CHAPTER 34: TRAINING

Far off on the horizon, two slimes shimmered into view, their gelatinous forms catching the light as they oozed closer.

Without hesitation, they sprang into action, snatching up two sticks as they had practiced, adrenaline surging as anticipation thundered in their chests.

Aletha chose the thin one while Asahi chose the heavier stick.

The wind danced through their hair, caressing their faces as gently as grass teasing their bare feet.

Sadiki’s sharp eyes never left them, quietly studying their every move.

Breathless from their wild sprint, their chests heaved with ragged gasps, but the real challenge still waited, casting a long shadow over their resolve.

"Hit and defeat the creatures, and I’ll tell Drimi of your successes."

They exchanged a determined glance, bracing themselves before charging at the slimes, sticks spinning in a frantic flurry of blows. The wood shattered instantly, leaving their hands empty. Desperation flared as they prepared to fight barehanded, only for Sadiki to intervene.

"Only use sticks."

Aletha let her arms fall, gasping from the unending struggle. Her thoughts swirled in a haze, while Asahi’s resolve crystallized. Picking through the litter of broken sticks, he found a sturdy branch, snapped it in half, and plunged its jagged end into the quivering slime, which burst with a triumphant pop.

Sadiki clapped in approval at Asahi’s quick thinking, while Aletha continued to wrestle with the stubborn creatures.

"Who are they?" She asked as she hoisted and lost grasp of her guard. "How do I defeat them?"

Asahi wanted to help her, but Sadiki stopped him, saying...

" She must learn by herself."

Asahi dropped to his knees, watching his sister’s battle with anxious eyes. She hurled a stick at the slime, but it bounced off harmlessly. Four more sharp twigs followed, each ricocheting off the creatures’ glistening skin. If Aletha hoped to win, she would need to outsmart her enemy.

Suddenly, inspiration blazed through her mind like lightning.

"If I can’t use my hands..." She swiftly kicked the slime with her heels. "I’ll use my feet."

Unlike fists, Sadiki had no problem with feet. In fact, he applauded her smarts, while Asahi stared in disbelief, saying...

"Why can’t she use her hands, but then allow her to use her feet?" Asahi said as Aletha celebrated the slime explosion.

"Because Drimi uses her feet too." He said as Aletha and Asahi gathered up in the bushes." The only reason I’m giving her an alibi."

Smarting from the unfairness, Asahi swallowed his frustration and trudged after them, trailing the twisting path down the hills toward the windswept, grassy shore.

"This is your second test." He said as the waves crashed onto the island near the mainland’s piece. "You shall swim through salt water--

"Not again," Asahi said, crossing his arms. "There is no way in the world I shall swim again."

"Why so?" Sadiki asked, puzzled.

"Because ever since we returned to our world, we woke up beneath the waves." Asahi turned his whole body away from the breathtaking view of the sea. "And almost drowned."

"Then if you can’t swim," Sadiki’s voice lifted. "Then you shall climb."

"That’s even worse," Aletha said as she placed her bare feet onto the tiny particles of sand.

"It’s that or you will never get your scarf again," Sadiki said as he lowered his tail. "Now come on."

After a heartbeat of doubt, Asahi and Aletha, fueled by the promise of the scarf near Drimi, steeled themselves for the ascent. Their toes dug into the stone, fingers clutching every jagged edge as they pulled themselves higher. Salt spray lashed their skin, waves thundered below, and every slippery grip threatened to hurl them into the churning sea.

After careful analysis by Sadiki, if they were to fall, it would be a soft landing. Only one side would serve as a hard landing, and that was to their right.

But surrender was not an option. Summoning every ounce of strength, they clawed their way up the jagged cliff, conquering the heights in four determined bursts. At the top, Sadiki nearly brushed away a desperate hand, but relented, letting the wanderers scramble to safety.

"What in the world was that for?" Asahi complained as he panted his way up. "Kicking our feet would be dangerous. Do you have a detestment of us?"

"No," he said. "I was just checking."

Aletha slapped him in the face, saying.

"Warn us before you do something that stupid." She screamed with a hint of fury. "You almost killed us."

After surviving the cliff’s peril, a wild dash through tangled woods, and a clash with blue slimes, Sadiki led them to a secret training ground tucked away at the village’s edge.

"Your last and final training," he said, "before I acknowledge Drimi."

Birds circled above the training posts, vanishing into the endless blue sky. As they entered the training grounds, a chaotic sprawl of wooden tools, human-shaped dummies, and scattered sticks sprawled across the field to greet them.

"You must spend three hours sparring with these human-shaped targets,

Before they could even consider escape, Sadiki locked the door, arms folded and cat ears drooping, then tossed the wanderers a pair of sticks.

"I’ll make sure you two will stay occupied until sunset. Now..." Sadiki slammed the door. "Get to training!"

. . .

They caught their breath, covering their eyes from the blazing sun. A massive pile of sturdy wooden swords lay at the right, while a bundle of bows and arrows rested on their left.

Aletha and Asahi darted forward, gripping the hilts of their wooden blades. Squirrels scampered up the picket fences, and as the siblings took in the lively scene, Sadiki burst into the clearing.

"Have you two stopped?" He said as he snapped his fingers. "Or have you kept going?"

Asahi and Aletha, half breathless, recollected the moments with Tear. In all honesty, they thought it was worse than whatever Sadiki and Drimi had planned for them, but then,

"There are many buried secrets hidden underneath this nation." He said as he demonstrated his blade techniques. "But nonetheless, I shouldn’t be the one to stop your training. Go! If you need my help, just ask."

For three grueling hours, Asahi and Aletha pushed themselves to the brink. They slashed, hacked, jabbed, and, when exhaustion set in, even resorted to wild punches. At last, Sadiki nodded in approval, and the siblings delivered a final strike that toppled a dummy with a satisfying crash. Sadiki’s eyes widened in astonishment.

"Good work," he said, applauding. A long, uneasy silence formed as the wind blew. Sadiki tilted away from Asahi and ALetha, clenching his fists as he began to spill out information.

"Back in the day, when The Queen of Pladtioa was accompanied by the king, she and The Ruler of Purity would bless the land with pure water surrounding all corners of the nation."

Asahi and Aletha fell silent in wonder, trying to get their minds out of the mystery of The Forbidden Book. They listened as he continued.

"But then, her heart turned sour," Sadiki said, crossing his arms. "She started to eliminate anything that she deemed was imperfect. Which then, the title of the nation transformed from purity into disgust. It is why you see the creatures the way it is, how she orders, and just the overall stench of greed."

"Is there any more about her?" Aletha asked as Asahi lowered his sword at one of the dummies.

"There is one thing..." He said. "The Prophecy. The Prophecy of this beautiful dragon named Alaunus mentioned that a soon-coming king would fix this nation. Right now, it has yet to come into fruition, and only rumors of the soon-coming king spread like wildfire."

Just before Sadiki could spread any more information, the bell of the third hour rang. Sadiki, after having realized of distracting Asahi and Aletha, quickly whispered.

"Quick, act like you have been training for three hours."

"But we have..." Asahi said as he panted, dropping his sword on the ground.

Drimi, who stared at the two in the distance, decided to come into the training grounds. Instead of the mask she wore, her mouth was clearly visible with white teeth shining all around.

This was the first time ever for Asahi and Aletha to see Drimi without the mask.

"So, Sadiki. How’d the training do for ya?" Drimi asked as she saw Asahi and Aletha panting heavily. "And wow, they really did train for three hours. I was saying that as a joke, Sadiki. One hour max."

"One hour?!" Asahi and Aletha screamed angrily.

"You’re telling me that we had to work for one hour?" Asahi said, his fists fuming with rage. "Sadiki, you’re a filthy liar."

Sadiki scratched the back of his head and muttered while his wagging tail lowered.

"Uhh.. is it too late to say sorry?"

"Yup," Asahi said as he cracked his knuckles. "Let’s get this... It will be fun to throw you out."

"Wait. Before you engage in a fight..." Drimi said. "Can you give me a camera?"

"Camera?!" Asahi and Aletha yelled in unison.

"That just made us even angrier," Asahi said. "Wait until I get my hands on you."

"So you are treating this as some sort of facade?" Aletha said, fuming in rage.

Just before Asahi and Aletha got their hands on Sadiki, a flash of light flickered in between them. A green luminance surrounded the two, and a canister of green enchanted soil shattered in the air. Clover, who had looked drained, ran over to the two, saying...

"Um, I don’t know if now is the best time, but..." She twiddled her thumbs, waving her green hair back like clovers in the grass fields. Clover continued. "But there are strange goopy monsters and slimes at the other side of the village."