Okay. I FUCKING CAN'T BELIEVE IT. I made the Ancient One wear an expression of shock!
I don't know why I'm more happy about her being shocked than about me being able to make a freaking portal on my fucking first try! But who cares, right?
"Good job, Mr. Alexis," she said after schooling her features surprisingly fast and smiling at me, while others were still shell-shocked.
"It seems we have a special talent in the mystic arts amongst us today. Please congratulate and thank Mr. Alexis for a perfect demonstration—and for making history as the fastest mastery over the Sling Ring."
Yup, gotta keep up that Ancient One aura, huh?
Well, somebody started clapping, and then soon, others slowly snapped out of it and joined the applause. Yeah, you extras—be grateful for my divine presence.
"Master Estrex, if you would please take Mr. Alexis here to that side of the courtyard to guide him on further mastering the Sling Ring. I will speak to him regarding the future after this session."
And I followed the bulky-looking guy with a goatee having grey strands of hair—and hair also having a line of grey. To be honest, he looked hella cool, like some kind of kung fu master. He had this whole sharp aura around him, like he was always ready to fight.
He seemed way more of a fighter type than a magician type, but she is the Ancient One, and she must have her reasons to assign me to him—even though he seems like he could kill us all in a second.
"Master Estrex," I greeted him with a namaste while bowing a little. It seemed natural to me; I don't know why. It was like how you naturally cry when you're out of the womb.
It was the first time I'd bowed to someone here. I hadn't even bowed to the Ancient One—what the hell? And this guy here makes me want to bow, makes me want to show utmost respect, like it's as natural as breathing.
"Hmm..." he said in a very deep voice. I released a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding.
I followed him to the other side, and he said, "You can make a portal. Good. Now you need to make a portal to a place you have not been to before. Then we will work on where you are making the portal, how big the portal is, and how many portals you can make. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Master."
"I can't hear you~"
"YES, MASTER!"
"Good. Now get to it—you wasted too much time breathing!" he shouted, and it was hella scary. I dunno why, man! What is this sorcery!
**
The Ancient One's Talk
As I was sweating to make a portal to a small stone that looks like a star but is actually a toad—yeah, my reaction was that too: The fuck—but that didn't come out of my mouth, even though it usually does. I'm 90% sure it doesn't exist and is made up in Master's mind just to keep me busy for the rest of the session, because I got all the other tasks: multiple portals, object-based and person-based portals, even various portal orientations in space. Heh. Proceeds to run a hand through my hair while giving a smile that somehow makes my teeth twinkle.
"Yes, it is quite impressive, Mr. Alexis," said the smiling Ancient One, who I'm freaking sure is green inside. Mwahahaha... haha... ahaha... Finishes awkwardly as I catch the eye of Master. Ah fuck, I am dead. Wait, why am I shitting myself? Dammit!
"Well, as I have said before, let us talk about your training plans here, Mr. Alexis. First, we must set some goals. The question is—" She pauses as I join her side while we walk through the courtyard to the garden. "What do you need to do?"
"Oh! Well, I am glad you asked about what I want. I—"
"Pardon me, Mr. Alexis. I have not asked what you want to do, but rather what you need to do."
"Huh." That shut me up. What do I need to do? Live? I mean, that ROB didn't really spawn me here with a grand mission to slay the demon king, right?
"Sometimes, Mr. Alexis, the simplest answers are the most true ones," said the Wise Bal—coughs violently—the Wise Ancient One. I may have imagined it, but I think she narrowed her eyes at me there. Phew, thank God I'm alive.
"Live?" I blurted out.
"Hmm..." hummed the Ancient One.
"Well, I haven't thought about that much. I just did what came to mind now that I'm finally free from the shackles that bound me my entire life. Learning magic was priority zero on the bucket list," I replied, looking at the thoughtful expression on the very old Ancient One's face.
"I just thought coming here would be amazingly fun—even though it's hard to get up early in the morning and go through torture, and even though it's hard to study non-stop—both of which are not 'fun.' I think I'll live a meaningful and impactful life here. I mean, aside from the fun I get from magic, I want to do something that has meaning. And currently, without any college degrees or money, I can't do much except die in some dark alleyway outside. So I want to survive long enough that my actions are meaningful." I rambled on. Then it hit me. I looked at the Ancient One, who was staring motherfu—cough—looking grandmotherly at me, and said, "Thank you, Ancient One. I realize what I have to do."
I ran back to Master, who was seated on the cliff with a leaf-ended small branch in his mouth, along with his scar on his nose. He looked so fucking cool, man! Man was unconsciously aura-farming.
"Master, please take me as your disciple! Please train me!"
Okay, maybe that was out of nowhere—or maybe it was expected—but lemme explain.
I actually knew about Master Estrex before this too. He was the coolest guy in this place, so obviously I asked around. He was once in a war of ancient times—a legendary person who killed a whole army alone, without powers or magic. Then he heard about his wife and children's deaths. Realizing he couldn't protect his loved ones while building war "accomplishments" in the Japanese kingdom, he returned, left all fighting behind, and went on a pilgrimage. Then he came here upon the request of the Ancient One. He's been training in weapon arts since then—especially good at naginata (check comment section) and staff weapons in general.
So an unexpectedly expected answer came from a war-torn old man with too many scars to count.
"No."
**
Okay. So good news: I've been given freedom in my mystic arts training. I can seek advice from masters and train while reporting to Senior Disciple Audrian every night before sleep on everything I did.
Bad news: I see no light at the end of the tunnel of trying to persuade Master to become my, well, Master. Btw, I don't know why, but I feel fear just thinking his name. I don't know what this is, but I want to learn from him. I mean, he aura-farms while he breathes, man!
And on a more serious note, it's because he knows the cost of hunger for power and mindless violence. He clearly knows why he fights: to protect. And only someone like that can handle the fickle, ADHD me who will play Uno with Chthon just to "live" my "life." Heh. Chaos Magic? Uno Reverse card, motherfucker!
We are experiencing some technical difficulties. Please stand by.
Okay. So what am I doing to get under the tutelage of this as-cool-as-Sung-Jin-Woo person? (Cause no one is cooler than Sung Jin Woo.) I'm following him around like a puppy. I watch what he's doing the whole time. I'm wise. Maybe he's teaching me while doing his usual aura-farming business. So I train my body or my portal skills the whole day and stick around him till he retires at 6 to his hut. I tried staying outside his hut once—do you know what happened?
I thought I was going to die. Literally. No cap. I don't know where that feeling came from, but my body ran away like my fucking butt was set on flames. My God, I never want to feel that again. I almost peed my pants and shat myself there.
A/N: He actually did both. Puhehehehehe. Kwahahahahaha.
STFU and DIE.
A/N: Mwahahahaha—coughs violently and spits out blood
Yes, good.
Anyway, so I'm currently just training my body with basic calisthenics—push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and stuff—while I observe his every action and think about it. After 6, I'm holed up in the library with not-really-scary-anymore-but-actually-funny-now Wong till curfew at 9:30 p.m. From then until 12 midnight, I'm meditating in my room.
Insane hectic, huh? But that's what it means to live life: have your downs and ups, but neither in expectation or fear of the other. I feel my past is living the present, and my present is the future. Get it? Enough philosophy from a random useless guy now.
***********************************************************
A/N:
Lemme know anything dumb about the story or anything. In fact if I reply to your comment, I actually may change the story according to what I said there. So you have the power to shape this story too. Don't worry, I won't go too far to accomodate everyone and ruin the core ideas but I will fix and take ideas on smaller incidents and powers and even characters.
Also let me know if there are any clarity problems and also if you find lore inaccuracy, mention it, I will try to fix it as long as it does not break the core of the story, else you have to take it as AU. I will be sticking to MCU, I did not read the comics at all(sorry), but I may add stuff from here and there. Give me ideas for it too if you have.
I thought A/N would be better here. Easier to comment on specific parts.
Thanks for Reading