Drip!
Drip!
Fshh!
Blood continues to drip onto the floor as the torch light goes out. Noah lies slumped against the jagged metal cube, which is in a worse state than before. Noah's hands are destroyed, the bones of his knuckles would be visbile if the bleeding stopped.
Footsteps would begin to sound in the distance.
Azar: "I've finished my whole training regiment and he's still down here? It's been well over 8 hours. The torch must've gone out long ago."
Azar rips off a piece of his clothing and claps it between his hands a few times until it catches fire. He uses the lit cloth to traverse the cave.
After nothing longer than a minute Azar arrives at the bottom where the metal cube lies. He feels himself stepping in a puddle and he looks down and sees water that's oddly red. Oh, it's blood.
Azar: "He couldn't have? Sokai will be so pissed at me!"
Azar lunges forward and finds Noah slumped against the jagged metal cube.
Azar: "Oh my god, he's dead. He killed himself punching a cube. Hehehe! Who's embarrassing now?!"
Azar would crouch down and examine his wounds as his expression slowly grew impressed, yet disgusted. Suddenly something would grab his wrist.
Noah: "Hey, you just gonna stare at me or are you gonna help me out, Chump?"
Azar: "Help you out? You're as red as the cave drawings. How are you still alive?"
As Azar looks at Noah curiously, Noah would look up at him with a sly smile.
Noah: "Spirit."
Azar's face would drop to a completely blank state, his eyes flooded with disgust.
Azar: "I should let you die for that."
Azar would throw Noah over his shoulder before he stood back up and examined the cube. It's a lot smoother in some parts and a lot more jagged in others.
Azar: "I really hate this guy."
...
Start of Sokai's POV...
Munch!
Sip...
I love rice crackers and a nice cup of hot tea. Retirement is so much more relaxing that I thought it would be. Sitting and watching the ocean all day. Nothing could go wrong.
Azar: "Master Sokai, he's gonna die!"
Ah, of course he is. Good to know that he's closer to retirement than I am.
I grab my cane and stand up. I walk over to a cabinet underneath my sink and open it. I grab a large first-aid kit and a small container filled to the brim with pins.
Seiko: "I hope I have enough pins for whatever condition that boy's in."
As I make my way back towards the main room of the house I hear Azar lying him down on a mat.
Sokai: "Is his condition really that po-?"
My eyes widen as I turn the corner and see the state of the boy. His hands, elbows, knees, and even his feet are nothing short of grotesque. How can you even do this to yourself without yielding?
Sokai: "My heavens, Azar I'm going to need your help. We're going to have to divide his blood flow as much as we can."
Azar: "In his state that will take off years of his life, no?"
Sokai: "It's better than losing it."
I whack Azar upside the head with my cane before I slowly sit down on my knees next to Noah.
...
End of Sokai's POV...
Sokai and Azar would work cautiously while attending to his wounds. They simultaneously stick needles in the appropriate places to limit or enhance oxygen levels.
Azar: "You should see the product of these injuries, Master Sokai. Either he's a brute or he figured something out"
Sokai: "I can already tell, dear. I could tell the moment I met him that this boy posseses great...adaptability."
After successfully closing his wounds and placing all the pins in the right places they can finally take a break. Azar was tasked to clean up due to his incompetence as a teacher. Sokai would sit outside with the door to Noah's room open, so air gets in.
Start of Noah's POV...
Ugh...my head. It's oddly cold, so is my chest, but it feels like my heart is on fire. My arms, and legs feel like their on fire too. What is happening? I try to lift my head up but I can't move it. I move my eyes down, but it takes longer than I'd like. Is my body smoking? Dying is odd. My minds drifts away.
...
My eyes shoot open as I feel a burning sensation in my arms legs, and my heart still. It's now dark outside, and dark in this room.
Noah: "Hello, is anyone there?"
After a few seconds I'd hear shifting, then a cane tapping against the ground.
End of Noah's POV...
Clack!
Sokai: "Good, you're awake. Don't try to move, you'll mess up the healing process."
Noah: "This process doesn't happen to involve my body smoking does it?"
Sokai: "Of course it does, the pins are redirecting your blood flow to where you need to heal the most. Your head and torso should feel cold, yes?"
Noah: "Yeah, but that's not as nearly uncomfortable as the heat in my limbs."
Sokai: "Well, you should be sort of alright by morning. I really hope that you learned what you needed to earlier. You're going to have to rest until the tournament in 2 days."
Noah: "I believe I have. I've figured out what it means to fight using your spirit too. That cave works wonders."
Sokai: "Tell me what you think you know, boy."
Noah: "Well, fighting using your spirit is when you let the energy inside your body flow with your movement to manipulate the forces around you. After a while of just punching the cube I felt something swelling up in my arms besides blood. When I closed my eyes it felt like I was able to move if even if was just slightly. I got better at it the longer I did it. But eventually when my hands gave out I had to move on to the next part of me."
Sokai: "Stay on topic boy. The oxygen level in your brain is low. Don't think too hard."
Noah: "Right. So, when you fight using your spirit it allows you to become a vessel for the elements around you. Fire is from manipulating friction, electricity is manipulating the electric field, water is manipulating moisture, wind is manipulating the air, and earth is manipulating dust and sediment."
Sokai: "That's very good, I'm surprised you know of such concepts, knowledge is hard to come by these days."
Noah: "My Grandpa was a blabber mouth, apparently he was friends with a scientist once. You can manipulate moisture, yes? It's part of how you're still alive at such an old age. You can somehow move the blood inside of your body at a perfect rate even when it shouldn't, so you live longer.
Sokai: "Yes, that's very good. However, that technique took many years for me to develope. It will probably never be repeated because since it would take so long to teach, it will pass away with me."
Noah: "I see, I'm guessing it's too late to write down in a book?"
Sokai: "If as something as complicated as that could be taught through a book I would've done it long ago. Besides, living longer isn't technically a blessing. If the 'Spirit Clan' was more prosperous I would've let go long ago."
Noah: "I see, this Tournament has a lot riding on it, huh?"
Sokai: "Yes, so rest up."
...
The Mext Morning and Start of Azar's POV...
As I preform my daily training regiment I oversee Noah reading a guidebook on meditation. Sokai made me read the same one. He's not going up have enough time to learn it from the book.
Azar: "Hmph. Maybe she was right."
Yesterday during Noah's procedure...
Sokai: "Tell me you didn't leave this boy to do something extraneous because you wanted to be the one to fight in the tournament."
My eyebrows twitch at her words. That wasn't my intended purpose, but that doesn't mean it isn't true.
Azar: "You saw a lot of potential in him and I felt cast aside. I wanted to see if he could live up to what is needed. I know if I entered we'd stay safe, but I want this clan to prosper too. I'm sorry, Master Sokai. I just wanted to face 'him' myself."
Sokai: "See, you're not done growing yet, Kid."
Returning to the Present...
I walk up from behind Noah, then I walk out and sit down in front of him.
Azar: "Clearly you're ready for the next step. Let me help you. I want to make up for yesterday. I could've been a better teacher."
Noah: "That's adorable. Although, even as a horrible teacher, you're better than a book."
Azar: "I SAID I COULD BE BETTER!"
End of Azar's POV...
...
The Rest of Today and Tomorrow
Noah gets his tattoo symbolizing the shape of his Spirit. A tornado that stems up into 3 different ones because it cannot be held down, but Noah was held down. He is not fond of being repeatedly poked with a needle.
Tomorrow consists of nothing but resting and meditation for Noah. His wounds have healed enough that they will hold together as long as they don't repeatedly get abused. Today is the day of the tournament and it shows in "Central Village".
Workers set-up the arena along with the seating in the crowd, plenty of people wake up early to head towards the full-day festival, however for those who have to participate, they are making their last preparations.
???: "Enough slacking off guys! We need to have this arena set up now! Don't force me to cut your pay!"
End of Chapter 5...