Limits

Irwin asked confused "And what would that be?". I replied "I need to practice my instincts. You said that I have to learn with my body. Therefore my eyes, ears and nose, are not really needed here. If this works, I can kill two birds with one stone". He replied "Are you crazy? This requires your concentration. How can you concentrate, if you abandon your senses?". I thought about it, and he was right. My rage was not something I could take lightly.

"You are right. I already improved in the Art of Stealth, rushing is not the solution". He nodded, and said "Good that you realise. We will take it slowly, there is no need to rush". I shook my head, and said "We will not rush, but pushing myself, is not the same as rushing. We will do this, until I faint". He smiled, and replied "I'm fine with that".

I was beaten up everyday. My Aura would awaken, while I tried to control it. There was some progress. I was able to suppress my Aura, and stop it completely after some time. Irwin told me that this was a very good progress. I couldn't possibly control it, without being able to suppress it. A few days later, I recalled something, and asked Irwin. "Where is Yater?". He replied "Him? He went out about two weeks ago. He said he had something to do, but that's all I know". I nodded, and though 'He probably went to check up on Fox'.

We resumed our training. Only thanks to my mastery in energy control, was I able to restore myself before getting beaten up again. If I were to use my potions every time, I would run out rather quickly. The downside was that, I had to eat a lot. Almost a month passed. Yater was not back yet, and I started to worry. 'I hope everything is alright. He should be there already. I'm not sure how long it would take him to arrive there though' I thought.

My thoughts were interrupted by a punch, and a scolding "You have time to doze off?!". I released my Aura full of hate and thirst for blood. I was able to release it after a few punches now, but I wasn't able to control it. We worked on that most of the time now. I had to keep the Aura under my control, and use it to attack.

Another two weeks passed. Irwin didn't say anything, but I could see a glint in his eyes, when I finally managed to release my Aura without being punched first. Although I couldn't control it, I could release it at any time now. The trick to that was simple. I just had to think about something that angered me in the past. I had loads of such memories. One of such examples would be Royals, or even Golems and their schemes.

One day, after my training with Irwin, Yater finally returned. I asked him with some urgency "Everything's alright?". Yater nodded, and said "Yes. She is there. Heavily guarded I might add. Her father did a great job protecting her". I asked "Did you speak to her?". He replied "That wasn't a part of the deal, but I guessed you would ask that. Yes, I did tell her you are alright. So don't worry anymore, and focus on your training now. By the way, I think Irwin had you for himself for too long".

Irwin butted in "Get lost old man, he has loads to learn still". Yater replied "You get lost! You had him for yourself for about two months. What, you didn't teach him well? Tough luck! He will work on his Art of Stealth now". Irwin released his Aura, and replied "Wanna try me out?". Yater also released his Aura. His Aura felt quiet and faint, as if a ghost stood next to me.

They were about to clash, when the short grandpa Nathan stepped in. "Drop it you two. Save some face in front of that kid will you? Let him choose what to learn". Nathan appeared from the shadows, and walked up to our small group. I asked surprised "You learned the Art of Stealth?". He smiled, and replied "I'm no master, but yes, I did learn it. When you live as long as I do, hopefully you can become something more than a Grand Master. I don't have much talent in the Art of Stealth, but I learned it".

Both Yater and Irwin stopped their squabble, and awaited my decision. I said to all of them "I already practiced my Art of Stealth, and even learned something about the Art of War. It's been a while since I practiced my Art of Hidden Weapons. Nathan, you are still here. Does that mean you want to share something with me, or not?".

Nathan smiled, and replied "So you want Hidden Weapons eh? Alright, I will tell you the story first, then we can see the full extent of your skills". I nodded my head, while Nathan told the other two to find something else to do for a while. Nathan motioned for me to sit down, and asked "Have you heard about Endros?". I nodded, and said "I did, but probably a short version of the story. I would like to hear it from you either way". Nathan nodded, and narrated.

"Endros became an orphan when he was little. His parents were killed by the soldiers of the Northern Kingdom. He was too small at that time, to understand concepts such as hate, or revenge. He grew up in an orphanage, but he didn't like it there at all. When he became 10 years old, Endros ran away from them, and lived on the street".

Nathan continued "Endros was kind to others, especially other kids who also lived on the streets. They formed a small gang, and helped each other out. When someone stole something, they would all share. Endros would even help the elders, who had no way of earning money to buy some food. He was rather popular on the streets, and liked by many".

"One fateful day. Endros stole some money from a wealthy merchant. This was his mistake. He aimed to high with the self taught skills he possessed. He got caught, beaten up and when they found out that he was living on the streets, enslaved. Although the slavery in this day and age is not uncommon, at the time Endros was alive, slavery was everyday experience for all citizens. Slaves would be sold in the open, at village or city squares. If a person had no family, or the family didn't want to pay or had no means to cover for such a crime, they would be enslaved. Today, it's a bit different. People are usually sold as slaves because they owe too much, or they committed serious crimes and have no means of paying for them. A robbery wouldn't necessarily enslave you today".

'I guess I was "lucky" then' I thought. I didn't commit any crime, they just used my weakness as a leverage to get me enslaved. Either way, they were gone now, while Nathan's story continued. "They washed him, dressed him and even tended to his wounds. Endros was not ugly at all, and the merchant was not stupid. Although he went through some inconvenience, he had a high profile slave at his hands. Endros could be sold to wealthier people, for more money".

"That is precisely what happened. Endros was sold to a Duke of a city called Myran. This city no longer exists, as you will find out why soon. He was hostile to other guards, and even other slaves bullied him. Soon he learned to be obedient, but at a price which they later paid".

"He didn't have a nice childhood at all. When Endros could take it no more, something snapped inside him. With the strict rules that he had to abide by, he found a way to practice a killing technique. His plans were basic in the beginning. He just wanted his freedom. He developed the basis of the Art of Hidden Weapons at the age of 16, this was when he killed for the first time. No one saw how he killed the other slave, but it was thanks to Hidden Weapons. They figured out that Endros was the one who killed the slave, and he was punished heavily for that".

"But, because of his pretty face, and the dark secret of the Duke, he was spared. Endros formed his plan to eradicate the whole mansion. He had enough of being a slave, and he already had the skills to finish people off silently. One fateful day, when the Duke called him to his bedroom again, Endros was ready. He went through this many times, and knew how all the guards behaved".

"He was of course searched before he could enter, but Endros knew that, and hid his weapon very well. When the Duke was busy getting undressed, he pierced his head with a sharp piece of metal, and killed the Duke instantly. He then killed the guards at the doors, then those who patrolled around the mansion, and all the people who worked there. Not even the slaves were spared. He killed everything and everyone who lived in that mansion. He then disappeared, while the uproar of the killed Royalty spread".

I thought this was the end, because Nick stopped at similar point. Instead, Nathan continued "Endros returned to his home village. He found his old friends. Some of them were dead, while other barely scraped by. When they saw their old friend back, almost all of them were elated. Except one guy. Endros disposed of him, and only kept loyal people around him, and loyal they were. He grew up teaching them how to fight, and learned how to fight himself. Gaining money was no longer a problem for him. He could kill a travelling merchant, and take all his money".

"Their small gang grew, and grew until they held a whole city in reins. Endros was ambitious though. He had charisma, skills and was ruthless. With his ideas, he soon became the owner of that city, and started to branch out to other cities. With time, the whole Wester Kingdom was his playground. He became the silent ruler at first, then took the limelight, and became a king. This wouldn't be possible without his skills and talent. He was able to break through to his Inner limits, at the age of 40".

"With enough military power, he conquered other kingdoms. At the age of 63, he ruled over most of the kingdoms. At the age of 79, he became an Emperor, unifying all the kingdoms to form Endrosian Empire. The city of Myran? It was not spared at all. The whole city was razed to the ground. This would normally create uproar, but Endros was not an idiot. He told people about hideous crimes the citizens of that city committed, and people stood behind him. All of that was a lie of course, but no one really knew. No one knew he was a slave anymore, no one besides the trusted people, he had by his side from the beginning. That is how the story of Endros goes".