Solitude

The confidence was brimming through the roof as the fight seemed to have started. Kaala stood still and watched initially, while Vadh went around in a half-circle, and Velios remained fixed in the same direction from the beginning. He thought his master must be stupid for challenging both of them blindfolded and betting on it too. Suddenly, with a burst of speed, Vadh launched himself towards Velios with the full intent to kill, aiming an attack at the head. Velios stood there until the last second, grabbing Vadh's wrist before violently pulling on it and landing a punch and a kick to the side of his torso.

"Vadh, you stupid idiot! You don't think I can sense your mana? Try hiding your killing intent too; I could have sensed that alone from a mile away," Velios scolded. The first attack struck with decent force but lacked mana, and Velios sensed he didn't use a skill. Velios did not want to hold back too much, considering the proportion of power and strength used in that attack was unknown.

Vadh stumbled back, almost falling to one knee. How much strength did Velios possess? Even if that was full power, with no mana or skill used, it only fell short of the pain he felt from the scorpion. Vadh was struck with confusion by his master's strength. Even if he went all out, what could he do if Velios knew his whereabouts at all times? Even with Kaala's help, Vadh thought they might just barely land a single hit, but even that was not guaranteed.

Kaala decided to step in, throwing powerful yet quick attacks, which Velios seemed to dodge with ease. As Vadh joined in, the battle that followed was yet another humbling experience for him. Every single attack was either dodged or countered. Velios grabbed Vadh's punch, struggling to get his arm out of the tight grip. Vadh thought of it as a chance to hopefully land a hit while Velios was holding him, but Velios's next set of moves was far too fast for Vadh to comprehend. Velios threw his legs, hitting the side of Vadh's head, wrapping his leg around his extended arm. As the other leg followed through, Velios kicked Vadh in the face with the back of his heel before getting his legs fully gripped around Vadh's arm, ripping it off.

Kaala tried to throw multiple attacks while Velios was busy attacking Vadh, but none of them hit. A badly thrown attack from Kaala left many bad consequences, as Vadh was the only one going to get hit. In pain, Vadh couldn't evade the attack, which Velios was purposefully luring in. In the blink of an eye, Velios was gone, and the only one receiving the attack was Vadh. Even though Kaala tried to slow down the attack after noticing that Vadh was going to be hit, it still didn't change the outcome as he received almost the full impact once again to the same side of his body, flying into the distance.

An hour of grueling fighting had passed, and Velios was finally fully warmed up while both Vadh and Kaala were barely holding on. "Guys, listen! I'll be standing completely still for the next 30 seconds, so make sure to attack as much as possible, okay?" Velios had now seemed to lose the whole point of it all, Vadh thought. If he really wanted to grant their wishes, he should have just said so from the beginning. Velios now stood completely still with a layer of mana surrounding him. "You may not die, but that mana ain't saving you from getting hit!" Vadh, with as much force as he could muster, threw a punch aiming at the head. Right then and there, it suddenly stopped.

Velios had not moved, and Kaala stared confused as the only thing he could see was Vadh hovering his fist just a couple of inches from his face. Vadh tried harder and threw more punches, but the result continued to stay the same. For some reason, the mana surrounding Velios somehow completely blocked off any attacks thrown at him. Even if Vadh infused his fists with so much mana that it was thicker than the mana Velios had, it still produced the same result. "How did you-" Vadh continued to keep attacking, trying to do anything to even lay a finger on him, but that alone proved to be too difficult of a task. "Time's up." Velios started attacking again, becoming more serious as every second passed. Not before long, both of the exhausted monsters were defeated without being able to land a single blow on him, declaring Velios the righteous victor of the battle.

Velios sat down in the sand with a smile on his face. "How did you do that? And what did you even do? How could you even create something like that?" Vadh was still confused even when he heard the answer.

"I basically control my mana to my own will to the utmost extent of the powers I currently possess. With that alone, I can now condense the mana enough to a point where nothing can pass through it. Think of it as a barrier of mana." There was nothing other than logic in that sentence, yet it sounded like something a six-year-old would say while play fighting. Vadh didn't even know you could do something like that. Truth be told, he didn't even know what "density" was until he asked for an explanation.

When it came to questions like these, no one was more interested in that kind of conversation. He had only made it as far as he had thanks to all the countless hours he had spent studying science. The experiences, knowledge, and strengths are what make a person unique and truly differentiate Velios from the rest of them. Velios would only continue to further his knowledge to become stronger and stronger every time he trained. With enough time, Velios would be so powerful that he would think back on this exact moment and think of himself as weak.

Even after fighting, Velios continued to train as he sent them both on a little errand to get some food. Velios didn't know how long he was going to be out in the wilderness training because there was no actual reason for him to go back into the world. He had lost everyone he cared for, no one to rely on, nobody that cared for him, and nothing to protect. He truly did not have any reason for going back into the rotten society that it always had been.

Even after thinking all that, a person still popped up in his head. The single connection he currently had towards anything out there in the world was the constant thoughts he had about Yotsuya, whether if he was alive or not. He had realized that it would not be good for his training if he got interrupted or disturbed by it in any way. He didn't want anything to get in the way of the number one thing Velios prioritized: his training.

With that, he could probably go weeks or even months without any form of human interaction. The time he spent alone, training himself was the most precious time to him, and he decided to stick with that ideal to the very end. As the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months, Velios found solace in the routine of his training. The wilderness became his dojo, and the rhythmic sounds of his strikes echoed through the desolate landscape.

It was only possible in this solitude, Velios discovered a profound connection between his physical and spiritual self. The mana he wielded became an extension of his will, and the barrier he had created evolved into an impenetrable fortress. Each day was going to bring new challenges, pushing Velios to explore the depths of his abilities. Yet, amid the harsh and unforgiving surroundings, a spark of purpose flickered.

Despite his insistence on isolation, the memory of Yotsuya lingered, a beacon in the vast emptiness. Velios tried but couldn't shake the questions that haunted him – the fate of his friend, the world beyond his training grounds. It was a conflict within himself, torn between the pursuit of strength and the curiosity of what lay beyond the borders of his self-imposed exile.

As Velios delved deeper into the mysteries of his own power, he couldn't escape the paradox of his existence. The very strength that distanced him from society also tethered him to the memory of Yotsuya. In the echoes of his training, there was a subtle yearning for connection, a reminder that even the most formidable barriers couldn't shield the heart from the echoes of human bonds. If he was to ever return, it would be for that one reason only.