Warping sound (zrooom)!!!

  (The surrounding is pitch black, then a sudden baby cry is in the background.)

  I opened my eyes and saw four people. A beautiful woman in her 30s with light skin, long black hair, brown eyes, and a slender figure; a man in his 40s with tanned skin, brown-reddish hair, chestnut-colored eyes, and a fit figure; an old woman in her 70s with white hair and some strands of black hair; and a teenage boy in his 10s with tanned skin, yellowish-orange eyes, and a fit physique. The woman held me in her arms to calm me down. The four people all seemed very happy and rejoicing.

  "I have a baby brother now," says the teenage boy in a joyful voice.

  The man pats the head of the teenage boy.

  "Lutia, what do we name him?" says the man.

  "What do you think Dave?" says Lutia to the teenage boy.

  "You will name your brother Dave," says Dumuzi to Dave.

  "Hmm, let me think about it. How about Freed?" says Dave.

  "That's a good name, Dave," says Dumuzi.

  "Hello, Freed," says Lutia.

  "What a wonderful name," says the old woman.

  Years later Freed is now 6 years old.

  I grew up watching my brother and father farm in our backyard. In the morning they planted and farmed, then in the afternoon they went hunting wild animals, and by evening, my brother studied.

  My brother was very good at hunting at such a young age. He knew a lot of things and had a wide view of the world. His dream was to be an agent in the Shadow Net and travel and explore the world.

  The Shadow Net is an organization composed of talented individuals trained to be agents with different specialties. Its main purpose is to regulate peace and order in the world. It scouts talented individuals to join their organization every year. They said that it is not easy to be part of the organization, it takes great talent and skills to pass the exams. Agents are distributed throughout the world to perform specific tasks based on their specialties and the department they are in. They played a big part in all the development in our world today.

  My brother was very interested in joining the upcoming examination that would take place six months from now, so he started training every afternoon and came home by evening. I often saw him training with my father and sometimes with Uncle Hendrick. Uncle Hendrick is my mother's brother. He is tall with a masculine body, and a mustache. He is enthusiastic about everything and is an expert in hunting. He was teaching my brother how to handle daggers, swords, bows and arrows, spears, and also hand-to-hand combat.

  He likes flexing his muscles and competing in strength with the other people in our town. Our town is small, so everyone knows each other very well.

  "Freed! Wanna come to my training today? Uncle Hendrick will be teaching me how to use a katana. You wanna watch?" says Dave.

  "Yeah, Dave. Come and watch us train," says Uncle Hendrick.

  "Really? Can I? I was getting bored here at home. I will go with you," says Freed.

  "But, what about mother? Will she allow me to leave the house?" says Freed.

  "Let's ask mother," says Dave.

  The two brothers rushed to their mother.

  "Mother, can I go along with Dave in his training?" says Freed with a delighted smile.

  "Hmmm, but what if you get hurt?" says Lutia while touching Freed's cheek.

  "I will take care of him and we will come back home early. Uncle Hendrick is with us, so we will be safe," says Dave.

  "But the forest is very dangerous for a small boy, I think I cannot let you go," says Lutia.

  (Freed's head droops and he looks sad.) Dave is looking at Freed with a sad face.

  "It's okay Freed," says Dave.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  As the two were ready to turn their back, Lutia suddenly smiles.

  "I was just teasing you boys," Lutia says with a smile.

  "Honey, the boys will be out for training with Hendrick!" says Lutia to Dumuzi.

  "Really? Okay, just be careful! Don't go deep into the forest," says Dumuzi while planting.

  "YES!!!" say the two brothers as they give each other a high five.

  "Pack your things now Freed," says Dave.

  Freed instantly runs and begins packing his things.

  "We'll be leaving now, mother," says Dave.

  "Please be careful, you two!" says Lutia.

  "Take care of them Hendrick, and please come back home early. Don't work them out too much. I know you!" says Lutia.

  "Don't worry, sister. I'm a responsible uncle now. I will take care of these two. Come on boys! Let's go," says Hendrick.

  "Dumuzi, we'll be leaving now. I've got your boys!" says Hendrick.

  "Take care of them. Thank you," says Dumuzi.

  The three walk outside of the town and go towards the forest.

  "Alright, this will be a good spot. Drop your things and let's start the training," says Hendrick enthusiastically.

  "Let's do some warm-up first, and the first thing to do is run. Running makes you more agile and will improve your endurance," says Hendrick.

  They ran through the forest following Hendrick.

  The two were already gasping and out of breath.

  "Alright, that's enough for running. Now we will do push-ups," says Hendrick.

  "Uncle, don't we have a break?" asks Freed.

  "Oh, sorry, you're tired already?" says Hendrick.

  "But only 15 seconds, we will do 15-second breaks on each warm-up," says Hendrick with a smile.

  "Time's up!!! Now we begin push-ups!" says Hendrick.

  "But, we didn't even start the 15-second break," says Freed.

  "1, 2, 3, 4... 200. Counting while doing push-ups," says Hendrick.

  "Is this for real, brother? Is this the training you're doing every day?" says Freed while gasping too much.

  "Yeah, Uncle is very energetic when it comes to training. You will catch up in this routine later," says Dave.

  Then, they did pull-ups, squats, curl-ups up to count 200 later.

  "Ha ha ha ha ha ha... I'm so tired, it's like I’m ready to go to sleep now.

  Hahaha. That is a natural reaction. I was also like you when it was my first time training with Uncle Hendrick. Dave says.

  Now, the warm up is over. Can you feel the heat now? Can you feel the blood flowing in your body? Now you can move much better in this state, Hendrick says.

  Get your wooden swords boys and I will teach you the basics, Hendrick says.

  Uncle Hendrick teaches us kenjutsu day by day. We will do mock fights to test our skills.

  Then, during the second month, he teaches us hand-to-hand combat. From punching, kicking, defending, countering, to grappling. It was a lot of work for our physical strength.

  In the third month, we did a lot of running on the beach and in the forest every day while simulating mock battles between the three of us. We did this kind of training up until the fifth month.

  "You guys were so amazing, I never imagined you would be this skilled in just a few months," Hendrick says.

  "It's true, in just five months we have improved a lot. The hard training my uncle gave us really boosted our skills. Especially my brother, he really improved a lot and he even defeats my uncle during mock battles. He is always praised by my uncle as a genius as he easily learns things and excels at them. He can adapt and think quickly in sudden situations and even improvise his own methods. I admire him and want to be like him," Freed says.

  "Ow crap, you beat me again Dave! I guess I'm really growing old! Hahaha," Hendrick says.

  From now until your departure, we will be doing Samadhana. This is a meditation passed down to us by our ancestors. It enables you to calm your mind and soul, uniting you with your surroundings. You must let go of any worries, you must free your mind, Hendrick says.

  Now, let go of your thoughts... take a deep breath... concentrate... listen to your surroundings... feel the air...

  They continue meditating for hours, in the forest, by the river, at the ocean, below a waterfall, and inside a cave.

  "This will be the last day of your training, Dave. Today, I will put a blindfold on you and your task is to get a book inside the forest and bring it back to me," Hendrick says.

  "Why is it so hard, Uncle? How can he even see where to walk?" Freed asks.

  "That's his challenge. He must be able to do it if he wants to pass the exam," Hendrick says.

  "I'm ready, Uncle," Dave says.

  Hendrick puts the blindfold on Dave.

  "Okay, now head towards the forest," Hendrick says.

  Dave slowly heads towards the forest until he is no longer visible.

  It was already dark, as we started this challenge almost late in the afternoon already.

  Crickets and insects chirp in the background.

  Then, suddenly, a silhouette of a man starts to come out of the forest. It was Dave. He carries with him the book that he was asked to get and bring outside the forest.

  "You made it, brother!" Freed says joyfully.

  "I can't believe he made it, he was really something else," Hendrick says while scratching his head.

  Hendrick reflects on the challenge he set for Dave. He had asked several of the townspeople to disguise themselves and hide in the forest. Their task was to stop Dave from getting the book and to subdue him.

  Hendrick realizes that he was not able to accomplish this feat during his own training at this early stage. He is filled with pride for Dave's achievement.

  The next day, early in the morning, Dave stood at the ship dock, bag in hand, ready to depart on his journey.

  As the ship set sail, Dave turned to wave goodbye to his family, Lutia, Dumuza, and Freed, who looked on with a mix of sadness and pride. Hendrick, with tears in his eyes, told Dave to make him proud.

  The ship slowly sailed away from the shore, as the morning rooster's crow and the ship horn's blare echoed in the background.