Chapter 3: The elf taught the Disaster Star (2)
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Martial arts time.
Rionne sat dejectedly in front of a blackened, broken tree.
"My… my tree…" she whimpered.
Enoch glanced away, fidgeting with his fingers.
A gnat flew by, buzzing around him teasingly.
[Idiot! Rionne cherished that tree!]
-Crackle!
Electricity sparked in Enoch's eyes. But then he saw Rionne's despair and quietly lowered his gaze.
"…I-It's okay, Enoch. A tree is… well! I can just plant another one!"
[What!? Hey! But last time, when I…]
Ignoring Undine's protests, Rionne wiped away her tears.
'Farewell, my dear tree…'
Even in her distress, she analyzed Enoch's progress.
He certainly learned quickly.
Hadn't he demonstrated that from their first encounter?
Even if the Disaster Star had been raging within him then, it hadn't been the kind of power a child his age could normally wield.
"I think the influence of his power is significant," Rionne said, holding up two long, white fingers.
She then folded one down.
"First, Enoch, you've been blessed by the Disaster Star."
"…Little dwarves?"
"That's right. You remembered well." Rionne patted his head.
"The Disaster Star's blessing, in terms of pure talent, is tremendous. There seems to be individual variation, but… Enoch, your talent seems to be among the highest."
"Okay."
"And another thing." Rionne folded down her other finger.
"The power of lightning. As far as I know, no Disaster Star has ever been born with a power. Being born with a power is extremely rare in itself."
In other words, Enoch possessed not only the exceptional talent of a Disaster Star but also the power of lightning.
"Perhaps…" she mused.
When Enoch grew up, he might just give that annoying human a run for his money.
Rionne swallowed the rest of her thought and looked again at the dead tree.
It pained her.
"A-Anyway, I think you need to learn how to control your power delicately, Enoch."
"Delicately?"
"Yes. You need to learn to use your power gently, as you intend, so you don't hurt anyone by mistake."
Rionne thought for a moment, searching for an analogy that would resonate with him.
"Ah, I know. Let's say you're eating and you swing your arm."
"Okay."
"But you put more power into it than you intended."
"Mmm."
"And you hit me, who was sitting next to you."
Rionne pretended to be hurt, collapsing dramatically.
"...!"
Enoch hovered around her anxiously.
He hadn't done anything wrong, but he looked so guilty that Rionne chuckled.
"To prevent that, you need to control your power, right?"
"Yes…!"
[Oh, please.]
Undine clicked her tongue, watching them.
[You're already acting like a mother. And you're hundreds of years old, for crying out loud!]
"Hey!"
Even elves were sensitive about their age.
****
Rionne was proficient with dozens of weapons.
Her favorite was the thin sword, but she was skilled enough with others to teach Enoch.
"Hmm…"
She lined up various wooden weapons she'd carved herself since meeting Enoch, considering her options.
"Enoch, do any of these appeal to you?"
Usually, those with such talent were drawn to a specific weapon.
"..."
But Enoch showed little interest. He seemed indifferent to weapons.
Rionne placed a simple wooden sword in his hand.
"Then…"
[Me! I'll do it!]
Undine hopped forward, looking at Rionne with eager anticipation.
"You, Undine?"
[Yes! I'll wipe that little brat's… I mean, I can handle him!]
Rionne narrowed her eyes at Undine, who met her gaze with an innocent expression.
"Well… alright. You wouldn't do anything too mean to a child, would you?"
[O-Of course not!]
"I trust you."
Rionne's expression held not a shred of trust, but Undine didn't care.
Rionne knew Undine wouldn't really hurt Enoch.
[Mwahahaha…! Come on, brat! Bring it on!]
Undine's watery body swelled rapidly.
Enoch ignored her and looked at Rionne.
"It's just a simple spar, Enoch. To see which weapon suits you and to assess your current strength."
"Okay."
Enoch faced Undine, who had grown to the size of an adult woman and was now wearing a sinister grin.
"Then…"
Before Rionne could say "begin,"
Whoosh-!
Enoch abruptly threw the wooden sword with all his might.
[Huh!?]
Undine jerked her head back, narrowly avoiding the sword.
'He threw the weapon?'
She was taken aback, but as an experienced spirit, she quickly regained her composure.
But Enoch was already gone.
Crackle!
Wreathed in electricity, Enoch stood behind her.
Violet lightning crackled menacingly from his hands, curled like a raptor's talons.
[Insolent!]
Undine spun around, clenching her fist.
His hand and her fist collided.
Boom!
A loud crack echoed. Undine grabbed Enoch's hand, grinning.
[Pure water doesn't conduct electri… Gyaaaah…!?]
Sparks flew from Undine's blue body.
[It… It burns!]
Undine recoiled, shaking her hand.
Enoch stumbled back.
Undine conjured dozens of water bullets in the air.
[You little brat!]
He was barely ten years old.
His power was naturally underdeveloped. Usually, at that level, most phenomena followed natural laws.
Water extinguished fire, fire burned wood, and electricity couldn't flow through pure water.
But somehow, this brat had managed to hurt her.
[Let's see you dodge this!]
-Pew pew pew!
The water bullets shot towards Enoch at high speed.
She'd held back, of course. They'd only sting like a flick on the forehead…
Crackle!
Without hesitation, Enoch darted between the bullets.
A small gap.
His eyes moved rapidly.
He sidestepped, deflecting a bullet. It ricocheted away. He squeezed through the slightly wider gap.
-Thud!
The bullets whizzed past him, embedding themselves in the ground.
Enoch stood before Undine.
[How can a brat be this fast!?]
Undine flailed, conjuring a giant water droplet that hurtled towards him.
Rumble-!
Enoch clenched his fist, compressing lightning within it. Electricity crackled in his dark eyes.
Just as he and the water droplet were about to collide,
"Stop."
Enoch was suddenly dangling in the air. He stopped growling and blinked innocently.
"Undine, that's too much. Enoch is still a child."
[B-But…!]
Undine dispelled the water droplet and jumped.
It was she who'd been reprimanded.
That brat probably could have dodged it anyway…!
[Gyaaaah…!]
Enraged, Undine shot a jet of water skyward, punching a hole through an innocent cloud.
Enoch subtly clung to Rionne.
Even he knew that was something to be avoided.
"By the way, Enoch, does the sword not feel right in your hand?"
"No."
"Really…? That's a shame. Swords are the easiest to teach."
Rionne was disappointed but understanding.
Watching him fight, she suspected he didn't need a weapon at all, let alone a sword.
He seemed to have a talent for unarmed combat.
"Then I'll teach you everything I know."
****
Rionne taught Enoch the basics of punches and kicks.
"'Kwonbeop' literally means the art of using fists, and 'gakbeop' is the art of using legs."
She didn't teach him complex techniques.
As this was his first martial arts lesson, she kept it simple and fundamental.
Bam!
That didn't mean it ended in a day.
Rionne beamed, watching Enoch punch the air.
"Undine! I think our Enoch is a genius!"
[…'Our Enoch,' she says, after knowing him for barely a week.]
Rionne had taught him how to properly extend his fist and leg, how to strike without wavering, and how to prepare for the next move – the very basics.
But as mentioned, it usually didn't click in a single day.
'Annoying, but he's definitely overflowing with talent,' Undine thought, grumbling as she observed Enoch.
She wouldn't have been surprised if he'd simply grasped Rionne's teachings quickly.
Anyone with decent talent could do that.
But Enoch was a model student, progressing even beyond what he'd been taught.
Bam!
His punches were clean, without wasted movement.
Riding the flow of the wind instead of fighting against it, his strikes were straight and powerful.
He looked like he'd been practicing nothing but punches for years.
"Enoch, since we finished early today, shall we play?"
"Okay!"
Undine resisted the urge to blast the top of his little head with a Grand Spirit spell.
Instead, she zipped over and tugged at Rionne's hair.
[And me…! You never play with me…!]
Undine craved her friend's attention.
****
"Today, I'll teach you about the forest."
The next day, Rionne led Enoch into the nearby woods.
She planned to let him play for a bit, feed him, bathe him, let him nap, and then resume his martial arts training.
"D-Don't bite, Enoch…!!"
Whether things would go according to plan, however, remained to be seen.
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