5 Chapter 5. Balance

Hiro used his magic sense to see his magic and the amount he is pulling in from the outside. The disparity between his magic and the magic he had pulled in seemed too great to balance.

This is impossible no matter how much I try I don't think I'll ever be able to balance this. I barely have any magic left and the amount that's coming in is adding so much overwhelming pressure to my restrains. I have to balance it out somehow or else I'll be stuck in this spot on the ground.

To achieve balance Hiro had to think of something that naturally is balanced.

"Balance....."

Suddenly he found himself floating in the ocean looking up at the sky. The balance between the crystal clear water and the azure sky brought a deep peace to Hiro. Balance with his magic wasn't an issue anymore. Hiro felt as if he was floating and being supported by the sky and water.

"It's so peaceful so serene. I finally understand what the old man meant by balance."

Hiro arose from the ground with energy swirling around but was completely unaffected by the restrains. In his mind, the image of a perfectly balanced lake and sky balanced his magic.

"I can move!!!!"

"What you have accomplished is the easy part. For this training to be effective you must keep your internal magic and the external magic at perfect equilibrium constantly. If you loosen up for a moment the restrains will become heavy again."

"All I have to do is keep my magic balanced. That's easy."

" Well, you have to keep it balanced under dangerous circumstances."

Theo smiles as he took off his shoes and put up his hands in kickboxer fighting posture. He jumped up and down a few times and threw a few punches.

"You must keep your magic balanced whilst we fight!"

"I don't know how to fight."

"That's fine you'll learn as we fight. It's important to keep your magic balanced as we fight because it'll put your magic under constant strain making it grow as you do. Focus on learning to fight and balancing your magic."

"We both know you're stronger and faster then me there's no way I stand a chance!"

"Fighting isn't about who is faster or stronger it's about technique, knowledge, and knowing how to best exploit your opponent's weaknesses. Besides, I'll only go about 5% until you become used to the pace "

"I'm always going to be going up against bigger and stronger creatures so what the hell let's go."

Hiro started to smile and copied the stance of Theo.

"First lesson boy! Pay attention to your opponent's movements."

Theo runs at Hiro and disappears before his eyes. Hiro looks around quickly trying to find him. Theo is behind Hiro's back. Hiro turns to strike but Theo kicked him in his ribs knocking him through the air and into a tree. Hiro felt the stinging pain of the kick in his ribs and lost all focus. His restrains pulled him to the ground. Theo appears before Hiro and throws a punch at his face stopping short.

"Don't forget to focus on your magic and the fight. The moment you lost your focus because of the pain you lost the fight. The one who is not in control of themselves at all times during the fight will always lose."

Hiro digs himself out of the tree and regains his composure and focus. He takes a deep breath and put his hands back up. The look in Hiro's eyes was different. It was calm and focused on fire like an inferno. Theo saw his sudden change and was excited.

"There! Finally, you've started to get it, boy, a fight is a battle for life and death..."

Theo clinches his fist punching Hiro and knocking him through the rest of the tree. Hiro blocked the punch his time and stood his ground. He was only pushed a few meters back from his original position. You could see the slide marks from Hiro's determination to not falter.

"....and the strong always survive!!!"

Theo runs at Hiro and punches at him but Hiro blocks it. Hiro gets cocky and tries to punch back but Theo grabs his wrist and twists his arm so that he traps Hiro's arm and elbow.

"lesson number two you never get cocky unless you're sure you can win. You'll go up against opponents of all strengths and skills its important to always be on guard."

Hiro tries to kick out Theo's legs to knock him down but instead, Theo wraps his legs around Hiro's neck and starts to choke him. Theo let's and puts his feet back on the ground. Hiro starts coughing and catching his breath.

"Why can't I hit you!"

"You're too erratic you strike wildly like a trapped animal. Outthink your opponent's moves be 3 steps ahead. If your opponent is 3 steps ahead of that be 10 steps ahead of that if they then step ahead be a hundred. "

" That just sounds impractical."

"Impractical is just another kind of practical to my boy. "

"I can't think that far ahead I'm already focused on keeping my magic balanced and fighting. How am I supposed to add something else on top of that?"

"Adapt. Adaptation is the crux of survival and human adaptability is the greatest of all species and is your greatest advantage. Most beings are stagnant because of their magic but human have had to survive without it. Adding all of them together with making you into the biggest threat to any creature. "

Can I adapt as he says? I'm already at my limit maintaining my magic and learning to fight. I have to adapt. I must.....

"Adapt!!!!"