I stood before the old man, the worn wooden floor creaking beneath my feet, I felt a thrill of excitement mixed with a dash of nerves.
I'd spent years mastering kendo, but this was different - this was the way of the sword, an ancient discipline that demanded more than just technical skill.
A technical skill that I'm sure will help me survive in this bitter world. Just thinking of it that way made me more excited.
"Today, we will learn the kiri-kaeshi," He announced, his voice low and gravelly, thus was two days after we started training together.
'The cutting return.' OF course I've heard of it.
In my previous life, I had a master who taught me these, my father's distant cousin whom I was forced to live with when I was still five.
With a fluid motion, he drew his wooden sword and began to demonstrate the technique. I watched, entranced, as the sword seemed to dance in his hands.
"Now, it's your turn,"he said, offering me the sword.
I took it, feeling the weight and balance of the katana(it's wooden), so different from the lightweight foil I was used to. The old man guided my stance, adjusted my grip, and nodded.
"Begin." He shouted on top of his voice.
With a deep breath, I started the motion, the wooden sword slicing through the air with a soft whoosh. The old man stopped me, corrected my form, and urged me to try again. And again. And again.
Sweat dripped down my face, my muscles aching with the unfamiliar movements, but I refused to yield. With each attempt, I felt myself growing more attuned to the sword, its rhythm and power coursing through me like lifeblood.
This was definitely not something I thought I would be doing in my previous life.
The next day, we went back to the kiri-kaeshi once again. This made me feel serious pressure, I felt that I hadn't given it my all yet.
I hadn't been sleeping properly for the past five days.
I gripped the wooden sword, feeling its weight, and began the cutting return, cutting through the air with a soft swoosh.
He hit me behind the knee, making my knee slightly bent and my weight evenly distributed. After some time, he nodded while smiling.
He then picked up his own wooden sword and began teaching me the men-uchi(a diagonal cut from the top of the head to the opposite shoulder)
I was later dismissed in the evening.
"Man, today's training was tough too." I said, falling on my bed after a quick shower.
"You're just lazy." Tora said, enjoying his meat.
"Who's lazy between the both of us? I've been training for the past five days now, you've just been eating and getting fatter!!"
"Eh?!! I'm not getting fatter, and I'm trying to prepare for the future."
"What future? You lying pet!"
"Huh?!"
We kept arguing for a long time before Emi walked into my room.
"E-Emi." I called, standing up.
"Grandpa said you should make sure you get up early tomorrow." She said, looking away.
"Y-yes." I said as she walked out.
"Is it just me, or did she have something more to say?" I asked.
"Hm, hm, hm... you know nothing, son." Tora said, shaking his head.
"Why the hell are you tryna act like a wise man?" I asked.
Well, the training didn't get any better. The next day, he introduced me to some more advanced techniques.
It took me six months and half before he was kind of okay with the way I moved with the sword.
He didn't say I was doing well, probably because I wasn't doing very well.
He decided to spar with me after those 6-7 days of training.
This continued for a few weeks, and I was still not able to strike a blow.
He taught me the importance of distance between opponents, and I learned to adjust my stance to that.
It wasn't an easy task at all. I felt my muscles giving out, but something in me wanted me to keep going forward.
After sparing with him for what seemed like months, I began to develop an awareness of my surroundings. With that, I was able to react to his strikes and avoided getting injured badly.
"Ouch Ouch." I winced in pain as Ai kept cleaning my body with cold water and a towel.
"Don't worry, it'll be alright." She said, smiling.
"Th-than... Argh!!!" I screamed as she smiled.
"There there." She said.
"Natsuo..." the old man called walking past me.
"Yes, sir." I answered, my face still squeezed.
"I'll be leaving for the capital, I'll be back by next tomorrow. Don't give up on training." He said, smiling.
"Wait, it's late. Won't there be monsters out?" I asked.
"Don't worry about me, I'll be safe." He said.
"Make sure you take good care of my granddaughters." He said before walking out.
"I won't fail you, Grandpa!"
"Sounding manly all of a sudden, hmm?"
"N-no, I'm just trying to..."
"But don't worry about him." She said.
"Hmm?"
"He might not look like it, but he used to be the chief guard in the Kings mansion." She said, looking up.
"Kings mansion?"
*So they have Kings here. We'll it's only natural, it just didn't cross my mind.*
"Yes, but he retired when our parents died."
"O-oh... I'm sorry about that." I said.
"Mh mh, it's nothing to be sad about." She said, shaking her head before smiling again.
"Just try your best to learn whatever he has taught you."
"Yes, I would." I said.
"Now that's a good boy." She said, rubbing my head.
"I'm no longer a kid, I'll be 10 soon." I said as she laughed.
"You're still cute and little, though."
"Stop teasing me." I said.
*Hmm?* I thought, looking at the hallway as I saw a small figure walk out.
*Must be Emi, but what did she want?* I thought as Ai kept tending to my wounds.