The roar of the crowd rang in Vayu's ears, he got startled for a moment, he was so immersed in fight that he forgot that the fight was already over, he was making his own moves in his mind how he would have fought if he was one of those fighters.
His gaze was locked on the two figures in the arena. Shen lay sprawled across the ground, his chest rising and falling in shallow, uneven breaths. Tarak, kneeling a few paces away, clutching his side with a trembling hand. Blood soaked into the sand, forming a dark halo beneath him.
They had driven each other to the very brink in every strike, every feint, every step a calculated gamble. Their blades rang fiercely , their movements quick and deadly and both refused to lie down until the very last breath .
But there were many things Vayu couldn't quite understand.
Why hadn't Shen fought with his full strength from the very beginning? Arrogance that he could win even with a handicap? That overconfidence had nearly cost him the match.
And then there was that reckless leap. Unnecessary, but Vayu knew he was able to all these decisions because he was a spectator, watching from the outside, it was a obvious mistake "what was Shen even thinking".
Tarak, too, puzzled him. He had much better control, precision and could have dominated easily. He could have won, he should have won. But in the end, it wasn't skill that decided the match it was a chance. Shen was not better, only luckier.
Yet Vayu also knew these were the thoughts of a spectator, not a fighter. Sitting on the sidelines gave him the time to think all these choices, to avoid the mistakes they had made, to imagine alternatives. Inside the fight, there was no such room for these thoughts. If you paused in a fight, it shows hesitation and a moment of hesitation can change the flow of the fight . The more one hesitated, the more possibilities multiplied, and the more confusing he become with his attacks, in a fight there should be a flow in attacks, one attack should lead to another.
Vayu's stomach tightened. It wasn't just the spectacle of the fight. It was the realization that even the weaker of the two could have crushed him in seconds. Shen's speed, Tarak's precision both were worlds away from where Vayu stood now.
But what rooted him to the spot wasn't fear. It was something far sharper.
"If I can't match even them" he thought, his hands curling into fists, then what chance would I have with the beast beyond the boundary? him against… it?
The memory replayed in his mind, that night, the blue lotus, the faint shimmer in the moonlight as his eyes found the creature beyond the boundary. That massive frame, the gleam of fangs like curved scythes, the crushing weight of its presence. He didn't know that it was only a young boar, separated from its herd. In his mind, the illusion had burned itself into reality.
The beast in his imagination still stalked him in dreams. It wasn't just an enemy it was a measuring stick. And every time he closed his eyes, he still feared it.
"Take them both to the infirmary" said the first elder
Shen groaned faintly as healers rushed in. Tarak was helped to his feet, his face pale . The match was over, the crowd began to disperse. But Vayu stayed frozen, his thoughts spinning.
That fight hadn't discouraged him. It had lit something in him, a determined fire.
Six Months Later
The training yard was empty at dawn, except for a single figure moving in its center. Bare feet Vayu was sitting on the floor, it was still early morning. Vayu's shirt clung to him with sweat, the sun had barely crested the horizon.
It had been half a year since that fight, and not a day had gone by without training. After the fight Vayu asked for a training room to train, to get a training room you have to get permission from the instructor, watching the determination in his eyes the instructor agreed, so Vayu rarely came to the training grounds or he came early morning so to his classmates he had became a thing of the past most didn't even remember him. But he trained the hardest like a maniac when his muscles screamed, he trained his mind. When his body gave out, he trained his senses.
He learned to walk with his eyes closed, letting sound guide his steps.
To stand still and separate the layers of noise the scrape of cloth on stone, the hum of wind through the eaves, the faint rustle of insects in the grass.
To breathe slowly enough to catch the subtle change in air pressure when something moved toward him.
As he trained his senses he found many changes happening in his body most were physical he grew more then 30 cm in last six months. His breath capacity increased and his reach became longer.
He was not a genius, it was a endless cycle of repetition and every day he understood something new and with each things his moments became shaper and smoother his attacks begun to connect his reflexes got sharper, but he lacked real life experience, these all things he had achieved had been done in a safe environment even though he practiced in his mind still that can't be compared to the real thing, but he knew as the annual competition drew closer his wish will come true as he can get a lot of experience from it.
As the trainees started to come, he got up to leave the training area.
As he was leaving the training grounds, he found himself face to face with Aspen again. The smirk on Aspen's lips was as sharp as ever.
"What are you doing here mutt?" Aspen asked, his voice dripping with mockery, "still watching everyone from afar? Watching won't make you one of us, mutt" he snickered.
Normally, Vayu would have lowered his gaze and walked past in silence ignoring him completely but this time, he turned and he realized he no longer wanted to swallow any more insult.
He stopped, met Aspen's eyes, and said quietly, "You call me mutt but why its you who always does the barking?".
The smirk vanished. Aspen's eyes narrowed. "What did you say?"
"You heard me Aspen".
Aspen's smile cracked. His jaw tightened, and for the first time in his life someone had mocked him.
"You dare?" Aspen hissed. He stepped closer, the air seeming to grow tense with every stride. "Then fight me. Right here, right now. Let's see how long your mouth runs when your bones are broken."
Vayu shook his head, unflinching.
"I'm not a dog I don't do street fights, which you seem to prefer" Vayu smirked and said "The annual competition is two months away, lets fight then".
Aspen's sneered though his pride had been stung he knew he could not do anything to Vayu till he accepts the challenge "Fine mutt two months, lets see how will you hide then, I'll crush you in front of everyone."
He turned and left.
Vayu let out sigh, he somehow felt thrilled it was a new felling for him, he set Aspen as his current goal and moved towards his training room full with excitement .
And at night, when exhaustion pressed him into his bed, his mind stepped into the arena of his own making.
There, in the darkness, he faced the beast.
At first, he survived three breaths before it struck him down.
Then five. Then ten.
He still couldn't harm it not even touch it. But he got better at not being hit, now he could avoid its first lunge, his sidestep got faster and he started to duck instinctively .
The battles always ended the same way, with him lying on the ground, breathless, staring up at its imagined silhouette. But each night, the space between the first clash and his defeat grew longer.
It was enough to keep him going.