WebNovelI'm Anna45.11%

Struggle or Stagnation

My parents went missing for a whole week. Once they finally returned, they went straight to sleep. "Haha, these guys must've partied hard on their own. I mean, were they trying to make a baby on top of another?", master Irwin joked. "Nex being this strong, I don't doubt he would try", great uncle chimed in. I just wanted to crawl into a hole and never go out. This was so embarrassing. Everyone knew that newlyweds would be doing such things, but there was no reason to point it out like that.

"Give it a rest you old fools. Have some decency, Anna is here too", my great aunt berated them. "Hey, Anna! Come with us for some practice. Lana would like to have a go again!", Vick came to save me. "Yes! I'm coming!", I shouted back. "We might join in as well. You are learning our Arts after all", master Yater said. "Yea, we can have another bout… I promise to be more polite this time", master Irwin added. I couldn't really stop them, especially by force, so they joined me and Vick.

Me, Lana and Vick sparred a few times. Lana was strong for sure, though I managed to win each time. Her movement technique was surprising when I saw it for the first time, but after grasping her rhythm, that movement technique became irrelevant. "You really are good. I was really proud of my movement technique, but you made it look so rubbish… I have to work harder", Lana said. "Hey, I have loads of shortcomings too. Both of us should strive to improve", I replied. "Alright guys, that's enough pleasantries. How about you give me and Anna a bit more space", master Irwin said, then turned towards me, "I will restrain my strength to about your capabilities. Both of us will use swords but let me warn you, I'm not going to go easy. Treat it more like a real battle".

"What if my anger bursts out?", I asked, concerned. "Don't worry, I'll stop you. No one here will get hurt, you have my promise", he assured me. "In that case… Swoosh… Let's begin", I replied while drawing my sword. Master Irwin drew his sword as well, though his sword was more like a chunk of metal. At least a few times wider than mine, and about one and half times longer. The sword was black and silver in colour, but didn't seem to be made from the same material as mine.

Master Irwin didn't rush at me either, he simply walked towards me. 'I don't know what style or rhythm he uses. Defence is the best idea for now', I thought while keeping my stance. "You might think that defence is a good option, but that would be wrong", he said, then took a few weird steps forward. These few steps seemed basic, but the execution was on another level. "Bam!", he slammed his sword into mine using pure strength. There were no techniques behind his fall attack, but the weight behind the strike made my hands shiver.

I tried to distance myself before he attacked again... That didn't work so well. His weird movement technique could easily keep up with me. Moreover, he kept the same distance at all times. "Swosh, Bam!", his next attack barely missed my body, and slammed the ground instead. This was my chance to close in. My footwork changed to the one uncle Aran taught me, but before my attack arrived, something hit my face. "Pfff… cough.. Sand?", I asked myself, surprised. "Pak!", the sand hindered my sight, as well as my focus. This allowed master Irwin to counterattack.

Even with his strength restricted, the kick really hurt. "What's wrong? I'm not even using any advanced techniques. All my moves and attacks are considered basics, yet you struggle so much", he said. "Cough… You threw sand into my face, that's just dirty", I replied. "Why? Who said I can't use the environment to my advantage? You are too soft, child. Winning, means winning. Losers don't write the history", he reasoned.

'...He's annoying, but he's right. Father does the same thing, why would that be unfair? It's time to try a different approach'. My movements changed suddenly. "Huh?! Isn't that my…", Lana exclaimed from the side. She wasn't wrong, I copied her rhythm. Though my proficiency wasn't the best, my footwork changed to something else. "Heh, interesting. Come, let's see what you got", master Irwin taunted with his hand.

"Swoosh, swoosh, cling! Cling!....", my attacks were relentless, but master Irwin's ability to block or evade were even better. That large sword didn't seem heavy or cumbersome in his hands, he used it too well. Moreover, he was able to ready my movements… That's what I was after. "Tap, tap.. Tap, tap…", my rhythm changed suddenly. "Clang! Swoosh… Hoho, that was close. I didn't expect you to change the rhythm so suddenly. Moreover, to something so basic", he said, a bit surprised.

I was very close to striking him, but that guy was too experienced. There were no other rhythms for me to use. He knew my moves and rhythms, there was no way of getting that close to him anymore. Though I tried to come up with another rhythm, nothing happened. He already expected changes in my rhythm. The distance he kept was also crucial. My sword couldn't reach him, but his sword could reach me. That should come as no surprise, when he defeated me after a few more exchanges.

"I must say, the change in your rhythm was not bad. If you develop that well, it could be a great movement technique. Moreover, you actually copied someone else's rhythm. That alone can be a powerful weapon. Not bad at all, but you need to work harder. More importantly, there is a bigger issue I found. When you came close to landing a strike, you actually used a blunt side of your sword. That sort of softness will backfire on you one day… I can help you get rid of that weakness, of course if you'd like to follow me for a while", he proposed.

I wasn't too keen on following that crazy man anywhere, therefore my intention was to simply decline. "I'm fine. My father will be teach…", "Go with him", my father interjected. "Huh? Dad? I thought you guys went to sleep", I asked, confused. "I'm already rested. Anyway, I can teach you a lot of things, except one. I can't teach my daughter how to be viscous. Don't get me wrong, Anna. I don't want you to become a crazed maniac who can take the lives of innocent people, but you have to be prepared to take a life. He will teach you that, and I can't", father explained.

"Wha? I don't want to kill anyone", I replied, flustered. "Child, look behind you… These people are warriors who either took lives, or will if it's necessary. Our world is cruel, and one day you might not have a choice. It's better to be prepared for that, than perish", master Irwin said. I didn't like the idea at all. "There are no wars, there's no need for me to go through such things. Besides, there are others who can do it, so why do I have to do it as well?", I asked.

"Anna, me and your mother will be gone one day. Who's going to protect you and your sibling? Moreover, didn't you want to travel? If you can't deal with a threat, how can we not worry about you? How could we let you travel around, with all sorts of people roaming this world? Irwin is tough to work with, but he will teach you well. Yater will be there too, he will teach you more about his Art", father replied, but then beckoned for me to come over.

He grabbed me into his arms and whispered, "I know it's tough on you. It wasn't easy for me either. Come with me, I'll tell you my experience. Maybe this will help you see the point we are making". The world became a blur next instance. When it returned to normal, we were nowhere close to the town.

"I didn't tell you everything that happened after I became a slave. You see, those crazy people caught another person, a woman. She didn't do anything deserving of being a slave. She only tried to steal her own possession back from that Village Chief. What they did after that is more important. They forced her to do a lot of wrong things. I don't mean bad work, I mean they did bad things to her. They didn't even treat her injuries or… I had to do it with my own hands. Do you know what she told me the next day? She told me to kill her. She preferred to die, rather than continue living with the knowledge that it could happen again", father narrated.

That was awful, really sad and angering. I could feel tears swelling up my eyes, but father wasn't done. "I did it, I killed her with my own hands. I couldn't watch her suffer anymore, knowing perfectly well that they would do something like that again. She was innocent. She did nothing wrong and yet, she was the one who died. My child, the world you saw so far is the best case scenario. I wish we could promise you and your family this future, but we simply can't. We don't know what the future holds, and therefore you have to be prepared. Just like me and your mother, you will prepare your kids, and they will prepare theirs. It's hard, but important at the same time", he added.

I hugged him, while tears rolled down my eyes. My father's past stories involved sadness, but he never shared such stories with me. "I'll try, dad… I'll try to be strong for you and mom. I know you wouldn't ask me to do bad things…", I said quietly. "Yea… I wouldn't be able to teach you those things, hence Irwin is the next best person. He will take good care of you. Yater will be there too, he will make sure Irwin stays in line… Mmm, my daughter is hard working, right?", he replied. "Yes!", I exclaimed, while wiping the tears away.

"Let's stay here for a while. Only two of us, eh?", father proposed. I nodded my head, then took a look at the surroundings. We were on a hill, looking down at some plains. There was a forest further down, surrounding everything as far as an eye could reach. "By the way, you have to give that ice shard to Frosty. He worked really hard during the party. I promised him after all", I said. "Haha… Alright then, I'll give it to him. I'll have to take your grandpa back to the Academy too", he replied. "On that subject. Remi will be going with grandpa, she'll study at the Academy. Can you also take others for a tour? I mean Vick, Lana and Mira?", I asked. "Sure, since we have to go there anyway", father replied.

We sat there for a while in silence, until my mother's voice came from behind us. "Not fair, Anna. This is my husband", she said with a smile, then joined us. "You will have him for a long time now, since I'm going with master Irwin and Yater. Anyway, how did you find us?", I asked. "Hehe, because we love each other so much?", she replied. "I doubt it, but… I'll let this slide today", I said. Father placed his hand on mother's belly, "We should find a name for our new child. Anna, what do you think?". Father surprised me a bit with that question, but I gave it some thoughts.

"If it's a girl… Hannah, because it contains Anna and she'll be my sister", I said. Both of my parents chuckled. "Actually, that's not a bad name. What if it's a boy?", mother asked. "...Dante, that's a good name", I replied. "Dante, eh? Yea, that sounds good", father said with a slight nod. My parents shared some of their names, then the conversation shifted towards other things about the baby.

'I'm glad father did this… He gave me resolution to at least protect those I love. He also gave me… this', I thought looking at my parents and the scenery. "For people need struggle in their lives, otherwise they will simply stagnate", I said quietly. "Yes, my daughter knows some wise words", father replied with a smile. "I'm your daughter after all".