Lessons of Life

"Again!" the azure haired champion roared. He was renowned for his skills and strength and it was an honor for him to take someone on as a student. He was not as old as some had come to think due to how well known he was. He was just twenty-eight. He was a kind man and sought to protect anyone in need, but his attitude changed completely in training. He was harsh and unrelenting. Fierce gray eyes narrowed as he stood like a pillar over the exhausted monk.

She had always been outgoing and fearless until he took her in as his disciple. She was only six years younger than he was, but he was the best. Anyone could tell you that with all of her praise, she had become arrogant. Not long after she had become a monk, he had taken her in as a student and began to train her. She gloated about this fact until the day her training truly began. He all but beat her into a fearful and trembling heap as they had sparred to see her skills. Everyday after was exactly the same.

First, there was the lesson each morning. He spoke of the principles each monk should know, asked her questions and she answered. She never had trouble in this area so at least he was pleased about one thing. Next, they would move on to a short meditation, which was always a calming and enjoyable part of her training. Lastly, there was the sparring. She dreaded this more than anything. The previously pleasant champion turned into a ruthless, unfeeling monster, she thought. He did not go easy on her and they sparred until he was satisfied.

She did improve but it was never good enough. He always found something wrong. "Mahlia, I said again," he commanded. Her fists clenched tightly, her anger steadily rising but she was so tired. "Now," he spoke again.

With a frustrated growl, she assumed a low stance and surged forward, sending a bandaged fist toward his unguarded mid section. He sidestepped and brought a knee into her stomach, knocked the breath from her. Mahlia stumbled and whipped around, casting her teacher a hurt expression. After a moment, her trembling legs gave out.

She had always felt so strong and confident in the face of any situation, but not anymore. She felt weak and useless. Surely he hadn't meant for his teachings to have such an effect on her. Mahlia felt disappointment most of all. The champion watched as she fell onto her hands and knees with an ungraceful thud. He had not broken a sweat thus far; unlike Mahlia who was wiping furiously at the sweat beading around her face and neck. Her white and brown uniform was smudged in dirt and grass stains. Her braided blond hair was coming loose, but she didn't care. "Stand up, Mahlia."

"I…can't," she replied softly, her eyes downcast.

"Don't make me repeat myself."

"…but…Eli…"

"Get up."

"I…" she drifted off. She couldn't handle this anymore. For almost a year, she had endured this training and she tried to be strong. She thought in the beginning that she was better than many of her peers. People said that she was, but since she came here to learn from Eli, he said nothing of the sort. He commented only on her mistakes and shortcomings. It was obvious that she could learn so much from her teacher but she didn't think she could handle his training anymore. He had made it apparent that she wasn't anywhere near as good as she thought she was, so what was the point of continuing? "I can't do it. Not anymore…I'm sorry," she sighed.

Eli lifted a skeptical brow and crossed his muscular arms. "Why?"

"I'm not cut out for it," she moaned.

"Why?" he asked again.

"I'm not as good as I thought I was. You made sure to rub that in my face." Eli looked at her with a dull expression as he waited for her to finish. His placid attitude was really getting on her nerves. Did he even care whether she finished her training or not? A smug looked replaced the dull expression a moment later when he spoke.

"Why?"

"Why the hell do you keep asking why?" she asked angrily.

"You tell me." He knew exactly what he what he wanted her to say. She had been arrogant and conceited before she came here but she showed great potential. He had taken her to a tournament when he first took her in as a student and let her compete against the more experienced monks. She had been humiliated by being beaten in the first round. She was angry but she kept up her tirade and vain state of mind. He had to teach her the hard way.

"I dunno! I'd say some stupid lesson about humility or some crap like that but I'm sure the answer is moooore complex than that," She grumbled, averting her gaze. This sucked.

He pulled off his gloves and walked past her, heading back home. He took a few more steps before he looked back. "Tomorrow we're going to Prontera so be ready to leave early in the morning. With that, he left her sitting in the grass, angry and tired. She did not return until evening came and she went straight to her room. She didn't want to eat or look at him so she went to bed to rest her tired limbs.

The next morning, she woke as the sun was rising. She felt better physically but she still wanted to stay in bed and hide. Despite her thoughts, she rose out of bed, not wanting to face the consequences of being late. A short time later, she walked into the kitchen to see Eli waiting for her. "Eat your breakfast," he said, motioning to the food on the table. "I know you skipped dinner, so eat before we leave."

He never made her breakfast, she thought. She was always the one to fix the meals. Taking a seat, she glanced at him and back to the food suspiciously. It smelled good and her stomach was complaining loudly about being empty. Her plate consisted of scrambled eggs, sausage, toast and a glass of juice. "Eat it, Mahlia, we don't have all day. Besides, I don't have any reason to poison you," he grinned.

"Fine." He really wouldn't poison her, would he? After a few bites, she was pleasantly surprised. Eli could actually cook. She polished off her breakfast, cleaned off the table, and waited for Eli. He opened a warp portal to Prontera and stepped in after her. They appeared in south Prontera, which was already bustling with busy merchants setting up their carts and stands for the day. "Where are we headed, Eli?" she asked unenthusiastically.

"You'll see." He nudged her to start walking. They made their way to the training grounds and Mahlia then realized just what they were doing.

"The tournament?" she croaked. He nodded and pulled her along when she slowed down. They found the knight in charge of the tournament and signed up. She assumed that Eli was participating and she was supposed to watch and learn so she calmed down a bit. This annual tournament was a friendly show of skills and a good way to test ones self so it was always interesting to see the monks returning each year and to see how they have improved. After an hour of socializing with other monks, the tournament began. The first round lasted a good fifteen minutes as the two monks were evenly matched. The second round came and the judge called the two fighters up.

"Jiro and Mahlia, please step forward." Mahlia paled and stared up at Eli in disbelief. He merely smiled and leaned down to speak to her.

"I have complete faith in your abilities. One year ago, you were arrogant and undeserving of your talents. Remember the things you learned and you'll do fine. I'm proud of how far you've come." He grinned and ruffled her hair.

Did he just…say what I think he said, she thought. She walked numbly to the makeshift ring and looked at her opponent. He was all muscle and height and this fact alone scared her. She bowed respectfully and assumed her stance. The only thoughts in her head just now were 'i'm gonna die i'm gonna die', not anything about her training.

Okay, she thought, think girl! She cleared her mind as best she could and tried to remember all she had learned thus far. Jiro was the first to move. He was strong, no doubt but she did have speed on her side being smaller than he was.

His first strike came lightening quick and got her in the stomach. She groaned and backed up. She hadn't been ready for that one. He struck again but this time, she sidestepped and countered with her own fist. Eli had always taught her that strength wasn't always the best weapon. Accurate strikes would always win and she used this. Swiftly evading and blocking the other monks hits, she hit precise spots and soon, the monk, Jiro, fell to his knees out of breath and hurt. She had hardly broken a sweat, she realized.

"Winner of round two, Mahlia!" There were cheers but the only thing that mattered was Eli's head nodding in approval. As the tournament went on, she reached the final fight but lost. Her opponent had a few years of experience she realized and graciously took second place. Oddly, she wasn't disappointed. She never thought she could do this so soon. With a deep breath, she walked through the crowd, pleased with the praise she was getting but she overheard a few people talking about her. They commented on how she had improved and how mature she had become. It was true, though, wasn't it?

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Eli. "You were great," ee said softly. Mahlia grinned ear to ear and wrapped her arms around him. She couldn't believe how the day had turned out.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she exclaimed as she squeezed the life out of him. He laughed and pulled her arms away from him.

"Let me breath for a minute. You changed everything that you needed to change all on your own. I just gave you the tools."

"…and unnecessary beatings," she added. Looking back at her training, she came to see that everything he did with her, he had to do to knock some sense into her. She would never admit it to anyone but inside, she knew what he did was right and necessary. She had always dreamed of becoming a revered champion like Eli but she would never have gotten even this far if she had stayed the way she was. She still ached to gloat in the faces of those that doubted her--and there were many--but she restrained herself because she knew she would be scolded if she did.

"You have permission to brag for today," he chuckled as her eyes widened. He knew exactly what she was thinking.

Old habits die hard!