An Unexpected Friend

After working out for a couple of weeks, we came to the end of another workout. Ronk had put me in so many kinds of different training the recent days, I was having a hard time focusing on one. I was incredibly sore all over, but the good thing was, as the day went on, my body became more and more used to every situation. It was more durable and Ronk's scary attitude was appearing less than before. I guess he was now trusting me a little bit on the workouts.

But with that said, he had put me through all of those training without pity. Even though he knew I was going to get through the pieces of training and taught me less knowing I can do more. He didn't want me to lose any of my seconds. But I had no intention of giving up either. I needed to get better.

The day after that, when tomorrow arrived, we went to a big waterfall for practice.

Then Ronk showed the waterfall with his hand, and said,

"Today you will train here."

He wanted me to go under the waterfall. It was freezing as usual. But entering that waterfall was probably going to "freeze" me entirely.

"What are we going to do in this training?" I asked him with curiosity.

"Take off your clothes, and go under the waterfall."

And without my clothes? Now, this had become a real challenge for me. The idea of standing under a very cold waterfall was not such a good idea anyway. But what can I say, there was nothing I could do. It was a part of the training.

"But why do I have to do this?"

"We'll measure your patience and resistance. You'll be waiting with your eyes closed."

"Well, what's that for?"

"It will make you learn by hearing, not by seeing. And patience is essential for a human being. You can't go on without patience nor resistance."

Giving him one last look, I took off my clothes and went under the waterfall.

It was very cold as the water came from a high plain. And it felt like I was almost in icy water. Every drop of water, hitting every part of my body, felt like cold bullets. And whenever it hit my remaining clothes, it made them wet and made it impossible for me to warm up entirely. I was under a waterfall that was going super fast. And I couldn't stop shaking. As Ronk said, I closed my eyes and waited under the waterfall sitting on a rock.

"Good, now wait patiently. And don't come out until I say so." Ronk said while watching me.

*I really didn't want to die without exploring the real world\, to be honest.* was the thing I said to myself at that moment.

"Don't think about anything, leave your mind empty, and focus on the sounds."

I tried. I tried to focus as hard as I could. But the feeling of cold surrounding my body made me shake every two seconds. I even started to feel like I was getting sick once more. Then I tried to sit patiently and it was like starting to work.

But the trouble was, the waterfall was no longer a problem. Because as soon as Ronk went silent and I opened my eyes slightly, I saw Ronk throwing a big piece of rock at me. Big pieces of rock, right towards my face.

"Trust your ears! You'll stay there and you will not move until you block the stone I threw!"

"What are you talking about!? I can't just dodge big pieces of rock!"

"You have to trust yourself!"

*I know it's Ronk. And I know he is crazy. But for goodness sake! Was he that crazy!?*

He threw pieces of rock at me without even telling me. And I was scared to death. But I tried to dodge them anyway. I jumped, crouched, even laid down, just to survive in that freezing cold. And the worst part was, the rocks that Ronk threw were almost like bullets. They were coming towards me at a speed that almost killed me for a second. And he threw them at a moment I never expected. Making me almost dead while dodging the other.

I couldn't do anything for an hour. And my body had turned white from the cold. I wanted to keep saying I couldn't do it, but I didn't. Because I kept remembering my uncle's training he did alone. He wouldn't stop in a situation like this and wouldn't want me to do the same. So I wanted to see it till the end. I wanted to fight like him.

At that moment, I managed to block the stone he threw.

*Wait a second!? How did I do that!?*

At that moment, I felt like something small was moving inside me. A small type of power that I felt for the first time. And just then, while I was trying to figure it out, I blocked another stone that followed, and I did it again and again for a while.

I kept going like this for a while.

"Enough for today, Ryuu, come on."

That was the first thing that I heard after blocking countless rocks. I immediately got out of the water, put on my clothes, and started walking towards him. I was in sweat and my body was hurting. But it was getting less and less tiring was very shocking for me. I was very surprised that I made it and I was also happy.

Maybe it was related to the "power" that he was talking about, maybe it was just my body getting used to what it was feeling. But either way, I was enjoying what I was gaining.

Ronk said,

"Not bad, but next time we come, your training will be difficult."

"Is there a continuation of this?" I replied while still thinking about the thing that I felt.

But to my luck, he didn't reply. And that made it pretty sure that I was going to keep doing this.

By the time we left the waterfall, it was getting dark.

I was passing once again through the forest, where I ran through with fear yesterday. As usual, the forest was full of voices and I was extremely nervous. But this time I wasn't too scared because I had Ronk with me. Also, even if we went into any training, I would have him with me if there was a problem.

But I thought about it too soon.

As soon as we were halfway through, we started hearing noises. But not like any other ones. This one was bigger. And it was scarier.

Ronk looked around to check if something was approaching us, but it didn't. That made it more suspicious. And it was probably. Something hiding somewhere in the trees.

"Stay close behind me, and be careful."

We were both nervous.

So I asked scared,

"What kind of sound that was?"

After training all this time, it was really annoying to deal with something like this. When I was tired, I couldn't help Ronk or defend myself. I'd just be a burden to him.

"Don't ask questions and stay with me." Ronk said while still trying to see the creature.

I had a bad feeling. I was having a difficult time finding the creature just like him. And just then Ronk pulled out his ax, which he never used and always carried on his back.

The ax glowed and flames began to rise around it. It was phenomenal. It was like a magical object that carried its power inside the top part. The flames were surrounding its top and it was glowing like a darker flame.

It was also the first time I'd seen an ax like that. Probably being one of the Magic Weapons my uncle was talking about.

But before I could ask why he pulled out the ax, a big creature appeared through the trees.

And it was a very aggressive kind of creature. The creature named "Colon". A mixture of an orc and a giant. Being as tall as a tree, these kinds of creatures usually lived in forest sides. And knowing that I was baffled by how I forgot that. My uncle told me about these creatures before. These creatures carried a stick half their own size as a weapon and usually hunt living beings that were smaller than them. But the trouble didn't end here, there were four aggressive wolves next to it.

I didn't know how that giant didn't attack those wolves, but they probably appeared right before it saw us. They had probably chased a deer's blood or something to find us just like the creature, and to get the bones from our bodies in case we died.

Three were gray, one was black. They were all mature wolves. So that made them quite dangerous too. They probably knew how to hunt better than the other ones. My uncle also told me that black wolves were the ones who always led their group, just like the one in the middle.

When we were thinking about what to do, and just then Ronk looked at me,

He said,

"When I distract them, get out of here. You understand me."

I just wanted to discuss it like the last time it happened to me. But I knew both ways his eagerness wasn't going to let him get convinced.

So I nodded. Ronk then grabbed his ax, created a big fire on top of it, swung it at Colon and the Wolves, and spread a very big fire towards them. This was distracting them enough, so I didn't lose time and ran away from there. As much as I wanted to help Ronk, I would have failed the plan in a way.

Two of the wolves managed to get through the fire. Ronk tried to throw them back, by holding them by their tails. But just then the giant attacked Ronk. It made Ronk fly backward by hitting him right in the chest.

While Ronk was dealing with him, the other two wolves targeted me and started coming after me. And they were quite fast to catch up to me just in time.

I couldn't speed up enough because of the training. I was so tired. My legs felt like they were falling apart whenever I stepped. On the other hand, my chest was beating too. Every time I took a breath, my nostrils started burning and my chest felt heavier aching second by second.

The wolves were getting closer too. And I realized I couldn't escape.

So finding the best solution I had at that moment, I stopped and climbed the tree next to me. I stepped every branch I could step and got on top of it in a matter of seconds.

But now I had to hide and I was gasping for air.

I tried to regain my energy. Looked around carefully, and made sure that none of them had seen me.

"Seriously -" *breath* " they're so fast." *breath*

But unfortunately, they had stopped too, and they were looking for me.

I tried to be as quiet as possible. I got my breathing as slow as possible and stayed still. It was a matter of seconds before they wouldn't find me. But because of my weight, a small piece of tree branch broke and fell one of wolf's head.

"Now I am done." I said while shaking with fear.

The Wolves realized I was up in the tree, and they were growling ferociously. They were angrily clawing it too. But I was up there thinking about what they could do if they took me down.

And just so as I thought, The tree started shaking. I looked down and saw The Black Wolf hitting the tree with its paw, but with incredible power. It was landing big blows to take down the tree easier and faster. I tried holding on to the branch tightly, struggling not to fall.

But after the Wolf threw four or five blows to the tree, he hit it as hard as he could one last time, and the tree finally fell.

And as soon as it did, I fell to the ground too with a branch of the tree falling on my leg. It didn't hurt me to fall from a height like that and the branch didn't hurt me too. But I wasn't able to move and I was now stuck.

My body still had its strength, but the branch was so badly stuck. I wasn't even able to pull my leg back an inch.

And now the Wolves were slowly approaching me too. After chasing me that much, they had more anger towards me. Their saliva was dripping and their eyes were wide opened.

At that moment I was sure I was going to die.

As the Black Wolf attacked, I put my hand forward and closed my eyes.

But nothing happened.

The black wolf suddenly stopped and the terrifying looks in Its eyes were gone. It was licking my face like a pet. Its eyes and its facial expression were so calm, it intended no harm.  I had no idea what was going on. And It was so cute that even the fear inside me disappeared. I was looking at it with shock.

But there was something bad about it too. The wolf in the back still wanted to eat me and now they were growling towards their friend. And they tried to attack as soon they didn't get any reply from their leader. But as the wolf was about to attack, The Black Wolf turned towards it and growled hard at it.

The horrifying expression was on its face once again.

Now both I and the other wolves were very surprised. Their leader, with whom they were chasing prey, had turned his back on them and was snarling at them.

There was nothing they could do anymore.

So they turned against their direction and retreated quickly.

On the other hand, I was still in shock.

The one who chased me around and wanted to eat me for so long was now protecting me against his friends. But why was it doing something like that? Even though I didn't do anything against it, it saw me on its side and prevented me from getting hurt. However, I was sure that I would not be able to save my life.

*That's not what I should be focusing on right now.* I shook my head and said to myself.

I still hadn't found Ronk, and my leg was stuck in a branch. If I didn't manage to get out of here, I would probably starve to death.

And just then, I heard yelling from somewhere.

"Ryuu! Where are you?"

Immediately after I recognized the voice, I shouted back

"Ronk! I'm here! I'm stuck!"

In just a couple of minutes, Ronk managed to find me. But he wasn't that good too. He was covered in blood that went from his head to his chest. It was some type of colorful and normal red blood. It was obvious that he hunted some creatures while on his way here.

And then, when he saw the Black Wolf next to me, he took his ax in his hand.

"What are you doing? Ronk?"

He didn't stop. He just went towards the wolf slowly.

I thought he got angry because all the time he searched for me and now I looked like I was in danger. But the real situation was much more complex than that. It was something that Ronk wouldn't sit and listen here all day. And I knew he wouldn't listen to me. So I tried my best to do something.

"Hey! Ronk! Stop! That wolf didn't do anything, calm down!"

But even though I tried to stop Ronk, he was still approaching, angrily.

Just then he pointed his axe. But not towards the wolf, but towards me.

"If that's true, There's only one way to know."

"Ronk, what are you doing?"

"We'll now understand If this wolf is loyal to you."

And to our guess, The Black Wolf began to bark and growl furiously. It looked at Ronk like he was an enemy like it wanted to protect me. And tried to approach Ronk.

But not waiting for too long, Ronk cut off the branch I stuck with his ax, and put it back, making the wolf stop.

He said,

"Congratulations on activating one of the Wolf powers."

With great surprise that I gained from all those events, I asked,

"One of my wolf powers?"

"This is the power you have, it's not such a simple power. It's called "Wolf Control". And it only works on leader wolves."

"Leaders? But how will it help me?"

"Although this power will help you in other situations, it allows you to ask for help from wolves in the most difficult situations. So focus on that power and make the most of it, son."

"Why is it necessary? Can't we focus on my other powers?"

"Because if you don't learn to control it yet, you won't have a chance with your other powers. And it doesn't take you to the future in any way."

It was very surprising that one of my wolf powers was already activated.

So I asked him again,

"So how many forces are there in total?"

"There are three main forces, but we'll talk about them at home follow me."

Ronk and I got home after an hour of walking. The problem was that the Wolf followed us home. It was like a pet just like I imagined it to be. But it wasn't that much of a problem. It stopped in front of the house and waited there.

And because I couldn't control my power well, I couldn't order the Wolf to go back and such. I did the most logical thing to do, and I named him. My first pet, Max.

Maybe it was very weird for a human to have a pet wolf. But the wolf was very happy when I called him by that name. So we got along with each other and got connected in minutes. After that, I kept calling him Max, and we didn't hurt each other.

Ronk wasn't happy about it, but he said he wouldn't say anything until I could control my power. He said I had to focus even if I had to do something like this.

And when we got home, we lit the fire and ate, as usual. I threw two pieces of bone in front of Max, and sat beside Ronk to rest a little bit.

At last, it was a difficult day.

"Ronk, the powers you're talking about today, what are the three main powers?" I asked Ronk as we got comfier.

He then sit properly and started explaining,

"Three main forces. It consists of wolf control, the claw of brutality, and endless howling."

He then added,

"First of all, wolf control. Wolf control is a power that will help you control the Wolves. It is something manipulative that will help you to gain more defense in battles. This way, even your blind spots will be covered with somebody who will protect you. Besides normal Wolves only take orders from alpha wolves and alpha wolves take orders from lineage people. Just like you. And if you can control your power like your father, you can control them all.

The second one. Claw of brutality. This power is something that can get you out of control when you lose so much blood. It takes control over your body, and just like a wolf, it turns you into a predator. And It only happens in extreme blood loss. So it's a very dangerous power and you have to do it when you have the smallest chances."

"But what happens if I can't? What will happen if I can't control it?"

"If you don't and If you can't control it, you will not notice good or bad. You will only attack the person in front of you. And that is something you don't want to do."

Talking about topics like these made me uneasy for a second. Because attacking someone very close to me was something I had a hard time thinking about. Even though I had no friends to lose, it was something that I had reconsidered, for the sake of my future.

And Ronk was doing his best to prepare me for it.

"And finally, "The Endless Howl". With this power, a man can be almost immortal. The endless howl grants you three hearts."

"Three hearts?"

"Exactly three hearts. Even if one disappears, the other one will be what keeps you alive."

"But isn't that something very powerful? And do other lineages have the same powers?"

"No, they're all different. Every lineage has its own power. And even though some can't reach immortality in a way like this, you can be sure they can compete head-to-head with you."

Something powerful as immortality. It sounded impossible, but if there were seventeen bloodlines in total, it was something normal. And their powers could have been scarier than mine.

So I asked Ronk more questions,

"Do you know anything about some lineages? Like how many lineages are there in total that people know about?"

"To the point of my memory that I can reach, there are seventeen lineages in total. But I only remember a few names."

He then added while trying to remember the names,

"Wolf bloodline, Destruction bloodline, Death bloodline, Assassin bloodline, Knight bloodline, Demon bloodline, Angel bloodline, and finally Dragon bloodline. They all have some sort of a creature-related name or a power, but some are more mysterious than we think. And these are just a few of them."

"They all have names presenting something. But are they all that powerful compared to the others?"

"They are more dangerous than the others, but the Wolf, destruction, and Dragon are the three most powerful lineages among them. People get terrified by them the most. But as you know, the Wolf Bloodline almost went extinct, if you have died."

"So there is nobody beside me, huh?"

"I have no knowledge about it, Kid. And even if I knew, I wouldn't do this to scare you or have fun. Knowing that you are alone, or lonely, is a priority that you must know. Because you can't know if it will make you stronger or weaker. But if you can cooperate with that idea, and move forward, you will have a better mindset than your enemies."

As Ronk said, even the thing I saw as my "Disadvantage" was something I could have turned into an "Advantage". And something that could make me more powerful than I was now.

"I understand." I said quietly looking down.

There were many lineages that I had no clue about, which they all had names like dangerous monsters. And if some of them even existed, it was going to be a big problem for me. Because like Pelena said before. If I did leave there, completing my trainings and reaching a level where I can travel by myself, I was going to see one or two of them.

And there was nothing to do, besides entering more and more trainings.

So I looked at Ronk, and gave him a very serious look,

"Ronk, I will awaken all my powers, no matter what."

He looked at me for a second. He then brushed it off with,

"We'll see about that."

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