It was the end of a beautiful Wednesday in the city. After several failed attempts, Alexa returned home exhausted, skipping dinner and simply throwing herself onto her bed, staring at the ceiling of her room.
The days of that week went by, but her spirits didn't return. Her friends grew increasingly worried, constantly trying to comfort her or find ways to help—but nothing worked. It was as if she had taken a vow of silence. When she came home, her parents took over, trying everything possible to bring joy back to their daughter, but every effort ended in failure.
On Sunday morning in Garlen, the skies were heavy with gray clouds. Alexa put on a green jacket and went out for a walk, hoping to calm the storm within her. Lost in thought, she wandered further and further from home, hardly noticing the distance she was putting between herself and the city. At some point, she collided with a massive tree, pulled abruptly out of her daydreams. Looking around, she realized she was far from Garlen—still visible in the distance, but well beyond the reach of urban life. She decided to sit on the hillside beneath the great tree, gazing up at the sky as her thoughts continued to spiral.
At the height of the noonday calm, a deep rumble shook her stomach. "Great. I'm starving, and the nearest place to get food must be fifty kilometers away." Just as she was resigning herself to hunger, a mouthwatering aroma invaded her senses. Drawn by the scent, she followed it until she came upon a man sitting with his back to her. He wore a dark blue and gold robe, had black hair, and carried a sheathed sword.
Ignoring the weapon, Alexa approached him cheerfully. "Excuse me, sir, if it's not too much—"
Before she could finish, he turned abruptly and pressed the sword to her nose, shouting: "Unbelievable! Another teenager? Get lost—and no, I won't be your master!" He turned back around with a grumble, muttering, "What is this, some kind of trend now? Irritate the Sword Master day? Ha! First the girls, then that fool, and now this! Who's next?"
Realizing she couldn't reason with him, Alexa began to walk away. But before she could take more than a few steps, her stomach betrayed her again with a thunderous growl. Flushed with embarrassment, she took another step forward—when suddenly something warm landed in her hands: a roasted fish.
Overjoyed, she exclaimed, "Thank you, friend! You don't mind if I sit by the fire with you, do you?"
The man stayed silent, but Alexa took his silence as approval. She sat down and happily enjoyed her meal beside the stranger.
Once they had eaten, the two wandered a short distance from the fire. The man pulled a bamboo hat low over his head, leaned against a tree, and closed his eyes for a nap. Alexa, curious, kept staring at him until recognition suddenly struck her.
"You! Frog-Man!?" she shouted.
The man sprang to his feet, drawing his sword and taking a defensive stance. "I told you before—if you want my sandwich, you'll have to fight me to the death, you sad little worms!"
They both froze, staring at each other with a thousand questions in their eyes, and blurted out at the same time:
Alexa: "Why the sword?"???: "What do you mean, Frog-Man?"
They fell silent, then he motioned for her to answer first. Alexa stood and excitedly explained how amazed she had been by his incredible leap when he saved her and the animal. When she finished, the man answered her question with calm authority: "A warrior must never be without his weapon."
With his temper cooled, Alexa seized the moment to ask him several more questions—but he ignored them completely. Annoyed, she snapped: "Hey, don't be such a grumpy old man! Answer at least one thing!"
Without a word, the man stood up and began walking, motioning with his hand for her to follow. She trailed behind him until they reached the massive tree again.
"Why did we come here?" Alexa asked.
The man simply pointed to a small bush of blackberries, grabbed a handful, and began eating.
"Seriously?" Alexa scolded. "I want you to teach me to jump like a kangaroo—like you do—"
Before she could finish, he tossed a berry into her mouth. Surprised, she swallowed and was amazed at how sweet it tasted. Without hesitation, she joined him in feasting on the fruit.
Once their hunger was satisfied, the man looked at her and said, "So, you want me to teach you to jump. Fine. You just need to climb to the top of this tree." With that, he bounded from branch to branch until he stood triumphantly at the top. "Get up here, and I'll teach you!"
Accepting the challenge, Alexa removed her jacket, stretched her hands, and prepared to climb—only to be stopped by his voice.
"No, girl. If you want me to teach you, I'll only accept you as my student once you can reach the top without using your hands."
Alexa's eyes widened. The challenge was brutal—not only would she be forbidden from using her hands, but gravity itself would be her enemy.
She made her first attempt, but failed miserably, crashing hard to the ground. Groaning, she muttered, "This is too hard. Give me another task instead."
The man smirked. "Sure. Here's another task: go home and forget about learning anything from me."
He sat down calmly, certain she would give up. But seeing his smug confidence lit a fire inside Alexa. Determined, she got back to her feet, ready to keep trying no matter how many times it took.