Dancer In The Shadow - Chapter 1 - The Stubborn Little Boy
This is just an ordinary, even low-quality sword, but Via was handing it to another person like it was the most precious thing on earth. The man touched the iron sword in his hand and smiled as if he was saying, "now, watch out," before stabbing it into a big tree next to him. His action was so smooth, like a little boy who had been doing the same effect for thousands of times without making much effort. Via looked at the big tree that was stabbed, feeling confused. Slowly, a crack was torn apart from the middle of the tree. The break then got bigger and bigger, until the tree was divided into two halves. With a loud bang, the big tree fell to the ground, and the dust flew all over in the air…
Via opened his eyes widely, and his mouth was moving as if he was going to say something. Not a word was uttered. Were this martial arts? His father may not even be able to do this, right? It was just a simple stabbing action, and it looked as if it didn't take him a lot of strength, yet he managed to cut a tree open. This was just too impressive! Wait…he was sure that the man did not use any power at all, how could he manage to do it?
"What's up, little guy? Now tell me, do you think I am qualified to be your teacher?" The man left the iron sword on his side and patted his hand. It was a torture for him to hold this sort of low-quality sword.
Via was silent. He slowly picked up the iron sword and wiped it gently, as if this was a precious sword that had accompanied him for many years. He thought about what the man just said. Could he make this promise？As he was hugely impressed by what the man just did, he really wanted to be his student…however, his mother might…wait, NO! He could not just let this rare opportunity slip. Via could not care less what his mother might think. When he thought about the heroic gesture of his two brothers whenever they came home, he knew that he was eager to become a knight as well. This strong wish had overwhelmed him more than anything. And Via was just a 10-year-old kid at this time.
Via raised his right hand and placed it on his chest, slowly bending his body and making a standard knight's gesture, "Via, swearing in the name of Ed Broy, vows to be your apprentice forever."
The man looked at the severe gesture of Via and suddenly felt a bit depressed. He had been alone for forty years. He didn't expect that he would have an apprentice in the middle of his life. What was his name again? Via? Ed Broy? Was he someone from the Reynolds? No way! He remembered clearly that Kay had only two sons and they were both big boys. Then, what about this little boy…before he could organize his thoughts, a purple crystal ball suddenly appeared on his hand. Several streams of purple light were flowing and turning inside the crystal ball. The man was mumbling something. Then, the color inside the crystal ball was changing from deep purple to milky white, then white, and finally close to transparency. Some pictures were appearing in the crystal ball as if they were telling him a story. In just a short moment, the man understood it all. Elegantly shaking his head, he smiled lightly, and from the in-depth look of his eyes, it was as if there was nothing he didn't know. Suddenly, the purple color in the crystal ball had resumed, and it was still shining. He gently waved his hand, and the crystal ball disappeared immediately. The little Via was shocked by what he had seen and become speechless. It was as if the man had a pair of slender and magical hands, and Via was looking at his hands in awe.
"Get up, Via, I have a critical thing to do, and I must leave. If you want, you can come with me. "
"My teacher, of course, I am willing to!" But…what about his mother? He had to tell her honestly. When Via thought about his mother, all of his excitement was gone. Was his mother going to say yes if she knew that Via was going to learn martial arts? In any case, he did not want to give up this opportunity. This man in front of him was much stronger than his father, he was like a mage and a knight, and he was willing to teach him…if he turned him down, he would hold on to his regret for the whole life.
"Teacher, may I kindly ask you for one thing?" Via looked at his new teacher shyly. Even though he did seem like a kind teacher, he still felt a bit nervous.
"Tell me." The man was looking at Via whose facial expression was changing. What kind of an issue did the boy have?
"Can I ask you to please send somebody to tell my mother?" Now, the man understood. He was sure that Via was a good boy and it was proven that he's right. Via was filial, pure and innocent. He felt honored to be able to pass his skills onto a student like Via. With him, there seemed to be a clean, pure feeling that no one else had…it only made the man more determined to have Via as a student.
The coachman somehow got a pen and a piece of paper. He gave one paper to the man and another one to Via, and he said, "write a letter to your mother, I will ask someone to send it."
After a while, the carriage set off, with a stubborn little boy sitting inside.