Road to mastery

"I don't need to be in a fighting position to win with a newbie," Estel added with a sharp edge in his voice. Almost as if it was already cutting me before he even moved.

I leaped onto him with the stick pointing at him like a stab. He dodged before it even came close to him. At that same moment, he advanced to me and hit me with the stave in the head. I fell down on my ass from losing my balance.

"You are so quick…" I said on the ground a little angry.

"I'm not quick, only you are a little too predictable. I knew that you would launch yourself onto me since I'm wounded. But being wounded doesn't stop me from knowing how you will move." He came close to me and gave me a hand. "Again. Try a different way to attack me."

This time instead of attacking him straight away I stood in place while slowly approaching Estel. The crook in my hand prepared to hit the elf.

I was getting really close to him. I expected that he won't move until I will but… He just leaped to the right and again hit me in the head. It hurt but not very much.

"Ouch!" I said loudly, both Marcus and Matthew snorted.

"If you will have enough time to say ouch on the battlefield someone will have time to slash your head." I opened my eyes and I saw him right next to me with the stick pushing onto my throat. He came back to his position from before. "Once more." I again stood in my position but this time I lose myself and stopped staying in the foretold position. I only stood with the 'sword' in my head. When I looked at it an afterimage appeared in my head that this stick is a real blade. Estel smirked. He then went into his position. He laid low with his knees, his left hand to the front, and the sword in his right hand little above his head. He… The branch in his hands. Looks like a true blade.

I also got to my position. In the one that Estel showed me, I have a lot more reach but my movements are capped a little. It's a good position to counter his. Is it why he told me about this stance? We both were making a small circle while looking at each other in the eyes. Deeply. Almost as if this was a swallowing void taking all of our attention.

A step forward? A step left or right? Which one is correct… Which is the better choice. I'd rather not make that choice myself. But I have to! I strafed to the right and with the sword positioned with the point onto his chest. Dodge! He dodged. What do I do? Fall back go left or follow with another attack… When I thought a blade started slowly slashing the air. I looked at Estel who just dodged doing a swing with that sword. The moment the sword started moving. The one in my hand on its own started flowing into a blocking position. I blocked the attack but as I did that his fist was getting to my stomach. Dirty. I took that punch but held his hand with mine. With the sword in my hand and his still in the air uncontrollably I forced my hand into a slash. He ducked it… Damn it!

He pushed away my hand, which took me off balance, and the sword in my hand almost as if blasted away by an explosion. His sword is getting closer to my skin! What now! It's sharp!

I pushed him with my left hand away. He went back a little bit and that also stopped his sword from moving to my throat. I started breathing very intensely as he was a little further away. He didn't break a sweat… And I? Almost like a pig sweaty and greasy. His face is unmoved. Sweat not broken. Exhaustion not existent. He then slowly went back to his position. With the left hand in front, he made a gesture that said 'come on'.

My hands, tired from doing all of those things until now. Pushed them to their limits and stood up. My legs shaking while standing up, my hands hurting a lot. Again to the same position. A repeat. Jump! Dodge! Slash! Block! Slash! Block! Hit! Dodge! In this succession with Estel still not breaking a single sweat. I'm already on the brink of falling from exhaustion. But I know… That I can't fall on the battlefield. Once again I stood up from the ground I fell upon before. While doing that very slow motion the whole cave… Change into a field with swords in the ground. Spears, swords, maces, and other axes or hammers. Marcus and Matthew disappeared. The fire and the wall from wood as well. Only me and Estel in this apocalyptic world of silent slaughter.

The sand underneath our feet, I see only him and the clear sky behind him. My attention solely on the elf. Not Estel anymore. It's just a random elf I met on the battlefield. I took my position for the third time ready for a fight to the death. The stick in my hands also started changing from an afterimage into a real steel sword. The same sequence. Jump. Dodge. Slash. Block… This time. I didn't fall after the last part. This time we went on, I dodged another of his attacks.

The sun of the apocalyptic world shone straight into my eyes, almost blinding me. The next attack after the dodge… I didn't see because of the luminous ray of the sun. How is a fake sun blinding me? At that moment I got hit in the head after around a minute of straight up fighting. My eyes closed because of the hit and when I once again opened my eyes. The world disappeared. That parallel world from a long time before this existed. This cave…

"What you've witnessed now. Is the very beginning of the way to become a swordsman." The sword he held in his hand also lost its looks. It was now that very same stick that now… Crumbled to ashes. "It doesn't matter if your powers are blocked or anything. It will always be here. When you are in a fight. It will appear no matter how many foes will be ahead. In this world. It will help you. That sun that blinded you? Was because of me. It listened to my call. And that's why you got defeated just now." What? That's so amazing! But… "It will take you a long time to command that world. I'm still learning and it's about two years since I started. You are pretty good though. After an hour you got a grasp of that forsaken place. Not bad." I didn't even make him sweat….

"Master, huh?" I'm almost unable to talk normally. The lack of air in my lungs started manifesting into intensive breathing. Polishing that world… How does it work? Do you just think and it does things?

"You can't just master something that can take your entire life in just a mere hour. I don't even know if you can master it actually. I'm two years in and didn't even see the beginning of the end." How long? Two years and not even the beginning? How does true mastery actually look like… I want to find out!

"Can I learn on my own?" If I can then maybe… But just maybe. I will be able to have any power to reach my goal.

"If you want to. You need to do it on a target, but my master once told me that there are also people that can learn while just imagining the fights. Dreaming of them. The real battle inside one's soul. I'm hungry by the way, can we make some more food?" He asked Marcus that came back from that void that swallowed him before.

"Sure. Hayden yours is ready. Eat it before it gets cold." He reminded me of the ribs that still lay on the fire's flames. Those high and really hot flames… An orange flower of flames.

"We will rest for an hour and then train some more." I was still looking at the flames. I heard what Estel said and it made my soul a little happier.

"Don't stare at the fire too much. You will burn your eyes." Marcus snorted. He of course was staring at the fire for the last couple of minutes. I wish he stood in that apocalyptic void for a little longer... Just kidding haha.

"Yeah yeah." I smiled back at him with a really stupid grin. I saw Estel sitting next to the fire, I joined him and took the cooked ribs from the fire. The smell of fat still scorching on that beautiful piece of meat… Haven't had that in a long time… The taste of the fresh meat just being cooked on the flames from the fire. Incredible and juicy, almost melts in my mouth. Reminds me of Flora, again, her cooking right next to that stove in the old house. I wish I could see her sunny smile again...