[Sixteen Years Later]
T H U D ! !
"Don't stop at the target, go through it!"
T H U D ! !
"Power comes from the waist, not the shoulders."
T H U D ! !
"Never leave your arm out after a punch, it's likely to get bitten or chopped off."
T H U D ! !
Fenrir's skinny frame was drenched in sweat as he bounced on the balls of his feet. A few feet away Terran sat on a stone chair that seemed to grow straight out of the ground and watched on with cold analyzing eyes.
Planting his feet, Fenrir's fist lashed out so fast it was almost a blur before it slammed into the thick wooden pole stained with dried blood.
T H U D ! !
The sound echoed through the silent grove as the rest of the forest was still resting in the early dawn. Pulling back his arm Fenrir fell into a neutral stance, constantly swaying side to side, making it that much harder for any strike or blow to land. Getting lost in the weaving motion, Fenrir's vision tunneled as the surrounding forest began to fade away, leaving him alone in a dark void.
C L A N G!
C L A N G!
C L A N G!
Fenrir's heart began to pound in his chest, pumping blood to every inch of his body as the heavy metal footsteps got louder and louder. Then without warning, the footsteps stopped, and Fenrir was left staring into the void, his body tensing with each passing moment.
Narrowing his eyes, Fenrir suddenly turned to the side as a bolt of golden light nearly bunched through his shoulder. The sudden attack wasn't the end, however, as a massive greatsword pierced through the darkness, stabbing out at Fenrir's chest.
Bringing up his hand Fenrir pushed against the flat of the blade, guiding the sword past his body, using every ounce of strength he could summon. Letting the sword pass him by, Fenrir exploded forward, and a familiar figure entered his view. A suit of gleaming white armor stood before Fenrir, the eye holes in the helmets illuminated by a stark white light.
Planting his foot, Fenrir transferred the energy of his explosive movement into his fist as his arm snapped out and slammed into his opponent's ribcage. Even with his malnourished frame, Fenrir's punch would have sent many men to the ground prone, but the suit of armor didn't even flinch; instead, its gauntleted fist lashed out with a poorly executed punch.
Letting the strike hit him in the stomach, Fenrir slid back across the ground as he grabbed onto the arm, planted his feet, and twisted.
C R U C H ! !
With the blood-curdling sound of warping metal, rending flesh, and bones snapping, Fenrir ripped off the knight's offending limb. The warrior stumbled back as, with one remaining hand he tried to stem the river of blood pouring from his stump as he collapsed to one knee. Raising his head to the sky, Fenrir let out a long howl that echoed into the abyss as the smell of his opponent's lifeblood excited the dormant predator inside him. The darkness around Fenrir began to ripple as invisible waves of power pulsed off his body.
Crouching close to the ground Fenrir's muscles writhed like snakes under his skin as they swelled with power filling in his once-skeletal figure. The cloth wrappings around his feet burst into shreds as Fenrir's ankles dislocated and the bones stretched becoming like those of a digitigrade animal. Now constantly standing on the balls of his feet Fenrir fell onto his hands and began to circle around the knight whose stump was now encased with a golden light, healing the fatal wound.
As the warrior shakily got to his feet, Fenrir let out a short howl and broke out into a sprint. Running on all fours, the ground blurred underneath Fenrir as he charged the knight. Still not out of the fight, the holy knight began to throw bolts of golden energy at Fenrir, forcing him to weave in and out of the barrage.
In an instant, Fenrir had closed the gap, and after ducking underneath a final bolt of light, he pushed off the ground and pounced. Shooting through the air like an arrow, Fenrir's hands were outstretched and eager to tear into the warrior's throat.
"STOPP!"
Fenrir's pupils shrunk as he snapped out of the illusion. Light rushed back in, taking with it the endless abyss and the mirage of the holy knight. With his momentum gone, Fenrir fell to the ground a few feet from the battered wooden pole as his body began to revert back to its original form.
Standing up, Fenrir looked over at Terran, who got out of his chair and slowly walked over, "Good, you've finally managed to dismiss your frenzy at will."
"Yeah, it still hurts a lot, though." Fenrir complained as he rolled his shoulders and neck, "And I can barely remember anything that happens, it's all a vague blur."
Smirking, Terran placed a steadying hand on Fenrir's shoulder, "Well that's to be expected you're using advanced innate magic without going through your tempering. But remember-"
"True adventurers are forged from countless trials and tribulations," Fenrir continued, dryly repeating the line he had heard a thousand times before, "I'm going to clean up and take a shower."
"Alright, I'll see you inside. Your mother should have breakfast ready in an hour or so," Terran commented as he waved his hand, causing the dirt to shift and fill in the shallow divots dotting the ground.
Jogging the short distance from the training field to the house, Fenrir didn't go through the front door, instead climbing up the tree into an open window. Landing in his bedroom, Fenrir felt all the tension leave his body as his feet sunk into the unnaturally soft moss covering the floor.
Taking off his soiled workout garments, Fenrir took a moment to stretch out his body, a practice ingrained into his routine after sometimes waking so sore he was rendered immobile.
Finishing his stretching routine, Fenrir took a cold shower to soothe his already aching body before heading into the kitchen. Sniffing the air as he descended the stairs, Fenrir frowned, 'Maybe I would finally be able to gain some weight if mom didn't refuse to cook meat.'
Muttering under his breath, Fenrir stepped into the kitchen and stared at the table laden with a wide assortment of vegetables, some raw, others boiled, and a few roasted. Also at the table but not a part of the meal, Terran and Yulan suddenly stopped their conversation as Fenrir entered the kitchen.
Sitting across from them, Fenrir glanced warily between his parents, "Is everything alright?"
"Oh, just talking about a few things, nothing to worry about," Yulan said quickly with a reassuring smile, but Fenrir didn't miss Terran's brow twitching. Shrugging, Fenrir didn't press the matter and began to pile food onto his plate.
The rest of the meal continued in somewhat comfortable silence with the occasional intense glance between Terran and Yulan. Finally, towards the end of the meal, when Fenrir had gone through his fifth plate of vegetables, Terran forcefully cleared his throat.
"Fenrir…there's something me and your mother want…to talk about with you," Terran started off hesitantly. Seeing his normally stoic father struggle over his words, Fenrir's nerves began to send warning signals.
Putting a supportive hand on Terran's forearm, Yulan sighed, "There's something that your father and I need to do…outside of the grove."
"Well, how long?" Fenrir asked as he shifted in his seat.
"We…we don't know," Terran replied with a sigh, "But it could take a few years-"
"A few years!" Fenrir exclaimed as he slammed his hands on the table, "I can't stay in the grove alone for a few years!"
"You wouldn't be staying in the grove," Yulan hurriedly responded, "Your father and I have arranged for you to enroll in a boarding school in the human capital."
Frowning, Fenrir didn't like the idea of spending all day stuck in a classroom. He could barely survive his mother's lesson on basic arithmetic, history, and basic magic theory. Seeing his trepidation, Terran gave him a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, this isn't a school for scholars, quite the opposite, in fact."
Nodding in agreement, Yulan smiled, "The school is called Heros Academy-"
In a matter of seconds, Fenrir's immense dread turned into nearly uncontainable excitement, "You mean THE Heros Academy, the undisputed best Adventure academy in all of Tuthala!"
"So, is that a yes?" Yulan asked though she was reasonably confident in Fenrir's answer.
Grinning, Fenrir stood up from the table, his eyes blazing, "When can I leave?"
Terran and Yulan shared a knowing look before turning back to Fenrir, "In a day or two, but until then, we have a few things to discuss."