12 - Drums of The Madmen

Booming sounds echoed through out the training field, at first they where messy and sounded like a random assault on peoples eardrums, but then as time passed it began to follow a rhythm. To the youths out in the training area it became like a war drum.

As much a Chloe would like to say that this was the first time this happened in actuality this was getting close to the hundredth mark. Each time the pair of them were training together they always seemed to enter a unique state of understanding. While Coldin used this as a form of technique practice for close combat, the other boy named Long Yue used it as an rate opportunity to train without having to worry about becoming enraged.

The pair where not the only ones that profited from this form of training. While in the beginning students could be seen in different clusters on the field as the booming sounds became more rhythmic they immediately lined up one in front of the other with rows of other students beside them. They all had roughly five meters in any direction before another student.

BOOM! the first beat rang out, all the student took a stance looking to be in perfect sync, BOOM! the second beat struck and they all widened their stance to a more solid form. BOOM! yet again the beat rang out, this time the students struck out with their fists.

En Ci was marvelled the first time he saw this happen but over time he grew use to it. You see his school followed the teachings of Body, Mind and Spirit, this meaning that they promoted physical exercise as a way to hone ones mind and spirit alike. Both Coldin and Long Yue when practising showed this synergistic effect where the people around them could more easily enter a focused state .

This was know through out the Academy as well as the Capital gaining the nickname The Madman's War Drum. Someone once used the words 'when the first beat sings, the second will surly come. When the fourth beat echos, the mind becomes one.' while many found this description cringe worthy they could say nothing in retort as it was right. Even the teachers in the academy would come as soon as the 'war drum' began to reap the most benefits.

En Ci smiled as he watched the boys punching the mound of earth in front of them, followed by the hundreds behind them practising the same motion with the air in front. -While I cant shake this feeling that there IS something else going on here at least the outcome isn't bad- Little did En Ci know he was actually right, both Coldins and Long Yue where heating up their body's displaying more and more power with each punch.

In a corner of Coldins mind a white light could be seen shining ever so dimly, like a candle left lit at night it flickered threatening to go out but with each punch the light seemed to grow in size slowly.

As time passed Long Yue eventually started to use his spirit rings one by one increasing his power. In the end behind Long Yue there where three visible spirit rings all in a purple colour. He was known as a genius of the academy and this was also part of the reason why he was En Ci's disciple.

He scared everyone with his power except for En Ci's group of teachers and Chloe but he'd never had a best friend. At least not until he met Coldin, who wasn't scared of his power and was even more shocking then himself. They had been brothers from the first day they met and they swore to be brothers till they died.

Following his brothers example Coldin released his first ring and instantly took on his werewolf like form. All the teachers knew that Coldin was ridiculously powerful so whenever he showed this power they would watch and place bets and this time was no different.

"I bet you ten ingots of Deep Silver that Coldin will try something new today" said a familiar figure to a person that looked almost exactly the same. They where Ma and Ro both brothers had taken on betting against each other as soon as Coldin came back to the academy with them. For them this was a good way to relax and laugh at each others jaw smacked faces when ever Coldin did the impossible."Alright deal" the two shook hands and En Ci off to the side chuckled thinking -they have no idea-