That old man won't see this coming.
My new and amazing power will blast him away for sure!!
But…
When the next day came and once again our bout began.
He saw it.
The invisible blast of wavelike energy was somehow sensed by him. And he immediately slapped it away in a -paff- with the back of his hand.
The same energy blast that easily shattered the large boulder.
Did he really just…
"Old man!"
My anger was more than apparent.
"That's against the rules!"
"Hm? What rules?" He shrugged while feigning ignorance.
***
The next day had arrived and like clockwork. The old man came again to torment me.
"Just let me hit you already!" I fumed.
But before a minute had passed a loud and rather embarrassing grumbling erupted from my midsection.
"Hahaha." The old man laughed as if it were the most amusing thing. "I knew that after a full night of diligent meditation it would be impossible to hide your hunger. Your kind is often like this after-all."
I wanted to ask him what 'my kind' was but my hunger had caught up to me and I couldn't help but smell that he had prepared something.
My eyes only caught a glimpse of it before the old man attacked without warning, sweeping my feet from below me. The fall had knocked the wind from me.
The special and aromatic food he'd carried with him was a platter of piping hot, meat buns. They rested on an oddly shaped boulder. And now, no doubt as per the old man's intention, I could feel myself drooling.
"That's actually mine, you didn't want any remember?" He teased.
This old man really is too cruel!
Is he mocking me? I got up on shaky legs but my resolve was made. For the sake of steaming meat buns I'll beat him up showing him that I'm better than he is.
My body swiftly moved into a comfortable position exhaling slowly. This pattern was not a natural one. This was something obviously practiced. This form, a pose. One that would enable me to easily and comfortably protect my torso and my neck.
A stance.
But how can this be? I don't know any martial arts!
"Finally! It would appear that you're starting to remember! Now, let this old man test your mettle!"
Slowly he approaches me, more cautious now than ever.
Why?
He was doing fine a moment ago.
Soon, he was close enough that his stance overlapped with mine. The back of our arms against each other like sharp and deadly swords. Our proximity only bearable because of our suppressed explosive desire for a single attack that would grant os victory.
His old voice grated with the seriousness of his intent. "Let's…begin!!"
***
In a quick motion he pushed my defending hand away but, what I did next felt so natural that anyone would mistake it for something that I'd done hundreds of times.
With his pushing action and balance I easily redirected his force pushing back against his push. But to no surprise he was expecting this. He returned the force, swinging his arms with mine using the point our arms made contact as a pivot. Then like lightning a left handed strike shot out towards my lower abdomen the moment my defending arm was out of the way.
Likewise, quickly I reacted twisting, pivoting with my center-mass both dodging by a hairs breath and returning his attack as a low punch of my own, striking simultaneously.
The whole exchange was lightning fast.
The feeling that if I had gotten hit by his attack it could very well have been fatal was terrifying. Likewise the moment my attack made contact. The fear I had of fighting, the anxiety and instantaneous feeling that death, destruction and power all resided in fighting made it something that brought a smile to my face.
I…
Like this?
No.
'Like', would be an understatement.
It was exhilarating!!
I need more!!!
....
"Oh?" The old man mused after a lengthy pause.
Was he mad that I hit him?
That… can't be right?
With my strength even though I had hit him it didn't seem to have much of an effect.
The intense tension in the air suddenly dispersed after a the old man's low chuckle became a hearty laugh.
He's not mad?
"I knew you had it in you!" The old man's face showed his elation.
"Finally, after all these years another human with the same potential as Aurelia.
"Who?"
"Ah, pardon, this old man was slightly overjoyed and consequently over-shared!" He continued laughing before.
"She's your senior by a few years and one of the only ones to actually land a hit on this old master!"
"Ok go on," he gestures after noticing my drool and distracted gaze. "You've earned it, we can talk about what I'll have you doing for me after."
…..
Whilst I ate the old man filled me in.
He had taken a seat next to me as I stuffed my face hardly stopping to breathe. The juicy meat buns had the perfect mixture of savory and sweet, the meat filling so tender and juicy that I barely hear what he'd told me.
"You see. This old man wasn't always as powerful as now."
At first I couldn't be bothered to listen, but soon enough my curiosity won over my half satiated hunger.
My mind was filed with appreciating each and every ingredient I could manage to pick out.
At first I couldn't even be bothered to listen, but soon enough my curiosity won over my half satiated hunger.
Especially when he mentioned the fact that his relationship with the void monarch was that of close friends.
I had no idea who the void monarch or Aurelia was. These names all confused me but one thing was for certain. They, are powerful.
Taking a bite of the meat bun in my grasp, I chew slowly and diligently. While listening to his recollection. Was this old man really as prolific in his younger days as he claims to have been?
He explained it in a story of his youth and how he came to be one of the few male proxies in the entire dragon realm.
I still found it hard to actually wrap my head around the most basics of basic. Things like hou, martial arts and why People needed to know them eluded me .
Even so, somehow, My latent memories seemed to contain a wealth of information about it further adding to my confusion.
But even so, I know more than anyone else that my understanding of the world is still lacking. However, one thing is clear.
Power is everything.
Those without it are bound to suffer.
A valuable lesson taught to me by steamed buns.
…..
The day had proceeded slowly and I'd finally given into my need for the bare necessities.
A shower and clothes that aren't tattered.
And since the old man was kind enough to allow me use of his facilities and a clean but dusty set of clothes.
I wasn't gonna let him down.
He slowly explained how time here in the forbidden zone moves differently compared to the other regions.
And how, only by the will of vehatra or through one's extreme prowess can one actually leave the forbidden region.
Strength or permission, that's what it came down to.
This just seems like a reoccurring theme.
With everyone else being trapped here.
Half a day passes as I'm brought to the only territory gate that leaves the vastness of forbidden lands.
"This is it." Gestured the old man. Although it seemed huge we were indeed still quite a ways off. Leaving it's actual size as a vast misunderstanding of its actual appearance.
Before me stood a spectacle so large and vast that it seems to defy logic.
But apart from that, was the surprising spectacle that was the long line of people with each person taking turns to see if they can break the barrier before leaving disappointed.
The old-man looks at me with a uncertain expression before sighing and placing a hand on my shoulder. "Aurelia, your senior, was the most promising of all the humans I've taught. but ultimately she betrayed this old man by breaking her promise."
"She, unlike many others had both the strength needed to pass the barrier and the blessings of vehatra. a true talent among talents."
He smiled warily.
"This old man just wishes to see his family again. So should you break the veil over the territory gate, my only request is that you take me with you."
"but youre so strong, can't you break it?" I asked and "If you can't break it then how will I ever be able to?"
He chuckled lightly. "Just have faith in yourself."
This seemed unlikely to work but the old man seemed sure of his faith in me so it was all I could do to trust him and move forward.
Slowly it became obvious just how influential the old man was. After leading me past the line of people waiting impatiently, he received no objections.
"Place your hand on against it." he ordered after we had cut to the front of the line.
The large spectacle seemed even more intimidating up close. The gate's luminescent and fluorite rippling surface that seemed to cause strong gusts of wind to pour out from it somehow. Seemed opposed to anything being in close proximity to it.
I looked at him, almost bewildered by his baseless faith in me.
As a human I am different from the others here. I had barely reached what the Oldman portrayed as the ki gathering stage. Which subsequently meant that I was undoubtedly weaker than every other human here.
It was with great difficulty that I managed to place my hand on the surface of the territory gate. The thing seemed to innately want to repel any foreign objects. And as i struggled for a minute it seemed as if i wouldn't be able to touch it. But after some effort, my fingers touched it's water like surface.
The whole gate immediately turned as solid as ice. Glowing brightly quickly I pulled my hand away but the gate remained hard.
"How can this be??" The old man muttered. While the others behind slowly approach the now hardened gate.
Their voices slowly crescendoing from mutters of disbelief and panic to dispear before finally reaching shouts of anger.
Their hopes of breaking the veil was suddenly shattered by my simply touching the gate.
They were upset and their anger reached even new heights as a master at the dragon birthing stage tried only to be repelled even more ferociously than the previous attempts.
"You did this!"
"Why did you even come here?"
Their voices reached a part of me that was vulnerable and tears brimmed, dropping from my eyes as I held my head down.
What's this feeling?
The more they blamed me the stronger the pain in my chest became.
And their accusatory words kept flowing.
"Useless wench!"
"Cursed fool!"
"Hateful sod!"
"Trash!"
"Useless, retard, idiot…"
The words flowed around and around my mind leaving a searing pain that stabbed at my heart and made my throat dry.
These people didn't know me and I didn't know them but after what I'd done I rightly deserved their anger.
I clutched at my chest and pressed my eyes tightly shut.
It hurt!
Their words.
They hurt so much!
Is this what it means to be powerless?