The Art
"But before explaining it to you, Kazuki.. I have to make sure that you understand something. What happened that night, in your bedroom, was real."
The kid takes time to digest the information. The only one that he could trust, his master, is telling him that it's real. It sounds so unbelievable to him.
"- So.. the rooms moving.. the light disappearing.. everything.. Did it really happen ?
- Yes. That's what I just told you. It was real. You see, this world is ruled by forces that are beyond what you know or what you already saw."
And as his master said this, it's like something rings in his head. He did saw an example of it, at least he thinks so. For him, it is like..
".. the invisible force."
The Master looks at Kazuki with curiosity.
"- Mmh ? The invisible force ? What is it ?
- I had a dream, before leaving the room. "
As the kid struggle to finds his words, the old man takes the
- Oh, really ? Was it the same as the one before ?
- No.. it was.. different.. It was scary.. but not as much as the nightmare..
- And what happened in this dream ?
- I was walking on water.. and.. There was water everywhere.. And screams, that turned into voices once underwater.. And I grabbed a star..
- You grabbed a star, huh ?"
The kid nods. Tian-Han was surprised by this declaration. But in the eyes of the old man, something hinted that it's not an ordinary declaration. There is more behind it.
"But I think I dropped it when the invisible force pushed me out of the dream."
Tian-Han thinks about what his student is telling him.
"I see. And what about the nightmare you had ?"
The kid starts to think, but the memories of the nightmare seem even more blurred than the dream or the attack which occurred during the same night.
"It was really weird.. and..scary.. but, I can't clearly remember what happened."
The old man takes a moment to think about what he is about to say. He takes another deep breath.
"Listen carefully, Kazuki. Everything I'm going to tell you is very serious, more than anything I taught you during those 10 years."
The kid is very attentive to every word of his master, as silent as he can be. He seems like curved into a stone. After a few second to be sure that his student is listening, Tian-Han keep talking
"Alright. This world is ruled by multiple forces. One of them can be found in every human. It's in the core of our body and our mind, in our spirit. This force, we managed to find a way to use and to give it a shape. It's called Art. It's not the art like painting or singing, things that I taught you. It's neither like martial arts, that you didn't learn yet. However, it could be a complement to the fighting styles. Or fighting styles could be a complement to the Art. Both are often learned together. Art is the external manifestation of your spirit. It's a powerful power which, with training and fighting, can affect even the world around you. It's what happened when the room started moving during the night of the incident. Or when the moonlight disappeared."
But the curiosity is stronger than the young boy's will.
"- How do you know ?
- I sensed it. But the movement of the room didn't allow me to come faster. You have to know that yet, it wasn't even the shape of their Arts. It was just their mere presence, the tiny bit of brutal energy which they let emanate from their body. Those two people, that night, could have killed you just by unleashing enough power. But they didn't do so. I suspect that some people threaten to pull me out of the temple. They are threats beyond any expectation, among the most powerful people of this era.
- Do you possess the Art too ?
- I do. But if I used it, it would mean starting a fight with full power. It would have definitely erased you. I can't lose you. And the fight would be so destructive, that everything from the mountains far away to the nearby villages would have been reduced to ashes. And only with the pressure of our Arts, so many people would have met their end painfully crushed by something they couldn't understand.
- What does your art look like ? Does it turn off the lights too ? Or does it move things around ?
- It doesn't. Mine takes the form of rocks. I can shape and move the mountains. I built the temple with the help of my powers.
- Can my Art do this too ?? And how do you use it ?
- Be patient. I didn't plan to teach you how to use the Art yet. I wanted for you to be a bit older, in case you'll have to go through an intense training to master just the ability to manifest it. Art can be achieved through different ways, some being harder than others. It's due to the fact that even though we all have this force in our spirit, people are more or less sensitive to it. Some are very sensitive and only need training to control their Art. On the contrary, some aren't sensitive to it at all and have to develop their spirit in order to just feel a glimpse of it. And about what your Art could do, well.. Art is unique to every being. It doesn't mean that it couldn't be similar to someone else's. It'll only depend on how your spirit will develop. There, you'll see the form that your Art will take."
Both of them stay silent for a short moment. Tian-Han stands up from his chair and leave the room with those last words :
"You'll make dreams again, my boy. I don't know if they will be nightmares or if you'll have that strange dream once more. Art users often see their inner worlds when they sleep, for an unknown reason. It might also be linked to your crisis you had since the incident. I'll tell you more about it when it calms down. And when you've recovered enough, I'll start training you. It's time I entirely fulfill my duty as your master."