Chapter 9: Training and Learning
Four months go by.
Morning light is on the garden.
Two boys are fighting. One has red hair. Rio. One has white hair. Luis.
They swing wooden swords. Strike. Block. Strike again.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
Jack stands by the fence. He is watching.
Inside the house, Julia sits with Lily. Julia is speaking. "Close your eyes. Feel the maschew first. Don't force it."
Lily nods. Her hands are on her knees.
Jack crosses his arms. He thinks to himself. Four months. This boy Rio came four months ago. He is a fast learner. Natural talent.
The thing that took Luis one year, he did it in four months. He is stronger than Luis now.
Rio steps in. He feints left.
Luis blocks.
Rio spins right. He strikes Luis on the shoulder. Hard.
Rio wins.
Luis falls in the grass. He drops his sword.
Luis looks up. He is breathing hard. "How?"
Rio spins his sword. "What how?"
Luis sits up. "How did you become this kind of stuff in four months? To learn all this thing I took one year. And you learn it in just four months."
Rio laughs. "Hahahah. That's why I'm strong."
Luis frowns. "That's not fair."
Rio grins. "Life is not fair."
Jack walks near them. "Ok ok. Enough."
The boys turn.
Jack looks at them. "Put the swords down."
They put them down.
Jack speaks. "Now I am going to teach you both how to control maschew energy."
Rio jumps. "Yes yes! Now I am going to beat Lily too!"
Luis stands up. He brushes dirt off his pants. "So uncle, how are you going to know which subtype we are best at?"
Jack nods. "Good question."
Jack sits on the low wall. "See. Maschew energy is energy which is created by gods shard."
Rio frowns. "Gods shard?"
Jack nods. "Long story."
Jack looks at Luis. "I am a sage, Luis. I studied the shard."
He holds up four fingers. "In this energy there are four subtypes."
"First. Natural Body Enhancement."
Jack speaks. "In this subtype you can enhance your stamina and body power. But it costs too much energy. So the person who has this subtype has to train more."
Luis smiles. "Sounds tiring."
Rio snorts. "You'd have to train every day."
Jack continues. "Second subtype. External Force."
Jack speaks. "In this subtype anyone can push their maschew energy outside the body into another object. While you're touching that thing it becomes your body part."
Luis says, "Whoa."
Jack nods. "And if you master this subtype you can put energy in any object without holding it."
Rio's eyes get big. "Without holding?"
Jack nods. "Without holding."
Luis looks at Rio. "That's cheating."
Rio laughs. "That's cool."
Jack looks at them. "Third. This is special for humans."
Jack shakes his head. "Life Thread."
"The subtype I told first and second," Luis and Rio nod.
Jack speaks. "So that subtype not only consist in humans. It consists in every type of energy. But every energy last two types are different."
Rio says, "Ooh."
Jack speaks. "This third type is Life Thread. This is the healing type. Anyone who is using this subtype can heal any type of wound easily. It can also make your tired cells energetic again."
Julia's voice comes from the door. "And the person who has this type has more benefit in fights because they can heal themself."
Luis turns. "This subtype Lily has."
Jack looks back. "Yes."
Lily is standing in the doorway with Julia.
"And last. Fourth. The one which makes us humans special."
Jack taps his head. "Mind Sight."
Rio says, "What's that?"
Jack speaks. "In this subtype you can read any person's maschew energy. You can feel them if they are moving or not. You can see the flow of maschew energy. And you can hide your presence of maschew energy."
Luis whispers, "You can hide?"
Jack nods. "Your energy beocme invisible."
Luis says, "Can everyone learn?"
Rio points at himself. "I want this."
Jack says, "Yes everyone can learn this. But to learn this you need ten or twenty years training. That is not easy."
Rio's face falls. "Ooh."
Luis laughs. "Hehe. Twenty years, Rio."
Rio crosses his arms. "I'll do it in four months."
Jack stands up. "To learn how to use maschew energy you need to feel presence first. Where is your maschew energy core."
Jack steps aside. Lily comes from behind him with a big smile. Julia is standing behind her.
Jack speaks. "She will teach it."
Lily puts her hands on her hips. "Hello my student."
Rio starts to laugh. "You? You're the teacher?"
Luis and Rio look at Lily.
Lily's smile drops. She is angry. She walks fast toward Rio.
Jack puts his hand out. He stops her.
Jack speaks. "Lily. Show how to understand the flow and core of energy."
Lily huffs. She stands quiet. She closes her eyes.
She speaks. "You do same thing."
Luis thinks to himself. She is weakest among us but most smartest though.
They both stand in front of her. They close their eyes. They stand quiet.
Lily speaks, "Just follow what I say."
They speak together, "Yes."
Lily speaks, "Now try to think about what do you like most."
Rio and Luis start to think.
Lily speaks, "Do you think?"
They speak, "Yes."
She speaks, "Good. Now think that your favorite thing is kidnapped. And try to find it in your body."
Jack and Julia are looking at them. They are serious.
Rio is in his mind. He is in the dark. He is thinking of one girl. The girl is not shown. She is far away. She is moving in the dark. He is running to save her.
Then in Luis's mind he is seeing his family and friends. They are getting kidnapped. He shouts. He runs toward them in the dark.
Scene changes. Rio's mind. He is tired running. He sees something ahead. He goes near it. It is shining.
He kneels. He takes it. It is a shining ball. Warm.
His eyes open fast.
He grabs his stomach. "Ah! What's going to my stomach?"
Jack steps forward. "So you opened your core. It's in your stomach, Rio."
Rio looks up. "What? So I'm going to feel this pain for lifetime?"
Julia laughs. "No. It will feel for some time. Then all energy will equally divide in the body."
Rio groans. "It feels like rocks."
They are watching Luis.
Lily speaks soft, "Luis, did you find it?"
Luis is not speaking. He is standing there only.
In his mind he is running. Fast.
He reaches where it is shining.
He whispers, "So this is my core."
He goes near. He sees two balls floating. One is black. One is golden. Both are shining.
He doesn't understand. His hand shakes. He reaches out. He takes the golden ball.
Something starts.
A hot needle goes through his head.
He is feeling too much pain in his head. Like it's splitting open.
His eyes open in the real world. They are gold.
Jack steps forward. "So you're here, Luis."
Julia frowns. Her voice is low. "I thought... I thought he didn't have any energy at all."
Luis opens his mouth. He tries to speak. No sound comes.
Inside his head, the golden ball cracks.
Energy which was transferring in the body bursts. It is too much.
It starts to come out from Luis's body. From his neck. From his shoulders. From his hands.
Golden light pours out. Thick like water. Everyone can see it.
The whole garden gets covered in gold. The grass glows.
Luis grabs his head. He starts to shout. "Aaaaaaahahahahah ahhhhhahaaa!"
Julia shouts, "Luis! Luis! Look at me!"
Rio shouts, "Luis wait I'm coming!" He runs straight at him.
Lily yells, "Stop! Don't touch him!"
Rio tries to go close to him but he hits the light. He gets thrown away. He lands hard on his back. He can't pass through Luis's energy. It's like a wall.
Jack's eyes get wide. His face goes pale.
He speaks low, "No. It can't be."
Julia turns to him fast. She grabs his arm. "What? Jack, what is it?"
Jack doesn't blink. "It means they are alive"
From Luis's back his shirt starts to rip. Rip. Rip.
He is feeling so much pain. He is shouting, "Ahahhhahhaha! It hurts!"
From his back two small lumps push out. Bone white.
Then two small wings tear out.
They snap open. They get bigger. And bigger.
They are white. Beautiful wings with white feathers.
But the energy leak does not stop. Gold keeps pouring from his neck.
Julia puts both hands over her mouth. She is shaking.
She whispers, "White wings"
Jack steps forward. His voice is sharp now. "Luis! Breathe! Pull it back in! Now!"
Lily stares up. Tears are in her eyes. She doesn't speak.
Rio is on the ground. He is holding his ribs. He looks up at the wings.
He whispers, "Luis... what are you?"
The light keeps growing.
----
To be continued....