I froze, shocked at the question. Of all the things I thought the old man might say, this was not even close to being one of them. Apprentice? For what?

The old man didn't seem to understand what my reaction meant however and he continued talking. “I understand that it might be surprising, however I invite you to consider my offer.” He asked, looking curious at my reaction. “What would being your apprentice mean?” I ask, uncertainty clear in my face and voice. My first instinct was to just deny the offer out of hand, but I really do need somebody's help. This is a whole new world after all, so I need as much information as I can get.

Omnikia seemed surprised at my question, though I don’t really know why, but he answered quickly. “Well, I would become your master and teacher and I would train you to fight in the local summon fighting tournament, to win the right to fight in the national tournament and become a champion. Though I warn you, it will be hard. I will shape you into a true battle monk.”

I listened to his speech quietly, taking in the information. He wanted to be my coach. In a sport where summons fight in a tournament, where the contestants are called battle monks. Well, it was not the worst idea… but let's just find out a bit more first. “Ok, that sounds cool. But I am new here, like I said, so what else can you offer? Someplace to stay maybe?” I ask the old man, not so subtly suggesting I need somewhere to stay.

The old man seemed to consider it for a second before he smiled and looked up at me, “Of course. You would stay here with me. It is only right that as a teacher I would help you in your time of need.” He said, looking warmly at me. “Besides, this old man could use the company.” He said with a wizened old smile.

I smile too, this encounter is turning out to be a god send for me, but I ask one last question before I accept. “Just one more question then,” I say to Omnikia before asking “What would training for summon fighting look like? I don't know much about summon fighting in general.” I finished looking at him.

He seemed surprised by my question, but only just a little. I got the feeling that most people didn't know much about the sport, but he thought I would have for some reason. Probably something to do with my amount of summons or the way I fought the oversized lion.

“Well, training from me would include learning about both body and nature ki and practice fighting with your summons. As you have not had training before, you will have to work hard. The tournament is starting quite soon if I remember correctly.” Omnikai says, leaving me more than a little confused, but I just sigh. I really don't have any better options, unless living in the forest counts. I am honestly not sure how I would even get a better offer than having a free place to live and learning about this world in exchange for training to participate in a unique summon fighting sport.

“Yes, I accept.” I say, no regret in my voice, but there is some hesitation. ‘I hope I made the right call….’ I think as Omnikia nods happily and we stand up. “Then go and wash yourself off in the stream boy. You are covered in blood.” Omnikia tells me, making me look down at myself in surprise. ‘I didn't even notice that…’ I thought to myself as I looked down at my blood soaked and torn clothes, that are holding up surprisingly well given everything they had been through.

“Right…” I sighed and I started heading across the field to where I saw the stream. “There is a bucket and cloth hanging by my house! Use them!” Omnikia called after me, apparently amused by something. I just give him a thumbs up as I jog to clean myself up and change course.

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Omnikia P.O.V.

I looked over the scene with a heavy mind. The bloody corpse of the nemean lion was not something I thought I would see any time soon, and the way it died… The memory of the boy that was now my apprentice beating its brains out with his bare fists started replaying in my mind, but I shut it down quickly. That was the most brutal scene I had been a spectator in, ever. Even my own regular excursions into the Eastern Woods to cull the more dangerous monsters didn't compare. This boy was a beast given human form…

I chuckled to myself at that thought. My old friends called me a beast, but compared to this savage warrior of a boy, I was practically one of those old robed teachers from the temple back when I was a boy. While I was never the best fighter of the land, I made up for it with my sheer will and tactics that made me as well known as I am. I nearly won the tournament when I was a boy because of it, but now….

As the thought of my torment entered into my mind once again, I shoved it away. It is time to move on from the past and find my revenge another way, through the path of a teacher.

I would have scoffed at the idea if it ever occurred before I saw this boy, but I could see the potential in this boy. So blinding that I asked him to become my apprentice at once. Then the boy had the audacity to tell me that he had not even known what that meant! I could see that he wasn't even lying though, so I held myself in. How it is even possible not to know what being an apprentice battle monk meant…

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Then there was the matter of his origins. He came from the eastern woods without a care in the world, his summons with him. He told me that he was from a place called ‘Earth’ and seemed to feel it was a very long way away, and I was inclined to believe him. I have not heard of this place, and that itself is telling for numerous reasons. It would have to be far, far away from the reach of the northern empire for it to remain unknown for long.

It would have been conquered or destroyed long ago, the emperor would have made sure of that. He was always a power hungry and foolish man.

Then there were the boys' clothes… They appeared to be of very fine quality, clearly made by a master of the art, but the design was so strange and unique, yet seeming comfortable and form fitting like it was made for the boy. A clear sign of a noble boy, spoiled by his parents from a young age in this place he called Earth. Yet, they were worn, torn and dirty. As if they had been through many fights.

Many things did not add up. A boy from a land far from the reach of the empire, of noble origins, made to survive alone and gain power as he traveled. Alone, with no help in sight. He seemed like a boy on the run, perhaps from his own family. But how he survived in the Eastern Woods alone… I shook my head in confusion. He must have only entered the outskirts of the woods, it only makes sense.

I look upon the bloody battlefield the boy made once more before standing up. I sighed and thought to myself with one final thought, ‘Whatever the origins of this boy, I will aid him on his path to greatness.’

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Arnold P.O.V.

I washed up quickly using the bucket and cloth that Omnikia directed me to use, shivering from the fresh cold water from the stream as I scrubbed the blood off my body and into the stream, coloring it red as it slipped away downstream. If my clothes weren't black, I was sure they would have been dyed red at this point.

I left the stream as soon as I felt marginally clean to find the supplies I had gathered, though I suspected that I wouldn't need them any more, and I grabbed the backpack that I had thrown off when I emerged from the trees and slung it onto my shoulders with a grunt of effort. My body was still very sore from the effort of beating up a lion the size of a house. Who would have thought?

I looked around me, taking in the bright grassy clearing and the structures that I supposed I would be calling home now. The hut was larger than when it first appeared, being about the size of a larger classroom from my old school. It was a nice old place too, clearly well lived in and cared for, as I could see in the various potted plants and thingsI could see on the walls and through the glass pains of the window facing me. It really reminded me of what I imagined a typical old cottage in the country would look like.

There was an interesting circle of stone about the same size as the cottage a little ways away from the cottage. Inside the circle there was a small circular pit of stone and outside the circle of stones being four pillars with strange carvings that looked like some ancient pictogram language, like ancient egyptian but they had a more runic feel to them. Who knows, maybe they are genuine runes. I have seen enough things that it genuinely would not surprise me at this point.

Then I noticed that heading away from the cottage in the clearing was a cobblestone path just out of the way and cutting a path through the trees, and I couldn't help but wonder where it led. Maybe it led to a road that led to the village the old man mentioned? Perhaps the same one I saw on the mountain? If it did, I wouldn't know. The mountain was probably a ways away from here, seeing as I couldn't see it over the trees. I wasn't sure however.

Then I realized something that made me pause. Both Omnikia and the body of the nemean lion were gone. The spot where I had fought the oversized lion was very clearly empty, and I was put on edge by the sight of the clean green and swaying grass where the fight had happened just a few minutes ago.

I quickly turned myself around in a circle, trying to see where the body was, or Omnikia for that matter, but I saw nothing but the green plants and the two structures I had noted before. “What?” I said out loud in absolute confusion as I took in the absence of the humongous beast that I had killed. Did I actually kill it? Did it eat the old man and run into the forest without me noticing?

Just as I was about to start panicking, I felt a prod on my back that caused me to spin quickly on my heels in shock. “Don't sneak up on me like that…” I said a moment later after recognizing Omnikia who was behind me, having poked my shoulder. Then the sight of him fully registered and I frowned in confusion. “How did you get behind me so fast?” I asked the old man, who was smiling vaguely and did not answer but smiled a little wider.

I sighed as I realized that I probably just didn't notice him while I was looking around and instead asked another question to the old monk. “What happened to the lion's body?” I asked carefully, looking to where the fight had taken place a few minutes earlier with confusion.

“I took care of it.” the old man said vaguely, gesturing to the same spot I was looking at and causing me to look at the frail old man in surprise. “How did you-” I started, but was cut off by Omnikia, “I have my ways. Now, it is time for your first lesson as my student, young Arnold.”

Then the old man turned around carefully and he started walking slowly to the stone circle I had taken note of earlier, obviously expecting me to follow him.