~ Chapter 3: Past Regret, Present Remorse ~

Escaping the excited students at the kung fu martial arts dojo provided to be a much easier task than the new champion had anticipated. They all had been so enthusiastic about the upset of the former champion that they were nearly blind to his stealthy exit. But after watching such a match as they had witnessed it was no wonder that they had reacted the way they did. It certainly was a contest that would leave an impression of awe and excitement.

The gentle breeze from the countryside felt good across Knight's face as the wind cooled his body down from the raging temperature that it had gotten to during the match. And with the one corner of the dojo packed with spectating students, the chilling north-westerly wind was a welcome friend as opposed to the humid, muggy atmosphere of the dojo.

As Knight continued his leisurely stroll, the sight of a familiar short, twisted tree near a secluded section of woods at edge of town brought relief to his exhausted and sun tanning skin. With the entity Sol, at its most intense radiating position of the day, the shade of the small bonsai tree was practically calling his name. And with such a victory as had been won today, Knight figured that he deserved the shade and the break.

Relaxing underneath this particular tree was not an uncommon event for him. The worn grass under it where he reclined should be proof enough of that. He had come often to this very spot to rest his wearied body from the trials he faced as not only a student at the dojo but also as a productive member of the society. It was hard work being on one's own. But after a hard day's labor, there was nothing compared to the satisfaction of accomplishment of one's finished work for the day while spending the remaining time left in the day under the shade of this tree as the sky elucidated autumn colors of the fading sunlight.

As he bent down into the soft grass of his shade haven and leaned against the trunk of the small tree, any thoughts that he had previously seemed to vanish from his mind. The tension in his muscles loosened and his body sank slightly into a previously molded contour. His breathing slowed and deepened matching the relaxing state of the serene atmosphere. The very earth itself seemed to be drawing off any of his body's produced negative energy allowing his eyes to fall with peace of mind and his body induced into a state of partial sleep.

In this meditative disposition, Knight found his most comforting peace. It was during these times of solitude that he managed to escape the world even if it was for a short moment in order to keep himself composed and under control during stressful times. If it was not for the times he spent alone like this he would have gone insane for sure.

Knight yawned and stretched his arms out relieving the pressure in some of his joints and then folded them back behind his head for added support. A sigh escaped from his lips as he opened his eyes lazily and looked about this familiar district. Even though this area was a part of the woods it was not as thickly populated with trees as the forest nearer the village. It was a perfect place to be utilized as a training ground with just enough space for maneuverability and enough shade for protection against the rays of the sun. Not only was this area Knight's comfort zone but it was also his mock battle zone. It was here away from the spying eyes of the other students that Knight learned to practice his martial arts as well as his secret arts, Psynergy.

It was still all a mystery to him as to the origin of the power he possessed. He had given up trying to explain how he did what he did or the origin of his fantastical powers. What he was more concerned with was the careful refinement and skillful mastery of his powers in order to keep his elemental usages secret. The one time he had lost control of his Psynergy, Raif was close enough to witness a small fraction of Knight's power. Luckily, the boy did not have a clear enough view to perceive the details of what happened and Knight was able to play the lightning and thunder Raif saw and heard off on the overhead thunderstorm. Thanks to the storm that day Knight was able to keep his Psynergic lightning concealed beneath his façade and he was able to gain a good friend.

In fact, he had gained a couple good friends during his stay in this village. Knight recalled the time when he was first found on that beach by two very cute girls. They took him to Xian where the purple-haired one put in a good word with master Feh to allow him to not only get residency in one of the houses in the city but also to get training at the dojo. Knight also got to know the other girl very well and they had even become friends to the point where they were practically a couple. Both girls had been very nice to him. The year he had spent in Xian seemed to fly by.

Ever since the day he first arrived in Xian, Knight had stayed around the dojo for sanctuary and for training. At first he was not interested in the training offered at the dojo, but after Feizhi's incessant pleading, Knight finally decided to get involved. But if he had ever hoped to catch up to the other students, extra training would be required outside of the dojo. That was when he found this spot far from the eyes of the other students so that not only could he hone the skills learned at the dojo but he could also practice the mastery of his Psynergy.

Though he was relaxed and his eyes shut, Knight's own training here to heighten his senses alerted him to the gentle crinkle of the grass behind him. He hesitated for a moment wondering who could be approaching him. But when a gentle breeze blew in from behind him, he instantly was able to narrow the sweet scent to a familiar friend.

"I thought you'd be out here," the feminine voice said softly. "You usually are."

Knight simply smiled and glanced back at the approaching girl. "This is the area I feel most peaceful in. Besides, Feizhi, I needed to relax for a bit."

"After that confrontation…" she said turning to point in the general direction of the dojo. "I bet." The violet haired girl gracefully sauntered over to a nearby log and plopped herself down. "You were amazing! How you took down Valleroy with such ease!"

"Well… it wasn't too hard really…"

"What? Are you serious?" Feizhi gasped in disbelief. "There's no need to be modest, Knight! He was a very tough competitor! Very few people could have… ohh… how should I say it…" she thought for a brief moment. She chuckled as finished her statement. "…put him in his place."

Knight turned to her in intrigue and shifted his eyebrows inquisitively.

Feizhi leaned forward slightly and put a cupped hand next to her mouth. "Just between us… I think he deserved that!" she whispered then winked.

"Yeah. It's been a long time coming." Knight smiled and leaned back against his shade tree. As he placed his hands behind his head, he smiled. "I have you to thank for today's win."

"Huh? What'd ya mean?" came the confused reply.

"Well… You not only helped me with my martial arts training out here but you also passed on your technique of prediction down to me. That came in very handy in my battle with that kid."

"Really…?" Feizhi said with a slight twitch of uncertainty in her facial expression. "It's true that I passed that technique on to you; however, my visions into the future are spontaneous and are days, months, even years into the future. How could you…?"

"Through training…" Knight replied answering her logical question. "I thought that if you could see that far into the future then why couldn't I try to hone that skill to see the more immediate future?" Knight raised an eyebrow at the girl and smirked.

"Really? That's incredible!" Her face lit up with excitement and her eyes widened.

"See? So you did help me out… in a way." Knight smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "But still, it takes a great deal of energy and focus to maintain that skill. Any distractions or negative thoughts would throw off my focus and it would be difficult, perhaps even impossible, to do."

"I had no idea it took that much effort," Feizhi smiled as she looked at the strapping young man.

"Yeah. I'm hoping to be able to use this skill as though it's second nature. That would be very helpful."

"Well, all I know is that you truly are a genius, Knight. I bet your parents would have been proud to see your victory over that self-professed champion Valleroy."

A great sigh slipped from the lips of the boy as he leaned back against his tree and gazed back into the sky. His eyes focused on the few small puffy clouds that had arisen into the ocean of blue above.

"Yeah…" he responded, his voice dropping off considerably and his smile fading.

"Huh? Knight? What's wrong?" Feizhi questioned with ever growing concern at his sudden change in mood.

As the silence between the two friends lengthened the gentle chirping of the native birds took the place of conversation. The sounds of joyous chatter between the feathered aviators were a calming distraction to the hardships of a past that Knight had tried to seal away ever since he had arrived the village of Xian. If his mind would have been emptied of such thoughts Knight would have found the atmosphere of this secluded retreat to be soothing.

"Well… It's just that… My parents are gone," Knight stated his gaze dropping to his feet.

"Oh… I'm sorry… I…"

"…didn't know? I… I realize that. But… I… Well I'm not exactly open about my past." He heaved another heavy breath. "But still, you… uh… you shouldn't be sorry for things you can't change."

"Knight…" Feizhi's voice quivered as she watched the once proud boy who had defeated Valleroy reduced to such a level of melancholy. She was about to say more but was cut short when he lifted his hand up to silence her.

"Knight… hmph…" came the whisper from the boy as that name echoed in his mind. His mind took him back to the day when he had first come up with the name. It was an etched memory of a time he desperately wanted to forget.

He took in a deep breath of air and let it out slowly allowing him to form the words and the courage to continue. "I think that you deserve to know." He took a deep breath and continued. "About a year ago, I… uh… my hometown was attacked by a group of ninja that took everyone completely by surprise. But despite that, we were able to fight back and drive the invaders from our city. However, the price of victory came at a heavy cost. Not everyone was able to rejoice in our victory."

"Like your parents…" She suddenly realized the reason for his sudden mood change.

Knight nodded. He clenched his hands into tight fists and shut his eyes tight as well as if remembering, no, reliving the horrible nightmare of that night.

"What is it?"

Knight retracted his knees up into his chest and held them in place by wrapping his arms around them. "It-It's… It's nothing," Knight reluctantly sputtered turning his gaze down to the ground.

"Knight, come on… You know that you can talk to me. It's quite obvious that something is wrong. Please, tell me. I want to help you," Feizhi pleaded as only female can plead.

His eyes drooped as he spoke barely above a whisper. "I'm… no soldier. I wasn't prepared… no… I wasn't ready for what I had to do, despite what I thought at the time. I… I killed three of those ninja," he admitted. The sharp gasp he heard from the girl went unnoticed as he continued. "They all threatened the life of my friend so I thought I'd feel nothing afterward so I… I…" An image flashed in his head of that night. But it was more than just an image. Vivid details of that gruesome memory replayed back in his mind more real than it had been that night. Knight reached up and covered his face with one of his hands as he felt tears fall from his eyes.

The sniffling form that lay before Feizhi could not have possible been the one whom she had once seen before. His strength and calm seemed almost impossible to shatter even in the most intense training sessions they had been through. He hardly ever showed his emotions; but now, he was suffering from an extreme mental breakdown of something he did in the past that he now regrets. What could she do to comfort him in this situation? One thing was certain: this event of his past… had left it's scars. Feizhi decided that he needed the shoulder of a friend. She stood up and walked over to the boy and bent down so that she was nearly eye level with him.

"It's okay. I'm here for you," Feizhi whispered in a voice that was filled with great compassion as she reached out and laid her hand on his head. "You did what you had to do."

"I…" Knight fought back the tears as best he could, but the hurt was too great even so such a strong will as his own. "I wasn't strong enough to protect them! I… failed because I was weak!"

Feizhi reached around and gave him a hug, a much needed hug of compassion. "It's okay. You're not weak! In fact, you're one of the strongest people I know!"

Knight backed away wiping away his tears. "No… I'm not. There are many other guys who have bigger muscles then I'll ever have…"

The purple-haired girl giggled lightly. "That's not what I'm talking about, silly boy." She placed a finger on the boy's chest. "You're strength comes from within. From your spirit. From your heart. You have something that none of those other guys have… heart. I know that you'll go on to do great things. You'll be a great hero not because you can beat up on other people, but because you have compassion. I'm convinced that life on the outside comes from strength on the inside. And you're a strong person without a doubt in my mind."

The expression on Knight's face lightened as he slowly started to smile. He began to digest what exactly she had said. "Thanks… I… uh… needed to hear that…"

"Don't worry about it. That's what a true friend does. I'm here for 'ya." Feizhi leaned forward and gave him another hug thinking about their talk. "Hmph. That's why you push yourself so hard isn't it?" She felt him shutter as if she had hit the nail on the head. "Listen, the past is the past and there comes a point where you just have to put the past behind you." She reached down and grabbed his hand in hers. "Knight, we all have things in our past that we wish we could change or forget or even undo; but if you let things in your past hold you back, then you'll miss all the good things going on around you. And when things get tough, you'll have friends like me who will stick with you… 'til the end."

"I… uh…" Knight pushed away from her and smiled with renewed energy. "Thanks… for everything. I feel much better now."

"Great! I'm glad to hear it!" Feizhi responded cheerful clapping her hands together relieved to see her friend back to some normalcy.

Both Feizhi and Knight leaned back against the soft grass and relaxed. Knight looked over at the girl briefly and smiled. She's right. I need to put the past behind me and forget about it all. I know that if I have friends like Feizhi with me, I can live without regret or remorse.