he had set up a campsite. He then walked into his tent and grabbed a sack; opening it he pulled out a lump of red flesh like the one I had seen earlier.

    ¡°Your father was fighting this creature right?¡±

    I looked at him not knowing how to respond or who this man was but since he might know something I answered.

    ¡°Yes, My father was trying to protect the village so he battled that filthy outworld thing.¡±

    The man looked at me with piercing gaze.  ¡°Your Father was Jeshua of the golden blade?¡±

    I paused for a moment trying to gather my thoughts, ¡°his name was Jeshua, but I don¡¯t know abut the rest.¡±

    The old man snarled and replied ¡°Damn to think they tracked him down here.¡±

    ¡°Tracked him down you mean that thing came to attack my dad on purpose, why would an offworlder look for my dad?¡±

    The mans eyebrows raised as he looked at me. ¡°You really don¡¯t know do you?¡± he asked.

    I shook my head.

    ¡°You think your father was from this world?¡° The old man asked.

    ¡°Of course he was,¡± I stammered.

    ¡°Boy are you really that blind?¡±

    For a moment I stared at him he was gaunt and looked frail but his eyes were clear and I felt him look right through me, I thought back, things my father had said, he was from a far away land, he had no family, he told me things about fighting and stories that made no sense, skies with 5 suns, lands where islands floated among the clouds, beasts that couldn¡¯t possibly exist. What if those weren¡¯t made up, what if they were from the outworld.

    The man¡¯s hoarse laughter jolted me from my reverie.¡°Hmm, if you are really his son then I suppose I should stick around and train you a bit, you are much too helpless and pathetic like this.¡±

    I balled my fist but kept my mouth shut, as frail as this man looked I knew he was not as simple as he seemed.

    ¡°Oh hoh look at this ready to fight me are you.¡± The old man then cracked his knuckles.

    ¡° No I just¡±

    ¡°Hmmf be more resolute brat, are you not his blood.¡± He stroked his patchy grey beard

    ¡° Well I can test you to see if you are worth wasting some time on.¡±

    ¡°Test me for what?¡±  I asked.

    He smiled, ¡°for your inheritance.¡±

    My confusion slipped into a veneer of disdain.¡°I haven¡¯t awakened any elements I don¡¯t have any talent, I am already viewed as a simpleton.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you are an expert on multi plane hybrids are you, you know about the power of higher planes, bah you don¡¯t know what talents are or what powers exist throughout these universes.¡±

    My mind spun, universes, multi planes; wasn¡¯t there this world and the outworld, were there other elements; did I have power?  It seemed I had entertained the man as he showed a wide and toothy grin.

    ¡°Hehehhe oh I have your attention now do I, if you trust me come here and let me test you.¡±

    I immediately stepped forward and lowered my guard then bam I took a large backhand to the head which knocked me to the ground while he glared at me.

    ¡° Are you really his son, why the hell did you trust me so quickly, you don¡¯t know me, I made some vague assertions and you are willing to do anything, Be more cautious if you want to live.¡± He stated, his eyes wide and unflinching.

    I got up, and stared daggers at the confusing old psychopath. His jeering face again broke into a smile ¡°Bwahahah those eyes are much better, anyway as for your talent you are a true half breed, you will probably never stand on the planar peak and will likely never be as strong as your father ¡± he said as he turned his head as if I wasn¡¯t worth his time

    ¡° What that¡¯s it, you didn¡¯t do anything, do I not have an element what the hell is going on!¡±

    His face was again serious ¡°Oh you have already been tested, and knowing what I have told you, and I assure you it is true; are you willing to be taught. You will suffer more than you ever suffered.  You will have to go farther than you ever imagined and your very life will teeter on the brink of destruction. All so you can have a slim chance of finding out what happened to your father.¡±

    I bit my lip, I did want to know this truth but the path before me was daunting, at the very least I was willing to trust this old man, if he wanted me dead he could have killed me a thousand times over already.

    ¡° Yes I want to learn who my father was and I ..I ..I want to be strong¡±. I said stammering.

    The old man again started grinning from ear to ear. ¡° Very well I am called Edjudan of the many deaths, but you can call me oh great and honorable master, sensei, and savior of my weak and pitiful fate.¡°

    I was tense when I heard his nickname but it all faded when he told me what to call him. ¡°Well great and honorable master sensei and savior,  what should I learn first.¡±

    ¡°Hahah you actually said it, what a desperate boy you are. What is your name young one?¡±

    ¡°Jee-roo¡± I took the time to say it slowly and enunciate it for the man.

    ¡°Hmm well no matter, I shall call you tadpole.¡±

    My eyebrows raised ¡° What¡¯s that¡±

    ¡°Oh don¡¯t have those here huh, it is a great and powerful beast¡± he smirked.

    ¡° Hmm ok, I like that from now on, I am tadpole.¡±  I replied.

    ¡°Hahha ok tadpole, you seem obsessed with elements explain to me how this low plane classifies elements and powers¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not obsessed, its just if you don¡¯t have an element you¡¯re viewed as defective, you can¡¯t leave the village or go to school you just have to do manual labor.¡±

    Edjudan let out a long yawn. ¡° Yes yes what does that matter, tell me everything you know on the subject.¡±

    ¡°Well That¡¯s easy, there are 6 elements air, water, fire, darkness, earth, and light. Usually people are born with more than one, but they are almost always weaker than pure element users, in addition each person is born innately knowing a primary skill that they are most gifted with and can perform from the time there element awakens.¡±

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    Edjudan mumbled under his breath for a second ¡° So in other words this place is backwards and as a lower plane knows nothing, ah truly difficult, you are fortunate I don¡¯t easily go back on my word.¡±

    ¡°Huh what do you mean?¡± I replied.

    ¡°Simply, the worlds and the elements are much more complicated than you think¡­it is easier to think of everything in layers.¡±

    He took a stick and started drawing into the dirt," first there is light and darkness simple and pure they form the basis¡°he drew a square around light and dark.

    "Surrounding them there are base elements, water, earth, air, and fire; which are in harmony and mutually restrict each other. In a circle around those are fusions of elements leading to lightning, wood, ice and metal, beyond those are further fusions of other and multiple combinations of base elements. Still more boxes surround those, they are known as the fundamental forces or four corners which act on man and elements these consist of life, death, space and time. These are pulled towards two points outside of the boxes chaos or order. Not to mention fusions and combinations across the boxes themselves.¡±

    My mind reeled, ¡°there are how many elements, what¡¯s a fusion? How does the death element work?¡± So many questions sprung to mind and my face went blank.

    The old man lectured on continuing to draw in the dirt,

    ¡°Your world is but one of the lowest planes, its energy is faint and its expression of true elements weak, that is why you see only the smallest circles, the many worlds are like a giant pyramid few at the top and many lesser planes. You have to climb them one at a time to get to the upper levels.  The strongest person from this plane could barely count for anything on a higher level of the pyramid, in addition each plane is its own, and powers and abilities express themselves differently in them.¡±

    I vaguely understood the concept and it made sense why offworlders were so fearsome, if they came from a higher plane their power would obviously outstrip ours.

    An idea took root in my mind as I looked at the hastily scrawled element diagram, did I have an element that was beyond this worlds powers. A crooked sneer spread across my face.

    ¡°Tadpole brat what is wrong, did you eat something weird.¡±  I shook my head

    ¡° So, oh great master what is my element am I stronger then the people of this world?¡±

    ¡°I see hmm you are indeed very special.¡±

    Hahah I knew it, I mused as I waited with baited breath for Edjudan to finish

    ¡°You are a weird hybrid of ultimate power and uselessness gaining the worst attributes from both sides.¡±

    Ehh my smile evaporated, worst from both sides. ¡° So I have no elements?¡±

    ¡°In a manner of speaking no, not really¡­. Your father is one of the strongest beings in the many planes, his bloodline includes two ultimate elements both chaos and order, his abilities were to impose and ignore. He was able to harness pure chaos ignoring planar restrictions on power or rules and harness pure order which was the ability to add laws and rules. Your mother was of the earth element and based on you seems to have an affinity for barriers."

    "What! How in the seven hells could you know that?" I asked.

    " AHHAHAH I did not slap you just for fun." The old man answered and began explaining more.

    "You do not have your mothers earth element though it seems you do have an affinity for barriers and you do seem to faintly have the capacity to develop the power to ignore of the chaos element, but what good does ignoring restrictions on your powers do if you have no powers of your own.¡°

    It was hard to follow but I got the gist of what he meant, to have the potential for a great power which could do me little good was truly useless, ughh what was the point of telling me all this if I was still useless in the end.

    ¡° I see, well thanks anyway old man.¡± I said, which elicited a fierce scowl from Edjudan.

    ¡° What old man, old man. Who the hell is Old man. I am oh great master, honorable sensei , or savior of my weak and pitiful fate, or all of the damn above not old man. Do you not want my help you useless tadpole?¡±

    ¡°You just told me I was useless how could I possibly be strong?¡±

    ¡°Hmmpff I said YOU were practically useless, I never said I was. There are ways to improve your strength. With my help a skill and the power of chaos should be enough to make you unique which can be itself a great strength."

    I stood there trying to rack my brain how could I be strong without the power to attack or without being able to use an element.

    ¡°What is a man''s greatest strength?¡± Edjudan asked.

    ¡°His uh, his perseverance.¡± I was proud of that answer if I just stuck to training I could be strong in my own way ¡­. Bang a loud smack resounded as I was backhanded again.

    "Oh hoh just perseverance; by all means dig a hole all day everyday, continue for hours on end and somehow you will become the ruler of all creation. No that is important but your biggest strength must always be your mind, find solutions avoid traps solve problems. For example, your lack of a usuable element; hmm if you cannot harness the power of the universe harness power from within.¡±

    Edjudan¡¯s hand glowed with a faint light halo. ¡°This is not light energy, this is not life or anything from outside, it most closely related to will or strength but in essence it is power I have gathered into myself through training my strength, breathing, and understanding.¡±

    I fell down flat on my back, it wasn¡¯t awe that knocked me down there was an oppressive aura of strength, yes this would work if I could be this strong I wouldn¡¯t need to shoot fire or make pillars of earth I could still climb to the top.

    ¡° Oh great master, sensei please teach me¡± I didn¡¯t bother getting up instead staying on my knees.

    ¡°Yes yes I will raise you tadpole, come back here tomorrow, early in the morning and we will begin.¡±

 Chapter 3 A Renewed Resolve

    I raced home after that without looking back, afraid the eccentric monster would change his mind. By the time I returned home my mother was already preparing dinner. A bit of rice porridge was cooking on the hearth and small strips of cured beast meat were being sliced and placed onto one of our few remaining plates.  We were lucky, as not only had or house not been destroyed but the village food stores were in tact. Every villager had enough to eat. The meal was however a far cry from the feasts that we used to prepare when father came back from his hunting trips. I sat down for dinner and my mother served me my plate. She tried to force a smile but I saw her lips sink the moment she turned away.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to bring him back one day¡± I said, not sure why I brought it up, or how I could ever accomplish the task.

    ¡° Jeru, your father told me one day he might have to leave, and I don¡¯t hate him for it.¡±

    It was meant to comfort me but it made my insides twist in rage. He knew he might leave, he was an offworlder an upper planar titan, he knew he might have to leave and he told us nothing. My arm trembled trying to squeeze my wooden spoon into dust.  No warning of who he was or why he would go, may the thousand hammers of Arlen fall upon his head[1]. In that moment my determination to find him skyrocketed. I wanted answers more than I wanted my next breath.

    ¡°Still, someday I will find out why.¡±

    My mother gazed into my eyes and grabbed me as I was shoveling porridge into my mouth.  ¡°Don¡¯t hate him, and don¡¯t go leaving me too¡± she said letting go of me.

    She was strong in a way I didn¡¯t understand. How could she deal with the betrayal? Did she know he was an outworlder, should I tell her or would that only hurt her more.

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    ¡°Hey are you listening?¡± I heard her say.

    ¡° Of course mother."

    ¡° What did I just say¡± she asked.

    Murste caught, ¡°uhh uhh.¡±

    ¡° I was saying without your father how will you continue your studies.¡±

    My mother worked making garments for the village and while my dad was village guardian he had taken the time to teach me to read, write, do math and some beginning self-defense methods.

    ¡°I can teach myself¡± I answered not wanting to tell her about Edjudan in case she would put a stop to my training.

    ¡° I know you are a smart and capable child but without going to school no one here will treat you like one. So work three times as hard to prove them wrong¡±

    That¡¯s right without an element I was defective, and even with training I wouldn¡¯t have one, but I would work hard and find my own path.  That night I tossed and turned on my bedding, unable to wait to become strong.  Eventually morning came and I bolted back to the outskirts of the village, following the same path, crossing the gorge.

    My eagerness was clouding my common sense as I went deep into the forest.  I then heard a low and guttural growl but I thought it was a good distance away and I was close to the campsite so I continued my trek through the forest, quickening my pace. The next moment came without warning and I felt a searing pain in my back and three lines of unimaginable coldness spread from those points of pain.

    <hr />

    [1] Idiom originating from the Kingdom of Arlen referring to the wrath of the heavy hammers battalion

 Chapter 4 A stolen Technique

    I fell to my hands and knees wincing as I heard a loud thump. I turned around and saw another frostcat this one impaled to a tree, blood still dripping from the paw and obscuring its icy claws.

    ¡°What the hell tadpole!¡± I heard as I got to my feet still grimacing in pain.

    ¡°You were so eager to die you decided on a jaunt through a beast forest.¡± Edjudan¡¯s furrowed brow made him look like a grizzled general.

    ¡°Ah no I was coming to train and ughh I I was attacked.¡±

    ¡°You came this way yesterday?¡± I nodded.

    ¡°You were attacked yesterday?¡± again I nodded realizing where this was going.

    ¡°So you came back to the territory of a recently killed pack animal and were surprisingly attacked.¡± I was too distracted from my wound to mount a valid excuse.

    Edjudan grabbed me and popped off the top of a cylinder hung at his waist he poured the contents onto my back and down my throat. I instantly felt warm relief which morphed into a hot and uncomfortable sensation throughout my body which begun to throb and ache. That old spawn of Dreluk[1], snickered.

    ¡°Oh by the way this will hurt pretty bad hahha¡± his laugh was boisterous and probably heard for miles.

    ¡°Well since you are alive why don¡¯t we get started ehh.¡± He added.

    ¡° AGHHH what the hell was that¡± I yelled. The pain subsided and I realized the answer, my wound was no longer cold, I reached back and felt it was also no longer bleeding.

    The claw mark itself faded away beneath my hands till I could no longer tell that I had been attacked at all. Edjudan turned his back and sauntered back to the campsite, I sat there frozen for a second before running after him.

    ¡°Now we can start,¡± his half smirk gave me an unnerving feeling.

    ¡° Tadpole do you know a stance called the foundation or horse stance.¡±

    ¡° Yea---yes master,¡± I stammered still awestruck by my miracle healing.

    ¡°Ok, perform it.¡± He said.

    I brought my fists to my hips and bent by legs at the knees holding the stance. ¡° How long should I hold it?¡± I asked already feeling boredom set in.

    ¡°Hmm days are what 20 hours here¡­.5 days I suppose.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±, I stood up straight again, ¡°are you kidding?¡±

    The old man stared at me and I felt a smack to the back of my head without even seeing him move.

    ¡° Bah what unfilial tadpole, fine just do it as long as you can.¡±

    My frustration mounted but I resumed the pose as I kept thinking- its worth it to be strong, its worth it to be strong- albeit not totally convinced.

    ¡°Alright now while you train your body, we are going to train your mind.¡± Edjudan turned his back to me so I could not see his face.

    ¡° Why do you trust me?¡± he asked.

    I thought about it, he knew of my father, had taken an interest in helping me and saved my life. I wasn¡¯t sure what answer he was looking for. ¡° Because you saved my life¡­ I guess?¡±

    He kept his back to me but I saw his shoulders slacken. ¡° Foolish, you can¡¯t judge a persons motivations based on what they choose to show you.¡±

    ¡° Huh?¡± I asked.

    ¡° Think about it, I can tell you whatever I want about my relationship with your father and saving you is simple. It is possible there is something I want from you in the future or that I have a reason to harm you slowly¡­.. Never so easily trust it is a sure way to be tricked.¡±

    At this point I started to follow along with what he said but the unnerving feeling mounting in my gut was only matched by my level of confusion.

    ¡°In reality my relationship with your father wasn¡¯t simple, we were friends, enemies, rivals and at one point we tried to kill each other.¡±

    This revelation caused me to lose my focus and drop out of the horse stance, my legs grateful for the brief respite. Edjuan continued.

    ¡° I am not telling you this to scare you. In truth I came to ask your father for help, I sensed someone break into this plane and rushed over, it still took time to get here though.¡±

    I nodded at that, as it seemed reasonable.

    ¡°There are people worth trusting Jeru, I am not telling you to walk your paths alone but you must use your mind, logic, and other tools to determine who is your friend and who is your enemy. Don¡¯t be blinded by a days worth of kindness or fill with hatred from an unkind act.¡±

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    I stood in the horse stance for what seemed like an hour. Thinking through everything he told me. I believed he was worth trusting, not just because he told me these things, but because he told me before I relied on him. As I sat on the ground rubbing my sore legs I came to a conclusion on his question of trust.

    ¡° Teacher, I trust you because I have no choice.¡± At this he turned around for the first time since I started.

    ¡° I will trust you because I need strength and you have demonstrated the ability and knowledge to impart it¡±. He was smirking again.

    ¡° And I will not trust you blindly¡± I said as I once again tried to start doing a horse stance though not succeeding with proper form.

    ¡° Good, in that case I believe you will not get so easily killed and I can impart some skill. Heheheh¡± Edjudan replied.

    ¡° First know that this method is far from ideal¡± his face lost its annoying smirk and his tone took on a resounding seriousness. ¡° What I am about to teach you is a stolen technique from the Church of the Divine Will[2], ¡° So don¡¯t let them catch you with it. The technique is best used when someone has two opposite elements, life and death or chaos and order.¡± I nodded my eyes wide trying to burn each word into my brain.

    ¡° Usually someone will train their element and create their own internal technique, but if you were to train a chaos technique right now you would most certainly explode.¡± The color drained from my face.

    ¡° Now get into a meditative stance.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t explode right!¡± I blurted out.

    ¡° Hhahaha no at most it would cripple you if done poorly.¡±

    I sat down and folded my legs preparing to meditate even though my heart was pounding like a drum.

    ¡°Calm your mind and you will be fine. Now I will inject some energy into you, feel it move and try to push it towards your tired muscles.¡±

    I closed my eyes and felt Edjudan place his hands on my back, just like the healing medicine I felt a warmth rush into my body.

    The energy never got more uncomfortable though; it stayed centered in my back and washed over me. I sat there reveling in the comfortable feeling.

    ¡°Brat did I not tell you to move the energy¡± the old man¡¯s words were harsh but his tone remained placid, I heard his words but didn¡¯t exit my mentally focused state.

    I could feel the energy but had trouble grasping it. Each attempt was like grabbing at a cloud, the power rushing through my fingers. After some time passed I felt my skin tingle, goose bumps raised, I began to feel the flow of my blood and could sense the slowing of my heart. The cloud of energy soon felt like a small stone and I pushed the feeling down to my worn out legs the warm feeling dissipated and my legs stopped feeling sore and became like a stretched bow. They were light yet powerful ready to snap and fire, this urge took over and I quickly stood up.

    ¡° Very good, not bad for step one.¡± In one fell swoop my adulation plummeted.

    "Step one, step one , how hard is this going to get?¡± I asked.

    ¡° Oh not much harder, at this rate it may only take you 10 years.¡±

    My eyes went wide and I stood frozen.

    ¡° Hahahah, not bad for your first day, here take these books, read them and come back in 3 days time, your body needs to release the energy and you need to rest before we continue.¡±

    ¡° We are done for the Day?¡± I asked.

    ¡° Unless you plan on camping out you better rush home before it gets dark.¡±

    At that moment I Looked at the sky, Murste, the day was gone I had sat there for hours. I bowed to the old man and turned to rush back to the village.

    ¡° TADPOLE BRAT! Don¡¯t run through the beast forest without being on alert for beasts this time.¡± I heard the old man yell.

    Taking heed I slowed down a bit and checked my surroundings till I reached the gorge.

    [1]  Cursed Child of a Tribal Chieftain. Legend says he was responsible for the fall of his tribe and their extermination in the 1st Era.

    [2] Church of the Divine Will- Multiplane religious institution that wield great authority and a great deal of control over many universes

 Chapter 5 The difference between Chores and School

    I slipped into my house and went right to my bedding, I sat down an started going through the books Edjudan had given me.  Books were normally a rarity, if my father hadn¡¯t been so powerful I doubt I would have ever owned any. I thought I was familiar with the written word and the knowledge they contained; but two of the books Edjudan had given me were different. One was the history of the Church of the divine Will, the book was small, thin and the script was neat and very easy to read, colorful pictures adorned many pages. I glanced through the book and tried reading it.

    "[1]Church Of the Divine will

    For Aeons the Universe was a mystery but it was told to the prophet Orsule, in the time of the first cleansing, by the universe itself the truth of existence. This truth is the tenet of the church."

    The writing was dense and philosophical and bored me to tears so I put it down. The other odd book was simply called the Way of Eternity and it looked like a training and fighting manual, It was littered with diagrams and body stances. It was odd as the pictures looked incredibly life like and were not drawn by hand. I spent most of the night trying to grasp the methods and burn the images into my mind.  The last book was similar to one I owned it was a compendium on beasts but was thicker with more notes written in the margins.  I took greater care to read and re-read about the beasts of the central plains.[2]

    The next morning I got up slowly. I was groggy and had spent far too long reading, I was still bleary eyed and went to go eat breakfast.  There was no gentle waft of flavorful aromas. The hearth was cold and I saw a bowl of porridge sitting on the table.

    ¡°Murste¡± I mumbled.

    I had missed breakfast and morning all together, I slurped down the cold gruel like porridge and left to go look for Tora.  Not everyone in the village had to report to a village elder or do odd jobs. Many paid a tax, some were placed in permanent positions and paid directly by the Village.  I was a special case, being a minor and being unable to awaken an element.  The village center was adjacent to the shelter, an untouched island in a sea of reconstruction; fresh timber could be seen everywhere. . I found Tora, quill in hand, hastily scribbling in a giant ledger.

    ¡°Elder, I am here to report to work.¡±

    ¡°Ah Jeru, so nice of you to stop by¡± his tone was melodious and I could not tell is he was being genuine or sarcastic as it was late in the afternoon.

    Tora stood up his broad shoulders had slumped with age but his frame reflected the power he once wielded.

    ¡° Jeru, as the only child of age who is not in school. You have to work, seeing as you are still young it won¡¯t be anything to strenuous.¡±

    Tora was walking out of the village center now and I took to following behind him.

    ¡° Come with me to the river I will show you what you are doing.¡±

    We walked a little ways west of the village to a large stream the babbling of the water against the smooth rocks was peaceful and soothing.

    ¡°Your job will be to fill jugs and take them to the end of the gorge to fill the cisterns at the copper mines, then you will retrieve some of the refined copper from the forge and deposit it at the trading post.¡±

    Tora was still smiling and I did not think much of the task, the real issue would be how many trips I had to make.

    ¡° Now Jeru you can start today with 2 cisterns and 10 stones of copper, tomorrow 3 cisterns and 15 stones worth of copper, get it done before days end,¡±

    My eyes glazed over and visibly dulled as I mulled it over.

    On the one hand it was not a terrible amount, but it would still take hours and it would be grueling. Even the women were stronger than me as their bodies were nourished with the power of the elements. I knew all the carts in the village were being used by the merchants and workers who were rebuilding the village so he expected me to do this all by hand.

    ¡° Jeru,¡± my thoughts were interrupted by the elder ¡° Don¡¯t worry you only have to do this 8 days of the week[3] and I won¡¯t let anyone else bully you with more chores. Now please get started.¡± The elder met my eyes with his gentle look and briskly walked back towards the village.

    I knelt down and dipped the jugs in the cool stream then placed a wooden staff through the handles carrying them over my back.  I followed the edge of the village along the gorge till I reached the copper mines. I poured the jugs into the first cistern and my soul nearly shattered. The cistern had been filled by a little less than a quarter. This task alone would take awhile, I walked into the gorge and saw large puffs of black smoke painting the sky with billowing black clouds. The forge was in full swing. I called out and a giant man came and greeted me. He stood nearly 3 rods tall and his chest was thicker than a barrel. I recognized him as Erda¡¯s brother Tadroth.

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    ¡°Jeru, they got ya on stone mule[4] duties huh?¡± I nodded beads of sweat already dripping as the heat from the forge magnified my exhaustion.

    ¡°Well a man is only a man after a hard days work. Ingots are cooled on the racks back there make sure to grab the cooler ones.¡± His gravelly voice echoed in the gorge and I bowed thanking him for the tip.

    I grabbed 3 ingot bricks and placed them on a wooden sled so I could pull them to the trading post, the now empty jugs still draped from the staff around my shoulders. The trading post was fairly close to the gorge and I thanked the heavens for this small blessing. By this time I was more than a little winded and I took my time walking through the village on my way back to the stream.  I purposefully took a small detour near the village school, curious as to what the other children would be doing.

    The school consisted of a small building but a large walled off outside area. Climbing up one of the walls to peer over I saw everyone grouped by element. The water students of all ages were sitting by a man made lake, some were partially submerged some manipulating water others were polishing swords or spears. The earth students were around a group of large boulders. The darkness students were within the shadow of the building and a large tree but seemed to be having a much harder time gathering darkness essence .The Students of light were underneath a dome-covered gazebo which had a hole in the top and I saw them reach their hands into the center of the gazebo. It looked like they were grabbing threads of sunlight weaving it around their bodies.  The fire students were the most active running around on coals or the older students tossing fire between burning bonfires.  The air students were balancing or running across large wooden poles high above the ground, occasionally falling to sand below which elicited only a soft thump.  Everything else faded away as I watched the other kids. I saw Erda summoning pillars of earth trying to make each higher than the last. There was an air kid who was floating next to the pillars the occasionally red wisp of flame came his body and threw his floating off balance. It was all fascinating and I was more than a little jealous. I was so enthralled I did not hear a teacher approaching.

    I was grabbed from behind by the collar, as I was spun around I saw the tall pale woman who hoisted me off the ground. Her hand was covered in an inky blackness and she exuded so much pressure that I was having time taking in full breaths.

    ¡°This is no place for the likes of you. Go and get back to work now.¡± She didn¡¯t yell but her tone was cold the words were punctuated with an increased pressure I felt like I was almost choking unable to breathe.

    ¡° Yes Yes, thank you teacher I must be getting back to work now¡±.

    I gathered the jugs and started walking towards the stream again.  Sensing an element isn¡¯t hard, most children can do it by age 9 even slow ones by the age of 12. If someone cannot do it at all then there are defective, with some profound weakness or addled mind. Many people treated us with pity or some form of distance or apathy. That teacher though, I still felt her gaze on the back of my neck, she was like a viper ready to strike me down for merely existing in her presence.  I finished the rest of the work with increased vigor my muscles sore but I was more resolute than ever.  Jealousy and anger coursed through my veins; I wanted strength and I wanted it quickly.

    <hr />

    [1] The First few pages of the church are on the divine creation and role of man

    [2] Close to where Jeru Lives- Western edge of the Central plains specifically Seagreen Gorge

    [3] Time works differently as weeks are 10 days for a total of 40 weeks a year the Tenth day is usually a day of rest so Jeru actually has 1 extra day off.

    [4] Common domesticated beast, slow plodding pack mule whose appearance makes it look like it is shaped from jagged gray gravel.

 out of story - Writings of the Church of Divine Will

    *** warning the following is dense, you also don''t have to read to enjoy the story, but for those who like more background please enjoy*********

    Church Of the Divine will

    For Aeons the Universe was a mystery but it was told to the prophet Orsule by the universe itself the truth of existence this truth is the tenet of the church.

    Excerpt of  ¡°the Creation¡± from the first scroll.

    In the empty Aether there was nothingness. Nothingness was incomprehensible. It was minuscule but vast it was everything and it was nothing. This paradox birthed the idea of chaos. The chaos was and was not. Chaos could not truly exist on its own; as being alone patterns began to emerge in the chaos. These patterns created it¡¯s sister, Order.  The two existed in the absence of creation and their existence gave substance to the Universe. The two spun round and round unable to effect much of the nothingness.  The twin existences without will or reason gave birth to something new; something that was not nothingness something that combined both chaos and order. This new creation was Life.  Life needed a place to exist so it begat space into the nothing. This new growing mass of substance began to expand in the nothing and by expanding created the concept of time. Time passed until some of the new life reached an end, this brought forth the new force of Death.  These 6 truths lead to the existence of the high plane, the first universe.  These forces then moved through the universe and collided. New and wondrous forces were created, magnetism, sound, radiation and gravity. These split further into untold combinations and elements, which were broken into smaller combinations, lightning, ice, metal, wood. Until the basic and most pure of elements emerged these were the earth, fire, water and air. In their harmony there was a yin and yang two forces again swirling round and round these were the light and the dark.  This is the holy truth of creation.

    Treatise on Philosophy of man and his role in the planes ¨C attributed to 16th Grand Deacon of the Church of Divine will.In knowing the truth of what was, the role of man is to determine his place and future in regards to the divine truth.  What however is that role and where does it lead.

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    Knowing the divine truth of the universe it is plain to see that the one fundamental fact is that everything is maintained by balance. There is no chaos without order, no dark without light, no life without death. Surely then so must man find a place of balance in the universe. One cannot ignore his own evil and darkness nor can he deny his goodness and light. Though in many cases man must make a conscious effort to proliferate goodness and order as his natural tendencies and inborn desires skew toward primal and evil ends.  The second truth to the role of man is that he must seek to banish his own internal nothingness. If the universe has the 4 corners then man has his own fundamental forces; his speed, strength, spirit and intelligence. He must bring these attributes out in training both body and soul. So his powers may grow and in turn combat his own emptiness.  His deeds should maintain harmony with those around him as he maintains his own internal balance. In this way his benevolence and good works balance his sins and transgressions and man is one with each other and with the universe.

    Where does this established role lead man.  As we all exist within time it is hard to see where the future will lead. The clue we are given is the inherent harmony of the universe. If everything spins with its opposite force (light, dark, life death) then we must assume that all of everything lies within these revolving forces. If the nothing gave way to something it is clear that the ebb and flow between the two will one day recreate the coming of a new nothingness. This fact will weigh heavily on the mind of some, but it should not. For when the nothing comes man will truly be in harmony with all of everything and in that moment that time ceases to flow then all of Mankind will be in eternal harmony until everything is reborn again in the grand cycle of the next creation.

 out of story - Legend of the Seasons

    ***** Again, this is background Mythos, feel free to skip if you want ******

    First Season Is Ter

    Named for the Goddess of Earth Terram

    The New Year begins with preparing for and harvesting food. The harvest is important and sets the tone for the coming year.Terram is characterized as analytical and serious. She is benevolent yet prudent. She represents the earth itself.

    Ter lasts from New Year to the first equinox. ¡°Steady as the mountain¡±.

    Second season is Aquil

    Named for the Goddess of water Aquila

    Aquila is the Goddess of water and Aquil starts with the beginning of the rains, which lead to snow and ice in some areas. She is calm and patient, but may be cold and unforgiving. Aquil is a lean time where agriculture is put on hold. ¡°Deep as the endless snow¡±

    Third Season is Enla

    Named for the Goddess of the wind Enalla

    She is characterized as hopeful, playful, carefree. Enla begins around the first thaw and is a return to active planting. ¡° Carefree as a spring breeze¡±

    Fourth season is Ig

    Named for the Goddess of fire Ignilis

    She is characterized as ambitious,  restless, easily angered. Ig  Begins with the years second equinox. The season is characterized with lots to do maintaining crops ,and for some food an early harvest. ¡°Fierce as a roaring blaze"

    Legend of the Four Goddess and Birth of Seasons

    Long ago when man was very young survival was a struggle. The ground was hard and food was almost impossible to grow. People were at the point of exhaustion and would soon die out. Four young Goddess saw the plight of man and against the wishes of the other Gods used their powers to help. The First was Terram, she came to earth and gave her body to become the fertile lands. Food grew from the grounds and she gave everything to grow crops for the people. Everyone was grateful but ate more than their fill. As the crops were ceaselessly grown Terram began to grow weak. Seeing the pain of her sister, Aquila came to earth as a mighty cold so she could soothe Terram but because of this no crops would grow. People grew fearful that they would have no more food. Enalla, seeing her sister Aquila angry ,came to earth on a light breeze. She blew away the cold and comforted her sister Aquila while letting man start helping Terram to sow crops. Soon after Enala came, Ignilis came to earth with the light of the sun. With it she heated the Earth and gave her power to help grow the crops. In this way the balance of the seasons was created by the sacrifice of the four goddesses. Terram now produced crops, Aquila brought the cold to give the earth rest after harvest, Enalla came to tell man to sow the seeds of next harvest and Ignilis then arrived to provide the power to cultivate the crops. These seasons were named for the Goddesses Ter, Aquil, Enla and Ig.

 Chapter 6 A brief Battle

    The next day started off much better. I was up before the sun getting a cistern filled before the heat could sap my strength. I was starting to breathe according to what I had read in the way of Eternity manual. In through the nose the air expanding my lungs before I let it slowly flow through my mouth.  I repeated the breathing deep breath, short, short, deep. The pattern taking all of my focus though I occasionally messed up or held the breath for too long.  The day carried on normally until midday, I took a slight detour around the school so the Shadow Dreluk wouldn¡¯t spot me, but I saw a group of kids who must have been taking a break for lunch.

    They seemed to be crowded around something and pushing through the crowd I saw what it was.  Erda was gasping for breath her face looking a little swollen and her clothes covered in dirt.  Skerk was running around her whipping dust up behind him. His feet were covered in orange flames, wisps of black leaking out, as he darted around Erda. The pace was something I could barely follow. Erda it seemed was having similar issues.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You are not such a show off now.¡± Skerk said as he ran around her again and tugged her braid; as she lashed out with a backhand.

    Her eyes were filled with rage but her panting was getting worse as spike after spike burst through the earth not being able to touch Skerk. Erda grit her teeth and tried summoning a wall of earth. The formation of a wall began as a giant wave of earth rose from the ground, but the skill seemed beyond her and it quickly dissipated to dust. Skerk using his blistering speed took advantage of this opportunity to get behind her and punch her in the back. The flames ignited on his hands and the punches rained down upon her till she was beaten to the ground.

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    When she hit the ground I rushed at Skerk. My hands gripped the wooden staff I was using to carry the jugs and I smacked him with a loud thud as the staff splintered. He stumbled but didn¡¯t fall as he turned around.

    ¡°You again! Get out of here coward¡¯s son.¡±

    I didn¡¯t move and Skerk was almost instantly within my reach as a fist lashed out and struck me in the bridge of the nose, I was reeling in pain but never got the chance to fall down as three more five more who knows how many more punches collided with my face.

    My breathing was ragged and blood pooled around me. Skerk didn¡¯t say anything neither did the other kids. I was not sure if they felt pity or if my gruesome appearance made them nauseous. Either way, the group dissipated and I helped Erda up.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t get involved Jeru.¡± I heard her say he voice quivering with her labored breathing.

    ¡° I was just trying to help¡±.

    My heart was heavy and my vision was blurry as tears welled up.

    ¡° They are only going to get stronger, stay away from them, a fight is no place for you¡±  she said, as she pushed me off and struggled back to the school grounds.

    I was in agony. My face was bruised, battered and bleeding, but it was my heart that was heavy. It beat so hard I felt my pulse in my ears. Hatred I could take, I could hate someone back, like that horrid teacher. Pity though was somehow worse, especially since I knew that right now she was right, a fight was no place for me.  I spent the rest of the day doing the chores while seething. I went home early to avoid dinner and seeing my mother. By the light of a candle I paced back in forth in my room, practicing the Eternal Way movements.

 Chapter 7 Every Action every breath ripples through Eternity

    The next morning I grabbed some beast meat and headed to Edjudan¡¯s campsite.  This time I was moving slowly. There were deep claw marks on a tree in front of me. Hmm judging by the shape and height they belonged to a small beast that had peeled away the bark swipe by swipe. After reading the compendium I knew that predatory beasts sometimes sharpened their claws on the trees; especially if those claws were formed from their elemental affinity.  I took a deep breath and backed away from the area taking a round about way to the campsite.  I looked around but Edjudan wasn¡¯t around.

    ¡°Hey Old man where are you.¡±

    ¡°That is master you insolent tadpole.¡± I heard Edjudan reply from behind me.

    ¡° So you are not stupid, though certainly a little na?ve. Good to know.¡±

    ¡° What who said I was stupid?¡± I said my forehead creasing.

    ¡° Well you fought with the fire element kid, your breathing is shit, but you did avoid the beast territory. So, seems like you at least have the capacity to learn.¡± Edjudan¡¯s tone was serious but his eyes were twinkling, at this point I knew replying would grant me a smack and a large guffaw from the old man. So I bit my tongue.  ¡°Nothing to say, good let¡¯s get started.¡±

    I took a horse stance and waited for instructions.

    ¡°Who told you to do that? Get over here.¡±

    I stopped and walked over.

    ¡°Hahaha you sure took a few good hits, hmm this might work though.¡± Edjudan said.

    A cracking noise sent shivers through my spine as I felt my nose being pushed around, my face was also repeatedly poked by hands moving so fast I couldn¡¯t see them. Warmth spread through each point on my face, and I assumed my bruising was dissipating.

    When Edjudan was done I felt good for a moment then I realized I could not take in a breath. My nose felt blocked and my mouth could no longer suck in air. I was panicking now, trying to gasp but being unable to do so. I felt a gentle tap on my head and looked at Edjudan my eyes wide and my face turning blue.

    ¡°Relax, clear your mind and breathe according to the way of Eternity.  Focus on each nostril left then right, deep left breath, short right breath, short left, deep right.¡±

    I was breathing now but I looked at the Old Man with a searing scowl. He glanced at me then start drawing a circle on the ground around 3 rods in diameter.  I was afraid to start talking so I kept inhaling and exhaling.

    ¡°Hahha you can talk without dying tadpole, but this really is the best way to learn. Your breath needs to be like two circles like a figure eight the symbol for eternity, you were somewhat close the other day but not enough to gather any energy. This was the quickest method.¡±

    His explanation caused my anger to melt away. The quickest way.

    ¡° Fine, I need the quickest way, what do I do next." I said.

    ¡° Patience, you are not eager for revenge that badly are you?¡±

    I pondered the question, was I eager?

    ¡°Hey wait, were you following me this whole time?¡±

    ¡°Like I said na?ve, but it seems you are not hopelessly stupid. Of course I was.¡±

    The old man was standing there with his trademark smirk again.

    ¡° I saw you do your daily work, I saw that teacher grab you, your poor breathing and that flame kid break your nose.¡±

    I clenched my fists and was about to yell when I realized I was choking again. I quickly resumed my breathing method; calming my mind in the process.

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    ¡° Bwahahaha I like you better like this.  Besides, I asked you a question, do you want revenge?¡±

    My eyes went wide and without a second thought I nodded that I did.

    ¡° Time for a lesson then¡± He pointed to the circle. ¡°This circle is part of your training and it contains many lessons. The first of which is that every action someone takes is like a stone cast into a calm lake.¡±

    He mimed throwing a stone in the circle and the ground itself inside the circle rippled with what looked like waves. Ignoring my surprise he continued.

    ¡° Each action no matter how small carries its own ripple sometimes with unforeseen consequences. You could fight that boy and win. Down the road an enemy the boy may have defeated may then become the enemy that slays you. You may act cocky in front of a beggar and he could be an expert that ends your life. I am telling you these things because you yourself are a ripple of my actions and in training you I want to see what chaos and ripples you bring to the universes. You have more in common with that boy than you have differences and I assure you your nose would have needed to be broken regardless.¡±

    I was pondering the point when I asked, ¡° So you don¡¯t want me to take revenge?¡±

    He stroked his beard ¡° It is more than that. I do not care who you slaughter. I just do not want you acting lightly. Just know each action taken carries ripples, not all of which can be predicted. Half measures ,like leaving an enemy alive, usually make for larger waves. Is your enmity so great with the teacher that you would kill her?¡±

    I shook my head ¡°Of course not.¡±

    ¡° But you want to put her in her place, what if that makes her brother want to kill you; or makes her sneak into your house and kill your mother? From watching you I have seen the shadow you carry in your heart about inferiority. Your image is not your weakness but your strength.¡±

    By this point I was trying to put everything together but was becoming increasingly lost in the labyrinth of Edjudan¡¯s words.

    ¡° There are benefits to appearing weak, being unnoticed and there are consequences to acts of violence and feats of strength. I do not ask you not to act, only to realize that all your actions ripple through the universe.  Now that I have given my lesson I want you to walk the circle according to the Way of Eternity.¡±

    My focus on the circle intensified and I tried to remember the odd mud walking and heel to toe movements as I walked the perimeter of the circle. My foot occasionally dug too deep into the earth or I was hit with a backhand if my movements did not contain a fluid uniformity. I continued this for the rest of the day. My body was dripping with sweat as the sun began to fade.

    ¡°Hmmm good enough for now, do this during your village chores from now on, you make walk a semi-circle. Come back here in 10 days.¡±

    ¡°10 days, what about the next step of my breathing, what about becoming strong aren¡¯t you going to teach me something else.¡± I asked.

    Then immediately started to duck reflexively but a slap still rung out and knocked me off my feet.  After that I returned home and told my Mother I was tired after my long day of chores and was going to bed.

 Chapter 8 Around and Around

    The sun came up the next morning and joined my mother for breakfast.

    ¡° Did you stay up reading again.¡± She asked.

    ¡°Uh no, of course not.¡± I answered.

    There may have been some reading. My lack of sleep though was from waking up gasping for air when my breathing pattern relaxed.

    ¡°Mmhmm guess your eyes are just naturally bloodshot,¡± She smirked.

    How did she do that; crack a smile and go on as if nothing had changed.  Breakfast continued a little longer, we caught up on what chores I had been assigned and she assured me I could do with my earnings what I pleased. I frowned at that.

    ¡°I want to help out.¡± I said.

    ¡° Hhaha you doing chores and not getting in to more trouble is all the help I need. Now go get started, here take some tokens[1] for lunch.¡±

    ¡° Trouble, me? I wouldn¡¯t dream of it.¡± I laughed as I left the house.

    I arrived at the stream a short while later and started filling the water jugs. The only staff around seemed fairly heavy; I just shrugged and continued on. I paused for a second to recall the steps to the way of eternity. I stamped my right foot to the ground and pushed off with my left , the weight of the water jugs threw off my weight distribution and I had to take an extra step.  As I was steadying myself a piece of parchment landed in front of me. It read ¡°Balance or else.¡±

    I ignored it thinking Edjudan was still spying on me. My next step was sliding my left foot back around my right and I did not push off enough to make the motion fluid with the added weight. The ground around me shook and a small sinkhole formed. I fell to the ground and smashed one of the jugs.  I heard a faint rumbling and assumed somewhere far far away, Edjudan was laughing with wild abandon.

    ¡°Murste¡± I shouted turning around to get another jug.

    I got a little further with my new jug until another parchment landed at my feet. This one said ¡° Balance and dodge.¡±

    The blood rushed from my face and I looked around, from the corner of my right eye I saw a small stone coming towards me. I took a step, sliding my feet and turning my body to the side, the stone smashed my left water jug.

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    I shouted ¡°Ahhhh how is this training? You goddess forsaken spawn of Dreluk.¡±

    My shout was met with silence and I started the process again.  At one point I made a successful trip to the cistern and went to grab the copper ingots, I went to grab a wooden sled to transport the copper. All I saw were some wrappings and a sack with a note.

    ¡°One set of copper must be worn and only deposited at the end of the day.¡±

    I slapped my own forehead. I asked for more training, this was my fault. Aghh, the other kids were jumping on poles and playing in water. What was this; I shook my head but relented knowing an exploding paper or hail of rocks could strike me down if I continued hesitating.  Wearing three ingots added an extra 1.5 stones[2]

    Fortunately the next few trips were without major incidents but I was exhausted and could not finish all the day¡¯s chores. Because I had to catch up on my chores there were no days off in my future.

    I didn¡¯t get through an entire day¡¯s assignment until the 7th day. By day eight there were no warnings. Rocks came at all times from every angle. My body spun constantly, 180 degrees, 360. Sometimes small quarter turns, occasionally I would have to jump or duck.

    Stop, start,left turn, jump,right turn, right turn, duck. My path looked like calligraphy at this point. I stamped the ground hard or skimmed it with my toe, my mud walking left a gouge in the earth when I needed to slow my speed or stop my spin. Each sharp turn lead to a quicker push off on each subsequent step; there was a rhythm. My speed was not dramatically faster but I couldn¡¯t wipe the smirk off my face. I felt in control; each breath and movement was in harmony.

    <hr />

    [1] Seagreen Gorge like most moderate sized villages in Arlen uses an internal money system to control taxes, inflation and exchange rates. ( tokens can be exchanged for food or goods inside the village and at the trade post for raw materials. Value is controlled by the Village Council of elders)

    [2] A stone is approximately 10 lbs.

 Chapter 9 There is no end

    By the time I met up with Edjudan again I was walking tall.  I balled my fists in anticipation. What would I learn next, some amazing fighting techniques some punches that could shatter stone.

    Ejudan looked at me with his trademark smirk. ¡°Oh, the tadpole seems a little too pleased with himself.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± I shrugged. ¡°I took your little training session I can move in the way of eternity and I can even breath without thinking about it.¡±  I laughed. ¡°What¡¯s next.¡±

    ¡°Next?¡± Edjudan wiped his brow. ¡° We have barely even started. Now put this on.¡±

    He shoved a dark black tunic into my hands.  The weight of it must have eclipsed 5 stones, but the material itself was soft. ¡°I have to wear this?¡±

    Edjudan didn¡¯t speak he just looked at me. I put the tunic on, and I felt heavy, sluggish, slow.

    The old man grabbed a staff and traced an eternity symbol in the ground, it seemed smaller than the half circles I was used to. ¡° Hahaha you think you are already done with movement?¡± his laugh shook me to the core ¡°Eternity is infinity each move can become smaller increasingly forever each turn each dodge only what is necessary for the attack. Now begin!¡±

    I started trying to perform the movements.  I was out of balance each toe drag dug to deep, I couldn¡¯t turn my body quick enough nor could I stop the momentum and stay in the smaller figure eight pattern.  My muscles began to ache and sweat dripped from every pore.

    The old man looked on until I collapsed. ¡° The weight saps your strength by why are your movements off?¡± He asked.

    I knew I needed a right answer or I would be smacked. ¡° The water jugs.¡± I said, looking into his eyes for evidence I was on the right track. ¡° Without using the momentum of the swinging weight it is harder to shift my balance or gain momentum.¡±

    Edjudan cocked his hand back and I tensed up until he lowered his hand. ¡° Good, you haven¡¯t mastered anything yet but your answer is promising.¡± His body took on a soft white glow and he rotated his own body in a small figure eight pattern, turning and moving at incredible speed. ¡° If you can¡¯t create momentum or a fulcrum with buckets there are ways to generate force using internal energy.¡±

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    I clenched my fists and strained my breathing, but nothing happened. ¡°How do I use the energy I have been gathering.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not there yet tadpole.¡± He answered. ¡°For now you should feel a little energy each time you complete a cycle of breathing. Now feel that energy and try to move it to specific muscles.¡±

    I stood for a long time each breath did replenish my stamina but I could not feel any part of my body recovering quicker than any other.

    ¡°Take your time, once you can separate and control the energy start to do it while moving .¡±  Edjudan demonstrated again this time only portions of his body glowed as spun and turned. ¡°Work on this until you can do it instinctively then you can return here.¡±

    ¡°How long will that take?¡± my patience seemed to wane.

    Boom I was knocked to the ground.  I collected myself instead of screaming in outrage. Edjudan was right. I couldn¡¯t rush this if I wanted strength I had to listen and work hard for it.

    ¡°Keep the tunic wear it for your chores.¡± Edjudan then reached into a large sack by his tent and pulled out two large buckets. ¡°You will also use these instead of the jugs from now on, hold them without using a staff.¡±

    I grabbed the buckets they were heavy.  This would make things difficult. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to keep practicing the way of eternity while I carry these?¡± I asked.

    Edjudan¡¯s face lit up. ¡°Yes, and switch to figure eights instead of semi circles, should make things more fun.¡±

    My thoughts ran in a thousand different directions; how to turn without spilling how to carry the heavy buckets, how much longer each trip would take moving in the eternity path. My chores were instantly tripled in difficulty. My body lurched and I let out a long sigh.

    ¡°See you later tadpole.¡± Edjudan said as he walked into his tent and left me there.

 Chapter 10 A Standstill and Opportunity

    My training had continued for many weeks and Ig[1] was slowly giving way to the coming year.  It had taken awhile but I was now able to spin and turn at high speed without the buckets spilling. Compared to when I started the results were immense. I was able to complete twice the amount of chores even with the increased difficulty.

    My elation subsided however as I started thinking about my progress. I stopped being able to add more weight and my explosive growth had waned. I felt like I was coming to a standstill. While I was walking home pondering these questions, I ran into Erda.

    It had been at least 60 days since we had last spoken.

    She looked at me and lowered her head. ¡°Sorry about last time.¡±

    My countenance softened as I replied. ¡° No, you were right. I had no business getting involved. I was weak.¡± I straightened up my body.

    I looked at this girl, younger than me. Her shoulders slumped, her posture. She was scared.

    She continued. ¡° I didn¡¯t mean to call you helpless, Its just¡­¡± She shook her head, I could see her eyes watering. ¡° When people take on too much when they try to do things the can¡¯t do they¡­ they just end up gone.¡±

    I thought about her words. I remembered what master had taught me, each action a ripple. Why did she think this way; why was she afraid? The realization struck me harder than a blow from a black iron war-hammer. Her parents had died.  She was all-alone with her brother and she was afraid of losing people.

    I put my hand on her shoulder. ¡° I know you think I¡¯m weak. You think I should just stay in the village, but I can¡¯t.¡±  I took off my black outer tunic and let it hit the ground with a large thud leaving an indentation in the soft earth.

    I stood there wearing a thin blue shirt and performed a small figure 8, weaving and turning at a speed I had never accomplished before. My body felt lighter than ever. My body radiated warmth, it felt soothing.

    Erda¡¯s eyebrows lifted and she clasped her hands to her mouth. ¡°How can you move that fast and why do I feel power coming from you?¡±

    My mouth went wide. It wasn¡¯t all in my head. I had demonstrated some tangible results. ¡°I told you, one day I will be able to protect myself. One day I will be able to hold my head up high and leave this village.¡±

    She nodded. Before she could speak however I heard something move behind me. I turned my head. Skerk was there. Did he just follow Erda around? His feet were already glowing with wisps of orange flame.

    ¡° I don¡¯t know how you move like that, but I want to see how effective it really is.¡± The moment he finished speaking he was already within 1 rod of me.

    I twisted left and pushed all my energy to my right foot I kicked off instinctively and began a full left turn. Skerk rushed to where I had been and I slipped past his now burning fist. I swung a backhand at his head and hit him.

    His reaction was not what I expected. He shuddered a bit then bolted to the right he was already well out of range.

    ¡°Not bad.¡± He said, actually smiling. There was no trace of damage and he seemed genuinely excited I had hit him. ¡° I don¡¯t know about your father, but at least you really aren¡¯t a coward.¡±

    What the heck was going on? He rushed at me again this time a little quicker than before. I planted my feet and executed the figure eights with my upper body. My torso spinning and weaving as a  flurry of fists came toward me.

    I dodged many but a few struck me lightly as I twisted into them to ruin the point of contact. I swung out again with a straight right but stopped my fist when I saw a burning hand in front of my face.  I wasn¡¯t hit. He did not follow through; he halted his fist in front of my face before lowering it and stepping back.

    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    I was a little out of breath but had not been dealt any lasting damage.  The smaller boy Skerk started laughing which degenerated into childish giggling.

    ¡°That was pretty cool! How did you move like that? It was pretty fast. Was that an element it didn¡¯t look like one?¡± The barrage of rapid question was punctuated for only a moment as he took in a long breath. ¡°Hmm if you had an element you would be stronger than me. Can you teach me that? I guess you can be my follower if you get better.¡±

    Erda¡¯s face lit up once the confrontation ended. She raised her hand and a wave of soil half a rod high swept towards Skerk, knocking him on his backside ending his rapid fire questioning. ¡° So annoying.¡± She muttered.

    I looked from her back to him. What was going on? This had been my first interaction with the other children in a long time and I was at a loss for words.  I gave voice to my confusion. ¡° What is going on?¡±

    Skerk took in another long breath but Erda shot him a look and spoke first. ¡°Tora has been tracking your progress. He says in 3 years there will be a kingdom wide conscription for the Arlen military and that you might be able to enroll.¡±

    The conscription was a chance to attend a military academy; which would mean honor, respect and a way to support my mother and the village. It was something I had come across in my reading, something I never thought I could qualify for.  What had Tora seen to make him think I had the potential, what did he know?

    Skerk broke me from my ruminations. ¡° He said you need to show an element first though.¡±

    I slumped again I couldn¡¯t do that. Wait, why did he say show why not unlock. Was that a direct quote? Was that a deliberate hint to fake it.  I studied Skerk¡¯s face. Well whatever it was he hadn¡¯t been aware of the importance of that comment.

    Skerk kept going. ¡°You are certainly more interesting than before...but I don¡¯t think you are strong enough yet. Still, hahaha I''m glad Tora told us to tell you.¡±His voice grew softer and he began mumbling." Very fun, not a waste of time. I wonder if...."

    Erda cut him off. ¡°Even our village academy is a dangerous place.¡±  Her arms were crossed with her hand on her forearms. ¡° You still don¡¯t have to do this.¡±

    I noted her behavior. Hmm I mused, how to fake an element and would I be able to compete. There were so many questions I wanted to run by Edjudan.

    ¡°I need to think and I need more time to train.¡± I watched them as they reacted. Skerk kept a half smile plastered on his face and Erda looked away then gave me a half hug before she turned and walked off.

    Skerk again closed the gap to me in a moment but I didn¡¯t react this time.

    He leaned in. ¡° I really do want to see if you can get faster.¡± He locked eyes with me. ¡° I won¡¯t let you be stronger though¡­.I¡¯m going to be the best.¡±

    He turned around and followed Erda. ¡°Hey wait for me.¡± Skerk said, before breaking into a light jog.

    ¡°Ughh leave me alone.¡± Erda shouted as the two disappeared.

    In less than a year I had come a long way but my training was not progressing and I needed a way to unlock or fake elemental power. The last few meetings with my teacher had all been odd games and getting smacked around. Still I knew I had to ask him about my training pace no matter what torture that would bring.

    [1] Equivalent to Summer the end of the calendar year before the new Harvest.

 Chapter 11 Break through or break down

    Chapter 11 Break through or break down

    I could hear insects chirping around me as I carefully trekked through the beast forest. Edjudan had made a game of moving his campsite around and having me track it down.

    I hiked deeper into the forest than I had ever gone before. There were broken twigs lying around but no tracks or animal droppings.  It seemed I was on the right trail.  I heard a loud clicking noise ahead of me. The sound echoed and my legs stiffened.

    What made that racket? I began to parse through the possibilities. The clicking grew louder and I started to hear variations in the noise. I scrambled up a large tree and slowed my breathing.

    Multiple noises, hmm pack animal. Sounds like stone on stone. Not from hoofs. Jaws smacking together, loud enough to be noticed, no pauses between¡­.so not prey.

    I narrowed it down to a few beasts trying to gather more information.  Sweat beaded on my forehead and I caught a glimpse of one of the beasts.

    It stood almost 2 rods tall, body composed of pink semi translucent hunks of stone. The creature looked hewed from stone itself, it had narrow limbs and frame which still gave off an expression of raw power. It gave me the impression of a stone dagger come to life.

    Not from the central plains¡­hmm nearby. Could be from western mountains.

    I almost clapped my hands. Yes of course, Agrodosils better known as stone munchers.  The beasts were scavengers and had rows of flat teeth to smash apart the earth type animals of the mountains.

    By the four goddesses what are they doing here?

    The beasts fanned out around the base of the tree I was hiding in.  I counted three of them and the tree swayed and shook with a loud crack as they took turns ramming it.

    Why would scavenger beasts be this far from their territory, be this aggressive? Not important, options¡­ options. To fast to cleanly outrun¡­hmm

    The tree dipped and its roots were ripped from the ground. I leapt from the tree and rolled as I landed. I sprinted toward the trail that I hoped would lead me to Edjudan.

    The three beasts followed after me, quickly closing the gap.

    A smaller one reached me first and I lunged forward and to the right, its jaws speared and missed my back just to the left.  The next one chomped at me on my right and I dug my toe and spun around it.

    I was now facing the third stone muncher and I darted towards it. The beast came at me and I shifted my weight to my back foot and spun my body again. My fist whipped out by habit. I heard a crack and saw the beast knocked off course as some pinkish flecks fell from its hide.

    Globs of blood dripped from my hand and a faint white glow radiated around my fist.  My eyes were wide and focused on my hand. The beasts surrounded me and I began to back up slowly. Two beasts then lunged at me from my right and left. I started to swing my body and spin, the left one got to me first and made contact with it''s snout, barreling into me. I used the impact to spin around the other beast.

    I clutched my side. Ughh I, felt my ribs radiating intense pain, broken. I continued backing up as the three beasts took turns lunging at me.  Despite the I was somehow avoiding the blows carving the earth with each slide and step I took.

    The onslaught continued, but even from multiple directions the stone munchers couldn¡¯t get more than a glancing blow.   Neither of us could do any real damage to the other but the balance shifted as my energy faded.

    Without warning the attacks stopped. The beasts backed off and bolted into the brush.  I fell to my knees panting and wheezing holding my side.

    ¡°About time old man.¡± I said through clenched teeth.

    Edjudan emerged from behind me. ¡°That¡¯s oh great master, oh great master not old man.¡±

    ¡°Why did you do that?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Save your life, who knows?¡± He replied his smirk draped across his face.

    ¡°Bring those things here, make them attack me. Some combination of the two.¡± I replied. My scowl interrupted by the occasional wince from the pain.

    He raised his hands and tossed me a healing salve. ¡° Hahahah now why would you say that?¡±

    I took in a deep breath before I gulped down the salve and poured the rest over my wounds. ¡°Scavenger animals not from the area or acting normally, crazy old man. It adds up.¡±

    Edjudan let out a sigh. ¡°Well you got halfway on your own I guess I can clear it up for you.¡± He grabbed me by the arms and picked me off the ground. ¡°Focus all your energy into your hand and hit me.¡±

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    ¡°No problem.¡± I replied and threw a right hook at the old man.

    He caught me by the wrist and held me there. ¡° Need I say more?¡±

    I didn¡¯t pull my fist back, I just stood there and stared at my hand.  My hand pulsed with a white glow.

    ¡°Congratulations on step two and step three.¡±  He let go of my fist and continued. ¡° You maxed out the limit of your normal muscle growth. Right now they are at peak efficiency that was step two.¡±

    That explained my bottleneck, the limit of my physical capacity.

    Edjudan looked at me but kept explaining. ¡° Step three is a bit trickier, so the easiest method was to put you in a life or death situation. Your muscles can only generate so much power, that glow you see is your internal energy the power of your breath manifesting on your body."

    I shrugged and started looking at my fist but the glow dissipated. I started throwing punches trying to make my hand glow again.

    ¡° Ok ok tadpole.¡± He stroked his beard. ¡°Think of your body as one of your buckets, it can only hold so much power so much water. That glow enhances your physical strength but think of it as another bucket filled with its own water.¡± He was laughing now.

    Everything clicked into place and I started to formulate questions. ¡°How do I use this and can I fake an element with it?¡±

    The old man rubbed his temples. ¡°Wow master thank you for helping me get this far how can I ever repay you.¡± He said, pausing to see how I reacted. ¡°Ugh ungrateful little.¡±

    I got on my knees and interrupted. ¡°Sorry master and thank-you.¡± I plastered a wide smile then continued. ¡°So Can I fake an element with this?¡±

    ¡°Hmmpf, with this alone it may be tricky.¡±  Edjudan started pacing back and forth. ¡° As you know this plane has two types of element users, warriors and mages. Warriors use their elements to enhance their bodies and sometimes their weapons. They can also specialize in a specific area. That short kid who keeps beating you is definitely a fire attributed pure speed type.¡±

    I was aware of the concept, and nodded.

    He continued on. ¡°The mage type are much more varied they not only specialize in whatever skill they were born knowing but can also learn and customize a number of spells or skills based on their elements and affinities.  That girl, the somodunamologist¡¯s[1] ideal is one of those.¡±

    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Soma-what?¡±

    My body reacted and I ducked, a book still struck me in the temple not quite knocking me down.

    ¡° When I give you a book to read you read the damn book!  Anything else you skimmed or forgot?¡±

    I rubbed my head. ¡°

    You keep giving me things to read, I¡¯m supposed to remember all of it? Where do you keep getting these books from anyway.¡±

    I really had tried but in the last 60 days the old man had demanded I read tons of books. Tactics, beast compendiums, topics I never heard of and even ideas that did not pertain to my plane.

    Edjudan was mumbling something but I couldn¡¯t hear him. ¡° You better absorb the information by reading it or I will beat the knowledge into you.¡± A sneer spread across his face.

    I trembled a little. Probably a joke, but not something I wanted to test.

    Edjudan walked towards me and put his hand on my shoulder. ¡° With the skills you have now you could join a village school in a few years and might be able to fake enough to not be viewed as a simpleton.  Your speed and strength are just too lacking to be a warrior and your lack of any spells are a dead give away to not being a mage.¡±

    True at best I was weaker than a warrior and lacked  the versatility of a mage.  My heart started to beat faster . ¡° Is there no way then?¡±

    Edjudan paused ¡° Hmm we will have to stop taking it easy. Let your Mother know you will be staying somewhere else for the next half a year.¡±

    Taking it easy?

    What part of anything I had done was easy. ¡°There is a way then?¡±

    Excitement shook me to the core, the prospect of being strong. The anticipation evaporated quickly though as I remembered what the old man said¡­ No more taking it easy. What was I getting into.

    <hr />

    [1] Somadunamology- Is a concept from another plane. It is a science or pseudoscience that states a persons elemental affinities or gifts can be ascertained from their physical appearance.

 out of story- Discourse on Somadunamology

    Another out of story addition.  (no need to read if you don''t want to,  also dense material)

    (excerpt from one Jeru''s assigned readings)

    Conversations on Somodunamology

    a discourse between 1. Ulumat of Erendil 2. Boro 3. Mildur Hadbane

    1 A body consists of its base elements as well as the power absorbed from the outside world. This power must be unconsciously absorbed from a young age and therefore should affect the growth and shape of the body. This is why earth element users are usually of broad stature, air are lithe and light creatures, fire are powerful and imposing and water smaller and unassuming

    2 This idea seems to be anecdotal and does not account for the myriads of variation found in people. The fat air user, the gaunt fire user,  the earthen beauty or water giant.  Though one seems to be able to make a guess of an element looking at a person there is no universal physical characteristics that can separate someone.  The physical form may be more clearly related to diet or heraldry.

    3 I agree to some extent with both speakers. For me the issue is as follows: are there unseen elements. Does the earthen beauty not resemble a porcelain doll. Maybe there are lesser and greater elemental combinations to the unseen eye or still completely unseen elements. These may account for physical variations outside of common beliefs.

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    2 If that is truly the case then the study of physical manifestations is indeed a fools errand as there is no way to see or classify the unseen in each person, even then the role of heraldry is most likely the predominant precursor to physical traits.

    1 Taking the assertion of unseen elements as truth doesn''t the practice have more value? Though more difficult isn''t the prospect of discovering a mans power as well as future potential a valuable endeavor. Judging someone on sight may currently be imperfect but this does not mean the practice itself doesn''t warrant further study.

    3 An interesting practice but not one I think should be relied on in life or death combat. For what easier way to be skewered by an earth lance than charging what looks like a slender air user.

 Chapter 12 Permission to enter Purgatory

    I spent all night trying to figure out how I could convince my mother

    to let me go train. I knew the conversation wouldn¡¯t be any easy one

    ,but I couldn''t just leave my mother without talking to her.

    I woke up early the next morning. Using a flint, I started a

    fire in the hearth and began cooking some rice porridge.  While it was

    cooking, I swept out the living room, making sure the house was as tidy

    as possible.

    I didn¡¯t hear my mother enter the room and she startled me.  ¡°Ok, what do you want?¡±

    I threw my hands up in mock outrage. ¡°What, can¡¯t I be a good son and make breakfast for you?¡±

    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Aww, you are not the least bit subtle, now

    what is it?¡± She went to check on the rice porridge and continued. ¡°Was

    it another fight, you didn¡¯t break anything?¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°No I didn¡¯t break anything.¡± I looked down at the ground and paused. ¡°But I was wondering¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah ha I thought so.¡± She replied.

    I steeled my resolve. ¡°I was wondering if I could leave the village to train for half a year.¡±

    My mother stopped what she was doing and walked over to me. ¡°Now what makes you think I would ever agree to that.¡±

    I balled my fist, a bitter taste took root on my tongue and my

    heart pounded. ¡° I... I need to get stronger, I need to find a way to

    stand on my own and I need to do it quickly.¡± I took a deep breath and

    slowed down. ¡°Tora said I might have a chance to enter school, but I

    can¡¯t do that as I am now.¡±

    She made eye contact with me, I

    could see them misting. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be strong, you don¡¯t have to

    go anywhere.¡± She pulled me into a tight embrace. ¡°You can just stay

    here in this village, you could be happy here.¡±

    I let her hold

    me for a little while, but I wanted to be taken seriously.  I tried to

    break away, each attempt using more strength, but I could not break free

    from her hug.  My frustration was mounting and I somehow activated the

    white glow. The added boost still wasn''t enough, all it did was alert my

    mother I was trying to break free.

    She let go and stopped sobbing. ¡°You almost broke free there.¡±

    Her eyes were wide.

    My mother was not a very strong mage but she

    had always towered over my physical power because of my lack of

    element. I knew I had her full attention now.

    ¡° I can¡¯t tell you how ,but I have a way to get stronger so I can stand

    on my own.  It something I have to do.¡±

    The silence felt

    palpable, like an oppressive gulf between us.  I could see her running

    through things in her mind. Her face morphing from surprise to concern.

    ¡° You¡­¡± She stopped her voice quivering. ¡° You promise you will be

    safe.¡±

    I nodded, trying to hide just how much this training terrified me.

    ¡°Well

    at least you let me know you were leaving, already better than your

    father.¡± She let out an awkward laugh but the tension remained. ¡° Go

    talk to Tora and come home for dinner, you can leave tomorrow.¡±

    I felt a pain in my chest. I knew it must feel like I was

    abandoning her. It must seem like this life with her wasn¡¯t good enough,

    but I had to do this.

    After breakfast I went to find Tora. I would have to tell him I would be

    gone and I hoped to get more information from him. Why did he think I

    would be able to join school ,and why did he send Skerk and Erda to tell

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    I found Tora in the village center, as usual he had a mountain of paperwork at his desk.

    I approached slowly. ¡°Elder, there is something I need to ask you?¡±

    Tora jumped up from his desk. ¡°Oh Jeru, yes yes, come take a walk with me.¡±

    I followed him out of the office trying to get a read on the situation.

    He stopped for a moment. ¡°Now Jeru, I am sorry about that little

    scuffle earlier, that was not what I intended.¡± Tora never broke eye

    contact with me.

    I wondered if he was being genuine or if he sent them to test me.

    ¡°Elder, why did you send them, why do you think I can enroll in school or be conscripted?¡±

    Tora

    kept walking his pace quickened a bit. ¡°There is something about you

    Jeru, a determination. I saw it in how you performed your chores and I

    saw it in your father.¡± He turned to me. ¡°I figured there might be more

    to you than we all know.¡±

    The hair on my neck stood up. He knew something, suspected something ,but was it because of me or my father.

    I forced an awkward smile and bowed. ¡°Thanks for the praise elder, I hope I can meet your expectations.¡±

    He patted me on the shoulder. ¡°Oh I¡¯m sure you will, and to prove it why don¡¯t I take you to tour the school.¡±

    My

    body stiffened. I needed to be cautious. How many times had I tried to

    peer over the walls to get a glimpse. Risky or not I had to go.

    I bowed again. ¡°Thank you elder.¡±

    Tora entered the school and took me into the main building.

    Everything around me was new and uncharted territory. There were walls

    of books and scrolls,each element had its own shelf.

    Tora interrupted my brief exploration. ¡°Now Jeru, I think you should meet Darisa. She is the headmaster of our small school.¡±

    My chest felt compressed as I saw her. Dark black robes to match

    her jet black hair. The same cold demeanor and icy glare, we had met

    before. Her eyebrows arched steeply when she saw me.

    She reached out her hand to shake mine. ¡°Is this the special

    case I have heard so much about.¡± She smiled bearing her teeth at me.

    ¡°Well, we will have to see if he has what it takes, this isn¡¯t a place

    for worthless children.¡±

    If her tone hadn¡¯t been an indication

    of her disdain her vice like grip was. Even without her shadow tendrils

    her grip squeezed my hand to the bone.

    I let out a nervous laugh.

    ¡°Ha ha  of course, as I was trying to tell the elder I will be going

    into the wilderness to train for the next two seasons to see if I can

    unlock my power.¡±

    Tora finally jumped in. ¡°Oh a splendid idea, I trust when he comes back he should meet your expectations Darisa.¡±

    Her gaze was like a venomous snake. ¡°Oh if the boy thinks he is

    up to it?¡±  She summoned her shadow tendrils and let them swirl about

    her hand. A show of power. ¡°I¡¯m sure he doesn¡¯t have a lot of knowledge

    on the subject. Some of the other classes are about to have a spar maybe

    we should let him get a real look at what we do here.¡±

    The statement didn¡¯t escape my notice. She remembered catching me peeking over the walls.

    I tried to seem as unfazed as possible. ¡°I would like that headmaster.¡±

    She froze, probably hating that I would assume she would be my headmaster one day.

    She gestured towards the school yard. ¡°Fine, follow me and let us go watch a fight.¡±

 Chapter 13 A school yard spar

    Chapter 13 A school yard spar

    We exited into the walled off school yard and Darisa lead us to an open area by the man made lake. Four students were standing to the side putting on armor.

    Darisa pointed them out.  ¡°Those four; oh this should be interesting."

    Despite trying to look casual, my eyes were peeled. For me this was a rare opportunity.

    Tora smirked at my enthusiasm. ¡°Oh Darisa, quite the show we will see isn¡¯t it. Are those the sons of Morvul the earth shaker?¡±

    Darisa nodded. ¡°Yes, this should be interesting two earth warriors with a decent pedigree versus a water warrior and water mage.¡±

    Tora chuckled. ¡°Excellent, raw power against versatility. Pay attention Jeru, with any luck these will be your classmates soon.¡±

    My eyes were darting back between the students, trying to take in as much detail as possible. The earth brothers looked familiar, both were fairly tall with intimidating scowls and shaved heads. The other two were far less imposing. A small girl with bright blonde hair and a lean boy with long limbs stood beside her.

    Each side started preparing for battle. I snickered a bit. Edjudan would never approve of a spar with such formalities, how was this real life or death training.

    The two earth warriors prepared by summoning an armor of stone. Their bodies were covered from head to toe. One earth element warrior was a mixed element type. Flecks of stone chipped apart and were blown away from him; leaving gaps in his armor that were constantly being regrown.

    The other side looked ready to go. Darisa shouted. ¡° You may now begin, a key strike will mean elimination.  Fight to the last man.¡±

    The mixed element earth warrior made the first move. He rushed towards the long limbed boy; a stream of water coiled around his body and he used his long limbs to whip the water towards his opponent.

    Ah this boy was the water warrior.

    The water warrior kept whipping out stream after stream; backing up after each attack to keep his distance. The earth warrior struck out with his staff and used his immense strength to cleave the ground itself. The spray of dirt and gravel kept the whip at bay.

    The other warrior and mage were involved in their own stand off. The warrior was rushing forward but kept being pushed back by large waves of water at least 3 rods high. The waves themselves were narrow but were a powerful force. Each crashing wave shook the ground and sprayed water and earth everywhere. The young girl also started summoning fist sides orbs of water, they floated around her before flying at the other earth warrior.

    Tora clapped his hands. ¡°Even being locked down she is able to offer some assistance to her teammate.¡±

    Darisa smiled. ¡°Of course, what else would you expect from a strong elemental mage.¡±

    She looked at me as she made her next point. ¡°Talent is talent, you either have it or you don¡¯t.¡±

    I thought better of responding. Rocks and streams of water were flying everywhere the battle reached a fever pitch.

    The mage¡¯s assistance tipped the scales of the first stand off. One of the water orbs struck the mixed element warrior off balance. This brief moment allowed the water warrior to get in repeated strikes. The water coiled and struck. Dancing as if alive. Each time peeling a layer of stone from the warrior until it struck exposed flesh on his chest. The blow knocked him to the ground and he started bleeding.

    Darisa pointed. ¡°Morgol out!¡±

    The water warrior left Morgol to team up on the remaining earth warrior.  The earth warrior turned around and rushed him.  Large whips of water assaulted the warrior but could not peel apart his armor. The mage rushed to help but the earth warrior kept putting her ally between them.

    Tora¡¯s grin stretched wide. ¡°Ah truly Morvul¡¯s son. What superior tactics.¡±

    The water warrior kept whipping out but unable to keep his distance he  took two staff blows to the stomach then one to his head knocking him down.

    Darisa yelled again. ¡°Kril, you¡¯re out.¡±

    The battle was now one on one. I thought about what I would have done in the situation. I didn¡¯t think I could break the stone armor, but the blows were something I could dodge.

    The water mage scowled, her movements becoming more frantic. She looked impatient. The waves grew higher and wider, crashing down quicker with more force. The repeated waves forced back the earth warrior ,but he looked no worse for wear. Finally there was a small gap in the waves. He hurled his staff forward toward the oncoming wave. The immense force shattered the wave in front of him; the wave exploded into a massive gush of spray and mist. He rushed through the gap and grabbed the mage¡¯s arm forced her to the ground. The little girl shrieked.

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    Darisa intervened. ¡° The spar over, earth victory.¡± She tried to judge my expression. ¡°Well boy, I hope that was eye opening for you. I can¡¯t wait to see you fight.¡±

    I shrugged. ¡°This has given me much to think about.¡± I turned to Tora. ¡°Elder, I believe I will take my leave now. I should be back by Enla[1].¡±

    Tora nodded and I departed. I glimpsed at Darisa and Tora chatting as I walked away.

    I learned a few things from my school visit.  That Tora and Darisa knew something or were suspicious of me. A few slow breaths and I refocused my priorities.  I couldn¡¯t do anything about it at the moment so I decided to prepare for life in the wilderness with Edjudan.

    I gathered the tokens I had earned from chores- minus some I left behind for my mother- and headed to the village market. The smells of grilled meat, people shouting prices, a wandering caravan peddling goods all assailed my senses . Everyone in this part of the city scampered from stall to stall, like a bustling hive.

    I perused goods from many stalls, my first purchase was a large sack made of beast hide. I stocked up on some dried and cured meats and a few spices. Making sure to sample a some meat and dried fruits.

    I next went looking for clothes. Bright blue and red robes hung from clothes lines, woven tunics in every color imaginable were keenly displayed. Knowing Edjudan I assumed dark and unassuming colors would be best. I picked a few robes and tunics, dark green, brown and as a deep a black as I could find.  I also purchased a thick leather vest I could wear beneath my clothing as some added armor.

    The next cluster of stalls intrigued me the most.  Placed out of the way, they belonged to one of the trading caravans. The display was intimidating with beast skulls strung up, and stacks of materials: fang, claws, cores and hides. The weapons had my attention. Flails, spears, knives, swords; rack after rack in every material I knew of. I had a fair amount of money left and wanted to buy an imposing weapon.  The black iron and steel blades made my blood boil , but I settled on copper as it would be the cheapest.

    The way of eternity focused on momentum and spinning maneuvers. I figured a sword or mace would be ideal for using the added force from spinning. The blunt weapons were rather limited, in lesser materials, so I started looking at racks of swords.  They were all in a gladius style, about one rod in length from hilt to tip, a balanced one handed blade.  I picked one up and tested its balance.

    A merchant then approached me. ¡°Ah ha, a future swordsman I see.¡±

    I nodded. ¡° Just looking for something that can help me scavenge in the forest.¡±

    He smiled. ¡°So young and already hunting. Well, what do you think?¡±

    The blade didn¡¯t appear to be anything special and I began to take out some my tokens when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. There was another blade, it looked a little dull, it wasn¡¯t polished and on display like the rest. I went to pick it up.

    The merchant looked me over. ¡°Ha Ha what a discerning eye you have.¡± The words dripped from his lips.

    I swung the blade a few times. It was in the same gladius shape ,but seemed to be made of copper and maybe some sort of iron together. The middle part of the blade weighed much more than the previous blades.

    I stared at it. ¡° How much for this one.¡±

    The merchant paused. ¡°Oh I¡¯m not sure I can sell that one.¡±

    That sealed it, I took out a small piece of gold the majority of my resources and tossed it to the merchant. ¡°Here, I already redeemed some of my tokens, trade the sword for this and you won¡¯t have to pay token redeeming taxes on it when you exchange at the village outpost.¡±

    I beamed at my offer.

    The merchant looked over the small piece of gold, he hesitated. ¡°Hmm an interesting offer. I suppose you were destined for that sword. We have a deal.¡±

    I left the stall with the sword hung at my waist. I couldn¡¯t wait to show it off to Edjudan, its look, its weight there was something different about the blade.

    <hr />

    [1] Spring season named for the goddess Enalla