Chapter 2: The Old Man
The Old Man
AHHHHH
I opened my eyes in fright as the contents of my dream shook me to the very core. Sweat rolled down my face as I struggled to catch my breath. The dream was too vivid, I got the impression that if I didn't wake up I could've really died. In my dream, I found myself standing in the middle of a battlefield, everywhere I looked dead bodies could be seen filling the ground and the smell of death greeted my nostrils when I took a breath. On my left side there were warriors with black colored skin and blazing red eyes, but the scary thing wasn't their appearance but their ferociousness in battle. When injured they wouldn't falter, but instead became more vicious in their attacks and when they striked, death was the only thing left behind. The people to my right, the enemies of the opposing side. They were in silver shining armor, some rode flying horses and bombarded the enemy with attacks from the sky, while others would attack from the frontlines, facing their enemies head on as they raised their swords and spears proudly into the sky.
The ground below my feet was devoid of plant life, the area was lifeless and was filled with large craters. Giant statues from miles away were broken down into pieces, only these seemingly ancient looking pillars with a bright red eye painted on them stood strong. There were four pillars, each of them having the same shape and size, and were placed in different corners of the battlefield. All four pillars suddenly began to emit a red glow, the ground below us began to shake uncontrollably and break apart. Large pieces of land began rising towards the sky, carrying whoever was on top of it along with it. Despite the sudden change, everyone still swung their weapons at one another unwilling to give up for one moment. The scene of one of the warriors who wore the silver armor getting his head sliced off his body replayed in mind over and over again and as I stood there watching everything unfold before my very eyes, my body began to rise into the air. I attempted to move my body but it was useless, it was like my body had been frozen in place. The red sky began turning black, rain poured heavily, and the clouds dissipated. What I saw in the sky was… it struck fear into my heart. A giant red eye with black irises was in the sky, nothing being able to escape from it's sight. And as I looked into the direction of the giant eye, it looked back at me. Both of our eyes locked and the pressure increased, my heart stopped and for a single moment I swear I thought I died.
*END OF FLASHBACK
"What the hell was that?" I questioned myself again, unable to believe what I saw was true. In the midst of my thoughts, the savory aroma of a warm cooked meal caught my attention. I removed the blanket that covered my body and found bandages covering the wound on my leg, furthermore, the bandage had been painted in a dark red color due to the dry blood. I tried standing up but immediately sat back down due to the sharp pain in my leg. I I sat up straight on the same bed I awoke from and observed the room I was in. "It's small" the room was small and yet gave one a comfortable feeling when inside. The floor was wooden, the walls a dark wooden color as well. One window on the far right side of where I was standing was the only source of light in this dim room. A small circular-shaped table in the middle of the room, a small desk sat under the window with books opened, revealing the contents inside, and a rectangular shaped mirror across from where I was sitting . The door leading in and out of the room was cracked open, "probably where the smell is coming from" I said to myself.
Knock
Knock
"Uh- come in" I said in surprise. The door was slightly pushed open, the old man who had saved me earlier walked through the door with a tray of warm food in his hand as he walked over towards my direction.
"Are you hungry?" The old man asked me as he placed the tray of food in my hands.
"Uh- yes! Thank you very much" I replied in a hurried tone.
The old man smiled and began walking away towards the exit.
"Wait!" I yelled
The old man turned around and looked at me with curiosity.
"How did you defeat that wolf so easily?" I said, looking at him with my bright red eyes as I eagerly awaited his answer.
After a short moment of silence, the old man looked at me with a serious gaze. His eyebrows furrowed as he stared at me and asked " Do you want to be strong?"
The sudden question took me by surprise as I asked myself the question that he asked me. Do I want to be strong? Do I want to run away my whole life?
I stared back at him with a serious gaze of my own and said "Yes! I want to be strong. Please teach me!"
The old man's face returned back to it's normal calm expression and smiled.
"Then I shall teach you." He turned around and began walking towards the exit. 'I'll come back in 1 hour, your injuries should be healed by then. I mixed the soup i've given you with healing herbs." and he walked out the door closing it shut.
I looked down at the warm soup, stomach growling in anticipation just from the smell alone. I grabbed the wooden spoon and dug right into the core of the soup and took a sip. "MMMMM" I moaned in delight. After swallowing, a warm soothing energy flowed down my throat and into every corner of my body. My body began emitting a faint golden glow, and with every sip, the wound on my leg became less painful.
* Minutes Later
I placed the bowl down. The warm feeling still flows throughout my body, the golden glow around my body becoming brighter. Moments later, the glow around my body disappeared, the pain in my leg now nonexistent. I unwrapped the bloodied bandage around my leg, to say I was shocked was an understatement my leg looked completely brand new. No scars, no nothing. Pressing my foot down onto the floor, I rose from my bed and was happy to have received no sharp pain in my leg this time. I looked at the mirror in front of me and stared into my grey stormy eyes. None of my facial features had changed much since grandpa left, I still had my short curly black hair, and the same black mole in the middle of my forehead, soft eyebrows with a shallow arch, and sharp jawline. The only thing that changed about me was the fact that I now stood at an approximate height of 167cm. I grabbed the black pendant that was around my neck and stared at it for a moment, the scene of me and grandpa eating together flashed briefly.
In the midst of reminiscing, I heard the sound of a door opening and looked towards the direction of the now opened door. The old man walked in with folded clothes in his hand and walked over, placing them in my hand while saying " Put these on and come outside" and then walked out the door. A few minutes later, I was fully dressed. Staring into the mirror, I smiled at my new look. "It's so... black" I wore black steel toe boots, black cargo combat pants, and a tight black t-shirt with a white tiger logo printed on the back. I walked out the door and followed the long hallway until I found the exit leading to outside.
"Beautiful"
I couldn't help but mutter to myself when I saw the elaborate garden around me. I noticed that the area I stood in was wide and large, the vegetation abundant, beautiful glowing flowers that varied in different colors danced with the wind around me, pinkish colored bushes that were home to smaller creatures, and several medium sized trees with white leaves spread across the land. I closed my eyes
"Indeed it is."
I jumped in fright at the sudden voice, turning around I saw the old man standing behind me who was now wearing a black dragon designed kimono while having a slight grin on his face. "When did you get here?" I asked.
Smiling, the old man replies " put these on your ankles"
"Uhh, what are these?"
"They're ankle weights, you will wear these until the day I tell you to take them off" The old man replies as he places them in my hand
I grab the ankle weights, but the weight from them drops me to one knee. Blowing out a sigh, the old man says "Weak" with a stern expression on his face.
"I'm only 11 damnit!" I reply back in frustration.
Clenching my teeth, I slowly apply the weights to my ankles. Although struggling, I force myself to stand up and face the old man before me. Suddenly the pressure increases and the aura around the old man changes. His eyes firmly locked on me, his blue eyes seemingly vast as the ocean looks to want to drown me in its depths. For a split second I saw the faint image of a white tiger looking down on me, grinning as it revealed its teeth that were draped in blood. The strength in my legs began to grow weak, the urge to bow down in the face of absolute power grew as the second went by.
"NO"
The desperate screams of the woman I attempted to save, echoed throughout my ears. The image of the direwolf almost killing me flashed in my mind.
"I'm so… weak, so HELPLESS!" I screamed at the top of my lugs, while also digging my nails into my hands causing the blood from my hand to drip down, drenching the green grass below my feet in blood.
With the last bits of remaining strength in my body, I force myself to lift my face to meet the eyes of the old man, ignoring the immense pressure being put on my body. The old man raises his hand while balling up a fist and in a split second he punches towards my face in transcendent speed causing the ground to crack under the power behind his fist. What should have been milliseconds, felt like years, time seemed to slow down in the face of this one fist. The immense pressure that was weighing down my body disappeared, the fist now only an inch away from my right eye. With the absence of strength, I dropped to the floor panting.
"I knew I wasn't wrong about you." The old man said while carrying the same smile on his face.
"Shut...up" I responded slowly, still attempting to catch a hold of my breath.
Looking up into the graciously clear sky, I couldn't help but remember the power behind that fist. "HAHAHAH" I laughed to myself as I wondered how it must feel to have that kind of power. With that kind of power I would never be helpless again, and… find grandpa.
"Do you still want to be strong?" The old man said.
Pulling myself off the ground, I took a deep breath and blew it out before replying with a stern expression " Yes!"
"Good, from now on you will be the second person to call me master in this world. Now follow me." The old man said while following the cobble stoned path forward.
"Yes master!"
After a few minutes of walking, we came to a stop. The man who I now had to refer to as master looked at me and then pointed towards the direction of the house and said "You will sprint from here to the house and back."
"WHATTT, that's ridiculous" I yelled in disapproval
"This is a part of your training to become stronger. What I showed you before was only a fraction of my true power."
My whole world seemed to crumble as the words "A fraction" replayed in my mind. Looking towards the direction Master pointed in, I looked back only to see master now sitting down in a lotus position with his eyes closed. Grinding my teeth together in frustration, I began running.
Later did I find out that this would mark the beginning of my torture.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone