Chapter Five

 Marino stepped back in shock. "That-you're-what?" he spluttered. Thor chuckled. "Yes, boy, I am who I say I am. Wouldst thou like me to prove it to thee?" Marino shook his head. "No sir, that's fine," he answered. "Besides, I'd better get back to the training grounds." 

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 Once they reached the training grounds, Noda turned to Marino. "So, what's on your mind about Thor?" Marino shook his head. "Let's just get to work," he said. He grabbed a sword, and instantly, a mannequin attacked. Noda chuckled to herself as Marino stumbled and his sword flew out of his hand. The mannequin glowed red for a second and exploded into dust. Uyeno stood over Marino, grinning. He held out his hand for Marino, and Marino took it. "How old are you, anyway?" Marino asked, and Uyeno grinned wider. "Oh, just about 500 years. I'm almost 501. That'll be in May." Marino cocked his head to the side, but Uyeno didn't correct it. Marino looked over at Noda, a quizzical look on his face, and Noda nodded understandingly. Uyeno pulled Marino off the ground and offered to give him some tips on fighting with a sword. He politely declined, and went to pick up his sword. Mannequins started to surround him, and Marino's instincts took over. He slashed and stabbed, turning mannequins to dust until only one stood. Marino disappeared, and the mannequin looked confused. It searched for Marino, and suddenly, a silver blade protruded from its chest. It looked down, surprised, and slowly crumbled into nothingness. 

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Watching the training take place, Noda was surprised at Marino's level of sword skill. Noda thought it was a bit much when Marino stabbed the dummy through the heart, but otherwise, he did very well. Once Marino trudged back up the hill leading into the building, Noda stopped him. "Where'd you learn to fight like that?" she asked, astonished. Marino thought for a moment, and answered, "Do you remember when I told you about the town trip I made, when my family was killed?" Noda nodded, and Marino continued. "Well, part of that trip was my sword training. After my father died, my mother took the insurance and paid for my tutors. I've been going to that same tutor for over eleven years now." Noda nodded. "Me and my father built the Sanctuary for anyone with Awakenings a few years back, but only a few people have come along so far, save for Uyeno, of course. He came here when he was 492 years old. That's when I was only 8 years old." Marino nodded slowly, thinking. "Wait..so, who is your father?" he asked. "I haven't seen him around so far." Noda shook her head. "I-I gotta go.." She turned and ran into the building of the Sanctuary, the door closing behind her. Marino would've run in, but the thing about the Sanctuary was that if someone didn't want to be found, they wouldn't be. Marino sighed and reluctantly walked back down to the training grounds.

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 For a few hours afterward, Marino was still practicing. He'd lost track of how many dummies he and Uyeno had struck down, but he knew it was a lot. After a little while, Marino walked up the hill and into the building, looking for Noda. He couldn't find her, and just sat down to eat lunch. Thirty minutes later, a loud crash resonated through the halls, and Marino instantly leapt to his feet, alarmed. The gates had flown open, and there stood a man Marino hoped he would never see again, but there he stood. 

 His uncle, Takashi Masanori.