In a vast open space, the area appeared as an endless green expanse, with a blue sky above and the beautiful movement of the wind that reminded one of old memories.
In another scene, the sound of wooden swords clashing together could be heard for a few seconds. In a beautiful scene, we see the young boy Kanami training with his new companion — a wooden doll the size of a human, designed with a very distinctive style. Mai had made it herself, and it was one of her earliest tools.
Mai watched Kanami attentively, remembering the past, the person the doll resembled. The only pain was in her eyes — perhaps the only thing she had left behind. Mai watched as Kanami learned the basics of martial arts from the doll. The young man was using a sword for the first time in his life, fighting battles and struggling to learn.
Returning to the scene, Mai was sitting on the grass. "What do you think, Kanami? You fought him before. Tell me."
Kanami felt only a little sarcasm. "I don't really know. All I remember is that I was fighting because I couldn't do anything worth mentioning except die. Definitely a brilliant achievement."
"And that man was crazy. I felt something strange about him, and that's all I can say. By the way, I got brutally beaten, and that was because of you." Mai looked at him and asked again, "Do you think you can defeat him in a one-on-one fight?"
Kanami answered, "I don't know. Nothing will happen just by knowing you can do it. How will I get the chance? I couldn't even see him move."
Mai thought for a moment and said, "Well, I was expecting something more confident from you. You're not weak on your own. You just need a teacher to show you how to deal with losers like them. Don't worry, we have plenty of time. Give me just three days and we'll be ready."
Kanami looked at her in shock. "What do you mean by three days? We don't have all that time. I don't even know if we have one hour before they find us."
Mai looked at him with pride and said, "I would agree with you if I were a strange person. Do you remember who I am, kid?"
Mai said with confidence, "I'm impressed with myself, just like you. I've never seen anything like this before. You are the first to see one of my special artistic masterpieces in this world. The meaning of time is completely different here. Every second outside my world equals one hour, while in my world it equals one and a half hours. And that's all we need."
Kanami looked around at the endless meadow. It was so quiet that he almost got lost in it — a gentle breeze, a clear sky, everything looked extremely peaceful.
Kanami looked behind him and saw a woman in her twenties approaching. She had long white hair, enchanting purple eyes, and soft white skin. He had never seen anything like her in his life. Was this what Mai really looked like? Her dress was slightly different from what he had seen before — something indescribable. Her dress was purple like the color of her eyes, with strange writing in an unknown language on it. She was holding a small orb in her hands.
Kanami looked a little confused by what he saw. Mai threw a wooden sword at his head. "Focus, kid!"
Kanami replied angrily, "Who do you think you are to call me kid?" Mai ignored him and began to explain.
"Listen carefully. Over the next three days, I will focus on three main things: strengthening your control over core energy, and your intelligence. I will teach you how to control energy and how to develop your mind with my own hands. As for your useless strength, I have a small gift from my friends to help you."
Kanami thought for a moment and said, "Do you really think three days are enough? I've never used a sword in my life."
Mai replied confidently, "I've told you enough. Now turn around and pay attention to your enemy. In a real fight, no one will wait for you."
Kanami turned to face the motionless doll holding something like a wooden sword. Before he could see anything, a black wooden blade flew through the air toward his neck. He barely managed to block the attack.
Mai said, "Keep going, kid. I made it as strong as a wild hunter. You can do it."
Kanami stepped back, gripping his sword tightly, then started running. He could hear the doll's movements around him.
Mai said, "Your first task is to land one single strike. I want to see how you use your mind."
Kanami continued running for a bit, then faced the doll. Everything became silent.
Nothing could be heard except the sound of the wind and the waves of the grass.
Kanami remained holding his sword, trying to pour all his focus into landing just one strike. It wasn't impossible.
Kanami took a deep breath, thinking of nothing but the doll's sword. In the next second, the wooden swords clashed and danced. Kanami struggled to understand the doll's fighting style.
He dodged one attack and took another. He tried to dodge and attack at the same time, but it didn't work. The doll wasn't human.
When Kanami tried to strike the doll's body, its joints moved with complete freedom in a full circle. He wouldn't last long if he kept taking hits and being pushed back.
Meanwhile, Mai watched carefully to see how Kanami could land that decisive blow.
Kanami continued struggling to keep up with the fight, but he realized he was much weaker, much slower, and that he would lose this battle soon. If he didn't think fast, he wouldn't have much energy left. He had already taken many hits, and each one was extremely painful. Perhaps in just one minute it would be over.
The sound of the wooden swords clashing was the only sound present. Kanami tried to focus, trying to think that the sword was the weapon — but was it the only one? Why not? What if he used all his limbs? This idea gave him more freedom to build his own style, but he had no time or energy left. That final strike would be everything.
Kanami gripped his sword for the final blow. In the next few seconds…
Kanami lowered his head. He dodged the doll's wooden sword and took it on his shoulder. It was extremely painful, but Kanami didn't give up. He kicked the doll in the chest, pushing it downward so it would fall.
But after taking the final blow and before it fell to the ground, the doll grabbed one of Kanami's four limbs with force and threw him backward.
The boy fell face-first onto the grass and didn't move.
It hadn't even taken three minutes. That was all Kanami could do with his current strength. He had done it in the end, but he couldn't move from the intensity of the pain. The last blow he received from the doll was so powerful that it broke at least one or two bones.
Mai approached them and said, "Excellent work, Kanami. I'm really impressed. I didn't expect you to succeed. Well done!"
In the next few seconds, Kanami felt the pain gradually fade away, and his body began to heal. The broken bones were no longer broken, nor were the wounds on his skin or the bruises.
Mai said, "I'll let you rest now. Tell me, what did you learn?"
Kanami looked at her with tired eyes and said, "I didn't know you could heal."
Kanami looked at her with tired eyes and said, "I didn't know you could heal."
Mai answered, "No, I can't heal. I can only rewind the time of your body to before you were injured. If you lost an arm, I could rewind it, but that requires enormous power. I've never seen anyone with this ability in my homeland before."
"Simply put, you can die as much as you want, but we can always come back. At the right time to save you, it seems like a curse, doesn't it?"
Kanami remained silent, not knowing what he felt — admiration or anger? The idea of dying, suffering all that pain, then returning to life wasn't comforting at all, but it was useful for saving others. It was funny that this power could save everyone except him. The pain had faded, but the exhaustion in his mind had not.
Mai looked at him and said, "Rest now. After half an hour we'll teach you how to use your element, so rest while you can." Then she gave him water and food. "At this rate, we'll finish before the time to prepare for the battle."
Kanami agreed and started eating, his mind wandering. He really felt lost these days. Everything was moving too fast for him, and he hadn't had the chance to keep up. In the end, this was life, and life didn't wait for anyone to change. He didn't really know if he was trapped, forced, as if his life was constantly deteriorating. Did it really matter what would happen if he refused to fight? What would happen if he gave up? Did he have any chance? No matter what, he would return.
From the beginning again. No matter how many times he died, he would be pushed back into the fight. He pushed those thoughts out of his mind. No matter what happened, he would never back down.