CHAPTER 22
Pretty soon, Megumi's training continued. He was finally at the final stage, and all that remained in his way was to actually learn the Shadow Strike.
He had only seen the devastating power of the technique once, and ever since he had dreamed of what the power would feel like. Sadly, everything Rikiyo had laid out for him was simply basic groundwork that would prepare him for proper training.
Thinking about it more, it seemed a bit strange that she was rushing to teach him a single move even if it was bound to take him a whole year to master. However, that wasn't the case; Shadow Strike was a technique that required a balance between one's mental and physical capabilities, an understanding that he had already grasped.
This was what made the versatile move so difficult to master for so many people, but really, at his current pace, he was sure he would get the hang of it in a few weeks, perhaps days even.
Whoever the others that would soon be meeting them were—Yuki didn't know who they were, and Gekka had refused to say a word to him concerning the matter—had Rikiyo racing against time.
With food breaks and enough time for sleep, and depending on when the 'others' Rikiyo mentioned would arrive, he had only about twelve hours to train—during today's evening and tomorrow morning.
*******
His training soon began, and pretty quickly, he came to realize just how difficult getting Shadow Strike right actually was. Keeping full control of his innate energy while maintaining clarity was a very difficult task, and he had to perform an attack while both of them were active.
Though he was quite able to perform an attack, maintaining solid control of his innate energy while in a state of clear mind and dealing a decent blow was another thing entirely.
For him to perform a perfect Shadow Strike, he would have to create an afterimage of his attack immediately after his fist made contact by pouring innate energy into his target or opponent—which could only be a living organism.
Once again, he was faced with the peril of learning something entirely new…
After a few hours of fruitless attempts, Rikiyo decided to leave him in the middle of the forest and return to the plateau where the others were resting.
And now, he had his hand resting on the bark of a very sturdy tree, trying to focus on the vigorous energy that dwelled within him…
Then, he tried to pour his innate energy out into the tree, which worked seamlessly but only for a while. It felt like a subtle itch on his palms that got worse each time he attempted to make his innate energy flow out of his body, but it had gotten worse as time passed.
Still, he gritted through the pain, and after he was done, he stepped back and clenched his fist. He kept his mind lucid as he slowly drew his legs apart and brought down his elbow.
Then, he channeled innate energy into his fist, making it flow into every inch of his palm and fingers, permeating every single cell. As vigorous energy rushed through his hand, he charged forward, aiming his fist at the bark of the tree.
His plan… simple and straightforward; it was to channel the innate energy stored in his fist into the tree and allow it to deal internal damage, a second attack that was far more devastating than the first one.
But instead, the innate energy, amplifying the power of his attack tenfold, didn't flow into the tree, and what ensued was the discord of multiple bones breaking at once.
He felt immense pain shoot through his entire arm as he fell to the ground and let out a loud yelp. The entirety of his fingers, from their base knuckles down to their tips, were broken and shattered, with bone splinters sticking out of his skin.
It was a peril that he had never imagined he would have to go through and thus had never expected. He was trembling, grimacing while gritting his teeth in pain. Sweat slowly trickled down his forehead.
He looked at his mangled hand, groaning as he tried to move it, but all he felt was intense pain, prompting him to bury his face in the grass as he tried to fight through it.
It wasn't long before his vision began blurring, and then he blacked out, collapsing face down on the field of verdant green grass.
*******
He soon woke up, the silver glow of the moonlight causing him to blink a few times as he attempted to adjust to the faint light. Above were a million twinkling stars splattered across the vast expanse of the sky.
It was always a full moon in this world…
Gritting his teeth, he made an attempt to sit up but felt a hand gently pressing against his chest. He looked up to see Gekka leaning above him. Her gray eyes looked dark in the night, causing him to shiver at the first sight of her.
Her black hair seemed even darker and more graceful under the gaze of the moonlight, and as her hand slowly moved from his chest and caressed his cheeks, all he felt was chills. Her hands were cold…
She soon shifted away and mumbled a few words he couldn't make sense of, and then, heaving a sigh, she spoke, her voice bold and a bit flat:
"I don't know what you were doing down there, but boy, you've gotta be more careful. Had I come any later, then you wouldn't be able to even use that hand of yours anymore."
She then turned and glanced at his broken hand.
Quickly continuing:
"I also don't wanna know what Rikiyo has been teaching you, but that hand won't be the same until we can at least get you a sorcerer with a healing ability. And even after that is done, you will have to take your time learning how to channel innate energy through your new cells all over again.
So… Megumi, if you're gonna have to break your bones again, then I would recommend you stop before you deal irreparable damage to yourself."
For a while, there was nothing but the immense whistle of the wind. Megumi felt intense as his mind rambled, his thoughts on nothing but what Gekka had just said.
His broken hand would stall his progress by a great deal and pose a great risk if it kept happening, which was a very high possibility. He could imagine just how deadly an attack like Shadow Strike would be, but was it really worth it?
No… He couldn't possibly risk it. His hand for the strongest attack he could possibly have in his arsenal? It was a bargain he would consider one day in the future, but for now, perhaps it was best to heed Rikiyo's advice and refrain from trying to master the Shadow Strike.
Closing his eyes, he mumbled, his voice barely reaching the person to whom his words were intended.
"I understand."
She simply smiled as she walked over to his side and slowly helped him get up from where he lay. After feeding him his dinner, she helped him to his tent, where he rested on his sleeping bag and soon drifted into darkness.