Arc 4: What families entail
Road to a Hero:
Three chances in another world
Chapter 10. Spirits
Gray slumps out of his bed, holding his blankets onto his body due to the cold. He makes his way down the stairs and makes a cup of coffee.
Gray {Not how I’m used to coffee tasting this way…or making it this way but I have to get used to it I guess.}
Ryo: “You’re awake, eat the food I cooked and we’ll head outside.”
Gray: “Same thing as normal?”
Ryo: “Nope, keep your hopes up because today is the day we learn what you’re here for.”
Gray: “REALLY! YES! Going to get some moves.”
Ryo: “It’s nice to see you energetic.”
Gray: “The faster I get done here I can get back to Rosemary and the rest of my friends! I went down to Greenvale yesterday and got a letter from them. They already had a meeting planned with all the different factions in Athens. But there is a weird part.”
Ryo: “That’s great! But what is the weird part?”
Gray: “There’s a group called the Spartans…and as far as I know that word has no history or meaning here.”
Ryo: “Yes…at least I know nothing of it.”
Gray: “Where I’m from…a place far away, as far as I know…that name belongs to a group of people that lived hundreds of years ago. They were all strong warriors that lived near a place called Athens…so I think that the leader might be from the same place I’m from.”
Ryo: “Well that is strange isn’t it?”
Gray: “Well I might need to get to Athens faster now, depending if that guy is on our side or not.”
Ryo: “Well I hope that it works out for you. Come outside when you finish waking up, I’ll be waiting for you.”
Gray finishes his breakfast and then proceeds to walk outside, still shivering.
Gray: “Gets less cold by the day…brrrr…”
Ryo: “Your body gets used to it.”
Gray: “Yeah…so what are we out here for?”
Roy: “Here I laid out a campfire pit over there. You kindle fire and then we will begin.”
Gray: “Okay!”
Gray walks over to the fire pit. He grabs two sticks and begins to try and kindle a fire.
Gray {Oh TV shows don’t fail me now!}
The fire starts to appear, exiting Gray. But it should be expected as during the last few days of training Ryo has put something physical into it, and yesterday was this very lesson. Gray tries to keep the snow off the fire before Ryo appears with a tent he sets up around them and the fire, with a whole at the top. It was reminiscent of a Tipi, made from some of the skin of the boar Gray had slain a few days earlier.
Ryo: “Here this will cover us as well as the fire.”
Gray: “Good thinking.”
Ryo holds a pot of tea over the fire, heating it.
Gray: “Won’t that hurt your hand?”
Ryo: “No.”
Gray: “Alright then…”
Ryo hands Gray a cup of freshly made tea.
Gray: “That was fast.”
Ryo: “I just needed to heat it up, now take a sip.”
Gray takes a sip, with the bitterness immediately hitting him. His face curls up, trying to get through the nasty taste.
Gray: “It’s...really…bitter…”
Ryo: “Yes, now what do you feel?”
Gray: “Nothing why?”
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Gray's vision starts to get blurry, he also starts to lose his senses scaring him.
Gray: “DID YOU DRUG ME!? I WOULD HAVE SIPPED IT IF YOU TOLD ME FIRST! I THINK!”
Gray stands up but immediately falls to the ground, landing in the snow.
Gray: “W…h…y…?”
Ryo: “Now brace yourself.”
Ryo sits Gray up, he then takes a step back and thrusts his palm into Gray’s chest, hitting his OD. The blurry vision fades out, and his sense of touch is removed in an instant, it was almost as if he died.
Gray {WHAT HAPPENED!? I CAN’T SEE, I CAN’T FEEL, DAMMIT I CAN’T DO ANYTHING!}
Gray tries to open his eyes, only seeing a bright blue mist. Gray starts to regain a few of his senses. He hears inaudible voices and feels the atmosphere around him, similar to being underwater.
Gray {Did that guy just kill me?}
Ryo {I didn’t kill you, this is your astral form.}
Gray {CAN YOU READ MY MIND!?}
Ryo {I have also entered my astral form. You just need to calm down and focus on my voice.}
Gray {But it’s too loud…I can’t}
Ryo {You said you need to get strong fast, this is how we do it.}
Gray {Yeah I know…but it’s just TOO MUCH!}
Ryo {FOCUS GRAY! DO IT NOW!}
Gray tries his hardest to focus, but his mind is repeatedly being screamed at. Like thousands of people inside his mind.
Ryo {Think of my face, my voice, your body, anything but the spirits.}
Gray {Okay…okay…}
The fog in Gray's mind starts to clean. He feels air blowing on his body, his hair flowing through the cold winter wind. He opens his eyes to see his body slumped down in the snow.
Gray: “Is that my body?”
Ryo floats up to Gray. Gray looks at himself seeing that he's a blue and transparent version of the man lying in the snow.
Gray: “So is this like my astral form?”
Ryo: “Precisely. The tea quickly relaxed your mind and I pushed you the rest of the way out.”
Gray: “COULD HAVE WARNED ME FIRST!”
Ryo: “I guess but you’re doing okay now aren’t you?”
Gray: “I feel a little sick…and my thoughts are so loud it hurts…and I can hear mumbling all around me…”
Ryo: “Those are spirits, the better you get adjusted to your spiritual self the stronger your connection will be. I have already mastered the state…and to be able to float around with the spirits is…is a blessing. The best blessing anyone could be given…other than life itself that is…”
Gray: “You said you don't want me to use spells because they can hurt spirits...if you feel so strongly about hurting spirits...what about hurting people?...killing people? I've killed a few people...some that didn't even attack me. Am I a bad person?"
Ryo: “Nobody is a good person...I care for the spirits so much because they give life to everything. People use that life and choose what they want to do with it. You used your life to take another...something that I have done as well. If you don't want to take a life then don't it. Just be you."
Gray: “Just be…me…now how do I get back to my body?”
Ryo: “Focus on something you like that makes you happy or calm, then close your eyes and seep back into your body.”
Gray: “Okay…just calm down…”
Gray {Rosemary…I hope you’re doing okay…I hope all of you are doing okay…}
Gray opens his eyes, he slowly gets up and finds himself in his bed back in Ryo's home. Hopping out of his bed he's a bit wobbly and notices through the kitchen window that by the sunlight it may be noon.
Gray: “How long was I out?”
Ryo: “A couple of hours. You did great, you have promise, now come with me.”
Gray: “About the sword stuff…Musashi wanted to train me in the water sword style…can you do that for me now?”
Ryo: “The water sword style?”
Gray: “Yeah water sword style, y’know like one of the four sword styles.”
Ryo: “Oooh, yeah that’s totally fake. Simply put it's just a personality test. Those sword styles haven’t been around since the early days of mana. Musashi just asked you which one you wanted to train in to see if you were the type of person he would teach.”
Gray: “REALL!? I wish he told me that…”
Ryo: “It’s an old trick, now I will teach you the next level of the Spirit Arts.”
Gray: “What’s it called?”
Ryo: “It's just a use of mana, but I don't think it has an official name.
Gray: “You gotta name 'em or they don’t feel as cool to use.”
Ryo takes Gray to a clearing in the forest.
Ryo: “Now watch me. Pull out your sword, then focus mana onto the blade and allow the spirits to do the same. Then once it’s powered up you swing the sword as so.”
Ryo pulls out his katana, the sword starts to give off a faint glow, with small white lights surrounding it. He swings the sword and the mana gets flung off the blade still keeping its shape, as if it’s being held in place by the spirits. The attack hit a tree, destroying the outer layer of bark.
Gray: “AWESOME!”
Ryo: “So explain what you thought I just did.”
Gray: “Umm…You got the spirits to hold the shape of your mana, so when you swung they kept the mana in the blade shape, allowing for a ranged, fast, pinpoint attack.”
Ryo: “Good job, that’s a perfect explanation!”
Gray: “Well I've done something similar I think…and I’m not that smart, I just kinda guessed.”
Ryo: “You’ve done something similar?”
Gray: “Oh yeah I haven't shown you…I did it when I was fighting in the knights' exam, I summoned a bunch of mana then I spun it into a sphere shape. I call it ``TItans Impact.”
Ryo: “TItans Impact…can you show it to me?”
Gray: “Yeah sure.”
Gray summons the orb of mana, the sight impresses Ryo. However Ryo also notices the strain it puts on both Grays body and mind to keep it going, show casing an obvious flaw.
Ryo: "Mh, to think using such a large amount of mana in such a simple way. Most would stray from this as it would be a waste, however, they would be wrong. You should be proud you've done something like this!"
Gray: "Really? It seems pretty simple and I'm not good at using it."
Ryo: “Something being simple doesn't matter. To you it was simple, that's all. Now can you hit that tree with it over there?”
Gray runs over to the tree, slamming the attack into it. It destroys the front of the trunk and causes large surges of pain to Gray's hand.
Ryo: “And you just did this without any practice?”
Gray: “Kinda, I practiced my mana control but I never made the entire thing…the idea wasn’t mine though, I saw something similar in a popular manga back home.”
Ryo: “Manga?”
Gray: “Doesn't matter.”
Ryo: “Well, to pull off an attack so quickly and under stressful circumstances…that requires amazing skill. You are one of if not the most talented knights I have ever seen, you just need more confidence in yourself. Your Titans Impact keeps its shape because of you spinning it…to think you have such strong mana that you can make small constructs with it.”
Gray: “You flatter me but I think you're pushing it on all the prodigy stuff…and TItans Impact hurts my hand so it’s not all good…”
Ryo: “You just need to strengthen your body, as well as using spirits to help keep the shape, so you do not have to think as much.”
Gray: “That would be helpful.”
Ryo: “Now you try to do it.”
Ryo tosses Gray his sword. Gray plants his feet takes a deep breath and composes himself.
Ryo: “Feel the spirits come towards you, slowly…build that connection.”
Gray {Connection…come on I have to do this! I can do this…}
Gray exhales and flows mana onto the sword. He can feel something getting closer to him, hearing mumbles in his head. Other thoughts, those same thoughts travel to the blade causing it to start to glow. And with his own mana feeding into it, he pushes even more, creating a large amount of glowing mana around the blade. Gray swings the sword, throwing the mana blade. However it quickly dissipates, leaving Gray somber.
Gray: “I threw it…but it didn’t go very far…”
Ryo: “Amazing…the fact you were able to do it…first try…you truly are worthy of this blessing.”
Gray: “You think so!? Sorry, sorry I gotta learn to keep my composure.”
Ryo: “It’s quite alright, now this starts the second step in your training. We will strengthen your control of the spirits and strengthen your body. You will learn the things you need to call yourself a spirit knight. So do you understand, it will be hard and it will hurt a lot, and because you want to go with your friends quickly it'll be a lot in a very short amount of time. But it is meant for you? Are you prepared to take on the burden of a true knight?
Gray: I've done somethin' similar with Musashi and Gordon, so I accept…and I want to be worthy of calling myself a knight.”
Ryo: “Well then…let us get started.”
End of Chapter Ten.