Lucian took in a deep breath as he pressed his arrow against the string.
The bow he was using was a new one which was much heavier than the previous ones he used but that was fine.
His attributes, especially his strength over the past months had increased at a descent level and he could use the bow without much struggle.
"An archer only has three spots in mind when he aims. The heart. The head. The throat. A clean shot to any of these spots and your target is as good as gone" Lucian's master said.
She moved a few paces behind the boy.
"Relax your grip" she said and Lucian did.
"Breath deeply and sink with your surroundings" the boy took in a deep breath and focused his gaze only on the targets in front of him.
"A true archer is the one who knows that every movement is a sequence to an outcome" she added.
Lucian took in one last deep breath and then it clicked. Just like the first time on the rainy night, everything around him became quite as his sense of hearing synced with his surroundings. He aimed for a few seconds before releasing the arrow on the string. It brushed the side of the face of the wooden dummy, leaving a small cut. He took out another arrow and pressed it against his string. He fired at the same wooden dummy but this time missed completely. The young lady who stood quietly behind the boy wasn't surprised by the outcome of the boy's shots. Earlier when he had gotten a clean shot on her, she was in a close distance, good enough for even a beginner to get a clean shot.
But that was then. Right now, there was a huge distance between the boy and his targets so getting a good hit wasn't going to be easy, especially for somebody who had little experience in archery. Lucian kept on firing, moving from one target to another releasing several arrows consecutively until he ran out.
Then he felt a hand press against his shoulders. "You were good from the beginning until you allowed these lifeless bodies to frustrate you" the young lady said and turned the boy around to face her. "What is our first law of archery" she asked.
"The moment you lose your focus, you have already lost"
"Good. Now go out there, get your arrows and try again" The boy nodded and ran to the far end of the the training ground to pick up his arrows with a renewed energy. A few minutes later, he pressed Lucian released his arrows one after the other, aimed at the wooden targets. Although he would leave a scratch every now and then, he couldn't get an actual hit. But that was okay. He believed with a few training and more tries he would get it right. After training for almost five hours, Lucian decided to retire for the day. He went out into the river to take a bath before going up to one of the tallest cliffs near his master's settlement to meditate.
After all he has been through the past few months, this was the only he could calm his mind and allow him get a true rest. It allowed him to think away from the noise of the world. Because of that, it had become a habit and a daily routine.
Far out on one of the tallest mountains in the area, a man who seemed to be in his late thirties watched the young boy meditating with smile of satisfaction on his face.
A few minutes later, a black Wyvern landed quietly beside him and he climbed onto its back before it took to the skies.
A/N: May has been the most challenging month for me so far this year. I'm not getting this novel to move at the pace I want it to and that disturbs me a lot. Sorry for the delay. May will be over soon and hopefully everything will get back to normal. Thank you for understanding.