"For now, let's refrain from using your special ability first. It drains the user's body too much, depending on how powerful they are. Let's get you used to your ability first."
Aaron's face turned serious.
"Your main strength comes from your eyes. You must maximize it. On the surface, it must not be that important compared to explosive strength. However, in a fight, anything can change in the blink of an eye. If you can see it before it happens, then you would have a higher chance of surviving, even winning."
Aerin looked confused.
"How can I see it before it happens, Grandpa? It's not like I can see the future."
"Yeah, you could not see the future."
Aerin was about to say something but was stopped by a sudden attack from his grandpa. Aaron suddenly launched himself into his grandson's way and threw a punch straight to the face. Normally, Aerin would not be able to react; however, this time was different. Aerin was able to see his grandfather bend his knees and strain their muscles. He was also able to barely make out his grandfather's figure running towards him, which should not be possible considering how fast Aaron was.
This allowed him to react, bending his whole body to a duck.
Seeing this, Aaron smiled.
"But you can see the signs before it happens."
Aerin slowly straightened his body and looked up to see his grandfather's face, now showing a proud smile.
"Let's start our training today. All you need to do is to survive for a minute against me."
Aaron showed his usual gentle and kind smile, giving off a harmless vibe. Aerin, thinking that it would be easy, showed a confident smile.
"That's it, Grandpa? "
"Yep, two minutes. You don't need to do anything. Just keep your ability activated and dodge my attacks."
Aaron said.
"Just two minutes? That's too easy, Grandpa."
After dodging his grandfather's attack earlier, Aerin turned complacent, thinking that that must be Aaron's full power. However, he could not be more wrong.
They went to an area with a wider space. Standing just ten meters apart, they looked at each other's eyes. A small kid with pitch-black hair and golden-amber eyes, glowing faintly. Across from him stood an old man with the same hair as the kid, though much longer. Though old, with some wrinkles in his face, his posture betrayed his age. A white cloth draped through his straight back, a steady hand, and a confident smile made him seem like someone still in his prime.
Far from them, a small hourglass stood. Fine grains of sand were already slipping steadily downward.
Suddenly, Aaron disappeared from his spot. Aerin only managed to see a trail of white when a figure appeared by his right side, throwing a punch aimed at his face. He was able to barely react and jumped backwards.
Aerin was shocked at his grandfather's speed. He was even faster than earlier. This time, the smile was erased from his face without a trace, now replaced with seriousness.
Aerin was still trying to balance himself from his sudden jump when Aaron's right foot was now rapidly approaching his face. Though he saw it, he was not able to react in time and was hit, throwing him a few meters back. His small body rolled a few times before stopping. Groaning from the pain, he struggled to get up, but something was pressing on his chest. The dust cleared out, revealing his grandfather's foot on his chest, still wearing that harmless smile on his face.
"Done already? Not even a few seconds passed."
Aaron chuckled.
"Again!"
Aerin shouted. He was feeling indignant. He reasoned that he only lost because his grandfather surprised him by starting without a warning.
Aaron just gave a smile and went back to where he was before with his hands on his back, not even bothering to reset the hourglass, just letting it continue to flow.
Aerin, filled with indignation, did not even notice. He just walked back to his spot and looked at his grandfather, still not able to accept that he lost that quickly.
Just like before, they just stood there in silence. One with a face full of seriousness and another just smiling.
Aaron disappeared again. Aerin turned to his right, thinking that his grandfather would appear by his right. However, he did not even see his grandfather's shadow, much less his grandfather himself.
"Wha—"
He only felt a sudden pain on his back, seemingly from a kick, making him stumble forward. The next scene unfurled exactly the same as before, though this time with a foot on his back. He could not even see his grandfather's face, but he knew that his grandfather must still be smiling right now. He found it nice before, seeing his grandfather's smile. But now, he found it scary.
"What happened? It's even much shorter this time."
Aerin could only grind his teeth.