The school day flew by on Wednesday and before I knew it, I was at my therapy appointment. We had to schedule it for a different day this week since she didn't have any openings yesterday. The day of the sessions don't really matter to me, as long as she has an opening. I don't care what Reverenth says, I need therapy.
As usual, Alex signed me in at the reception desk. I honestly think it's stupid that they wouldn't let anyone under 16 sign themselves in, but it wasn't my rule to make. It didn't take long before Ms. Welsh called me back to her office.
"So, how have you been since our last session? I see that your leg is better." She asked once we were seated.
"I've been okay, I guess. Struggling with a new instructor who I want to punch." I told her honestly.
"Oh? Who's your new instructor and what do they teach?" Ms. Welsh said, curiosity in her voice.
"His name is Reverenth Blacksteel. He's supposedly a Metal Dragon who's teaching me unorthodox fighting techniques as well as how to plan and fight a war." I said, grumbling at the end.
"What do you mean by supposedly?" Confusion was now written on my therapist's face.
"My godfather, Umbra, told me that he was a Metal Dragon. I'm not saying that he isn't one, but so far, I've only seen him use a Darkness ability called Shrowd. It's an innate ability to all Darkness Dragons. My guess is that he's a Mix-breed. A Darkness Metal Dragon." I said truthfully, telling her my thoughts.
"Okay, and why is he teaching you these things? Don't you already know how to fight?" Ms. Welsh asked calmly.
"I do, but apparently I also need to know how to fight in a partial shift. He says the best way for me to learn is when I'm angry." I said, looking down at my lap.
"Well, why not use this for something else? I told you that it's okay to get angry, but to not let it control you. Use this as a way to learn how to control your anger as well." Dr. Welsh said. I thought about it for a moment.
"You're right, Dr. Welsh. I could use this training to kill two birds with one stone. The only issue is to not beat Reverenth's face in as I do it." I said, smiling. Reverenth was a slave driver during training, but I can use it for my own purpose as well. I won't let Reverrenth change who I want to be.
"Is there anything else that you want to talk about?" Dr. Welsh asked as our session was ending.
"Not particularly. I'll be doing online learning next month. That way I don't fall behind in my classes. Other than that, everything is fine." I told her while standing up. Alex took us home and I did my homework while mom made dinner.
Tonight she was making steak with mashed potatoes and a salad. When we were done eating, Reverenth and I went outside to do our daily sparring session. We both partially shifted before taking our fighting positions. I stood with my left side facing forward, my legs slightly parted and bent for maneuverability, my left hand was forward while my right hand was back by my chin.
Reverenth took up a southpaw position. His legs were in the same position as mine, but his right hand was out while his left was by his chin. I threw a jab, which he easily blocked, and then threw a punch of his own. His hit landed with a resounding crack, and I fell to the ground.
"Come on, Andrew. Is this really the best you can do? Are you really our King? Pathetic." Reverenth ranted as I got up again. Even though I tried to fight it, his comments were pissing me off. He said that he wanted me to be angry? Fine. I'm angry.
Getting back into my fighting stance, I grabbed Reverenth's right arm with my tail while throwing a punch at the same time. My hit landed on his jaw, and I released my grip on his arm. As he fell to the ground, I jumped on him and kept throwing punches on his face. Reverenth managed to get his feet under me and pushed me off of him. As I landed, my left shoulder hit a rock.
I felt my shoulder crack, but I got up and went after Reverenth again. He was standing again, and he was ready. Reverenth grabbed my right fist before pinning it under his arm. At the same time, he hit the back of my neck, causing me to lose consciousness.
Beep. Beep. Beep. The familiar sound of a heart monitor assaulted my ears as I woke up. As my other senses caught up, I felt the pain in my shoulder. Groaning, I tried to sit up, but a hand gently pressed me back down onto the bed.
"Don't try getting up right now. I now realize why you don't like getting angry. You need to learn how to stay calm, even when you get that mad. But for now, we'll start on your tactics and strategies training for the next three months." Reverenth said calmly before leaving the room. As he left, my parents and DOnatello walked in.
"How are you feeling, Andrew?" Donny asked while walking up to my bed.
"In pain. What happened, exactly? I don't remember anything after Reverenth's comments." I asked, slurring my words a bit because of the pain meds I was on.
"You blacked out? Then that would explain his broken nose, black eye, and busted lip. All you need to know right now is that your left shoulder is broken. I've reduced your healing speed to ensure proper healing, so it'll take about three months to heal completely." Donny said while checking the machines.
"3 months?! I'm supposed to reclaim the thrones next month!" I exclaimed, trying to sit up again. The attempt failed and caused a lot of pain, but I didn't care.
"Well, there is a way to reclaim the thrones without fighting. Request a Trial of Wills. It's three tests to challenge your mental fortitude. Usually you'll have to face three of your worst fears." Donatello suggested.
"Is that safe?" My mom asked, concerned.
"It depends on the fears. Normally, it is relatively safe. Rarely does it end with the challenger suffering a mental breakdown." Donny answered plainly.
"Is this what you want to do?" My dad asked, placing a hand on my legs.
"It's not a matter of 'if I want to do it'. This is something that needs to be done. If we want to win this war, I need to be on the thrones." I said, resolving myself to this test with an unknown success rate.