Vayu woke up to soft daylight spilling through his window. The fire in his eyes had dimmed from yesterdays encounter .
I have to become stronger, he thought, sitting up with a groan. But how?
No one trained harder than him. Every spare moment he had been working hard sparring in his mind, endurance runs, technique practice he did it all . He pushed beyond his limits day after day. And yet, after all that, when he finally stood face to face with that monster, he had collapsed. Powerless. Helpless.
He needed answers.
Still sore and aching, Vayu walked through the academy grounds, the air was chilly this morning . The clang of metal beating against metal echoed from the training hall. Inside, some students were sparring, while some worked on their strength , while some were getting ready for a run . At the far end of the hall stood his training instructor, arms crossed watching everything.
Vayu approached, stopping a few paces away.
"SIR" he said in a steady voice. "I've been working hard. But I'm not getting any results."
The man didn't respond immediately. He turned his gaze from the sparring students to Vayu, then raised an eyebrow.
"And how long have you been working hard?"
Vayu hesitated. "Two months."
The instructor let out a dry chuckle. "Two months, huh? There are men who train for decades and still don't get the desired results and you think two months are enough to make you a master?"
Vayu's lowered his eyes because he knew the words his teacher had said were true.
"You lack patience boy, forget results for now you can't even overpower many of your own classmates" the instructor said, pointing his hand towards his classmates then stepping away from the wall he said "You think strength alone will carry you? Then that strength should be overwhelming, overwhelming enough to crush anything. But i don't think you have that kind of power… then what do you have?"
Vayu didn't answer.
"Are you some kind of genius, in my opinion you are not that too" Vayu wanted to speak something but his instructor stopped him "Patience boy patience".
"You need skill" the instructor said, "Refined control on your technique, the ability to move fluidly between your stances. no hesitation because you hesitate you die. Vayu had already went through the hesitation part that nearly cost him his life yesterday, his instructor continued speaking" No wasted motion and beyond that awareness, how many enemy can you track, two enemies? Three? Can you defend and attack without losing your footing?"
He circled Vayu slowly, like a predator sizing up his pVayu. Then he gave a little nudge with his foot to Vayus heel, and he fell down it was too sudden for Vayu.
"When you fight, your mind must be as sharp as your blade. Take in everything positioning, rhythm of your weapon and your breathing. Make the most use of your surroundings, because when outnumbered the surrounding becomes your ally. A tree root, a loose stone, a pit in terrain can become deadly if someone knows how to use them."
His instructor stopped in front of Vayu and tapped a finger against his chest.
"Strength is just one piece, true combat is a combination of many things Strategy, Technique, Adaptation when you mastered all those you will notice a new world , You'll start predicting them, controlling the fight before it even begins."
Then he looked at Vayu and said "Now tell me boy what do you have of all these?".
"Nothing Sir" Vayu replied.
"Be patient and keep working hard and you will get all your answers".
"I understand," Vayu said.
The instructor looked at Vayu's face, he nodded after sometime and said "good, now go back and practice "
As the instructor turned to leave, Vayu called out behind him, "Sir"
Instructor stopped mid step and looked back. "What should I start with?" Vayu said.
The instructor's eyes narrowed, a faint grin tugging at his lips. "Know yourself, and know your enemy, and you will win, ever heard that before?" Vayu nodded slowly.
Then the instructor said, his voice steady "Start with information, If you can't observe, if you can't see what's right in front of you, then you'll never be able to predict what's coming. Power without information is just like swinging your sword in the dark."
Vayu tilted his head. "How do I train into that?"
The instructor folded his arms. "Go to the village market tomorrow morning, I am giving one day, Don't train, don't fight. Just watch".
"Watch?"
"Exactly Watch everything," the instructor replied. "How many people come and go? What are they buying? Who's in a hurry? Which stalls get the most attention? Try to remember their faces, their clothes, their habits. Count them if you can, notice everything."
Vayu blinked, surprised. "That's training?"
"It's the beginning," the instructor said. "Awareness starts in stillness. If you can't read a peaceful crowd, you'll never read a chaotic battlefield. Learn to see before you learn to strike".
Vayu gave a small nod and left.
He returned to the training ground and went through the drills as usual, but his movements were different now they were sharper, more focused because he was not confused anymore as he had got a new mission, a new way to move forward, his mind was filled with questions.
By evening, Vayu dragged his tired body back home. The fire which had dimmed inside him, this time was steady, patient and smoldering with purpose.
After a quiet meal and a hot bath, Vayu sat by his window, staring out at the dark horizon. The memory of the mountain was still fresh to him returned to his eyes, that growl, the suffocating pressure, But now, he questioned more than he feared.
What if he had fought with that beast?
why didn't the beast come to the village?
Is it afraid of something?
Can something this powerful, be afraid of something?
He thought about the words his instructor had spoken today, not just about strength, but about observation, strategy, precision.
That night, a quiet realization dawned over him. He had been fighting like a child, Swinging harder, running faster, but never thinking deeper.
But that, that ends now.
Vayu closed his eyes, No more rushing blindly, No more fighting illusions with brute force. Tomorrow, he would start differently. He would start by learning to see.
He would become more than a fighter.
He would become more than a warrior.
He would not be a brainless solider.
He will be the commander which controls the army and wins the WAR.