Chapter Fourteen

Almost Five Months Ago

The dojo was empty on this hazy day. He sat there, facing the mirrors. Looking at himself, alone with the early morning sun. Sensei greeted him with his traditional sneak attack. The old man flew at Jack with a heavy kick. Jack absorbed the shot, letting Sensei hit him, grabbing his leg and using his momentum against him, tossing him across the mat.

"The Flood knows not impatience..." Sensei foretold, "Use the gifts given to you and absorb, then react. You are the one prophesied about. The one who cannot be killed. And much much more..." Sensei leaped at Jack again. Kick. chop. Jab. Jab. Jab. Kick. Roundhouse. Jack caught the old fighter's kick and slammed him onto the mat. Sensei jumped back up. Jack could swear that he heard his body crack. But the Sensei continued to jump around him on the offensive while he preached, "You are the one legend foretells of, and in the days of Two Suns shall save the Earth."

Jack stopped for a second, "What was that last part?"

Sensei took the opportunity to attack, double-spin-kicking Jack in the chest, knocking him off his feet. The Sensei walked over to him scrambling on the floor. "Don't worry, the times between that and you are described as the Deluged. If the temple of the Flood did actually predict your coming, we must assume all the prophecies are true, and then we have something much more worrisome to prepare for."

"Is there actually a prophecy or are you just messing with me, Sensei?"

"What have I been teaching you since the day you saved my grandson?"

"Flood technique, Sensei."

"Correct. That is no fairytale. This technique derived from a temple deep in the hills of the Himalayas. The Temple of the Flood it was called. They taught during an ancient time when forces ruled the world. When the forces began to die out, some taught man their techniques to transform their energy, a way or enduring. Until they can be reborn in the future. Some of these ancient teachings are known as prophecies. The Flood is one. Two Suns is another."

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The Sensei had now settled down and began stretching, preparing for meditation. "Do you wish, Jack Hanover, for me to tell you everything right now?"

"No Sensei. No offense, but I can only take so much 'ancient legend' mumbo jumbo for one day."

"All you need to know for now is they call upon the one who cannot die to bring the world together, and you're not going to be able to do that if you're just fighting me every day."

"The whole world, huh. Why should I protect them? What would they do for me if my life was in their hands? I'd probably be sleeping in the gutter."

"You mustn't think like that."

"How must I think, Sensei?"

"Think what you want, Jack Hanover. But know this. If you never want to amount to anything in your life, keep on indulging yourself at the mercy of others."

"You really know how to tell it, don't you, old man!"

The meditation was cut short. Jack looked up from his prone position. Sensei was coming down hard on top of him. Jack was punched twice in the face, a penalty for being caught off guard. Tossed forward and kicked back to the ground. Jack got to his feet sliding across the mat. Disrespect was not tolerated inside the dojo.

Sensei swung back around low on Jack, both feet kicking in his knee, shattering his knee cap. Jack fell on the broken knee and struggled to get back up. The pain was not subsiding. Every time he got hurt his threshold was diluted by his altered state, but not for this fight. He felt every blow. The Sensei kept him on his wounded knees with a couple more jabs to the face before he relented. Jack laid beaten on the mat, trying to gather enough strength to take a defensive stance.

Sensei walked away from him, and Jack stared up from the floor. He was done. Too exhausted from all the training. Now he knew, when he gets physically tired, he cannot heal himself as quickly as he can normally. "I Learn somethin' new every day about myself, Sensei."

"Good."

The Sensei knew exactly what he was doing. He blindly followed the teachings of the Flood jujitsu and would not relent until his student gave it the respect it deserved, but he never thought the prophecies of old would occur so deliberately and in his time.

A Flood was coming.

One they say is unstoppable

And it will change the world forever.