"I am pleased to see that you are doing wel-Well?"
"That is correct, yes. Good job," Makkari signed before clapping her hands with a smile, making me chuckle as I nodded.
"Thank you. Huh, that took less time than I was expecting," I had expected myself to take at least at least six months to learn the basics and it only took me three weeks.
Then again, she had been teaching me at a superhuman speed while still keeping it simple, my enhanced brain letting me process it even quicker.
"You progressed quickly, but one can account that to you being a diligent student."
"And having a great teacher helped in that regard. After all, didn't want to look too stupid."
"Don't worry. You didn't look that stupid."
"Ouch," I spoke with a hand over my heart, chuckling as she rolled her eyes at me before I smiled.
"Seriously, though, thank you. I'm pretty sure you're the only person in the universe that can keep up with my speed. Wait, are you like a god?"
"One...can say that, yes. I am from an ancient race that is here to help guide humanity to a future where the planet isn't destroyed."
"Huh, then I guess dating's off the table. I'm trying to stick with women more around my age."
"That and I have a romantic partner already," She signed with a soft smile and I shook my head with a chuckle.
"Oh, then I definitely can't compete. The guy probably has tricks that have gone extinct in humanity's history."
"Well...", She trailed off with a blissful smile, giggling as I gagged and shook my head.
"Nope, don't tell me. Anyway, back to your race and there maybe being other speedsters like us..."
"Speedsters?"
"You know, people that can run really fast like us?"
"No. Unfortunately, I have not met others that have similar abilities compared to us two," She answered with a shake of her head, making me hum as I looked out at the desert in front of us.
"You said that you wouldn't date older women again anytime soon. Why is that?"
"Uh, a bit of a sore topic still, but do you know the Ancient One?"
"Aria, the Sorcerer Supreme? Yes, I know her," I was not surprised to hear that Makkari did know of the Ancient One, simply nodding my head before I continued.
"Well, I slept with her and thought we would have something only to find out that I was, in her words and I might be twisting them a little, a human dildo that she needed to use."
"And that made you angry?"
"Not angry, no. It was more...disappointment."
"In who? Or what?"
"You want to know?"
"There is nothing else to talk about," She answered with a shrug, making me chuckle as I looked at her curious gaze before shaking my head.
"I think it was more disappointment in her for saying that because I used to hold her in high regards. I still do, but it's not as high. The second is that I was disappointed in myself for not seeing that there was no chance of a relationship there. She's the Sorcerer Supreme and I'm just a guy that can run fast."
"You could be more."
"How so?", I asked and just gave a flat stare as she shrugged, my gaze making her giggle as she shook her head.
"You could be a hero."
"Nope, not for me."
"You don't believe you can be a hero."
"Of course not. I'm selfish, egotistical and not the serious type that would actually sacrifice myself just to make sure the world continued."
"What if your...sister wanted to be a hero?", She asked with a frown and I chuckled before shrugging.
"Then, she can be a hero. I don't mind if she wishes to sacrifice herself and her well-being to ensure that the world becomes a better place for everyone. I just don't see myself doing the same."
"Even if your sacrifice meant that the world would be ever in your favour?"
"I'd be dead so it would be useless to have that favour."
"And what sacrificing yourself would mean your sister would survive?", She asked with a raised eyebrow, making me hum as I looked out at the sand blowing around us before I smiled and nodded.
"I would do it in a heartbeat."
"Then, you are a hero to your sister. You don't have to volunteer to die to be a hero. Sometimes, that just means being the one who chooses to stand and protect instead of running away," She signed with a soft smile, my smile waning as well as I watched her stand up.
"Being a hero doesn't mean being the first to have a funeral. It simply means choosing to stand up for those that cannot do the same. To be a hero means to run with the answers that others are seeking, not to run for applause."
"Look at you and your poetry."
"I have been alive for eons, Pietro. Poetry is but one of my many skills," She signed with a giggle as she stood up, making me do the same as another question I had came to mind.
"Wait. Before you go, I have a question."
"Ask."
"I was talking to this goddess Oshtur earlier and she said I had to seek out That Which Protects the Ancient City of Warriors. You know what that could mean?"
"Oshtur was here?", She seemed more surprised by what I signed first than my actual question, making me chuckle as I nodded.
"Yeah, she was here to talk to my sister about her Chaos Magic."
"I...see. Hmm, well, there are many ancient cities with guardians. I have seen many, ran past many and ran through more so I cannot say that I have a concrete idea of what she meant."
"Wait, when I used my speed, how did it feel to you? Oshtur says that it felt as if I was threading through time and space,-"
"Tugging at its seams to forge a path only you could follow at the pace that you were moving?", She finished with a raised eyebrow, making me blink as I nodded.
"Yes, it did feel like that. However, to tell you more, I'd have to actually see you run at the pace that you usually do when your mind is not plagued by anguish so...care to do so?", She asked as she gestured at the world in front of us, making me blink before I grinned and nodded.
"Sure! Let's go!", She just giggled at my excitement as I hopped from foot to foot, glancing at her to see her stretching before the both of us crouched into running positions next to each other.
She picked up a small pebble before flicking it into the air, the world around us slowly down as we watched it sail through the air before we took off the very second it touched down on the sand.
The ground around us exploded outwards as we took off, our forms nothing more than two blurs of white-gold and blue-silver, tearing the sand up as we soon approached mountainous, forest areas.
Instead of slowing down, I blinked as Makkari sped up, picking up speed as well before I blinked when she turned her head and signed at me.
"Do not force yourself to run. Let your body run for you," She said before I watched as the air rippled around her and she accelerated, turning into a golden blur even to my enhanced vision as she took off.
'Do not force yourself, but let your body run for you. Your body is the banks, your chi is the river and your breathing is the current...or something like that. I'm going to remember that way instead of what Wenwu said,' I thought as I took a deep breath, letting myself slow down as I watched her form fading in the distance.
Maybe I could go faster with a chant, but what chant is there for me to say that would help? The Speed Force formula? Nah, that would just make my head hurt.
I am speed? No, not...inspiring enough.
'Gotta Go Fast? Heh, Sonic. Wait, blue hedgehog, blue speedster. Ooh, that could work Okay, okay! Take a deep breath and...Gotta Go Fast!', I thought as I pushed myself further, feeling the dirt shooting up with every step as I picked up speed.
'Gotta Go Fast! Gotta Go Fast! I am the Ultimate Lifeform! Gotta Go Fast! I am the Ultimate Lifeform! I am the hype! Gotta Go Fast!', With every chant, I pushed myself further and further, feeling my chant soon blurry to just counting in my mind before I blinked as a hand grabbed onto my shoulder and slowed us down.
Turning to Makkari, I was not surprised to see her exasperated look as she shook her head.
"You're still thinking of running. You're not just...running and letting your body move."
"Well, what do you think when you're running?"
"I don't think of anything. The only thing that's on my mind is keeping my breathing calm, my body loose and getting from Point A to Point B."
"...Sounds boring," I signed back, laughing as she smiled amusedly and nodded.
"It is, but it is how I run."
"Well, how does the world around you feel when you run?"
"As if it is paving a way for me. It hums along the rhythm of my feet as I run along the rhythm of its energy."
"So, it's helping you run?"
"Matching my speed. Your feet should not outrun the world. Instead, the world should be moving with you," I don't know why, but as she signed that, I narrowed my eyes, glancing at the grassy area around us before I took off.
Instead of fully pushing off the ground, I decided to try something and let my feet drag across the ground a bit with every step while relaxing with every lunge, feeling the world around me twisting as I pushed further.
"Further! Go!", Makkari signed and I grinned as the both of us accelerated, the grass soon turning to water as I stared at our reflection racing across the water.
Glancing at Makkari, I watched as she turned slightly, doing the same as the two of us began running in circles around the water.
With a surprised grunt, I ducked when she sailed past with her arms stretched out, keeping up my pace while raising an eyebrow as she shrugged.
'Perhaps sparring will make you relax more,' She said and I raised an eyebrow before rushing at her, lashing out with a high kick that she easily weaved around.
Landing with a spin and taking off towards her, we zipped past each other with a clash, my eyes wide as I watched the godly figure skating across the surface of the water like it was ice before I took off and followed her lead.
"Do not think. Run."
"Do not force yourself to run. Let your body run," I signed back as I shook my shoulders, rolling under her punch before pushing off the surface of the water and laughing with glee as she nodded with a grin.
"Good. Now, faster."
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"That...was fucking awesome," I murmured with a happy smile, remembering the sparring sessions I had with Makkari yesterday after she helped me understand what it means to be a speedster.
It was not like an epiphany more than it was simply a nudge in the right direction, resulting in my mind comprehending more than it did before, if that made sense.
It was like going from driving 40 mph in a sedan to racing 210 mph in a supercar down a race track, a very different experience of one compared to the other.
'Well, that's enough about yesterday. Time to go looking for this city,' I thought as I slowed down in the middle of the Ten Rings HQ' training courtyard, not surprised when the dozens of assassins pointed their blades at me while the Death Dealer himself raised an eyebrow at me.
"Hey, is Wenwu here?"
"He is busy."
"I know, but this is important."
"He is busy," The assassin repeated and I shrugged, turning around before taking off towards Hong Kong again.
It didn't take me long before I slid to a stop in front of the Sanctum, opening the door and walking in while nodding and smiling at the sorcerers I passed.
"May I ask that you stop taking off inside of my Sanctum?"
"Hey, Tina. How have you been?"
"Busy, which you would know given how many nightly escapades the two of us had to deal with in the past month alone."
"Yeah, speaking of that. What was the matter exactly?", I asked, remembering how little sleep I've been getting thanks to the increased number of mythical beasts ripping free from their seals and going rampant in the streets.
"That I cannot say that I know. What I do know is that the New York and London Sanctums have been experiencing the same issues so this may be a cosmic problem the Sorcerer Supreme has to deal with."
"Got it."
"So, where have you been?"
"Running around with an Eternal."
"Running aro-Makkari?", I raised an eyebrow as Tina immediately guessed the right one, my look making her scoff as she crossed her arms.
"I am a Master of the Mystic Arts. You believed that I would not know one of the Eternals."
"Kind of."
"I can't believe the audacity."
"Well, in any case, I have a question. Do you know about something called 'That-Which-Protects-The-Ancient-City-of Warriors'?", I asked and was immediately surprised when everyone stopped in their tracks and narrowed their eyes at me, Tina herself frowning as she held up a hand.
"What makes you ask that?"
"Uh, a goddess told me that if I wished to separate my mind, body and soul just enough to be able to use some form of magic, I'd have to go there, get past the ever-changing forest and fight the guardian of said city.
Then, I have to go to the Protector and they'll restore me to what I should be," I already was almost certain that I knew what the city could be, but given that there were no references of the place in the books in the Hong Kong Sanctum or Kamar-Taj, it would look bad for me if I just randomly showed up at its front door.
'Then again, I like to run around so I could just say that,' I thought, watching warily and ready to run before relaxing when Tina flicked her hand and everyone continued with what they were doing as if nothing happened.
"Apologies for the tense atmosphere, but the place you may be referring to is a sacred place to our sanctum that our ancestors have helped many times just as it have helped them. Therefore, those that know of it and are not in said city are told to be very wary of who they inform of its location."
"Okay, secrecy. I get that. So, where is it?"
"I...cannot tell you where exactly. I can only tell you where to find it," She said with an apologetic smile and I did feel a bit disappointed, but it was a lot better than I was expecting.
"I'll take that."
"Good. Now, on the day of the Qingming Festival, head to the world of bamboos and run down the path that feels right. Once you reach the edge, you will find the city and the warrior that protects the entrance."
"...I understood some of what you were saying and I think I got it," I spoke with a hum, Tina nodding as she continued her discussion with her attendant before I turned and walked back out.
Well, time to find out when this Qingming Festival is, but before then...
'Time to go check on Shang, Xialing and annoy the hell out of Wanda.'
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"This is it," I murmured as I stood on the edge of the Shunan Bamboo Forest in Yibin, having ran a long way just to get here after I did research on the bamboo forests in China.
This was also the only one that matched the description that I could remember of Ta Lo from the movie...which may be wrong, but honestly, this was more of a gamble if anything.
"Now, it's about 23: 59 right now on the 4th of April and nothing has happened so-", I blinked as I felt the vibrations of the forest shifting and twisting, looking up to see the other trees shrinking in width and growing taller until I found myself staring at a forest of monstrous bamboos that nearly blotted out the sun.
In front of me was also just one singular straight dirt path, making me narrow my eyes before I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
'Your body is the banks, your breathing the current and your chi the river. Run with the world, not against it or in front of it. Gotta Go Fast and finally...', I trailed off as I crouched down, digging my heels into the ground before the world around me slowed down heavily as I shot forward.
Run, Pietro. Run.
A/N: And we end it off here! Cliffhanger!...or is it? I don't know.
Anyway, more of a psychological chapter (I think? Not the best when it comes to that stuff) than actual action in it as well as more Makkari-Pietro teacher-student bonding, but next chapter, all combat.
Next chapter: Channelling my Inner Young Master.
Like always, you can go to my Pat-reon-.-com-/-KingCrimsonNova to read ahead on this as well as many other stories & even some that haven't been released out to this site yet. If you want to, you are free to, but if you don't want, all's good as I will still be uploading here. This is just me trying to get some extra cash.
As always, read, enjoy, review and until next week...
Ba-Bye~!