Chapter Four

It's been weeks since Raiden came to Henry for training but each day would end with Raiden on the ground bruised and bleeding. Henry was impressed at the boy's grit, the boy came every day even though the chances of him beating Henry even with his core level reduced to blue was less than two percent and to make things worse Henry was a veteran.

He had years of experience under him and Raiden had just formed his mana core and although his mastery of the mana circulation technique was improving it wasn't enough. Raiden didn't know that the technique he was taught was only used by two people. Henry and Raiden himself, yes this technique was one that Henry invented he never taught it to anyone but Raiden since he was special to him.

He reminded him a lot of himself, Henry knew that Raiden was clever, he was always thirsty for knowledge and he applied what he learned if Raiden was born to a noble family his potential would have been wasted. Since noble kids are taught to memorize but furthermore as Henry spent more time with him he would sometimes forget the memories of the war, Raiden was like a son he never had. Though Raiden was as stubborn as a mule.

The purpose of his teaching was to show Raiden that sometimes retreating is the best course of action when facing an overwhelming opponent but the little bastard wasn't one to give up even though he was in pain most of the time, so Henry was trying his best to make him yield. He ran behind him, he crouched down and swept him off his feet. While Raiden was in midfall Henry threw a push kick that landed right in the middle of Raiden's back.

Raiden flew four meters away from Henry and even when his body landed he rolled a bit. Raiden got up, dusted himself off and raised his fists again.

"really kid I've been knocking you around and you still wanna go?" Henry said in amusement.

"well you are starting to slow down also I can do this all day," Raiden said but his voice was shaky, Henry knew that Raiden's mana core was almost exhausted and soon he wouldn't be able to guard his body with mana.

"am not slowing down am pulling back but if you are hell bent on me knocking you out," Henry paused and got into a fighting stance, "then brace yourself you little shit this is going to hurt."

"not as much as your breath but okay," Raiden said as he guarded his face then he squeezed himself so that his forearms were protecting his gut.

Henry dashed at him and when he was four feet away from him he jumped up with his fist in the air and just when it was about to land on Raiden's knuckles something shocking happened.

************

Henry has been kicking my butt for the past weeks, I've tried dodging him but he was too fast and too strong for me even with his mana core reduced to blue. A mana manipulator was faster than a normal person and way stronger, this also applied to mana manipulators themselves a higher lever core was better than a lower level core so this was impossible from the get go but while we've been doing this I've made progress.

I've improved in absorbing mana and in circulating it through my channels, I've been doing it so much that I can do it subconsciously now but though Henry has been kicking my butt I've been noticing something as we 'sparred' whenever he got near me the mana surrounding mewould change from white to a weird blue, at first I saw this with my mana sight.

And today when he swept and kicked me, pretty sure my back's gonna hurt in the morning because of that kick, I decided to feel the mana and this time when he got close to me the mana had a tingling feeling like ants walking on you. So I should try to apply it.

Now I closed my eyes and concentrated, I saw mana pebbles within my mind as usual, in a split second the mana turned from white to light blue and it was closing on me fast but by feeling mana time was slightly slowed. So as the fist shaped cluster of man approached me I moved my body from the waist up to the side.

I felt a whiff of air hit my cheek, I opened my eyes and to the direction of my left I saw Henry's elbow and the right side of Henry's face and as soon as I realized what I did I used this moment for a celebratory cuss.

"yes bitch, I finally dodged you," I dropped on my butt making a small dust cloud form. Oh funny thing about a core if you use it too much it starts to ache like a cramp or a muscle pull.

The first time I felt it I dropped to my knees while I clenched my chest specifically my sternum but now I was used to it.

"hey brat how did you dodge?" Henry asked is arms were crossed over his chest.

"well when you move you affect mana that surrounds you so I just concentrated and dodged when I felt a change," I said.

Henry didn't say anything but judging from his grin and the way he was looking at me I'd say he was proud of me.

"now stand up, what am going to teach you next won't need mana," Henry said as he took two steps back.

"good thing cause my core was running on empty as it is," I said while I stood up, Henry took a fighting stance and by instinct I put my guard up.

"relax the ass kicking stops today though it will be missed, today am going to teach you fusion martial arts," Henry said.

"hmm sounds like a rock band but okay,"

"fusion martial arts is a martial art that takes all the qualities of almost every martial art in Alvaria and it combines the compatible qualities, let me show you,"

Henry got into his fighting stance, he did a few combinations of various punches, kicks, elbows and knees. The techniques he used felt fundamentally different like from the beginning he used boxing before he switched to using his elbows, then to his knees and finally he switched to kicks.

He did a jumping back kick, a tornado and finishing it with a 360 kick then finished with a sweep.

"something like that, unlike other martial that usually focuses on one body part, like boxing focuses on punches, taekondo focuses on kicks, judo and jiu-jitsu focuses on grappling and locks. This martial arts has made it in a way that you can use almost all of the techniques. "Henry said.

" but how do you know what technique to use? "I asked.

" well that's on you I can only teach you but applying is on you, you can use kicks if the opponent is at a distance use kicks when they get close use a punch to disorient and then finish with a solid elbow. "Henry said," now copy my stance. "

Okay so right foot forward then the left foot back and my left guard slightly ahead of my right guard now all that shout follow is Henry's foot on my right foot.. Wait what? Henry placed his foot behind my heel and kicked it like a ball. I fell on my back for the fourth time today.

"lesson one firm footwork!" Henry barked his orders, "again!"

Geez sober Henry is a pain in the butt actually he's a pain in my everywhere, I stood up again and again and again and again. I think this asshole likes seeing me on the ground

"hmm I thought all the running you've been doing might have given you some muscle in your thighs but no, really brat if you spent half the time you were reading on your body," Henry sighed and he gave me a look I've despised my entire life.

Ever since my father died people pressured my mother to remarry because I would grow up being weak, they gave me this look like I was a cracked vase that I was going to break at any minute and it made my blood boil. That was the look he was giving me and it was pissing me off but I held back my rage.

"don't bother standing up, give me a hundred push ups, a hundred sit ups and a hundred squats. If you strengthen your body with mana you will regret it." Henry said and he went back into his house.