Zane stood in the center of the empty practice field and watched as Dre Song worked out. The old man was a strange one. He had a black beard that reached down to his belt, but no hair anywhere else on his body. His skin was wrinkled like an old leather bag, and his arms were thin and wiry, though he was clearly still strong enough to lift the enormous sword strapped across his back.

"You're doing well," Dre said, stopping for a moment and wiping sweat from his face. "I don't know how you managed to stay alive all those years without learning anything."

"It wasn't my choice," Zane replied.

Dre nodded. "Of course not. I'll teach you what I can. You have a good memory?"

Zane nodded again.

"Good. We'll start here." Dre pulled his sword from its sheath and held it up to the sun. The blade was long and thin, perfect for slashing and stabbing. "This is a katana. A Japanese word meaning 'straight. Now, if you want to be a great swordsman, you need to understand your enemy. How does he fight? What weapons do you have available to you? You must also understand the terrain.

Zane listened intently, his eyes fixed on the sword.

"Now, let's go through some basic moves. Take a step forward and try to attack me."

Zane did as instructed, holding his sword loosely at his side.

"Don't rush into things," Dre said. "You must control the blade, think of it as an extension of yourself. Let your muscles move before your mind. And never, ever point the tip of your sword at someone unless you intend to kill them."

Zane nodded.

"Very good. Now, strike."

Zane took another step forward and swung his sword toward Dre's head. The old man stepped aside and brought his own sword around in a diagonal slash. blocking it easily

The boy took a few steps forward and swung his sword at Dre.

Dre stepped away again, parrying the blow with his shorter weapon. "Now, what happens if I step inside your swing?"

"You get hit," Zane said.

"Exactly. If you swing too hard, you'll lose control of your body weight. So, you stop short of hitting me, and then I counterattack. Try again."

They went through a series of attacks and counters until Dre stopped him. "Good. Now, what happens if you miss?"

"I die," Zane said.

"Correct. You've got to learn to control your strikes so that you don't hit anything vital. Otherwise, you'll just end up killing yourself on accident. A couple nicks to the skin is to be expected, losing a hand isn't. Now, let's try something different." Dre began moving about the field, attacking and defending as he called out commands. Zane followed him, trying to figure out the pattern of the attacks. After several minutes, they broke for lunch.

"How are you feeling?" Dre asked.

"Fine," Zane answered.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"No pain?"

"Nothing," Zane said.

"Good. Let's see if we can get you a little bit stronger."

Zane sat down and watched as Dre Song lifted a large rock and dropped it onto a piece of wood. Then he lifted the wood and slammed it against the ground. Finally, he picked up the stone and began swinging it at the wood.

"You're getting tired," Zane observed.

"A little," Dre admitted. "But I'm not giving up yet. The only way to get better is to work harder than everyone else."

Zane watched silently as Dre continued to swing the heavy stone. Sweat dripped from his forehead and ran down his neck, staining his shirt red.

"Do you want to quit?" Zane asked.

Dre looked over at Zane, and then laughed. "What makes you think I'd give up now? My whole life is a waste if I don't keep training."

"But you're old," Zane said.

"And you're young. But I'll tell you what. If you can beat me, you're ready to go out there and take the world by storm."

Zane nodded.

"I hope you have the guts to do it," Dre said.

Zane nodded again.

"This will be your first real test, a real sparring match with me, and try not to hold back. If you don't come at me like you plan on killing me you'll hardly be a match" says Dre.

Zane nodded again.

"Okay, I want you to attack me."

Zane stepped forward and raised his sword.

Dre ducked under the blow and came up behind Zane, grabbing his wrist and twisting it sharply. "Ow!" Zane cried out.

"Good," Dre said. "Now, try again."

Zane tried to twist free, but Dre held on tight. He pushes Zane backward, forcing him to stumble.

Zane fell backwards and landed on his ass. "Ouch," he muttered.

"I mentioned earlier your guard was too lax, now it's too tight, your so stiff you can barely move" Dre said.

"Sorry," Zane said.

"It's okay," Dre said. "Let's start over."

Zane stood up and took his guard, dre did the same. The two run at each other as their swords clash together.

"Don't hold back," Dre commanded.

Zane attacked, Dre defended. They clashed blades again and again, Zane growing more confident and faster. Dre's attacks became quicker, more powerful, and less predictable. Zane fought on, trying to find a weakness in the older man's style. He was no longer holding back.

"Enough," Dre said after a long bout. "You win."

Zane breathed heavily, sweat dripping from his brow. "I won?"

"Yes. You've got talent, but you need to learn how to use it. Perhaps won wasn't the right word"

"You said I could go out there and take the world by storm," Zane said.

"That's true, but I didn't say it'd be today, you have talent and you've come along way in the past 5 months but you have much more training to go."

"Why do I have to be so strong?" Zane asked.

"Because if you aren't, you'll die," Dre said. " I have hundreds of enemies, who would stop at nothing to see me dead, they too are now your enemies. "

"Who are you fighting?" Zane asked.

"Myself," Dre said. "When you get out there, you'll be fighting people who are every bit as good as I am. You'll be facing people who will try to kill you, and you must be prepared to do the same to them."

"But I'm not even that good," Zane protested.

"No, but you're going to be. I know what you can do, and I know where you're lacking. It's time for you to grow up, and become a man."

Zane stood silently for a moment, considering. "Can I ask you something?" he finally asked.

"Sure," Dre said.

"Why did you train me?" Zane asked. "I mean, why me?"

"Your a fine young man Zane, as fine as they come. Your humble, kind hearted and genuinely care about people, even those who are for the better part strangers to you. Some say the most fierce or warriors have the softest hearts. "

"So you thought I might make a good swordsman?"

"I knew you would. You were born to it, and you deserve it. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"Thanks," Zane said. "I feel a lot better."

"Then we should head home. We've got a long day tomorrow, and I want to spend some time with my wife before she goes back to school."

Dre and Zane walk deeper into the mountains and head home.