My practice with the puppet began. Nick wasn't there to teach me, as it was something one could practice on their own. Besides, with his limited time, there was no point for him to overexert himself. He showed me how to control the puppet, how to attach strings to my fingers, and so on. Yet even with my improved dexterity, it wasn't simple.

Each hand was responsible for a specific part of the puppet. Whether it was arms, legs, head or torso. The puppet could move like a human being, of course when controlled by Nick. In my case, that puppet would be worse than the most useless person out there. I couldn't get the rhythm right, nor the movements necessary to make the puppet come 'alive'.

That was my first day of real practice though, so no one could immediately control that thing. Unless they were some sort of talented people with brain in each finger. My struggle continued for a week, when Nick decided to visit me and ask about my progress.

"Maybe it's not my thing? Throwing a dagger is different than making something move like a human. I don't know, it's been a week but I'm not giving up", I said. "I'm happy you are at least not giving up... You know, different people learn differently. From my experience teaching you, the best way for you to learn is to feel it with your own body. Unfortunately, that's not possible with this exercise....", Nick stopped at that point, and seem to think about something.

"Maybe there is a way. The method by which you are trying to learn, was passed down to me by my master. Just like that, throughout the history this was the method. However, there's never only one way. I'm sure you heard people say that there's no choice, but what does that mean, no choice?", he asked me out of nowhere.

"That no mater what we chose, the result will be the same?", I replied a bit confused. "No, because you said it yourself. 'No matter what we chose', hence there is a choice. The outcome isn't important in this question, but the fact that you always have a choice", he said. That made sense, but I wasn't sure in what way would that help me with the puppets.

"Since my way isn't working out for you, what choices do you have? You can try to persist, and one day, I'm sure you will grasp it. You can give up, which of course you don't want to do. Then there's a third choice. You can make your own way", Nick explained. "Sure, but wouldn't that take even longer for me?", "Not necessarily. I'm not asking you to figure out a new method, but a method that suits you. In other words, modify this method, find what's right and wrong for you. After all, you were the one who thought about attaching daggers to those strings", he replied.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

He wasn't wrong, but at the same time I wondered whether it was possible. "Remember that old generation gives way to the new. Something we old farts couldn't figure out, the young ones might just do it. Don't overthink things, follow your instincts, feel it with your body. After all, that's how you learn the best", he encouraged me, then left the house.

I sat down on my bed and thought about Nick's words. "Mah...", Shelly came over looking a bit sad. "Hehe, I'm not sad. I'm just thinking about some stuff. We can't be good at everything we do, but we can try make our own way, right? He's right, and besides, I can't follow someone else's path all the time. The skills, the Arts, everything depends on me. Mastery isn't reached by walking in the same footprints as others, but rather diverting and making my own path", I said while patting Shelly on it's head.

"Mah, maamamaah", Shelly seemed to agree, or perhaps it became happy rather than worried. We lived long enough together, for me to sort of understand the turtle. We couldn't communicate with words, but Shelly had it's ways to convey some things. "Alright, no time to sit around. Back to practice for me", I said before resuming my training.

I tried to keep whatever felt right to me, and discarded movements which didn't feel right. Day by day, I'd experiment and adapt. The weird, or rather unexpected part of forging my own path felt fun. The monotone control turned into something I looked forward to achieving. The movements of my hands and fingers improved at much quicker rate, after all my dexterity wasn't bad. My senses were easily able to keep up, which wasn't the case with Nick's method.

Another two weeks passed, and Nick visited me again. He didn't reveal himself immediately, but rather watched me practice. As the puppet fell to the ground lifeless, Nick took that as an opportunity to speak. "You are doing much better now", "Oh, I didn't realise you were here. Yea, I followed your advice. These are the results. I'm not there just yet, but who knew I could improve so much?", I replied.

"That's because you worried about talents and whatnot. I don't believe in talents, after all, I didn't fare any better than you. Remember, Nex. What matters in life is your own resolve, and the path that you choose. Whether you are talented or not, you can reach greater heights. Sometimes a good teacher is required to give you a push, sometimes you will figure it out yourself. Take a look at me. No one was there to teach me the Art of Medicine. Sure, some books on herbs and whatnot were available, but no one went down that path...", he said.

"Hehe, moreover, you had that stupid grin my master always told me about, each time I immersed myself into medical knowledge. When it's boring, difficult or monotone, strive to have that grin on your face. Enjoy it, hehe. You might as well, if you going to spend a lot of time on something", he added. "Well, it would be a lie to say this wasn't enjoyable. I don't know, it just feels better to me. Maybe the progress helps, or maybe you were right. Do what the body and mind dictates, instead of overcomplicating things. I'll get to control two puppets, you will be around to see it", I promised.

"I'm happy to hear it. Okay, you go on, I'll go back to rest a bit. I'm not going to check on you anymore. Once you're ready, visit me and show me your way", Nick said before his silhouette disappeared. 'I'll be able to do this one day as well. Right now, my focus is required by the puppet', I thought before the puppet became 'alive' again.