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Hi guys, Grinita here! This is a side story written by me, following a different alternate path from the original story. Please share your thoughts in the comments and reviews. And if you like it, don't forget to drop some stones — they're a great motivator for me!
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Enel reached Kain. Did not greet him. Did not bow. Stood before him and looked into his cold eyes.
"How can you know my exact location?" he asked. His voice was calm, but carried a heavy question.
Kain looked at him. Did not hesitate. Did not make excuses.
"This is not the time for that question," he said. "It is a normal procedure for your protection."
Enel paused for a moment. Then laughed. Not a laugh of joy. A mocking laugh.
"My protection?" he said. "Protection from whom? From you?"
Kain was not affected. Said coldly:
"We are not your allies. But we are not your enemies either."
Then he added:
"Do not direct your anger at us. If you were in our place, you would have done more than we do."
Enel fell silent.
He remembered the people of Skypiea. How he treated them. How he terrorized them. How he made them fear him. How he thought they did not even deserve his presence.
"Punishment," he whispered to himself. "This is punishment for what I did to those people."
He did not say it aloud. But Kain saw it in his eyes.
"Come," Kain said. "Follow me."
Kain walked. Enel followed. They walked through long corridors. Kain ahead. Enel behind. No words. Only the sound of their footsteps on the cold floor.
They reached another hall. Smaller than the battle room. But warmer. There were two chairs. A small table.
"Sit," Kain said.
Enel sat.
"I need to tell you something," Kain said. "And you must cooperate with us in this."
Enel looked at Kain. Wondered to himself.
"How can someone with this power, with the ability to know my location when I am hidden, ask for my help?"
Then he thought of something.
"Perhaps they want to use me as a guinea pig."
His heart stopped for a moment. Froze in place. His face... was funny. Eyes wide. Mouth half open. Not afraid. Surprised.
Kain looked at him. Saw his strange expression.
"What is wrong with you?" he asked.
Enel moved quickly. Closed his mouth. His eyes returned to normal.
"Nothing," he said. Then asked: "What do you want from me?"
Kain looked at him.
"For hundreds of years," he said. "There have been generations of people who do not pledge loyalty. They have a separate ideology. They always seek chaos on the moon. They inherit this from their lineage. Sometimes, others are influenced by them. We have not been able to reach them despite knowing of their existence. But we do not know who they are."
He paused.
"You will help us here."
Enel looked at Kain. Understood.
"You want to make me bait," he said.
Then said to himself: "Not far from the idea that crossed my mind. But better than it."
He did not show it on his face. Waited.
"You are the only one who can cause the elimination of this plague," Kain said. "We could have used you as bait without telling you. But we want to place our trust in you. You must also reciprocate the same for us to trust you."
Enel was silent. Thinking.
This was the way. The way to earn their trust. The way to freedom on the moon. The way to gain power.
"Agreed," he said finally.
Kain looked at him. Showed no emotion.
"What is required of me?" Enel asked.
"Listen," Kain said.
In the training hall, Sanada stood. He carried a real sword. Not a wooden sword. Not a training weapon. A real sword. Gleaming with cold blue light.
The dummies were before him. Five dummies. Made of a wood-like material, but synthetic. Solid. Strong. Designed to withstand strikes.
Sanada moved.
No one saw him. He was fast. Light. Like the wind.
He passed the dummies. First. Second. Third. Fourth. Fifth.
In one moment.
He stopped. Standing behind the dummies. Sword in hand. Not a drop of sweat on him. Not tired.
The dummies fell. Not all of them. Only parts of them. Precise cuts. Cuts in deadly areas. In blind areas. Areas that cannot be avoided. But he avoided them. Rather, he exploited them.
The students looked at him. Amazed. Their mouths open. Their eyes widening.
Sanada began to explain.
"Here," he said. "This is where I placed my foot. You see? Not where you expected."
He pointed at the first dummy.
"When I reached the first opponent, I was reading his movement. Not just his body movement. His thought movement. I knew where he would move before he moved."
He moved to the second dummy.
"And here. When I was finishing the first, I was thinking about the second. Not after I finished. Before it. By seconds. Even fractions of a second."
He raised his sword.
"And how I held the sword? Not the way you do. Like this." He showed them his grip. "The angle is different. Why? Because the angle determines the direction of the blade after the strike."
He moved slowly. Explained everything. How he read the opponents' movements. How he stepped. How he turned his body. How he changed the blade's direction after the first strike.
The students watched. Listened. Learned.
In the corner of the hall, Rio stood. Looking at Sanada. Thinking. Still did not dare to ask. But he was learning.
"When will I reach this level?" he thought to himself. Did not say it aloud. But he knew the answer. Time. Patience. Training.
Sanada continued explaining. The students listened. And Rio waited.
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If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to add it to your library !
What do you think will happen next?
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