Chapter 5: A Hero's Begining
"Running is easy for me, I don't know why Master Wiseman insists it is difficult to do in the forest. This is more fun than practicing salve techniques and his persistent martial arts exercises. I feel truly free as I run. Humph, I am also tired of Mirkos bugging me to select a name. I barely am learning who or what I am in the three months of my life"
The Kaian girl, Queen Rousha's copy always talks to herself when she goes for her morning warm-up runs through the forest. Lately this is the only time she is alone or not training. The Wiseman pushes both Mirkos and the girl to learn as many lessons as possible every day. Their days consist of learning how to physically fit and how to treat wounds of the injured. Mirkos doesn't posses any special abilities that make him extraordinary other than an impeccable memory which is unmatched. However, the girl has shown amazing strength that grows by the day, acute natural senses, and she can heal with and without magic. The Wiseman has noted her ability to heal is unusual and unheard of from Kaians. He true limit of her abilities are unknown.
The girl is continuing to run and she thinks to herself that she feels someone watching her from afar. She doesn't sense danger, but she reaches for the left part of her sash and pulls out the sai that the late Trix gave her. The girl lets out a loud grunt as she heaves the sai behind her and keeping her fast running pace. Suddenly a loud shout is heard in the densely packed green forest. The mysterious person's sleeve is attached to a tree with the girls sai. Now they are temporarily immobilized.
"Why you do that!" Shouts Mirkos. "It's just me, I was practicing my tracking techniques. If I can track you, I can track anyone."
"Mirkos you little creep, I know you were practicing on me again. I think you went undetected for less than a minute. You can't keep up with me anyways because I run fast."
"I don't need to keep up with your running pace to track you, I just need to observe you with my eyes. Really all I need to do is note your movements as I leap from treetop to treetop. Hey aren't you going to get me out of this? Please get your sai out of my sleeve," says Mirkos.
The sai was perfectly thrown as it always is when Mirkos tries to track the girl. She has become proficient with throwing the sai and uses it as a weapon. The training she has received doesn't deal with weapons, but the girl is a natural at wielding the sai. She does a back flip and leaps in a arch towards Mirkos position.
She pulls the sai out of the tree it rests in and separates the sai from Mirkos's sleeve. "Is this better Mirkos? Maybe you need to learn how to dodge my attacks faster."
"Maybe you need to learn how to throw more accurately, you're just lucky." Says Mirkos.
The girl's and Mirkos' laughter is heard in the forest and some birds fly away from the noise level.
"Are you going to select a name? Master Wiseman and I don't know what to call you. We can't keep calling you girl – eh hehehe," says Mirkos with a giggle.
The girl looks at the sai as she exchanges it from her left hand to her right hand. She thinks back on Sid's and Trix's fate…. Despite being nearly prostituted out by Sid and Trix being complicit in that practice, she has deep regret she couldn't save their lives. When she was just five days old back then she was more naive and learning how things worked. She battled a Yager, Schroeder, whom she didn't know his name. All she had was her sai and a feeling. She knew where to stab him with the weapon and how to move quickly enough how not to be injured.
She is still looking at the sai and begins to speak, "Sai."
"Yes you are good with that damn sai, you keep kicking my ass with it! What of it?" Asks Mirkos with inquisition.
"Mirkos, I decided I want to be called Sai. I want to be powerful like this sai so that is going to be my name. For some reason, I think Trix would apricate my name," says Sai as she pokes the middle tip with her left index finger. "Mirkos one of the final things Trix told me was this was her grandmother's sai. It was her only possession and she shared it with me…."
Suddenly a wind gust pushes Mirkos back and another gust of wind hits Sai's right hand. Her weapon falls to the ground with a loud thud. Mirkos goes into a defensive posture and Sai leaps to a higher tree trunk than the one her and Mirkos are on.
"Coward show yourself," shouts Sai.
"So you finally choose a name for yourself, good work Sai. You really need to work on your tracking abilities, both of you do. I been tracking both of you all morning when you both setout to practice while you thought I was still asleep," says the Wiseman with a grin on his face.
"Master Wiseman your wind attack hurts!" Shouts Mirkos.
"Shrimp it's supposed to hurt, that's why it's called an attack," says the Wiseman with a laughing mocking tone, "Maybe its time for you to learn this magic technique so you can defend yourself."
Sai leaps down to the Wiseman's and Mirkos' tree trunk level. "How do you push the air like that master," asks Sai.
"Well you need to learn first how to track a person without being noticed and you need to tune your senses more," says the Wiseman as he thumped Sai on the head.
"Sai I am really joyed you picked a name for yourself. Saying hey you come here kind of becomes a chore after awhile." The three all laughed and leap down to the lush forest floor.
"My dear pupils lets start training this morning," says the wiseman as he lifts his arms.
The pupils stand behind the Wiseman taking careful mental notes of his actions. The Wiseman opens his palms outwardly and closes his eyes.
"Feel your inward force, your chi. Search for it in your heart. It moves your body, chi moves everything. Everyone calls it magic, but all I am doing as I push the wind is harnessing my chi. Feel the deepness of your heart and then feel the air around you and then push it with your mind," says the Wiseman. He opens his eyes and he leaps to a tree trunk. "I'll stay up here and watch you attempt to learn the technique."
In unison Mirkos and Sai shout. "Okay master!"
Mirkos proceeds to lift his arm and to push physically outward, he moves around his body with his mind and within his heart. He thinks of the conflict he has inside himself. He is loyal to the Wiseman and he loves him like a father. He wants his master to be happy with his efforts as a pupil, yet he has a mission which was assigned to him two years ago by the monk order. He shrugs and decides to not think of that assignment and continues to focus on his chi.
Sai closes her eyes and sees her first memory of seeing Queen Rousha before her when Sai entered this world. She wonders what the Queen is doing and her heart begins to race faster. Sai thinks to herself she must calm down and focus. She opens her eyes and silently thinks she knows how this technique works. A whirl and whoosh of wind is heard near her hands and the leaves of a tree in front of Sai are slightly pushed back.
"I did it! I did it! I can push the air master!" Shout Sai.
Mirkos looks at Sai with some jealousy and smiles. He knows she is a fast learner and seems to master most lessons quickly. He is hoping he can master this technique in a few months or at least start to learn it. So far Mirkos only has basic martial skills and minor healing abilities. He thinks of himself as a slow learner, but the Wiseman always reminds him it's not a race to become a monk it is a duty to just be a good monk.
Suddenly the Wiseman thumps Sai on the head, "do not be braggadocios or foolish. It takes time to really understand this technique."
The Wiseman raises his right hand and looks at the tree Sai was practicing with. "This is the true power of this technique."
Suddenly all of the dirt and leaves around the tree begin to lift off the ground and swirl around in a fast moving circle. The tree begins to crack and its roots are exposed. The Wiseman's right hand is open and he mutters" it is done," as he closes his hand and twists it while forming a fist. The uprooted tree suddenly breaks into many tiny pieces the size of a splinter. The wiseman waves his hand and opens his fist and the tree pieces are carried away into the distance.
Both Sai and Mirkos are surprised to see this happen. They marvel at the Wiseman's power. Mirkos has been the Wiseman's pupil for a year and he has never seen him use that level of power. Mirkos has only observed the Wiseman use punches, kicks, and healing abilities on people.
"Master how did you become this powerful," asks Sai, "I want to learn how to use such power to defeat evil people like Schroeder."
"Come to me my pupils," says the Wiseman with a somber tone. "I didn't demonstrate one of my ultimate abilities just to defeat someone. Sai, you're a special Kaian and there are some people that know it. You have the potential to end his mess that has fallen on all the lands of the island."
"Master what do you mean?" asks Sai with a puzzled look. Mirkos looks at his master with a faux puzzled look, for he knows of the prophecy.
"Sai, you aren't supposed to be able to talk," explains the Wiseman.
"What do you mean? I talk as everyone else does, but I have all of Queen Rousha's memories. She really is quite spoiled….." says Sai while being interrupted by the Wiseman.
"You really are the new hope for the island. Sai, you will be a hero to the island. There is a tale that a Kaian copy whom is intelligent will overthrow the empire," explains the Wiseman.
Suddenly the Wiseman sweeps Sai's leg and she flips upside down and lands on her hands and flips herself correctly. While Sai is correcting her orientation the Wiseman does a hand chop to Mirkos back left leg and Mirkos falls to his knees.
"You two and need to practice the rest of the morning and afternoon. Training you has tired me and honestly you both need to learn how to defend yourself always!" Shouts the Wiseman as he leaps to a high tree trunk.
"Sai lets continue to train, hey how did you push the leaves of that tree?" asks Mirkos.
"I just thought about Queen Rousha and pushed the wind with my emotions," explains Sai, "Here let me show you Mirkos."
The two pupils continued to train diligently for few hours. Eventually, both were able to gentle push leaves easily by the end of the day. They both feel accomplished and catch fish for their late lunch and dinner meal. Both Sai and Mirkos note they can not find the Wiseman and they figure he is off in deep meditation or tracking them to train them. They decide to keep doing training exercises and to rest in the evening.
In the shadows of the large trees in the forest a monk spy has watched the entire day's events and has recorded his observations on the Wiseman, Mirkos, and Sai. As he hides, the spy moves his dark cloak's sleeves to better see his notes. He reads one note which says Mirkos is growing too close to the Wiseman. The spy wonders if Mirkos has been compromised. He further wonders if Sai's abilities have limits and he is surprised he hasn't been detected by Sai or the Wiseman. The spy begins to think the monks need to handle this situation quickly because Sai could be a credible threat to the imperial order.
"What are you doing?"
The spy pushes his notes in his sleeve with his right hand and lowers his sleeves quickly before turning around.
"I am just passing though, Master Wiseman I am traveling on a peace mission," says the spy.
The Wiseman starts laughing, "the order needs better spies, I been aware of your presence since I woke up this morning when I sensed you while my pupils set out to practice. You're not on a peace mission…."
Suddenly the Wiseman's sentence was interrupted with the spy tossing three daggers out of his left sleeve. The Wiseman dodges the daggers and takes on a defensive posture.
"I figured you would run away when I demonstrated what I can do to a tree," says the Wiseman with a serious tone.
"Your magic tricks mean nothing to me or the empire. I am not just a spy, I am an assassin. A traitor like you doesn't deserve to be the keeper of the ultimate ability. You don't deserve to live," says the man.
The man has his head covered with his hood and he suddenly lifts his head and lifts both of his arms. A smile appears on his face as he reveals his face. The cloaks sleeves hide his hands but suddenly three shiny daggers appear in both of his hands.
"The Order must really want me dead for them to send you to spy on me and my pupils, Machairi," says the Wiseman with a somber tone.
"You'll fail and die just like your Elder Master did when I murdered him," boasts Machairi with provocation in his voice.
Respectfully, the Wiseman and Machairi run towards each other with techniques and weapons at the ready.
"I will correct the error of allowing you to live. My mistake was not killing you after killing your Elder Master," boasts Machairi.
After what seemed to be a long pause between the two men, the Wiseman responds with a sad tone, hands and arms in front of him, and a melancholy demeanor, "It is my duty to honor my former Elder Master, for Machairi you will not leave this forest alive today."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone