Teaching the youngest

" Hey Shu "

Tristen said as he stacked up some rocks together, to then turn his attention toward Shu who seemed to be meditating

" I didn't like him at all but, I want to ask you "

Tristen added whilst walking away from the pile of rocks he made, only to sit on the ground in front of Shu

" How strong was my father? "

Tristen questioned as Shu simply opened his eyes, staring at the boy with a calm expression

" How strong was Vladimir? "

Shu replied, placing his hands on top of his crossed legs

" Yes, I know you told me that he captured you, tortured you and all but, I'm kind of curious as to how strong he was "

Said the younger boy, conforming Shu's question

" Well, he was most definitely one of the strongest opponents I've faced, if I had to put a rank on his strength, he'd be just as strong as my teacher Ezra "

Shu whispered loud enough for the boy to hear as he slightly scratched his chin, thinking back to Vladimir's amount of sanctuary energy

" For real!? My father was as strong as one of your teachers!? "

The boy questioned, completely surprised at Shu's answer

" Well I guess—yeah, but he probably got way stronger in the amount of time that we've been separated "

Shu said as he tilted his head, staring at Tristen with a weird look

" Well, what are you here for? I know it wasn't just to ask me a question "

He added, squinting his eyes as Tristen smiled, remembering why he interrupted Shu's meditation

" Can you teach me? "

" Teach you what? "

Shu replied, straightening his neck, blinking in confusion as Tristen sighed

" Don't act dumb, you know what I mean, train me, teach me how to use that energy you use, I wanna be able to fight like you do "

Tristen exclaimed with determination in his eyes as Shu simply opened his eyes wide, staring at the boy with a calm expression

" Like me? "

" Yes! Like you! You're the best fighter I know, you're stronger than my brother Ethan and most likely stronger than your friends over there "

Tristen rambled on, explaining why he wanted Shu as a teacher whilst pointing at the girls who sat on a side, having a peaceful conversation as they drank what seemed to be tea

" In actuality, Ana and Elena are stronger than me, if you want a teacher you can go and ask them- "

" Yeah but I don't want them man! I don't like they're vibe, they probably fight all fancy and crap, I wanna fight like you, when you fight you look badass and strong! "

Tristen interrupted, complementing Shu's fighting style, causing the boy to smile a bit, feeling a bit more proud of his ruthless like fighting style

" Well, if you insist "

Shu replied, scratching the back of his head with a slight blush of embarrassment in his cheeks

" Breakfast is ready "

Ayami said, whispering in Shu's ear who simply smiled, looking up at the girl who simply stared back down at him

" Really? That's perfect, we'll be there in a bit "

Shu replied as Ayami simply nodded, planting a kiss on the boy's lips who simply responded with his own

" Alright! "

Shu yelled, backing away from Ayami's lips who then walked away leaving the boys by themselves

" Ok get up, before training we must eat, grandpa always told me that a warrior should never feel hungry or else they won't ever be at their best "

Shu added as he stood up, walking toward the girls who were sharing the food in plates made out of wood.

The boys sat down, grabbed their plates and ate. Such went on for minutes till Yuyen decided to break the quiet atmospheric tension

" Shu, your blueprints were really helpful, building the house has been going great so far "

Yuyen said, complementing Shu who was staring at the sky while chewing his food, only to turn his head toward her seconds after hearing her voice

" Oh uh, Thanks "

The boy replied, shoving the spoon into his food so he could grab a handful to put in his mouth

" Yeah Shu, I didn't expect you to be any good in the field of architecture, much less be a master at it, the blue prints you drew for us were great and easy to understand "

Elena added, complementing the boy even more, which confused him a bit, he's never been complimented like this so the current situation was weird for him

" Well, grandpa taught me how to build things and also taught me how to draw them down and stuff, he told me that if i learned how to draw what I wanted to build that it'd be easier to make it "

Shu replied, continuing to eat from his plate only to place it to a side once he was done

" Oh, so he wasn't only a master at martial arts? "

Ayami questioned, watching Shu stand up from the rock he was sitting on

" Uh——well, he once told me that a strong body requires a strong and unbreakable mind. I guess being creative with architecture applies to that logic. "

Shu replied, staring at Ayami for a few seconds before turning to look at Tristen who was almost done with his plate

" Anyway. Tristen, when you're done eating, meet me at the river that's in the middle of the forest, we'll be doing some meditation to start your training "

Shu added, disappearing in a blur of speed, which only served to excite the young boy who couldn't wait to start his training

" What's this about training? "

Vivian questioned, walking out of the almost finished house they were all working on as Tristen simply turned to look at her

" Uh well, Shu promised he'd train me and help me become stronger— "

" No!! Not with that boy! I hate his guts! "

Vivian yelled, interrupting her own son in a burst of anger

" Mother, he's the one I want to train with, unlike you I didn't have any attachment to my father so I can't feel bad for his death. Just because you hate him doesn't mean I can't train with Shu "

Tristen replied, looking up at his mother for a few seconds, seemingly disappointed in her before walking away

" And just so you know, all the suffering you and I have been through are all because of brother and father, if you can't control your anger, how about instead you target your anger where it should be targeted at "

The boy said, whilst turning his back to his mother before running off to where Shu promised they'd start their training

" Not in good terms, huh? "

Elena said, staring at Vivian whilst sipping tea from a cup made out of wood

" It doesn't seem like it, no.. "

Vivian whispered, as she sat down where Tristen was sitting, only to hide her face with her hands seconds later.