The Tale Of Xavier (PT 3)

Narrator- About an hour outside the East Capital sat a small countryside town where Mr. Manji and Xavier now lived. The population barely reached a few hundred people. Mr. Manji had become something of a local legend there. If something needed to be built, repaired, forged, or crafted. He was the man.

Fall had arrived once again.

And Xavier had changed.

His hair had grown longer and become pitch black. His body has become more defined. The fear and uncertainty that once consumed him had slowly been replaced with confidence.

But the past YeaR hadn’t been easy.

There were nights he wanted to quit. Moments where his body gave out before his spirit did. But quitting was never truly an option.

If he stopped moving forward… Who would stop Jack? Who would help the people suffering the same way his mother had?

The forgotten.

The hopeless.

The people who accepted their fate because they believed no one would come to save them.

These thoughts drive Xavier every day.

To push harder. To continue moving forward.

That was his choice.

Outside the town rested a secluded forest filled with lush greenery. Wind danced through the trees while the scent of pine and fresh water drifted through the air.

A river cut through the forest and connected to a quiet pond hidden deep within the mountains.

Mr. Manji had shown Xavier this place only a few days after they arrived.

The two followed a river through the mountains for hours.

Xavier groaned loudly.

“How much longer? We’ve been walking forever!”

Mr. Manji laughed.

“We've only walked a few thousand miles. And that's only the beginning.”

“Well…” Xavier sighed. “I also thought training was going to start right away. Instead, we’ve just been helping people around town.”

He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

“Not saying I didn’t want to help them or anything… I just thought we’d be doing something cooler.”

Mr. Manji burst into laughter.

“Please don’t change!”

“...Okay?”

“We’re here.”

The trees slowly parted, opening into a clearing.

Xavier’s eyes widened instantly.

“...Whoa.”

A lone weeping willow rested beside a pond where the river connected. Bright reds and deep oranges painted the surrounding plants and leaves while distant animal calls echoed softly throughout the forest.

Xavier slowly walked toward the pond, taking in the scenery.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before…”

His voice softened.

“It’s beautiful.”

Mr. Manji smiled faintly.

“Well, growing up in a city like yours, I’m not surprised.”

Xavier stopped in front of the pond and looked down into his reflection as Mr. Manji continued.

“The countryside has many beautiful things… If you take the time to notice them.”

As Manji takes a breath to continue, the wind blows the bright orange flowers. Carrying a heavy citrus smell through the air.

“Before we continue… There are some important people I’d like you to meet.”

A few orange petals gracefully fall into the pond and break Xavier’s silence.

“Okay… Where are they?”

Mr. Manji walked farther into the clearing.

He stopped on the other side of the willow tree.

Three graves rested quietly beneath the tree.

“Right here…” He said softly.

“My family.”

Xavier’s smile began to fade.

Mr. Manji noticed and gave Xavier a pat on the back while laughing

“Hey now, don’t look so depressed. They wouldn’t want that!”

He pointed toward the first grave.

“This is my wife. Suke.”

A warm smile crossed his face.

“She was stubborn and hard-headed! ”

He laughed quietly.

“But she always had the heart to help those in need.”

His eyes softened.

“That’s why I loved her.”

Then he pointed toward the second grave.

“A few years later, we had our son. Hatsu.”

“The best day of my life.”

He paused briefly and chuckled.

“Well… Besides marrying my wife, of course.”

Xavier laughed a little.

But the laughter faded quickly as memories of his own mother surfaced.

His eyes drifted toward the final grave.

A rusted sword stood firmly in the ground.

Despite years of exposure, the blade remained intact. Not a single piece missing.

A chill crept down Xavier’s spine.

“What about this one?”

Mr. Manji’s expression changed.

“This…”

He looked toward the sword with sadness and hope.

“Belongs to my master. The previous Sword Master.”

The forest suddenly felt quieter.

The wind stopped. The animals fell silent. Nothing.

“That sword had witnessed countless battles… and claimed many lives. ”

“What was he like?” Xavier asked quietly.

Mr. Manji stared at the grave for a long moment before answering.

“To be honest. I barely knew him.”

“He arrived here YeaRs ago badly wounded and fighting for his life.”

“He never told me who he was fighting. Or what he was running from.”

His gaze lowered slightly as he closed his eyes.

“But I remember the look in his eyes.”

“He looked like a man carrying the weight of the world.”

A slow breeze moved through the clearing. Picking up the blue petals.

“I tried to help him. But he refused.”

“In his final moments, he told me he fought for the people who couldn’t fight for themselves.”

“That he trained for them.”

“That he was willing to die for them.”

Mr. Manji opened his eyes and turned toward Xavier.

“And despite everything…”

“He smiled.”

As the blue petals danced through the air, bringing in a faint lavender smell, Manji continued.

“He said he was happy knowing there were still kind people in the world.”

“Right before he died… He asked me if I had a family.”

“I told him I had a wife and a son.”

Mr. Manji’s eyes softened slightly, fighting back tears.

“He smiled after hearing that.”

“Then he asked me to pick up his sword.”

“As I held it…”

“He spoke one final time.”

“No one looked at me my entire life.

I left no impression on anyone.

I had no value.

I was barely living…

Until I met them.

They gave me a reason to keep moving forward.

A reason to become stronger.

We fought the best we could.

And I continued fighting for their sake.

But eventually… Every journey ends.”

The wind slowly rustled the willow branches overhead, dropping leaves.

“I’ve been cut.

Burned.

Broken.

Pierced.

But none of it hurt more than knowing…

No matter how hard you fight…

Death is unavoidable.”

Mr. Manji turned to face the graves as he continued.

“Yet the people whose lives you change…

The people who loved you…

They carry that pain after you’re gone.

And eventually…

Someone else picks up the same sword.

And repeats the cycle.

Sometimes…

I wish I had never picked up this sword.”

Xavier’s eyes widened slightly.

Tears fell from Manji's eyes as he kept telling the story.

“But it was my choice.

And I saw it through until the very end.

So please…

Pass on my teachings.

Pass on the title of Sword Master.

Because I believe…

One day…

Someone will finally break this cycle.”

Silence filled the clearing.

Only the wind and river remained.

Mr. Manji looked toward the old sword quietly and said…

“And after saying that… He died smiling.”

PRESENT TIME

Xavier opened his eyes as the cool fall breeze rustled through the willow tree.

He stood quietly in front of the graves.

“Your story was simple. But what it meant to you and the others was indescribable.”

He tightened his grip on his sword.

“Thank you.”

Xavier stood and stepped back into the clearing as he raised his blade once more.

Mr. Manji had given him one condition before returning home.

“One thousand high sword strikes in under a minute.”

So far, Xavier’s highest count was 639.

And after two months of training, he still hadn’t gotten close.

Again. And again. And again.

Every swing carried everything he had.

Rain, snow, heat.

None of it mattered.

Xavier trained until his hands bled and his shoulders felt like they would tear apart.

Still, he continued swinging.

Not far away, a mysterious man walked along the forest path.

The man stopped and listened. He could faintly hear some rustling near him.

He looked around for a few minutes before stumbling near the clearing in the middle of the forest.

The man stopped and watched silently.

“Well, well, well. What do we got here?”

A grin slowly spread across his face.

“Looks like there might actually be strong people out here after all.”

As he turned and continued toward the nearby town, excitement slowly built in his eyes.

Xavier continued training until sunrise.

THE NEXT DAY

At dawn, the mysterious man returned to the clearing.

He stopped and watched like he never left.

“The kid never came into town last night?”

A laugh escaped him.

“Stubborn. I like that.”

He walked farther into the woods and dropped his bag near a small clearing.

Then, he copied Xavier’s stance. And attempted the same exercise as Xavier.

Punch after punch exploded through the air at incredible speed.

And just like that, 1000 punches in 1 minute.

“I’ll give you credit where it’s due,” he muttered.

“Your accuracy and consistency are insane. But why do you keep failing?”

A WEEK LATER

Xavier continued training relentlessly.

Then finally, he hit it.

A new record. 889 swings in 1 minute.

“Not bad. But I'm so close!”

The skies slowly cleared overhead as the wind calmed.

Warm sunlight poured through the gaps of the trees.

Xavier closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.

In his mind, he only saw the motion of the blade.

Up, down, up, down.

Again and again and again.

But he failed again and yelled in anger

“COME ON! I have to move on. Let’s try again.”

As Xavier readies himself once more. The mysterious man stops at the edge of the clearing and watches closely.

But something felt different this time.

Xavier raised his sword once more.

And began again.

Each strike created small currents of wind.

100. Then 200. Each swing increases in speed and precision. No slowing down.

700

His breathing remained calm, mind emptied itself.

No distractions. No fear. Nothing.

As Xavier approached one thousand strikes, the stranger slowly stepped from the brush and began circling him.

But Xavier didn’t stop. Not once.

Xavier hit 1000 swings in a minute, but he continued.

His movements changed naturally.

High strikes flowed into low stances.

Low stances shifted into fluid mid-slashes.

Every movement connected without hesitation.

Like instinct itself had taken over.

The stranger’s eyes widened as he mumbled.

“What the hell?”

2000 strikes.

Finally, Xavier stopped.

Slowly sheathed his sword and opened his eyes.

Only then did he notice someone watching him.

Xavier jumped slightly.

“Who are you?”

The man smirked and cracked his neck casually.

As he points toward himself, he speaks with confidence.

“The name’s Xifier.”

A small grin spread across his face.

“But you can call me X.”

Xavier laughed quietly.

Xifier frowned and spoke with a sharp tone.

“What’s so funny?”

“Well…” Xavier rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

“My name’s Xavier. And people call me X too.”

Xifier stared at him blankly.

“That was funny to you?”

Xavier kept chuckling while Xifier folded his arms and said

“Anyway, I came to spar. You seem strong.”

Xavier shook his head.

“My master probably wouldn’t want me fighting for no reason.”

He rested his hand on his sword guard.

“I finished training, so I’ll be heading home now.”

As Xavier turned toward the path to the village, Xifier cleared his throat

“Soooo…” Xifier tilted his head.

“What you’re saying is…”

A grin slowly formed on his smug face

“You’re a bitch?”

Xavier stopped walking.

Slowly, he turned around.

“I never said that.”

Xifier laughed loudly.

“There we go. Pushed a few buttons, didn’t I?”

Suddenly, Xavier felt the air shift.

Clouds covered the warm sun and cast a grey overcast.

Xifier grinned wider.

“Okay.”

He widened his stance and spoke deeply

“Now what’s the lil bitch going to do? ”

Xavier grips the handle of his blade angrily. But he quickly remembered Mr. Manji’s words.

“If you cannot control your emotions… your emotions will control you.”

Xavier takes a deep breath and repeats his thoughts to Xifier.

“If you cannot control your emotions…”

But Xifier abruptly cuts him off from speaking.

“I ain’t trying to hear that bullshit! Either we fight, or you get your ass beat for free. Your choice!”

Xavier annoyingly responds.

“Rude, followed by empty threats. I gave you a chance.”

Xifer’s stance gets lower, beast-like almost.

“Show me what you got, sword boy!”