I was sleeping early in the morning when Steven suddenly entered my room. Before I could even understand what was happening, he grabbed me and threw me straight into the cold water outside.
"Wake up," he said calmly. "Your training starts today."
The cold water shocked my body. My whole body was still aching from last night's battle. Every muscle felt sore, and even moving my arms hurt. For a moment, I felt a little fear inside me.
But I quickly got up.
I changed into my clothes and came outside where Steven was waiting. The morning air was cold, and my body was still stiff with pain. Still, I sat down and started meditating, trying to focus on my aura and control my breathing.
After some time, Steven called me.
"Come here," he said.
I stood up and walked toward him.
"You remember, right?" he said. "For the next fifteen days, you will do extra combat training."
I nodded.
"But," he continued, "you will not use your aura during this training."
That surprised me.
Before I could say anything, Steven stepped forward.
"Attack me."
I rushed toward him and threw a punch. But it was useless. Steven easily dodged my attack. In the next second, his fist struck my chin.
Everything spun for a moment.
Before I could recover, he grabbed my leg and threw me backward. I hit the ground hard.
"This is punishment," he said coldly. "Don't think I will hold back."
I wiped the blood from my lip and looked at him.
"I know," I replied.
The training continued. Again and again, I attacked him. And again and again, he knocked me down. By the end of the fight, my face was swollen. One of my eyes was almost closed from the pain.
I collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily.
"Why is this so hard…" I muttered.
Steven sat down beside me.
"This happened because of your own foolishness," he said.
I looked at him angrily.
Inside my mind I thought, This old man won't spare me.
Steven suddenly looked at me and said, "Don't think I will spare you."
For a moment my heart stopped.
Did he just read my mind? I wondered nervously.
Then Steven started laughing.
Seeing him laugh, I also began to laugh. It was strange… but it felt good.
In fact, it was the first time I had laughed in the last four months.
The next day, the same thing happened again.
My face was swollen from injuries. Even eating food started becoming difficult because my mouth hurt so much.
But the training continued.
Day after day.
For fifteen days.
Finally, on the last day, something changed.
When Steven attacked, I moved quickly and threw a punch with all my strength.
This time… my fist actually hit him.
It wasn't a strong hit, but it was enough.
I stepped back, shocked.
Steven smiled slightly and threw an apple toward me.
"Here," he said. "A gift."
Without thinking much, I grabbed the apple and immediately started eating it. Steven watched me quietly.
Then he said, "I gave you these fifteen extra days of combat training for one reason."
I looked at him.
"If you ever face a situation where you cannot use your aura, you must still be able to handle your enemy."
His words made sense.
At that moment I also realized something else.
Getting hit didn't hurt as much as it used to before.
My body had become stronger.
Steven stood up.
"Now go take a bath."
I quickly ran toward the river. After bathing, I looked at my reflection in the water.
My body looked stronger than before.
I smiled slightly.
"Those people…" I whispered to myself. "I won't forgive them."
Later, I spent some time playing with my little sister.
Days passed.
Then years passed.
5 years later, Steven and I were fighting again.
But this time things were different.
Now, even without using my aura, I could fight him properly. His punches were no longer invisible to me. I could clearly see them coming.
Steven threw a punch.
I dodged it.
Then I quickly moved behind him and struck his back with my Knee. Steven stumbled a few steps forward and fell to one knee.
I immediately rushed toward him to continue the attack.
But in the next moment he dodged, grabbed my arm, and threw me to the ground. Before I could react, he locked my body in a hold.
I struggled for a few seconds.
Then I sighed.
"I give up."
Steven released me and helped me stand up.
"You've learned a lot in the last five years," he said.
And it was true.
Now I could control my aura. I had learned swordsmanship. My combat skills had improved greatly.
Steven looked at me seriously.
"You've become strong enough," he said.
Then he continued,
"So tomorrow… I will give you your first mission."
Hearing that made my heart beat faster.
That night, I couldn't stop thinking about it.
What kind of mission would it be?
With those thoughts in my mind, I slowly fell asleep.