TBATE: The Rook

stretching my arms out , I took in the sight of huge mountains covered in a prolific veil of green. The clear blue sky was slowly but gradually being filled with multiple grey clouds spreading overcast.

Cold wind blew as I felt a slight chill. Opening my mouth, took in a deep breath, filling my lungs with the unpolluted and untainted air to the brim. A rejuvenating wave washed over me, the tranquil quietness that was unperturbed, calmed my nerves.

Birds flew overhead, happily chirping as they flew in brisk wind without

Closing my eyes, I peered inwards. Two spheres of energy brimmed with an unbridled amount of energy, surging, waiting to be unleashed. 

About a year ago I awakened my secondary core , i was deep into the forest so both of mother and Riva will not discover me it was hard getting out of Riva monitoring its like she have eyes everywhere i know she is not a regular maid maybe she was an assassin or a spy before becoming a maid. 

My primary core was light red already . My mother and Riva knew only about my primary core , my secondary core was something only I knew about that just a breath away from dark red.

I was preparing for every possible element and their deviant forms in advance . The knowledge of chemistry from my past life was helpful in many ways but I was barely able to maintain the elements for long. The amount of mana in a light red core was not as much as I thought it would be. However, the existence of second core helps to supplement it.

Wind and Fire were my elements affinity . I was disappointed about it , I thought i will be able to unlock all the elements affinity. 

My disappointment lasted half a day and I was back at full sprite , I also was close to unlocking the deviant forms of the former two.

My gaze ventured from one place to another- from one latitudinous mountain to steep and lush green valleys, then the lofty clouds, alternating between white and grey. The burning orange orb- Sun, played hide and seek as it was exposed and obscured by the playful clouds in a rapid succession. The winds continued to get colder. For the first time since coming to this world... It felt relaxed.

"Here he is, why are you always roaming in the woods " a voice came from behind me. Looking back, I saw Riva .

" I've been thinking… since it's been two years since I started training you , we should have a sparring match"Riva said.

"A sparring match, huh? That sounds a bit much don't you think ".

"I want to see how much you have improved and Sparring can be a great way to measure your growth " .

"Fine" I said . It was bound to happen one way or another .

As I made my way towards the open area where Riva already stood ,i sensed a presence at my back , I looked over my shoulder. I saw my mother when did she come her why didn't I feel her till now , she gave me a blow kiss and a thumbs up , I smiled . 

"Kick this witch ass Eli " my mother shouted.

Riva had an annoyed expression over her face , Standing a yard away from her I looked at her who was now swinging a wooden sword around.

"Won't you be using a weapon?" she asked as she got into a simple stance. It was simple to the naked eye but with my experience I knew that it had next to no openings.

"I prefer hand-to-hand combat", I replied in the usual tone.

I know that fighting hand-to-hand in a sword and magic world is dum , but I prefer it that way , all my life i trained unarmed my father forced me to learn how to fight he was a taekwondo champion , in his life he learned other martial art , he started from a young age because he wanted to exercise and to know how to protect himself and it turned to a hobby I think after his first tournament which he lost by the way it turned into an obsession . My uncle said that my father was furious and kept saying " how did i lose , how , my opponent was not better than me he didn't have more skills then , how!" till they arrived at my grandfather house. 

Before my first lesson he said " having a knife and knowing how to use it is to different things ", my father was very strict but at the same time kind , he spoked with his actions more than his mouth.

He died when i was sixteen from a heart attack , I didn't stop training because it's was one of few things that reminded me of him, I either trained with my uncle or alone , after some time i started loving it more and more I started excepting my father friends invites to their own clubs to come and train for free each one of them have a different martial arts , it lasted till my graduation from my medicine college , after that i didn't train much there was no time but i occasionally do light training to not get rusty.

"All right, show me how much you improved ", she said pulling me out of my thoughts , looking at her I saw the wooden sword hum in a thin sheen of mana.

In response I raised both of hands at my eye level. Years of dedication towards the different forms of fighting styles flashed in my mind. Numerous possibilities of approaching the situation appeared in my mind as I slowly began to nitpick the scenario that won't give me much trouble neither would deprive me of the results I wanted. I couldn't humiliate Riva , but I couldn't lose too. In simple words I have to make it seem like I won by a stroke of fortune or lost by just a hair breadth. 

Mana travelled from my secondary core, augmenting my limbs while wind mana conjured from my first core. Using wind mana beneath my feet, I propelled towards Riva like a crashing meteor at blinding speeds. My hand curled into a ball as I plunged it into her abdomen. 

Hir vacillating composure became unambivalent, as she regained it just as soon as she had lost it. Raising her leg, she blocked my punch and countered with a downward slash with her sword . 

Bringing my other hand up, I caught it by its upper area, while augmenting my hand with a similar amount of mana as her.

Riva's eyes widened as she looked at me, matching her strength. It was a temporary effect. This immature body was much stronger than normal kids my age, but Riva was a fully grown adult who had decades of experience , engaging in life threatening battles. It will be a matter of time before she overpowers me .

She swung her sword counterclockwise, breaking free of my iron grip , "A downward kick" I muttered as she did the same and I avoided it.

A jab to abdomen.

Kick at head level.

A feint punch towards face and redirect it to a diagonal slash with sword.

One after another, I could read her muscle twitches and predict her moves. I could see the frustration and embarrassment build up on her face. She was getting agitated and the fact that I was a 5-year-old was even better, fanning her frustration even further. 

She might've had an advantage when it came to mana levels and strength, but she lacked the thought process to utilize it. In simple words she was falling in a trap.

In the corner of my eyes, I spotted my mother eyes glistening with excitement as she was now standing on her tiptoes. She probably caught up with what I was doing. 

"I should end it now." I whispered to myself.

My back feet planted in the ground, a small aperture forming in it from the force of my mana augmented heel. My fingers twitched as I pulled them. 

Riva's eyes widened, her lightning quick movements coming to a screeching halt.

My fingers twitched once more, a small drop of blood falling from Riva's cheek on the muddy ground below.

"You monster", Riva's voice was almost muted as she found hirself amidst a cobweb made of multiple mana strings , Her body was barely moving as even the slightest twitch of muscle could result in a vital cut. 

She underestimated me,that what led her right in the palm of my hand playing and dancing , The threads tied around the tips of my fingers were almost stationary, barely moving in tandem with her chest that heaved in and out, short of breath.

I looked at her, " my win" I said . It was an unnecessary .

 /////if it was a battle of life and death or if she was not holding back it will cause me trouble, but will you lose, nah I'll win ( sorry i had to)\\\\\\

if it was a battle of life and death or if she was not holding back and underestimating me , I am 100% sure that would've not happened.

Riva's hands raised up in a placating manner, signaling the admittance of her own defeat. The supplementation of mana to the strings severed as they vanished in thin air . 

"HAHAHAH IN YOUR UGLY WRINKLE FACE MY BABY WON" , a voice full of enthusiasm and sarcasm came from behind Looking back, I saw mother blurred and reappeared in front of me .

Pulling me to Her embrace. It was strange , her touch... it felt warm, comforting. Like a subtle breeze of spring after a long month of arctic winter. My hands travelled up, gripping at the side of her shirt. It was the first time I was acting and feeling like this. 

For today. maybe just for today I will stop acting and enjoy her warm embrace , With those thoughts my consciousness started to falter- fading in and out. Her slender fingers brushed my hair gently.

Then she spoke softly " Ellis where did you learn to fight like this ".

fuck I thought , Don't panic you have a logical explanation remember .

"Books " I said in a nervous tone 

I looked up to my mother eyes and she was not buying it .

Logical my ass think Ellis think ahh yes .

" i also saw a lot of adventures sparring and tried to mimic how they were fighting "

GAAAAAZE " My baby is a one in time genius a freaking genius " she crushed me in her embrace.

Thank goodness she believed my bullshit .