Fire

The sun was about to set, and the men were at the archery range, shooting at straw dummies.

"Damn, we finally found something you're not good at," Taigen said, laughing.

"Shut up! Now I'll hit it," Alexander grumbled. He held a long wooden bow in his right hand. Grabbing a long arrow beside him, he positioned it on the bow, pulled the bowstring as far as he could until the bow curved, and took a deep breath. Alexander released the string, shooting the arrow, the sound of it cutting through the air was quite loud, perhaps because of the force it was shot with, but it didn't hit the straw dummy; it hit the wall a few meters behind it.

Once again, Taigen laughed, guffawing at Alexander's frustrated attempt, which made him even more irritated.

"Calm down, boy, these young ones are always impatient," Taigen said, taking Alexander's bow. He held it firmly with his right hand, then positioned the arrow, took a deep breath, looked fixedly at the target for a few seconds, steadied himself, and then shot. The arrow whistled as it cut through the air, then penetrated the center of the straw dummy. "See?"

"You talk as if it's so easy," Alexander grumbled.

"It's purely a matter of practice; I've been using a bow since I was twenty. It was easier to fish bronze carp that way; their scales were too hard for a harpoon, so we shot arrows into their eyes, the only soft part of their body."

"Are bronze carps big?"

"About two meters long at most, but they are strong; they can sink a boat in the blink of an eye, a small boat of course, but still, they are powerful." Taigen stopped, looking at Alexander, who seemed tense. "Calm down, boy, there's no need to be worried because you couldn't do something right on your first try."

"It's not that; I was just thinking... Don't you find it strange?"

"What?"

"Overall, counting all the men who came to Urazaki, it doesn't add up to much more than two thousand. What can you do with two thousand men?"

"Now that you mention it... It is something strange to think about."

"Should I ask Lord Genichiro or not?"

"If I were you, I'd keep my distance from Lord Genichiro, for your good," Taigen said worriedly, catching Alexander's attention.

"Because of those nobles, right."

Taigen pulled Alexander by the hem of his kimono, bringing him closer.

"Don't speak loudly, idiot! We don't know who can hear us," he whispered irritably. "Listen here, you're already marked by them, don't do anything stupid. It'll be difficult because Lord Genichiro has an interest in you, but try to keep to yourself."

"What are you two whispering about?"

Lord Genichiro asked from behind them.

Both turned around at the same time, Taigen was nervous, with the face of someone who had just been caught in the act. Alexander was calm, the same expression as always.

"Lord Genichiro, I would like to ask something," he said in a respectful tone.

"Ask, is it related to our duel today?"

"No, it's about something else," Alexander said. "About the reason for our arrival in Urazaki."

"Alright, what do you want to know?"

"With all due respect, sir. Two thousand men came here in this march, two thousand men can't do anything, not even half a decent army. What are we going to do after our training is over?"

The immense samurai stared into Alexander's eyes, who didn't look away or blink during this time.

"You're different from the others, you know, Young Shura? Until now, no one has asked or even thought about something like this," he said with an impressed smile. "Yes, we are only two thousand, but we will not go to the front, which is currently being commanded by my friend, General Satoru Katsushige with an army of forty thousand men. We will cross the mountain and go after a certain village that some rumors say is being fortified. These are the only details I can share for now. How's your archery practice going?"

A smile appeared on Taigen's face.

"It seems we finally found something Shura isn't good at," he said sarcastically, which made Alexander irritated.

Genichiro took the bow from Taigen's hands, and even though it was a large longbow for the two elves, it was only a medium bow for the immense samurai. He took an arrow and placed it on the bow, positioning it delicately despite his enormous hands, and pulled the bow until it curved so much it seemed like it would break. Then he released the arrow and shot with such force that its whistle echoed through the fortress, piercing through the straw dummy and hitting the stone wall behind it.

"The bow is an essential skill for a warrior, almost as important as knowing how to fight with a sword. Your skill with a bokken is good, so with a katana, it should be better. For now, focus on the bow."

Lord Genichiro said, withdrawing, placing his hands behind his back in a calm gesture.

A few hours passed, dinner time. Most of the men were eating in front of the main training yard. Alexander was under one of the few trees in the fortress, the starry night helping to illuminate the darkness well, he was cultivating with his eyes closed.

Fire...

He thought, forcing the muscles in his legs and then the rest of his body, going up one by one. His aura enveloped him minimally, but its color was still strong like blood. Even with his body focused on stimulating all his muscles in order, his mind was only thinking of one thing: fire.

Forests, immense plains, all burning, the images he saw on the news or the internet of massive fires in California or Australia incinerating all the land and burning everything that could burn.

"Can I join you?" Taigen's voice asked, making Alexander open his eyes. He looked at Taigen's hands, holding two bowls emitting a delicious smell, probably rice and fish. His aura dissipated instantly, and he positioned himself more comfortably.

"Sure," he said.

Taigen sat next to Alexander and began to eat his meal. It wasn't nearly as good as the dishes his mother, or rather, Shura's mother, made. He started to think about her—a truly loving and caring woman, also very attentive. In these weeks with his new body's family, it had already been much better than with his old family. His real mother was much more distant, a famous actress and revered architect, with no time for him. And his father? The greatest lawyer in the country. Seeing his son once a day was a lot; he hardly communicated with him, but that was more than enough to forge his true personality, or so he believed.

"You know, boy, there's something I noticed about you," Taigen said, swallowing his food. "You give off a strange feeling, how can I say it, you seem much more mature than you appear. I know you're young, but how old are you?"

I never thought about this part. Honestly, I didn't consider the age of elves. They say Lord Genichiro is an old man at just over three hundred years old. He does look like an old man but stays in constant shape. Taigen looks like an ordinary adult you'd see around, but he said he's only one hundred and thirty years old. Let me see if I can use the power of thought. System, can you tell me how old I am in this body and if possible, how long elves live here? A message box appeared.

[Shura the elf, son of farmers Seki and Sakura, is 80 years old, which represents the end of adolescence and entry into adulthood. The life expectancy of elves is a maximum of 500 years.]

"I'm eighty years old," Alexander replied, eating a bit.

"Eighty years? You're almost an adult. Sure, with all this talk of glory and war, you're almost identical to other young people your age, but you give off a sense of knowing what you're doing." It was strange to hear that, perhaps a sign he should act more like a clueless country boy. But it also gave a good feeling, at least that he was on the right path. "I'm glad to hear that."

The conversation seemed good, but it didn't last long. Alexander could hear footsteps approaching calmly, three people followed by laughter and irritating voices, voices that spelled trouble. "Look who's here, the country rats," it was the voice of one of the noble boys who had harassed them earlier. Taigen tensed up immediately, as he should. This was the kind of person who could kill an entire family just to boost their ego. Alexander remained calm, staring at the ground even as he felt the stares of those spoiled boys focused on him. One of them approached until he was right in front of him. He could see the white socks as snow under red wooden sandals. Even with his eyes fixed on the ground, Alexander could see pieces of extremely detailed silk pants with parts that looked like cranes flying in a large yellow flock. He pulled Alexander's hair hard, making him look up. "I'm talking to you, country pig." By the voice, he knew very well who it was, the same one who humiliated and assaulted him some time ago, Ogura Katsushige. "How can I help you, sir?" Shura asked, averting his eyes. He had to hold back, hold back from crushing this arrogant brat's head with his own hands, but he knew that no matter what he did to defend himself, there would be consequences. I can't retaliate... I can't lift a finger... Here I am still a nobody, I have no power... Here things are decided by brute force... Here is a wild and brutal period, I must become wild and brutal if I want to survive... But I must be cunning. Ogura pulled Alexander, slowly forcing him to stand, but it seemed the young noble was looking at something. "Oh, you were eating, sorry for interrupting your meal," Ogura said as if apologizing, he slapped Alexander's bowl, spilling all the food on the grass. Annoying... Even with his hair being pulled painfully, Alexander made no sound, no moan or groan of pain. Ogura then looked deeply into his red eyes. "I heard you had a duel with Lord Genichiro today. What makes you think you, a country bumpkin, a farmer who fucks his own sister, could touch someone like Lord Genichiro?" Ogura questioned, his voice irritated, his eyes wide. He held Alexander's hair even tighter now. "Answer me, peasant." Alexander took a deep breath. "Lord Genichiro asked if I wanted to train with him, I just accepted," he answered respectfully, his tone not varying in any word. Ogura didn't seem pleased with this answer, punching Alexander in the face, and sending him to the ground.

"Shura!" Taigen shouted worriedly, drawing attention to himself. "Oh right, I forgot you're there," Ogura said, approaching him. This scared Taigen, he shrank, bowing in front of the noble boy in red robes. "Sir... I... Apologize, I..." His voice was interrupted when Ogura kicked his face, disorienting him. Taigen groaned in pain but had no time for it as Ogura stepped on his neck. "Hey Ogura, why do you always step on their faces or necks?" asked one of the other noble boys there, one wearing dark blue clothes. "Kensuke, have you ever had a dog in your life?" Ogura returned the question, seeing the young man in blue shake his head. "When you have a dog, you have to train it well, but sometimes it will think it can do things like bark at the owner," he said, pressing his foot against Taigen's neck, who groaned in pain. "When a dog challenges the owner, you must put it in its place, showing the consequences of thinking it is more than a dirty and stupid dog." At that moment, Shura stood up, drawing attention to himself. "Get off him," he said angrily. Raising his fists, his aura revealed itself as angry, red flames covering his body, ready to attack. At the same moment, the aura of the three noble boys revealed itself, three auras like fierce orange flames. "Look, the dog still wants to bark at the owner." The boy in blue clothes, Kensuke, went to Alexander. "Oh, I don't know why Lord Genichiro insists on training this kind of people."

He punched Alexander's face twice, making him fall to his knees, but he quickly got up. Blood flowed from his nose, but his eyes were fixed on him, bright red eyes like blood. "Damn, your face is tough, country boy, you'll make a good punching bag!" Kensuke said excitedly. Another punch, two, three to Alexander's face, but he didn't fall. "Here comes the fourth!" He punched again, but the punch never hit Alexander. He held Kensuke's wrist, just a few centimeters from hitting his face fully, making the others a bit alert. Kensuke was about to punch Alexander with his other hand, but the red-eyed elf squeezed his wrist tightly. Kensuke screamed in pain, falling to his knees on the ground. He wasn't using all his strength, but a considerable amount, a taste of the thirty-two points he had put in his strength status.

After a few seconds, he released Kensuke's arm, which fell to the ground and started crying. Shura's eyes turned to Ogura, who smiled instantly. "You have courage, boy, I'll give you that," he said in a provocative voice, a malicious smile on his face. He then kicked Teigen's ribs, kicking once, twice, three times. "Oh, is he your friend?" Alexander went to him, his aura was strange, and it seemed to start pulsing.

Fire...

"Come on, peasant, let's have a fun little fight here!"

Fire...

Ogura advanced, throwing a punch, but something was strange, he seemed slow. It was as if the world was in slow motion. He could see Ogura's movements so clearly that dodging would be no harder than simply walking to the side, but Alexander didn't do it.

Fire...

His blood was burning, running like rivers of magma in his veins. He continued, going towards Ogura's punch as if nothing had happened.

Fire!

He caught Ogura's punch, and at that moment the world returned to normal speed. But something was strange, Ogura's expression was scared, horrified by something. At that moment, when his vision was entirely red with his aura, it changed color, starting to turn orange, a weak tone like diluted orange juice. It took a few seconds for him to comprehend the situation, but in the end, he understood. "Impossible, right now?" Ogura seemed horrified, trying to pull his fist away but couldn't; Alexander's grip was too strong. At that moment, Alexander smiled, looking deep into Ogura's frightened eyes, and raising his fist.

"What the hell is happening here?" a deep voice shouted furiously. Both of them looked to the side; there stood Genichiro, and he did not look pleased, accompanied by at least ten soldiers. Alexander immediately released Ogura, and they both knelt, their auras dissipating simultaneously. "I asked what the hell is happening here, " Genichiro insisted. At that moment, Ogura stood up, his face horrified. "Lord Genichiro, I'm so glad you arrived!" he said with a trembling voice. "These idiotic peasants attacked us out of nowhere! We were chatting while eating under the tree when this blonde kid came at us. He broke Kensuke's arm, who didn't even have a chance to defend himself!" His voice sounded certainly convincing, and his face almost looked like he was about to cry, but Genichiro didn't seem convinced. He looked at Shura, seeing plenty of blood dripping from his nose and the bruises on his face. Now he looked at Taigen, who was on the ground, his expression showing the pain he was in. "I understand, so these peasants will be punished. Take Mr. Katsushige to his quarters and Mr. Takeie to the infirmary, now go." Genichiro ordered. The soldiers carefully lifted Kensuke and were about to guide Ogura, but he refused. "Sir, these peasants must be executed right now!" Ogura exclaimed, placing himself in front of Genichiro. "This was an offense and a direct attack on a son of the Katsushige family and a son of the Takeie family." 

"I already said they will be punished, and I will be the one to judge them. Go rest, little Ogura, today has been an intense day." 

"I will only sleep when I see the heads of these damned peasants separated from their necks! They attacked me, attacked the honor of my family, the honor of my father! Will you allow my father's honor to be sullied, you who are his loyal friend?"

At that moment, a chill ran through Alexander's entire body. He could feel it on his skin, the air vibrating tensely. The ground began to tremble, which scared everyone there. In a second, Genichiro's aura revealed itself as incredibly fierce and immense flames; Alexander's aura was nothing compared to that. He began to sweat, sweating nonstop, his whole body tensed with fear at that instant. "Little Ogura, I must remind you of the reason you are here in my humble castle in Urazaki," said Genichiro in a calm tone, his expression was also calm, but his eyes showed something else: hostility, intent, and power to kill. "Your father placed you under my care to assist you in your training and transform you into a great warrior in the service of our glorious emperor. But I am not your father, and I will not be as merciful as he is, keep that in mind. I assure you that neither his honor nor yours is stained or even touched by these simple peasants, now go, you may call a courtesan to calm you if you wish." Genichiro's aura dissipated. Ogura was paralyzed, staring at the ground, his muscles tense, and his expression showing true terror, the true fear of death. One of the soldiers went to Ogura and accompanied him to one of the towers. Genichiro then turned his gaze to Shura, who was still kneeling. "Stand up, young Shura," he said calmly, and Alexander did so. His body was still tense, shaken by witnessing such a great power up close. "What happened? Answer honestly." Alexander took a few seconds to open his mouth, to gather strength in his throat. He reported everything that happened to Genichiro. Meanwhile, Nurse Yukiko appeared to heal Taigen's wounds. "I understand, be careful, young Shura," Genichiro warned Alexander, who nodded quickly. "I will, sir" he replied. Genichiro placed his enormous hand on Alexander's shoulder, looking him in the eyes. "I don't think you understand the situation. They are boys from noble, powerful families; you can't go around breaking their arms and attacking the sons of lords of the kingdom. Of course, in this situation, you were defending yourself, but they didn't see it that way; they saw it as an attack, a direct attack, and they have power. The power that a boy like you can only dream of." Genichiro explained seriously this time. "I... I apologize, sir," Alexander continued, looking at the ground.

"Be careful, young Shura. I'm glad you evolved your aura, but you also got yourself into a dangerous game. For now, train with the others; I won't speak directly to you except for training matters for a while. Go to sleep now, I will calm Ogura down." "I understand," Alexander then knelt. "Thank you very much for your understanding, sir. I will dedicate myself to my training and fight alongside you." Such words brought a smile to Genichiro's face. "I look forward to seeing what my instruction will do with your talent, now go."

Alexander then took his leave, helping Taigen walk along with Nurse Yukiko. On the way to the soldiers' quarters, Alexander smiled a strangely joyful smile, even too much. "You seem oddly cheerful for someone who just made the target on his back even bigger," Taigen grumbled. "Ah, it's because something else very good happened." "What?" At that moment, Alexander looked at the system message boxes that appeared since Lord Genichiro arrived.

[!!!The player has evolved their aura! The player's aura color is now: orange!!!]

[!!!The Player leveled up!!!]

[!!!The Player leveled up!!!]

[!!!The Player leveled up!!!]

[!!!The Player leveled up!!!]

[!!!The Player reached level 15 (fifteen)!!! The requirements for the introductory quest have been met]

[!!!Quest Available: "Fire and Typhoon"!!!]

"Nothing."