Rane was caught off guard by his own momentum and after executing the final cut, he tumbled forward and rolled in the dirt a few times. Everyone present watched, slack jawed as he stumbled to his feet and looked at the wooden sword in his hands with a mixed expression of awe and wonder. Rane's form wasn't nearly as precise as Jean's was and his footwork was clearly uncoordinated, but the raw power he displayed when he performed the moves was astonishing.
With a frown, Rane continued to look at the wooden sword in his hands as if suddenly contemplating the flaws in his technique. Before anyone had recovered from their shock he was already taking a stance once more in preparation for another attempt. However, the stance was slightly different this time, and he held the sword in one hand instead of both hands. Then, he executed another three sword moves. First, a downward slash, followed by a spinning backhand, followed by a lunging thrust. Again, his lunge carried him a distance of twenty feet.
Raijin, who was in the process of taking a drink of his wine to calm his nerves immediately spat out a mouthful of wine in shock.
"Did... did he just perform the second move set without even seeing it?"
As with most dojos or weapon schools, Raijin's Heart of the Sword dojo had multiple move sets, which increased in both power and difficulty. The first move set was for beginners and the second move set would improve upon the flaws of the first, and so on and so forth. Just now, Rane had performed the second move set of Raijin's dojo without even seeing it. The reason this was so shocking is because it meant that Rane had discovered the flaws within the first move set and found the solution to those flaws on his own. Not only that, but his execution of the second move set had less wasted movement than the first set he performed. Raijin stared at his friend from across the table with wide eyes. "Teo... your boy is an unprecedented genius!!"
Teo himself couldn't believe it. He had started his path to swordsmanship when he was sixteen, a full six years older than Rane is now, and even then Teo was only half as gifted as Rane is. Initially he had hesitated to teach Rane the sword because the boy had always seemed to have poor balance. Teo was worried that if he gave his son a sword to practice with he would hurt himself. Now it seemed that he couldn't have been more wrong. With a sword in hand, Rane suddenly seemed much more poised and coordinated. He no longer staggered from side to side as he walked. Teo stroked his chin thoughtfully as he observed his son with fresh eyes. "Maybe I should have taught him a few things after all..." Teo then beckoned his son back to the table.
Raijin chuckled. "I'll say. The boy clearly has a gift. The question is, what do you want to do with it? Of course, if he learns the sword his life will naturally be filled with danger. However, given how interested he seems to be in swordplay you may not be able to keep him from it regardless."
Teo shook his head. "No, I don't think passing on my techniques would benefit him all that much. If he were to stay here and practice swordsmanship his growth would be limited by his lack of experiences. And I'm not fond of him going into battles with a sword in hand either. However... you have a point about his interest in swordsmanship. He's simply captivated by it."
Raijin folded his hands on the table and leaned forward towards Teo. "What about this then? You can send him to my dojo. I'll take him on as my personal disciple. He'll be surrounded by other students like himself and be able to participate in training excercises in a group. He'll get the chance to experience the world and grow from those experiences, without having to face the dangers alone."
Teo smirked, knowing full well Raijin was eager to take a talent like Rane into his ranks. "Well, I'm not against the idea but..." he turned to look at Rane. "What do you think?"
Rane met his father's gaze, then looked at the sword in his hand intensely. It called to him in a way nothing ever had before, and even if he didn't fully understand it, he knew this was what he wanted. But at the same time, he wasn't sure how his family would feel if he left. Conflicted, he looked at his mother for guidance. His mother Sarah, had cleaned up the tray she had dropped and was now smiling at him warmly. She gave him an encouraging nod. Most mothers would probably be horrified at the thought of sending their ten year old son into a world of battle and danger, but Sarah was different. She herself was also a master of multiple weapons, and she understood how keen Rane's desire to learn the sword was. Seeing his mother's approval, Rane turned back to his father and nodded, his determination solidified.