All Keros had to do was wait just a bit longer, and he could draw his opponent into his plan. Once his opponents' frustration grew to an acceptable point, Keros would ignite it by dropping his guard entirely.

 

BRAWL!

 

It was a stupid idea, entering into a slugfest against an opponent stronger than him. Keros planned on relying on his superior technique and experience. He could reduce the damage he received by leaning with the punches and he knew how to inflict the most damage with his strikes. Not to mention that he had been taking harder hits from his father when they sparred. Keros could take the hits, the question was could his opponent? He couldn't wear down his opponents' stamina, but he could destroy his willpower. That is exactly what he planned to turn this fight into. A battle of willpower. Who could endure the pain for longer!

 

Consequences be damned, Keros was going to make sure this fool would leave the cage covered in blood!

 

Keros found the moment and dropped his guard, stepping in he threw a big straight connecting solidly with Trent's face. Trent was both stunned and angry. Had this idiot completely dropped his guard?! Trent understood, he wants to brawl! So be it! He started to strike but was interrupted by another hit to the face. His anger rose, and he recovered quickly enough this time to retaliate.

 

Both fighters had dropped their guards and were trading devastating blows. One after the other strikes flew out, somebody blows while others struck the head. It seemed that Keros had better accuracy. Keros connected solidly with every strike, but Trent's strikes would occasionally only glance Keros. Blood started to accumulate in the ring, and the fighting grew more intense. The sounds of the strikes landing were mixed with the grunts from the two fighters.

 

The spectators were stunned. This wasn't sparring, it wasn't fighting. This was mutual destruction, and few would take this route. It took resolve, and often desperation for a battle to reach this point. The brutality that both fighters were showing each other was both disturbing and beautiful. It was truly exciting to watch! 

 

The three girls were terrified. They had already been worried when checking on Booker, but now Keros was in the ring trading blood for blood with the same guy that had put Booker in such bad shape. They worried that he was going to be severely injured as it was common in fights, and this fight was far more dangerous than normal. However, among the feeling of worry, they were enthralled. The aggression, recklessness, and willpower being displayed by Keros right now was enchanting. He was like a wild beast wreaking havoc, with no regard for his safety.

 

The brawl seemed like it had lasted for a long time, but only a short time had passed. The fight began to slow down. Blood flowed from the lacerations on both fighters' faces. The fatigue of the fighters was evident, as punches came slower and with less impact. Both fighters had managed to persevere up to this point, and the dominant fighter had yet to be found.

 

Keros' vision was blurred and his eyes burned from a mix of sweat and blood that had flowed from his forehead. His head was pounding and his torso felt like it had been hit with a sledgehammer repeatedly. He couldn't clearly see how his opponent looked, but he could imagine how he felt. Keros had been throwing powerful strikes at the most vulnerable spots at the beginning, and though it was hard to maintain accuracy when his vision became blurred he still threw powerful strikes. He could see the silhouette in his vision seemed just as unsteady as him, and its punches had steadily weakened. Soon the only action being taken in the cage was heavy, strained breaths.

 

Keros felt something press on his should and instinctively shot his fist in the direction it came from. His fist impacted something incredibly solid not budging it in the slightest.

 

"That's enough, buddy." a deep and gentle voice spoke out.

 

"It's a draw, neither of you can continue. It might not have been graceful, but that was a hell of a fight." the voice rang out again.

 

It seemed familiar

 

"Trent, we'll call someone to pick you up. Don't come back."

 

'Ah, it's the gym owner. He stopped the fight if it could even be called that any more.' Keros thought as he rested against the firm hand.

 

Keros and Trent were supported out of the cage and given some first aid. The gym was quiet, and yet it wasn't. No one spoke loudly, hoping to let them rest comfortably. Shortly someone arrived to take Trent home. Keros was taken into a room with some cots, cleaned up, and given some medicine to speed up his recovery. After an hour or so he was well enough to move and his vision had returned, though his body still ached and his head still hurt.

 

The gym owner, Booker, and the three girls had all been waiting quietly in the room for him to recover. All of them were experiencing different emotions. Catherine and Willow displayed worry and admiration in their countenance, while Rena had the addition of enthrallment as if she was staring at her idol. Booker showed worry as well, but it was mixed with sympathy and shame. The gym owner carried a stoic expression, but his impatience was apparent from the way he was tapping his leg.

 

"That was stupid... But I have to admire your loyalty and willpower." The gym owner said calmly

 

"Rest up for a bit longer, then come see me to collect your payment." he said before leaving the room.

 

next up the girls spoke

 

"That was dangerous! What if you had been seriously injured?!" Catherine cried out, berating Keros

 

"That really was... n-not smart." Willow stated quietly

 

"THAT, WAS, AWESOME!" Rena declared loudly

 

Keros was dumbfounded at the difference in their reactions. He was berated, educated, and praised repeatedly for some time. Eventually, the girls calmed down and left when they noticed the awkward atmosphere

 

"Keros... I'm sorry." Booker said, his eyes becoming wet.

 

"I was too weak.. and you had to step in to try and salvage my pride. now look at us." tears started streaming down his swollen face

 

Keros chuckled lightly, an odd response no doubt

 

"What is there to be sorry about? We're best friends, and I'll always have your back. Just like I know you'll always have mine." Keros said with a smile, though it was warped due to pain

 

a short silence ensued before Booker spoke up again

 

"I don't ever want to feel that weak again.. I can train with you right?" Booker asked as he wiped as his face

 

"Sure, you know how rough it can be but it's worth it." Keros replied as he laid back down

 

"Thank you. and thank you for having my back."

 

-

 

After the rest, they went to see the gym head. He paid them for the day, as well as a bit extra. The fight would generate a bit of reputation within the circle of fighters and bring in more business, so he felt he needed to reward the boys a bit extra. 200 Credits each to be exact, bringing the total to 300 credits each. He told them to come back and work anytime before shooing them out.

 

Keros and Booker left with the girls in tow. They still had a lot of time left since they spent less time at the gym then they planned. So they decided to go out to eat with the credits they made. The meal was pretty cheerful, and the entire ordeal seemed to have helped them all bond. Needless to say, the boys weren't feeling up to much else and decided a quiet night home would be nice. Both Rena and Willow wanted to spend the night again since school was out again tomorrow. Keros didn't have a problem with it so they stopped by their houses on the way home to get permission and clothes. Booker decided he would stay over too since they would wake up early for training anyway so he went home to grab some clothes and let his parents know as well.

 

-

 

The boys washed up, cleaning all of the sweat and blood off before resting on the couch in the living room.

 

Catherine was in her room with Rena and Willow, discussing the events of the day

 

"Your brother is soooo cool!" Rena said in a quiet but excited voice.

 

"I thought it was cool too, but aren't you too excited? What do you have a crush on him now or something?" Catherine asked as she brushed her hair

 

"It's not like that! I just admire his courage and strength!" Rena said defensively, sporting a blush

 

"I think it was stupid and too macho." Willow said

 

"Well, at least we can all agree that he is strong. After all, we saw the other guy." Catherine said in a matter of fact tone.

 

The three girls chatted for a bit before joining the boys in the living room. Keros and Booker got to know Rena and Willow better, and all five of them bonded. Keros didn't find his sister as annoying as he usually did, and maybe that had something to do with the necklace. His dad was probably right, it helped bring them closer together.

 

After a night spent enjoying each other's company, they all went to sleep.

 

-

 

The next morning Keros woke up to his alarm at 6:02. His body still ached after yesterday's fight. Regardless, he had to get up and start his daily routine. He shook Booker awake and began teaching him how to meditate but one lesson wouldn't be enough and it would take some time for Booker to fully grasp the technique. They went through Keros' entire daily regimen. Booker didn't complain a single time, which was evidence enough of how bad his loss affected him. After finishing training they spent the day escorting Catherine, Rena, and Willow around to have fun. It was relaxing and gave them time to recuperate while also letting the girls have a fun day in peace.

 

That night. Booker, Rena, and Willow had already gone home because tomorrow would be a school night. Keros laid in bed thinking about his life and the future. In nine months he would turn 12 and the world that he knew would open up for him. With his fathers' help, he had laid a good foundation for cultivation. He already had the tools for success, and in just nine short months he would begin chasing that success. He had a great friend that would walk with him on this path. He had very few fetters in his life and soon he would shed those fetters and struggle against countless more than would fall upon his shoulders. He was excited, more so than ever before. Those nine short months seemed so much longer because of his anticipation.

 

-

 

And so time flowed. Seasons changed but Keros' life remained the same. School, training, taking care of his sister, doing odd jobs to save up some credits.

 

Months passed. Keros continued to grow, feeling his limits slowly crumbling as he grew closer to the ability to cultivate. His bond with his sister improved steadily because of the time they spent together. Keros became friends with Rena and Willow as an effect of spending time with his sister. Booker quickly learned meditation and would meet up every morning and every day after school to practice and train. They went to spar whenever they were free so they could improve. They even became acquainted with Judas and Lisa through coincidence and developed a friendly rivalry with them.

 

Almost a full nine months passed. Their parents had only returned three times over nine months, and only for a couple of days at a time. They understood, but it was still a bit disheartening. Keros grew more mature due to the responsibility he had in the absence of his parents. He had always kept up with his training in this time and sparred so much that he was confident if he had to face a low-level cultivator again, he wouldn't lose.

 

Booker had grown alongside Keros. The training and sparring did wonders for him as well. The shortcoming of low stamina had been fixed in these nine months. He matured a bit as a consequence of spending so much time with Keros. They spent every waking moment together so how couldn't they influence each other? Booker also made some progress with Lisa, and they seemed to grow from being rivals to good friends.

 

Catherine hadn't changed much but that was to be expected. Her daily life didn't change but she had aged, now 9 years old as were her friends. Catherine, Rena, and Willow had been spending much more time together and had a very strong friendship by this point. Her life was steady and relaxed, like a stone on a mountain.

 

The next year of school had already started.

 

-

 

Keros laid in his bed. The time on his digital clock displayed 30:32. His eyelids were heavy, yet he was having difficulty falling asleep. In less than two hours he would turn 12 years old. At the stroke of midnight, his body would begin undergoing a fundamental change, but the process would force him into a slumber and would last until 8:00. He would be late for school. April 4th, his birthday, and the day that would mark the most significant event he would have experienced in his life up to this point, and maybe ever. He was excited, but that wasn't the only thing keeping him awake. He had a sense of unease. 

 

He wasn't sure why, but he couldn't calm himself down. He kept telling himself that he had the book that his father had left for him. The book explained cultivation and detailed his fathers' experiences. His father forbade him from opening it until he turned 12. Should anything unexpected happen he could just refer to the book, so why wasn't his uneasy feeling subsiding?

 

The feelings of excitement and unease mixed, causing his stomach to knot. Maybe this is how everyone feels before evolution. Keros kept trying to find reasons for how he felt in order to calm himself down. He would surely feel silly tomorrow when everything had completed smoothly. No matter how hard he tried, he failed. Eventually, he drifted to sleep as the clock displayed 0:00.

 

-

 

He dreamt that he was standing upon a thick, vibrant, blue cloud. He slowly sank into it, feeling a warmth enveloping his ankles and climbing up his body the more he sank into the cloud. He felt at peace, kindness, joy, and love. He felt by far the most comfortable that he had ever been. He felt power within his bones and a fire in his chest. He sent a punch forward and the blue cloud followed. the winds would part, the seas would recede, and the earth would split. It was a majestic feeling like he was the King of the world, and elements honored him with respect.

 

Everything Vanished in a split second before another scene appeared before him. Grey arcs coated in a black shining light were streaking around him. He was quickly engulfed by the streaks, and suddenly felt an influx of emotions. Anger, Arrogance, fearlessness, and cunning. He felt as though he could achieve anything and no obstacle could block his path. Twisting his body, he spun and sent out a lightning-fast sidekick. The arcs followed his body and launched from his leg like a bullet. The skies cried out with thunder, The seas became turbid, trees quaked and leaves burnt to cinders. It was a feeling of pure dominance as if the elements were terrified of him and bowed out of fear.

 

Once again the scene changed. He was standing on a desolate land. The sky was a dull crimson color, the land was flat and covered in soil. From his right, he noticed the blue cloud from before floating over. It looked Majestic. Then on his left, he saw the grey arcs chaotically headed in the opposite direction, giving a feeling of dominance. When the cloud passed land plat life would grow instantaneously, giving life wherever it passed. The arc displayed the complete opposite reaction, and as it passed the soil would corrode, destroying any chance it had to produce life.

 

These two powers seemed to be on a collision course and destined to meet. He understood. This was a battle between two completely different powers. One represented everything good, while the other one represented everything evil.

 

Soon, the two condensed and formed into wolves. They ran towards each other before flashing 3 meters in front of Keros. The impact was astonishing, yet Keros felt no impact on himself. He could feel the elements crying, the earth was shaking, the wind was howling, and the sea became torrential.

 

After some time Keros grew weary of watching the scene. Both wolves were fighting each other brutally and each displayed certain qualities that Keros couldn't understand. He had experienced both of these powers and vaguely understood them. It was easy to claim one and good and one as evil, but when he was immersed within them he felt neither. He felt that the only truth was that they were different.

 

He didn't know what he could do, but one thing was for sure. He could watch no longer. He waved his hand out and bellowed "STOP!". His voice was thunderous and rang out across the world. Suddenly both wolves stopped and turned to face him.

 

'W-What? What is this? They actually listened?' Keros thought to himself. It didn't make any sense. He was utterly insignificant when compared with these two. And what was with that voice? It was so deep and commanding.

 

He was too shocked and didn't know what to do next. Maybe due to his inactivity, the wolves resumed their battle.

 

The world before Keros' eyes began to darken before everything faded to black.