I'm the Mother of the Heroine? (Book 1)

Chapter 36

Lily:

I lay on the side of the water's surface taking in large mouthfuls of air from the exertion the waterfall put on my body. This had to be the hundredth try and although I finally made it to the rock, I could barely stay on it for more than five seconds. When I tried to squat down to get better balance it made it easier for the water pressure to shove me off into the pool. 

"Damn thing. No wonder why women are so damn weak!" My frustration couldn't help but leak out and I mentally berated myself for cursing. It had been a while since I last let a cuss word slip past my lips. It was just frustrating that there was a stupid stigma that women were frail in this world. I absolutely refused. If I could survive two chemo sessions, cancer twice, struggle through a third time, the loss of everything I loved and death, than I can handle being beaten senseless by the natural elements of this world. 

I glared at said element. What exactly was I doing wrong? At first I had assumed that I would get stronger by repeated beatings but maybe I was doing something wrong. On closer inspection the only reason I'd made it to the rock was because I'd maneuvered my body differently instead of an increase in strength. 

Perhaps I shouldn't cover myself in Magic? It was a terrifying thought because I was already beaten black and blue with the added protection, what would happen without? One way to find out.

I steeled my nerves and allowed my Magic to curl back up inside myself as I made my way towards the waterfall again. It happened so fast that there was no time to brace for collision. My vision immediately blacked out. 

Later, I'm unsure how long it had taken, I woke floating in the water. Thankfully I couldn't drown because one of my elements was water but that didn't mean I had a fun time coughing the water out of my insides. 

I was slightly bruised like previously but not excessively so and on closer inspection I realized it had something to do with my Water Magic. Water Element had a way of healing others of injuries and it seemed that my expenditure within the waters as I blacked out had given me some much needed healing. 

My hand closed and there was just a bit more strength in it than previously. It was enough though that I could make out the difference. 

"It's true then! Battering the body and healing it can strengthen women physically."

It was no wonder why no woman had figured it out before. What woman would want to beat themselves this severely and test it out? Not many could actually handle that amount of pain either so it was understandable. I was just weird but it didn't bother me. This was a happy occasion for me; realizing that I can strengthen my physical body just as much as the men do. 

Damon:

"Don't focus on the target. Your body is too tense and you keep to high of vigilance." I looked at Nathaniel as he stood bloody and battered across from one of the moving dummy targets.

"How am I supposed to fight or kill someone if I'm not paying attention," he asked in exasperation as he wiped his brow of sweat with the back of his hand.

"If you continue focusing so strongly on the one target, not only will you have trouble killing them without receiving damage but you may miss if another person enters your vicinity. By relaxing you also confuse the 'victim' into thinking you're confident which will shake them up into making mistakes. I've shown you techniques but you're following them too closely to the actual 'manual' instead of incorporating your personal touch."

"I don't understand," he angrily huffed as Nightmare returned inside of him. He sat down on the ground and began to listen to me as I lectured. Vincent was sitting on a bench that was close enough for him to hear us but not close enough to be harmed by any weapons used on the 'course'.

"I'll give an example: Say for instance there is someone across from you who has no fighting experience but has more Stars than you. Would you be able to kill them?"

"Of course. Just because someone has more magic doesn't mean they're good at avoiding any lethal hits sent their way."

"Yes. Now what if someone was a Star below you but was more skilled in fighting?"

"I'd probably struggle but end up with the upper hand?" 

"You would... if the other person were to adhere to 'manual' techniques instead of adding their own way of fighting. If two people with the same teachings fought then they'd both know the weakness in the skills they used. Unless one of the people were to have improved the skill to best accommodate them. You need to figure out which way best fits you."

Nathaniel looked slightly dazed before nodding seriously and I continued. 

"My second point is that when you're in a relaxed state it's easier to watch for slight movement or body changes. Imagine if your attention is solely focused on their hands but they decide to use their legs? Or maybe their eyes shift to the side because another person is sneaking up behind you but you're too absorbed with avoiding a knife they're swinging at you. Do you understand? You need to continuously pay attention to everything in a 360 manner and not in your two-dimensional vision."

"I want to try again," he proclaimed before springing to stand up and Nightmare reappearing in his grasp. Vincent had set down his book and watched with rapt attention. 

Nathaniel covered his blade in Shadows and Nightmare seemed to go invisible even though the room was brightly lit and held barely any shadows. The dummy opposite of Nathaniel came to life on activation and begun to fire off magic and use martial arts that had been programmed. I watched as Nathaniel clumsily tried to incorporate my advice into his fighting and he progressively improved the longer he fought.  

It really was delightful to teach someone who absorbed my teachings so quickly. I wonder if Vincent will be just as much fun when his Magic is awakened. Glancing back to the other child I couldn't help but smirk because I could just barely make out the excitement hidden deep within his eyes as he watched Nathaniel fight.