Akairo sat on one of the many benches in the lobby and looked up at the displays which showed the arena.

Standing on one end of the arena was Zabu who wore a serious expression.

His opponent was a lanky man whose limbs were seemingly made of metal.

He wore nothing over his protective suit revealing his shiny fists and feet.

His jaw was also made of metal and his bald head was lined with tattoos, the largest of which depicted an eight-hoofed Lion.

The referee signalled that the match begin and in a flash, the man of steel dashed towards Zabu while sending forth a right hook.

Zabu gently tapped the man’s fist with an open hand, sending him tumbling to the side and this was enough to get the crowd interested.

The man visibly let out a grunt while finding his footing.

He then charged towards Zabu again while preparing to kick him.

Zabu faced his opponent and as the man’s foot approached his face, Zabu grabbed it and swung the man to the ground making anyone who was watching wince as his metallic joints all bent the wrong way due to the forces they experienced but while this may have looked like a victory, Zabu stepped on the groaning man’s chest and said something which Akairo couldn’t hear.

The referee began counting but Akairo kept a keen eye on the metallic man who’s eyes widened as Zabu spoke.

The man then seemingly went limp and although Akairo wasn’t sure, it looked like Zabu’s shadow was moving.

Like it was swirling and shifting.

The match was eventually declared Zabu’s victory the small man eventually returned to the lobby only something was different.

His expression was stiffer.

That all changed as soon as he saw Akairo who walked up to him with wide eyes.

“See? What did I tell ya? They don’t call me Master for no reason, ya know.” Zabu grinned.

“Yeah, I guess. But I still don’t see how any amount of training could get me to win the championship but I’ll try my hardest either way!” Akairo said with a nod. In his eyes, master Zabu had just proved that, even if he couldn’t win the championship, he could get stronger and earn money to fund his goal.

“I like your spirit! Now, let’s go shopping.”

Akairo tilted his head.

“Why?”

“First off, with the type of training I’m gonna put you through, you’re gonna need an extra set of clothing. You’re also gonna need to up your caloric intake to keep up with the nutritional demands your body will make in the coming days- weeks- months.”

Akairo frowned.

“Alright, but you really don’t need to do all this for me. I get plenty of food back at the Survivor Site.”

“Nope but if I’m gonna bet on ya, I’m goin’ all in. Think of everything I spend on you as an... Investment.” Zabu said while directing Akairo out of the Coliseum.

He followed Zabu to the marketplace outside and the two entered one of the many stores across the street where they bought an entire shopping cart’s worth of food.

Akairo winced because as they shopped, Zabu bought him all kinds of snacks and he felt as though if he ate anything else, he would pop.

The two eventually returned to Zabu’s place after hauling everything they’d gotten across Southern Babilu.

They then shoved as much food as they could into Zabu’s fridge and cupboards before once again leaving the small shack.

Zabu led Akairo down the cascading hill of rickety homes as the sun sunk into the horizon, steadily casting Babilu into darkness.

As they walked, Akairo heard the sounds of laughter and cries within the homes he passed.

His mind threatened to recall a not-so-distant past but he shook those thoughts away and followed Zabu in silence.

The two eventually reached a large concrete structure and upon entering it, Akairo realized that it was an abandoned parking lot.

“I’ll have you clean this place up a bit and it will be your crucible,” Zabu said, his voice echoing slightly.

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“Before I make you do a single physical exercise, I will teach you the essentials. After all, what good is a tempered body with a dull mind.” Zabu said while sitting down on the dusty ground.

Akairo sat in front of him and watched as the man took a deep breath, as though he was remembering all that he could.

“Why do you want to fight?” Zabu asked.

“I-“ Akairo stopped himself from speaking further.

He knew exactly why he was trying to get stronger but he didn’t feel like telling Zabu and so he simply allowed his eyes to fall.

“You don’t have to answer that question now and I will never force you to tell me anything but I want you to remember that our hearts and minds drive our hands. A good and just heart will compel a person’s hand to do good and just things. The opposite is true. There is also apathy but that is something found in only the coldest of hearts.” Zabu said making Akairo nod.

“Now, how much do you know about Tal?”

“Mmm... I know that’s it’s... Used in fuel but people can also use it to make themselves stronger?” Akairo asked but this made Zabu frown a little.

“Looks like I’ll have to start from scratch. Ahem! Tal is the essence of existence itself. It is physicality, thought, logic and the abstract all made manifest. A sort of... foundational energy that drives the very cosmos while also making up its fundamental fabric.” Zabu explained but this just made Akairo’s head hurt a little. Something he kept to himself.

“In its purest form it cannot be seen but...” Zabu said while raising his right hand.

Droplets of water then started forming above his palm and they gathered as a ball of water.

Akairo gasped aloud as Zabu somehow made the ball of water float towards her other palm where it floated.

“Using Tal Techniques, we are able to command, to direct and to conjure that primordial energy. After all, we are as much a part of it as it is a part of us. Martial artists, like myself, are able to use Tal to our advantage in combat but I’m getting ahead of myself.” He said before allowing the ball of water to seep back into his hand.

“All living things are born with things called Tal Circuits and these unseen systems transport our lively essence back and forth within our body. These circuits as a whole are sometimes referred to as the Ruach or the Soul. What I did just now was command the Tal in my arm to leave my body as water which is one of the Seven Natural Elements. The others are fire, stone, wind, life, force and lightning. Yours truly is a master of both Waterpath and Lifepath Techniques but it’s no big deal.” Zabu said while raising his nose.

“Ahem! Techniques using each of these elements are divided into five levels now here’s the part where you really need to pay attention.” Zabu said while raising an index finger.

“Level One techniques require the Tal of one limb, meaning that limb will be drained of Tal until you’ve had a full day's rest. Level two techniques require the Tal of two limbs and so on. Level five techniques, however, require the Tal in your entire body so while the single motion of an arm may be enough to use a level one technique, a skilled fighter doesn’t even need to move for them to use a level five technique since it requires a complete mastery over one’s entire Ruach.” Zabu said while standing up.

“Observe.” He said while taking a few steps away from Akairo.

A torrent of water then suddenly cascaded from somewhere above making Akairo hop into his feet.

Surprisingly, no water fell onto him directly. This allowed him to look up and he gasped upon seeing the water form out of thin air only to rush onto the ground with enough force to strip the dust and grime from the concrete, washing it away in the process.

Akairo noticed that none of the water touched Zabu either seeing as he was also completely dry.

The mystical downpour eventually came to an end and all Akairo could do was stand with his mouth agape.

“And with that, I have rendered myself useless for the rest of the day, hehe.” Zabu chuckled.

Akairo raised his hands.

He wondered if he could do something like that but before his curiosity could root itself, Zabu gave him a soft chop on the head.

“Ah-ah. I know exactly what you’re thinking. Maybe I can be super awesome and make water storms like Master Zabu but it’s not as simple as just learning a certain technique. It’s also about Elemental Alignment. I am aligned closely to water meaning it’s naturally easier for me to use Waterpath techniques. I’m not saying you can’t or aren’t. I’m just saying it would be best if we focused on your Aligned Element which is fire.”

Akairo frowned a little.

“How did I know? Lucky guess.” Zabu grinned before looking the boy over.

“Now, as exciting as it would be for us to give Firepath a fun test run, you still have much to learn and so I won’t teach you anything in that regard until you have won your first Gauntlet match.”

Akairo’s frown deepened.

He understood that the path ahead would require hard work and dedication but he also wanted to throw fireballs and so other cool things.

“Let's see... I’ve taught you about Tal Circuits, the nature of Tal, the Ruach, I demonstrated my legendary powers and now... No, that comes way later.” Zabu muttered but this made Akairo’s curiosity bubble over.

“What comes later?” He asked but this suddenly led to Zabu’s face stiffening and his eyes gaining a pale blue glow.

“Do not, and I mark my words, ever approach anything that’s above your level. If you find you are outmatched, run. There is no shame in running away.” Zabu said and this sent several chills through Akairo’s body.

Zabu sighed before pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Sorry, but it’s something I think you should know before we continue. Life is unfair. The scales are rarely if ever balanced. In most cases, you’ll be fighting either defensively or offensively and the outcome of a fight is usually decided at the very beginning by whomever has the most control. Also, there’s no such thing as a fair fight. Remember this well.” Zabu cautioned while walking towards a staircase that led to the second level of the parking lot.

“Come.” He instructed prompting Akairo to follow him.

Zabu then found an old car on the second floor which he leaned against.

“Are you ready?”

“For what?” Akairo asked but Zabu didn’t respond. His face still stiff.

“Y-yes.” Akairo swallowed.

“Sprint back to the entrance and come back here.”

Akairo nodded before running as fast as he could back to the first floor.

He sprinted to the entrance and ran back to Zabu.

Since he had been practising on his own, he wasn’t too tired but Zabu simply crossed his arms.

“Again.”

Akairo let out a silent groan before rushing down to the first floor and running to the door again.

He then returned to Zabu who told him to run down again and so again he ran.

As he did, he thought back to the cold look Zabu had.

He wondered what could make a man make such an expression.

Whatever it was, it frightened Akairo but he was no stranger to fear and so, using whatever strength his racing heart could muster, he ran.