."Teach me..." Legas clutched his fists tight and grit his teeth.

"Hmm?"

"Teach me...how to control this strength," he squeezed out the words.

"Well, of course, I can't do that," the old man blandly replied.

"W-What! But you said...!!", the boy's face contorted and his pupils widened in shock.

"Listen, kid, your Rakshasha powers are sort of like a bloodline ability. It is obvious that since I have never used such a thing, I can't teach it."

"Then...!" the old man put forth his palms, interrupting the agitated boy.

"What I can teach you is other sets of skills, combat techniques, and strategies, It will help build a strong foundation so that you could have a go at controlling your abilities. You must know that experience is what you lack the most, for now."

Legas eyed the figure in front with a skeptical gaze, still mulling over the decision whether or not to trust this eccentric old man. The thought of just running away with a word of 'thanks' had crossed his mind for a zillionth time, but he somehow managed to put on a lid upon such sentiments.

"...okay," he spoke with a downcast face.

"Hold on, Didn't you say you want to see my powers before deciding. What happened to your confident talks then, hahaha!"

"Is that so, I'm going then," the boy abruptly turned around to leave after a robot-like whisper.

"W-Wait!" the old man clasped his shoulders. "Kid, you can't seem to take a joke. Hah, Follow me."

"Where are we going?" Legas asked, sticking to the old man's back.

"Well, to show my powers of course! First of all, tell me how much do you know about mana."

"Mana? Isn't that the energy wizards control. For their supernatural feats I believe," the boy answered with doubt.

In the unnamed village, there stood almost little to no exposure to the outside world. Any of the knowledge Legas boasted all stemmed from his parent's teachings. And for the longest period, apart from hunting, he had never delved into any secondary information concerning the many varied professions. His dislike of adventurers may have also played a major part in such.

"Mana is...everything," the old man spoke with his hands behind the back like a wisdom-filled teacher. "It flows in each and everything that you know. Tangible, intangible, living, dead, everything. It is an endless source of energy the entire world functions upon."

"Heeee..."

"It flows within you, and in fact, you can already, somewhat control it."

"What?" the boy sounded surprised. "But I'm not a mage?"

"Of course mana is the most major resource for an aspiring sorcerer, but us physical type fighters use it as well, although a bit differently. In fact, if you cannot handle mana, there is no chance of you climbing the ladder to the top."

"How do we use it?" Legas' eyes glimmered with curiosity.

"You know to use Aura, right? That's just a crude and instinctive form of mana handling."

"What!"

The boy's pupils widened in utter shock. An ability that people pour in their blood and sweat to achieve, a high wall that the majority of individuals could not hope to overcome in their lifetime, is just 'crude'?

"You don't believe it right?" the old man asked with a faint smile, and then, flicked his wrist outwards in a casual swing.

schiiiing!

Legas almost fell onto his butt at the dazzling scene. A bright golden and sparkly crescent of aura zoomed out of the man's wrinkly hands as it cut through the air with a high pitched whistle. The speed of the radiant slash was blinding, and it had disappeared into the ground in the distance at the very same moment it was unleashed.

A clean crevice had formed upon the soil where the slash had impacted, it's depth unknown, as only pitch-black darkness would display itself if one gazed below.

The boy stood dumbfounded. Eyeing the smiling old stranger with trepidation, he stumbled back a few steps. If this man ever desired to kill him, he wouldn't sense it even after he had succumbed to death. Cold sweat had drenched his back the instant such a thought flashed past.

"Hahaha, now, now don't be scared," the old man said with another wave of hands that only worked against his intentions.

"As I said, when you can handle the mana flow better, something like Aura gets very easy. But don't get me wrong though, even this simple trick would have people cry tears of blood to unlock, and it is very commendable for having a grasp of this technique at your age. You should feel proud. Hahaha."

Legas gulped down a mouthful of saliva, before following the old man through the dense woods. All along the journey, he listened in to the incessant ramblings about the different forms and utilizes of aura. Although he kind of hated the man's narcissistic tone, the boy had to admit that his words made for a lot more clear understanding than he had expected. It was not long before towering hills filled the entirety of one's, and the duo stopped beneath one rocky outgrowth, a bit deeper into the forests.

"Hmm, this should be good," the old man caressed an almost ten-foot-tall boulder beneath a cliff.

"This one breaks a lot of stuff so I can't use it near the hut. Plus it makes for a good comparison so...Now pay attention," he placed the right palm atop the boulder while taking a steady stance.

Legas could feel the atmosphere around the old man change in an instant, his brows had furrowed in concentration, and his rock-steady feet appeared immovable as if they were rooted like an ancient tree. In contrast to the casual aura wave, his current state of extreme focus spoke volumes about the difference in the level of the techniques.

"fuuu..." the old man sucked in a deep gale of air, and...

"Haaaah!" exhaled all of it one go as his pupils flashed with a powerful gleam.

kaboom! crack!

An abrupt explosion echoed around the valley, one so loud that Legas had flinched in response. The old man hadn't moved his arm for even an inch, but somehow a fist-sized hole had been drilled on the rock hard boulder, before the 'technique' exited from the other side with a fierce outburst of shards and dust. What's more, the invisible attack continued on its way unhindered, perforating the compactly placed trees in a straight line.

bang! bang! bang!

The sounds were deafening and terrific, ramming through the thick barks in a chaotic outbreak of wooden splinters and torn leaves. Only after a dozen or so innocent victims did the attack halt, bringing the still silence back to the forests.

"Wh-what was that!" Legas' mouth had gone wide open. He didn't even bother jogging his mind to understand the sequence, since it stood too far, out of reach for his comprehension.

"Impact Arts," the old man said with a prideful smile. "The strongest and the most advanced skill in terms of mana control. And, I am the only one in this entire continent that knows of this. How's it, amazing right? ahahaha!"

"Ye-yeah it is amazing...but..." the boy sure stood stupefied at the disastrous power of the skill, but his face soon displayed a frown, catching onto the meaning in between the stranger's words.

"You are the only one who knows of it? Really?"

"Oho, why do you ask?" the old man appeared interested.

"Well, if it is really the strongest technique as you say, shouldn't people all over the world be striving to get hold of it? Is that why you are hiding within this valley?"

"hahaha! That's an interesting conjecture kid, but I am definitely not hiding in here. Although I admit that some individuals do exist who could force me to do such, but they do not need for this.

"In truth, there is a catch as to why I am the only person to know of this skill. The foundation of this art is mana control of the highest level, which makes it akin to a double-edged sword. It is not something any random buffoon wandering the streets can pick up and just learn."

"Double-edged sword?" Legas appeared confused.

"One mishap and your body will end up like this," the old man pointed to the gaping hole in the boulder with a faint smile.

"!!!..That's..."

"hahaha! What, kid. Did you get scared? Always remember, the stronger the technique, the higher the risk. Not only you need enough courage to push forth in your practice, but you also have to endure all hardships throughout the journey. If you can't hope to do such, you can forget about gaining any strength."

"I never denied, did I!?"

"So, what will it be. Are you ready to learn under me."

Legas gazed at the smiling old man with a look of resolve. In truth, his instincts had long since addressed him about the surging peculiarity of this person, and that aura slash only confirmed his doubts. The only thing that had held him back remained the seed of distrust that had been embedded deep within the mind. But Legas understood that he could not let such an emotion pull back from attaining his desires. As a gleam of determination flashed past his eyes, Legas plopped down to one knee.

"I am ready to train under you, Master!"

"hahaha, Is that so! Is that so! Very good, hahaha!" a genuine smiled laced the old man's face, seemingly happy at being addressed as 'master'.

"Seriously, teaching impact arts to a kid with the legendary rakshasha blood? That's like giving fins and wings to a tiger. Just what sort of a monster is this world going to witness," he mumbled to himself in a gleeful face.

"Umm, did you just say something?"

"No, no. It's nothing. Now then, my disciple, lets immediately get on to training, hehehe!!"

The creepy laugh instilled an ill foreboding within the boy's heart but unfortunately, this time, Legas had ignored this gut feeling.

swish!

"Yes, what do I...!!"

In an instant, the old man appeared in front of the kneeling boy and brought down his palm with a ferocious swing.

bang! crack! crack!

"AHHHHH!!", Legas screamed at the top of his lungs, his right shoulder being fractured under the impact. Strangely enough, the shock wave traveled all the way down as if it had awareness, crippling his entire right arm. The boy eyed the smiling man with an incredulous gaze, his face distorted under emotions of agony, confusion and shock.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

"What? This is training," the old man replied with a bland smile that appeared sadistic within Legas' vision. "We need to forge your body like an artifact. At this age, your broken bones will grow back stronger. Only then can we build a sturdy framework for any of your physical activities.

"Not only is it a prerequisite to handle the Impact Arts, but it will also greatly help to reduce the backlash of your Rakshasha transformation. That's killing two birds with one stone. Or should I say one arrow in place of a stone? Hehe!" an annoying grin stood plastered atop his aged face.

"Then say so at first...!! How long will this...arghhh!!"

"Heheh, don't worry. This process is called Bone Forging, and we will continue it...hmm, let's see. For a year?"

"What!! You crazy geezer!!" Legas face hap warped under terror as he began crawling away with fright. A grave feeling of regret loomed over his heart at this very instant.

"You should consider yourself lucky, kid. With your inhuman regeneration, the time is far less than normal. My master had periodically broken my bones for six whole years before he actually began teaching me."

"You! Aren't you just releasing that anger on me!! Fuckin old piece of shit! "

swish! bang!

"ARGHHHH!"

"No can do. This is necessary, or do you want your body exploding from within in case the skill backfires, huh!?"

"You! Return my trust!! Give me back my resolve!!" tears flowed out from the boy's bloodshot eyes as he glared at the man with hate. Legas had made a lifetime resolution at this very moment.

'I'm not going to trust any stranger ever again!!!'

"Let's have some fun, shall we? How about you run through the woods, and every time I catch up to you, I break one bone. Interesting, right? Hahaha!!"

"You goddamn geezer...No!!"

bang!

"Arghh!!...Mom! *sob* *sob*.."

"By the way, I didn't ask for your name, did I?"

"Fuck...you...!!..No wait! wait!...AHHHHHHHHHH!!"

The boy's miserable screams sporadically rang out within the valleys for a long, long period. While a tad bit torturous, Legas had taken the very first step that begun his journey of life. What adventures await him after he completes this hellish training, is a story for another time.

To Be Continued.....