I was woken up early the next day by an arrow that came from the open windows and engraved itself deeply in my closet. Annoyed, I walked up to it and saw a piece of paper attached to the arrowhead that said to come down to one of the training grounds in the Mansion.
With a sigh, I dressed up and went to the specified location, only to find Chiron, Son of Kronos, brother to Zeus, and the current Centaur Chief, changing his bowstring while enjoying the serenity and beauty of the place.
Titans of Greece could take on different forms. Some preferred the gigantic humanoid figure, some the normal human form, and Chiron, for some reason, chose to be a half-human, half-horse. For even more mysterious reasons, Chiron's descendants were born in this form without the ability to change it.
My steps, as it would seem, were clearly heard, as he shifted his focus to me. "I hope you are well on this fine morning, Junior Brother," he started, rose on his horse feet, causing the armor on his upper body to crackle, and continued, "You must forgive me for not seeing you sooner as I was occupied elsewhere."
"Hello, Chiron," I replied. "Is the arrowhead message a usual thing?"
He chuckled at that. "No, no, I thought it would be somewhat fun. I apologize if it offended you with it."
I sighed and smiled, "No harm done. Anyways, I am sure you called me down for something other than enjoying the view."
"Indeed. You have benefited from all of our fellow brothers and sisters except me, so I would like to impart to you some things that would benefit you as a weapons master."
"I do know the basics of most weapons, but I mainly use the sword."
"Not all of us could be as masterful as Farbauti when it comes to handling weapons. You use the sword, I use a bow and arrows. What I want to teach you will help you no matter the instrument you use."
"Sure," I nodded and approached to stand right in front of him.
"First of all, let us establish that any person can use a weapon, but not everyone can unlock its full potential. The way you swing your sword determines how powerful the strike is, and that is the thing we call skill.
"But that's only one part of it. To become a swordmaster, you have to become the sword itself."
I raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"
He smiled and shook his head slightly, then replied, "It's not something that can be described with words. And each person's fusion with their weapon is different from the other."
"Then how am I supposed to achieve this level if I don't know what I am striving for?" I asked another question as my confusion deepened.
"Patience, Junior Brother," he raised his hand as if to tell me that I should let him explain before asking questions. "Do you know why we meditate?"
"We meditate to absorb the energy from the world and make it our own."
"Correct. We achieve that by calming ourselves and fusing ourselves with the world around us. Look at this place, it's not only beautiful but also peaceful and calm. This is my favorite place to just sit down and take care of my weapon.
"Do you understand what I mean?"
I was silent for a moment and then replied after carefully thinking, "If we manage to fuse with the world, fusing with a weapon would be easy."
"You catch on to concepts fast, Junior Brother. Indeed, I come to this place to enjoy the serenity of this training ground and take care of my bow at the same time. Day by day, my bow and I become more intertwined, and there is no limit to this fusion."
He sat back again and took his bow in his hands. He looked up at me and said, "That is all the advice I can give you. You have to find your own way to achieve this fusion, and for that, you need to have a calm mind. So, Orion, when is your mind in its calmest state?"
That was indeed a tricky question. But looking back at my experience, there was one state where my mind was calm and would work things out easily. I took a deep breath and answered, "When I am fighting."
He nodded and continued, "Each person has their own way. Yours may be fighting, mine is enjoying the peacefulness of things around me. But all reach the same result. In any case, try different things and use the best way for you. I hope this will help you, Junior Brother, as it is truly a beautiful feeling when you are one with your weapon."
He was silent for a while and then added, "When you reach that state, the heart would be as strong as the mind, don't you think?"
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Updated on 12/4/2025
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