Unlocking the Mystery of the Glowing Arm

"There has to be a reason why I keep having that damnable dream. Whatever it is, I shall unlock the mystery behind the dream that turns out to be real."

Blink had gone to bed with a resolute pledge.

Earlier, he had been mocking himself over the idea of being the warrior in whatever prophecy it was that prodded Master Tszarek to undertake a journey of more than a hundred thousand kilometers.

Blink had imagined himself walking up to old man Banwar and directly introducing himself as the Promised Warrior. He could only conclude that such a scenario could only give him, at best, a look of derision from the martial arts Grandmaster or, at worst, a good amount of flogging for presuming to be able to fool his master's master.

However, in Blink's heart, he knew that Master Tszarek was not one to fool around and waste other people's time. When he wrote to Blink that he believed Blink to be the one he was looking for, he must surely had very good reasons to believe so.

In the end, Blink promised to fulfil his master's mission for him to become a wizard regardless of whether or not he was the warrior referred to in the prophecy.

Before the night was over, Blink again had that dream of him and Berge looking at their names which he etched on a tree to gain Tukruk's blessing. This dream always gave him a feeling of serenity that would extend throughout his day.

Right at that moment of extreme calmness, it happened.

His right arm turned the color of a glowing ember!

Blink allowed the moment to last a little longer. Keeping calm throughout the transition from being in a dream into a state of wakefulness, Blink studied his arm for a few minutes. He touched the glowing arm with his left hand. It was definitely hot but, surprisingly, it didn't burn him.

He wondered if he could do the same with the other hand, so he raised his left hand hoping that it would copy the state of his right hand.

Nothing happened.

He tried again and again. At that moment he was already sitting down. After several attempts to 'burn' his left arm, Blink lost focus and the glowing effect on his right arm disappeared.

Blink tried to recover the former condition of his right arm, but all his efforts were in vain. He gave it up for a while and pondered the matter. He tried to recall the conditions that led to his arm looking like coal under extreme heat.

After a few minutes he thought, 'Was it the serenity I felt after dreaming about that moment with Berge?'

Blink concluded that that must be it.

He sat down in the lotus position and used the breathing technique he had learned at the academy to settle his nerves. Then, after he had felt calm enough, he recalled that scene of him and Berge gazing at their names etched on a tree.

When Blink ordered his right arm to glow like a burning ember, it obeyed his bidding. He tried to do the same with the left arm but, for some reason, the left arm didn't follow his will.

After several attempts, Blink concluded that he must still be lacking in several aspects to be able to accomplish the 'burning' effect on both his arms.

Blink then decided to try on his newfound 'power' and decided to run into his practice spot in the forest. Along the way, he noticed this dog that could not seem to detach its eyes from him. Realizing that his arm was still in a highly abnormal condition, Blink felt alarmed and the glowing effect disappeared immediately.

Within the forest, Blink practiced the breathing technique then recalled the scene at Horns' Juncture. He then willed his arm to 'burn' like coal in a fire. He wanted to try if his burning hand could actually affect an external object.

He walked up to a tree and pressed his hand onto its trunk. Within a few moments he saw smoke emit out of the bark of the tree. When he removed his hand, there was a charred spot where his hand used to be.

Blink got excited. Almost immediately his hand returned to normal. As he was feeling rather happy, Blink hardly even noticed that his hand no longer had that burning effect.

"My hand could actually burn other objects!" Blink exclaimed happily.

He summoned the burning effect once more and held a pebble until it glowed to an orange hue. He touched a leaf and it withered almost immediately. He also had a foolish notion of trying it on his hair, but the burning effect did not seem to work on any part of his body.

After almost an hour of walking to and fro to test his newfound power on objects he could find, including practicing a few martial arts move with it, the burning effect disappeared completely. Blink tried to recall it, but the effect refused to be summoned anymore.

Blink concluded that there must be a limit to the effect's duration.

Nevertheless, Blink was very happy with this new development and was thoroughly excited with the prospect of having a trump card he could rely on in a tight fix.

"Does this mean Master Tszarek was right? That I was fated to become a wizard?" Blink spoke to himself aloud. He didn't fear that someone might see him talking to himself and call him a loony. He was sure there was nobody else around as he was in the middle of a vast forest and it was still dark.

Blink looked at his hand once more. He had a lot of questions pouring out of his mind at the time but didn't know whom to ask or if he should even ask them. Finally, he resolved that no one must know about this strange ability lest his family would be ostracized because of him.

Since he was already in his training spot, Blink decided to practice martial arts.

This time there was a noticeable difference in his execution of the techniques that had by now become so familiar to him. His stances were a little bit steadier, his punches and kicks were somewhat crisper, and his transitions slightly smoother. He even gained a few insights while practicing his palm techniques.

By this time, the sun started to rise and smile upon the land, driving away all traces of darkness. However, Blink decided to practice his palm techniques for an hour more. He wanted to implement the insights he had just gained in the movement sets he was designing for his palm techniques.

Feeling very satisfied with his morning training, Blink headed home with a vigorous pep in his steps. He even did a few jumping and spinning kicks along the way like a young man who got the girl he was crushing on to go on a date with him.