Theoron
Each time I try, I improve little by little, but it seems like my trainer isn't impressed yet. I haven't achieved anything that would make him go, "Wow." Still, he stands near me, observing every move I make. He stopped saying anything and just stood there. It was as if he wanted to intervene, or maybe he simply wasn't impressed. His expression was hard to read, hidden beneath the mask that covered his face.
"I'm tired of standing. Practice and let me know when you can hit," he said, swiftly leaping to the top of a tree branch and lying down as if to sleep.
I hope a bird poops on his face while he's sleeping.
After eleven attempts, I was exhausted. Wait—am I missing something? I went over the movements I'd been practicing and what I had been doing in my mind, but I sighed when I couldn't pinpoint the problem.
Then it hit me. I hadn't been connected to the energy long enough for the plant to respond to my command. I focused, visualizing the plant moving the way I wanted it to. I imagined it curving and hitting an imaginary target nearby. Patience. I needed to connect more deeply, to truly feel it. Just like he said: I had to connect my soul to it.
My eyes fixed on the plant, some distance away. I could feel the energy in my hands, summoned from within my soul.
Move.
My eyes didn't waver, waiting for the outcome.
Strike!
The plant moved, just as I commanded it to.
It worked!
I gazed down at my palms in amazement. I had done it! I just needed to believe in what I wanted to achieve.
Let me try again, just to make sure.
I repeated the method, and once again, I succeeded.
"Yes! I did it!"
"I guess you've mastered stage B," he said, clapping his hands from the branch above. "Now, onto the next."
I had just passed stage B moments ago, and now I was already moving on to the next challenge with him. Gasping for air, I found myself holding a wooden sword, as he began teaching me how to wield it. He showed me the proper grip, stance, and direction. It was only the beginning, yet I was already struggling to keep my stamina. The first day is always the hardest—it's when you decide whether to form the habit or give up entirely.
"Tired already? Where's that energy you had just a day ago?" he asked, sounding unimpressed.
Maybe I'd let my guard down since he became my trainer, but I needed to remind myself to keep pushing. I couldn't lose my motivation now. I had to reach my full potential.
"I have a question," I said.
"Go ahead," he replied.
"Why do I need sword training if I can just use my energy to attack?"
It had been on my mind for a while. Why bother learning swordsmanship when I could fight using my elemental energy? I hadn't questioned it before since I wasn't preparing for battles. But now that things were different, I needed to understand. I had seen people using their energy to fight, yet they all seemed intent on perfecting their sword skills.
"Your elemental energy won't last through an entire fight. Sometimes, you'll have to rely on your sword," he explained, pausing for a moment. "And your energy won't solve every problem. So focus!"
I had nine days left to prepare for the upcoming face-off with monsters. If I didn't take this seriously, I might not survive. He said we were practicing the basics today, but he kept attacking me with his wooden sword from every direction. He told me to block his strikes, but how could I when he was so fast? Was the 'basics' really this difficult?
Panting, I pressed on. Every time I fell, I got back up. Even though I was complaining in my mind, I held onto my goal—nothing was going to stop me from reaching it.
After more than a hundred hits, he finally allowed me to rest. I was drenched in sweat, my clothes sticking to my skin.
After a short break, we found ourselves at a river, fishing and bathing as night began to fall.
By early morning, we were already back at it, working on stage C. After learning to summon and control my energy, the next step was to truly master it and elevate my skills.
"Now, defend yourself against every move I make," he instructed. "And attack if you can. Be creative with your energy."
"Creative?" I asked. I might have been getting familiar with everything, but I was still a novice learning new tricks.
"Yes, creative. Your mind is capable of far more than you think—if you push yourself."
Without warning, he lunged at me. Startled, I stumbled to the ground. He didn't give me time to recover before launching another attack. As his fist came toward my head, I rolled to the side and got up clumsily. Nice save!
I let out a sigh of relief.
"Tsk, tsk."
He continued his assault, and I kept dodging, still struggling to use my energy to defend myself.
Wait. I should try something.
I focused, feeling my energy flow through my body. I summoned it and released it from my hands. I cheered silently as I saw the green light glowing in my palms.
Now, feeling the controlled energy, I imagined summoning plants to form a protective circle around me. The plants began to spiral around, just as I had envisioned.
"Ahh!"
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my chest as his kick landed. The plants that had surrounded me stopped moving. I had failed.
I groaned in pain, clutching my chest. Each breath made the ache worse, and it wasn't until now that I realized I had been groaning all along.
"You won't have time to execute something like that when the enemy is attacking," he pointed out as I lay on the ground in defeat. "And I want you to attack, not hide behind weak defenses like those plants."
How did he know? He caught on to my plan so easily.
"I could tell the moment you started summoning those little green things," he chuckled, pointing to them. "Remember, it's better to strike at the root of the problem than to avoid it."
Coughing, I forced myself back onto my feet.
"Let's try again."