Chapter 5: A bet between brothers and timeskip (rewritten)

Mt. Colubo, Dawn Island

The first rays of dawn were breaking through some unattended holes in the wall when I awoke. My body ached from yesterday's ill-conceived training session, but I treated the discomfort as a cheap price to pay for what I could gain from it.

I shuffled out of bed, while ignoring the sharp sting in my legs, and grabbed some food when I noticed Ace was already up and moving around the room. He was humming to himself, a rare occurrence that usually meant he was in a good mood. My bratty twin noticed me quickly, a mischievous glint shining in his eyes.

"So, going to bash more trees today?" The annoying kid asked with a smirk as he glanced over at me.

I gritted my teeth, determined not to rise to the bait. "Maybe," I said, shrugging. "Or maybe I'll actually manage to avoid a few this time."

My bratty twin snorted, acting amused. "Well, good luck with that. Just don't come crying to me when you end up in a ditch."

He said but once I grabbed another piece of cloth to cover my eyes again, my brother quickly changed his tune.

"Wait, you're not seriously planning to do that again, are you?" Ace asked sceptically, making me believe that despite the teasing, he knew how to be concerned for someone else. At least until he continued talking. "Did you hit your head too hard yesterday, or what?"

I glanced over at him, annoyance bubbling up. Sure, he was my twin, but did he have to be such a pain in the ass first thing in the morning? I was barely done with breakfast, and he was already trying to sour my mood. "Look, Ace. First: Yes, I want to train again. Second: No, I didn't hit my head too hard yesterday. Third: I need your help in case something serious happens. So, are you gonna help or not?"

Ace sighed, rubbing the back of his head as if considering it. "I don't know. Honestly, I think we'd be better off hunting some birds or eggs. How about that?"

"Come on," I coaxed. "You can beat whatever animal tries to eat me while I'm running around. Two birds, one stone."

"This still feels like a waste of time!" Ace shot back, his frustration growing. "Why can't you do something else? Anything else? Why not spend time in our hideout? There was still a lot left to be done after all."

'Damn for fucks sake, I wouldn't be doing this shit either if it wasn't for that quest!' I bit back my irritation. Of course, from his perspective, this whole training regimen was utterly stupid. But he didn't have the system nudging him along, telling him that every bruise, every scrape, and every tree I slammed into was bringing me closer to something extraordinary. I had to convince him—or things could get a lot more dangerous.

"Okay, how about this," I proposed, trying a different angle. "Until our sixth birthday, you help me train in the mornings, and I'll owe you a favour for the rest of the day."

Ace crossed his arms, scepticism written all over his face. "That's a whole year, Jackson. And why would I need a favour from you? Most things I can handle on my own, and if I can't, you'll help me out anyway."

Hate to admit it, but he had a point. Time to pull out the guilt card.

"Right, but if it's no big deal, why won't you help me?" I pressed. "I'm going to do this training no matter what, but it'd be a hell of a lot safer with you around."

Ace groaned, rolling his eyes. "I'm telling you, it's stupid! You're not gaining anything but cuts and bruises!"

"You're wrong!" I snapped back. "Let's make a bet! I'll keep up this training every day until our sixth birthday, with or without your help. But we can make a bet now."

"A bet?" Ace asked, curiosity piqued. "What are we betting on?"

"On our next birthday, we'll have a fight," I said, a grin spreading across my face. "If I win, you admit that you were wrong all along and tell everyone I'm a hundred times smarter than you."

'Wait a minute. Was I always this childish?'

Ace blinked, then scowled. "Huh?! Why would I agree to that? Besides, I'd still have to help you train every day regardless!"

"Then name your terms, Mr. Sceptical," I shot back, still grinning.

"Fine," Ace said, his eyes narrowing. "If I win, you will stop any stupid training that just hurts you!" And…" He hesitated for a moment before adding, "And you have to wear a sign saying you're a stupid idiot, and you'll tell everyone you meet that I'm your smart and respectable older brother—for the rest of your life!"

I blinked. 'Was he actually worried about me?' The warmth that thought brought was quickly quashed by the image of me walking around with that lame ass shirt. Nope, not happening. I wasn't about to lose this bet.

"Deal!" I agreed, probably too enthusiastically. Me losing this bet was probably the very definition of impossible. If someone would bother to look it up, then this scenario would be named as an example.

Yet Ace smirked, thinking he'd won already. Little did he know, this would be his grave.

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Six Months Later

Running through the forest while blindfolded had become second nature to me, after formulating a proper strategy. The first month had been brutal, with me colliding with trees, tripping over roots, and getting more cuts and bruises than I could count. That was obviously because I hadn't approached it the right way.

After all, how could a man learn to run before learning to crawl. Answer: He could not! So first I had to get used to moving around without my vision. It took time but with focus, sensing slight differences in the ground or rustling leaves nearby felt a lot easier.

Chirping of birds, A distant stream trickling—they all painted a picture of my surroundings, one I had to 'view' without my eyes.

It wasn't easy. Every time I heard a branch snap or the wind rustle through the trees, my instincts screamed at me to rip off the blindfold and see what was happening. But I resisted. I had to trust my other senses, learn to listen to the world in a way I never had before.

As I ran, something strange began to happen. The longer I kept the blindfold on, the more I started to notice things I hadn't before. The subtle shift in the air when I was about to reach the edge of the clearing, the way the ground felt slightly different underfoot as I approached a rock or tree root—these small details started to stand out, guiding me as I moved.

What stood out was my rate of improvement? My body felt like it moves as fast as light. Compared to before, I was practically a blur (Watch out, Kizaru!). What once took me half a day to accomplish, I could now finish in under an hour—55 minutes, to be exact. And sure, 55 minutes to run 10 kilometres might not sound impressive to some, but given the conditions, it was a damn miracle.

Bang!

Suddenly a dull thud of something heavy hitting the ground echoed from nearby—a sound I'd grown accustomed to. Sometimes, wild animals like stray dogs or wolves would try to take a bite out of me, but Ace was always there with that rusty pipe he'd snagged from Dadan's house, beating them back every time they got too close. Over the past few months, I'd come to appreciate Ace's help more than ever. He wasn't just my brother—he was my guardian, my backup, and my saviour more times than I could count. Though I'd rather dive to hell and crawl back than to admit it in front of him.

Still that didn't mean it had all been smooth sailing. Two months ago, I'd nearly broken my leg when I tumbled down a steep, rocky hill. Ace had been busy fending off a boar that had decided we were trespassing in its territory, so he couldn't warn me in time. I survived with just a sprained ankle and some bruises, but it had been a close call. I even had to sneak into a nearby town to get medical help, using some of the bandits' money I'd… borrowed. Theft? What theft? It's not like the mountain bandits were paragons of virtue themselves.

"Watch out! Deep pit ahead!" Ace's shout snapped me back to the present.

I veered left just in time, avoiding what could have been a very unpleasant fall. Seriously, if it weren't for Ace, I'd probably be dead or crippled by now.

[Quest: Run 10km Blindfolded (Incomplete: 182/365)]

I checked my progress and, satisfied that I'd completed today's run, finally pulled off the blindfold. The world came back into focus, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Another day down, another step closer to mastering the power I'd been promised.

We made our way back to the house, where I applied some of the herbal remedies we'd gathered under Dogra and Magra's guidance. The cuts and bruises were healing faster now, thanks to those herbs, and it was a welcome relief not to be in constant pain.

"Hey, do you want to go to a town today?" Ace asked as he watched me bandage up a particularly nasty scrape.

"A town? Which one?" I replied, curious but also cautious. The last trip hadn't exactly been pleasant.

"Does it matter?" Ace shrugged. "We could try selling some of the hides we've collected from those wild dogs and see what we can buy with the money."

I thought it over. Honestly, I didn't mind the idea. If we could get a good price, we might even be able to buy something worthwhile—maybe even some real equipment to finally put into our secret base, instead of the crap we scavenged.

"Sure, why not? Let's go," I agreed.

Little did we know, that earth's nastiest creature, humans, would not only utterly ruin this trip but our whole week as well.