I awakened early and stretched out on the dewy ground, letting out a long yawn. The previous night was restless as I stayed up late gazing at the celestial sky above. After my early morning hunting escapade, I started preparing our meal at our temporary encampment. Glancing over at Darius, I noticed he had cried through the night, evidenced by dried tears staining his attire.

After indulging in some cooked rabbit, I walked over to gently rouse him from his slumber. We needed to continue our trek up the mountain, not only because this makeshift campsite was unfit for prolonged stay, but also because Darius required training to improve his stamina. The higher elevation may prove beneficent towards his exercise regimen.

"Mmm?" Darius groggily mumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he stirred awake. The morning sun filtered through the trees, casting an ethereal glow. His clothes were rumpled and his hair disheveled from his restless night of slumber.

"Are you doing okay, Darius?" I asked carefully, crouching beside him.

He let out a heavy sigh, laced with sadness. "I just...miss my family," he said wistfully, trailing off in a morose tone.

"You'll be fine, you're with me," I assured him. "We will train hard enough so that something like that never occurs again."

"I guess you're right," Darius replied.

"Would you care for some cooked rabbit?" I offered, gesturing to the freshly prepared hot meal.

...

After we ascended the side of the diminutive peak, Darius collapsed onto the ground, drawing in deep breaths. I could hear the leaves rustling under him as he turned his gaze towards the verdant canopy above.

"Do you think we'll be staying here?" he asked, his words punctuated by labored breaths.

"Yes, I believe we will," I answered positively.

The expanse of land fit our needs and was perfect for our training exercises. After setting up camp, I made my way to a thick tree and created a wooden katana from it. The hardwood was quite heavy and durable which would benefit in Darius in his training as it would last longer and had nearly the same weight as a sword. Approaching him, I placed the blade beside him as he marveled at the breathtaking scenery around us, lost in thought.

Looking down at the sudden noise Darius exclaimed "Wow, this is a cool looking wooden sword. It must have been quite costly, sir,"

"I created it myself. And please, refrain from addressing me as sir, but instead as Master Hikaru," I corrected him, with a hint of amusement in my tone.

"So, Master Hikaru, when can I start learning those exciting sword forms and utilizing innate energy like you?" Darius inquired eagerly.

"Not so fast, my pupil. First, you'll need to master the fundamental sword movements," I replied, chuckling softly.

"What exactly are these fundamental sword movements?" Darius queried in his child-like innocence.

"They are the basic sword movements that every true samurai should know as it will help them a long way," I explained, then tossing him one of my self-made scrolls.

"All the necessary information is contained within this scroll. But if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask."

Darius' eyes lit up with excitement, "I will learn them all in two days!"

I simply laughed,"I'm afraid there's scarcely any chance that you'll be able to execute the basic sword movements with admirable speed and precision in just one day."

"I'll prove you wrong!" pouted Darius, grabbing the scroll and wooden sword before plonking himself onto a nearby log and devouring the scroll's contents with unrelenting focus.

As I observed Darius intently pore over the scroll, I couldn't help but suppress a smirk at the comical expression on his face. Making my way to a clearing, I unsheathed my sword, but the weight of the looming challenges ahead left me apprehensive. I knew I had to eliminate the second in command, then the first in command, and ultimately the shogun himself, in order to secure the safety of not only myself but countless others terrorized and hunted by the forces of the shogun.

...

As the sun had started to set, I collapsed onto the ground. My bare chest heaving with each labored breath whilst beads of perspiration clung to my skin, still slick with sweat. My ebony and plum sword lay discarded a few feet away from the grim and desolate landscape that had turned from a nature's utopia to a deforestation surrounded me.

After standing up with what felt to be every ounce of my energy I trudged my way back to camp, Darius who appeared to be extremely fatigued was still swinging his sword.

"Theses no point in swinging Darius, for it will only make your form sloppier," I reprimanded sternly.

"Very well," groaned Darius, in pain and fatigue, before making his way into the decent shack I had set up.

Shaking my head and mumbling something about the kids, I followed suit and stepped inside the cozily furnished interior. While the exterior may have appeared average, the interior was nothing short of remarkable, complete with all the necessary amenities. Gazing upon Darius, sleeping soundly on his mat, I decided to indulge in a brief respite myself before partaking in napping. Upon donning my comfortable sleepwear, I stifled a yawn. I had been attempting to activate my second blockage during training, the task had proven quite challenging though not insurmountable.

...

"Wake up!" a youthful voice boomed.

"Huh?" I inquired groggily.

"It's about time you awake, Master Hikaru," announced Darius, now visible to me.

"I grew too hungry to wait. I prepared a meal for us both," he continued before vacating the room.

As I rose to my feet, my thoughts began to reorient themselves. It was midnight, and by all accounts, I had clearly overslept. My brief doze had turned into a lengthy sleep. Upon entering the adjoining kitchen and living area, I was met with two bowls of savory stew, one with a label denoting Darius' ownership and a plain one.

Wasting no time, I greedily consumed mine within moments, realizing belatedly how famished I had been. Darius walked in soon after, wooden sword in tow, droplets of perspiration dotting his forehead as he sat down at the table for the meal.

"Did you finish it all that fast?" he questioned incredulously.

"Yeah, I hadn't realized my famished state," I replied awkwardly.

"Very well, old-timer," retorted Darius, smirking.

"I'm not aged, you brat. A mere couple of years sets us apart," I muttered irritably.

"A young fossil remains a fossil all the same," came Darius' rejoinder.

"That is confusingly untrue," I chuckled.

"Well your scroll also seems to be confusingly untrue. You wrote that you repeatedly execute the same routine sword swings umpteen times," grumbled Darius.

"Consistency is the key, my young pupil," I opined.

"In any event, I should be ready to show you that I've learnt every basic attack by tomorrow," declared Darius.

"My, my, how optimistic.

"Nevertheless, my assessment of your skills awaits us tomorrow. but for now I'll go back to sleep for the night." I announced, proceeding to my mat.

As soon as I layed down I fell asleep on the comfortable mat, enjoying an uncommonly serene night's rest to the uncommon sounds of swordplay and crickets taking up the soundless night.