By the time I met up with Edjudan again I was walking tall. I balled my fists in anticipation. What would I learn next, some amazing fighting techniques some punches that could shatter stone.

Ejudan looked at me with his trademark smirk. “Oh, the tadpole seems a little too pleased with himself.”

“What?” I shrugged. “I took your little training session I can move in the way of eternity and I can even breath without thinking about it.” I laughed. “What’s next.”

“Next?” Edjudan wiped his brow. “ We have barely even started. Now put this on.”

He shoved a dark black tunic into my hands. The weight of it must have eclipsed 5 stones, but the material itself was soft. “I have to wear this?”

Edjudan didn’t speak he just looked at me. I put the tunic on, and I felt heavy, sluggish, slow.

The old man grabbed a staff and traced an eternity symbol in the ground, it seemed smaller than the half circles I was used to. “ Hahaha you think you are already done with movement?” his laugh shook me to the core “Eternity is infinity each move can become smaller increasingly forever each turn each dodge only what is necessary for the attack. Now begin!”

I started trying to perform the movements. I was out of balance each toe drag dug to deep, I couldn’t turn my body quick enough nor could I stop the momentum and stay in the smaller figure eight pattern. My muscles began to ache and sweat dripped from every pore.

The old man looked on until I collapsed. “ The weight saps your strength by why are your movements off?” He asked.

I knew I needed a right answer or I would be smacked. “ The water jugs.” I said, looking into his eyes for evidence I was on the right track. “ Without using the momentum of the swinging weight it is harder to shift my balance or gain momentum.”

Edjudan cocked his hand back and I tensed up until he lowered his hand. “ Good, you haven’t mastered anything yet but your answer is promising.” His body took on a soft white glow and he rotated his own body in a small figure eight pattern, turning and moving at incredible speed. “ If you can’t create momentum or a fulcrum with buckets there are ways to generate force using internal energy.”

I clenched my fists and strained my breathing, but nothing happened. “How do I use the energy I have been gathering.”

“You’re not there yet tadpole.” He answered. “For now you should feel a little energy each time you complete a cycle of breathing. Now feel that energy and try to move it to specific muscles.”

I stood for a long time each breath did replenish my stamina but I could not feel any part of my body recovering quicker than any other.

“Take your time, once you can separate and control the energy start to do it while moving .” Edjudan demonstrated again this time only portions of his body glowed as spun and turned. “Work on this until you can do it instinctively then you can return here.”

“How long will that take?” my patience seemed to wane.

Boom I was knocked to the ground. I collected myself instead of screaming in outrage. Edjudan was right. I couldn’t rush this if I wanted strength I had to listen and work hard for it.

“Keep the tunic wear it for your chores.” Edjudan then reached into a large sack by his tent and pulled out two large buckets. “You will also use these instead of the jugs from now on, hold them without using a staff.”

I grabbed the buckets they were heavy. This would make things difficult. “I’m supposed to keep practicing the way of eternity while I carry these?” I asked.

Edjudan’s face lit up. “Yes, and switch to figure eights instead of semi circles, should make things more fun.”

My thoughts ran in a thousand different directions; how to turn without spilling how to carry the heavy buckets, how much longer each trip would take moving in the eternity path. My chores were instantly tripled in difficulty. My body lurched and I let out a long sigh.

“See you later tadpole.” Edjudan said as he walked into his tent and left me there.