Jordan observed silently, his body still and his senses heightened. From his position in the tree, he could see everything clearly, but something unusual caught his attention.
A group of people, at least twenty or more, was entering the area. Their movements were deliberate, and their presence didn't seem normal.
Concern flickered across Jordan's face as he leapt down from the branch, landing on another tree's branch a short distance away.
Moving swiftly but quietly, Jordan began covering the distance between himself and the group. As he approached, he saw the figures clearly—rough-looking men, many armed, their demeanor exuding hostility.
Bandits, Jordan surmised. But their sheer number and organization suggested they weren't ordinary marauders.
"Why are so many gathered here so late at night?" Jordan murmured under his breath. "And who are they?"
As he crouched on another branch, carefully hidden among the leaves, Jordan felt a sudden, familiar presence.
A wave of mana washed over him, and he immediately recognized it. His eyes narrowed as he whispered to himself, "That boy…. I can sense him, but…"
Scanning the area, Jordan's keen eyes failed to locate Adam. His mana presence was unmistakable, but it was as if Adam had erased his physical form from sight. Jordan's brow furrowed in confusion. "How is this possible?" he wondered.
While Jordan was still processing what he had sensed, chaos erupted below. A piercing scream shattered the tense silence.
One of the bandits cried out in pain and collapsed to the ground. Jordan's attention snapped back to the group.
From his perch, he couldn't see exactly what had happened, but the reaction of the other bandits was clear.
They panicked, their weapons raised, their eyes darting wildly in search of an unseen enemy. Jordan leapt silently to another branch, trying to get a better vantage point.
As he observed, three more bandits fell simultaneously, their bodies hitting the ground with a heavy thud.
This time, Jordan saw it happen. Thin bullets of air, almost invisible, tore through the heads of the three men. The precision was unnerving.
Jordan's eyes widened. "This isn't an ordinary spell," he muttered. The attack was fast, efficient, and executed with deadly accuracy.
Reaching into his pocket, Jordan retrieved his invisibility stone. The glowing artifact shimmered briefly before activating, rendering him unseen to everyone around.
Moving quickly but silently, Jordan descended to the ground and began approaching the group.
The scene was chaos. The remaining bandits were in complete disarray, their fear evident as they searched frantically for the invisible assailant.
Jordan's eyes scanned the area, his instincts guiding him toward the origin of the attacks.
As he crept closer, Jordan's senses led him to a large tree. The air felt heavier here, charged with the lingering traces of mana. His sharp instincts told him that the bullets of air were coming from behind this tree.
Jordan slowed his pace, his movements calculated and precise. Peering around the tree's trunk, he saw… nothing.
The space behind the tree was empty. Frowning, Jordan stepped back and closed his eyes, letting his heightened senses take over.
The world around him shifted as he activated his sensory skills, a gift honed through years of battle and training. The faint energy traces in the air became visible to him, like threads connecting points of power.
And then he saw it.
Behind the tree, Adam stood, his hand raised. A faint glow surrounded his fingers as he formed bullets of air, firing them with precise movements.
The boy's expression was one of intense concentration, and his body radiated raw, untamed power.
Jordan's breath caught in his throat. "He's not casting spells the usual way," he realized. "No incantations, no visible preparation… He's shaping mana directly and releasing it."
The implications of what he was witnessing were staggering. Such control over mana was rare, even among highly skilled magicians. And yet, here was this boy, doing it effortlessly.
Jordan's concern grew, but he remained hidden. He couldn't risk revealing himself—not yet.
Jordan kept his sharp eyes fixed on Adam, observing his every move. The air was tense, and the few remaining men who had been cornered by Adam finally decided to flee.
Watching their panicked retreat, Jordan couldn't help but shake his head, his thoughts laced with dry amusement.
"You should've run earlier," he muttered to himself, his voice low and tinged with sarcasm. "You knew a magician was after you. Why wait this long?"
As Jordan's gaze returned to Adam, a flicker of intrigue crossed his face. "Now, what's your next move, boy?" he whispered.
It was then that Jordan noticed a change in the air around Adam. Adam had activated a sensory spell.
Jordan could feel the ripple of energy moving outward, spreading across the forest like invisible tendrils. Adam's heightened senses would allow him to track anyone who dared to run.
However, Jordan remained unfazed. Thanks to the stealth stone in his possession, he remained invisible to Adam's spell. He stayed silently perched, blending seamlessly into his surroundings as Adam sprang into action.
Adam's speed was startling, a blur of movement that Jordan followed intently. Within seconds, Adam caught up to one of the fleeing men.
With precision and ease, he unleashed a gust of wind, shaped like a bullet, piercing his target cleanly. The man crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
Jordan's eyes widened slightly as Adam continued his relentless pursuit. "Impressive," Jordan thought, watching Adam dispatch the remaining targets one by one with surgical efficiency. Each gust of wind that Adam conjured hit its mark with pinpoint accuracy.
Once Adam had dealt with the last of his opponents, he vanished from sight. Jordan, ever watchful, took a moment to process what he had just witnessed.
"This boy is far more capable than I initially thought," Jordan murmured, before retreating to his makeshift shelter high in the trees.
Back in his hidden dwelling, constructed carefully from leaves and branches, Jordan allowed himself a brief moment of rest. The events of the night still lingered in his mind as he tried to piece together the growing mystery surrounding Adam.
As dawn broke, a surge of power jolted Jordan awake. His instincts flared, and his hand instinctively moved toward his weapon. The sensation was unlike anything he had felt before—intense and unmistakable.
Without wasting another moment, Jordan stepped out of his shelter. The sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, casting long shadows across the forest floor.
Standing amidst the early morning light, Jordan took a deep breath and assessed his surroundings.
Then, with practiced efficiency, he dismantled his shelter. Leaves and branches scattered to the ground, leaving no trace of his presence. Within minutes, it was as if no one had ever been there.
Jordan made his way back to the village. His movements were calculated and silent, every step designed to avoid detection.
When he arrived, his sharp eyes immediately caught sight of Adam. The boy stood at the center of an open space, facing a group of figures clad in armor. The sight caused Jordan to stop in his tracks, his heart skipping a beat.
"Sword Soku Clan members…" Jordan muttered under his breath, his voice filled with disbelief. "What are they doing here?"
His eyes darted across the scene, assessing the situation. The samurai-like figures exuded a menacing aura, their presence commanding attention. Jordan quickly activated his stealth stone, cloaking himself from sight as he moved closer to the confrontation.
Positioning himself among the shadows, Jordan carefully listened to their conversation. As the words unfolded, realization dawned on him.
The men Adam had dealt with in the forest last night weren't random bandits—they were members of the Sword Clan, tasked with either destroying the village or completing a specific mission.
Jordan's brow furrowed as he processed this revelation. His focus shifted to Adam, who stood firm in the face of the armored warriors.
Despite being outnumbered, the boy showed no sign of fear.
"So, he saw this coming," Jordan thought, his respect for Adam growing with each passing moment. "He's smarter and more resourceful than I gave him credit for."
Adam moved swiftly, engaging the Sword Clan warriors head-on. His strikes were precise, his reflexes sharp, and his resolve unwavering.
Jordan watched in awe as the boy fought valiantly, holding his own against the seasoned fighters.
Realizing that the situation was escalating, Jordan made a decision. Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved a magical barrier stone.
Holding it firmly in his hand, he activated the spell, summoning a shimmering barrier around the battlefield.
The translucent dome enveloped Adam and the remaining Sword Clan members, creating a protective shield that separated them from the rest of the village.
The villagers, who had been watching in fear, were now safely outside the barrier.
Jordan observed the scene from his concealed position, his mind racing. "This boy might just have what it takes," he thought.
With the barrier in place, the tension within the dome intensified, leaving the villagers outside to watch in anxious silence.
Jordan's gaze fixed on the ongoing battle, his mind filled with questions about Adam's true potential.
Jordan stood silently, observing Adam's unconscious body. Despite the boy's state, the aftermath of the battle was clear—Adam had managed to eliminate nearly all the samurai before collapsing.
This display of raw talent and potential left Jordan deeply impressed.
"He truly is the Chosen One," Jordan thought, his expression a mix of determination and awe. "Even if the Chosen One already exists in this world, it doesn't matter. Adam is the perfect candidate to be my student."
Making his decision, Jordan stepped forward into the battlefield, finally revealing his presence. It didn't matter that by doing so, he risked exposing his location to the Sword soku Clan—a location he had guarded for years in secrecy. For this boy, Jordan was willing to take the risk.
Present time -
Adam stirred, his eyes slowly fluttering open. The first thing he noticed was the wooden ceiling above him, simple and unpolished.
He blinked a few times, confusion washing over him. His memory was foggy, the events before his collapse a blur.
As he lay there, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, fragments of his memory began to return—the battle with the samurai, the bursts of wind magic, and the overwhelming exhaustion that had consumed him.
Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he bolted upright on the bed. "Am I... in the afterlife?" he muttered aloud, his voice tinged with panic.
No response came. Adam hesitated, glancing down at his hands before scanning the room. He was lying on a simple wooden bed, devoid of any mattress.
Surrounding him were clay pots of various shapes and sizes, some filled with unknown substances. The air carried the faint scent of herbs and damp wood.
"This isn't my room," Adam murmured, his heartbeat quickening. His mind raced as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. "Where am I? Have I been captured? Did those samurai take me?"
As Adam tried to piece together what had happened, he suddenly felt a presence. Someone was entering the room. His instincts kicked in, and he whipped his head around to face the door.
An elderly man stepped inside. His long white hair flowed over his shoulders, and his beard matched in length and color.
The man's attire was striking—a traditional Japanese samurai outfit, black with intricate patterns that seemed to exude an aura of authority and wisdom.
Adam's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the man. He didn't recognize him, but there was something commanding about his presence that made it impossible to look away.
Despite his surprise, Adam's instincts as a fighter took over. Without hesitation, he slipped his hand beneath the thin sheet covering him.
Channeling his magic, he began forming a wind bullet in his palm. The invisible sphere of compressed air hummed softly, ready to fire.
His sharp gaze never left the old man. "If he's here to harm me," Adam thought, "I won't go down without a fight."
Jordan, now standing a few steps inside the room, noticed the subtle shift in Adam's posture.
His sharp, experienced eyes immediately caught the faint movement of Adam's hand beneath the sheet. The air in the room seemed to change, and Jordan instantly realized what was happening.
"A spell," Jordan thought, his lips curling into a faint smile. "He's already preparing a spell."
For a moment, Jordan said nothing, simply observing the boy's actions. He could feel the raw energy radiating from Adam's hand, the wind magic swirling invisibly. Despite the tension, Jordan felt a surge of pride.
"He's fast," Jordan mused, deeply impressed. "To activate a magical spell within seconds of waking up—this boy is a genius. Truly remarkable."
Standing calmly, Jordan made no move to threaten Adam, nor did he seem concerned about the spell aimed at him. Instead, he silently admired Adam's instinctive reaction and determination.
The room was silent, the air thick with anticipation as Adam's wind bullet remained poised, ready to strike. Jordan's thoughts were clear: "This boy... he has the potential to become the strongest warrior I've ever trained."
And with that, the scene ended, leaving Adam and Jordan locked in a tense but fateful encounter.