บท 3: Chapter 2: Lightsabers
Alex's training had been going on for over a year and a half. And according to his teacher, Father Joseph, he could definitely forget about physical exercises for a while. To be more precise, now he was only required to undergo the usual intensive training, without having to break the limit of his strength. The reason for this was quite simple. Alex's eight year old body already had more physical capacity than the average adult had. Further increases in brute strength could negatively affect his maturation. From now on, the growth of his strength was to be as gradual as possible, according to his biological growth.
- Now we will train your reaction," Father Joseph said with a barely audible sigh, twirling a small twig that had recently fallen from a nearby tree and looking at his ward carefully. - Son, do you understand what this is for?
- Yes, father, - Alex nodded calmly. - Any power will be almost useless if I can't see or hit my enemy.
- That's right, - the man confirmed and suddenly the thin twig he held in his hand was only a couple of millimeters away from the boy's eye.
Alex instinctively recoiled and almost lost his balance, but the man in front of him did not move even a centimeter and quickly threw his "weapon" aside.
- You see, young Alexander," he pulled out from behind his robes a small hilt without a blade, clearly belonging to a short sword. - It's called a lightsaber, you remember what they're for, don't you?
- To kill Sith, - Alex grinned, but when he saw his mentor's serious look, he quickly dropped the joke. - Excuse me, father...Lightsabers were given to us by Heaven, so that those who can't wield the Holy Swords could resist the enemies of the human race.
- That's right," Father Joseph nodded. - There are different types of lightsabers. Mostly they are divided into those worn by ordinary exorcists and those wielded by unusually strong fighters who, for some reason, were not among the chosen ones.
The man gripped the hilt tighter, and at the same moment a small, oblong blade of dull white energy emerged from it.
Alex's gaze involuntarily traveled down the short length of the blade and suddenly he noticed that the point of the sword was missing. In its place was a small, rounded tip, as if someone had intentionally chiseled off the broken point and soldered a light pommel into it.
- I see you noticed," the man nodded satisfied, following Alex's gaze. - Yes, it's a special training sword. Unlike other types of blades, which are regularly recharged in the heavens to always maintain their deadly form, this sword will be quite problematic to kill even a low demon.
As if to prove his words, the father of the former exorcist ran his palm across the entire surface of the blade where the cutting part should have been. Turning his hand towards his student and showing that it was completely intact, he continued:
- Such swords are only recharged once every few years, and they are used for training future exorcists, as well as for various demonstrations. Well, we have just such a case.
- Reaction training with a sword? - Alex raised an eyebrow questioningly. - Or do I have to master swordsmanship as well?
- No," his teacher grinned briefly. - I will give you a swordsmanship course before sending you to the academy, but it will be much later. For now, you can just take this sword as a substitute for that twig...the thing is, young Alexander, that the rapid development of reaction usually happens when you need to see or react to something that is much faster than you. Understandably, in training we try to simulate such a situation. However, if I just move fast, it will take you many years to develop even just a tolerable reaction time. You can't even think about the reaction speed of an average exorcist, it would take twenty years at least....
- That means...I'll have to use the fastest way again? - Alex sighed with a smile. - And I suspect it's much more painful, is that what you're getting at, teacher?
- Father Albo warned you, didn't he?" the man nodded with obvious sadness on his face. - It is not an easy path, and it is a painful one. But there is no other way for us ordinary people to become stronger quickly. Even those who are born with his blessing learn and develop their strength through hard work...young Alexander.
The former exorcist looked at him with a shadow of hope in his eyes.
- Are you sure you want to walk this path in its entirety? No one will judge you if you decide to leave now. There are many departments in the church where your extraordinary mind could come in handy. Being a scholarly husband of the Vatican is no worse than being its warrior....
- Thank you for your advice, Father, - Alex shook his head calmly. - However, I have already decided that I want to be a warrior. It may sound like I'm quoting one of the books about heroes, evil dragons and princesses, but when I look into my sister's clear eyes, I feel that I want to protect her and people like her from everything that can threaten them. Sometimes I do wonder if I'm doing the right thing, but when I imagine a monster like a ghoul, a vampire, or even a demon showing up and I can't do anything...no, the feeling of helplessness will kill me before the hardest training does!
- ...I see," the man nodded with a slight hesitation, a whole bunch of different emotions running across his face in a second, but he quickly pulled himself together. - Well, in that case, we'll continue....
The lightsaber in his hand described an elegant figure eight in the air between him and the boy standing opposite him. Then it stopped a few centimeters from Alex's chest.
- So, - Father Joseph looked at his student carefully as always. - Now your task will be only to observe. Afterwards, when you get a little used to my movements, I will give you stabbing blows. I will only watch your gaze. If you can catch the direction of the blade, I'll stop the blow. Fail, and I will touch your body with it. Of course, I won't hit you with full force and there won't be any wounds, but bruises are also unpleasant, so it will make you try your best...let's begin, just watch for now!
In the same instant, the sword in front of Alex's chest disappeared from its place and immediately appeared to the left, right and even above and below its original point. The difference in speed between the former exorcist and the reaction of a normal person was so great that it seemed to him as if the sword was in four places at once. Only a faint ripple in the air helped him realize that the sword was moving from one point to another, stopping just long enough for the average human eye to see it, and then speeding up again to freeze in another position.
All this went on for about ten minutes, during which Father Joseph had time to change the freezing points several times, showing his pupil where he would strike in the future. And then, when Alex more or less began to distinguish his teacher's movements, or at least it seemed so to him, the sword stopped.
- So, - the blade of light retracted back into the hilt. - Now sit for a couple of minutes, let your eyes rest.
Nodding silently, Alex sat down by the nearest tree, rubbing his tightly closed eyes a little. Five or six minutes later the training resumed, the sword was almost resting on his chest again. Now, however, his trainer was looking only into his eyes, watching every movement of his eyeballs and pupils.
- Begin, try to concentrate...
The sword unusually smoothly began its movement in different directions, gradually increasing its pace. Father Joseph made several not too fast lunges, which Alex had time to react to. However, after that the sword in the hands of the former exorcist began to gradually accelerate, it became more and more difficult to follow its movements, but the student still managed to prevent the fast lunge that followed, having noticed its new trajectory in time.
The sword movements accelerated a little more, Alex was not sure that he saw the sword and not its residual image, but he had time to think. The blow to his stomach was so unexpected that he didn't have time to tense his abs and bent double with a quiet groan.
- Not bad," his teacher's voice had a tinge of sadness in it, but he was generally as calm as he'd always been. - I thought you were going to miss more of the previous one...
Holding back a heavy sigh, Alex straightened up again and focused his gaze on the blade.
- Father, I'm ready...
The sword in the churchman's hands started moving again, the training continued. The speed of the blade increased, false lunges turned into real ones, until Alex missed one of them. Then followed not strong, but painful blow and everything started again.
And in the window of the second floor of the orphanage building, invisible to the others, stood Asia and watched with a sinking heart how her brother was repeatedly struck with a blunted blade, overcame the pain, stood up and after a while was struck again. One after another. Watching his face, full of fleeting resentment, anger, and determination, Asia only lowered her gaze to her hands in doom. She knew full well that she could never be a warrior. Her nature abhorred any kind of violence, much less murder.
- I want to help you so badly, brother..." she sank her clenched fists onto the surface of the window sill with anger and resentment at herself. - Why...why am I so useless?!
Before someone started writing "Why isn't he trying to awaken his holy mechanism?"
Guys, it doesn't work that way. You can't awaken it just because you feel like it
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