The Savior

Zenith exclaimed, "We're in trouble, Abyss. What are my chances of beating them all?"

'Zero,' Abyss replied bluntly.

Zenith pleaded, "Come on, can't you lie for once and give me some confidence?"

"I could, but I won't. It's been a good run; I hope you have a better next life," Abyss remarked solemnly.

Annoyed by Abyss's lack of encouragement, Zenith recognized the dire situation and refrained from expressing his frustration. As the Slivins closed in, Zenith couldn't help but plead, "Help me this once, please, God."

Continuing his desperate prayer, a sudden burst of fire engulfed the surroundings, turning the trees into ash. The Slivins, momentarily distracted, were swiftly dispatched by a man wearing a red cloak with his face covered with a mask who appeared in the aftermath.

As the chaos settled, the man admonished, "Are you a fool? What are you doing in the Emperium Forest without a weapon?"

Zenith explained, "I am not from here, so I didn't know this was the Emperium Forest."

The man, seemingly intrigued, responded, "You're not from here, huh? That's unusual. Not many people come here. Do you have any specific business?"

"No, I'm just exploring the place," Zenith replied.

Concerned for Zenith's safety, the man offered, "It's not safe here. You can stay at my place for the night."

Grateful, Zenith expressed, "Thank you so much. I'll make sure to return the favor."

The man reassured him, "Don't worry about it. I'm just letting you stay for a bit."

While they walked towards his home, the man removed his mask showing a man with black hair, and finally introduced himself, saying, "I haven't introduced myself. My name is Kurogane. What's yours?"

"I am Zenith," Zenith replied.

Kurogane remarked, "Quite a unique name."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Zenith said.

After 20 minutes, they reached a two-story-old, rustic, ancient Japanese house made out of wood and Shoji. "This is my home. I hope you don't mind it being small," Kurogane said.

"I was thinking of sleeping in the forest, so anything is good for me," Zenith responded.

"Your clothes seem quite dirty. I have a spare set if you want," Kurogane offered.

Zenith accepted, saying, "If you don't mind."

"I don't," Kurogane replied, handing him a black yukata.

After showing Zenith where he would be sleeping, Kurogane suggested, "Let's eat, and then you can rest."

"Okay," Zenith agreed.

Kurogane went into the kitchen, prepared some tempura, and presented it to Zenith. Observing that Kurogane hadn't prepared a meal for himself, Zenith inquired, "Aren't you going to eat?"

Kurogane responded, "I'm not hungry right now."

"Let's share. There's no point in me eating alone," Zenith insisted.

Kurogane hesitated, but Zenith pressed on, saying, "You don't have to lie to me."

"Okay, we can share," Kurogane finally agreed.

They divided the food and ate together. As they finished, Zenith announced, "I'm going to head to sleep."

Kurogane replied, "Me too."

"Okay, good night," Zenith said.

Kurogane responded, "Good night."

***

"Wake up, how long are you going to sleep?" Abyss roused Zenith.

"Is it morning already?" Zenith mumbled in a sleepy tone.

"Yeah, and here you are still snoozing. I've got some news for you," Abyss informed.

Zenith, still groggy, asked, "What's that?"

"Get freshened up, and I'll tell you," Abyss directed.

In a somewhat grumbling tone, Zenith remarked, "You do enjoy making my day worse, don't you?"

"Maybe," Abyss replied.

Rolling his eyes, Zenith retorted, "Of course you would say that," and then got up to freshen up.

Now ready, Zenith prompted, "I'm prepared. Tell me the news you've got."

Before Abyss could respond, Kurogane chimed in, "Do you talk to yourself?"

Thinking quickly, Zenith fabricated, "I just think that if I say it to myself, it helps with my thought process."

Curious, Kurogane asked, "Does it work?"

"Yeah," Zenith affirmed to confuse Kurogane.

Kurogane pondered, "Maybe I should try it."

Zenith advised, "Try it when there's no one around, okay?"

Kurogane nodded and returned outside. Inside, Zenith couldn't help but think, 'Can he be that naive?'

Abyss interjected, 'Don't call him dumb; he saved your life. You should be grateful.'

Annoyed, Zenith shot back, 'We wouldn't be in this situation if you had just told me the news.'

Abyss finally revealed, 'The news is that you've received a new sub-quest.'

Eagerly, Zenith's eyes lit up as he exclaimed, "What is it?"

"You've got to ask Mister dumbass over there to teach you how to use a sword," Abyss suggested.

Zenith retorted, 'You know he saved your life too, so be grateful.'

"Just go and get him to train you," Abyss insisted.

Zenith entered the backyard training ground, discovering Kurogane immersed in the rhythmic flow of basic katana maneuvers. The ambient tranquility of cherry blossoms and a rustic wooden dojo enhanced Kurogane movements. "Kurogane, mind if we talk?" Zenith inquired, seeking dialogue amidst the serene beauty of their practice space.

Kurogane, completely engrossed in his training, didn't notice Zenith and executed a slash that nearly took out Zenith's head.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Zenith yelled in alarm.

Kurogane opened his eyes and inquired, "Why are you yelling?"

"You almost took off my head! Why wouldn't I be yelling?" Zenith exclaimed.

Kurogane, realizing his mistake, admitted, "I was too focused. My fault. Did you have something to say?"

Zenith replied, "Can you teach me how to use a katana?"

A bit puzzled, Kurogane asked, "Don't you know already?"

Zenith inquired, "Are you supposed to?"

"Yes, everybody in the four kingdoms learns a weapon as a basic requirement," Kurogane explained.

Zenith revealed, "I'm not from the four kingdoms, so I didn't learn a weapon. Could you teach me?"

Kurogane, intrigued by Zenith's origin but deciding to inquire another time, agreed, "I can teach you. But let's spar first to see how good you are."

"Okay, but make sure not to kill me," Zenith requested.

"Don't worry about that; I'm not going to use a sword," Kurogane assured.

Zenith hesitated, expressing concern, "Are you sure? I might hurt you."

"Don't worry; go all out," Kurogane encouraged.

"Okay," Zenith agreed and picked up the katana. He charged at Kurogane at full speed, attempting a slash, but Kurogane effortlessly dodged and countered with a punch to Zenith's stomach.

"That's all you've got? Even a five-year-old could do better than you," Kurogane taunted.

Undeterred, Zenith tightened his grip on the sword and made another attempt. Again, Kurogane sidestepped and delivered a punch to Zenith's stomach. "Stop fighting with anger; focus on your movements. Speed is useful, but too much will make your actions predictable."

Zenith heeded Kurogane's advice, taking a step back to adjust his grip and posture. Approaching Kurogane at a controlled speed, he executed a feint before delivering a slash. Although the feint didn't work, Zenith managed to avoid Kurogane's counter-attack to his stomach.

"Incredible," Kurogane remarked in awe.

Perplexed, Zenith questioned, "Why?"

"You corrected all your mistakes in one attempt after my lackluster explanation," Kurogane praised.

Zenith humbly responded, "If you hadn't told me, I would have never gotten it right."

"Okay, I'll teach you basic movements, and you should practice them a thousand times, four times a day," Kurogane instructed.

Zenith exclaimed, "Four thousand times a day?"

"If you want fast improvement, you'll have to do it," Kurogane advised.

"Okay," Zenith agreed.

"While you practice, I'll go hunt for food," Kurogane informed.

"Alright, and thank you for letting me stay here," Zenith expressed his gratitude.

"Don't sweat it; it's nice to have some company," Kurogane replied before leaving.

Abyss commented, 'Congrats, you did it,' in a lackluster way.

"Why do you say it like that? Have more enthusiasm," Zenith demanded.

Abyss retorted, 'You've got enough.'

"Okay, what's the reward?" Zenith inquired.