When Vayu returned that evening, the sky was already orange, the cool breeze hitting on his face felt refreshing. As he walked the familiar path back home, he noticed a few small boys had been trailing behind him at a distance from some time.
Curious, he turned suddenly, and the children scattered, hiding behind trees and bushes. Amused, Vayu approached one of them.
"Why are you following me? Do you need help?" he asked gently while pinching his cheeks lightly. The boy shook his head quickly.
"Then why are you following me?" Vayu asked again.
Before the child could answer, the other children came closer, watching the two of them talking. One of them finally spoke up, his voice timid "I saw your fight".
The rest nodded eagerly, "Nice fight".
Soon they were all repeating it, smiling, giving him thumbs up. Their voices were small, but sincere. After talking with them for a short while, Vayu continued home with a smile he couldn't suppress.
Soon he reached home when he stepped inside, his mother noticed the smile instantly. "Why are you smiling like that?" she asked.
"No reason" Vayu replied, trying to keep his face straight.
She nudged him playfully. "Come now, tell me."
But instead of replying, he said with a serious face "Mother, from now on, could you cook me one extra portion of food every day?"
Her brows lifted. "Is your friend coming?"
"Nope" Vayu said, grinning "It's for me."
From that day onward, Vayu began eating double of what he used to. Since childhood, he had been a light eater. But now he wanted to gain weight, so he started eating a lot. Within ten days, the changes appeared on his lean frame, as his cheeks and stomach swelled out, in these 10 days he did nothing except eating and resting.
After gaining a sufficient amount of weight he pushed his training further. The iron cuffs on his limbs were increased to fifteen kilos each, weighing sixty kilos in total. His daily runs to the mountain and back became three rounds from one round. His hours of closed-door training grew longer, though he stopped his mental training to ensure his body had enough rest for muscle growth.
The change came swiftly. Vayu's body no longer looked wiry and thin. He wasn't broad like Aspen, but muscle began to form all over his body.
Still, this was not enough after fighting many matches in the competition he understood the importance of practice matches, he wanted a sparring partner, he knew that training alone had its limits. With no options left, one afternoon he approached his instructor.
"Sir… I want a fighting partner" he asked hesitantly.
The instructor looked at him in surprise "A fighting partner? Hmph, How can I assign you that? Don't you have friends? Go spar with them."
Vayu stood in there, silent, unmoving.
His instructor frowned "What is it, boy?".
Vayu lowered his eyes. His voice quiet.
"I don't have anyone to fight with"
The instructor amazed stayed silent for a long moment, studying Vayu with serious expression. Finally, with a sigh, he said
"From tomorrow, come to my house at four in the morning. Wake me up, I will be your sparring partner".
Vayu blinked in shock, of all the answers he had expected, this was not one of them. The instructor himself, being his training partner? The thought sent a thrill through him. This way, he could learn far more than he had ever imagined.
The next morning, as instructed, Vayu made his way towards the instructor's house. The air was cold, the villagers were still asleep. He hesitated before knocking at the door, after waiting for sometime he overcame his hesitation and knocked lightly on the door. No answer came, he knocked again heavier this time, No answer, this time he banged the door with his fist "coming" a voice came from inside.
After some time the gate creaked open to reveal the instructor's wife, her hair's were messy, eyes still half closed from sleep. She yawned, rubbing her face, then looked at him.
"You… ahh… you're that boy," she muttered, pointing lazily.
"Yes, ma'am," Vayu said quickly, bowing his head. "The instructor told me to come at four and wake him up".
She gave him a questioned look "He told you, didn't he?" Vayu questioned.
"Hmph, Well, he's sleeping in there you can go and wake him up yourself" she replied
Vayu pointed at himself in disbelief "Me??" Vayu's eyes widened.
The instructor's wife nodded firmly "Of course " she said her tone flat, already heading back to her room, leaving the door open with Vayu standing outside.
Vayu stood frozen for a moment, unsure what was happening. Then, gulping nervously, he slipped off his shoes and stepped inside.
Left with no choice, Vayu went inside. The room was dark, the faint glow of dawn creeping through the shutters. His instructor was sprawled on the bed, snoring lightly.
"Sir… get up," Vayu whispered at first, giving his arm a light shake.
His instructor grumbled, half-asleep. "What is it, honey?"
Vayu irritated shook his whole body "S-sir, it's me… not your wife."
The instructor's eyes shot open. He blinked rapidly, staring at Vayu's face.
"Who—? Oh… Vayu?!" He pushed himself up, rubbing his eyes. "What are you doing here this early?"
"You told me to come, remember?" Vayu said hesitantly.
There was a long pause. The instructor scratched his head, groggy. "Ohhh… right, I thought that was tomorrow".
"You said that yesterday, according to that it is tomorrow" Vayu replied.
Soon the instructor got out of the bed, then quickly geared up and they both moved towards the academy training grounds.
After some time, Vayu and the instructor reached the training grounds. The morning air was cool, except the sound of few birds leaving the nest, the whole village was silent. When they reached the fighting ground, both of them picked up wooden daggers, their weight familiar in the hand.
The instructor lifted his hand and gave a small signal with his hand "Come at me".
Without hesitation, Vayu rushed forward, dagger gripped tight in his right hand, and slashed toward the instructor.
A sharp kick struck his left leg. His balance crumbled instantly, his body falling forward, straight toward the instructor's wooden dagger waiting to stab his throat.
For a heartbeat, fear flashed through his eyes. His eyes widened, hands instinctively reaching out, to hold onto something to stop the fall. As tip of the wooden blade came closer, Vayu closed his eyes .
But in the last moment, the instructor pulled the dagger away. Vayu crashed face-first into the dirt, his hands gripping his neck to check any wounds.
"You're too easy, boy" the instructor told him with a chuckle "Come on That was just the start".
And just like that, the hellish training began. From that day onward, Vayu visited the instructor's house every single morning without fail. They would train relentlessly until the academy gates opened, around three hours of practice each day.
In the two months that followed, Vayu's progress was remarkable. His body got into shape, his muscles got refined, his instincts got quicker, his movements become more faster and steadier. But in the midst of all, he had forgotten about the final competition.
Then, one day he crossed paths with Suwaha. The boy stood leaning against the wall, a crooked smile on his face.
"How long are you gonna run away from the fight?" Suwaha's voice dripped with mockery "You are really a coward".
Vayu narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
"What do I mean?" Suwaha chuckled "Don't play dumb with me, you wounds had healed long ago, but you have never submitted the application for fight" he looked straight into Vayu's eyes and continued " unlike you Aspen is a true warrior, the moment he recovered, he submitted his request for the fight. But you—" he jabbed a finger at Vayu's chest "—you keep running ".
Vayu stayed silent, his jaw tightening.
Suwaha smirked, satisfied with his words.
Without replying, Vayu turned and walked away. He had long forgotten about the finals, but now he could no longer ignore this, he was ready. But before that, he wanted to ask his instructor's opinion first.