After Zion had left Elijah's side, he returned to his room to rest but whenever he tried to close his eyes to sleep, the horrible scene of his father's death would appear, giving him a series of pain and uneasiness.
He pulled out his necklace and began to stare at it. He couldn't remember anything about the necklace but within him, he felt it was familiar. He just couldn't remember who gave it to him and why it was given to him. But the more he stared at it, the more he remembered his father. That was the extent of his love for his father, as for his mother... He could not remember anything much about her.
And the more he felt the pain of his father's death, the more his urge for vengeance grew—He could not wait to get strong and avenge his dear father.
All these thoughts could not let him have a proper sleep, and frustrated, he came down from the bed and left his room. He didn't see Elijah in the house so he went out to look for him. There he saw him standing in the middle of the place.
He watched him pull put a long pointy sword from his waistband, and was stunned because the sword has been there all along but he wasn't aware.
Elijah noticed Zion and glanced at the sky above, the moon had long disappeared and what was left were few faint stars in the sky. "Can't sleep?" He asked him.
Zion shook his head, feeling a mix of emotions— frustration, sadness, and anger. "I keep seeing my father's face," he said. "I keep seeing him die in front of me, begging me not to let his death be in vain."
Elijah nodded sympathetically, his eyes filled with understanding. "I know how you feel," he said. "Losing someone you love is never easy."
Zion looked at Elijah, searching for answers. "How do you deal with it?" he asked. "How do you keep going after something like that happens?"
Elijah's expression turned solemn, and he looked down at the sword in his hand. "For me, it's about finding a purpose," he said. "A reason to keep going, even when it feels like everything has been taken away."
He looked up at Zion, his eyes burning with intensity. "For you, Zion, that purpose is vengeance. You want to make the monsters pay for what they did to your father."
Zion nodded, feeling a surge of determination. "Yes," he said. "I want to make them pay."
Elijah nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. "Then let's get started since you can't sleep," he said. "Let's begin your training."
Elijah went into the house and then returned with another sword. He held out the sword to Zion, who took it hesitantly. The sword felt heavy and awkward in his hand, and Zion couldn't help but wonder if he was truly ready for this.
"First things first, you need to learn how to hold the sword properly," Elijah said, taking Zion's hand and adjusting his grip on the sword. "You want to hold it firmly, but not too tightly. You want to be able to move quickly and easily."
Zion nodded, trying to absorb Elijah's instructions. Elijah then showed him how to stand, how to move, and how to strike.
As they practiced, Zion couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and nervousness. He had never held a sword before, and he wasn't sure if he was any good at using it.
But Elijah was a patient teacher, and he worked with Zion until he felt comfortable holding the sword and moving around with it.
As the sun began to rise, Elijah called a halt to their practice. "You're doing well, Zion," he said. "But we need to work on your technique. You're still a bit clumsy with the sword."
Zion nodded, feeling a bit disappointed in himself. But he was determined to get better, and he vowed to practice every day until he became a skilled swordsman.
Just then, Aria appeared at the door, watching them with an interested expression. "Training How's the training going?" she asked, her voice sounding curious.
Elijah smiled. "Zion's a quick learner," he said. "But he still has a lot to learn."
Aria nodded, her eyes never leaving Zion's face. "I'm sure he'll do fine."
Zion felt a surge of gratitude towards Aria, and he smiled at her. "Thanks, Aria," he said. "That means a lot coming from you."
Elijah cleared his throat, breaking the tension. "Well, let's get some breakfast," he said. "We've got a big day ahead of us."
"I want to learn too!" Aria yelled.
"No, no! Not now anymore," Elijah refused. Aria frowned upon being rejected. "You are going to train but not with a sword, alright?"
"Really? Okay!" She immediately stopped pouting and began to smile.
"Now, can we go and prepare breakfast?" Elijah asked and they all nodded their heads.
And with that, the three of them headed off to the kitchen, ready to make some breakfast.
>>>>>>
After they had finished having a breakfast of boiled rice and soup, Zion quickly washed all the things they had used and when he was sure that he was done with the chores, he carried his sword and rushed outside. Just then Elijah appeared by the door.
"What are you doing kid?" He asked Zion.
"Train... I want to continue training," Zion replied.
"You haven't slept for days and your eyes are swollen too bad. Go and sleep," Elijah said to him, calmly.
"I don't want to sleep, let me just train —"
"I said drop the sword, go in, and sleep!" Elijah said, his voice booming and causing the nearby birds on the trees to fly away from their nests.
Zion felt a shiver run down his spine, he didn't know when he dragged his feet inside to sleep at once.
"Uncle, aren't you being too harsh on him?" Aria who was standing behind Elijah asked him. She was pouting.
"I'm not. This is the only way I can get him to sleep, can't you see how weak he looks?" "He needs to rest."
"You are right," Aria whispered. She was disappointed in herself for not taking proper care of her friend.
"Now that's enough. You don't have to feel sad about it, okay?" Elijah consoled her but she could not stop frowning. "How about I treat you to a nice meal of roasted chicken down the town?" He asked and her eyes lit up.
"Chicken? I love chickens!" She exclaimed happily. "Let's go, uncle!" She grabbed Elijah's hand and they left the house.