Chapter 6

Every morning Axel would wake up at least an hour before the crack of dawn. He would start his day with physical training including running, pulling and lifting heavy logs, endless press ups along with all of the other things that kept his body strong and in check. This had challenged Axel to his limits when it came to training high up in altitude over dangerous terrain where the air was thin and oxygen levels were low.

But he prevailed and slowly but surely. He began to embrace the nature and environment around him as if it were part of his training, rather than a hopeless obstacle or hinder.

Then every morning whilst the sun rose, he would sit close to Eru. They stayed calm and still, deep in meditation as Axel's mind surrendered. The two of them closed their eyes, sometimes in this meditative state for hours. However, there was no time duration when they remained in this calm state of existence. Each day Axel had learned that the idea of 'durations and time limits on doing things' were irrelevant when it came to the bigger picture. Eru had taught him on his path that enlightenment wasn't about the length of the road or even how long it took to reach the destination. It was about the quality of the steps he walked along the journey.

This outlook represented everything that Eru did in life. The old Shaman had no care in the world for time. He simply measured the day only by using the sun and the sky. But when it came down to meditation, he was able to sit there still and silent for hours on end if he felt like it.

After meditating each morning, Axel would set off on the daily hunt to bring back to the cabin food and water. He would usually trek for miles, but would always return before the temperature rose at the centre of the day. Out on his ventures, Axel would often discover something new. Perhaps a new species he had never seen before, or even a beautiful landmark that took his attention.

This fresh air and natural environment he consumed was exhilarating for his mind, body and soul and was something he had never witnessed before.

Once Axel had returned to the cabin with lunch, part of his afternoon was dedicated to mastering his own fighting skills along with his chi. He could feel the strength and power inside him breaking boundaries and reaching new levels day by day.

Although there was no one around for him to spar with, he had the elements and his own force of nature that he discovered deep inside himself. He was his own teacher. Axel learnt that strength didn't just come from the physical state, or even his own mental frame of mind as he had previously understood. But strength also came from his spirit buried within him which he had gotten to learn more about during the hours of silence he had meditated from.

Every punch, kick and drill that Axel executed at the top of that terrain had evolved like never before. Most would consider the quality of his moveset as perfect and as sharp it could have been. All with the right balance of strength, power, speed and energy. Axel's fists could cut and burn through the air the same way when water turned to ice. But there was still so much more to discover at this point, particularly to do with his own chi that he could still manipulate into fire.

Then every evening before dusk, Axel would visit the hot springs high up in the terrain to wash and cleanse his skin, giving his hard working muscles the time to relax at the end of the day. Axel had enjoyed the silence and time to himself with the rugged landscape surrounding him. Each night after that, he had also appreciated the company of Eru and John over dinner, Although Axel had hunted for the catch of the day, John had helped out by agreeing to skin and cook it. Whilst Eru often remained silent throughout most of the evening as they ate, the Scottsman reminded Axel that he was still human and was entitled to a laugh from time to time, despite John's witty and brash sense of humour.

Then finally at the end of the day, Axel and Eru would sit together one more time under the starry night sky where they would meditate once again. Axel had found the evening meditation was far different than the morning. At the start of the day, he had always felt replenished and reset with his thoughts and goals set for the hours ahead, however the night's meditation had another purpose.

This is when Axel could really sense the elements of fire, air, earth and water that echoed around him. He also found his spirit, sometimes experiencing visions in his meditative state and even out of body hallucinations from time to time. Eru had explained previously that this would all happen and develop over time the longer Axel remained here. The visions he had when Axel closed his eyes were a blur, and the voices of the spirits around him that he heard were a muffled sound.

But night by night, everything became clearer. All it took was consistent practice as well as the ability to let go with the willingness to leave his own body and soul in a vulnerable state. Eru had given Axel the confidence to do this. He had mentored him in his own unique way, showing Axel the door to a new way of existence. But ultimately, it was Axel's own choice to walk through it with the determination to break his own boundaries.

By now days had turned into weeks and weeks had turned into months to the point where Axel had lost count of how long he had been here in this sacred place. His first Winter here had already begun and the hours of daylight had significantly reduced to almost nothing, making hunting and finding water even more of a challenge. And it was only going to get worse when the cold and ice would eventually punish the lands they were living on.

John had packed his belongings before deciding to trail off to lower ground for the rest of the winter. He had said his goodbyes and had reassured Axel that he would be back as he always returned during the Spring. The Scottsman also made them a promise to return with more alcohol, clothes, footwear, fresh blankets and even the odd newspaper or two, just in case they had wondered what was going on in the rest of the world that they had lived so far away from.

John made Axel chuckle when he told him about the pork scratchings. Every time he'd left to a lower part of the terrain that was more populated, the aid that came to the villagers had tons of boxes of it for some odd reason. With help, John would always bring back a box of pork scratchings for Eru who loved it. The old man would get through the entirety of every packet within the space of a week.

"I'll see you around yer crazy Yank..." John smirked, giving Axel a pat on the back.

"See you around crazy bampot" Axel cheekily grinned when he joked back, having picked up some of the older man's lingo during the past couple of months.

"Watch yer mouth kid!" The Scottsman pointed one finger, jokingly warning him. "And look after this old man for me," he gestured to Eru who was standing outside through the morning breeze.

"I will," Axel promised, even though he knew that Eru was the one really looking after him.

The old man had completely changed John's mindset when he had first arrived. The convict on the run used to be reckless and even tried to steal food from Eru. But somehow, everything changed the night when he finally made it up the brutal terrain. Eru could see a light in John that had no evil in his heart, despite his past. The crimes John had committed had been an awful, tragic mistake, and John had always started life with good intentions.

The Scottsman insisted he was out here on the run, despite that prison had to have been a better alternative than risking your life to hike up these harsh lands alone. The sad reality was however, that John was repenting for his mistakes and he would have rather punished himself. But Eru somehow worked a miracle in changing John's mindset. The same way he was about to change Axel's.

The old Shaman said a prayer once John had stepped outside. He then burnt leaves around him in a short ritual to bless his soul and protect him on his journey. The two of them shook hands, the Scottish way then said goodbye. Axel looked on from the cabin above, admiring how calm and emotionally strong Eru was. The old man had somehow stuck around and had survived here by himself, in spite of the savage Winters like the one they were about to witness.

After John had left, the days drastically shortened to mostly darkness. Often they would only live through an hour of daylight. Times were now harder than ever before. The duo had to ration any food and water that was hunted and Axel's training also needed to be adapted to the long nights and the cold. This was when he really started to focus on his chi and the fire that laid dormant underneath his skin. For long hours with the severe freeze around them, Axel and Eru still meditated outside under the stars.

One night, they started to witness several blue auroras flaring through the sky very close to dawn. Axel suddenly caught himself smiling, wondering why those energies above reminded him of Blaze. The only thing he had left right now was the memory of her as well as one photograph buried deep within his backpack that he was afraid to take out. Axel also wondered about the mysterious volcano that John had spoken about when Eru had left for days on end. Having picked up several native words over the weeks, when their meditation was over one night, Axel decided to ask the old man about it.

Eru gracefully stood up then placed one hand on Axel's shoulder. He spoke in a calm tone. Axel could make sense of most of the native language he used which had translated to,

"The volcano you seek does not exist here on the physical plane, but the fire from it lies inside of you. One day you will witness its true strength and you will see it for yourself…."

There and then, Eru held up a bright orange flame above his hands that he crafted into a small spherical ball, closely resembling the sun. The orb then disappeared for a moment, out of his hand before it turned into several fire rockets, almost like golden shooting stars that rained down on the terrain in the distance from the sky.

"If I wanted to, I could project this fire through the air far away, through the ground and even through water…" Eru explained. Axel had started to understand True Strength from another perspective, but he still had much more to learn.

"Where can I find this volcano then?" He queried.

"Your spirit guide will show you…" Eru nodded.

"Spirit guide? What is that? Where is he then?" Axel frowned, impatient and eager for more details.

"You don't have one yet, but you will," the Shaman replied.

"How?... And who…? How do I find them?"

"That's enough for today, you will know when they come to you." Eru halted their conversation there and then. Axel respectfully nodded with a defeated sigh before the two of them retreated back into the slightly warmer cabin.

Axel took a deep exhale as he laid back down to sleep. He glanced up at the roof, thankful that he had properly fixed it up with the wood he had carried all this way. The snow storm was now coming in fast. Tonight was the first night and a glimpse of the harsh Winter events that lied ahead. This particular one was a mixture of ice that rained down simultaneously with thunder and lightning. At one point in the middle of the night, the thought of the cabin being washed away off the hilltop had worriedly crossed Axel's mind.

He glanced over towards Eru who was calmly sleeping on the other side. None of these brutal weather elements phased the old man at all. It was almost as if he trusted the nature around him with his own life. Axel was on edge however, and he barely took an inch of sleep that night.

As the perilous Winter days and nights passed, Axel started to rest more and more. He became used to the force of nature around them and he accepted and trusted it, just like Eru. Axel learned that whilst his body could suffer at any moment, his own spirit would never die or become damaged.

Frequently during these meditation periods, Axel would witness his past and he would sense his parents around him who had long been deceased. But if they were not there acting as his own spirit guides that he needed, who would be? There were still so many answers that Axel was searching for.

Physically, he was now stronger than ever. The diet of wild meat and fish along with his intense training had sculpted his body which now began to feel bulkier and heavier than his old ripped muscular frame. He was changing not just on the outside, but even more so on the inside. Axel had started to forget the man and the fighter he once was. All of the things he used to enjoy - the video games, the nights out, the materialistic commodities he often bought and even his old apartment meant nothing to him now.

The only connection he felt back towards his old home was for Blaze. He still thought about her every night, wondering what her day had been like. Axel had always planned to return, as promised. He couldn't wait to one day show her and tell her all about everything he had learned out here in the wilderness. He knew that Blaze had the same strength deep inside of her too, and that she hadn't unlocked her full potential yet. Axel understood that what he was searching for could now take years to find, but if Blaze ever really needed him or if she somehow managed to reach out to him, he would return to Wood Oak City without a moment's hesitation.

But life went on and Axel continued searching every day for answers during his meditation and training. Slowly, the Winter days began to get lighter. The ice melted and the grass was green once again. The dark nights depleted and the stars above them in the sky had realigned. Spring came round once again as it did every year.

Axel wondered after losing track of the days, if this place he remained in was a haven on Earth. Did time even exist here like he previously understood? One thing was for sure though, his surroundings felt more like a reality than the now-vivid dream of where he once came from.

Then one spring morning, Axel woke up slightly later than usual from a deep sleep. The sun had already risen and its rays were shining brightly into the cabin. Eru had already left for his morning's meditation and the front door was open.

As soon as Axel opened his blurry eyes towards the light, he could see a white butterfly resting on one of the wooden panels above that supported the roof. It was so beautiful, delicate and calming at the same time. It rested where it was for a moment before its wings fluttered playfully through the air. The butterfly then suddenly flew out of the doorway, and it was gone. But this was all so strange. Even a wild butterfly would be dead within seconds at an altitude and harsh climate such as this. What was it? And how did it ever get here?

Since that day, every morning Axel woke up to see the same white butterfly above his bed again and again. As the days went on, it would start to circle him then if he was lucky, the beautiful creature would land on his hand for a second or two. Axel was amazed and fascinated at where it could have come from and how it had survived for this long.

One day Eru had witnessed it also. He then confirmed that this butterfly was part of the journey to finding the answers that Axel was hoping for. This was indeed the spirit guide that had finally found him.

From that moment on, Axel knew that he was well on the path to finding the answers he had been searching for. He was so close at this point and could feel it deep inside his bones.

Finally, he had only just begun to realize what True Strength really was.