Youjutsu is natural

Since he started sparring with his mother, a few weeks went by and she decided it was time to introduce him to his second teacher. He was a tall Karasu-Tengu and the head of Yasaka's guards. Karasu-Tengu were more animal looking like many Yokai, with black wings and the head of a crow. Surprisingly, he still managed to show various expression on his bird-like face.

"Tell me Yuudai, what do you think is the fighting style of an Oni?" His mother asked.

He didn't have to think long after remembering the wild and rather brutal fighting style of his otherwise calm and gentle mother.

"They fight with their body and hit as hard as possible?" He guessed, which earned him a playful knock on the head.

"You answer isn't wrong, but it is only part of it. While we help our children train, we attach importance to individuality and to people finding their own way. Take me for example. I am skilled in hand to hand combat because I was compatible with it and the training was fun for me. But there were other Oni that were skilled in Youjutsu or fighting with a sword. Shuten Dōji for example used a special kind of dark magic. Ōtakemaru on the other hand used his magic to summon storms and fought with swords and spears. What I want you to remember is that you should just use what you prefer and are good at." Tamiko explained.

"I will try different things then, but I would like to test a spear first. I have a feeling that it would suit me very well." Yuudai stated with anticipation clearly on his face. It has been over four years since he last held his favourite weapon when before he didn't even put it down for longer than a few hours.

"You can do that, but now on to your lesson with Karasu." Tamiko replied while pointing at the Karasu-Tengu waiting at the side. His name was literally Karasu and meant 'crow'. Didn't his mother just tell him a while ago that Yokai-parents chose meaningful names for their children?

Being pointed at, Karasu straightened his back a bit more before speaking up: "As I am proficient in aerial combat, that will be what I am training you in."

He looked at Yuudai as if waiting for a huge response. Yuudai was slightly confused by this. How should he train in aerial combat, he wasn't the one with huge black wings on his back. Could it be?

"I expected a stronger reaction to be honest, caw." Karasu replied, now with a verbal tick.

"But let's get started, I still have to return to Lady Yasaka in a while. I will first have to teach you about Youjutsu. Now what is Youjutsu, caw? Simply put it is the magic of us Yokai. Just like Devils with their Devil Magic and Fallen Angels with their Lig-…forget about them." Karasu explained until he stopped while talking about Fallen Angels and made a sour face. It seems there is a strange rivalry going on, as he turned to his wings and nodded with a smile before turning back to Yuudai.

"But regardless of the magic system you are using, they all have similar and indispensable skills every high-level person should know, be they a magician or not. Are you following so far?" Karasu asked after his next sentence.

As Yuudai affirmed with a nod, he continued: "The most important skills are usually considered the ability to conjure a barrier, to fly and to use teleportation. I will show you all three of them and want you to try it for yourself."

Yuudai didn't dare to blink as Karasu demonstrated the spells one by one. At first, he created a thin barrier, even changing its shape and thickness, before he but layers above the original one. He had masterful control over the spell. Yuudai could feel the Ki that was used, as if it were his own. He tried to remember the feeling and to form a barrier of his own. Slowly the Ki merged at one point before forming a circular shape in front of him.

Though Karasu was shocked out of his mind, he quickly calmed himself and punched the barrier, immediately dispersing it.

"It's too weak, caw! You need to picture it clearly and put in more Ki."

Yuudai wasn't upset, as he was used to harsh training. At once he started the process anew but this time with a clear picture in mind. He layered multiple barriers above each other while making them thinner than before. The barrier looked the same as his earlier one was far stronger, proven by Karasu failing to disperse it again.

"Very well-done kid. If you learn that fast, maybe we can even do the other two." Karasu was ecstatic, it was rare to find such talent. He usually trained other guards or younglings of his clan and it was a tiring process. It was a welcome change to have a student that didn't need to be told and shown multiple times.

"Since you don't even need an explanation, I will just show you again. Try to imitate it but be careful not to use too much Ki now. You don't want to launch yourself to the moon accidentally, caw." He said as energy started to gather around him, slowly levitating him above ground.

"Ok let's do this." Yuudai motivated himself as he concentrated. Flying was obviously a dream of many, but most people weren't born with wings to fly. This however changed things. Like before he concentrated on the feeling and tried to remember it. As he slowly levitated above the ground, it felt like he was walking on just one of his legs. As if it could be done easier. He decided to trust his instincts and reached out to the natural Ki in the atmosphere. As he used it to keep himself flying, in tandem with his own Ki, it felt far more natural. He got a bit bolder and tried to move in the air. He quickly found out that he was even less restricted than on the ground.

At this point Karasu had his jaw hanging on the ground. His prided ability to be unmatched while in the air was threatened, what could he even teach that kid. He really was a prodigy when it came to Ki manipulation.

"Let's just get the other one…" Karasu started his sentence while the ground under his feet lit up in a special pattern.

"out of the way." And ended his sentence from behind Yuudai, who quickly turned around with wide eyes.

Due to his excitement he acted as if on instinct again and immediately disappeared, only to reappear on a big tree some metres away.

"Hahaha!" His laughter rang out while he popped around the garden at an increasingly fast pace and even Tamiko, who was already used at his uniqueness, started to sweat.

He didn't even have a magic circle beneath him when he teleported, their spars would obviously become more difficult for her now. If he managed to integrate his cheat-like teleportation ability into his fighting style, coupled with his already ridiculous strength, he would become a headache for most people.

"That son of mine." She quickly formed a smile on her face.

Yuudai, while he was hopping around, started to think about all the new things he was currently learning. The possibilities he had were nearly endless. Magic alone could nearly achieve anything one can imagine and there was much he could look forward to. He was especially happy that his fighting style would gain a kind of unpredictability with the many options he would have. While he didn't know the exact strength level of the people of this world, he saw the many beings outside of this world that might come one day. Just ridiculous strength and the bigger fist won't do it in that case. He needed techniques and finesse. He would do his best to forge his family's martial arts to something new. To something better.

"If you are done playing around, come at me to have a spar. You remember why I came here, caw?!" Karasu shouted to the space hopping Yuudai. He had no problem with him enjoying himself, Yuudai was a young chick after all, but he only had limited time besides his duties, and he would make the best of it.

Yuudai sheepishly turned around. If people, who knew his actual mental age saw him, they might think he didn't act his age. But that was only from the perspective of people that didn't look at flying and teleporting as something special they only dreamed of before.

As Karasu waited, he quickly teleported before him, trying to strike him from the side with his fist. Karasu however turned around in that instant before slapping him down with his wing. Before he reached the ground, Yuudai teleported himself around twenty metres above ground before steadying himself in the air. This situation felt just like his spars with Tamiko. He looked forward to learning from the experience his teachers gathered in their many years.