Alpha Instinct

Chapter 48

Saito's words, spoken so naturally, hit Leonard hard. He pieced together fragments, bits of information: "Only master... Blade Dancer... all of Humbra... class." The realization dawned. The opportunity. The responsibility.

"Yes!" Leonard answered, his voice firm, despite the internal turmoil. "I accept, sir! It will be an immense honor to carry on your legacy."

Saito let out a laugh, a surprisingly jovial sound. It was good to have a purpose again. The old wanderer, the tempest-catcher fisherman, finally had a reason to live, a renewed purpose, after centuries of waiting. No. More than that. A reason to live.

Leonard, moved by a newfound respect, bowed before Saito in a formal gesture.

"Oh, come on, stop that, kid," Saito said, somewhat uncomfortable with the sudden formality. "We have a lot to train. A lot."

Leonard straightened up, a little embarrassed. "Master Saito... sir... could you... could you show me what a Blade Dancer can do?" The request came out as a whisper, full of expectation and a hint of disbelief.

A cold glint of satisfaction sparkled in Saito's green eyes. He nodded. It was time to show the boy the gap between them. And the bright future that awaited him, if he dedicated himself.

"Could you lend me your swords, please?" Saito asked gently.

"Of course..." Leonard held out "Smiling" and "Absolution" to Saito, who took them reverently.

"Masterpieces," Saito murmured, running his fingers along the Frosteel blades. "Made with the soul of an elder blacksmith. This blacksmith... I feel he gave his blood for this creation."

"Yes," said Leonard, his voice strained. A lump formed in his throat. "But he wasn't an elder. It was a talented Neumond blacksmith who passed away while still young."

"An irreplaceable loss for humanity," Saito said solemnly. "May he rest in peace."

Saito moved away from Leonard, walking towards the edge of the small forest. He positioned himself with impressive calm, the two Frosteel swords still sheathed at his waist. He looked like just an old man contemplating the landscape, the gentle morning breeze ruffling his white hair and beard.

Leonard watched, attentive, holding his breath. He didn't want to miss a single detail of this demonstration.

Saito placed his hands on the hilts of the swords. He inhaled deeply, a light, almost imperceptible breath. And he stopped breathing.

A flash. A blinding glare. A sonic blast that made Leonard cover his ears instinctively. He didn't see the movement. He didn't understand what had happened.

Saito was still there, beside Leonard, sheathing the swords again, with the same calm as before. Then he handed them back to Leonard.

"But... but what...?" Leonard stammered, completely lost.

Saito just smiled, a mysterious smile, and pointed with his head to the opposite side of the forest.

Leonard turned slowly and felt his jaw drop. The scene before him was not a demonstration of strength. It was the signature of a legend.

All the trees in the small forest, at a ten-degree angle to the north, had been obliterated. As if they had never existed. In the background, two hundred meters away, the small slope on the other side of the Zafyr River displayed a colossal gash, a scar on the landscape that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Leonard fell to his knees, his legs weak, his hands trembling. He

Saito extended his hand, palm up, a silent request.

Leonard hesitated. Distrust still lingered, a knot in his stomach. But something in Saito's aged eyes—a depth of knowledge, a hint of something more—calmed him. He placed his own hand, palm up, in Saito's.

"Close your eyes," Saito instructed, his voice low and steady.

Leonard obeyed, the world dissolving into darkness.

"Now," Saito continued, "think of an element of nature. Fire, wind, earth, water... anything."

Leonard focused. He tried to clear his mind, to push aside the doubt, the fear, and the lingering images of loss. He focused on... something.

A sharp, dry crack split the silence. Saito flinched, a startled gasp escaping his lips—a reaction utterly out of character for the unflappable master.

Leonard's eyes snapped open, confusion warring with a nascent, unnamed fear. "What happened?"

A silence settled in, filled only by the crackling of the fire in the fireplace.

Leonard tried to imagine what just happened to Saito, looking startled, and what it would take to reach his level of power.

"Oh," Saito interrupted his thoughts, his voice suddenly alert, his eyes fixed on the cabin door. "Looks like we have company..."

Leonard felt a shiver run down his spine. Company? Here? In this isolated place?

He heard it then. Steps. Outside the cabin. Heavy. Deliberate. They weren't hiding.

"An intruder?" The question escaped Leonard's lips, his voice full of apprehension. Were they the bandits? Had they followed him? The idea filled him with a cold, paralyzing fear.