Andre stood rooted to the spot, his gaze fixed on an old man in his seventies. The elder had one severed arm, and across his face ran a jagged scar, deep and menacing, as if carved by the talons of a raging dragon. A terrifying aura surrounded him; instinctively, Andre sensed the sheer danger radiating from this figure.
Suddenly, the old man lunged toward Ayn, placing a heavy hand on his shoulder. His voice was firm but tempered with wisdom:
"Do not let your rage blind you, Ayn. It is enough for you to know that your mother is safe."
Ayn met the old man's gaze with eyes cold as ice.
"I do not care what they do, whether they squabble for power or otherwise," Ayn replied flatly. "But if they harm my mother, even with a simple scratch... believe me, I will devour them alive."
The old man burst into laughter.
"That is truly my student speaking... though rotten flesh is hardly fit for consumption." His sharp eyes then shifted to Andre, narrowing dangerously. "So, who is this boy? The one who wields the Devil's Sword and has formed a contract with it?"
Andre was stunned that the old man had seen through him so easily. Ayn, however, remained unfazed, clearly accustomed to the old man's perception. He broke the silence:
"This is my friend, Andre. It is good that you are here, for I have a request."
The old man sighed. "And what might that be?"
"This boy possesses a colossal, dormant power," Ayn explained. "I want him to learn how to wield it. You are the one person I trust most. What do you say?"
The old man scrutinized Andre with a critical eye.
"It is true he holds a caged power, but what guarantee do I have that he is not a wretch harboring evil intent?"
"Because he is of the Ice Team," Ayn answered with conviction.
The old man scoffed. "Just because he is of the Ice Team, I should trust him? Listen well: not all fruit that falls from the tree is fit to eat."
"Do you require proof?" Ayn asked. When the old man nodded, Ayn snatched one of Andre's poisoned blades. He ordered Andre not to move, then hurled the blade straight at him with lightning speed.
Andre did not flinch. In the final split second, the eagle, Sora, swooped down from the heavens, snatching the blade in his talons inches from Andre's face.
Ayn smiled. "It seems you decided to show yourself, Sora."
Old Master Lao laughed, clearly entertained.
"It seems I will have some fun after all. For a Great Eagle to save you is proof enough of his trust in you. I accept. But tell me, why does the eagle watch over this boy? For protection, or something else?"
Andre pulled out a letter.
"I write to the Ice Lord daily about my status," he explained. "Sora is my messenger."
The old man stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"I see. Well, since you have caught your dinner, Ayn, you may leave. You too, eagle. As for you, Andre... if you wish to train, follow me."
Ayn hoisted a bear he had hunted onto his shoulder and whispered to Andre before departing:
"If you do not want to lose track of that old man, you had better hurry. His feet are lighter than a feather."
Andre bolted after the old man, but in an instant, the elder had vanished as if the earth had swallowed him. Andre tried to track him to no avail, until he stopped abruptly, hearing the old man's voice echoing from everywhere and nowhere:
"Listen. In seconds, your test begins. Prepare yourself."
Before the sentence ended, a foot slammed into Andre out of thin air, sending him hurling violently against a massive tree. The figure vanished again. Andre struggled to stand, only for a small stone to whistle past him like a bullet, piercing the tree trunk next to his head. He scrambled up, drawing his sword, panic rising. He heard branches snapping above him and leaped away just as a heavy rock crashed where he had been standing. Another fell to his right, then his left.
Andre spun around, only to find the old man suddenly before him. Lao swept Andre's legs, knocking him down, and planted a foot on the boy's chest, looking down with disdain.
"Unsatisfactory. Drop the sword, abandon the Ice symbol, and let the beasts here devour you. Or run and survive."
Andre grabbed the old man's leg, trying desperately to push it off.
"You protect Ayn and his mother because you are strong!" Andre shouted, bitterness in his voice. "But I... I protected nothing! Not my friends at the orphanage, not my village... they all turned into demons! By sheer luck, I turned them back, and I even let a Devil take control of me. I have faced death, and I loathe my own weakness. I do not want it anymore!"
The old man pressed down harder on the boy's neck.
"Your words will only bring me more trouble. Can't an old man get some rest?" He sighed, his expression turning serious. "Alright, boy. Here is the question: How far are you willing to go to protect those you love?"
Andre gathered every ounce of his strength. With a sudden, twisting motion, he wrapped his legs around the old man's standing leg and swept him to the ground.
Master Lao smiled as he kipped back to his feet. "Bad answer."
The old man grabbed a stone and severed a large tree branch, sending it crashing down toward Andre. Andre barely rolled away in time.
"You lack the fundamentals, yet you struggle on... are you a fool?" Lao taunted. "Very well. One final test."
He held up three stones.
"If you can endure the impact of these three stones without moving a single step, you will have given me your answer."
Andre stood tall, bracing himself. The old man threw the first stone. It slammed into his chest, directly over his heart. The impact stole his breath, and black spots danced in his vision, but he remained standing.
The second stone flew, tearing through the flesh of his right arm. Pain seared through him like fire. He wanted to scream, but he grit his teeth and held his ground.
For the third strike, the old man commanded:
"This one will aim for your skull. Close your eyes."
Andre squeezed his eyes shut. The old man launched the rock. Andre's body screamed at him to move; every instinct told him to run, to dodge the lethal blow. But instead, Andre roared at the top of his lungs:
"COME ON!"
The old man was stunned. The rock struck Andre's forehead—but instead of crushing his skull, it crumbled into dust. It had been an ordinary clump of earth, devoid of any force.
"Open your eyes, boy," Master Lao said softly.
"From this day forth, until you master your power, you are under my supervision. It seems your leader, Hyuga, was hoarding a precious treasure."
"Do you mean the Ice Lord?" Andre asked, gasping for air.
The old man smiled. "Is that what you call him? No matter. Get ready, training begins now."
He immediately dropped into a stance. "Start with push-ups."
"Wait!" Andre protested. "I am injured, how can I train?"
Lao grinned, tossing a small vial to him.
"Complaining already? Drink this healing potion. It will mend your wounds. Make haste... for tonight, you will sleep absolutely shattered."