After three years
Silver's point of view
As i thrust my spear towards mother, the only thing i can see is her. Any sort of mistake could mean my defeat, so i need to give it my all.
Mother said that the spear is a great weapon against someone using a sword, as it is a long range weapon.
The first time i held a spear, mother said that it's too long for me, so what i am using right now is a specially made spear to match my height and current strength. It's way shorter and lighter compared to mother's spear but it will do for now, i should have a weapon that supports me, and not hinder me, that's what mother said.
"It's been three years since we trained, i can see a lot of improvements. As expected, my daughter is a genius, HAHAHAHA!" mother laughed heartily, feeling proud. She forcefully stroke towards my spear diagonally, making me open my defensive position, and sent a kick my way.
"Then, i'm sure this genius will defeat you today." I said while dodging her kick.
"What do you mean defeat? Not even training for hundreds of years will make you defeat me, you're far too weak!" Mother smirked my way, while she countered my strike.
"Let's see then!" I said, feeling my jaw clenched, my grip on the spear tightened while glaring at her. I once again thrust my spear directly towards her chest, losing my cool.
Because of my sleight, mother found an opening and flung my spear to her left making me lose my hold.
Mother used that opportunity to tackle me to the ground, stepping on my chest, not enough for it to hurt, but enough to prevent me from standing up, and pointed her wooden sword towards me.
"It's your defeat," mother said seriously as she got off me and stand to my side.
I propped my self up, using my elbows to support my upper body, still sitting down. I looked up at mother feeling ashamed.
"Why did you lose?" Mother asked me as she looked down at me, looking straight to my eyes. I feel a sense of reprimand from those eyes.
I looked straight at her because she said that i should never look away from an opponent. A warrior is a warrior even in defeat.
"Because i lost my concentration."
I answered.
"And why is that?" She's still looking at me, letting me think of my mistakes.
"I got annoyed at you, that's why i didn't think properly of my next attack, and just stroked."
Nobody would ever dare say that i'm not good enough, i'm the best in everything i put my heart in.
Being told that i'm weak is the thing that i hate the most, because of that weakness, i lost someone i love dearly, my sister, Wendy.
So it kinda pissed me off, when she said that i will never defeat her even if i train for hundreds of years, my ego was hurt because of it, and it sucks.
"It's good to know that you're aware of your mistakes. No matter how great of a fighter you are, if you lose your concentration in a battle, you will lose your head." She helped me stand up offering her hand.
"Yes, mother." I said, holding her outstretched hand.
"Now for your punishment, you need to strike that dummy for five thousand times today, using the sword." Mother said as she pointed at the dummy we use for practice.
"Yes, mother." I answered her and ran towards the dummy picking up my very own wooden sword mother gave me on my fourth birthday.
Mother is left standing there. While i start positioning myself in front of the dummy and start striking.
It's been three years since i trained weapons with mother. She said that i should not focus on one weapon alone, as every weapon has it's weaknesses. Focusing everything on a single weapon alone, is great and all, until you realize that you can't fight without it anymore, and that is what's fatal.
It's a good thing that i am well versed with fighting in my past life, living alone made me learn mixed martial arts in order to protect myself.
After i became financially stable, i start to have different hobbies too, horseback riding, archery, painting, playing different musical instruments, even reading and collecting books, considered as "expensive hobbies."
Since i was a kid i've been curious about a lot of things, but since i can't afford them, i'm stuck with the hobbies that i can afford, which is a lot given my very persistent personality. I even got in trouble for sneaking into a school library, pretending i was a student there just so i can read.
When i get to college, i studied mechanical engineering being my first choice while studying civil engineering as my back up. Heck, i even planned on studying medicine if only i have the time. It's not something i brag about, but I'm a pretty brilliant student in my world.
I love learning so much, it's one of the things i was very much deprived of, so i was craving it like a vampire craving blood.
But after i became a company owner, i became busy. The only hobby i can do is to read and learn.
I know a lot of things inside this now little head of mine, because of it i am thankful for being a bookworm. I know a lot of things straight out from the books because i have a great memory, i'm certain that those things will be helpful in this new world i'm living in.
"Eight thousand five hundred eighty two... Eight thousand five hundred eighty three... Eight thousand five hundred eighty four..." i was counting while striking the dummy from all the different directions, engraving every moves in my muscle memory.
I know she only said five thousand strikes, but five thousand isn't my limit yet, so i added extra strikes to get to my limit and go beyond it.
After a couple more hours of practicing with the dummy, it's now nine o'clock in the evening. I was striking the dummy nonstop since seven o'clock in the morning without stopping so my whole body is aching, especially my limbs.
I stopped striking after i get to ten thousand strikes, and made my way towards home.
The cold night breeze is hitting my face, but it did not make me shiver in cold, on the contrary it made feel comfortable. I looked up at the shining moon, giving light to my way. Whenever i look at the moon, i always feel this great sense of freedom and belonging.
While i close my eyes, intending to savor the feeling, i heard my stomach growl.
I did not eat lunch as i didn't get hungry because i was circulating my mana inside my body. But now that i'm at rest, all the aches and hunger came at once. I made my way towards our house faster.
Yes, i can now circulate the mana in my body, but only a little because i didn't have any proper training for it, so i was self taught. Mother only briefly talked to me about mana, she only said that it can manifest through a deep practice of the body.
Based on all the fantasy novels i've read in my past life, i did everything i can to do it, it's not too much right now, but there's still a progress, that is what matters. No matter how small, as long as i'm improving, i will be proud of myself for that.
I am almost eight years old now, and mother said that at the Magus festival, eight year old kids will be tested with the Magus Orb. The orb will tell how much of magus and mana a person have, so at the festival, i will have to take the test too.
I'm almost near our house when i saw mother talking to someone, wearing a hooded robe, again.
"Why does everyone like to wear robes, as if that wouldn't give them more attention?"
Mother looked distressed and panicked. The hooded figure ran away leaving mother standing by the door. She looked at my direction, and beckoned me over.
I ran towards mother as she closes the door behind us when we got in.
"Pack your things right now Silver, we need to leave in haste. I'll explain it to you later." Mother quickly pulled me to wards my room. She get inside her own room, and i heard rustling coming from it.
I don't have the time to think of what was happening and just packed all of my belongings.
Mother went inside my room and asked me if i was finished, i said yes.
She went to my packed stuffs and held her palm towards it. "Store," she said, and everything disappeared making me gasp.
"It's the storage ring, everything is inside here," mother explained, showing me her hand with a ring on one of her fingers, she probably noticed my shocked expression.
"Let's go," she held my hand and we got outside our house.
Shade, mother's black horse is waiting for us outside. She helped me to get on it as she sat behind me.
"Ready?" She asked.
"Yes."
And so we went our way towards who knows where.
"Why are we leaving mother?" I asked her the question i wanted to ask since we rode off.
Mother took her eyes away from the front, looked down at me and answered. "He found us, he knows that you're alive."
"Who, mother?" I asked looking up at her.
She moved her eyes away from me and looked back at the way.
"That dog, Douglas, your mother Deborah's husband."