43 We Meet in Dreams

  John sighs as he observes the darkness. 'Am I too meddlesome due to boredom?' he asks himself. 'Still, she was mad that I hadn't visited the boy. Perhaps I should pop in,' he decides.

  Franklin is soaring through the sky in his dream, cutting down bad guys and demonic beasts. "Ha, who dares stand against the great Franklin!" he proclaims to the world in a mighty voice.

  John claps as he floats over. "Pretty full of yourself, considering your last fight nearly got your mother killed," he jokes with a hearty laugh.

  Franklin frowns and turns toward the usurper. He then retorts with disdain, "who dares speaks to me that way!" However, when his eyes lock on John, the fog of dreams fade. "Teacher! I thought you'd passed on," Franklin says with excitement as his countenance returns to normal.

  "I was just a bit indisposed. It's rude that everyone thinks I've been snuffed out just because I wasn't around for a bit," John pouts. Then, sighing, he visibly shrinks a bit. 'how did I get such a bad reputation?' he laments.

  John walks over to the boy and roughly smacks him on the shoulder, causing Franklin to stumble a bit. "Show me how you've improved while I've been gone. You're not my disciple, so you shouldn't waste this precious time," he chides the boy.

  "Yes!" Franklin shouts with vigor as he takes his stance. First, he shows the basic punches and kicks he'd learned from Elanor. Next, he reveals the simple sword strikes and parries he'd learned from John.

  As John watches, he stretches a bit. Only when he enters dreams can he move around so freely. 'Looks fine to me. But I've only had basic lessons in combat myself,' he thinks to himself.

  As Franklin finishes his routine, John rubs his chin as he ponders, 'I don't think there is much more I can teach him. I think they might be overestimating me a bit... If it was raising plants, there is a ton of information I could pass on. Well, perhaps.'

  "Teacher, what did you think?" Franklin asks with blazing eyes. He wipes the sweat from his brow as he watches the complicated expression on the old man's face. "Did I mess up?" he asks tentatively.

  John looks at the young lad that doesn't know how high the heavens are and how vast the universe is and says, "Boy, you've improved a lot," John pauses and rubs his head before continuing with a harrumph, "I don't think I can be much more help."

  Franklin's eyes go wide. He grabs hold of his teacher's sleeves and asks, "What do you mean? Am I that bad?"

  John scratches his head bashfully as he answers his student, "Honestly, I've never been good at fighting." Franklin looks up at the old man skeptically. "Yes, I did fight in that hellish war, but survival was more about luck than anything else. Besides that war, my adventures were limited to traveling to sell mystic herbs and a few gathering missions," he shakes his head and pushes the boy away.

  A naginata appears in John's hands. As he steps away from the boy, he takes a combat stance. He strikes out quickly and decisively. Franklin looks on, mesmerized by the power behind the strikes. 'What is my teacher talking about? He's so strong!' Franklin ponders as his eyes glow.

  However, while Franklin is starry-eyed, John can only look at his hands in disgust. He thought he threw away this pain long ago. 'To think even after reincarnating...' he grieves.

  Slowly he looks over at his student. Rage fills his face as he spins and thrusts the naginata right towards Franklin's face. The boy doesn't even have time to react as the blade stops only a few centimeters from his face. As if he is a few seconds behind, Franklin suddenly stumbles backward in shock.

  "What does a foolish boy like you know!" John roars with spittle flying. He looks at the shock on the boy's face and takes a deep breath chastising himself before continuing, "You know nothing. The moves I just showed you are garbage I've cobbled together. There is only one worthwhile move I know, and even that is only useful for garbage talents like me."

  John holds out his hand to help the boy up. Franklin doesn't know what to say. He slowly reaches for his teacher's hand and takes it. John pulls him up and brushes off the dirt. "I still took you as a student, so I'll help you out one last time when you reach the Foundation stage. I'll teach my one good technique."

  Franklin looks over the old man. The anger and self-derision seem to have sapped the old man's vitality. Franklin looks at his own hands as he remembers his past weaknesses. The day they had to run from the village, the day he almost got his mother and Laurel killed. Franklin clenches his hand with resolve. Franklin bows to John with deep appreciation. "I know this is a disrespectful request, but please teach it to everyone who reaches the foundation stage," he asks with determination.

  John raises his eyebrow in surprise. "Really? Most lads your age want to hoard techniques so they can look better."

  "Yes, I'm sure."

  "Fine, but only the kids," John states giving in. He then pats the boy's shoulder one last time before vacating the dream world.

  In another dream, a young girl is once again in a strange ocean. This time, however, the sun is shining, and the sea is calm with gentle waves. 'Is this because of the medicine?' Laurel wonders. She looks around and notices that there are far fewer hers than before.

  The few that are here seem far more comfortable than her. There is a wild-looking her with matted hair and crudely made animal fur clothes. This wild her sits on the ocean, grumbling to herself away from the rest. There are a few warriors that also look like her observing to Laurel's left. Laurel follows their eyes and sees two, hers one in colorful silk clothes, the other wearing a flowing red dress. 'They're dancing? Or perhaps fighting?' Laurel wonders as she watches the two.

  The silk one has a flexible dance style where she performs exotic dance moves. The other dance style is more traditional, with graceful spins and sways that cause her dress to look like a blossoming flower.

  They both have radiant smiles as they dance and attack each other. The one in the red dress rhythmically slashes out with each flair of her dress. The other flips and contorts while retaliating with her feet. Even with the combative nature of the dance, they flow together as if choreographed.

  All of a sudden, the flexible one disengages and flips backward towards Laurel. Laurel's eyes bulge in shock as she flinches and covers her face defensively. The limber woman stops while balancing upside down their faces only a few inches apart.

  "Someone new appeared!" the flexible her says while giggling.

  "Ignore her. She doesn't look like she will be around for long," A her with soldier attire scoffs.

  The her in a red dress glides over to Laurel with a gentle smile. She then grabs Laurel into a hug pulling her out of the water. She twirls towards the offending her in soldier attire. Looking over the shocked Laurel's shoulder, she starts admonishing the soldier, "We're all us, so we should help each other out."

  "My master says that there should only be one real one, and the rest are just reflections from the ocean of time," a lordly dressed her speaks out with condescension.

  The soldier her sneers replying, "ha, I bet you think you're the real one too. Your master doesn't know shit about the ocean of time!"

  "Whatever, let them fight over nothing. Do you dance?" The red-dressed her asks, still hugging Laurel.

  "Um, I'm learning, but I only know a few steps," Laurel sheepishly answers as she starts shifting uncomfortably as the hug carried on.

  "Don't worry, we'll teach you!" the flexible her exclaims with excitement as she jumps in and joins the hug.

  Soon they are inspecting the few steps Laurel knows. They both nod as they quickly understand the simple dance steps.

  "Her dance style is closer to yours," the flexible her states to the red-dressed her.

  "Only superficially. Isn't it a bit more traditional? She must be learning from some old lady, right?"

  Laurel makes a bitter expression as she hears the two talk. "She is a young beauty like I've never seen actually," Laurel retorts.

  The two other dancer hers giggle at each other. Finally, the one in the red dress says, "Nonsense, you can't tell by looks there are all kinds of secret body altering techniques."

  Laurel thinks back to the times Elanor's muscles grew and rippled. "I suppose, but she doesn't give off the feeling of someone old," she mumbles as her mind wanders.

  The flexible her shakes her head and pats the red-dressed her on the back. "Well, let's not waste time. Go teach her a bit," She says jovially.

  "Alright," the red dress her says emphatically. She jumps towards Laurel scooping her up into a traditional dancing stance. One hand on Laurel's hip, the other grabbing her hand. They twirl about for a few minutes while both dancing hers give pointers. Then the red dress her suddenly shouts, "go!"

  Laurel is flung out, spinning from the her in a red dress. Without anyone holding her up, she falls into the ocean with a large splash. Before she can get her bearings, she finds herself sinking into the sea.

  "See, I told you you shouldn't get attached."

  "Oh no, I forgot!" the red dress her says while panicking.