Spirit of Hope

  Chapter 10: Tournament of Snakes Part 2: Training Continues

  After the heated argument, Vance and Jack both traded off in furthering Sohjin’s fighting skills.

  “First things first, what stance are you? Southpaw or orthodox?” Vance questioned.

  Sohjin blinked. “Am I what?”

  “Oh God, we have a long way to go.” Vance facepalmed. “Get into your fighting stance.”

  Sohjin complies, getting into a stiff pose. His arms and feet are out too far, his chin stuck out like a sore thumb, and had little to no bend in his knees like he was a mannequin. To add the icing on the cake, his back posture was too stiff.

  Vance laughed, “Everything about this is wrong. How did you even beat Aragon?” He mocked.

  “Firstly your feet are too far out, they should be shoulder width apart.” Vance kicked his feet in. “Your weight should be evenly distributed, you need to be fast, and using your powers you can be even faster.”

  Vance looks at his arms and visibly makes a disgusted face.

  “Next is the arms, tuck in your elbows and keep your chin down and place your hands up near your chin.” He pushed them towards his chin. “Trust me about the chin, the part doesn’t seem important until some guy uppercuts you.”

  “This feels so uncomfortable.” Sohjin said.

  “It’s gonna feel weird until it doesn’t.” Vance messaged “Relax your shoulders and bend your knees” he said, lightly kicking his hamstring

  “How am I supposed to relax when I’m fighting?” Sohjin questioned.

  “Good point, if you don’t you die. Trust you’ll get used to the pressure, it just takes time.” Vance said.

  He walks around Sohjin examining him. “Everything looks good to me, now let’s spar!”

  “Alright, let's do it.” Sohjin said excitedly.

  “You know how to jab right?” Vance asked.

  “Of course, like this right?” Sohjin imbued his fist with his seishin and threw a jab.

  Vance steps back. “Do you always imbue your…energy every time you throw a punch?”

  “Sometimes why?” Sohjin said, scratching his head.

  “JACCKKK! IT'S YOUR TURN.” Vance called out.

  Jack emerges from the shadows, heading towards Sohjin.

  “Good luck.” Vance whispered.

  “Good luck with what?” Jack turned around, but Vance was already near the door, skipping instead of running.

  “I’M A GOOD TEACHER.” Vance declared, leaving the room.

  Jack shakes his head, “Huh? Anyways Sohjin, show me your jab.”

  Sohjin jabs and Jack immediately sees the problem, slightly groaning.

  “Stop doing that.”

  “Doing what?”

  “When you punch, stop imbuing your fist with your seishin, it will drain you faster.” Jack said.

  “How?”

  “What do you mean how?”

  “How else am I supposed to make my punches stronger??”

  “By learning a proper technique.” Jack said, stepping forward. “The thing about imbuing seishin is, it only amplifies the attack and acts as a crutch. You’ll burn out within minutes of fighting someone who knows what they’re doing.”

  Jack demonstrated his jab, his movements were precise and controlled. “The key to jabbing is in the rotation of your shoulders, your hips and the snap of your wrist.”

  Sohjin mimicked his motions, feeling weaker without the flow of energy. “This feels…wrong.”

  “At first it will. It just takes practice.” Jack said. “Eventually you’ll get to a point where you can punch without thinking, while thinking.”

  Jack stepped in front of Sohjin. “And when you really get it, you’ll be able to do something like this.”

  Sohjin’s eyes grew big. “Like what”

  In a blur, Jacks fist shot forward, before it could strike Sohjin, he imbued his Seishin at the last possible moment. His Seishin wrapped around his fist, the air hummed as it funneled around his hand. His fist shot forward before burying into his chest. For a fraction of a second, nothing happened, until pain shot from his stomach.

  “STATIC IMPACT!”

  Pain rippled through his ribs as he gasped for air, his vision flickering. A shockwave exploded from impact as sparks of seishin filled the air. Sohjin shot back, crashing into the ground. Jack smiled, firing a green sphere into him, instantly healing him.

  Sohjin slowly stood up. “The hell did you hit me with?”

  “Static Impact.” He replied.

  Sohjin coughed, feeling the lingering shock in his ribs. He rolled his shoulders and took a deep breath.

  Jack smirked, “that’s what happens when you refine your technique. You don’t need to constantly fuel every punch with seishin…just the right moment. Static impact only works because I let the technique do most of the work and only imbue seishin at the last moment. It’s effective and precise.”

  Sohjin rubbed his stomach. “So you're telling me I’ve been wasting seishin this whole time.”

  Jack nodded. “Basically you’ve been treating your seishin like a ram when you really should be using it like a scalpel.”

  Sohjin exhaled, a smile forming. “Alright. Show me again.”

  Jack grinned.

  The rest of the day Sohjin spent drilling punches and sparring with Jack and Vance until his arms were dead.

  Sohjin slumped against the wall, his breath ragged from another round of training. The holographic simulation slowly faded away, as Cj walked up to him.

  “You're not fast enough.” Cj said, crossing his arms.

  Sohjin glared. “What? I just took on..like 3 enemies at the same time.”

  “And it took you way too long. You hesitate too much, stop worrying about them, they’re your enemies.” Cj scoffed, pointing at the holograms. “If this was a real fight you would’ve been dead, before you can summon Ms Magic. You need to be faster, smarter, and ruthless.”

  Sohjin slowly stood up, dusting himself off. “Maybe if you actually taught me instead of criticizing me.”

  “Teach you? You want me to teach you? Fine.” He reached for his hilt and slowly unsheathed his sword. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

  Before Sohjin could speak, Cj lunged forward, his blade coming down in a swift downward motion. Sohjin barely dodged it, stumbling back as his sword passed by.

  “Damn. I missed” Cj said, spinning his blade. “Next time I won’t.”

  “Hey! Are you trying to kill me?” Sohjin shouted.

  “What’s wrong? I hope you're not scared. Jack and Vance won’t be here to suck up to you.” Cj thrusted his sword.

  Sohjin frowns, quickly pulling out his sword. His blade flashed as he parried Cj’s attack. “Well if you wanna kill me than your going have to do better than that!” He swung, Cj gripped his hilt as he sidestepped, the blade rushing by. His counterattack was swift, as he aimed a kick into Sohjin’s chest, sending to the floor.

  Sohjin recovered, dodging out of the way of Cj’s follow up slash. Sohjin brought his sword to his side, imbuing it with purple and white seishin. The energy flicked like a flame trying to start. Cj leaped into the air, and slammed his sword into the ground, sending a wave of energy towards Sohjin, who dodged the attack.

  The smoke dispersed as Cj shot forward, his blade lunged forward. Sohjin parried left, sparks flew off at contact against Cj’s heavier strike. Cj swung his sword in a diagonal motion, causing Sohjin to clash with him. Sohjin gritted his teeth, as his arms trembled, his heels dug into the ground. With a roar, his blade blazes with his seishin.

  “You rely too heavily on Seishin. Stop making it a habit.” Cj said, overpowering Sohjin, leaving him wide open.

  Sohjin’s eyes widened. “He didn’t use any Seishin!”

  Cj thrusted forward, Sohjin crouched down the blade slicing the tips of his hair. Before Cj could react, Sohjin leaped into the air, bringing his sword overhead. His blade flickered with seishin before igniting to life, coating his blade with purple and white seishin.

  A gust of wind shot forward as Cj appeared behind him. “I thought I told you, stop relying on Seishin!” He said, slashing down his back and kicking him to the ground.

  Cj descended towards Sohjin. “Your hesitation and reliance on Seishin.” Cj said, standing over him. He raised his blade over his head. “Will be the death of you.”

  As his blade fell closer to Sohjin, he quickly rolled to his right, grabbing his blade in a swift motion. The air hummed as he E-dashed into Cj, clashing with him. Sohjin tightened his grip on his hilt. His teeth grinded against each other as his eyes burned with fury.

  Cj planted his feet, and swung upward, freeing himself. As Sohjin stumbled back, Cj’s blade swung diagonally. Sohjin narrowed his eyes, as he twisted his body, and countered Cj in one clean motion.

  “He disarmed me!” Cj thought. His hands shot forward, grabbing Sohjin’s wrist and pulling him forward. His feet planted behind Sohjin’s legs and swept him off his feet.

  Cj’s breath slowed. “The hell was that.” He said.

  Sohjin blinked, shaking his head. “I..I don’t know. It felt natural.”

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Cj looks at the trail of fire burning into ash. “Let’s call it for today.” Cj said, holding out his hand.

  Sohjin grabbed his hand, pulling himself up.

  “You're improving. But you still rely too much on seishin to carry your attacks. Your sword should act like an extension of yourself, not a weapon you pour energy into.”

  Sohjin dusted himself. “Right, got.”

  As they left the training, Cj glanced at Sohjin. “Hmm, a natural instinct took over or was it anger?” Cj thought.

  “Cj, does your Keeper give you the silent treatment?” Sohjin asked, breaking his train of thought.

  “Huh? No occasionally. But no.” Cj replied.

  Sohjin sighed. “Mine hasn't really been talking to me, unless it’s something important.”

  “I wouldn’t worry about it, it takes time. I know you can show her you can handle it.” Cj said.

  Sohjin smiled as they made their way to the door.

  “You know..as much as it seems you don’t like me…I think you're warming up to me.” Sohjin said, with a large grin across his face.

  Cj glared at him. “Whatever you think.”

  “You think you can teach me your Tenshido mo-?”

  “Nope” Cj cut him off.

  “What why?”

  “Because it’s my move. And plus it’s hard for someone as new”

  “What even is it?”

  “Well to understand it you need to understand the difference between Seishin and Soul force. Seishin is your inner force while Soul Force is your inner force being physically exerted. When you first encountered The Rogues you felt that crushing force correct?” Cj said.

  Sohjin nodded and Cj continued. “What you felt was the exerted pressure of their inner force. Now imagine if you can take that and exert that as you imbue your sword with Seishin. It kind of acts like positive and negative energy in a way. Your sword with seishin being counteracted by your soul force.” Cj Instructed.

  Lights flashed around the training room. “Simulation Getaway, activate.” Hamza said.

  The room flashed red, and erupted into chaos. Alarms blared from every direction, and holographic enemies materialized around him.

  Sohjin looked around, slowly tying a white blindfold that Hamza gave him, around his eyes.

  “Dodge left! No wait right! Wait, is that a bomb, duck behind you!” Hailey yelled.

  Sohjin dodged the bomb, his breath ragged and his heart beating as he struggled to take out each hologram.

  A portal appeared in front of Sohjin, and out emerged Daisy, tossing a basketball in his face.

  “Catch!” She yelled, laughing as she vanished.

  Sohjin narrowly dodged, before he had time to catch his breath. A portal opened and a bomb flew out exploding on him, knocking him to the ground.

  “Focus, Sohjin.” Hamza said.

  Anger began to boil inside, like a raging storm. “How am I supposed to focus when I’m blind folded? How am I supposed to focus when Hailey won’t stop talking and bombs are coming at me from every angle!”

  “That’s the point. You're focusing on complaining rather than focusing on your instincts.” Hamza said.

  “Instincts don’t exactly stop bombs.” Sohjin clapped back.

  “Maybe not. But they’ll help you dodge them. Now stop whining and get to dodging. Trust your gut and feel the rhythm of the battlefield.” Hamza said. “Close your mind and feel for surroundings.”

  Sohjin stood up, wrapping his eyes with the blindfold. Another bomb shot forward. He steadied his breathing, his heart beat slowed. He focused on the sounds around him. The shifts in the air, vibrations in the floor. The moment before impact, his body moved on his own, twisting just before the bomb hit him.

  Hamza smiled. “Better.”

  Sohjin gritted his teeth as another portal opened with more bombs and basketballs. Sohjin stomped his feet, ducking and sidestepping. His fist shot forward as he deflected basketball midair.

  “Not bad,” Daisy's voice echoed. “Can you keep up with this?”

  A dozen more portals flickered open, multiple attacks flying into Sohjin, sending him crashing into the ground.

  Day 4

  Sohjin exhaled, stretching his arms as he stood up from meditating. His legs were stiff from sitting for too long, and his mind had felt like a fog.

  “I get that seishin control is important..but damn this is slow.” He thought.

  Marina stood nearby, watching him with an amused smirk. “You look miserable.”

  “Because I am miserable” Sohjin groaned. “This is so boring. I thought training meant sparring and fighting to my max..not whatever this is.”

  Marina chuckled. “It’s because you still think of your Seishin as a weapon. It’s not just about power, it’s about flow, control and knowing when to use it.”

  Sohjin sighed, rubbing the back of his head. “Ahh please. When I get in that tournament I’m going to breeze through it.”

  “And how do you plan on winning if you can’t sit still for 5 minutes without complaining?”

  Sohjin rolled his eyes. “Because I don’t need all this nonsense meditation. I beat Aragon and held my own against The Rogues without this, Marina. I know how to handle myself.”

  She smirked. “Weren’t you saved by your Keeper each time?”

  Sohjin went to open his mouth, but before he could, Marina’s scarlet seishin flared around her. In a blink, she was gently behind him, her fist pressed against his back.

  Sohjin tensed. “When did she move?” He thought.

  She leaned in. “See it’s not about hitting harder it’s about knowing how to move.”

  Sohjin stepped back. “Fine…one more session.”

  Marina smiled. “That’s the spirit.”

  Sohjin sat focused, his mind concerted forcing any distracting thoughts to the side.

  Jack' voice barked through the intercom, distrusting his focus. “Is anyone hungry? I made some food.”

  Marina stood up. “Oh sweet, let’s call it a day Sohjin, you did good.” Marina smiled.

  Sohjin’s stomach growled. “Ah man, I'm hungry.”

  “You're in luck, Jack can cook.” She said, leading Sohjin out.

  “Sohjin….” The voice whispered.

  Sohjin stopped and turned around, closing his eyes to focus.

  “Is everything okay?” Marina asked.

  “Yeah yeah, I’ll meet you up there.” Sohjin replied, waving her off.

  Marina smiled, “well more for me.” She said, running away.

  “Sohjin…There’s a technique I want you to learn” The voice cried out again, this time it was much clearer and sounded like Ms Magic.

  Sohjin lifted his arms, slowly getting into a fighting stance. “Ms. Magic?” He called out, looking around the dark and empty room.

  In front of him purple particles form together, creating Ms Magic, forming from the Seishin around them.

  “MS MAGIC!” Sohjin yelled.

  She smiled in return. “It’s good to see you.” Her voice echoed with divine strength.

  “Where have you been?”

  “I’ve been getting used to your Seishin levels. I’ve been asleep for quite some time and only awakened when you needed help the most.” She said, turned away, “Which is why I won’t be helping you, for the tournament.”

  “Right.” Sohjin looked away disappointed.

  “Don’t worry, you’ve improved significantly. I have faith that you will do fine.” She smiled. “Now, let's not waste time, I need to show you a move that will prove to be useful in your journey.”

  Sometime has passed and night has fallen. Sohjin sat on the edge of the building enjoying the scenery. He pulls out his phone, clicks on his Mom and calls her. The phone rings once…twice…where she finally answers on the third ring.

  Sohjin’s face lit up, “Hey Mom.”

  “Hey Sohjin.” Her voice was soft, and tired.

  “I’m just calling to check on you. How’s work?”

  “Tiring as always. I would much rather be home with you.”

  “Don’t sweat it, I’m doing just fine.”

  “Well, as long as you're okay. I should be back home in 1-2 weeks.”

  “Ok sweet.”

  Silence fell on them for a moment.

  “Ok. I’ll let you go now. Get some rest.”

  “Alright mom, I’ll see you then bye. Love you.” Sohjin said, hanging up.

  He looks at the cars zooming by and the tall buildings that illuminate the area. The cold wind breezes gently on his face, as he looks up at the stars.

  “It's beautiful isn’t it?”

  Sohjin turns around, and sees Marina standing a few feet away. She’s dressed casually, her long hair moving with the wind.

  “Yeah, it is.” Sohjin says, “It has me reminiscing about old times.”

  “Mind if I join you?” Marina asks.

  “Yeah, I don’t mind.” Sohjin smiles.

  Marina sits next to Sohjin and takes in the view with him. Her long hair carefully blows in the wind.

  “I’m glad I'm not the only one that comes out here.” She said, “After big missions, I sit and listen to the busy streets below. It helps me clear my head.”

  Sohjin nods. “I see why, It's peaceful in a way.”

  Silence falls on them for a moment as they listen to the cars zooming by, the people talking loudly and the occasional sirens.

  “So…” She continues, looking at him with a small smile. “Are you excited for tomorrow?”

  Sohjin scratched the back of his neck. “Yeah, I’m a little nervous to be honest.” Sohjin admitted.

  “I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I’m sure you’ll do great. Plus, you're already proving yourself just by being here.” She chuckled, leaning back.

  “But..what if I don’t win?” Sohjin asked, in a disheartened tone.

  “It’s not about winning, it's about the experience. Just take it one step at a time.” She said.

  “Yeah I guess you're right.” Sohjin said.

  Marina’s phone buzzed in her pocket, she took it out and stood up.

  “Well that’s my cue.” She says, turning her back and flips off the edge, waving goodbye to Sohjin on her way down.

  Sohjin looks puzzled and quickly looks over the edge and sees her fly up glowing scarlet red energy from her hands and feet.

  He smirks and makes his way towards the door but he suddenly stops, his leg shakes for a brief moment and his body radiates with electricity. He turns around and sprints off the edge, his heart drops with his stomach.

  As he plunged into the void, his back faced to the ground. He allowed himself to fall off uncontrollably, his clothes flapping from the wind, and his hair whipped around his face. Tears formed in his eyes, then as the ground rushed on him he began to control his speed and got into a freestyle stance, as he fell closer and closer to the ground.

  His body crackled with electricity as he dashed into the sky just before hitting the ground. He flips in the air and dashes again this time to the side of the building and almost slips off. He then flips off the building and dashes to another building making his way home.

  Miles away, in a dark room, where the moon shone through the windows, a man stood behind a desk looking at the city with a glass of liquor in his hand.

  A knock at the door stopped his gazing, he turned around while taking a sip of his drink and then set it down.

  “Come in.” He responded.

  The door creaked open letting in some light. Two people walked through and as they made their way to the desk, the door shut behind them.

  “I’m glad you guys could make it. It took me a while to pick through my options, but I think you guys will be perfect.” He said.

  “Why hire two people for a one man job?” A person with metal wings attached to his forearms asked.

  He smiled, the corners of his mouth barely lifting. “Because I thought it would be interesting.” He replied.

  “As long as I get paid, I don’t care” A person with ice particles surrounding his arms.

  The man smiled, “The payment for one of you is 14 million.”

  The person with metal wings took a toothpick out of his mouth and asked, “What's the gig anyways? I don’t recall anyone specifying it.”

  The man turned and looked out the window with his hands behind his back. “I need you to bring me Sohjin Teca, alive, if possible. You’ll have a better chance than ever at the upcoming tournament.”

  The person with ice particles surrounding him stepped back in surprise. “Wait…that’s impossible, there's too many witnesses! And how would we even qualify for the same division as him?” He asked.

  “Don’t concern yourself about that, I’ve pulled a few strings…I have deep connections within Flores.” He replied. “You just worry about bringing me Sohjin Teca.”

  He fully faces the window, gazing upon the city. “Look at them, see how the masses go about their day. Content with their lives. They lack ambition.”

  The two hired guns exchange a look of confusion.

  The man continued, his voice steady and contemptuous. “They are blind to the greater forces around them. But we—we have the power to seize those forces.”

  He turned back around and took one final sip of his glass. “So my final question to you is, are you in?”

  The two mercenaries nodded without hesitation and left the room. The man lifts his glass, “To a better future.” He murmured, as they left.

  As the door closes and the light flees the room. He turns back around glancing at the city.

  “You have no idea what’s coming, Teca.” He whispered. “Your potential makes you a threat. A threat that I could use.”

  May the games begin,

  Next time on Spirit Of Hope,

  Chapter 11: Tournament of Snakes