Double''s eyes glow yellow whilst charging at the man; this catches the man''s attention as his eyes widen, but too focused on the battle, he ignores it and continues to stay on guard.
Like a predatory beast locking onto its prey, Double rushes in with the full extent to kill. No emotions, no feelings behind his attack, but the sole purpose to take the life of the person in front of him.
"This guy...he''s oddly powerful. His aura is unlike anything I''ve ever felt before. It doesn''t matter though; there shouldn''t be anything that he can do that''ll overpower me," Double says, feeling the tension from the man''s presence alone.
Double tries to strike the man, but he dodges with ease and suddenly appears behind Double. The man makes an exhausted face as he brings his sword close to Double''s neck.
For the first time, Double had fully realized what it felt like to be overwhelmed by another person. The chilling feeling made a rush of emotions run through his mind; would he win? Even the idea of trying to escape flooded his brain.
"Let''s not take too long on this, alright? Fighting can be tiring...wouldn''t you agree?" The man says to Double, a cocky expression on his face, his face exuding confidence, devoid of any trace of fear or apprehension about the prospect of losing.
WHOOSH
A drip of sweat falls down Double''s face instantly. He quickly tries to turn around and strike the man, but the man is already gone.
As the fight continued, Double had tried to change his mindset. In a desperate attempt, he tried to fight more calmly, realizing rushing in could cost him his life.
"You''re pretty good at defending, and your speed isn''t all that bad, but when it comes to being offensive, you''re pretty garbage..." Double says, but gets cut off.
SLICE
The man suddenly speeds past Double and slices him in the chest with a clear cut.
The rain starts to pour slower now, and the silence starts to creep through. Double had convincingly lost, and the man stood over him victorious.
"Listen kid, I''m not trying to break your confidence nor am I trying to make you feel like you''re not good enough; truth to be told, I used to be just like you, but I train to make myself even stronger every day because I too have a goal," the man says to Double, standing up from the ground.
The man puts his hoodie back on and puts his sword on the ground. Double, battling in-between consciousness, continues to try and move from the position he was in. As Double continues to struggle, the expression on the man''s face changes to one of empathy.
"You don''t blame others for your failure; that''s one of your strongest traits that I''ve seen so far. Keep that, remember that life won''t settle for excuses; if the dream you cling to is to change this world, then I believe in you, I''ll support your little goal," the man says to Double, standing up from the ground.
The man picks Double up and puts him on his shoulder, and begins to take him somewhere. He picks his sword back up and puts it in his scabbard.
"Oh yeah, my name, you can call me Joki. Yeah, Joki sensei would work too," the man now known as Joki says, walking off into the distance with a smile forming on his face.
(One day later...June 13th, 1820)
"Where am I, for a second...I thought I was going to die, now I feel completely fine," Double says, constantly touching where his wound used to be.
Double looks around and is inside of a cabin-like area.
Feeling stranded, he looks around and tries to figure out where he is. The cabin had been well polished and filled with materials that could feed a small family. As Double looks around, he notices his jacket in the doorway.
"There it is...I thought I lost it," Double sighed in relief, a tangible exhale of tension dissipating into the air.
"Ahh, you''re awake it seems; for a second, I thought I accidentally killed you," Joki says, fixing a penetrating gaze on Double.
Joki stands in the doorway laughing while holding a cup of coffee. Confused, Double widens his eyes at Joki while fixing his jacket.
"You dumb ass, nothing about this is funny. If anything, you still should die for what you did to me," Double says, a frustrated expression on his face, balling his fist.
Joki continues to look down at Double, and realizes that he isn''t staring at someone who had been intelligent or had common sense. Because of his previous circumstances, Double only knew to fight, and because of that, he never knew how to show appreciation, and even the basic things in life.
"How old are you?" Joki asks, kneeling down in front of Double, his expression serious and contemplative.
Hearing this question put a spark in the body of Double, not fully understanding the purpose or reasoning of it.
"...Sixteen? Why?" Double answers, a nervous expression on his face, Joki''s serious expression made Double realize that he had been no match for him.
"Sixteen, and this whole time you''ve managed to make it through by only killing and eating whenever you get food from random people, right?" Joki''s face wore a curious expression as he asked, his eyes filled with intrigue.
Double looks up at Joki, and his eyes widened, it had been ten years since someone had a genuine conversation with him. Double had been frustrated on the outside, but on the inside, he had been grateful.
"No...I never go for the kill, really. I''ll convince myself, and I''ll tell myself I will, but I never really can bring myself to finish my opponent off when I get the chance. Something about taking the life of another person who''s struggling...it eats me up inside," Double says, a disappointed expression on his face.
The eyes of Joki widen, hearing Double''s words made him realize that the person in front of him, while lacking in all areas, was someone who still had a bigger heart than even himself.
"So you weren''t gonna kill me back there? That''s hilarious; you have to have the resolve to kill your opponent when it matters the most," Joki laughs as he says this, smiling in the face of Double.
"I know, but if I kill...won''t that mean I''ll just fit the stereotype. Telling yourself that you''ll take the life of another, and being prepared to do it is another," Double looks down as he says this, thinking about the many times he couldn''t bring himself to kill others.
Joki''s face goes from laughter to dumbfounded, Joki''s mindset was different. For someone like him, it wasn''t hard to flip the switch inside his brain. Becoming a killer wasn''t a hard task for the man.
"Then...it looks like that''s one of the things I''m gonna have to teach you. When harder tasks come your way, you won''t be able to handle them unless you''re able to make that change," Joki says, as he gets up and walks to the door of the cabin.
"It won''t happen; I can''t take a life and just feel no way about it. The most I can do is become stronger, so that I won''t have to kill people," Double responded to Joki''s question with a grave expression, conveying a sense of seriousness in their demeanor.
As Joki processes Double''s words, he stands motionless. Double gets up, and attempts to leave the cabin. Believing Joki wouldn''t go along with Double''s way of living.
Suddenly, Joki grabs the shoulder of Double softly, and as he does, Double stops from leaving the cabin. Throughout the conversation, Joki was trying to understand Double, how could a kid with no influence, and growing up in a world that breeds nothing but violence and merciless death have such high moral values.
As the realization kicked in, Joki felt inspired and realized that it would be in his best interest to have Double stay.
"If that''s the way you feel, then we''ll work around it. Just try not to fall too far behind, and get ready for what''s ahead. I want to be able to grow with you as well; we could both learn something from this," Joki says, smiling as he walks ahead of Double.
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"Yeah..." Double hesitantly responds.
As time goes by, Double and Joki find themselves outside of the cabin. Walking outside together, trying not to go too far away from their home.
"So...how do you feel comfortable just roaming like this? Don''t you have to always wanna be on the alert just in case someone comes for a fight?" A curious Double asks, staring at Joki with a blank expression.
"When you''re strong and confident in your strength, you don''t necessarily have to worry about those things. I''m not the strongest, but I believe I''m very capable of stopping most people. To put it in simpler terms, I''ve honed my fighting skills so much being alert just becomes automatic for me," Joki says looking up into the sky, smiling, as if he was thinking back to previous times.
"I wish I could relate..." Double says, looking annoyed at the smug face of Joki.
The two finish their walk, and make their way back to the cabin. The walk was a way for the two to become more acquainted with each other, and get more comfortable with each other as well.
A connection formed between them quickly, and they realized that as they walk alone together, they are two lost souls who are now just finding a purpose.
Joki hands Double a cup of water as they enter the cabin once again.
"So...how long exactly do you want to train for, realistically? I think a week of two of learning some of what you know would do right?" Double asks with a curious expression, continuing to drink the water from his cup.
"A week or two, no no no; considering what you know, we are going to need way longer than that," Joki says, grabbing his mug, and drinking the leftover coffee inside.
The eyes of Double widen, confusion on his face from the words of Joki. Joki takes a deep breath, and puts his mug down as Double continues to stare in confusion.
"We''ll do two months of nonstop training!" Joki yells ecstatically, extremely happy thinking about the many things he wants to teach Double.
Double''s jaw dropped upon hearing the words emanate from Joki. Spending extended periods of time with another person was a novel experience for him. Two months of training alongside Joki felt akin to an antisocial child acclimating to a new school.
"Two months, is it really gonna take that long?!" A curious Double yells, nervous thinking about everything.
Double''s lack of knowledge made him anxious, he believed in his heart that he would be incapable of doing a majority of the things Joki asks.
"There''s nothing to worry about, you''re in good hands, plus seeing your strength level...this is most certainly needed," Joki says, stroking his chin.
"I don''t think it''s fair for someone with exceptional strength to judge, considering that to others I''m very strong," Double states, his mind racing thinking about the next two months.
Double does a sigh and now has a face of acceptance; he realizes what needs to be done to get stronger. Getting adjusted to being uncomfortable is a task that Double would have to overcome.
"We build up...and we become stronger, that''s how you make it man. At least...until we get strong enough to have more influence over the world. Guess this means were friends now then," Joki says this with an infectious grin, his eyes sparkled with warmth as he looked at Double.
Joki attempts to walk away, but Double sits there processing what Joki has just said. He tries to think, but can''t come to understand.
"Friend...what''s a friend?" Double stared blankly, his face a canvas of confusion, as he asked once more, uncertainty etched across his features.
Once again, Double''s words had made Joki''s eyes widen, and as he hears this, he stays silent. He walks through the door without answering Double''s question.
''The kid is clueless...this is gonna be more of a babysitting job rather than training for two months,'' Joki thinks to himself, failing to hold back his laughter.
Days continue to pass, and as they do, Double begins to learn the aspects of aura from Joki.
Joki was no veteran, he lacked complete knowledge of aura as well, the many mysteries about this power, and above all, the abilities people manifest and how it comes to be, this was all unknown to Joki. Though, even with that little knowledge, he felt confident he could prepare Double for future events.
(One Month Later, July 13th, 1820)
"So! I would like to know how you ended up here in Southern Virginia. Also where did you come up with a name like Jyu-oh-sei? It''s all so random to me," Joki says, drinking his water, and preparing a meal for Double.
Both Joki and Double had finished a training session, Double''s gas tank hadn''t been emptied, and he continues to try to fight, but Joki ignores him, continuing to prepare food for him.
"While I was traveling, I continued to fight more and more and eventually, I ended up learning a little bit about my strength. After fighting you, and going through some of the books you showed me, I decided Jyu-oh-sei sounded the coolest to me!" An excited Double shouts, a gleeful expression on his face.
A smile comes across the face of Joki, and he gives Double his meal and takes a seat. Double hadn''t eaten in two days, forgetting to eat as he continuously challenged Joki, and inevitably failed.
"So Joki...you do a lot of research, I''ve been wanting to ask for a while, but could you tell me about history a little more? How everything ended up this way?" Double asks, continuing to eat the bowl of soup prepared by Joki.
"Over time, the aura inside of our bodies began to become more discovered, people were slowly but surely realizing that they could make themselves even stronger just by learning how to hone it. As a result, people went crazy, destroying buildings, murdering people, and some would do even crazier things than that. It''s hard to believe; eventually, the government got overthrown by the civilians, and we ended up here. Now only the strong survive, and the weak...well they pray for safety," Joki states, putting down his plate giving Double his full attention.
Joki stands up, prompting Double to do the same as they begin to stand in front of each other. The cabin had been reinforced, and had just enough room for the two to battle it out as much as possible.
Double began to charge his aura, and as he does, Joki notices something off. For the last month, Double hadn''t been able to control his aura, Joki realized that Double had seasonal veteran levels of strength, and rookie levels of aura control.
"Aura has to do with controlling your emotions during the battle; if you are not calm then you cannot fight to your fullest. Even then...you literally can''t control it, that''s...odd," Joki says, staring at Double with a perplexed expression.
The words from Joki lit a fire in the mind of Double, and as he tried to control his aura in a desperate attempt to do better, Double''s aura only expanded a little, not even nearing his full potential.
"Currently, I can''t fully control it, but...as long as I rely on my physical strength, and my will. I think I can hold out!" Double says, cocking his arm back, and preparing to lunge forward at Joki.
Joki does a sigh, and cracks his knuckles while looking at Double with a bored expression. Joki had fought Double over one hundred times at this point, and the result never changed, but Double never lost hope at the same time.
"The world itself is vast, you should take time to learn more about history, instead of trying to fight me all day," A bored Joki says, pulling his sword out of his sheath.
Double and Joki clash with each other, and for a month, Joki had continued to teach Double everything he possibly could, while at the same time dealing with Double''s obsession with battle.