*The events in this book are purely fictional. Might is also a fictional character and so are the countries mentioned here. Tw: These tales are not for the faintest of hearts.*
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An eccentric yet physically strong man now in his 50s fled from his people during his mid 30s and took refuge near the mountains secluded from everyone else. He had learnt to fight for his survival, to hunt and kill beasts with his bare hands. It took a while but he learnt to enjoy his solitude.
At the age of 44, something changed.
His lonely heart cried out, reminding him of his emptiness and boredom caused by the long years of solitude and survival. He felt that he was missing something. It was time for deep reflection. It was time to act on his true desires buried deep inside him.
Jillbow meditated daily and focused so intensely on training his body until his strength had matched that of a ferocious beast rather than a man.
In the middle of his rigorous training, something had snapped from within him. No! It wasn't his tendons or bones but heard the snapping of a twig that he stepped on. Shortly afterwards, he realised that he needed someone to show and possibly teach his talents to. He missed the warmth of other people and felt paranoid that he was running out of time, old age creeping up to him.
At first he only met to observe. He never intended to return to Society. He was long convinced that he belonged in the wild far from the influence of civilisations and forced colonial rule. In the animal world, power was a virtue, according to Jillbow. He continued to observe the life that he had abandoned and thought that he could live without until one night, he displayed the might of his brute strength in front of a drunken audience and marvelled at their reactions. His heart gnawing out for power and a position where he would be respected and valued truly!
He took in their voices of admiration and revelled in it.
'This is incredible! Look at the ferociousness and beauty of his movements! The ease in which he breaks these bricks with his body!'
'Incredible! He really destroyed a stack of over 20 bricks with one push from the palm of his hand!'
The martial artist felt happy with all the praise that he was getting.
He continued his descent from the wild and performed to his heart’s content and glory but little did he know the depths of his appetite.
He had a revelation.
As a teacher, he would reign supreme and tend to his longing soul.
'Call me Master Jillbow if you would like to learn from me.' He said, taking initiative to do so
Soon he got offers from students wanting to learn from him. The students' ages ranged from 13 to 30, mostly boys but a few were girls. These were youths in need of training, according to Jillbow. Most of the students were poor so he accepted only a very small fee from them.
Their training was hardcore and their warm up consisted of sprints and crawls. One thing of note is to mention Jillbow's obsession with stretching and so the students had to endure long stretching sessions.
Sessions that would forever be engraved into their minds.
"Remember to focus on the breath and remove the pain. Keep enduring and then you will be able to move your body however you wish to." He would preach
His students would try their best to follow his instructions but they learned not to flinch when the master corrected their postures, their muscles forced beyond their limits. They would listen when he would fill their minds with false hope or warn them about the repercussions of their mistakes. Brutal and strict, he demanded perfection. Even as their sweat would drip down onto the floor, their hearts beating loud and breath shaking, they felt a tall shadow looming over them with a stern look. They knew that to complain was to invite punishment.
The master did not know when to stop nor did he care about the limits of ordinary people. All that he wanted were results that would reflect well on him. And surprisingly, it was effective. Most of the students found that they had dramatically increased their flexibility in less than 2 months. Their blood, sweat and tears allowed them to progress!
But at what cost?
Jillbow stood before the sunrise in contemplation.
"They have learnt from me, my boys and girls but what have I gained? My satisfaction from passing down my skills has already gone away. How long can one be satisfied with such things?" Jillbow brooded
Jillbow had long forgotten that he used to be an ordinary man before his fame as a martial arts master. His delusions continued until he had begun to see himself as the most powerful man alive rather than an ordinary teacher. He began to grow paranoid that his fellow students were only using him.
Skills and money are fair exchanges to make and that is the way that it has always been. People often seem to forget that once they gain power that they cannot handle.
Jillbow reigned supreme. He felt it. An intoxicating energy of reverence mixed with fear and above all, respect.
“I am powerful. I have no equal. I am the epitome of manliness.” He would repeat in the mirror as often as he could
He could no longer ignore how satisfying it felt to say it.
The students and the village bowed as he passed through, barely audible voices that either sounded pleased or fearful. In his mind there was only admiration. He failed to see the way they froze quickly under his gaze, the unease in their speech and their hurried chuckles brimming with nerves. The way they nervously praised him and laughed a bit too quickly at his jokes. This is evident of my true power, he convinced himself.
“I have no equal. My worth is unmatched.” He spoke only to be met with frightened nods of approval
There was a talented young woman, aspiring for strength and felt called to take his classes. At first, it was difficult for her to notice Jillbow’s attention or to distinguish it from his behaviour towards the others. It took a few sessions for her to feel those watchful dark eyes linger just a little longer. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it but she told herself that it was just admiration for making good progress. The feeling of a good teacher recognising his student’s potential and hard work. A few times, she felt his eyes lingering for just a second too long.
On one occasion, he’d made her feel comfortable enough for her to share her true circumstances. The girl explained to Jillbow that she was very poor so she didn't know if she would be able to continue paying him. She opened up to him about how she earns the money to support herself and her family.
"So you see, I get the money by entertaining the soldiers at the bar. The same soldiers who currently occupy our land. I play the flute and the harmonica. Sometimes I help out at the bar too. I wanted to get stronger so I could defend myself if I'm in any danger. I'm grateful to all that you have taught me and hope that you continue instructing me." She spoke
"Don't worry my child. You don't have to pay anything next month." He told her with a genuine smile
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She couldn't believe what she heard and couldn't believe how generous the man was!
"Oh thank you! Thank you so much!" She cheered and he was happy for her
“You know, I used to be in the army myself actually. There were some disagreements and technical difficulties. They couldn’t see my true worth or maybe they felt threatened by it.” He boasted to her, filling her heart with exaggerated truths
“Wow. No wonder you’re so strong. That was a good decision.” She replied earnestly
Jillbow smiled but the look in his eyes had started to betray him. Again, she felt a slight unease but let him talk.
“I know I’m not easy but I want the best for you and my students. It’s a harsh world out there, full of pain, heartbreaks and betrayal.” He spoke
His voice betrayed him towards the end, becoming a little shaken as if he was recalling something personal and vulnerable.
The girl saw him leaning closer to her, a hand that had slipped and placed on her knee.
“Excuse me Master Jillbow. It was nice talking with you.” She spoke hurriedly, taking her bag and leaving
One day (or should I say evening), Jillbow watched his favourite student stretch and do some exercises.
“I need to observe you to ensure your optimal progress. Keep it up, Timow.” He spoke
Timow had tied her hair onto a high ponytail. When she noticed him and heard him speak, she greeted him with the full splits, controlling her breathing as her torso lowered to the ground. She was just wearing her regular clothes that she normally wore. Nothing too fancy or enticing. He was impressed and started clapping.
"Excellent. You have a lot of potential, Timow." Jillbow told her
She slowly got herself up again and Jillbow walked closer to her. She let out a nervous laugh and fidgeted with her sleeves. She didn't know what he wanted from her.
"I wish you were more comfortable with me. " He told her
He creeped even closer to her. The energy had shifted in the room.
Again, the thoughts creeped up in his head.
'My students are using me for my skills and I get so little in exchange. I would prefer a fairer exchange. Money isn't enough for an old man like me. It's been so long until now that I have buried myself in the embraces of someone's warmth. Ever since that day. Damn you, Marcus! Damn all the others who occupy our beloved country!' He thought
Jillbow was frozen in his daydream.
"Master? Are you alright?" She asked him, feeling concerned about him
She wished she weren’t so concerned.
She felt a kiss from him brimming with passion and something deeper, enticing yet forbidden. Her intuition was confirmed and a part of her felt drawn in but the other part felt conflicted.
At first, she told herself it was nothing. A slip of the moment. It wouldn’t happen again. But soon enough, doubt and helplessness creeped in. She knew this wasn’t meant to happen. A look from him had disarmed her. What else could she do? It had gone further than she expected.
"There's nothing to fear, my Timow. Now relax and set your worries free. I care about you. As your teacher, I’ll take care of you no matter what." Jillbow coaxed her
The young woman trusted and respected her master so as confused and conflicted as she was, she felt sure that it was out of a deep care and passion. She denied it all. In her youthful and inexperienced eyes, he had done nothing wrong. But how much longer could she ignore that there was something wrong — a feeling so deep and complicated and yet, she found herself smiling back at him.
"You are my favourite student." Jillbow reassured her, leaving her shortly afterwards
Her heart shook with uncertainty at the situation and decided to give the man a gentle smile to which he smiled back. She didn't know what to make of this incident. All she knew was that she couldn’t help but sigh out a breath of relief as he left her.
Jillbow carried on with his normal routine that evening.
He washed his face like he always did before bed. He let his curly ponytail out of his hair band, brushed his teeth and went to bed.
However, soon before he fell asleep, he was reminded about something. Haunted by his past, fragments of pain played over and over again in his troubled mind.
'It was the 14th of April and I was going to see my darling Lu for the first time in months. I got off my bike. You see, the buses were only reserved for the colonisers. I was walking at a fast and steady pace to get to my front door until a thorn got stuck inside my sandal. I took it out and thought nothing of it. I knocked on the door. I was met with silence. I found myself leaning on the door and to my surprise, the door was already open. I called out my wife's name. No answer. I yelled out for them from the top of my lungs in desperation, checking each room. Nothing. Until I walked closer to the door leading to our garden. My senses alert, the horrid truth evident in my eyes. The spirit of vengeance strikes me! I remember picking up the bloodstained note telling me the reality of this ambush. An object fell out into the ground nearby. A rectangular shiny name tag and on it, the name Marcus was in gold lettering and bold font. A former enemy whose many comrades I have slain long ago! I will never forget this.'
His mind played out the aftermath that led to his retreat from humanity to the safe realm of nature. Jillbow had fled to the mountains to regain his sanity and to train, mourning his losses. In his country, vengeance is legal in these special yet cruel circumstances. Now, he had one goal to think about: to duel with Marcus.
After his initial gruelling training regimen in a secluded area near the mountains, he came back stronger than he was before. He lost himself in his training and found that it temporarily soothed the pain of his loss. It allowed him to bury it deep inside. Whenever he felt troubled, he would transmute his pain and fury into his physical training. Jillbow became obsessed with self-improvement as it was a coping mechanism for him. He went into solitude to train more, no longer distracted or limited by humanity and their cruel ways. To denounce man and become one with the natural beasts!
Now he had overcome his limits over and over, transforming from man to beast. The fire of passion burned so strongly within him.
His hunger for more power and control was evident enough but was soon beginning to get unbearable.
"Trust your master. Aren't you my beloved student?" He would say whenever he was challenged
He would go to any lengths to misuse his power and slowly but surely, his people were sick and tired of living like this.
Jillbow's actions only got bolder and bolder than this and soon he became convinced that he was untouchable, spreading mischief and recklessness. He no longer bothered to disguise it. All the good people wondered when he would be humbled by justice.
It's so easy for us to hope that justice will come. That the bad guy will be dealt with but the world is a cruel place. Bad guys are untouchable until enough courageous people bring the truth to light. Most of the time, unless we do something about it, nothing will change!
Jillbow was only loved by those students who were far too brainwashed and gone. Their awe, fear and reverence for him only further deepened his delusions.
Timow’s anger was brewing, fuelled by his acts of wrongdoings. She set up secret meetings with a few trusted students.
“How can we stop him? He gets close to us and somehow gets away with too much.”
“He’s too strong and formidable. He holds true strength. Without him, who will lead us?”
“Perhaps money isn’t enough. He’s shaped and improved our bodies so surely we pay him back with something more.”
Timow would listen to these valid concerns, her heart sinking as their thoughts had once reflected her own in the beginning when she was too naive.
“I know it’s difficult and scary but Jillbow isn’t immortal. His physical body may be so powerful but everyone has a weakness. We will observe him and find out his weakness.”
Many secret meetings continued as Jillbow was blinded by the fake love and admiration of his students. Little did he know what awaited him.
Enough time had passed.
Timow paid Jillbow a visit.
Jillbow felt so happy to see her. She was his 'favourite student' after all.
She boldly greeted him with a kiss on the cheek. Jillbow grinned and moved her face so that he could kiss her on the lips.
They talked.
Food and drink were served in his honour, or so he thought.
“Are you alright, master?” She spoke softly yet there was a devious glint in her eyes
He didn’t see it and felt reassured by the hands on his hands.A shadow flickered in her gaze, warmth radiating from her hands. Something felt wrong. Then an unexpected sound — The creak of a bowstring pulled taut.
Jillbow stood up and turned but it was already too late. He groaned out in pain. His feet hurt and were burning all of a sudden!
"T-Timow. My legs hurt. What’s happening to me?” He cried out as Timow held his hands to support him
He looked in despair over at Timow’s startled face and he didn't know what to do or what was happening to him. Seconds later, Jillbow fell to the ground, his burning legs unable to support him.
By the time Jillbow realised the truth, it was far too late.
Six students in their late 20s came out of hiding. Jillbow observed the origin of the sharp pain to see an arrow buried deep in his leg.
"Timow. I'm sorry my child. I'm so sorry." He spoke
But she wasn’t convinced. She had heard that line far too many times. Her heart remained cold and unstirred as she reminded herself of the many transgressions she had denied and let him get away with.
"Oh I know. I know master. Make him rest on his chair." She ordered them
They lifted him and put him on his chair.
"Please forgive me. I know I was harsh but I meant well. I did. You have to believe me!” He pleaded, now unable to feel his legs
One by one, they openly expressed their many complaints about his actions. Jillbow shook his head with shame and wished for them to stop bringing up the past.
They yelled out in fright as a loud deafening noise came from behind Jillbow.
“Call the ambulance.” One of them yelled, wavering
“No wait. It’s too late.” She spoke
“Now he can do no more harm. Who made the final blow?” One of the students asked
They checked the shattered window and noticed the shiny badge. A rectangular shiny name tag but it was blank.
Jillbow was pronounced dead at the scene.