by A F Kay
Sift leaned back. “That sack is really freaky.”
“I know, but I can’t take it off. And stop distracting me. I think this is important. Do you want your rightful Step title?”
“Master?” Sift said. “Of course. But my parents said I had to succeed first as your Sisen. And no offense, but it will take a decade of dedication for you to make significant progress.”
Ruwen held up a finger. “Give me a second.”
Rami, how much can you increase my brain cycles? Like you did when I learned those forms?
The limit is physical. Too fast, and you die.
But if I couldn’t die?
Ah, I see. Then the limit is mental. The pain would be excruciating.
Ruwen had spent days learning to deal with pain here, and his mental barrier had already come in handy. It might serve him again.
What are you thinking? Rami asked.
I watched my parents train many times with swords, daggers, and brawling. Everything they practiced amazed me. My dad would tell me most of it was muscle memory. So, of course, I researched that at the library.
And you discovered muscles have no memory. It’s the brain that remembers how to perform tasks, and it tells the muscles what to do.
Exactly. The forms you taught me feel like something I’ve done my entire life. If Sift shows us the proper techniques, could you teach them to me?
Rami remained quiet.
Rami?
I’m here. I’m marveling at the cleverness of this. You have used your Intelligence to take advantage of every opportunity in this Realm.
My brain is all I’ve ever had. But it won’t be enough. Some things will need punching, and as Ky told Sift when we first met, I’ve wasted my life. Think of the time I could make up.
It will have a cost. Two significant ones.
What?
It will slow my index searches for the Iris.
This made Ruwen pause. The goal was to get back home, and his plan might delay that. On the other hand, the answers might not be in Rami’s indexes at all. They might need to find the answers somewhere in this realm. And he had no way to know which way was correct.
Ruwen responded to Rami. Eventually, we’ll find the Iris. The opportunity to practice while we have transportation will pass. I want to take advantage of that.
I understand, and that is logical. The second cost is harder to quantify since it impacts your mind. Perfecting your mental barrier while your brain believed it was on the verge of death has given you unprecedented control of your mental state. But your mind still stored all that trauma. The mental pain you’ll endure if we accelerate your thoughts, while protected from it with your barrier, will add to the scars you’ve already absorbed. I’m unsure of the long-term consequences of all this.
Again, Ruwen didn’t brush Rami’s concerns away. He had given no thought to the cost his mental barrier had taken on the rest of his mind. It bothered him that he might damage his body in a blind attempt to gain any potential advantage.
But Ruwen needed those advantages. Beings with unfathomable power wanted him dead. He might create a pocket of trauma in his mind, and that might cause issues later, but without more skills, his enemies would wipe him from existence. If he somehow survived that, he would deal with the trauma.
Thank you for telling me, Rami. I accept the risk.
Then my answer is yes.
Thank you, Rami.
Ruwen refocused on Sift, who had returned to his stomach and had both hands in the ocean again.
“I have an idea,” Ruwen said.
Sift groaned.
“I know, but can we at least try it?” Ruwen asked.
Sift stood, and Ruwen did as well.
“Try what?” Sift asked in a resigned tone.
Ruwen took a deep breath and let it out. He knew it would sound stupid, and he’d avoided saying it out loud. But the time had come. “I want you to show me all the Bamboo Steps.”
“Why?” Sift asked.
“And all the Viper Steps,” Ruwen continued.
Sift shook his head, confused. “You can’t retain advanced steps until you learn the earlier ones.”
Ruwen didn’t think the Step cloaking magic worked here. Even if it did, and he couldn’t remember it all, he bet Rami would. “I know.”
“Then what are you planning?”
Ruwen grimaced under his hood. “I plan to practice them in my head. With Rami.”
Sift stared at Ruwen. “You sound dumber every time you talk.”
Ruwen held out his hands. “Think of it like the training circles in Blapy. Instead of a Clapping Brawler, I will practice what you show me with Rami.”
“She’s a tiny Bookwyrm.”
“With perfect muscle memory.”
“That makes no sense.”
“I know. But what does it hurt to try?”
Sift stared at Ruwen for a few more seconds and then shrugged. “Fine, but this is the dumbest thing you’ve done, and we both know that’s saying a lot.”
“Thank you, Sisen.”
Sift rolled his eyes, put his helmet back on, and moved to the center of the ice sheet.
“Do it as perfectly as you can,” Ruwen said.
“Perfection is the tail of a dog named practice,” Sift said.
“What has gotten into you?”
Sift shook his head. “I think the sea turned me into my dad.”
Are you ready, Rami?
Ruwen’s right ear itched as Rami increased her vibrations.
Yes.
Ruwen nodded at Sift.
Sift began with the Viper Steps, the movements hard, sharp, and violent. The entire form exuded dominance and intimidation. When Sift finished, Ruwen took three deep breaths to slow his heart.
Everyone watched Sift, but no one spoke. Finally, Ruwen cleared his throat. “That was amazing.”
Sift shook his head. “I’m nothing compared to Mom. Give me a second to shake the coiled energy from my body. Doing Viper Steps without actually hitting something is uncomfortable.”
Did you get that, Rami?
Yes. There is far more to those Steps than the movements.
What do you mean?
Just a suspicion. I’ll need time to analyze it, which will have to wait until after your training.
Sift stopped shaking his arms and legs. After a moment, he began the Bamboo Steps, but these movements were soft, flowing, and gentle. This form reminded Ruwen of swirling fog or a light breeze. When Sift finished, Ruwen’s mood had improved, as if just watching the moves had released some of his anxiety and fear.
Ruwen looked around and saw more than one person dabbing their eyes.
“Thank you, Sift, that was beautiful,” Hamma said.
Lylan walked over and hugged Sift.
“Step Masters are so rare,” Jagen said.
“And in two schools,” Mica said.
“We’re lucky to have seen this,” Una said. “They rarely show their forms.”
Kaylin, Juva, and Slib stood in awed silence.
Ruwen focused on Rami. Did you get all that?
I understand her choice now.
Whose choice? Lylan’s?
No, Shelly’s.
What choice? Sift set her free at the beach.
Never mind. Yes, I have it.
You’re the best, Rami.
I know.
Ruwen walked up to Sift, and Lylan moved to talk with Hamma. Sift put his fist out, and Ruwen placed his palm on top.
“Thank you, Sisen,” Ruwen said.
“You’re welcome. But you should be practicing with me.”
“You’ll have plenty of time to torture me later.” Ruwen sent a surge of Spirit into Sift. “Let me know when that runs out. You should concentrate on getting your Air Meridian connected while we have this break.”
“Thank you…for understanding.”
Ruwen nodded, sat cross-legged, and calmed his mind. If he could make this work, it would be like a second chan
ce.
I’m ready, Rami.
Ruwen’s head swam for a moment as he suddenly stood in a square room twenty feet to a side. Rami stood across from him.
“What happened to the mountaintop?” Ruwen asked.
“I don’t have the focus to spare.”
That reminded Ruwen that this had a cost. “How much can you speed up my brain?”
Rami shrugged. “This is unknown territory. In the Material Realm you might survive an hour to day acceleration. Here we’re only limited by your pain tolerance.”
“We have about a day until we reach Brewman. Sift has spent his life practicing. I want to make up as many of those years as we can.”
Rami looked shocked. “Years?”
“Let’s start slow and see how my mental barrier holds. I’ll trust your judgment on when to stop.”
Rami nodded and settled into the first Step. “Then let us begin.”
Chapter 26
Minutes into his training, Ruwen forgot he was in a mental construct. Sweat dripped from his forehead, and his muscles already felt tired. Rami squatted in front of him as he mirrored her movements, and she corrected his mistakes.
After four hours, Ruwen wondered if he’d made a mistake. His muscles shook from exhaustion, but he always had just enough energy to continue. Without distractions, or the need for sleep or food, the training never stopped.
A day passed, and Ruwen knew he’d made a mistake. This was, in fact, the worst idea he’d ever had. His muscles never stopped burning, and pain had become a familiar companion. The only thing that stopped him from telling Rami to stop was the knowledge it would end soon. He only needed to survive this for a few days.
Ruwen felt the distant agony outside his mental barrier, but the pain didn’t reach him, and he ignored it. He missed his friends and felt anxiety about his missing parents, but Rami always made him pay for his lack of focus. He learned quickly to only think about his training.
Sparring started on the seventh day, and Ruwen broke his first bone. Rami didn’t heal it until Ruwen explained what he’d done wrong. Again, he suffered through the terrible training regime because he knew they might only have minutes left, and he wanted to take full advantage of the time, even though it made him miserable.
A month later, the days had become a blur. The only pleasure Rami allowed Ruwen was an hour soak in a pool of hot water twice a day. His entire existence became surviving the eleven hours until his next blissful immersion. For an hour, the water pulled the aches away and his mind floated in blissful emptiness.
The first year, Ruwen suffered more than he thought possible. He had hoped pain, muscle aches, and exhaustion would eventually go away, but Rami continued to simulate them. She assured him they were necessary for the construction of proper muscle memory.
In the second year, Ruwen became convinced Rami had left her throne in the Infernal Realm to come and torture him personally. It didn’t help that this had been his idea. He had imagined the process being boring, but not painful. He knew it could all end with a single request, but that meant failure, and if he wanted to survive and save his friends, he couldn’t fail.
During the third year, Ruwen completed both Step forms for the first time, although he knew they lacked the perfection of Sift’s demonstration. Ruwen admired the beauty of the Steps, each a foil for the other, a dance of hard and soft styles.
Rami was a ruthless instructor, and Ruwen dreaded sparring with her. No matter how much he had right, she exploited anything he didn’t: a stance too wide, his head too forward, a foot at the wrong angle. Nothing escaped her view.
In the fourth year, Rami seemed satisfied with his Steps, and she transitioned him into combining the two forms. She fought using Steps of other styles she’d gleaned from her vast library and forced Ruwen to react to them. Ruwen began to understand the strategy involved in every movement of his body and even in the rhythm of his thoughts.
Ruwen felt connected to everything around him. The Steps were no longer discrete movements that required thought. Instead, his body reacted automatically to what it sensed from his surroundings. And even the Steps themselves blurred, and he glimpsed what sometimes felt like a third form.
Ruwen circled Rami. The young woman leaned to the right, and Ruwen shifted his center of gravity to prepare for her attack. Instead of moving right, Rami spun to the left, stuck her leg behind him as she struck him in the chest with her right arm, flipping Ruwen over her leg.
He cursed himself for committing to her feint, but let the failure go. Holding on to negative thoughts in a fight only made combat harder. As he struck the ground, he used the momentum to throw his legs over his head and into a backward somersault.
“It’s time,” Rami said.
Ruwen, already back in a neutral stance, ignored her. Words were a weapon an opponent could use for distraction. He studied Rami but didn’t focus on her entirely. If he did, one of Rami’s endless helpers would shoot an arrow at him or attack from behind. The years of constant practice had transformed him. He moved with the same fluid grace as Sift and Ky, his body ready for any attack.
Rami bowed, and Ruwen relaxed. The bow signaled they had finished sparring.
“It’s time,” Rami said again.
“Time for what?” Ruwen asked.
“To return to your friends. Can’t you feel it?”
Ruwen kept his attention on Rami in case this was a ruse, and focused on the mental barrier that surrounded the room they were in. The pressure from his agonized mind had been noticeable all these years but had never been overwhelming. Now it had disappeared.
“We are out of time,” Rami said.
Emotions struck Ruwen like an avalanche. He had buried them all in his single-minded attempt to snatch back his wasted youth, but now they were free.
“We’re done?” Ruwen whispered.
Rami stepped closer, but Ruwen didn’t tense. If she attacked him, he wanted his body relaxed and fluid.
“Your mental strength is astounding. I would never have believed something like this possible.”
“How long?” Ruwen asked.
“Four years, seven months, three days, six hours –”
Ruwen hugged Rami, interrupting her. “Thank you so much, Rami. You are truly a blessing.”
Rami hugged Ruwen back and then swept him onto his back. Her grinning face appeared over his head. “I had fun.”
The room he’d spent over four years in faded and Ruwen opened his eyes. Hamma, ten feet away, swung the Spirit-infused Staff of Chimes, practicing her attacks on an invisible enemy.
Ruwen rose to his feet and strode toward Hamma.
Hamma saw him approach and stopped her form. “He’s awa—”
Ruwen pulled Hamma into a hug and held her. His throat felt tight, and his eyes stung. “I missed you so much.”
Surprised, Hamma returned the hug, and when Ruwen didn’t let her go right away, she spoke. “I’ve been right here. Are you okay?”
How could he explain that over four years had passed? It sounded ridiculous just saying it in his head.
“Get a room,” Sift said.
Ruwen let go of Hamma and turned to Sift. Sift held up his hands. “Keep your hands to yourself. Lylan is a jealous woman.” Sift narrowed his eyes. “You are different.”
“I know. My mom always told me I was special,” Ruwen joked.
Sift smiled and nodded as if enjoying the joke, but Ruwen recognized Sift’s shift into a neutral stance, his tense abdomen, and his relaxed limbs. Based on Sift’s position, Ruwen felt confident his friend meant to punch him in the chest.
Sift’s arm shot toward Ruwen’s chest, and Ruwen casually turned, letting the punch pass him. Ruwen pinned the arm to his chest and pivoted down in a sharp turn, using Sift’s momentum against him. Sift didn’t fight the pull and instead accelerated his movement downward.
Ruwen knew that once Sift hit the ground, he would use his legs in a powerful upward kick, using the ground as an anchor to increa
se his force. While Ruwen held the slight advantage of being on his feet, Sift was far too deadly an opponent to risk attacking from this position. Instead of following through, Ruwen released Sift’s arm and stepped back.
Sift flipped himself to his feet and stared at Ruwen. “Explain, Sijun.”
Ruwen held his left fist out from his body and placed his open right palm on top. “Yes, Sisen.” With no sarcasm, Ruwen replied truthfully. “My idea worked.”
“You mean practicing with Rami in your head?” Sift asked.
Ruwen nodded.
Sift frowned. “Did she just alter your brain? Place the forms in there somehow? Shortcuts are not acceptable, Sijun!”
Ruwen bowed. “She did not, Sisen. Suffering accompanied every movement.”
“It has been a day,” Sift hissed.
Ruwen had never seen Sift this upset, not even about Lylan’s memory ring, and it shook Ruwen. “Respectfully, Sisen, it has not. For me–” Ruwen stopped speaking as his throat clamped shut. Thankfully, his Scarecrow hood covered his face as the years of lonely training smashed into his thoughts. He swallowed hard a few times and continued. “For me, it has been over four and a half years.”
Gasps from behind Ruwen reminded him they weren’t alone. He wished they could have discussed this privately, but Sift was too observant and had forced Ruwen’s hand.
Sift’s anger turned to confusion. “Four years? That’s impossible. You were right here.”
Ruwen patted his right ear. “Rami sped up my thoughts and stretched every second into almost half an hour.”
“Was that safe?” Hamma asked.
Ruwen glanced at her and answered truthfully. “Not entirely, and there were other costs.”
“You have been practicing nonstop for four and a half years?” Sift asked.
“Yes.”
Sift backed away. “Show me.”
Ruwen bowed and turned in a circle, making sure everyone had stepped a safe distance away. Facing Sift, Ruwen sank into the first Viper Step, and then let the Steps consume him.
Maybe because Ruwen had never learned each Step’s name, the entire form had become a single Step to him. One movement leading to the next in an intricate pattern capable of dominating your opponent. As he finished the Viper Steps, he immediately began the Bamboo ones, these movements a foil to the Viper Steps and capable of defending against any attack.