Lucky Prodigy

14: Hero's Match

^^ Grand Templar Benjamin Waylon ^^

— Zoken —

I considered my options, as the Sage gave us his blessing to begin the match. He'd surprised us all by how calm he was about the situation, and how readily he gave permission, but I realized it didn't deviate from his teachings at all; I wasn't allowed to kill this man, not because it would start a war, but because all life, even the life of an asshole like this one, was precious.

It made me think of why he'd allowed us to kill the bandits, but I quickly solved that; they'd been wanton murders and slave-takers, and it wasn't that their lives didn't have meaning, it's just that killing them had brung about a positive effect, more so than the negative of their deaths.

'It's all about balance... that's all it is. We just have to tip the scales towards good, every once in a while, that's all... balance is the key.' I smiled, and breathed deeply, letting my rage course through me, filling my body with copious amounts of adrenaline and other hormones I wasn't properly aware of, but I didn't allow it to affect my mind. Then, my spirit moved according to my mind, and pressed itself closer to my body, controlling my body's movements.

Master's eyes pierced into me as I did this, and he smirked. 'There he is... did you finally figure it out?' He asked happily, and then looked at my opponent. "'Begin.'" His voice echoed in my brain and out loud, again, and my opponent stumbled from the intrusion, clutching his skull.

I waited for him to recover, as my instincts screamed at me to pounce on him while he was weak, but I simply let the instincts wash over me; mere suggestions, that's all they were. Instincts were just your subconscious mind trying to direct your body, taking in sensory data and creating scenarios, then preparing your body for them.

When he recovered, he charged forward, and I set my feet slowly, taking my time. Moving too quickly would be bad. We'd all made that mistake in our training, trying to move full speed as soon as our seals were released. The trick was, you used the exact amount of speed an action required, and nothing more.

He was slow, I realized, waiting patiently for him to reach me, and after another moment, I sheathed my sword, as it felt unfair, me having my weapon against what was essentially a child, by our standards.

He looked confused, but wasn't in control of his momentum enough to stop, so he charged forward, growling savagely.

His form was decent, and I definitely understood his confidence; when I was that weak, I'd believed myself strong, for just a moment; then the Sage had beaten me and the others all to a pulp with one hand, barely even touching us, and we were reminded of what we were reaching for.

Power wasn't a destination, it was a journey, a steep mountain that few had the tenacity to climb for any period of time, and even fewer ever climbed far. Some people found points and peaks along the way, and proclaimed that the top, while others climbed slowly past them. Some fell off the mountain, unable to continue. Some reached a plateau, and couldn't understand how to continue upward.

The top of that summit, whatever that was, I wanted that; not for selfish reasons, like some would, but because I truly wished to be of use. That's all. I wanted others to be able to relax, to loosen their belts and sleep soundly, knowing I was there. Not to make them lose their readiness, but more as a wish they wouldn't have to be ready. I knew that was a crazy, unattainable wish, but so was power, so why not reach?

I chuckled, and then noticed the Hero had moved much closer, while I thought. His sword was almost touching me, now. I debated how to react, and then simply pushed the blade away to the left, grabbing his wrist and lifting him, slamming him like a hammer into the ground, then tossing him away.