Ever since a couple of weeks ago, roughly a month after the start of the new year, my Secret Art training had changed.
I had perfected the three training drills Master Reida had set up, so after that, it was about merging them all together to perform a proper Mirror-Cutting Current, with the 'training' for that being constant sparring with the Water God.
But even if I now had the base skills to perform it, actually putting them all together wasn't so simple.
For example, with soccer, even if you can kick the ball well, and could run fast, it didn't mean you could easily run down the field and score a goal in one fluid motion.
My coordination and flexibility just weren't there.
And that's why I still had not become a Water Saint despite the time passing… but hopefully, that would change today.
"Ready yourself, Vincent," Master Reida said, lightly holding her sword. "Remember, you've perfected the base skills that you need for this over the past year. It should be ingrained in your body. So don't think too hard, and just do it."
Easier said than done…
"Understood, Master," I replied, readying myself.
A moment passed as a warm wind blew past, evidence of the season having changed from winter to spring.
And then, with a simple breath… I saw it.
The thrum of battle aura in Reida's body, the way her arms tensed as her eyes sharpened.
On instinct, I readied myself for the incoming strike, raising my blade as time slowed to a crawl.
She said not to think and just perform everything as if it was natural… but could I trust myself to do that?
I wasn't sure, but whatever I was doing before wasn't working, so let's try it.
Her blade appeared as she lunged towards me, the edge cutting through the air and aimed directly at my neck.
Battle aura thrummed through my body and blade, flaring across the edge as I focused on the effect of draining the momentum and battle aura from any approaching strike, and storing it.
I moved on instinct, my stance lowering to properly deflect her sword with my entire body, while at the same time, positioning myself for a perfect counter.
And then, I just… let go.
Just letting it happen naturally.
The pressure from her blade meeting mine barely registered as I began moving, a heat flowing from my sword into my body as I turned to counterattack.
I was surprised by how calm I felt.
It was serene… as if the fact I was facing the Water God didn't even matter.
And before I could register what had happened… my blade crashed against Reida's side, her sword barely reaching mine in time to stop the attack.
I let out the breath I had been holding, the air rushing past my lips.
Then, the world suddenly sped up back to normal as my focus returned, the same calm breeze blowing through my hair as I took a step back.
That… it felt perfect.
Complete.
It was still extremely similar to Flow… but at the same time, it felt completely different.
Like the difference between a bullet and an artillery shell, while the concept was the same, the result was anything but.
So… this was what it felt like…
"Congratulations, Vince. You are now a certified Water Saint," Master Reida said, lowering her sword with a smile. "I would say I'm surprised… but I already expected this after seeing your progress."
I… had done it.
"No, it… was thanks to your teaching, Master," I said, bowing.
"Don't be so humble, kid… you've earned yourself a good amount of praise," she said, reaching out to rustle my hair. "So? How did it feel, to perform a proper Mirror-Cutting Current?"
How did it feel?
I looked down at my hand, still holding tightly to my sword.
"It felt… good… but not something completely new," I said.
Now that I had actually done it, I could say that it was a pretty simple process.
After all, it was just using a previously mastered technique in Flow, but adding battle aura control. Something I had already done with the Longsword of Light.
I already had all the skills, and had begun controlling my battle aura with it even before mastering Flow, so it was just a matter of practice and time, properly putting the pieces together.
"Yeah. That's why it's considered the easiest Secret Art to learn… but don't let that take away from your achievement," she said, her eyes flashing to the left, where Isolte stood. "In fact… as the Water God, I have to ensure my inheritance is secured. I already expect Isolte here to fill that role… but she'll need a good partner."
Reida's gaze returned to me, a wide smile spreading across her lips.
"With the talent to become a Water Saint after only a year of training, I would be an idiot to let that go," she said. "So… what do you say about becoming my beloved granddaughter's husband?"
Isolte, who had been watching from the side, instantly flushed red as she sputtered.
"G-Grandmother!" she shouted.
I could also feel a bit of embarrassment, but I was able to control myself.
"Unfortunately, I will have to refuse," I said politely.
"Oh? Refusing Isolte's hand? What, do you not like her?" Reida asked, raising her eyebrow.
She was definitely doing this on purpose, wasn't she?
"No, I just don't want to be in an arranged marriage, nor do I want Isolte to be. I plan to marry someone through… natural means and romance," I explained. "But Isolte is very pretty, so anyone who ends up with her would be quite lucky."
"V-Vince! Not you too!" Isolte added, her face having gotten redder as she walked up to me. "Don't tease me!"
"I'm not teasing you," I said, raising my hands in defence as she lightly grabbed my shirt.
"You definitely are!" she replied as she began shaking me back and forth.
"No, I am not," I responded, letting my head rock up and down.
"Then take it back!" she said, slowing her shaking.
"What, calling you pretty?" I asked.
"N-No! Wait, y-yes! Just… never mind…" Isolte stammered, finally calming down as she let me go.
Reida simply watched on in amusement.
"Huh. Maybe I don't even need to do anything…" the old woman commented before shaking her head. "Anyway, Vincent. Now that you've completed your first Secret Art, you'll begin training in your next one right away."
So I was already heading towards becoming a Water King…
"Yes… will we start today?" I asked.
"No, take the rest of the day to ensure you can replicate the Mirror-Cutting Current. But tomorrow, head to the tree grove by the western wall. There, you'll start your next training," she said. "Ah, and you won't be training under me or with Isolte anymore, but you will still spar with her afterwards."
Isolte pouted a bit, and I was also a bit sad about not training together anymore, but it wasn't that bad.
During this time, we normally kept to ourselves before we began sparring, so we weren't missing much time together.
But still… I was confused.
"Wait… I'm not learning under you? Why not?" I asked.
"Well, it's simple," Reida said, resting her sword on her shoulder. "The next Secret Art you'll be learning is one I haven't mastered yet, so you'll be training under a Water King that does."
Right… I had forgotten in the face of her immense skill, but she had only learned three of the Secret Arts… although, it could be argued that she knew four, since her signature technique could easily count as one.
"Oh… what Secret Art is that?" I asked.
"You'll see tomorrow," she replied with a smirk.
She really liked seeing me confused, huh?
—
It was the next day, and following Reida's words, I was standing in the small grove of trees near the wall, waiting for my new teacher to arrive.
And then… I sensed it.
A powerful presence… not to the extent of Gal or Reida, but still strong enough to know that I should flee rather than fight.
My hand instinctively went to my sword handle as I frantically searched for the source, and after a moment of tense silence, I was met with the sound of light clapping.
"Well done… Master did say you were already skilled with sensing battle aura, but I'm surprised you reacted so quickly," a calm, older voice said.
The man then stepped out from behind the tree wearing a set of light plate armour.
It wasn't someone I had seen before, although to be fair, I didn't pay too much attention to the other instructors, as they usually didn't mingle with the younger students when not teaching them.
He had long grey hair tied back in a ponytail, and his face was beginning to show its age with wrinkles and a graying stubble.
But from the look in his eyes, his lean yet muscular build, and the way he held himself… he was definitely not someone to mess with.
"I am Kale, a Water King, and I will be instructing you for the foreseeable future," he said, nodding his head towards me.
He didn't have a last name… did that mean he was a commoner? Or did he simply want to be treated as such?
I guess it didn't really matter, did it?
"I'm Vincent, a Water Saint and Sword Saint… nice to meet you," I replied respectfully.
"Indeed… I have heard quite a bit about you. Becoming both a Water Saint and a Sword Saint at your young age says enough about your potential, and it will be my pleasure to cultivate such talent," he said, a small smile appearing on his face.
Well, he seemed like quite a nice guy.
"Unfortunately, Master Reida didn't tell me anything about you, but I can tell that you are skilled," I replied, my eyebrows furrowing slightly. "In fact, she didn't even tell me what Secret Art I would be learning…"
Kale released a small chuckle.
"Well, that sounds just like her. When I was younger, she enjoyed teasing me and her other students quite a bit, so it seems like that hasn't changed with her age," he said, nodding his head. "But don't feel bad about not knowing about me, as I have been away from the capital for the past year."
So he was a direct student of Master Reida… it made sense, seeing as he was a Water King.
"You have? Doing what, may I ask," I asked.
"Ah, my Grandson inherited my late son-in-law's territory, a small county to the south-east, but his uncle disagreed and wished to take the title, attempting to use some… unscrupulous methods to do so," he said, lightly scratching his chin with the same calm smile. "And so, I eliminated him and his supporters. After all, it is important to protect one's family, no?"
…Okay, while this guy seemed nice, he was also a bit terrifying.
Talking about 'eliminating' a bunch of people so nonchalantly… he absolutely was not someone to mess with.
"And as for your question about the Secret Art I will be teaching you… well, I will simply show you first," he said, motioning towards me with his hand. "Try to attack me. Strong or weak, it doesn't matter."
"Uh… okay," I said, drawing my sword.
But as soon as I got into a ready position… Kale suddenly closed his eyes.
What?
I would say that he was playing a joke, but from the strength I still felt from him, I could tell he was taking this seriously.
And so, I did what he asked… preparing to move forward with a strike-
"You'll attack from the left with a Longsword of Light with a raised diagonal slash, but you'll be aiming to barely nick my ear," he suddenly said, bringing me to a stop. "While there is no need to hold back, I do appreciate the consideration for my well-being."
Huh?
He… he read my moves, before I even performed them…
What the heck?
I took a step forward, hesitating for a moment due to his precognition before I prepared to-
"You'll leap to my side, but instead of striking right away, you'll hesitate before performing a sweeping slash at my legs," he said, reading my moves yet again before he opened his eyes. "Well… do you have an idea of what I'll be teaching you now?"
I lowered my sword, narrowing my eyes as I thought about his ability, which basically seemed like precognition.
Wait… precognition… then, was this…?
"Is it… Flow-Divination Eye," I said, not quite sure of my answer. "Uh… Master Kale?"
"Exactly right, I'll be teaching you this Secret Art for the foreseeable future," he said, nodding his head. "And there is no need to call me Master. That is something that should be reserved for the Water God. You can refer to me as Teacher Kale instead."
"Understood, Teacher Kale," I said, bowing my head.
"No need… now, while I am sure you have heard this before, let me reiterate what exactly Flow-Divination Eye is," he said, motioning to a pair of rocks. "Here, let's take a seat."
With the two of us sitting across from each other, he then went on to explain the Secret Art that he would be teaching me.
"This Secret Art is different from the others, as it isn't a technique in the sense of being a move during combat, but rather a skill that is constantly active," he explained. "You read the opponent's battle aura, mana, body, stance, even their breathing patterns… you observe everything, and from that, make predictions of how they will move before they even start. And not only that, but once your senses for battle aura and mana become properly attuned, you can even sense danger from surprise attacks."
I see… but wait.
"Then… how did you do that with your eyes closed?" I asked.
After all, if it was about observing, he didn't need to do it without his vision… in fact, that was counterintuitive.
"Ah, you're correct on that. But essentially, it is much more difficult to read someone off of just their body and breath… in fact, against a skilled swordsman, they will try to trick you with it," he said, a smirk appearing on his face. "But throughout my years as a swordsman, as long as you aren't going against a skilled North Saint… battle aura never lies."
He shook his head.
"Now, while all that is nice, I am guessing that you're still confused as to how exactly it works, correct?" he asked.
I nodded in agreement.
"Well… it's quite hard to explain, as you're essentially unlocking a new sense… but no matter how fast an action or technique is, there is a time for preparation. There are habits and tells that appear from the natural movement of the body, and while the Water God Style teaches how to react to them, it is not to the extent that this Secret Art requires," he explained. "It's best to show you slowly. Here, tell me when you can guess where I'm going to strike."
He then lifted his arm, forming a fist before he went for a punch, his arm moving slowly as it approached my-
"Left shoulder," I said, causing him to pause.
"Correct… and how did you figure that out?" he asked.
"I just… knew," I answered, feeling a bit embarrassed at the lack of information.
"Intuition… that isn't bad, but it can easily fail you. So we will need to work on that as well," he said, nodding to himself. "But regardless, you understand, right? You are already able to sense where strikes are aimed before they do, while Flow-Divination Eye is about sensing it even before then."
I see… I still didn't quite get how the Secret Art was meant to be performed, but maybe it didn't really have a direct explanation.
Mirror-Cutting Current was a traditional technique, so Reida could explain how it worked with battle aura in detail, but this… as he had said, it was more like a passive skill.
"I see that you understand why it's difficult to explain properly," Kale said.
"Yeah… it's because it's more like an ability than a specific move," I answered.
He snapped his fingers with a smile.
"Exactly. Just like with learning how to walk, there isn't any specific detailed instruction I can offer. All we can do is practice," he said. "This is also why, while not being the most difficult Secret Art to learn, it is considered the most difficult to teach. But when it's mastered… you can win a fight before it even starts."
Yeah, I could see why.
It was practically precognition… and while it didn't sound like an actual part of the Secret Art, the latent sensing ability that came with it seemed quite powerful.
But Reida… hadn't learned it.
Why?
"Teacher Kale… why didn't Master Reida learn it? It sounds like a very useful Secret Art," I asked.
"Haha! Well, mastering even one Secret Art is already a big deal. Most people spend their entire lives training one, and many don't even learn it in the end," he said, shaking his head. "But you're right. Master likely could have mastered it if she tried, as she is one of the most talented of the Water Gods to have existed in the history of the style. But instead, she focused her efforts on creating and perfecting her signature Secret Art."
Right… her Deprivation Sword Kingdom.
She had teased me quite a few times about teaching me that as a wedding gift for Isolte and I, but she said I would need to learn the other two Secret Arts that are used to create it.
Thinking about it now, since she sent me to learn Flow-Divination Eye as my second Secret Art, which wasn't one of the two used for it… did she expect me to learn four of the five Secret Arts of the style, and also her own personal one?
Did she think I was that ridiculous of a talent?
Honestly, while I was glad about her trust in me, the weight of her expectations felt a bit much… not to mention her wanting to pair me with her granddaughter.
"Anyway, before we can begin lessons, I need to test you in combat," Kale said, picking up two wooden practice swords he had brought with him. "Use everything at your disposal, and don't treat this as me testing you, but as a simple spar. After all… I am quite curious how it is to fight the youngest Dual-Saint swordsman in history."
I was also interested in sparring with my new teacher… so, with him handing me a practice sword, we began our bout.
—
As it turned out, having all your moves read before they even happened led to quite the one-sided fight.
Every time I attacked, he dodged or deflected it perfectly, and if I showed even a moment of hesitation, he used that instant to strike me.
He dealt with me easily, as if disciplining a child.
Well… I guess I was a child… but either way, it was quite demoralizing.
And, as I had ended up finding out during the spar, the other Secret Art he had mastered to become a Water King was the same as me, it being Mirror-Cutting Current.
So, essentially, Kale was a blueprint for my future style once I learned Flow-Divination Eye… with the addition of healing magic, the Longsword of Light, and a bit of North God Style elements.
Okay, so maybe we weren't that similar, but I could say that he was my goal in terms of the Water God Style.
"Alright… I think I have a good read on your abilities now," he said, having put an end to the spar. "As I thought, your ability to sense battle aura is already quite advanced. I understand why Master requested that you learn this Secret Art next. But… you have comparatively poor prediction abilities from it."
Right… at this point, I was just sensing battle aura. I couldn't really do anything with it in combat, other than knowing how strong someone is and whether they were looking for a fight.
"But that's good. You already have the 'eyes', so you just need to learn how to see with them," he said, smiling down at me. "And I have the perfect exercise for you to start learning how."
"And that is…?" I asked.
Kale's smile curved even higher, looking eerily similar to Master Reida.
"Eager, are we? I enjoy that in my students… but be prepared," he said.
"Prepared for what?" I asked.
"Well… eventually, you'll get better. But the start will be quite painful…" he said, his words trailing off.
I simply tilted my head in confusion.
A painful start… what did that mean?
Was it like my hot pool training back at the Sword Sanctum?
Kale then pulled something out of his pocket, revealing a bundle of cloth, before he threw it to me.
"Wear those," he instructed.
Those?
I unfurled the bundle of fabric, which was actually a long strip of cloth, and what seemed like… wax?
"Put the beeswax in your ears, and make sure you can't hear anything. After that, wrap the cloth around your head, covering your ears and eyes," Kale clarified.
Uhh… wait, was this what I think it was?
Some sensory deprivation training?
"Ah, but I should fully explain before you can't hear," he said. "You'll be deprived of sight and sound, the two most important senses in combat, and you'll be fighting me in that state. I believe that you're smart enough to know why."
So it was…
"So… so that I can only sense attacks through battle aura and mana," I answered, swallowing hard.
"Exactly," he said, raising his finger. "As you are now, you simply sense battle aura as it is… you can't tell what form it takes, when it does, or where. This will force you to do exactly that… to mould your battle aura sense into not just noticing it, but reacting to it. And you'll need to do so preemptively in order to properly block my strikes."
He was right… how I sensed battle aura at this point was just as an energy coating my opponent's body and sword.
There was nothing deeper there.
But with this… I would need to notice where it's heading, when… and be able to react appropriately.
"Understood, Teacher Kale," I said.
I then placed the beeswax in my ears, the warmth from my hands having turned it to putty, and wrapped the cloth around my head.
No sight, no sound… just the scent of the forest and the feeling of the air brushing against my face.
Honestly, it was uncomfortable like this… I felt vulnerable and uncertain.
And I don't think it was just because I knew that Kale would be hitting me soon.
Before I could think about it any further, I felt it.
A surge of battle aura, right where Kale had stood.
Now that I didn't have sight and hearing to accompany it, I truly felt the depth of the energy that I had been using for most of this life.
Of course, I had sensed it intimately before, such as whenever I meditated to focus on training my control of it… but I had never done so with another's battle aura.
It was terrifying.
I then felt the battle aura in front of me shift… somewhere.
And so, I instinctively wrapped myself in battle aura as well, raising my sword to deflect the incoming attack.
It didn't work.
A strike to my extended arm at the elbow, instantly breaking my grip as I hissed in pain, my sword dropping to the ground.
Dammit… this was definitely going to be a pain.