"To learn how to wield a sword, you should be able to answer this simple question first..."
Akio paused for a few seconds, letting the silence hang in the air so the words would sink perfectly into Nova's head.
His arms crossed, looking every bit the swordman he claimed to be.
"What purpose do you wield your sword for?" he asked, his dark eyes locking onto his son's.
'To cut down my enemy, of course. But the answer can't be that simple,' Nova thought.
He scratched his chin, furrowing his brows to look like he was thinking intensely about a childish dilemma.
"To kill monsters... I guess?" he answered, looking up innocently.
His father's gaze became fierce the moment Nova spoke. The warm, fatherly atmosphere vanished instantly.
"No. It is to protect people."
Akio's voice became colder, a sharp contrast to his previous friendly and charming tone.
"A sword should only be used to protect and nothing else. Do you understand, son?"
Nova straightened his back, sensing the seriousness. "Ok"
Akio's expression softened slightly, seeing his son's obedience.
"Before we start, let me quickly tell you a story. It's about a commoner who decided he wanted to become a 'Sword Supreme'—the highest level of sword mastery. But he didn't have any special technique or potion to help him since he was just a commoner. So, he stuck to the basics he had learned..."
He paused, looking toward the horizon as if seeing the memory himself.
"He began to swing his sword every day until the little mana he had extinguished. And then, when he regained his mana again, he would continue swinging. He swung until he started cutting down trees, then boulders, then mountains, then the sky... until eventually, he cut through space itself."
Just then, the wind suddenly blew. It ruffled their jet-black hair as they sat in the compound, the sun setting behind them in a blaze of orange and purple.
The scene was mesmerizing something that could only be expressed by a true artist.
"Sooo..." Nova interrupted, breaking the cinematic moment.
"He became the world's fourth-ever Sword Supreme,"
Akio finished, a hint of pride in his voice.
"It was a long time ago, in his generation."
"Dad, so how many Sword Supremes are there in our generation?" Nova asked curiously, leaning forward.
"Five."
Akio answered immediately, as if he had been waiting for Nova to ask that very question.
"So Dad which rank are you?"
Nova asked even more curious than before.
"Grandmaster"
His dad said it as if he was waiting for Nova to ask this question also.
"Time has gone. We don't have enough time to train today, so I will just tell you a few things about being a swordsman," Akio said, glancing at the darkening sky. "Unlike mages, swordsmen depend more on the quality of mana and not the quantity. We bring mana to a specific part of the body to enhance it, and high-level swordsmen can coat their swords with mana, using it to cut unbelievable things."
He shook his head. "It is a vast path, but let's end there for now.
Today, let me teach you a technique you should work on. It's called the Mana Outburst. It will be faster if I show you."
He stood up and gestured toward Nova to do the same.
Akio walked in the opposite direction, finally stopping when there was a distance of about 100 meters between them.
'What is he doing?'
Nova thought, squinting his eyes. He didn't fully understand what was about to happen, but his hopes were high.
His father stood completely still, like a statue.
'Come o—'
FSWISH.
Before Nova could even finish his thought, a sharp sound tore through the air.
Nova blinked. Before he knew it, his father was standing right in front of him. It had happened in the blink of an eye—if not faster.
"That was Flash Step, using the Outburst technique originally created by me," Akio said with confidence and passion, looking down at his son who was still trying to comprehend what had just happened.
"Normally, people just send mana to where they want to enhance. It's good and all, but that just depends on the amount of mana you have. Like I said, swordsmanship is not like that it's about the quality and how you use it."
Akio tapped his leg. "All I did was draw my mana away from my leg and sent it to my feet with an explosive force, making me very fast. I can do the same with my fist too. But if executed wrongly or used too much, it can lead to a fatal injury where one will be unable to use mana again because of damaged mana circuits... or death."
"Nova! Come inside, supper is ready!"
The shout came from the house, interrupting the lecture.
"And tell your father he shouldn't bother coming in!"
Mira added, shouting the last part clearly so Akio could hear it.
Akio's confident warrior face crumbled instantly.
"Sorry, Dad. Guess you aren't eating supper today," Nova said, looking at the man with fake pity.
"Your mom did say we should have come in before sunset," Akio sighed, making a sad face.
"I call dibs on Dad's food!" Nova shouted, turning and running toward the door with a grin.
Later that day, in his room, Nova lay on his bed, his limbs sprawled out in an overly exaggerated manner.
"Hahh."
He let out a long sigh of relief into the quiet room.
"If I want to really conquer this world, I need to grow very strong."
His brow furrowed. "Can I do it?"
"No, no, no, no..."
He shook his head violently like it was about to fall off. He couldn't afford doubt.
"In this life, nothing will hold me back from doing whatever I want."
He stretched his hand up toward the ceiling, clenching his fist as if grabbing the world itself. He felt more determined than ever.
"Not even me."
It was a sunny morning. Nova woke up early, eager to begin the training he and his dad had scheduled.
Shesh, shesh, shesh.
The sound of aggressive brushing filled the bathroom. He spat, rinsed, and changed his clothes from pajamas to an outfit better suited for training. He ran down the stairs, his footsteps echoing.
Tap, tap, tap.
"Good morning, Mom. Good morning, Auntie Melissa."
He greeted his mom and the maid in a rush, practically jumping onto his chair in the dining room.
Tic, tok, tic, tok.
He tapped the table, waiting casually for his food, but it seemed to be taking longer than he expected.
His mom noticed his impatience. "Food is ready."
Munch, munch.
He shoveled the food in.
"Young Master, you should let your food digest before going to train," Melissa warned, looking concerned.
Nova didn't listen. He finished eating and ran out the door to start training, ignoring what Melissa had to say entirely.
"Hmm, let him be. I don't think he can listen to anyone at this point," Mira said with a gentle smile on her face.
She watched him go, remembering how she also used to jump around with her family when she was still a little girl.
"Those were the good days,"
she muttered to herself, wiping imaginary tears from her eyes.
"Okay Dad, let's get started!"
Nova stood in the courtyard; his eyes beamed with excitement. He was ready to learn the Flash Step.
Akio looked down at him, his face serious.
"To use the technique, you need a strong body. It's not something you can just do anytime you want. So, we will start with some workouts for a few months before moving to the learning of the technique."
Nova's smile froze.
'What a vibe kill. And I was looking forward to it. Guess workout it is... and how bad can it be?'
Akio started listing the regimen on his fingers.
"We will first run around the village. After which, we will then lift large boulders. Then swing our sword a thousand times, then..."
Akio kept talking, listing exercise after exercise.
That was all Nova could hear.
His excitement turned to dread.
'He is just kidding, right... right?'
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[A/N]
Thanks for reading!
I know it has been nothing but practice and slice-of-life but I assure you the journey has only begun.
Drop your comment on the story so far it helps me to improve.