Training and Worn Memories

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!"

I scream my lungs out as a sharp, intense pain surges in my arms after a snapping sound. "It's BROKENN!! Hhaahhh!!!"

Huff* Muffled* I clutched my arms against my chest, collapsing to the ground in agony where each breath felt like a struggle.

Master and I are having a practice drill with a wooden stick. After disarming me, he placed his stick in between my arms and circled with the flow, breaking it with ease.

"Stand. You have 10 seconds." He said he was facing the other side. "Or it's your other arm next."

Shivering, I pick up my stick with the other hand and stand on my feet.

It's been a month since my training started, and he wasn't joking when he said it'd be a hellish one for me. And the rule is that he won't heal me until the training time is over. No matter how many bones I break or how much pain I go through, even if I were to have breakfast or lunch, I must endure it and continue my training throughout the day from morning 5 to evening 7.

Master Marthanda is cruel with his methods, but thanks to that, I am getting used to pain.

I took my stance, and I lunged forward to attack him, yet, like a wisp of smoke evading grasp, he sidestepped with an effortless moment. I swung once more, but he blocked it with his stick, and in a blur of motion, he circled, striking at my legs and making me fall to the ground again. He raised his arms to smash his stick on my face, but at the very last second, I springed on side, evading his blow, and I counterattacked with all the ferocity.

"Hyaaahh!!!" I expressed.

.....

I ignited the final lamp in the room; the gentle flicker cast a warm glow, illuminating the room. Master gracefully arranged the food on the table. Sitting opposite me, he placed a glass of water and a plate of food before me, his expression serene yet commanding. 

After a refreshing bath, my hair is still somewhat wet, and I didn't want to catch a cold, so I wore a hoodie over my t-shirt, as it's very chilling at night here. During the day, I don't feel it much due to constant rigorous training, so I only wear a t-shirt and a track tying my ponytail.

"Master, what's the name of this dish?" I said, looking at the two small bowls of reddish brown curry, a thick white sauce, and a thin white disc that was folded. It had golden-brown patches. One thing I have noticed is that Master doesn't like talking much. Whenever I ask him something directly, he brushes it off, so I start with something light and easy to answer.

"It's called Dosa," he said, breaking it with his fingers. 

Observing him I also tried to break the piece with my fingers, but I couldn't because it was too hot and it wasn't breaking in the same way it did for Master, as I am used to eating with a spoon only and not my hand. I used my other hand as well to break the piece out, and somehow, after embarrassingly pushing and pulling the white crisp, I took my piece, which felt way bigger for a bite. **Sigh* I dipped it in the curry and white sauce and ate it.

"Ummm. It's good." I said. "There are vegetables in the curry too."

After a long working day, good food is all one wants. 

When I started training here, I couldn't even sit straight and eat anything due to the trauma of the day. Even though my broken bones and swollen skin were healed, I could still feel the pain. Finally, after getting used to it, it doesn't feel like much.

I used to chat and talk a lot with my family at the dinner table, but here, it's mostly silent.

"Master," I said.

"I am not answering anything from my past." He said it without looking at me.

After a momentary pause, Pfft* a small laugh burst off me, thinking how he had gotten used to my questions. I head down, controlling myself.

"Haha Okay." I said, continuing to eat my food.

He looked at me when I was again embarrassingly breaking my Dosa pieces with both of my hands.

"You guys always talk this much while eating?" He asked.

"Yes, we do." I answered confidently. "Families talk when they sit together and share their memories of the day and things happening in their lives with each other."

"But I am not your family member," he said while chewing on his food, closing his eyes, and showing resistance to my answer.

"Umm...You are, though."

He *Coughs* on his food and tries to wipe it. I laughed and passed the tissue papers to him.

"In my place, we say teachers are our second parents." I said. "Their influence and teachings are way more impactful than real parents in some cases." I took a bite, gave it some thought, and continued. "Now that I don't have parents anymore, I'll probably be learning from people who will look after me." I said, gulping down my food. "What am I saying? I am not a child anymore; I am already 20 years old Haha."

I wasn't looking at him, but probably Master felt sympathy for me, as after a moment of silence, when I thought, as usual, the conversation wouldn't go anywhere and I was focused on food, Master said.

"You asked me why I am here all by myself even though I can stay at the palace as a retired knight with everything, right?"

"Yes," I replied, looking surprised. I didn't think he'd take that topic out.

"I once had a great friend. We used to come here all the time and feel the calmness of life. Now that he isn't here anymore, I am taking care of it." He said.

"Your friend, He..."

"He died in the last battle at the coast. I was praised as a hero, but it was his sacrifice that made it possible. I couldn't continue myself after that point, so I took my retirement."

"I see.." I said, looking into his inaudible eyes, where I could feel the pain of losing someone. "I am sorry to hear that."

"And I used to teach more people, but why have I stopped taking more students?" He said this, looking at me.

"It's okay for today, Master; I don't want to push you too much." I said, raising my hands. "We can talk about it later."

"It's okay now that I am letting it out. I should do it in one go." He said. "And don't feel sorry when your persistent questions are the reason I am talking now." He said this, flicking my head.

"Ouch*"

"So yeah, the reason I stopped taking students is because my best student turned into a criminal."

"..." Upon hearing that, I stopped chewing my food. "What?"

"One day, when I was out, he killed three students here and ran away." Said Master. "He was strong, but the Queen and her knights took him under custody, and he is now behind bars."

I lost my words hearing all that. I somehow gulped my food and asked a question.

"Why did he do that?"

"I don't know; I wish he could tell me so that I could help, but nope. Nothing."

"I see.." I replied. Lost in thought, I wonder, as a master, how Marthanda must've felt about it. He was his best student, after all.

"Master, Do you feel responsible for how he turned out?" I asked.

"I do." He said, "Like I said, he was my best. I never thought he'd turn into a monster."

"I see."

"We never know what someone is holding for the other until they put those feelings into action, and it becomes too late to revert." He said, Lost in thought, he gazed absently at his curry, the steam rising and carrying with it the aroma of spices and his guilt-filled memories.

"Right," I replied.

"Anything else you want to know? my family member, Eleanor?"

"No, that's enough for today." I said, smiling at his gesture.

That incident happened last year, and he stopped taking any more students after that point out of guilt, but he took it as an exception because Queen asked personally.

One of the greatest has a sad story behind him. No wonder he prefers to live the rest of his life in silence now.