Sin: Path of Poison

Chapter 35 Part 2

I waited outside as they sorted things out indoors, I smiled as they came out. The robes the Crown Prince wore had the most red out of the three. Whether he did it on purpose or not, I didn't know. Together, we walked down the main road. I was in a good mood, I had a slight smile on my face and my step was not as domineering as usual.

The wind shifted slightly, I could smell Torch nearby. I turned right and found him in the training grounds for the advanced groups. On the far edge of the training grounds, away from everyone, he practiced the whip chain alone. I smirked as I realized he was trying to imitate the move I used the other day, when I snapped the end of the chain into the disciples throat. A target was set up in front of him. I could sense a small amount of energy on him, he was likely trying something different before returning to gather more.

My sudden appearance sent a chain reaction through the training ground as everyone froze. I never intentionally came to the training ground, I only passed by in chance a few times. The Crown Prince, Lei, and Blake all stepped forward to stand near me and stared out in wonder as groups of disciples practiced together. They were either sparing or running through stances in small groups.

The grounds were very organized, mostly managed by Silver and the higher specialized trainers. The elites would sometimes come by to train as well, giving a diverse group of talents to pool from and learn. Even Angst came by on rare occasion, unfortunately leaving with more disciples. Finally aware of his surroundings, Torch turned around to see why the grounds were silent. He dropped the whip chain upon seeing me.

He started to come forward, then stopped before moving forward again. He stared, watching me. Which part of him was in control? His body or his mind? I pondered silently. Neither his body or his mind were able to decide, I walked through the frozen pieces that were people. I held back a laugh, it looked like I'd gained some magical power to freeze time for everything except my party.

Seeing my approach, Torch gathered his courage again and moved towards me. We met somewhere roughly in the middle, he smiled at me but didn't speak. My finger tapped on my lips, I shifted my weight slightly while deep in thought. I believed Torch was in between Blake and Lei in terms of hand to hand skill, but I wasn't sure.

"Lei, spar with Torch, friendly match barehanded." I ordered after contemplating. Blake was unpredictable, he may decline, not wanting those around him to know his skill level. The area in front of me immediately cleared.

There was a thick training wood near me. I casually walked to it and gathered some energy before spinning and kicking it over. It lay fallen on the ground,  it was nearly the height of the seats I'd seen the Crown Prince use. I gestured to both Blake and the Crown Prince to take a seat. I jumped up into the air and landed on top of a still standing training wood and took my seat. I effortlessly sat on top as my body faced forward but my legs hung down, both wrapped to one side. I gestured with my hand to start. Lei stepped forward, aware of the sudden pressure in the air.

Lei's training was predictable, the moves of a soldier in a large scale battle. Some forms were used as a whole, the entire front line copying the same form to push forward, retreat, or stall. Other moves were created to work in sub groups, generally three to five people. Two people acted as the defense while one person attacked. After two quick matches with Torch he began to understand the problem and became more flexible. His stances became less rigid; he was able to both retreat and advance. I smiled at his quick learning. General Bai didn't invest in the training Lei deserved.

I slid down from my post to see how Torch would react. Torch's focus was on Lei and Lei's back to me, I slid easily behind Lei. Moving back and forth with Lei's body, I shadowed him for a brief moment before spinning around his side and ducking under his arm, which was trying to make contact with Torch. I looked over my shoulder at Lei, who briefly looked startled before turning his attention back to the match.

"Continue." I commented as they both paused. I slid my hand onto Lei's wrists and took control of his arms. Quietly controlling him, I began calling out the moves I was making him do. Sometimes I tapped against his legs to move them in the direction I wanted him to go. Within moments I made his body tag Torch three times. Lei, was responding to my gentle touches and whispers, following through as I wished.

I smiled to myself, surely Lei was accommodating. I let go and he immediately stepped back, his heart raced loudly enough for me to hear without trying. I turned to Lei, my eyes were soft as I swept his perfectly proper outer appearance. I stepped forward slowly and reached my hand up to his forehead then flicked him lightly.

"Relax." I said softly as my hand dropped to his chest momentarily. He nodded at me in agreement, his eyes were wide. Despite his understanding, his heartbeat quickened. My head tilted briefly as I watched him. Distancing myself from Lei, I turned to Torch. I stood in an empty stance ready to test him.

"You managed to make some progress in a day, impressive." I referred to the energy. He smiled. Turning the palm nearest him over, I collected a small ball of energy, the same as the last. "Take it if you can." I smiled coyly. I turned my palm to face him once again. He lunged towards me, I turned my body as if rolling down his outstretched arm. Within my reach, I used the hand I held the energy in to chop against his neck, my hand stopped before hitting his skin. Both of us returned to our original location.

He lunged again, but this time redirected his weight, no longer putting all his weight into going straight. Spinning his body, the arm changed direction, moving with him like a hammer. I easily avoided it by bending backwards, my foot came at him as I threw my body into a spiraling kick. With my speed reduced as a courtesy, he was able to retreat in time.

Landing low, I swept my foot towards him to knock him to the ground. Jumping lightly he avoided the hit. I shifted my weight and came forward to grab his ankle, which was currently still in the air and easily within reach. We went on like this for a short period of time, Torch was accustomed to this type of training, where sparing was unpredictable. Knowing I was going easy on him, he laughed a few times as I continued to stop short of actually hitting or kicking him on the chance he was unable to block in time. A large crowd formed, growing braver with every obvious attack I didn't complete. A circle formed around us several people deep, the only exception was where Blake, the Crown Prince, and now Lei sat.