Chapter 3: "The strange man named Haukan." Part 2

"I'm trying my best to concentrate, but I realize this isn't going to be easy. I've been sitting in this same meditative position for two hours straight. The Elder wanted Hwa and me to feel the energy around us. It's been tough for me, but I can see my progress improving at a decent rate."

Hwa, however, jumped in the air with pink energy surrounding her body. It was none other than Hwa, and she seemed like a natural at it, as if she had been doing this forever. On her back was a pink tattoo with a crest of a bird, surrounded by flames.

Hwa jumped on my back, which irritated me because she interrupted my concentration. The orange-haired girl smiled at me before teasing me, "What's wrong, alone? Can't do it? I thought you were going to get this technique down before me," giggled Hwa.

The constant teasing really annoyed me. And like the kid I was, I got so frustrated that I exploded. "Shut up! I honestly don't care about this stupid training anyway. It's pointless. If people before me tried and failed miserably, what are the chances that I will succeed?" I shouted out in frustration.

 Hwa was taken aback by my outburst, and she began to bark back at me. "Maybe if you stop complaining like a baby and work harder, then you will be able to master this, you loser," snapped Hwa back. 

Standing up, I was about to continue my argument with Hwa when suddenly I felt something hard hit my head. I grabbed my head in pain and began to comically cry before looking at a displeased elder.

Hwa smirked. "That's right, gramps. He deserves." But before Hwa could continue to praise her grandfather, she too was struck on the head, but way harder.

As Hwa fell to her knees, she began to shout in pain. The elder intervened, instructing both Hwa and the other person to be quiet. The elder emphasized the importance of focusing on the exercise and discouraged complaining as it wouldn't make the process go faster. The elder also reprimanded Hwa for belittling the other person, pointing out that everyone learns at their own pace and that having an advantage over someone doesn't make them useless.

I remember that at the time, I knew the elder was right. Due to my stubborn nature, I decided to leave and end the training for the day. I couldn't believe that I could do the exercise, let alone wield the ability of Sen-Shēntǐ.

I decided to clear my mind, so I headed to the forest.

Upon arriving at the forest, I begin exploring once more. The cool breeze brushes against my face, drying up the sweat and leaving me feeling refreshed. As I clear my mind, I stumble upon an old and mysterious man standing by the waterfall. In his hands, he holds a strange, foreign sword that resembles a large knife. Curious, I start to observe the man from a distance.

The man stood patiently with his eyes closed for a couple of minutes. Tired of seeing him do nothing, I was about to ask what he was doing, but then I saw something extraordinary. With one quick swoosh of his sword, he was able to cleave the waterfall in two. That was the day I fell in love with the sword and understood something important: patience, a clear mind, steadfastness, and discipline go a long way.

I encountered a mysterious man while he was training, and he smiled at me. He struggled to speak our language and said, "Boy, it's nice to meet you again." I was still in shock after witnessing something extraordinary - a regular person had effortlessly cleaved the waterfall. I ran up to him, filled with excitement and interest, and asked, "How did you do that? What powers or techniques did you use?" I felt hopeful that a person like myself could achieve something extraordinary too.

Scratching his head, due to him not understanding what I was saying. Realizing this, I picked up every stick and tried to mimic what he did before pointing at myself, letting him know that I also wished to learn how to use that technique. Understanding my gesture, the man laughed before saying, "You have a long way to go, not in this lifetime," he said, still chuckling at me. Outraged, I was about to march off when I heard these words: "Fine, I'll teach you the basics. I need to repay you for the food," said the man barely able to speak my country's language. 

I smiled as if I had won a prize. The man gestured for me to follow him as he began to walk back to Miedzy cave (Between caves).

In front of me was a rock. My goal was to cut this rock in half with this dull stick. Looking back at the man with a loving expression on my face, he crossed his arms and gave me a serious look. No words needed to be exchanged, and even if he did speak, I probably wouldn't understand what he was saying.

Feeling frustrated, I decided to attempt splitting the rock in half. Initially, I believed I needed to apply more force, but this resulted in my tool breaking and sending splinters into my hands, causing a great deal of pain. The second attempt was to try to mimic the man's breathing and posture, but I didn't take in the man's patience, and the amount of focus he put in his swing.

The outcome was the same, but this time, I didn't get a splinter lodged in my wounded hand. The man just continued to stare at me, watching me like a hawk. I continued to do the exercises over and over again, but not once did I figure out how to break the rock. It was getting late, and I was very tired, but I still hadn't given up. My stomach began to growl, demanding nourishment.

Handing me a stick of fish, the mysterious man had a jolly smile on his face. "Eat something. You worked hard today," he said, attempting to speak in my country's language.

Sitting by the campfire, the man started to cook and I began to munch on the grilled fish. It was delicious. Dinner was quiet, but it was understandable; we could barely understand each other.

"Sorry for not introducing myself earlier, but my name is Alonne. It's nice to meet you... Sir?" I said with a smile on my face.

The man also smiled before pointing at himself. " My name is Haukan! Nice to meet you, lad!