Lucas's breathing became heavier and he was beginning to grow tired. He knew he wouldn't last long, but he wasn't going to stop until he won.
"This is not what I meant by using your abilities," Luu said, "but you can try again."
Lucas nodded and readied himself. He was ready to strike, but before he did, he heard a soft, buzzing sound.
Lucas looked over his shoulder and saw Luu standing behind him. He turned back and charged at him, hoping to knock him off balance. But Luu quickly dodged his attack.
"Why don't you use your powers?" Luu asked.
"I don't know how to use them yet," Lucas gritted his teeth as he let a small amount of mana build inside him.
"Then why did you ask me to teach you?" Luu asked, "if you cannot even use your powers, then there is no point."
Lucas lowered his sword and stepped back. He realized that he had underestimated his master. He was a powerful sorcerer, but he was also a good teacher. If he hadn't been such a good teacher, Lucas wouldn't have learned so much since they started training. He thought about everything Luu had taught him and decided he needed to learn more.
"Fine," Lucas said, "then I guess we'll continue tomorrow."
"You're being weak," Luu said.
Lucas narrowed his eyes and glared at Luu. He was angry, but he knew it wasn't worth it to argue with his master. He bowed his head and said, "I'm sorry."
"Don't worry, I forgive you," Luu said, "now go rest, you look exhausted."
Lucas nodded and turned away from Luu. He walked deeper into the forest and found a place to lie down. He covered his face with his hands and sighed.
He had been doing well in his training, but he was starting to lose focus. He had been thinking too much about the future, and it was taking a toll on his ability to train.
Lucas took a deep breath and focused his mind. He closed his eyes and imagined a starry sky above him. He felt the warmth of the sun on his skin and listened to the sounds of nature around him. He smelled the fresh scent of grass and dirt. He opened his eyes and saw the dark night sky above him. He could hear the chirping of crickets and other creatures, and he felt himself relax.
He was home, and nothing could change that.
***
The next morning, Lucas woke up, "good morning, peri." He greeted the small green creature lying on his bed. Peri had grown quite a bit since he first met the creature, and Peri now had a smaller tail for some reason, 'hhhm, interesting...' Lucas thought.
Peri blinked several times and licked his cheek.
"I wish he could talk," Lucas let a long sigh out.
He stood up and stretched. He went to get dressed and put on his armour. He grabbed his shield and headed outside.
"Luu, it's time to start training again," Lucas called out.
After yesterday's loss, Lucas was disappointed in himself. He trained every day, manipulating his mana, and controlling his breathing underwater just to fail the fight, this couldn't happen next time.
Luu came outside and smiled. "Alright, let's begin."
As they walked through the forest, Lucas tried to recall everything he had learned. It was difficult to keep all those things in his head without having an outlet to practice.
It was frustrating to watch his master because he was so much better than him. He was sure that if he were to fight someone else, it would be an easy victory.
Lucas stopped walking and turned to Luu. "I've been thinking," Lucas said, "since my power is different from yours, maybe I should use something different. Like a spear or a bow and arrow."
"No," Luu shook his head, "that will slow you down and take away your advantage. You are stronger and faster than anyone else, remember that. The only way to defeat your enemy is to be fast and strong, just like your name."
"You're right, I'm sorry," Lucas said as he bowed his head, "it won't happen again."
"Good," Luu smiled, "now let's continue our training."
They continued their walk, and when they reached a clearing, Lucas began to think about how he was going to win today.
"Are you alright?" Luu asked, "you seem distracted."
"I'm fine," Lucas smiled, "just thinking about the fight."
"Okay, let's start by warming up," Luu said, "jump rope for ten minutes."
Lucas nodded and followed Luu to the edge of the clearing. He saw several large ropes hanging from trees nearby, and he quickly picked one up.
"Here, hold this," Luu handed Lucas the rope.
Lucas took the rope and waited for Luu to begin jumping. Lucas jumped over the rope a few times before deciding to try it himself. He ran around the field and jumped over the rope, each time landing on his feet. After about five minutes, Lucas was panting.
"I can't believe you didn't need to warm up," Lucas panted.
"Ha, ha, don't worry about it," Luu laughed, "you'll feel better in a couple of days."
Lucas looked at the ground and saw a small patch of mud. He kneeled down and scooped the mud onto the back of his hand. He rubbed it between his fingers and watched it drip off.
Then he spat on the ground and formed a ball of mud. He held it in front of his mouth and breathed out. A cloud of mud rose up from his mouth and floated into the air. It drifted towards Luu, who dove to dodge it. Lucas laughed and threw the mudball.
When the mud landed on Luu, he got mad and started kicking the ground. Lucas ran over to him and helped him up, "are you okay?"
Luu nodded and wiped the mud off his head. "Yes, I'm fine, just give me a minute."
Lucas handed him the rope to cool off. "Let's go back to training, but not here," Lucas said, pointing at the muddy spot.
They walked back and Luu retrieved another rope. This time, instead of jumping over it, Lucas took a running leap and caught the rope with his hands. He used his momentum to swing in a circle and throw the rope away from him.
"That's awesome!" Lucas cheered.
"Good job," Luu clapped.
Lucas ran around the field and repeated the same trick. Each time, he would catch the rope and spin around in circles. When he finally tired out, he walked over to Luu. They sat and watched the clouds for a while.
Lucas looked up, "what do you think is happening outside of this world?"
"You mean your world?" Luu glanced at him.
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