Chapter 58.

PART 1.

Henry drops the kids at Zeko’s house, where they see Hatori sitting in the shade of a tree, his legs crossed. Leaving them to meet with Hatori, Henry goes to talk with Zeko.

As they come closer, Hatori smiles and gets up from the ground. “Hello.” He greeted them cheerfully.

They returned his greeting with an equal number of cheers. When he was sitting with Zeko, he had enough of his fidgeting. So, he kicked him out and sent him to the garden to relax.

“They will come boy, don’t be so nervous.” He told Hatori while sending him to the garden.

“Alright, boys,” said Henry, coming out of the house. “Master Zeko will bring you to the castle in fifteen days or so. Until then, enjoy.” He waved goodbye, and the kids waved back.

“Let me show you the place.” Said Hatori. “This is the garden. I usually practice magic here, and relax as well.”

“Yeah, the place is pretty relaxing.” Said Raven. He would love to play chess here.

Hatori takes them inside while firing two Slicers at the shadows, coming to attack him. The sudden violence startled them, but Hatori didn’t even take notice of that. “This is the hall, and my room is just beyond it.” He spoke. “There’s the training room, master Zeko said that I should practice dangerous and destructive spells here instead of destroying his garden.”

They all chuckled at that. Josh is surprised at Zeko’s house. Despite just serving as a trainer for the military and tutoring students on the side, he can afford, this house is surprising to him.

“Can’t believe you live in such a big house.” Said Raven. “Since you are the only two, you pretty much get the free reign, right?”

Hatori opens his mouth to answer, but he suddenly stops walking to the way of his room. Two yantras come out, and they try to take Hatori with the freshly washed clothes. Hatori’s retaliation with Slicers and Piercers leaves them in a heap, while the clothes go on in the drier by themselves.

Resuming his walk as if nothing had happened while the yantras repair themselves behind him, he answers Raven’s question. “You would be right. But the house is very dangerous. I won’t venture out to unknown areas for now.” He spoke. “Outside is pretty safe, though, you don’t get attacked there. It helps that Zeko has put down massive wards to keep outsiders and dangerous people out,” said Hatori.

“But you can only do that when the area belongs to you,” said James.

“Yeah, but this whole area belongs to Zeko.” Said Hatori.

James and Josh stumble after hearing this statement. This whole area plus this house, all adds up to the territory of a small family or clan, if they are lucky. There will be countless attempts of taking it over or attacks and raids. And yet, no one does that with Zeko.

‘Just what is he?’ They all wonder.

Though seeing the house is nice and all, Hatori’s friends are worried about the attacks going on at any given moment on him. They do know of the training module since they have already suffered the effects of it twice when they tried to wake him up. once in the castle, and once in the Academy.

But they never realized how brutal this is. They also realize that Hatori is using more magic every day compared to them, even without doing the practical work of the Academy.

What’s more, he is getting attacked by multiple… things. Yantras and shadow-like things are creeping them out. and despite being outnumbered, Hatori faces them all without flinching.

“Looks like he has gotten used to this.” Said Josh.

“Unfortunately.” Said James. His own life is miserable, but this is no way to live in his opinion.

At night, when they go to sleep in his room, they are worried about getting attacked in their sleep. They decided to bring this matter up with Hatori. “Don’t worry.” He assured them. “You guys are the guests; they will never touch you,” he said, firing a Slicer which whizzes by Josh’s ear and slices a shadow behind him.

All four of them laugh nervously, and try to go to sleep. Much to their surprise, they have a relaxing deep sleep despite their fears.

PART 2.

Hatori got yesterday off from training, after his fight with Yaksha the day before, and the arrival of his friends the same day. Zeko saw fit to give him that whole day to rest and run around with his friends. But today, training resumes.

All the boys are gathered to see Hatori spar against Zeko. And combat terrifies them. Zeko is so powerful, and yet Hatori fights with such ferocity, that he must win; even though he loses, he does not lose his heart in trying. They know that Zeko goes easy on him, but the fact that Hatori lasts so long against him is awe-inspiring for them.

Later, Josh asks Hatori about this in the garden. “You don’t get sick of losing to him?” asked Josh.

“It is not about winning.” Said Hatori. “It is more about getting familiar with facing opponents stronger than you and getting familiar with the magic he has taught me. also, stamina.”

“Correct.” Said Zeko, appearing out of the house and startling the children. “You understood that without my saying. Looks like you’re getting perceptive, boy.”

“I learned from the best.” Smiled Hatori.

“Good use of Blast spell today. Remember, loud sounds and explosions are effective against a single opponent as well since it loses their focus and makes them startle.” Zeko takes his seat in the shade and lights the candle. “From next week, you will light the candle by yourself.” He said.

“What are you doing?” asked Raven.

“He’s practicing elemental magic.” Said Zeko. “Working with the flames with his breath.”

“Um… should we be hearing?” asked Josh.

“Don’t worry.” Said Zeko. “This is basic stuff. Even if you tell anyone, it won’t affect me in the slightest.”

They watch the flames rise and fall with Hatori’s breathing. First, lasting against Zeko in a dual. Then, facing attacks all day long. And then, the elemental magic.

No wonder Hatori is leaving them behind. All four boys thought that they wished to equal him or surpass him. But one question remains.

How can they do that? They don’t have a master like Zeko with them. James and Josh come from rich families, but they realize that this problem cannot be solved by money.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“Don’t worry kids,” said Zeko, bringing the boys out of their thoughts. “You’ll find a solution.”

“You knew what we were thinking?” asked Shin.

“Of course.” Said Zeko, looking at the bells in Shin’s hair. “The same feeling, I used to have when I saw someone strong and powerful in my younger days.” Explains Zeko.

“But there is another part to this. You are his closest friend; you have to become strong if you wish to help him in the future. Because trust me, kids, he’s gonna need all the help he can get.”

Hatori was lost in his meditation, so he ignored this entire conversation.

PART 3.

Hatori leaves the house. Zeko is amazed that after all the training he did, he still has enough energy to go out for a walk. “Why do the children have all the energy?” he grumbles, while looking for mistakes in his wards and spells.

“So, I met Nandan here.” Hatori is telling them how he met Nandan.

“Cool. Didn’t Knew he comes from a farming family.” Said Raven.

“Yeah, he helped me a lot. Without him, I still would have been trapped outside,” said Hatori.

“Yeah, because of the shadow.” Josh wanted to ask about that, but James interrupted him.

“Listen you guys, I think you should know some things.” He spoke. “My aunt was going to try to manipulate Hatori through me.”

“Wait, isn’t your aunt Shakuntala Mathis?” asked Josh. “I’ve heard some nasty things about her. My father always goes on a tirade at the mere mention of her.”

“That’s because she deserves that reputation.” Said James. “I think we should teach Hatori about family politics, so he won’t be taken advantage of.”

“I do know some basic things already,” said Hatori. “For example, how they had centuries of magical knowledge, which allowed them to spread their influence, and get rich and powerful. But that’s about it. I don’t know how to work with this info, or how to defend myself from them or gain an advantage for myself.”

“If you know the basic stuff,” said Josh, “Then our job is easier. Just come to me or James if you’ve got any questions. You know what? Just come to me. He is way too antisocial.”

“I resent that,” said James, and everyone laughed.

Coming back from the walk, Raven and Hatori are playing chess after dinner. During the game, the shadows attack him, so he grabs his captured pawns and punches the shadows by putting them between his knuckles. Then, Josh remembers his question, which he meant to ask earlier.

“Say, what are these shadows?” asked Josh. “I get the yantras, but they don’t seem to be any kind of enchanted thing to me.”

“They are spirits.” Said Hatori. “At least I think they are.”

“What do you mean you think they are?” said Shin.

“Well, various parts of this house are defended by spirits.” Said Hatori. “That is why I avoid going on other floors, because you have to beat them before you can gain access to that area, and they can be quite strong.”

“I don’t believe you,” said Raven.

“But I’m telling the truth.” Said Hatori. “I fought a Yaksha the day you guys arrived.”

“But Yakshas are just stories!” exclaimed Josh.

Looking at the board, Hatori offers a draw. “Let’s go and see it,” he said after Raven accepts the offer.

Going to the bathroom and then taking the right, Hatori shows them the door. Opening it, they see the pool about which he was talking. “I don’t see any Yaksha—”

“What’s this?” A large blue man who looks like he is made of water entirely comes out of the pool. “You brought me sacrifices? No one has done that for hundreds of years!”

“They are my friends.” Said Hatori quickly.

“That is even better!” The Yaksha rumbles like a waterfall. “Friendship is the most beautiful thing in this world!” He laughed like the waves on the bank of a river.

Though they are not trained in magical sensing, a huge oversight, in this narrator’s opinion, all four boys can sense the power coming from this man. “You beat him?” Josh choked out.

“He was using very little of his strength.” Said Hatori.

“Oh?” Said Yaksha. “You didn’t realize that before.”

“I was happy for my win.” Said Hatori. “But I realized later that you could have killed me in the very first blow.”

“True.” Confirms the spirit. “Just one water blade and your body would have been carved up. no amount of alchemical water would be able to fix you afterward.”

“Are they interested in fighting me?” asked Yaksha. “I will even let them fight with me all together. You can even join them; they look like they need help.”

“We’ll pass.” Squeaked Shin.

“How disappointing.” Said Yaksha. “You keep a poor company of friends Hatori. I am very disappointed.” The Yaksha starts to disappear. “Whatever. They can use the pool if they want. They are guests here, after all.”

“Can we go to sleep already?” asked James, having had enough of this terror and humiliation already.

“Yes, let’s go back.” Said Hatori. He completely ignored the words of the Yaksha. His friends are his friends, end of the argument. No spirit is going to tell him otherwise.

But all four boys got their pride savaged badly today by this spirit.

PART 4.

Along with his friends, Hatori watches as Shyam takes the chickens into their new place. Zeko has a chicken farm, which he shifts periodically. “Master Zeko, why are we shifting the farm?” asked Hatori, carrying the boards for building the Koop for the chickens.

“Because, that helps in recovering the health of the soil through their… ahem, you get the point.” Hatori gets the point, but it looks like Zeko forgot the word.

“But you can use magic for that, can’t you?” He asked.

“True, but there’s no reason to discard the natural process for that.” Said Zeko. “Take the roads, for example. We build them by using water-absorbent material, which transfers the water to the ground. We can also manipulate the weather, but does that mean we just make rain or summer whenever we want? of course not. Magic is best used when enhancing natural processes when it comes to farming; otherwise, disastrous things can happen.”

“We’re done with packing eggs!” Shin called out ahead of them.

“Good. Go take a rest.” Said Zeko. “Go with them.” He takes the boards from Hatori and dismisses him.

(End.)