Three months have passed, and William's parents went out of town one day.
William and the boy were alone at home, and it was time to begin his daily training.
William was hesitant to begin his training, but he recognised the importance of self-improvement.
William put on his training outfit and grabbed his long sword.
As he was about to leave for the forest near his village, the boy spoke up.
"Umm, can I come with you, please?"
William turned around, paused for a moment, then nodded.
"Sure, why not?"
The interactions they shared over the past few months had brought them close enough to be regarded as friends.
William waited for the boy to get changed before they went out together.
They waved their hands to greet their fellow villagers as they walked past.
"Venturing out to train today, with the lad tagging along, are we?" John, one of the villagers, greeted them back.
"Are you all okay by yourselves?"
"Please don't overexert yourselves, okay?"
"Do you need one of us to accompany you?"
The other villagers were apprehensive about two ten-year-old children venturing into the forest alone, where monsters dwelled, despite the fact that encounters with them were rare.
"We appreciate your concern, but we can handle ourselves." William replied back politely.
The duo entered the forest, and some adults secretly hoped that they would not encounter any problems.
After a few minutes of walking, they reached his training grounds.
William entered the shed and laid down his steel long sword before grabbing a wooden one.
The boy was curious about it, though.
"Are you putting that sword down? Why did you bring it if you do not plan on using it?"
"The sword? It was a gift from my parents several years ago; thus, it is very valuable to me, so I bring it with me on occasion. But enough about that; I need to get started with my training. Want to join me?"
"Okay. Can I try that sword, please?" The boy pointed to a shorter sword.
"That one? Sure."
William handed the sword to the boy, and the two began training with their respective tools.
Following that, they worked on their footwork and physical conditioning through shuttle runs, stretching, crunches, and other exercises.
When they got tired, they sat under one of the trees nearby.
"Phew! That was really tiring."
William nodded to the boy's comment, although he was somewhat perplexed.
How did he manage to last this long?
"Just wondering, have you done any training like this before?"
"Yep, but not much."
So he's either naturally gifted, or he trained really hard.
Just then, William and his friend heard the nearby bushes rustle, and the ground shook slightly.
They both grabbed their weapons, stood up, and took a battle stance.
They could almost feel the bloodlust emanating from the numerous eyes staring at them.
"I have a bad feeling about this."
William and the boy nodded in agreement.