Chapter 185

The Lone Wolf

For the next few weeks, I trained to the bone. However, unlike what I did back when I was starting when I was little, the training became a lot more rigorous.

I would make my way through different areas while shooting targets and avoiding traps like before. However, Tu Chi would force me to run through it again if I didn't hit them correctly. In addition, some of the traps became a lot more difficult to avoid, while there were some additional ones. For example, if a log came swinging past my head, I would avoid it, only to run into a tripwire which in turn made an array of knives or some other weapons shoot out or an elevated net trap.

I also had to spar with Tu Chi herself which wasn't any easier. Not only because she's my master, but she also implemented major handicaps on me. Either I had to fight without using my magic or had my clothes weighed down even more with her gravity magic or even had to fight her blindfolded. Every time, she managed to beat me to the dirt or send me flying over her shoulder without using any magic whatsoever. Even when I was actually trying to hit her, I couldn't lay a finger on her.

Tu Chi even had me spar with the others while being handicapped, and just like with her, I was defeated repeatedly. I lost majorly to Mira, Elfman, Lisanna, and even to Cana. It felt unfair, and I started to think that this was only to humiliate me, but I kept pushing, knowing it was for my own good.

Even the meditation was harder was before. I now had to meditate under a huge waterfall without crumbling from the water pressure. Despite being a water dragon slayer, I couldn't help but crumble because of the intensity of the water. Compared to the ocean where I grew up with Aquadia, it seemed a lot colder.

The days were long, rough, and hard. My muscles ached, my arms and legs felt like they would fall off, but eventually, I started to get used to it. The weight from my heavy clothes grew lighter, my precision improved, and my speed increased. I could even hold my own against Mira and the others despite the handicaps, but I still ended up losing most of the time. As far as Tu Chi went, I still couldn't touch her. Granted, I came close to a few times, but her guard was like a steep wall, unable to overcome or toppled.

And it wasn't just me that managed to get stronger; the others did too. However, the only one that physically changed in response to his training was Elfman. The muscles in his upper body had grown double their original size, and his hair was longer and a bit unkempt. As far as the girls went, while their physical appearances stayed the same, their magic power, as well as their other skills, had been steadily growing, too.

One day, after training my guts out, I found a place to sit down under a tree and was busy meditating. I took slow and deep breaths as I cleared my thoughts, focusing on clearing my head. For a moment, things were quiet as I listened to the sound of silence and the wind gently blowing through the trees. Then, the wind suddenly began to pick up, which was strong even to make me lose my concentration and open my eyes. But as soon as I did, I saw something.

Standing a few feet away while staring straight at me was a wolf. Its fur was as black as midnight, and its eyes were a brilliant shade of emerald green.

At first, I was a bit startled, thinking that it would attack me, but for some reason, I didn't feel any malicious intent from it. If anything, it seemed calmer, more serene, and even majestic looking. The more I stared, the more mesmerized I grew with it.

At that moment, an onslaught of visions of my past assaulted my mind, which in turn made me instinctively flinch and hold my head. As I looked back towards the wolf, I saw that it had mysteriously disappeared. I got up and looked around, trying to see where it had gone off to, but I couldn't see it anywhere.

Later that evening, I was sat with the others by the fire, having dinner. As I ate, I couldn't stop thinking about what I've seen, wondering if I had imagined it or was another hallucination.

"You doing okay over there, Willy?" asked Cana as she looked down at me while standing. "You look like you're thinking hard about something."

"Oh, sorry, Cana. I'm fine," I told her. "I'm just tired, that's all. Besides, it's natural to be a little tired after training like crazy."

"Well, I know just the thing to perk you up," said Mira as she held a fish over my nose. "A nice juicy fish fresh from the fire."

Feeling hungry, I sat up, took the fish, and munched on it happily, which in turn gave me some energy.

"Leave it to you to get your strength back when it comes to fish, Willy," chuckled Lisanna. "Then again, it proves that you still got some energy left."

"Of course. A healthy appetite means that he's got plenty of room to grow and energy to spend," said Tu Chi. "And he's been training as hard as all of you."

"From the looks of it, Tu Chi's been training you to the bone," said Elfman. "Have you always done this kind of training back when we were kids?"

"Well... sort of," I said wryly. "Most of the training I've done is the same, but when it comes to what I've been doing lately, it's a heck of a lot harder. And maybe even a little unfair."

"What did you expect? It wouldn't be training if it weren't relentless and difficult," said Elfman. "If anything, it makes a man more manly like me."

And to prove it, Elfman flexed his arm, which rippled with veins as it swelled.

"Easy there, big bro. No need to show off," said Lisanna. "We all know how manly and muscular you are."

"He isn't wrong, though," said Tu Chi. "The training has been hard for all of you, but you've all been getting stronger as a result of it. I'm pleased with your hard work, but make sure you keep it up as you continue to grow in strength and magic."

"By the way, Willy, there's something I've been curious about," said Mira. "About your training, I know that you've been raised by a dragon just like Natsu and even learned Dragon Slayer Magic, but I'm curious about what kinds of stuff you learned from her."

I thought a little bit before responding. "Well, Master Tu Chi's taught me a lot of things," I said. "Like how to use a sword, how to improve my water magic, and even how to fly and Aqua Sense. But the toughest things I had to learn were the principles of being a ninja otherwise known as the eighteen disciplines."

"The eighteen disciplines?" repeated Lisanna. "Are they skills or rules for being a ninja?"

"In a sense, you are correct, Lisanna," said Tu Chi. "They are the skills and techniques that many ninjas must master to become effective in gathering intelligence, stealth, and for defeating your opponent." She looked across at me. "Willy here has mastered six of the principles."

"Wow, really?" Cana spoke with interest. "Which ones? And what are the rest of the principles?"

"Let's see... The principles have weird names, but I'll tell them what they are in a way you'll understand," I said while thinking a bit. "Some of the disciplines that I know by heart are close combat, sword fighting, shuriken throwing, methods of stealth and entering, water training, and escaping and concealment."

"Other disciplines include geography or knowing the land, meteorology or knowing the stars, espionage, strategy, horsemanship, and disguising," added Tu Chi. "The rest of them have to do with weapon mastery such as explosives, kusarigama, naginata, spear, and staff fighting. And then there's the most important discipline of them all, the very thing that all true ninja must master; the Seishin-Teki Kyôyô or spiritual refinement."

"Spiritual Refinement?" repeated Elfman. "What's that? Does it have to do with magic, or is it spirit related?"

"Most disciplines have to do with knowing how to fight, survive, and the environment," explained Tu Chi. "But this one has to do with the mental and spiritual aspects of being Ninja, the important points being able to understand oneself, reality, destiny, harmony, the heart, the eye, and finally love."

"Sounds pretty manly," said Elfman. "So, have you mastered that one yet, Willy?"

I shook my head. "Unfortunately, I haven't yet, but I have been told that Finn has done it. Although, he never told me how he managed to do it."

"That's because I gave him a specific form of training for him to attain spiritual refinement," said Tu Chi. "Come to think of it; he was around your ages at the time before Willy came along. Not to mention there was the incident with the demon back in Osia, which forced you all to leave due to some unfortunate circumstances."

"Yeah, I remember those days," sighed Mira as she remembered. "But, this spiritual refinement sounds pretty interesting."

"You think that Natsu would be interested in learning this stuff?" wondered Lisanna. "I've been told from Happy that he likes to pretend to be one at times, so maybe he'll enjoy some ninja training."

"You do realize you're talking about Natsu, right?" said Cana skeptically. "Sure, he's crazy strong, but he's not exactly good at stealth and all that other stuff."

"You never know, Cana. Natsu can do anything he sets his mind to once he gets down to it," said Mira. "But then again, being quiet and learning stuff like geology isn't exactly his strong suit."

Everyone else laughed, even me. But as I did, I couldn't help but start thinking and wondering about what we talked about. I've heard about spiritual refinement from Tu Chi and Finn, but now that I thought about it, they never really told me what kind of training you had to do to attain it, or if there was any at all. Then, I remembered when I saw the black wolf, which gave me the idea to ask Tu Chi about it.

"So, I got a question for you, Master Tu Chi," I said. "Do you know anything about the wildlife in this swamp?"

"There are lots of animals that live in this swamp," replied Tu Chi. "Some are big, and some are small. Some are predators, and some are docile. Why do you ask?"

"Well, it's because I saw a weird-looking wolf a little earlier today," I said. "It showed up right when I was in the middle of meditating."

"A wolf? What about it made it so weird?" asked Mira.

"Well, for starters, it didn't attack me. It just looked at me," I said as I recalled the incident. "Its fur was black, black as the night sky. And its eyes were a brilliant shade of green, the brightest I've seen. It looked so majestic; I couldn't stop staring at it. Then... I had another flashback of my past, and when I did, it disappeared."

"You sure it didn't just run off?" asked Cana. "I mean, we may live in a world of magic, but there's no way an animal can just disappear."

"That's what I thought at first," I said. "But even if it did, I would have been able to see it run off or at least hear it, but not this time. I know it sounds crazy, but... it just vanished without a trace, so I don't know if it was real or a mirage. Either way, I've never seen anything like it before."

Tu Chi stayed silent, appearing to be deep in thought. Then, she stood up and walked away from the fire.

"Hey. Where are you going, Master Tu Chi?" I wondered. "You haven't answered my question yet."

But Tu Chi didn't reply as she disappeared into the darkness.

"I wonder what's wrong with her?" I said. "Did I say something wrong?"

"I don't think so," said Lisanna. "Maybe she's just feeling tired."

I could only fall silent, wondering what the cause of this sudden turn of behavior was.

The next morning, everyone had once again split up for their daily regimens for the day. I was doing sword swings before starting my training when I sensed someone walking up to me. I stopped to look and saw Tu Chi approaching with Jade on her staff.

"Oh, hello, Master Tu Chi," I greeted. "I take it it's time for the gravity spell again?"

At first, Tu Chi didn't say anything as she continued walking until she went past me. I then remembered the other night.

"Master? Is something the matter with you?" I asked, venturing. "You appeared to be acting strange the other day when I asked about the wolf I saw. Did... I say something that offended you or something?"

Tu Chi then stopped a few steps away from me, finally speaking up. "Willy, do you recall the other night when we were talking about the 18 principles?" she asked.

"Yes, I do," I replied.

"And if memory serves, you've mastered six of them, but you have yet to attain the first principle, spiritual refinement," went on Tu Chi. "That principle is essential for a ninja to master, and if you cannot, you will not be able to grow or stand a chance against future foes. Spiritual refinement refers to finding your inner spiritual strength, and there is no training method required to attain it. Only when a ninja can learn to accept oneself and be one with nature can one find their true spiritual strength."

"Then, should that be something I need to focus on instead of training?" I asked. "And does that have to do with the wolf I saw yesterday?"

Tu Chi then turned to face me. "Yes. It does. According to certain beliefs, wolves are considered to be messengers of the divine or even spirit guides, but the wolf you saw was something different," she said. "You said that it had green eyes and black fur, which makes its symbolism that of a warning."

"A warning?" I repeated, feeling a bit uneasy. "Is it... an omen kind of warning?"

"I'm afraid that is something I don't know," replied Tu Chi. "But, I do know that this encounter you experienced wasn't a coincidence. This is a sign that there is a lesson to be learned," She then turned around, facing away. "Come. Follow me."

She then started walking, and I followed after her. The two of us walked a great distance away from our area and deeper into the swamp. As we journeyed past marshes and various animals, the area seemed to grow more overgrown, and it seemed to be a bit quieter than normal with only a few bird's tweets here and there. Soon enough, Tu Chi stopped walking in front of two large trees on either side of the path tied together with a rope with paper streamers like an entrance. As she did, I couldn't help but look beyond the past the trees. Up ahead, the area looked darker, and the atmosphere appeared ominous.

"Willy, this will be your next trial, which no doubt will be the toughest you've ever faced before," she said. "Your goal is to journey on alone and find that wolf again. Once you do, I'm sure that you will find your inner spiritual strength."

"Wait, you're not coming with me?" I blurted out, asking. "But, what am I supposed to do once I find that wolf? And how am I supposed to find my inner spiritual strength by doing that?"

"I'm afraid that is something you have to figure out on your own, Willy," said Tu Chi. "From here on, I can no longer assist you. This is something that you must do on your own."

I looked back down the path feeling surprised as well as uncertain.

"Does the thought of it scare you?" asked Tu Chi. "I would have thought that you'd rise to the challenge wanting to get stronger."

"It's not that I'm scared. I'm just not sure if I can do it," I told her. "I mean, I don't know even know what to do here."

"When you don't know what to do, do the first thing you can do," said Tu Chi. "You've faced trials just as difficult, so I know that you can do it. There is no reason for you to doubt yourself. Trust yourself as you keep moving forward without letting doubt or fear hold you back."

For a moment, I was silent. Then, I clenched my hands, plucked up confidence, and took a deep breath before responding.

"Very well, Master Tu Chi. I'll do it," I spoke bravely. "I'm gonna find that wolf, and I won't stop until I do."

"Good," said Tu Chi. "But, allow me to give you a warning. While on your journey, you will face enemies that will be just as dangerous as those you've faced in the past. Also, beyond this point, you will find that the unnatural becomes natural, and the line between reality and fiction wanes. So, proceed with caution."

"I will," I said.

The two of us faced each other and bowed. Then, after taking one more deep breath, I walked forward past the two trees and into the unknown beyond, eyes forward and filled with resolve. I didn't know what would await me on this journey of mine, but I knew that I would succeed without fail. No matter what lay ahead.

NO POV

Tu Chi watched as Willy walked away, eventually disappearing into the darkness beyond. No sooner than when he was gone, Jade couldn't help but coo worriedly.

Tu Chi smiled gently as she stroked her head. "There, there, Jade. I know that you're worried," she told her. "But this is necessary, no matter how much it worries you... and me."

She then looked down on the path again, appearing calm but also a bit anxious herself. Then, she started back to camp.

"Kentou wo, brave ninja," she thought to herself. "I pray for your success. And Finn, please watch over him."

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