Alpha Instinct-Chapter 47: “Beyond the blue”

Leonard stared into Saito’s eyes, the question echoing in his mind. "What’s so special about my eyes, sir? Yours are green, so what?"

"Ah, kids these days..." Saito sighed, a mysterious smile playing on his lips. He turned back, shrugging, and focused again on the shelf of ingredients.

With precise, almost magical gestures, he finished the mixture in the mortar. A thick, greenish liquid with a faint glow appeared in the container.

"Lie down," Saito instructed, his voice soft but firm. "This might sting a little."

"This looks like those regeneration potions from the Guild."

"It doesn’t just look like it. It is a regeneration potion. I discovered them."

Leonard was astonished by Saito’s statement, and with a slight hesitation, he obeyed.

Saito approached, holding a small ceramic pot containing the potion in one hand and a clean cloth in the other. Gently, he applied the mixture to Leonard’s pierced rib and his flank.

The initial sensation was an intense cold, followed by a burning that made Leonard clench his teeth. But almost immediately, the pain began to subside, replaced by a comforting warmth.

He watched, fascinated, as the wound on his flank, previously deep and jagged, began to close, the skin regenerating at an accelerated rate. This potion was much better than the one from the Guild House.

Saito, with a satisfied nod, cleaned up the excess potion. "An old recipe, from a time before books were even written," he said, as if reading Leonard’s thoughts.

Leonard nodded.

"The herbs of Besen have unique healing properties because of the Zafyr." He didn’t mention the infused energy, of course.

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

Two days passed while Leonard was still bedridden. They didn’t talk much.

Saito was quite reserved. An eccentric and enigmatic swordmaster. Beneath a gruff, playful old man exterior lies immense skill and a mysterious past.

He is unpredictable, shifting between lightheartedness and profound wisdom. Despite his arrogance, he shows genuine, albeit peculiar, care for people.

After a few days, Leo’s pain had lessened considerably, allowing him to move more freely.

In a clearing near the lake, Leo decided to train with his swords, "Smiling" and "Absolution." Basic movements, simple sequences—what he remembered from training with Roland, and some forms he created himself in his head from his brief understanding of swordsmanship.

Saito watched from afar, sitting on a rock and eating bright rosette berries, his seemingly fragile figure contrasting with the violent Lake Zafyr.

At a certain moment, Leonard closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and activated his ELEV. Utilizing advanced cognition, the gift he still barely understood flooded his mind.

The movements became more fluid, more precise, almost unreal for someone who, theoretically, didn’t even have a combat class.

The sword cut the air with a sharp hiss, the speed and strength far beyond what would be expected, the blade’s trail torturing the wind and his steps, a rhythmic dance.

Saito rose from the rock, his green eyes fixed on Leonard, an expression of disbelief taking over his face. "Who the hell is this kid, really? You can tell he’s a Winters, but... what was that?"

When Leonard finished the sequence, exhausted but satisfied, Saito approached.

"Come with me, boy," he said, his voice unusually serious. "There’s something we need to test... and talk about."

Leonard looked back, a little surprised, noticing Saito approaching, and just nodded.

They walked in silence to a small forest, where Saito had prepared, during Leonard’s stay, some improvised targets made of bamboo and hay.

"Attack those targets," Saito instructed. "With everything you’ve got." Saito pointed to the targets. "Imagine they are your worst enemies, those you told me hunted you in Besen."

Leonard nodded, the memory of the bandits rekindling the flame of anger in his chest. He closed his eyes again, visualizing the leader’s face, the cruel smile, the look of contempt. He activated his ELEV.

An explosion of energy ran through his body. Small sparks of electricity crackled around his legs, a phenomenon still unexplained, but which he felt was part of his newfound strength.

He attacked.

What followed was a demonstration of power and precision that defied logic. "Smiling’s" blade cut the air, a silver lightning bolt. The bamboo target wasn’t just cut; it was pulverized. The clean, impeccable cut extended beyond the target, opening a gash in the earth. The sonic boom of the blade echoed through the forest, startling the birds.

Saito, who had seen countless battles in his three centuries of life, felt a shiver run down his spine. That wasn’t normal. It wasn’t just skill. It was something more.

When the dust settled, Saito approached Leonard, who was breathing heavily but with a determined glint in his eyes.

"What’s your rank, kid? Gold?" Saito asked, stroking his beard.

"It’s Iron, sir. I’ve only had a few months of training."

"HAHAHAHA!" Saito burst into laughter suddenly. "Come on, stop joking."

Leonard, without further ado, took out his GHMC and showed it to Saito. His eyes, perplexed as he read Leo’s profile, tried to find words to say what he was thinking.

"Kid," Saito began, his voice deep, filled with emotion, "I need to tell you some things... About me. And about you." He paused, choosing his words carefully.

"I am Saito, the Eternal. One of the first Neumonds. I’ve lived for over three hundred years, thanks to my unique ability… ’life force,’ longevity. And, in all those years, I’ve never seen anything like what you just did, not at your level."

He pointed to the destroyed target and then to Leonard.

"You are special, kid. Very special. And I... this old man who was just waiting for death patiently. Now I feel like I might have one last purpose in life." He stroked his beard as he spoke.

Leonard tried to process the flood of information. Three hundred years? First Neumond? Blade Dancer? It was too much to take in at once. Saito’s words echoed in his mind, mixed with the memories of the fight, the fall, the rescue...

Saito, noticing the boy’s confusion, continued, his tone of voice mixing pride and a touch of melancholy: "You brought me fun, kid. A spark I hadn’t felt in a long time. I feel I need to teach you to control that raw power. I’m going to teach you to master the art of the Blade Dancer."

Leonard blinked, uncontrollably, as if trying to clear the fog from his mind. Blade Dancer... Saito... Three hundred years…

"Will you accept, kid? Do you want to be my disciple? I am the only Blade Dancer master still alive in all of Humbra—after all, I created this class."

The words hung in the air, less a question, more a decree. Saito’s statement wasn’t simply an invitation; it was a pronouncement, a life-altering judgment.

It was as if Leonard had been sentenced to change his destiny by a master swordsman. A life’s ambition offered on a silver platter, a chance for greatness… or a gilded cage.

But a prickling unease, a sliver of doubt, wormed its way into Leo’s mind.

"If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is," he thought.