Chapter 12
The Last Thing That Can Be Taught
“Enter,” a weary voice could be heard on the other side of the stone door. Silent did as the voice said. The door shrunk and then regrew.
“Chief,” Sai greeted respectfully, looking at both the large man that played chief and the servant looking man who held the position. “I have a few matters that I would like to discuss please,” Silent didn't ask, he knew the Chief liked straightforwardness and honesty.
“What is it?” The man who acted chief asked, confusing Sai. Sai replied anyway, assuming that there was a situation that required the Chief to need this secrecy in front of someone who was already told the truth about the matter.
“I wish to learn your lightning magic.” Sai claimed, a spark could be seen in the acting Chief’s eyes.
He responded quickly. “That isn't up to me. You must ask him,” the younger and larger man said, nodding toward the true chief.
Sai quickly looked over to the knowledgeable servant like chief, still confused, “Umm, what's going on here.”
“You are asking for something that isn't your Chief’s to give out,” the strong looking man with lightning in his eyes said.
“I thought he was the Chief, he told me that you were his apprentice.” Sai voiced his confusion.
“Is that so? He always has taken all the credit.” The situation became more and more confusing. “The truth is something that we keep very secret, but at this point, all you need to know is that we both have a position of power and that we answer to each other.” The bigger chief stared at the smaller one the same way that Lilith would stare at Lavits when he did something she didn't like. “From the outside, I am to be addressed as chief, the only other person that knows this situation is your father and it cannot be discussed.” The large Chief explained.
At this point, Sai had a premonition that he left at the very back of his mind, hoping that neither of them could discern it on his face, or even through spiritually reading his mind. “Umm, so, can you please teach me your lightning magic?” Sai asked once more.
The more amiable Chief answered this time. While still standing by the larger chief who was sitting at the desk. The servant like chief had his arm draped on the back of the other’s stone chair. “I will teach you if you can prove that you can handle having learned earth and wind magic.”
“How do you want me to do that?”
“Create something solid with both, something like this chair,” The smaller chief said while tapping in the back of the other chief’s seat.
“Easy,” Silent answered. Directly next to it, Sai built another chair of solid rock. He used the golden energy that he normally would absorb to create it with earth. He did this because creating anything solid couldn't be done with wind magic, only its elemental essence. Sai had mastered both of these things, and even mastered the fire like version of this as well.
While one hand was used to condense the essence of earth, the other hand was pointing downward, forming a chair for himself out of wind essence. It was light blue and looked like the sky on a bright day. Both of the chairs were finished at the same time, and required very little effort. The essence in then was spaced out enough to even make the chair of earth soft. If it were condensed though, the chair would only be large enough to be considered a misshapen shoe.
The eyes of both chief’s brightened. Sai sat down at this time. The smaller chief did so as well. With a satisfied look on his face he said, “I do think it is time to teach you thunder magic.”
Sai was very excited, but he had a few more things to do while here. The first was important to the Chiefs, while the second was impact to him. “What should I call you two chiefs in order to differentiate you while speaking?”
The small chief answered before the other could, “You can differentiate us by calling me ‘Little Chief’ and calling him ‘Big Chief’. Outside of this room however just talk about us as if we are the same person.”
“I see,” Silent answered. This nearly confirmed the situation. “Next, I would like to explore when I finish learning thunder magic. The best way I will be able to protect my family is to become much stronger.”
“This, your skill is great and will likely grow more outside of the village, you are still very young. We will have to think on this,” Big Chief answered.
“Oh. I was merely being courteous by asking,” Sai claimed, “I will depart in just a few weeks either way in order to become stronger. My strength will be the tribe’s strength, and my victories, the tribe's.”
The two Chiefs looked taken aback. No one had given them so little respect, even children. “Why would I teach you thunder magic if you are going to treat us like this? Why would I even allow you to live?” Little Chief was angry. Disrespect like this towards the chief was punishable by death in the tribe.
“It is for the good of the tribe,” Sai tested. He knew that he would anger the Chiefs, he did so anyway to see if they were actually the people his father claimed they were. He wondered if they truly killed anyone who became too strong.
“Child, you best mind your manners. If we wanted to we would end your family and you. However we have great expectations of you. We expect you to become the next chief, after we are gone. If this is how you plan on treating us then we absolutely will find another person and you will be forced to stop cultivating.”
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The threat was not a small one. Silent knew that he couldn't actually defeat these two, one in the top of the elementary realm, the other almost at basic level two. Sai could absolutely beat anyone in the elementary level since one is only as strong as muscles can allow at those levels. The basic level in martial cultivation though made your skin and muscles as strong as a boulder. No matter how sharp the blade, you can't cut a boulder with a simple slice. Also after reaching basic level two with elemental cultivation, one would essentially be as physically strong as someone at the the beginning of the basic realm for martial cultivation. So on this note, no matter how the Little Chief cultivates, his body is likely to be rock hard and unable to be cut with a simple knife or sword. This meant that Silent had to train before forcibly removing those two warmongers from power.
“My apologies Chiefs, I was testing to see if you were truly as rash as people say,” Sai lied. Something to be said about being able to see into other people's minds,is being able to tell if people were being honest. If you had a way of blocking this, no one could tell, they would just be weary. But Sai did one better, he believed what he said in one part of his mind while hiding his intentions in another. In short, the Chiefs bought it.
“Who made that claim?” Big Chief asked.
Sai didn't know how to answer. He hadn't prepared that far, so he closed his mouth and looked forward. It looked almost like he was blaming the Little Chief with his actions. “I may have mentioned it once…” The Little Chief confirmed. In truth, Sai forgot that he had mentioned that his ‘partner’ was a warmonger.
“We will speak about this later, teach the boy then return.” The Big Chief was visibly angry. Sai however felt relieved. He had thought that the Little Chief wouldn’t teach him knowing that he would leave the tribe soon. Sai knew however that if he were to leave, he would have to remove those two from power somehow. If he didn’t do so, his family would be in danger. Sai just had to figure out a way to get them to leave voluntarily. His other option was to forcefully make them leave power, but they already want Sai to become the next chief. Sai was in a terrible position. Either put his family in danger, convince power hungry dictators to leave, or beat those dictators out of town.
The Little Chief led the way to the training ground once again. He and Sai were standing across from each other, and he showed Sai the moves to make and explained the way that the energy of thunder is seen in the world. “Thunder is powerful, it is also only rarely found in a way that someone could survive is by absorbing the energy of the thunder is by someone using it nearby. The fastest way is by someone using it directly on you. Earth being below you isn’t like this, wind being around you isn’t like this. Water can be found in most everything, so it doesn’t require this, and fire can be found under the ground…”
His voice trailed off. Sai knew that the reason for this was Orza. “Take in these words. The best way to absorb any elemental energy is to be surrounded by it. This means that if you were to absorb earth energy in a deep river, you would find it hard to do so. This also means that if you were to absorb earth energy while on the ground, that will be the energy that you get most. This also means is that in order to learn some of the more powerful daos you would do best to surround yourself with those sorts of things. This also means that in many cases, it will be dangerous to learn these daos, and you will have to work harder and harder to learn more powerful daos because they will fight you harder and harder while you learn them.” Orza said without even greeting Sai. “Also, this means that you must do your best to survive this experience, or you will die trying to learn how to use thunder magic.”
“What!” Sai exclaimed, Orza had already left though, time started to speed up at that same time. Meanwhile, the Little Chief was finishing his short speech.
“...Lightning however must be found by someone showing it to you.” At the end of his speech, he lifted up a hand, and like a person from a late 1970’s science fiction film, lightning surged out of his fingertips. Sai reacted quickly and his shield was struck. As the electricity hit the shield, it broke through the wooden center. Sai began to absorb the energy while at the same time repairing his shield with earth magic. When the thunder flowed through his shield, it immediately wrapped around Sai.
Pain, more pain than he had felt in this life before. It was obvious that the Chiefs were using this as a way of dealing with Sai. Little Chief, even after being so amiable was now trying to kill Sai. After teaching him how to use earth magic, he was trying to kill Sai with thunder magic. No matter how much Sai tried, he was incapable of creating some kind of defense against thunder. Sai was still trying to absorb the thunder.
This was the breaking point. Sai felt his skin melting. It was either do or die. Sai knew that he would look like his shield if he didn't do something fast. Sai grabbed his throwing knife and willed earth to climb up to it, his small body was barely able to move. All of a sudden the electricity being forced into him ceased. His makeshift lightning rod saved him.
Not even a second later the thunder ceased from the little Chief's hands. “What are you doing boy!” He shouted. Clearly he was angry that Sai hadn't already died. It was an attack that used a large portion of the little Chief’s power, but his thunder was merely a static shock clocked to fifteen. It was able to kill, and it did have amperage, but it was not able to kill someone who was as versed in the earth element as Sai. Sai was like a ground wire, he couldn't be electrocuted, but that doesn't mean that if he took too much that he wouldn't be melted from the thunder.
“I'm sorry, I need to try again, but that time I was unaware at your strength,” Sai explained. Clearly both knew that the actions of the little Chief were to kill. Sai however couldn't strike back, not only because he hadn't mastered absorbing thunder energy, but also because he didn't have the heart to take a life. That kind of existence was not one he had signed up for.
“Fine. Again!” Little Chief yelled, at the same time, the makeshift lightning rod was engulfed by the floor. Less than one breath later violet snakes erupted out of his hands, arcing through the space toward Sai.
This time, Sai was prepared. He aimed a standing meditative stance, and just before the thunder reached his ribs it changed into tiny beads of energy. Sai could absorb the energy that the Little Chief thought would be enough to kill him, but when the Little Chief saw Sai succeed he pushed more and more power out.
Sai had to stop him this time, but had to also succeed. He allowed the thunder to penetrate his flesh and he absorbed it from there. Sai knew he had to make it look good, good enough that he would not be truly killed.
Sai feel backwards onto the ground, the Little Chief walked closer and closer. Sai knew this was going to hurt, but he would have to survive it. Sai allowed the electrical current to rip a large hole into his chest. He remembered the spell to heal now, so he wasn't too worried. Sai then closed his mind. A trick he had learned from his grandmother.
By the Little Chief's account, Sai should be dead. A training accident gone wrong. The spirit search that the little Chief did at that moment confirmed that not only was Sai looking dead, he no longer had any brain activity.
Sai’s eyes glazed over as if he were sleeping with them open. He truly seemed to be dead. The Little Chief didn't maintain power for no reason though. A thick spike emerged out of the ground and impaled the small boy. Puncturing a lung and protruding from Sai’s ribs on the other side.