Chapter 5: Training

'It's now been about two years since I came to this world, and John is now teaching me the basics of swordsmanship with wooden swords he made. They're very high quality. My father has certainly gotten much better at crafting in the past few years.' Theo thought to himself as he practiced the set of sword swings.

'I mean, just look at these, smooth, no splinters, almost sharp, but dulled down to make sure they can't cut. In fact, I think he accidentally made it sharp, to begin with, then sanded the edges down...' Theo thought to himself as he analyzed the wooden sword's craftsmanship.

'Whenever my dad's at work, I'm supposed to do practice swings in the morning, so my mom wakes me up to make sure I do.' Theo thought to himself. 'It sure would be nice if I was allowed to sleep in an hour longer though!' He thought annoyedly as he swung faster.

"Theo!" Sydney yelled as she ran out the front door and towards him. "Come with me! Explore the town!" She said excitedly as she nearly tackled him trying to give him a hug.

"I still have to practice for a bit longer." Theo said.

"I got permission!" She said confidently as she disengaged from her hug to give a proud stance.

"Then... Alright, let me put the sword away." Theo said.

"Alright!" She said happily. Theo went inside and put the sword away.

"Theo! Make sure to tell Sydney when you don't want to go somewhere!" Kendra yelled from the kitchen.

"Okay!" Theo yelled back as he went out the door.

"Let's go!" Sydney said excitedly as she grabbed Theo's hand and guided him out of the yard and onto the path that leads into town.

"Alright, just slow down a bit, I can't run as fast as you!" Theo said, already panting from running.

"Ah, right! Sorry!" She said as she slowed into a walk. "I was just excited!" She said with a smile.

"I know." Theo said. "Anyway, where are we going?" Theo asked.

"We're going to give Papa lunch! He forgot it!" Sydney said with a smile.

'Ah, I see. I have been wondering what his workplace looks like for a while...' Theo thought to himself as he followed Sydney.

"Ah, by the way, I think you should ask mama to teach you magic! Then we can learn together!" Sydney said happily.

"Maybe." Theo said lightly. 'I'm not sure how much she could teach me, considering I do things without a chant...' Theo thought. 'Then again, I don't know anything about magic circles, so there's that...' Theo thought to himself as they continued.

"Oh, would you look at those two?" An older woman said as she noticed the two walking down the road. "I think they're John and Kendra's." She said to one of her friends.

"Oh, they are adorable, aren't they?" One of the women said.

"Oh, definitely." The first one said.

'Ignoring that... Does Sydney know where we're going?' Theo wondered. Despite his worries, Theo continued following Sydney, and after a while of walking, they reached an area near the woods where people with axes, knives, and sandpaper are working.

One of the workers looked up from the log they were cutting away at with an ax and noticed the pair. "What're you two doing here? It's a bit dangerous for kids." He said.

"Don't worry! I'm a strong kid! Also! Papa forgot his lunch!" Sydney said excitedly.

"Is that so?" He asked as he used the towel on the back of his neck to wipe off a bit of sweat. "What's his name?" He asked.

"John." Theo said.

"Ah, you two are John's kids! I hear you two are pretty talented!" He said with a smile. "He talks about you two all the time." He said. "Hey, John! Your kids are here with your lunch!" The man yelled, then turned back to the kids. "He should be over in a moment." He said, then returned to his work.

After a few moments of waiting, John walked over to them. "Hey, little fire, little monster!" John said as he walked over to Sydney and Theo.

"Hi, Papa!" Sydney said excitedly as she ran over to hug John. The man glanced over and chuckled.

"Ah, Theo you're as cold as ever!" Sydney said as she disengaged from her hug.

"No need to worry about that!" John said as he took a step forward and picked up Theo and give him a hug. "That aside, did you make sure to do your practice swings, little monster?" John asked. Theo nodded.

"I only stopped because I came here to give you your lunch." Theo said.

"Yup! I brought him!" Sydney said happily.

"As long as you did what you're supposed to!" John said with a smile.

"Ah, right! I wanna learn magic with Theo!" Sydney said with her usual, excited tone.

"Is that so?" John asked. "Hm. I guess I could talk with your mother about it." John said as he made an exaggerated thinking expression.

"Please do!" Sydney said excitedly.

'Considering what I saw back then... No, it could have been a dream... Even so, it's more than possible that it actually happened, considering Theo's demeanor.' John thought to himself. "Anyway, you two should get home now! Your mother would be worried if you were out too long!" John said as he sent the two off back home.

"Alright! See you at home, Papa!" Sydney said with a vibrant expression.

"Ah, what she said." Theo said as Sydney grabbed his arm and started to run back home.

"Yup!" John said as they ran off.

"That Theo certainly is more distant than Sydney, isn't he?" The man with the ax asked. (I resisted making the worst pun here, praise me.)

"Yeah. He's a bit too logical for a kid his age." John responded.

'And now, a week later, I'm sitting here learning magic with my sister, who, because of her request, now has to sit through the basics again.' Theo thought to himself as he listened to his mother explain the basics of magic.