Chapter 12: Chapter 0012 - Drawing Circles
Several books later Old Man Jiang noticed a passage about Bloodlines from the Ancient times, a time frame when Guardians still had children of their own. Skimming the passage, he couldn't believe his eyes but he couldn't look away either.
"Impossible, Forget it. The Guardians have been gone for 10,000 years. Its beyond stupid to consider this." Master Jiang kept flipping and saw a notation concerning Munidod and his family. Munidod and Dottie possessed the closest proximity of powers associated to the creator. Stories told that the Creators first magic abilities included a black flame that could cannibalize the magics of others.
Break through Spellcasting by combining Magics was the title, another passage about bloodlines was present. The coincidences were somewhat improbable. "So, He might be a descendant of the guardians with a high bloodline or maybe one of the former custodians. He doesn't seem to have the malice of Custodians. I'll have to watch him over the next few years to make sure. It would be a pity to kill him, I hope the heavens have eyes." Poking his finger to his chin, an idea came to root. 'If I can train him to use more types of magic, it will prove he's got what it takes to go up against the enemies of the kingdom.
If the fates have given us a choice in the matter, we must grab the chance.' A renewed vigor ran through Old Man Jiang and he forgot to rest. He spent the majority of the time that Wu Hai was sleeping to read the books he had pulled out.
After delving through books, Wu Hai had woken up.
Old Man Jiang didn't have to wake him... Old Man Jiang had been practicing a similar movement to the one he was teaching to Wu Hai when Wu Hai had come outside to find his Master.
"Disciple Greets Master, Are you doing the same exercise as you had me do yesterday?" The water balls rapidly rushing across the ring of Roots made him take a few steps back. He didn't know that he had been using the same practice styles. He thought that Old Man Jiang had merely used those methods to test his endurance.
"Yes, These are the tests I had you do yesterday. I have made many adjustments and attempted something similar myself, I had an epiphany last night and could not rest. Today I will have you continue with the same as yesterday, but today You will use 3 Fireballs."
Quickly Wu Hai started his training session, Summoning the third fireball was a bit tricky since he had never attempted it before. When it came to placing the fireballs to orbit the 'darkflame ring' he seemed to have a special knack for it. Circulating the fireballs faster and faster, his training had commenced.
"Good, keep it up until the suns set. I will be monitoring your progress and working out some details about how to maximize your progress. we cannot be slack on our duties. If you so choose to end your training, know that there is no place for you in the world of magic at this time. you'll lose yourself to deviation before you realize it, and by that time you'll be on the wrong path entirely." Old Man Jiang was never one to beat about the bush when it came to training, knowledge or the matters of the heart.
Old Man Jiang was a little dainty man but really disliked watching the men he'd chase acting like women. If he wanted a woman, he could have her, any woman. Forgetting what he was doing for a moment, Old Man Jiang fell into reminiscence and recalled his relationships over the past few centuries. He had loved, he had lost. He had spent the night in the arms of his loved ones and he'd grown old. Due to the fact that he had the lifespan of five times the average lifespan he could only helplessly watch them die, not from pain or hunger but from age. Yet, he still had such a long road ahead of himself. No matter the relationship, he had always given himself freely. 'The fates are cruel sometimes,' He thought about the children he might have sired if things had been differently, then continued with his own preparations.
Time passed quickly while he had been gathering his thoughts but Master Jiang finally had some more ideas about how to best train Wu Hai.
The 'Ring of Root' was a defensive style magic he had co-created with his former comrades during a war of his youth. The ring could flex and bend in any direction to thwart off hand to hand combat, but it had its drawbacks. It could be hacked to pieces. The 'Water Bolts' were speeding along the outside, every few minutes Old Man Jiang would add in another, quickly reaching ten water bolts. The speed matched Wu Hai and The two of them continued until the sunlight broke for the darkness of night.
Old Man Jiang didn't want to rest or eat just yet, he had something else in mind. "Disciple, I have a different exercise, make ten fireballs, ignore the ring for a while. Don't worry about anything else other than conjuring them."
Wu Hai did as he asked and started making Fireballs. It was easy when he made the first two and then started on the third, forth and fifth. The process was slow going by the seventh fireball. He had trouble maintaining them in the air, juggling was a skill that he did not have. They would dissipate from a lack of concentration or just puff out of existence. Each time he lost one, it would take all that much longer to regain his momentum.
Either way, it was infuriating. Wu Hai started to get angry at his inability, he'd done everything his Master had asked but he couldn't do this?
'Like hell!' Wu Hai persisted and a sudden spark flashed within his eyes. There were dozens of fireballs floating around of variant sizes, they burned their way into the air and hovered.
The spectacle didn't last very long, Wu Hai had passed out when it happened and wasn't even awake to see his own achievement. He dropped to the floor like a stone, he had lost the ability to continue on.
Standing right beside him, Master Jiang was going comment on Wu Hai's progress but when he tore his attention away from the fireballs, he saw his disciple laying on flagstones.
Old Man Jiang carried him inside putting him to rest in his bedroll, the fireballs were still hovering for a little while after he had collapsed. 'Its amazing, this child had such power. To think it was to this extent, he will surely grow to be a strong contender on any battlefield. Perhaps, My eyes aren't so bad after all.' He laid down in his own bed and exclaimed, only one word left his mouth "Guardians."
With his body finally rested, Old Man Jiang swung open the door and made his way for breakfast.
The logs were starting to accumulate Snow outside. The house was hidden in the back of the city. There were a few trees but ultimately he had little to do with the Season bringing snow, if the Old Master had any reason to have more trees in his yard he could simply create them.
With Winter weather as it was, less traffic would come to his shop. Even fewer would venture to find him at home and the protective layers he had on his residence protected him from prying eyes.
Sometimes the Snow would fall from the roof and paddle on the rocks below. The scene of winter has arriving so quickly. The temperature dropped and Old Man Jiang went to stoke the fireplace.
'So what is that he will surprise me with today. He's been practicing the Darkflame Ring and Infernal Fireball Training to the point where he has eight fireballs spinning. If he doesn't take it slower and raise his base power he's going to lose his ability to control his power again. That will cause him to lose things he holds important, like his little life.' Old Man Jiang kept thinning the dough for morning bread before throwing it into the brick oven to start cooking. He had been a little tired of the Morning Tea and wanted some bread and Wine.
"He should be awake already, I should let him decide if he's going to take this seriously or not. If I waste my time, I'll be furious about it later. Better to feel things out." Old Man Jiang took a deep breath and yelled out, "WU HAI! WAKE THE FUCK UP!"
It was an hour later than he was suppose to have already eaten, the boy had not left his room. Wu Hai grabbed his clothes and dressed himself. He saw the cubes glowing on his bedside and looked at the compass, it never seemed to be in the same direction. Each day the compass needle would be different.
'It must be pointing to something or some one in the distance. But to change direction so often, Something must be happening.' Thinking to himself, he then made his way out of his room. "Disciple Greets Master." As his disciple it felt weird addressing him with an age defining title, Wu Hai took a seat at the table for a moment and listened to what his Teacher had to say.
"Your duties today are the same as before but I'd like to see you make your ring twice as large. Don't forget to leave a little heat to keep yourself warm. I don't want to nurse a brat who's sick. Don't forget to practice till your energy wears out or the Suns set." Old Man Jiang wanted to push the boy but it just seemed like a distant goal. Everyday his disciple seemed to have an easier time with the spells and channeling, never rising to a choke point.
'It would be a pity if he didn't go about things in the right way.' Old Man Jiang considered the alternatives and put his worry away. If Wu Hai was dragging his feet, it was still early enough in his training to drop him and go back to minding the shop.
Walking out of the back door, Wu Hai kept a firm gaze on the surroundings. His breath was steaming and his chest had so much warmth coming from it that he could feel the heat in his toes. "I'll start now," nodding to his Master, Wu Hai raised the Darkflame Ring twice the size of before and started adding Infernal Fireballs to the rotation.
He got to his sixth, then seventh... it took a while for him to form the eighth fireball but he finally managed it and started to increase the speed. The entire spellcircle was acting like a defensive spell, anything that seemed to approach was at risk. The Snow melted around him Zao Wu Hai, he could feel the steam from the rising heat. The ground around him became soaked with water periodically and started to bake like bricks. He kept is composure..
"Good, keep up the training. I have more reading to do." Slipping into the doorway with back towards the fire, Old Man Jiang started to warm his bones inside.
Wu Hai had the power of fire, Old Man Jiang had the power of wood and water. Both of them suffered under the cold but for either of them, the winter months were an excellent time for tempering the body and will. 'Is this really the method he wants me to go with? I wonder how far I can go?'
After returning to his study, he opened the book from he'd brought home. "I suppose I'll just have to wait and see if he's the child of a Custodian.." Shuddering quickly, he shut his mouth and started reading. On the page, an obscure passage was written on the inside of the book. The wording identified its origins and it's original owner. He gazed down at a few of the last words of the Creator according to Munidod, The Eldest of the Guardians. It read like a poem.
"I haven't lived until I have died."
"I haven't lived, and so I must."
"I have not died, so I cannot".
"I will choose to change."
"I will be the architect, I will create a path for my own."
֍ꟷꟷꟷꟷ֍
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone