The Dark Realm

Training

For the past week Lilly's friends had been training hard, especially Luke. Luke had never been the kind of person who would go to the gym often, but now he had spent as much time there as his body would allow.

At the moment Nate was lifting weights with Tyler. Cecilia and Olivia were taking a break while watching Jade do chin ups. Emily and Michael were racing each other on the treadmill, both trying to run at a higher speed than the other. Luke was next to Emily, also on a treadmill, listening to music. He really wanted to build up his endurance so he wouldn't get winded as easily as he would usually.

It's not fair, it's not fair
I didn't know, I wasn't there
It's not fair, it's not fair
Seeing you lying there

I wasn't strong enough
To save you from the evil stuff
I wasn't smart like you
To do what you would do

I know I'm not a leading man
I know I'm not a star
But I know what makes me special
Is what I feel in my heart

Luke felt like he could really relate to the song. It wasn't "Eye of the Tiger" or something that would really get him pumped up, but he could relate to it.

I'm just a sidekick
But I love being at your side!

I've been in the shadows for far too long
But I'm the leading man of this song
I was a stupid doofus, but now that's gone
I'm ready for a change, gonna keep calm and carry on

He felt like he might have been a bit of a stupid doofus, but he was going to fix that. He felt like a sidekick in some ways.

"Hey, kid!" A voice behind him snapped him back to reality. He turned off his machine and took out his Hogwarts earbuds. He turned around to see Mr. Parker. "Come with me." He told Luke. Luke shrugged and did as he was told. Mr. Parker lead him to an empty room in the gym.

"First things first, in a fight know where you are. Know where you are, know where your allies are, and especially know where your enemies are. Some people don't play fair. They'll sneak up and hurt you while you're back is turned. Also use your surroundings to your advantage." Mr. Parker told him after handing him a wooden sword. Luke gave him a questioning look.

"What?" He asked.

"What do you think I'm doing, kid? I'm teaching you how to fight!" Mr. Parker exclaimed. Luke looked at the wooden sword he had been given. Of course. Why hadn't he thought about it? Of course he would need to learn how to fight.

"Why sword fighting? Why don't we use guns?" Luke asked. Mr. Parker sighed in annoyance.

"That's just not how it's done. The Dark Realm is mostly up to date as well as the Light Realm but in some areas they prefer the old fashioned ideas and traditions. Sword fighting is one of them. Barely anyone on either side will be able to use a gun and it will just cause unnecessary deaths." Mr. Parker explained. "Wait, do you actually know how to use a gun?"

Luke shook his head sheepishly. "No but I have played Goldeneye 007 and Call of Duty before." Mr. Parker gave him a look that seemed to say "Are you serious?"

"Throw away every thing you know about sword fighting in movies and video games. You can't press the A button to attack in real life." Mr. Parker told him. Luke's face went slightly pink.

"I know that." He told the older man. "Why are you training me one on one anyway? Why not have everyone learn this at the same time?" Luke wondered. Mr. Parker sighed.

"Don't take this the wrong way, kid, but you need help."

"Are you saying I'm crazy?"

"No, no, you need more help when it comes to the others. You're not very athletic for one thing, you're a skinny twig with no muscle." Mr. Parker told him. Luke scowled a little. "And second, Max is going to what to target you personally."

"Wait why would Max want to target me?" Luke questioned.

"You're Lilly's best friend and Max knows it. He knows all about your crush on her." Luke's face went bright red. Did everyone know?

"You know about-"

"Of course I know. It's pretty obvious. I lost five bucks to Nate thinking that you were finally going to tell her a couple weeks ago. I don't like it, but you're so obvious. Max knows it too. I'm sure of it." Mr. Parker interrupted. Luke's face was as red it could possibly be. "Actually I think the only person who doesn't know is Lilly." Mr. Parker laughed. "Anyway you need to learn because Max already really dislikes you and will target you. He'll only feel truly victorious when you are dead and the Light Realm is under his rule. You got that?"

Luke felt extremely nervous at Mr. Parker's words. His life was on the line more so than he realized originally. He looked at the wooden sword in his hand. A memory flashed in Luke's mind. When he and Lilly had been hopping from stone tile to tile and he had landed on the the sword tile. A figure was lying on the ground, bloody, with a sword in its chest. It was vague, so he couldn't tell who it was. Luke gulped. It could be himself.

But then he remember who had been there with him. Lilly had always stood by his side. Those were the good old days when he had been by her side. He was going to train, fight, and win for his best friend.

"Enough talk. Please teach me." Luke asked. Mr. Parker smirked.

"I like that determination, kid. Alright, let's start." Mr. Parker spread his feet apart, drew his sword, and pointed it forward. "First, pointy part forward. You probably already knew that. Keep your feet apart at all times. Draw before the fight starts because every second counts."

Luke spread his feet apart, so he was stable, drew his sword, and pointed it forward, grasping the handle tightly. Mr. Parker nodded.

"Very good. I believe Max will have a long sword, thinking that he'll be able to finish you off very quickly, remember that. Be more defensive rather than offensive. Also Max will be trying to kill. You are good person, kid, so don't strike out of revenge or anger. Avoid killing him if you can."

Luke gulped. Killing? He was not a murderer. Wow, this was a serious matter. He was going to be throwing himself into the middle of a war. It could be pretty nerve wracking for an eighteen year old with no fighting experience.

"Kid, are you okay? You're shaking." Mr. Parker asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Um yeah, I'm fine." Luke snapped out of his thoughts.

"That's another thing. Stay steady. Don't shake like you just were. Now one of the most important things is to not clash swords as often as you can. This isn't a little kid fight with sticks. Aim to land a hit. Aim to wound."

Mr. Parker jolted forward with his wooden sword. Luke quickly blocked it with his sword, surprised. Then he tried to land a hit on Mr. Parker's chest who swiftly blocked it. Luke took a step back.

"Don't step backwards! Only step sideways and forwards." Mr. Parker told him after lunging forward once more. He landed a hit on Luke's chest.

"Let's try that again. Shall we?"

I do not own the song "I'm just a Sidekick" by Starkid Productions. If you like this chapter comment please!