Chapter 5: Goals

After a little bit, Edrit walked down and went to bed.

...

'Prism, I have a new goal.' Alphonse said with determination rioting through his body.

{That's a good goal.} Prism responded.

'Would you stop looking into my mind when I want to tell you something!' Alphonse said with anger. 'Whatever, For now, I need to focus on my training.' He said as he got back on task.

(Three months ago)

"You will train day and night, During the night I will wake up periodically, so don't even think about walking away from it!" Raeloph instructed Alphonse. Alphonse just nodded, although his mind was in utter fury.

'You're telling me not to sleep?! Do you even know how to raise a child?! Do you just leave your children to your wife and servants or something?! I mean really!' Alphonse yelled inwardly.

(Present)

'Can't help but think back to then, makes me seriously angry!' Alphonse yelled in his mind.

{Think of it as something to train you on the immortal path.} Prism said trying to calm him down.

'Still makes me angry, but I guess your right...' Alphonse looked at the grandfather clock. "9:47, huh, he really woke up every hour on the dot just to make sure I am training. Yesterday he stopped at 2 o'clock." Alphonse mumbled to himself.

"Alphonse, get ready to train your martial arts." Raeloph said.

"But I haven't slept." Alphonse said in hopes of at least getting some sleep.

"The gods clearly don't care and neither do I." Raeloph said with a gruff tone. Raeloph walked into the dojo, Alphonse walking behind him.

'Man, I'm exhausted!' Alphonse thought to himself.

{Exhausting is something you must work through to become stronger.} Prism retorted.

'Speaking of getting stronger, have you gotten anymore functionality, other than setting alarms and telling the time.' Alphonse asked Prism.

{Hm? It's been quite a while since you asked me such a thing.} Prism said as she trailed off in her sentence.

'Gonna answer?' Alphonse asked.

{Right: I have gained knowledge of this world. It seems to be the same one from your previous life's memories, however, the time period seems to be from the earlier periods of Earth. Above that, I have learned of several of the energies which exist in this world, there is Ki/Qi, Chi, Mana, Spirit Energy, and more I have yet to identify. There are other uses which you can find by asking specific questions.} Prism informed Alphonse.

'Can't you just tell me!?' Alphonse asked with a slightly infuriated tone.

{That is not the way I am programmed.} Prism responded apathetically.

'So you're programmed to feel emotion to?' Alphonse asked with slight curiosity.

{And what if I am?} Prism responded, while also accidentally sending images of a girl looking away with a slight blush to Alphonse's mind.

'So you are...' That's all Alphonse could say after seeing that.

"Are you paying attention?!" Raeloph asked angrily as he glared at Alphonse.

"Y-yes! I am!" Alphonse said hurriedly as he got into stance. "Will we be using staff's today as well, father?" Alphonse asked.

Raeloph looked at him with a glare that felt as if it could kill. "No." He responded with an apathetic tone. Alphonse could feel hatred beaming off of Raeloph today, though he is unsure as to why. Raeloph went into a stance that Alphonse didn't recognize immediately, Raelophs front foot was tilted up, allowing only the ball of his foot to touch the ground, his back leg turned sideways, his front knee was bent as was his back legs knee, his legs were about a foot apart forwards and 3 inches apart to the side. After a moment Alphonse recognized the stance, a Tiger stance.

'I have a bad feeling about this...' Alphonse thought to himself as he took up a horse stance. 'This stance isn't really effective, but it's the only one I actually have training with...' Alphonse thought with a grim tone. 'Wait, I can copy him, can't I!' Alphonse thought to himself as he copied Raeloph's stance. Raeloph's expression became surprised for a moment.

"You know you can't fight fire with fire, especially when your experience in its control is practically nonexistent!" Raeloph said with an arrogant tone.

"We'll see about that..." Alphonse responded with a confident, but wavering voice. Raeloph's expression became dull, and he rushed forward, without thinking, Alphonse punched, but Raeloph parried it and stepped behind Alphonse's front foot and punched his ribs. Alphonse coughed and had a hard time breathing for a moment and rushed back, attempting to stay in stance. Raeloph rushed forward again, but instead of punching, Alphonse waited for Raeloph to attack. Raeloph punched and Alphonse copied Raeloph's earlier move.

Raeloph was surprised. "You don't pack as much of a punch as you think." Raeloph said as he backed up. 'F*ck, that'll leave a bruise, when did he get so strong?!' Raeloph thought to himself. 'Whatever, I'll kick next, he shouldn't know what to do.' He strategized.

Raeloph readied himself as he and Alphonse circled each other. After a few seconds, Raeloph lunged forwards and did a basic chambered kick, the kick made contact with Alphonse's side, sending him a few feet away. Alphonse got up quickly and saw that Raeloph was already closing the distance, so Alphonse quickly got into stance and when Raeloph started his attack Alphonse jumped over it while going forward, morphing his attack to become a jump kick, landing right on Raeloph's solar plex. After making contact, Alphonse brought his foot back and performed a roundhouse, hitting Raeloph in the face, before landing his left foot on his forehead and jumping off of him.

Raeloph collapsed and was unconscious. After thirty seconds, he came back to his senses and got up, he was extraordinarily angry. "You can fight like that!? Why the F*CK HAVEN'T YOU!? You need to learn to take training more seriously!" Raeloph yelled. Of course, while they were sparring Raeloph was going easy on Alphonse.

Raeloph approached Alphonse and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "F-father, where are we going?" Alphonse asked as he tried to get loose so he could walk himself. Raeloph glared at him with killing intent.

"Be patient and shut up!" Raeloph said sternly.

'Crap! Crap! Crap! Prism, what's going on, do you know?' Alphonse asked with a desperate tone.

{You appear to be going in the direction of the forge.} Prism said softly. A few minutes later Raeloph opened a door which led to a room with many metal ingots, shelves, weapons, and work stations, off in the far left corner is a forge. Raeloph dragged Alphonse over by the forge, grabbed a chain bola and secured him to a work table nearby.

'F*ck!' Alphonse said as he worried over what is about to happen.

{Language! Anyways, he probably won't kill you, so I am sure that's a plus.} Prism said as an attempt to comfort Alphonse.

'What do you mean probably?!' Alphonse asked in a serious and freaked out tone.

{Well, he seems to not want to waste his effort training you, if that's any constellation.} Prism responded. After a few minutes, Raeloph came over with a sword that's red hot and grabbed Alphonse's arm.

"This is so you remember to stay serious while training!" He yelled as he put the hot metal on Alphonse's skin.

As Alphonse screamed and cried he said. "I... I d-didn't... know that...! AGH!... I... could copy... your... AGH! stance... without... instruction!"

"I don't care about your excuses!" Raeloph yelled in response as he applied the hot metal to Alphonse's torso. After a few minutes of this Alphonse was about to pass out from the pain when the chains from the bola were undone and a sword was thrown at his feet. "You'll fight me with that, try not to die." Raeloph said with an apathetic tone.

Alphonse attempted to grab the sword. but his wounds wouldn't allow it. After a few moments of struggle, he managed to pick up the sword and raise it to fighting level.

{Skill gained: Heat resistance.} Prism said robotically.

"AGH!" Alphonse screamed as he collapsed.

"Get up boy! You need to fight like your life depends on it, because it does." Raeloph said sternly as he got ready to attack. Alphonse rolled slowly out of the way of the attack and got up, forcing his eyes open.

'This pain is unbearable! Prism can you increase the amount of adrenaline in my bloodstream?' Alphonse asked Prism.

{Yes: I can raise it by about 75%.} Prism responded. {Would you like to raise it now?} Prism asked.

"Yes!" Alphonse yelled. Raeloph gave him a weird, but angry look.

"Have you gone mad from the pain boy!?" Raeloph asked angrily as he got ready to swing again.

{Administering.} Prism said as Raeloph started to swing down at Alphonse. {1.} Prism counted. Raeloph's swing was a quarter of the way to Alphonse and getting faster. {2.} She counted. Raeloph's strike is two-thirds of the way to Alphonse. {3: Adrenaline boost administered.} Prism said. At this moment Raeloph's blade nearly sliced Alphonse down the middle, but Alphonse's wounds became numb, allowing him more mobility, so he rolled, though his arm was still cut.

Raeloph looked at him with disdain. Alphonse ran to get his swords as Raeloph went to attack. This time he attacked from below, giving Alphonse a nasty cut on his leg, about a quarter-inch deep. Alphonse winced for a moment as he dove to grab his swords handle when he did grab the grip, he rolled and turned around, going into stance, the cut on his leg going numb.

'... I... I can barely stand!' Alphonse yelled in his mind. Running could be heard from outside the door. The door burst open as Alphonse fell to the ground, falling unconscious, several people flooded in, as they did so Raeloph set his sword and one of the work tables.