Chapter 2 - The Beginning Of The End

Gael was cleaning the doorstep, a figure appeared from the bushes, walking up to him. An old man appeared from behind the bushes and showed a faint smile to him. He looked around 60-70 years old, but he could still walk without trouble. He wore a gray and dark blue robe that looked like it came out of ancient China, but his purple eyes and blond hair removed the aesthetic he created. The man was incredibly tall, even taller than Gael, standing confidently at a height of 3 meters.

The old man walked up to Gael and said with a slight smile: "Good morning, boy. I heard that a young man lived all the way out here from the people of your village, but I didn't believe it until I saw you. Then banishing you is really strange, but every place has its strange characteristics. As you see, I as an old man can't really walk that well, so do you mind grabbing me a chair to sit in and some refreshments?"

Gael, who was still strangely staring at the first human he saw in years, suddenly went out of his trance as he ran into his home to grab a handmade chair and some snacks. Once he returned, he presented the food on a small table and placed the chairs he brought next to them. As the old man sat down comfortably at the incredibly large chair, Gael followed him and continued to stare at the man.

The old man smiled slightly before introducing himself: "My name is Qiang Mo, a martial artist from the far east. My dream is to achieve the summit of battle one day. I came to the west to see how they train and fight, but once someone mentioned you, I couldn't contain my curiosity and came over, sorry about that. What about you, who are you and what is your dream?"

Gael, who was still a little flustered, replied in a shy tone: "My name is Gael Dawn, others usually call me the Bringer Of Misfortune, as you've probably heard. Currently, I am 18 years old and live inside this small temple, spending my days aimlessly. I hope to one day become a warrior."

Qiang Mo replied to Gael: "Boy, have a little more confidence. When you speak, put out your chest, when you talk, act like there are no faults in what you are saying. These are the basics of confidence, a skill any warrior must possess. So, tell me, Gael, how do you plan on achieving this dream of yours?"

Gael, who felt some inspiration from what Qiang Mo said, puffed out his chest a little and spoke once again: "I don't know yet, but I hope I can…"

And like that, they talked about Gael's current life, future aspirations, such as living an unfettered life, and his past. During the talk, Gael cried multiple times, got mad a lot, smiled even more, and showed more emotion than he ever had.

Qiang Mo was also very fascinating to Gael. He said some weird things, like being a transformed beast, or his level of strength since he couldn't sense anything, but other than that, he was just interesting.

According to his story, Qiang Mo was also an orphan, one that had a life much worse than Gael. He was abandoned on a savanna with no food or clothing and was forced to survive as a child. At first, he ate fruits and grass to survive, but after a while, he switched up to hunting. He learned a bestial way of fighting, which he demonstrated to Gael, which involved the entire body, even teeth, nails, and other unusual body parts.

But this fighting style helped him conquer the savanna he lived in for years. After that, he travelled the world and started becoming the more cultured and refined elder Gael knows. And after seeing the entire east, marrying and having his own family, he started telling weird stories. Apparently, his son daughter married a son from a big family, which caused some ruckus where he came from. His daughter and her husband disappeared for a few years and had a child, but they were forced to abandon it, which saddened Gael greatly.

But Qiang Mo felt that he hadn't reached the peak yet. He hadn't walked down the martial path completely, so he started reading up on magical arts and the mysterious energy of Mana. Mana was an energy that was constantly in the air, one that could be used for anything. Mana could be used to train the body, creating Mythical Mana, stored in the heart, creating Arcane Mana, or be sacrificed to Gods, creating Divine Mana.

But that however didn't satisfy Qiang Mo. Then he read about an energy that was said to have only existed once, Ki. Ki was a physical force that called forth transcendence. But this caused it to be incredibly difficult to cultivate, even the greatest Mythical Masters weren't able to produce a shred of Ki. But that's all the information he found about it.

So, he left his wife in the care of his children and started walking in a straight line. He travelled from east to west, north to south, apparently even up to the Heavens and down to the Hells and saw the entire world. He fought monsters, humans, demons, angels, machines, anything that stood in his way, and that story made Gaels blood boils with excitement.

Like that, many hours passed until the sun finally went down. Once Gael asked if he had found Ki, Qiang Mo replied in a soft voice: "I have found it, but I was not destined with it. Still, after having read all about it, I feel like I'm nearing the peak. The more I talk to you, the better I understand it, so I may return tomorrow to talk more."

After Qiang Mo invited himself again, he stood up and left, causing Gael to feel a sense of loss but also finally have something to look forward to. Ever since then, Gael always welcomed Qiang Mo to have tea and chat. Slowly but surely, they started to get acquainted, and this caused Gael to feel like he finally had someone he could trust. Qiang Mo even showed some martial arts training stances that Gael could use, which delighted Gael to no end. They grew even closer, until Gael began to view Qiang Mo like the grandfather he used to have.

But that didn't last very long, after a month of speaking every day, Qiang Mo appeared to tell Gael some unfortunate news: "My journey toward the summit must continue boy, but after having spoke to you for such a long time, I can't help, but thank you for making it so much shorter. That's why I want to give you an opportunity of a lifetime. You could become a warrior you always dreamed of and leave this place once and for all. But there is a price to be paid: pain and a bloody future wait ahead of you; do you want to truly tread this path?"

Gael, who was disappointed at first, suddenly started smiling confidently. He changed a lot compared to a month ago, every step he takes is filled with confidence, and all the words he spoke sounded like they were unquestionable. And so, Gael replied: "If I didn't have the will to tread this path, why would I have talked about it for so long? I feel like I have achieved the confidence needed to tread this path after the extensive talks with you. What do I have to do?"

Qiang Mo smiled a bit before telling him: "Nothing, just close your eyes and your first step will be taken for you."

Gael, a bit unsure, closed his eyes and felt a slight tap on his forehead. A warm sensation entered him mind, spreading itself throughout his body. Then, the warmth started increasing. It went higher and higher until his blood was boiling, and he felt like he was in a never-ending hell. Slowly but surely, black tattoos spread all across his body, and faint memories appeared in his mind.

But he didn't have the time to care about that, as the pain didn't allow him to pass out. This pain continued for a day until it finally came to a halt. The previously kind and somewhat sluggish Qiang Mo suddenly felt like a predator, ready to swallow him at any moment. Vertical pupils appeared in his eyes, and the danger that Gael once felt increased by uncountable levels.

Then, Qiang Mo started speaking to Gael again: "You see my boy, you were a chosen one, one that inherited the highest level of pride in the universe. Unfortunately, you ended up here. So, I came to help. A warrior you shall become, and your strength will spread infinitely until no one will dare to stand in your way.

Remember, there is one thing that is important in life: Battle! Fight against yourself and your enemies! Fight against weakness and defeat strength! Keep fighting and battling, and make sure to enjoy every moment of it! Your blood is boiling, ready to fight even me, someone that you have nil hope of defeating! Relish in the pleasure of battle! I have a final gift for you, one that will decide your fate forever! You wanted to be strong and learn martial arts, then martial arts you shall learn!"

After that, both Qiang Mo and Gael disappeared from that spot, alerting the elders immediately. But once an elder came to come look, they were shocked to see that the entire exact 100 meters and the temple itself had been completely destroyed, leaving a large crater. Since then, that area had been called off-limits to anyone until they know more.

As for Gael, he had been traveling at what felt like light speed before he arrived in a forest, with the first thing within sight being a half-broken desk with a physically large man sitting behind it. He walked up to the desk in confusion to ask a few questions, but when he approached, the man yawned and said: "Welcome, tall boy. Are you here to sign up to the army of us, the proud One Hundred Battle Tribe? Here is the form and a pen, be quick people are constantly approaching." With that, the man handed him a form and a pen and told Gael to use one of the booths that were stationed next to the desk.

Before he noticed, a large amount of people started lining up to sign in. With a bit of confusion, he took the pen and the form and walked to one of the booths, trying to collect his thoughts. He heard a lot about the Hundred Battle Tribe from Qiang Mo; it was one of the central powers within the territory of the Northern Ice Dragon in the Dragon continent. The Martial realm was split up into 9 continents, with each continent being represented by a mythical beast. The Dawn Village was situated in the territory of the Northern Ice Dragon, a warrior that had a hint of dragon blood in him.

There were 3 main powers there, The Hundred Battle Tribe he was currently stationed at, a tribe that focused on war and battle training in Mythical Mana. The Highest Sun Kingdom, which his village was semi part of, focusing on Divine Mana and had the Sun Church at its center. And last but not least the Northern Ice Dragons Palace, a power that focused on Arcane Mana and kept everyone in check in the name of the Dragon King, the ruler of the continent.

When he heard the name, the Hundred Battle Tribe, he couldn't help but be slightly shocked. According to the map Qiang Mo had given him, the tribe was stationed at least a few thousand kilometers away from the Dawn Village, something that could never be crossed in seconds. But before he could think farther, he heard a voice in his head: "Boy, I taught you about the world and how you could train, and because I received more help than you did, I decided to help you out a bit. Join the army of the Hundred Battle Tribe and you will understand who I am as well as how to become a warrior you always dreamed of. If you want to talk like we did before, come and find me. Remember the words your mother told you: Prove them wrong! Fight forever until you win! Die trying! That's the true way of the warrior!"

That sealed Gaels fate once and for all. He filled out the form, which had a lot of strange questions. they asked the basic name, age and origin, but then the more complicated questions appeared. They asked for any combat experience, with or without mana, techniques one practices, goals surrounding battle, and fighting style. Gael left all of them blank and only answered the last question with close combat, something Qiang Mo talked a lot about.

After returning the form, the bare-chested man pointed Gael to a small group of around 5 guys as groups were divided by gender, and he waited with them. Once the group became twenty, they were led to a small barrack with exactly 20 beds, which surrounded the door, and 1 instruction: Be mentally prepared for tomorrow.

He walked up to a bed and awkwardly smiled at the other people at his barrack. The bed looked like it was on its last legs, and once Gael casually laid down on it, he felt his feet peeking out from the end of the bed. It also started creaking under his weight, but he couldn't care less. After settling down for a bit, Gael started to think about a lot.

Gael, whose life changed up a lot last month, felt like it was all a dream. When he thought about his unfortunate life back then, he couldn't help but smile and clench his fist as he thought: 'I have become a far way!' And then, he thought back to the time he beat up little Luke and his gang, and the violent nature he possessed back then.

Qiang Mo said it was an innate characteristic called the War Fiends Heart, but he thought it as bogus. 'Maybe it wasn't considering how strong he was? But it might become a problem sometime in the future…' With these random thoughts, Gael drifted into a deep slumber that felt like it would last forever. However, it didn't…