Both Damian and Aiden stared each other down. Both looked weary of the other
Damian turned his left shoulder towards Aiden and turned his feet in a forty five degree angle to Aiden while lifting up his heels and started bouncing of his feet while circling Aiden
Aiden watched Damian intently, he knew how unpredictable he was and how if he could get a solid hit in it would lead to his near instant defeat
Aiden couldn't help but get both excited and depressed
Damian launched himself at Aiden with a left cross and Aiden jumped back and ran forward with a front snap kick and Damian blocked with his arms
Damian then grabs Aiden's leg and sends flying by spinning him and throwing him. Aiden manages to stabilize himself but Damian quickly catches up and starts attacking with a flurry of jabs which Aiden tries to block with various Palm strikes
Aiden sees an opening and launches a side kick towards Damian. Damian was unable to block the attack and took straight to his side. Damian saw an opportunity and hit him with an overhand punch
Aiden took the full attack to his face and was sent recoiling and Damian took the opportunity to attack with more jabs and hooks
Aiden was thrown onto the floor as he felt his strength waning
"Your weaker than before" Damian remarked "Did you really give up on being a hunter?"
Aiden didn't reply he simply stood up and spat "You gonna talk all day or you gonna fight?"
Aiden ran towards Damian and jumped he twisted his body and brought down his heel in an axe kick but Damian moved backwards and as Aiden's attack nearly missed he twisted and rotated his body transitioning his axe kick into a tornado kick
The kick landed a blow to Damian's face causing him to be sent skidding five inches away from Aiden bit the assault didn't stop
Aiden started following up with Snap kicks, forearm strikes , side kicks and round house kicks
while all Damian could do was block
Both Aiden and Damian were smiling, Aiden hadn't smiled like this in a year and it brought back memories he thought he had forgotten
******************************************************
"Hah!"
"Ye hah!"
In a dojo two small boys are training intensely, the first a young boy with black messy hair and gentle Sky blue eyes with a bright smile even though he was sweating profusely
The other was a more timid looking boy with blonde hair and hazel eyes who was sweating as much as the other but was smiling all the same
"Stop" a strong yet gentle voice called from a podium at the back of the dojo, which was raised. bit of the ground. An elderly man with long straight white hair and a beard with closed eyes says to the boy
They both stop and move towards the podium then they kneel and bow with their heads touching the floor
"Hai! Sensei!" they both say
The elderly man chuckles a bit "That's alright raise"
Both boys raise from the ground and look up at the man
"As you both know I'll be leaving soon to seek enlightenment but I do not want to leave without offering advise to my bright young students" he says in a calm tone "Auden, what is it you wish to become?"
"I want to become a hunter!" Aiden says with bright eyes and a huge smile
"hmm... interesting.... and you Damian?"
"I.. I'm not sure" Damian says embarrassed
"Hoho, don't. worry I'm sure you'll figure things out"
Their sensei told them to follow him. They passed a door at the back of the dojo and before them laid a vast plain with various beautiful flowers blooming and a cool breeze blowing their petals through the air
"Woah..." the boys say as they stared at the sight
"You see this plain? think of your life like this open field, filled with numerous opportunities" He said "But remember these two things, one to never lose sight of yourself, just as you can get lost in a wide plain that stretches far beyond the eye can see so can you lose sight of yourself if in your life full of vast opportunities you let yourself lose sight of what's truly important to you" he looked at Aiden then turned his gaze to Damian "And too never have a one track mind has no matter what there are always more opportunities in the world"
******************************************************
Aiden lost his concentration and Damian took advantage of it, he immediately catches one of Aiden's legs and yanks it
Aiden falls and Damian holds his fist in front of his face "I win"
Aiden can't help but laugh "Best out if three?"
After an hour of continuous battling their time is up and Aiden comes out of the machine feeling a bit better than usual ' I haven't sparred with him for sometime '
"Aiden" Damian calls from behind him. Aiden turns around "Wanna get some ice cream?"
Both Aiden and Damian get ice cream and talk for some time before sitting beside the fountain in the main square of the entertainment sector
"Do you ever think things will ever return to normal between us?" Damian asks sadly
Aiden looks at his reflection at the fountain "I'm not sure, but I really want things to go back to what they once were"
"But you don't have to let such an event rule your-"
"You don't understand!!" Aiden says as he hits the water of the fountain "You don't understand what it's like to watch your family fall apart, watch as your dreams come crashing down in front of you, you don't understand the pain of having to see your mother scarred by such an event" Aiden says solemnly
"I know, I don't" Damian says dejected "I'm sorry I was being selfish... selfish that I want my old friend back"
Damian got up and headed home "Bye"
Aiden clenched his teeth as tears stream down from his face
"Why? Why did my life have to be like this?" he sobs quietly
"Ding. Objective one complete mental state is now
[Mentally broken stage 5]