Flow

"Two!"

"Keep your back straight!"

"T-twelve."

"You've gone quiet."

"Thirteen!"

"Good."

"Sixteen."

"Stay focused."

"Twenty!"

The wooden blade slipped from my fingers and thudded into the dirt. My legs trembled like they might fold under me at any second. Glyffe didn’t flinch. His solemn expression was the same one he’d worn since the first swing.

"Why have you stopped?" He asked.

"I-I can't do... haaah... haaah... anymore..."

"I said one hundred swings." He said, still solemn. "Did you forget that already?"

"But I..." Damn it. Waving a sword up and down full strength was too taxing, especially as a kid. I decided to stop... but where would that get me?

"In future, Reno." He looked me in the eye. "Never drop your sword." He walked over and picked up the sword I'd dropped and handed it back to me.

"Why not?"

"Because your sword is your companion. You should treasure it as you would a real partner." He spoke calmly and assuredly. That... makes sense.

I thought back to yesterday when we'd seen Stox forging. The story behind Glyffe's departure from the Far East, how he'd only had a single sword, Night's Watch, as his partner. I looked down at the wooden sword in my hands.

For now, I should treat this like a partner.

"Keep going. That's enough rest. I know it's hard, but the world in front of you will only be harder."

Here we go

"Twenty-one!"

"Good."

"Thirty." His expression shifted slightly, showing a calm but subtle approval.

“Fifty.”

Glyffe nodded. “Halfway.”

Halfway. My arms said otherwise. They felt heavier than they had at thirty, heavier than they had at forty. Every swing dragged like I was lifting a tree, and yet, the end felt no closer.

This is too much for me... I can't...I moved to let go of the wooden sword but instead I gripped it harder. Glyffe's words echoed, never let go of your sword.

"Dad, how do you do this every day?"

"Because, I've struggled."

What?

"I know what to do when things get tough."

"Then, what should I do?" I said as I raised my sweaty hands to swing down again.

"Smile. The secret to doing something like this every day, is to smile when things get tough. A great man can laugh at all the bad things that've happened to him and can smile when things get difficult."

"Fifty five! But how can I smile when I'm in this much pain?" I groaned.

His face stayed neutral. "One day, you'll be able to. Once you're used to struggling, these tasks become easy. They begin to direct you and give you purpose. They give you a real sense of moving forwards in life."

To move... forwards. Then, maybe it was a bit like what studying biology was for me in the past. It wasn't always exactly fun per se, but it was... meaningful. Consistently working on papers satisfied my desire for progression. Maybe that's what he was trying to get at.

"I'm not sure I can smile yet. But, I'll keep going!" I said, taking his advice head on. They say life's a marathon, not a sprint—it's a good thing I was a long distance runner in my past life.

"Good, you're doing well." Glyffe said, his tone still neutral.

Seventy-three. My shoulders burned, then went numb. My breathing evened out without my notice. The sword rose and fell at its own rhythm, like it had gained independence of my grip.

Eighty-two. The pain dissolved into something distant. The world narrowed to the arc of my blade. Has the world always been this empty?

One hundred and fifty-five. I wasn’t swinging the sword. We were moving together.

"Two hundred."

What? I opened my eyes, the cold breeze sweeping past my arms and the smell of dirt and grass assaulting my nostrils. "D-did I just say... two hundred?" I looked around, baffled. Glyffe's eyes met mine, and his solemn face cracked into a massive smile.

"Haha!" Glyffe curled over, grabbing his stomach. "You're even more impressive than I thought! Not just magic, but a talent for the sword too?"

He laughed, and laughed, and laughed.

What the "...hell just happened?" My inner thoughts slipped out.

"Earlier you asked me how I do this daily, right?" I nodded.

"There's usually three things that motivate people to do or finish a task: necessity, routine or habit, and willpower. But there's another, the zenith of focus—the flow state."

The... flow state? Is that what that was?

"What do you mean?" I said, still dazed.

"There's many, many levels to swordsmanship. The earliest level someone can reach to be considered a true swordsman is to be one with the sword. What you just did is a rudimentary form of that. You entered the flow state and forgot about your own existence, albeit briefly."

As Glyffe explained my eyes went wide. "In that moment, only you and the sword existed. You probably didn't even notice me there, it was just you, the sword, and the environment, right?"

"H-how did you know?" I stuttered.

"Haha! I knew it!" He laughed loudly again. "Reno, you've been blessed twice. From now on, we'll train like this every day. Actually, I think your talent for the sword is greater than your talent for magic."

"What?!" I exclaimed. Greater than my talent for magic? Even though I could learn new spells so quickly?

"I mean it." He nodded in complete seriousness, his voice unwavering.

"I... I see." I hesitated, thinking about the implications behind his words.

If that was the case then I'd have to start prioritising both swordsmanship and my physical ability too, if I wanted to maximise my strength.

But... there was still a problem I couldn't resolve. A question that I hoped Glyffe had the answer to.

"Can swordsmen ever beat mages?" I said in the politest way possible.

Maybe at weaker levels it was possible. But someone like Cindy, would she ever lose to a swordsman? That sort of magical capability, to generate waves and storms on command and move wind and rain, just how could a swordsman ever compete with that?

"Ha...hahahaha!" He curled over laughing once again. "Reno, you really know how to make me laugh, don't you?"

"Ah... I don't think I quite get it." I rubbed my cheek.

"Didn't you see my strike from earlier?" His response was sharp.

Ah. I forgot. The speed and sheer force required to generate a shockwave from purely slashing downwards was inhuman. Surely only top end magicians could hope to contend with that kind of power, at least in close range.

"That strike from earlier wasn't... something from this world." There was no word to describe it except otherworldly.

"Oh but it is from this world, Reno. Even crazier sword strikes exist in this world, you'd be surprised. Take for example my original sword style, a series of techniques I developed myself."

"Can you show me them?" I said, curious.

"Well... not right now. Don't worry, I'll teach you them in full someday. If I taught you them now I think... you might get injured from seeing it."

"Injured? Just from seeing it?" What? Is he serious?

"Injured isn't quite the right word. Perhaps, traumatised." He scratched the back of his head, his voice turning solemn. "After all, those moves are designed for a single purpose. To kill."

To... kill?

"R-right."

"So I wouldn't teach you it unless I wanted you to kill something." His voice stayed neutral. "Or someone."

"Why would I need to..." I said confusedly as my words trailed off. Beyond the confusion, however, was another emotion I didn't want to admit to feeling. Fear. That word, kill, made my skin crawl.

"You do know that there are monsters in this world, right? Florons?"

"Yes, I know." Florons, plant monsters with unknown origin which are spread around the continent.

"They exist in various forests, jungles and biomes. Simply put, they're not friendly to humans. They'll attack you and people you're close to. And you're going to need to be able to protect yourself and them. You know, florons are alive too."

Florons are... alive? It was weird thinking of things like slimes and goblins as 'alive'. That made them feel more like animals than 'monsters'.

"But—"

"If you want to be the greatest magician ever, then at some point you'll have to kill a monster." His words were cold.

"You also said... someone." I said, uncomfortable.

"Yes, Reno. Eventually, you'll have to make that choice. When someone threatens you or your family, you'll be forced to make that choice between your lives and theirs. Mercy is a luxury of the strong, and the strong only."

Forced to make that choice between our lives and theirs... Is that something I can decide? Is it something I should decide? What would I do if something like that were to happen?

This place wasn't Earth.

If someone attacked me in a forest or jungle, there wasn't going to be police to apprehend or arrest them and seek justice for me in a court of law. Maybe that'd be the case if I was next to a city but there was far more wilderness.

Considering that there was forbidden areas, zones restricted to humans due to the strength of the fauna and the extreme conditions... if I was an adventurer it was very likely I'd end up in a situation where I had to kill.

What would I do... in that situation?

I shook my head, refusing to think about it deeply. What Glyffe was trying to instill in me was obvious. This world wasn't as simple or friendly as I thought it was. Just because I got to have fun with the Little Dreamers and run around Butter Town freely, it didn't mean I'd always be able to.

Glyffe's words were all telling me the same thing. This is a world in which strength rules; kill or be killed. The most primitive rule of the jungle, survival of the fittest. I of all people knew that law of the animal kingdom better than anyone else.

"I understand." I nodded, my thoughts hazy.

"Don't worry too much about it for now." Glyffe said. "It's not something you need to figure out yet, but it is something you should be aware of. When I was about seven, I was forced to kill monsters to survive."

That... was true, and put a lot into perspective. He was forced to steal to survive too, or else he'd live among bullies in a place where no one really wanted him around.

"This place is fairly safe, out in the countryside but even this peace can be broken. So if you're thinking something like, I could just stay in Butter Town and everything would be okay. I've got bad news for you."

Ah, how did he know?

"I could see it on your face. The flames of war have reached even this far out. You must become strong, Reno. Strong enough to stand on your own." His words were heavy.

In other words, there's no running from it. The more I was in denial or tried to escape it, the worse it'd be when confronted by reality.

"Have wars ever truly reached all the way out here? In Butter Town?" I said with a hint of skepticism. After all, Butter Town didn't have a military or anything.

"You're aware of the two human empires, right?"

"Yes, the Karavik Empire and the Kion Empire."

He nodded. "Correct, these two empires have been at war for centuries and only very recently have they stopped feuding. As you know we're closer to the Kion Empire. Previously the Karavik Empire’s military invaded over this region."

"When did the war stop?"

"About, forty years ago." He stopped and rubbed his chin.

Forty years... that really was quite recent.

"I've worked with kids for a while now, and the ones that grow up here tend to believe the world is at peace. But they couldn't be more wrong. This world isn't at peace, it's at war." He spoke with confidence. "This world is at war, Reno. And in a time of war there are no innocents, or victors, only victims."

I paused, thinking about his words. "So your answer to that is... to be strong. To kill." I looked him in the eye.

He shook his head. "No, not to kill. You don't get it yet. Yes you need to be strong, not to kill—to protect. Strength comes with obligations to help those in need that are weaker than you. And that can include killing.

For now, just think about strength being to protect. You don't have to worry about the harder choices and responsibilities just yet. We'll deal with that later."

"R-right..." For now. For now all that mattered was getting stronger to protect those weaker than me. Got it.

"In the meantime—good job." He ruffled my hair.

I smiled. "Before you said you worked with kids, what did you mean by that?"

"Oh, that. You don't know what I do for work?" He raised an eyebrow.

"No, I don't. Not your work or Silvia's actually, come to think of it." I rubbed my chin.

"I'm an instructor. I teach magic and swordsmanship. In terms of kids, I teach scouts mainly, teenagers and occasionally pre-scouts. Of course I also teach advanced scouts but this town only has a couple."

P-pre scouts? So this whole time my father is the one who teaches our sworn enemies? How could this be?

"You okay? You look like you've seen a Floron." Glyffe said, confused.

"It's nothing." I waved it off. "What about Silvia, what does she do?"

"She's the same, but she only works sometimes since she's been taking care of you. I make enough money for the three of us in any case."

I see, so they're both instructors. I could see that coming out during our training. I'd managed to touch on becoming one with the sword, even if only briefly. That either meant I was quite talented or Glyffe was a great teacher, or maybe even both.

"Did you both always want to be instructors?"

"No, me and Silvia never really wanted to be instructors. It was just the most convenient work out here for us. An Aquateelian alumni teaching in the countryside is practically unheard of." Glyffe smiled. He really likes his wife huh.

"What did you two work as in the past? Before Butter Town?"

"In the past we worked in an adventuring party far, far away." His eyes looked distant. "We explored all sorts of cities, tribes and places. But we didn't stop there, at some point we even formed a mercenary group."

Woah, a mercenary group? I never would've guessed.

"How come?"

"It's a long story." His sigh carried the weight of everything he didn’t say. I decided not to probe any deeper than that. "Actually, there's a place that I've decided to take you now that I've seen your talent for the sword."

"Where is it? Is it a place for training?"

"Where? Good question." He started laughing. "I couldn't tell you, they're always moving. But it's a nation of swordsmen who helped me perfect my craft. Over there, swords settle all disputes, even between children."

"Huh? Even between children?" That sounded... ridiculous. In my head I thought back to when me and Jamie were cornered by Zyra's bunch, but this time they suddenly drew swords to discipline us with. They were scary even without swords, now with them... I shivered.

"Yeah. It's a crazy place, you wouldn't believe some of the things I saw there if I told you." Glyffe said in amazement, his face lighting up.

My stomach tensed. Ah... I want to see it.

"I knew it—you have the heart of a swordsman. I can see the longing in your eyes already, and you've only just stepped on the path of the sword. You will be a great swordsman." Glyffe decreed with absolute confidence.

"Well, I'm not so sure." My arms still felt numb from earlier. It was still too early to talk about greatness.

"When I was young and inexperienced, I also didn't think swordsmen could match mages. I was devastated after I'd devoted so much of my life to the sword. And then, I chanced upon it—the nation of the sword." He seemed almost reverent. "Over there, no wand dares to claim to be a match for the sword."

Over there no wand dares to claim to be a match for the sword. How brazen is that statement?

"This place isn't on one of our three continents right?" I double checked.

"No, it's much, much further away." The boundless world, right? Hearing stories of it made me want to see it first-hand.

"Good, for today, I'm happy with your progress." He nodded before looking behind me.

"If it isn't the two Aquateelians? To what honour do I owe this visit?" Glyffe bowed towards the two heads peeking around the corner. From Cindy's unabashed reaction, the way Glyffe reacted might actually be how people would normally treat her.

So being from Aquateelia was similar to a noble status? Enough for people to bow?

"Give it a rest, Glyffe." Silvia smiled. "I'd like to borrow your star pupil, he's got an Aquateelian magic lesson waiting for him."

"What—my star pupil? Anyone but him. Can't you take someone else instead? Like …" He pointed to a mage. "Her, for example?"

Cindy's eyebrows twitched.

"Glyffe." Silvia said, her meaning clear.

"Fine, fine—take him. You don't need him to carry anything, like a wand, right? I don't think he'll be able to lift anything right now." I nodded in agreement.

"Glyffe, why's he sweating so much? What did you do to him?" Silvia narrowed her eyes.

"We just trained a little." He whistled. Two hundred swings of a sword. Just a little?

"If he can't move his arms tomorrow you're the one in trouble, you know that right?"

He scratched his head. "He needs the practice."

Silvia paused. "I know. Just don't go too far."

Silvia's tone was serious. What Glyffe told me today was a harsh truth that Silvia also knew and believed seriously in.

I have to become strong, and not just to have fun or experiment with things. The simplest way I could conceptualise it was that learning magic and swordsmanship in this world was in essence the same as studying academics in my old world.

While it was fun to learn niche facts and random trivia, it was far more important to keep studying the main curriculum to ensure your future career.

"Right, now then. The stage is all yours, Cindy." Silvia winked.

Cindy nodded, her tone now neutral and professional.

"Then, let's begin."