Luvi realized she was falling behind in her physical training just a few days after making such significant progress in her studies. To make matters worse, she was reminded less than a week ago that she needed to ensure she had mastered the art of meditation before beginning her upcoming training.
Her teacher informed her that this would be difficult but also a "once in a lifetime privilege" that she would regret not pursuing if she was unprepared. Luvi tried to calm herself as her sudden realizations began to daze her. Despite her best efforts, the fear of the circumstance had penetrated her inner being, upending all the self-assurance she had built up.
Once in a lifetime, perhaps? What might that mean? Maybe her teacher was going to impart to her some incredible skill that has been passed down through the generations - something so potent and enigmatic that it might even be deadly. Now it all made sense… a week to get ready to concentrate in order to train for a few weeks, training that would change her life forever! Luvi was left with no option. She would have to focus for the entire day, making every effort to become proficient in meditation in addition to developing inner focus.
She took up the position of meditation first. Luvi bent over and started to look inward, just as her teacher had shown her so many times before. A mixture of emotions, fierce but subdued, harsh and embracing, was inside her. This had to be more difficult than she had anticipated!
She started going deep inside of herself to find out exactly what it was that was making her feel so excited. Gradually, she started to reflect on the previous few days. Training, the joy she experienced upon getting better and starting to explore her new abilities. The inner assurance she gained from getting praised.
At this point, Luvi opened her eyes and started to go to her new favorite location. It was only a few miles away. Luvi loved the dark as much as the light, so she wasn't too concerned about the sun setting and the few hours before dusk, but she was aware that getting a good night's sleep would probably help her with her "special" training more than anything else.
Looking around her as she ascended a hill, she searched for a spot free of puddles where she could sit and concentrate. She knelt, relaxed her face, closed her eyes, and started to concentrate. Everything around her had a clean, fresh, and pleasant scent. She was reminded of that day, when she fell to the ground in a heap as the rain continued to pour, by the slight scent of rain passing by.
Luvi opened her eyes and looked at herself, feeling more at peace than she had felt in a long time. She became aware that the sky was getting darker and that she had been sitting still for quite a while, with the time passing by so smoothly and swiftly that it seemed as though she had been asleep! She got up and made her way back to her house, gazing up at the setting sun.
The next day, Luvi felt a rush of anticipation as soon as she opened her eyes. She jumped out of bed as soon as she realized what day it was, scurrying around in search of food and fearing that she might not have everything she needed. She realized her teacher would be here soon, probably very soon, as she looked up at the sky outside. That's when she realized she had to stop herself before a panic attack drove her insane.
She knelt down and started to concentrate, using her experiences from the previous day. She could feel the rain and the wind, smell the pleasant scent of a warm afternoon, feel the surrounding air moving with her, feel the water pulsing as it ran along the ground, and feel the tranquility of the rain. This was it, the secret to her tranquility, that location she could instantly access within herself whenever necessary...
There was a knock on the door, just barely enough to disturb her serene mood. Swiftly getting up, she strode across the room, gripping the door handle, feeling fluid and focused.
Luvi's face was turned to the ground as she followed her teacher through the streets. She didn't look to the ground out of obedience, guilt, or shyness, nor did she look to it to avoid making eye contact. Luvi searched the earth for the simple joy of finding the various stone varieties that formed the road and were arranged in brick patterns.
Her curiosity stemmed from a simple understanding of life's patterns. Life was meant to be winding, not like a brick road. Today, she found herself calmly focused, self-assured, and most importantly, happy. For today was the day she would meet a new teacher of a new fighting style.
Her teacher turned and addressed his valued pupil as they got closer to a rather large building. "Listen carefully, Luvi. I'm sure you have incredible talent, but you need to stay focused and challenge yourself! This is a good man, but you only have a few weeks to train with him before he plans to move on to another city, so show me that I was right about you all along.”
He cleared his throat and continued, “I have no idea when he will return or exactly what he will teach you, so get ready to put in a lot of effort and pick things up quickly. Additionally, don't be shocked if he makes you relearn some fundamentals. He demands perfect accuracy.”
A man in a brown cloak, a boy, and a man in black all had swords strapped to them as they entered the building and peered menacingly at Luvi and her teacher. The person dressed in brown had a polearm that was made of gleaming steel and had the sharpest edge Luvi had ever seen. A man dressed in black carried three swords - Two at his sides and one behind his back. The boy only had one sword slung over his back.
"Give me your money," the man brandishing three swords said as he drew closer. He spoke like a thug who meant what he said.
Luvi’s teacher abruptly reached over and placed his hand on her shoulder as she had already reached behind her to grasp her sword. With a sudden smile on his face, the older man said, "You old dog! I see you are as scary as ever!”
He turned to face Luvi and said, "This is an old sparring buddy of mine. I think he brought his son here to train. Did I mention that you had some competition?” Luvi indicated she had no idea what was going on by shaking her head.
My son isn't losing to anyone, especially someone like you," the large man said, turning to face Luvi.
Abruptly, the door behind the men flew open, letting out a burly man who appeared wiser than his years. He had a weapon with elaborate dragon-patterned designs on his back, and two swords — one on the left and one on the right — were resting at his sides. He gave Luvi’s teacher a warm embrace as he suddenly let out a laugh that sounded like a bark.
"Good to see you again. And you, Luvi, I take it? You don't look too bad; based on your build, I'd say you must have some fight in you! I’m Alfred, your new teacher… for a while, anyways” With a turn toward the others, he said, "And who invited you?” He then erupted into laughter and yelled, "Send em in, guys, let's get this show rolling!" as he made his way back into the room."
There were well-lit sparring areas inside, with walls lined with dummies that had holes in them and shelves stocked with weapons, books, scrolls, and other items. Alfred sat down in a chair and observed the group as they filed in. "All right, get in your positions and line up!” All three of them aligned themselves and remained motionless, gazing ahead. They were each given a polearm to hold to get used to the feeling of it.
"Advance a few steps now! Remember that you are walking in a fighting stance!" Alfred exclaimed as each of the three came to a stop.
"Terrible posture! Just horrible!” In response, one of the others said, "I was perfect, and you know it old man!”
Alfred remarked, "Well, it seems like you came here without needing my training! You lack respect, boy, so please leave!” The man stalked out of the room with more murderous intent than Luvi had ever managed to muster in her entire life.
"Okay, let's get down to my friend’s child and my other friend’s adorable little student.” As he turned around, he said, "It's unbelievable how awful the two of you were. it's like I’m training some monkeys!"
Luvi noticed the boy next to her muffling his laugh, and she could feel her anger building. This man was making fun of his students? Luvi just stood there and stared ahead, even though she could feel her face getting red with rage.
“Both your father and your teacher were both idiots, but you're not going to be that way, are you”
Luvi was about to argue, but the boy next to her stopped her. He pointed to Luvi and said, "I'd say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!”
Luvi threw a punch at him… and that’s how she got sent to the corner to sit in silence for an hour while she watched the others train.
