"Now," his Grandpa stated, turning around and walking toward a small wooden shed nearby. A loud thud could be heard coming from behind him. "Huh? Edwin?" The old man turned around to find Edwin slumped on the floor, his breathing ragged. He rushed over. "Edwin? Edwin?" Kaynen said with a slight panic in his voice. "God, maybe I pushed the boy a bit too hard," he mumbled under his breath. Through Edwin's blurry, greyed-out vision, he could see his grandpa standing over him, hearing nothing but mumbling and muffled noises. His eyes closed as he passed out.

Edwin awoke to find himself on one of the outdoor chairs. Beside him was a glass of cold water with condensation forming on the outside. He shakily grabbed it with both hands, his head throbbing with pain. "What happened?" Edwin asked quietly as he sipped from the glass of water. "You passed out," replied his grandpa, suddenly appearing behind him. Startled, Edwin spilled water on his face and shirt. The old man laughed. "Didn't mean to scare you, Edwin. Here's a little breakfast," his grandpa said, smiling, and handed Edwin a plate with a slice of buttered bread and two hard-boiled eggs on the side.

"Th-Thank you, Grandpa… uh, I mean, sir!" Edwin said quickly, correcting himself and almost forgetting what had happened earlier. The old man chuckled. "Good! You still remember! You did a really good job, by the way. I'm impressed. You have very strong willpower, and that's important," his grandpa said, smiling warmly. "Not many grown men can do what you just did, and you barely complained!" said the old man as he took a seat next to Edwin. "I barely had time to complain when a demon was working me to death," Edwin thought as he ate his food.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Now, I know you probably think I'm some sort of demon making you work this hard," his grandpa stated. Edwin's eyes went wide, and he almost spat out some of the bread he had just been eating. "But trust me, this is all for a good reason. What I'm going to be teaching you requires a strong body and a strong mind, both are earned through hard work," said the old man as he looked up at the blue sky. Edwin nodded in acknowledgment. "Now! You have one minute to finish the rest of your food. Don't be late," said his grandpa with a wry smile on his face.

Hurriedly, Edwin gulped down the last of his eggs before chugging the rest of his water. He looked up at the field, noticing for the first time what looked to be a wooden training dummy complete with stubby arms and legs in the middle of the field, and the old man standing beside it. Two swords were placed beside the dummy, shoved into the ground. Edwin rushed over, dreading the thought of being late. "Good, you are on time," his grandpa said with a no-nonsense tone.

"Today, you are going to learn the basic sword movements. First, you will practice in the air, and then you will practice on this wooden training dummy here," the old man said matter-of-factly. "I will demonstrate the basic movements," his grandpa continued, pulling a wooden sword from the ground and holding it out in front of him. The tip of the blade angled slightly downward, one arm behind his back, and his right leg slightly more forward than the left.

In one swift motion, the old man raised his arm up, his right foot moving slightly forward with the left foot following. His right arm came down, the blade in perfect alignment as if he meant to cut the air itself in half. As his arm completed its full motion, Edwin noticed the breeze in the air pick up, and the grass in front of his grandpa gently parted, as if making way for nobility.

The old man turned to Edwin. "Okay, now pick up the other sword, and let's begin."