Limits

The guy called Irwin sat outside, staring at the night sky. He didn't turn around, instead he just spoke. "Just because you want to learn, it doesn't mean I will teach you". I replied "Suit yourself. I'm not here to please any of you, and that includes the short grandpa. You want to share something, do so. If you don't, then stay out of my way". I didn't pay attention to him anymore, and sealed my senses.

'I have to train my instincts. If that doesn't work, I can try improving my senses separately' I thought, and walked forwards. It didn't take long before I stumbled, and fell down. This was already expected. I picked myself up, and continued. I decided to live like that for a longer period of time. Do everything with my body. Let my body get accustomed to the lack of my senses, and see if this brings any results.

Time slowly passed, and I stumbled like a blind man all the time. I hit my head countless times, but it wasn't all for nothing. My body learned to live without my senses, and sometimes moved on its own. Well, not on its own, I moved my body. It's hard to explain this. In simple terms, my body somehow knew when to turn and avoid an obstacle, or move to a different path to avoid falling down. That didn't mean I could walk without stumbling, but my training was bringing in some results.

I had no idea how much time passed, so I unsealed my senses, and looked around. I kind of expected to be in the approximate area, I was in. A thin mountain forest surrounded me. "I wonder how much time has passed, since I started this training?", I asked myself out loud. I counted the amount of times I went to sleep, but I wasn't sure if I wandered around the area for a day, or half a day.

Someone else answered that question for me. "It's been over one month. To be precise, one month and four days". It was Irwin's voice. I turned toward him, and said "Still here? It's not like anything is keeping you around". He replied "I will help you. You are crazy, but not in a bad sense. I must admit, I was clueless about your behaviour. Only when that old bastard Yater explained, I understood. Living for over a month, with your senses sealed… Even I would go crazy like this".

I replied "Thanks, I guess. So, how will you help me?". Irwin replied "What is your name?". I said "Nex". He nodded, and continued "I will help you control that rage inside you. Don't be fooled brat, what fought with me at that time, was still you. Your rage took over. The worst part is that, if you gave in to your rage, you would be a lost cause. Deadly, but no longer a rational Human being. Sooner or later, someone would dispose of you".

I asked "So, this was just my rage? Speaking to me?". He replied "Everyone has a different experience with their rage. Your case is not that uncommon though. You can think of it as having two personalities. The you, which we see everyday, and the sleeping personality, which contains all your anger, hate and desire for blood. I wouldn't stay, if your Aura wasn't that strong. But, you are very promising, more than me probably".

I asked "So you will also give me tips, like Yater?". He shook his head, and replied "No, the Art of War has to be taught. If you can't control and use your rage properly, you will never be able to achieve mastery. Although there were cases where people were able to do it by themselves, it needs a special kind of person. Otherwise, a master is always needed for the first step. I will not help you reach the mastery. I will only help you control and use your rage". I pointed at his sword, and asked "You are a swordsman right? Can you teach me about swords?". He seemed surprised, and asked "Have you learned before?". I nodded, and took out my Bastard Sword.

Irwin smiled, and replied "Nice chunk of metal. Suits the Art of War. Very well, I will teach you some stuff about swords too, under the condition that you learn to control your rage". I replied "I'm alright with that", and hid the Bastard Sword away. I asked "So what am I supposed to do?". He grinned and replied "Battle!". Without any warning, he rushed at me with his Aura released, and threw a punch. 'Not this again!' I though. This was a surprise attack, and his punch connected.

When I crashed into a tree, he said "Awaken your Aura. Otherwise, you will only end up beaten up again". I refused, I didn't want to release that thing again. Whether it was my personality, or simply me but very pissed, I didn't want to do it. Irwin though, had his own methods. He punched me so much, I couldn't contain it anymore and the Aura awakened.

He nodded, and said "Finally! Now control it. Make it yours, don't let it dictate what to do!". I wanted to kill, I wanted to see the man bleed, until no more blood was left in his body. He didn't punch me anymore though, only defended when I attacked. After a while, the Aura got weaker and weaker. I managed to calm down after some time, and the Aura completely vanished.

I was tired, Irwin beat me up real good again. He patted my shoulder, and said "It's necessary. You have no idea what hell I had to go through, in order to become a master". I replied "Perhaps, but my body will break before that". He laughed, and said "That is part of your training too. Do you really think the Art of War is a forbidden technique without a reason?".

I asked "Will you tell me the story?". He thought about it, and replied "Come to think of it, I should, shouldn't I? The story is rather simple, but you may get something out of it". I nodded, and awaited the story. Irwin said "The Art of War is, I think the oldest of the Arts I know about. There is no exact record as to when the Art of War was formed, but one name reverberated throughout history. That name was Elian Roamlord, a soldier who mastered and perhaps even founded the Art. As I said, the records are not clear, but Elian is considered as the founder".

He continued "Elian wasn't going around angry all the time. He was rather helpful to other people, and no one would say anything bad about him. That was until he entered the battlefield. They called him Fiend Soldier, due to the gore one would see when he fought. This alone wouldn't justify such title. What allowed him to get such title, was the pure happiness on his face, when he massacred his enemies".

"Elian was very righteous. He always protected his kingdom, but that changed with time. It wasn't another war, it was the Royal Family. They obviously hailed him as a hero, who defeated many opponents on the battlefield. But Elian learned about their schemes, about the fake wars, about countless lives lost in the name of profit and political manipulations. His rage reached the apex, and he murdered. He killed most of the Royal Family members. As one of the strongest soldiers in the kingdom, he was very strong".

"Why does this matter? The crucial part of this story, is that Elian was able to control his rage, and gave it an objective. He used his rage for justice, and then took his own life. He took his own life, because he was guilty of the same sins that the Royal Family was. He killed for no reason, questioning nothing. As I said, he was very righteous, not a hypocrite. He took his own life, to atone for the sins he committed".

The story was over, but Irwin continued. "I know this is not really a story, because I simply told you what happened. The crucial thing is that, a soldier murdered the Royal Family. Many years passed, and another master in the Art of War was born. Can you guess what happened?". I replied "He also killed Royals?". Irwin nodded, and replied "Yes, he killed the Royals scheming behind his and other people's backs".

I said, "That is why it is a Forbidden Art?". Irwin replied "It's one reason. Not everyone who became a master, worked under Royal Family. But yes, we all have hate towards Royals. You are no exception, are you not?". I nodded, and said "Yes, I also hate Royals. Well, maybe the late Emperor was alright, I only met him once though".

Irwin laughed, and replied "Him? He did a fair share of bad things. In the past, we were considered heros. Now we are considered a plague. There is only one way to master the Art of War, and I don't mind telling you. Art of War has to be learned through battle. Giving you hints about this and that… pointless. You have to learn with your body. Which is the exact reason, I greeted you like that. In the past, with many wars spreading through the kingdoms, the masters were plentiful. Now, in the time of peace, it's really hard to rise a master in the Art of War. Which is why, they probably call us masters in the Art of Rage".

I asked "So you gonna punch the shit out of me every day?". He smiled while replying "Pretty much. Until you are able to awaken your Aura without being beaten up. The control is also important. If you give in, you are just a walking disaster. In a sense, this is I think the only Art, where master accompanies and teaches a student for a long time". I nodded, and said "Alright, but we will do something else".