The young man followed the puppet to a portal. They passed through into a forest of splendor and majesty of green. Trees were giant and shaded forest floor from the light of the pale purple sky. Two suns hung overhead giving yellows and red light to the purple sky. They walked on a trail that led deep into the forest till they came to a cabin. It was a big cabin made of tree trunks from the forest. Each part of the cabin was custom made by a master carpenter. Magic circles were carved into the walls of the cabin. In front of the cabin was a tall muscular man with a long log on his shoulder using one arm he was carrying to the side of the cabin. A loud boom erupted as the log hit the ground. He then picked up a large wide ax. The man was shirtless and upon his body was scars and upon his back a blue tattoo of a dragon Ouroboros. He turned and showed that upon his face was a blue and white Tengu mask with two horns upon the forehead. He placed the ax upon his shoulder and approached the two. "Who's this Draymond?" he asked with a deep voice. "Master Raijin this is your new pupil and newest Slayer chosen by the World. Your master wishes you to train him to make him ready for the trials ahead" the puppet explained. Raijin was silent as he stared at the young man. The young man could see glowing silver eyes under his mask. "What's your name?" Raijin asked. "I have no name. The name I did have was cast away when I left home" the young man explained. Raijin said nothing, "then I guess I'll give you a name then. Will Lad suffice? That's alright with you?" Raijin said in a serious tone. The young man now known as Lad nodded back, not protesting.
Raijin nodded at that reply, "I shed my name when I was a Slayer. I won't ask you where home is. It doesn't matter anymore. Your life is forfeit like mine was. But that isn't a dead end if you listen to my instruction and keep up your cultivation. Ill teach you some basics to help you develop some real chi growth. How long will he be staying with us Dreymond?" Raijin asked. The puppet answered, "A year sir. The World wishes for him to excel to rank three before leaving us" he stated. Raijin nodded. "Well then its gonna be unorthodox techniques then" he sighed at this. "I have a few questions before we begin. What is your chi ability?" he asked. "Forge. Mainly blades" Lad answered. Raijin seemed surprised, "Forge huh? That's a rare one, but you would be a formidable opponent once you shot up the chi ranks. What other abilities do you possess? What's your element?" Raijin asked.
"Flame and Shadow. Both were inherited. Since I was a child I've been trained to use those abilities in tandem" Lad explained. "You must have divinity blood in you to possess such gifts? I won't pry. What is your rank?" He asked. "Rank one body, rank one soul core, and rank one Mind Palace" Lad explained. Raijin nodded, "well then I won't have to go easy on you. We'll begin our training after we've eaten. I will teach you all my knowledge of combat, cultivation, and survival. Let's get something to eat" Raijin led Lad and Dreymond to his cabin.
/////////////////
Raijin was a ruthless trainer. Lad was sparring with him daily. "I want you to create a hundred weapons every day. Maintain all at once and learn to control them as a swarm. Forge power is something flexible. Creative even! And as your chi grows your abilities grow. You're only limited by your imagination" so Lad made a hundred weapons every day.
Raijin would watch from afar with his puppet golem, "Lad has exceeded my expectations. He has tremendous potential and work ethic. In time he will be a god in a hundred years. I have pushed his mental and physical capacity for months now. He hasn't weakened once. So, where did the master find this kid?" He asked the puppet. "Lord Raijin, you know I'm not privy to that knowledge. They don't explain the choosing process. Individuals are merely chosen and that's all we ever know" Dreymond explained. "He possesses two elements that work together. Those two shouldn't, but after seeing it for myself the elements are eerily effective together. Shadow being an element that can cause physical and soul damage. Flame physical and all around destruction. So if I have to guess he belongs from the Demon King's realm? Would that be a fair assessment?" Raijin asked. "I would say all data I have seen would appear so. Court rumors have circulated of the Demon King having a son who was a prodigy with sword and chi manipulation. The mother of the son was the Shining Dragon a daughter to the High Dragon. From rumors this was an arranged marriage to bring peace to the Fire Realm" Dreymond answered.
"Well if he is the son of that tyrant I don't think the kid will flinch at facing him. From what I can tell the boy has a chip on his shoulder. The only reason for that anger is that I know Shining Dragon is dead. She was executed by the Demon King himself" Raijin commented, taking out a pipe and lighting it. He pulled his mask up revealing his mouth. He puffed on it for a moment. He then brought the mask back over his face.
/////////////////
Lad continued to work hard and train every day cutting down mutated beasts deep in the forest bringing back meat. Raijin taught him how to survive in different realms. Defense spells that may come in handy. Along with a martial art Raijin invented. "It's called the Twin Blade Style. This focuses on speed and quick slashes. This must mean the mind and body are working as one. Used to create reaction and speed time in a second. So always cultivate your Mind Palace. Expanding it will make you more formidable at thinking faster and resisting mental attacks. Where even fear is no more" Raijin explained to Lad. "Then I'll teach you a spell that took me years to also create. It's an unorthodox cultivation technique that will basically cut your time in half to recharge your chi and evolve your chi circuits and in turn your Soul Core" Raijin said nonchalantly. As he walked away from Lad. "What is it?" Lad asked.
"I call it Chi Leech. It's absorbing the chi from your opponent. But you don't just absorb their chi. You absorb all their knowledge, spells, and soul weapons. Each king possess three things. Power, a crown or what some call masks, and a soul forged weapon. Each weapon, mask, and powers are connected to that kings attribute ability. Like your forge power for instance. Which I assume I'll need to make a mask to help boost that attribute before we're done. My master will want you to have all advantages" Raijin walked over to a rack of wooden swords. "Like yours?" Lad asked.
"No mine was given to me by my master. He was a master craftsman and carpenter. Even dabbled in magic. This tengu mask is special. Elevates my lightning abilities. Taught me all he knew. I wore this mask when slaying my kings. My master was a member of a clan that made the crowns the kings wear today. So if you could lad do your teacher a favor and take them all from them!" Raijin held two swords and took a stance. "Try and keep up!"