Descendence
The Catalyst Stories
Edge’s Story
The Honing of My Craft Part I
‘Day 6’
“One...two...three...”
Edge pushed up for the fourth time, his breath expelling the number of push-ups he was on.
What was once a beautifully placed front room, was now some attempt at a makeshift gym...
“Four...five...six...”
His breathing quickened, and he began to feel the burn in his arms again. He had been trying to work out for a few days now. Day three had been when he started.
“Seven...eight...nine...”
This was only the last part of his workout for now too. He’d continue again tonight, working on his legs.
“Ten...eleven...t-twelve...”
The burn in the chest and the arms was starting to become too great. Not many more left, just...just...
“Thir...teen!...Four...teen!”
With that last gasp, Edge let himself fall to the floor, grunting and panting as he did. His face against the carpet as he looked around dazed. He took a minute to gather his breath, before hopping up.
Now he began to stretch. If there was ever a wise ending to a workout, it would be to stretch before and after, get the blood pumping. Maybe he should invest in a punching bag of sorts, something to test his strength on?
Like anyone was going to be selling anything right now...
With his morning routine done, Edge collapsed onto the sofa that was now perched against the side of the room. Sweat dripped down his face onto his neck as he caught his breathing back to a regular pace. When he finally felt settled, he looked over at the other side of the room.
He kept it on him at all times when moving around the house, just as a potential security measure, but he stared at the Unavenged Sheath, that lay propped against the wall leading into the kitchen.
There was still one more exercise he needed to perform for the day...
* * *
The back garden to the house felt like one of the few places that hadn’t been tainted by that which hung above. Under the glare of the barrier, Edge stood in the middle of a large patch of grass, extending his blade forward in front of him.
He held it firmly with both hands, keeping it within his centre.
The sword was light enough to be held with one hand, yet Edge felt more comfortable when he had full two-handed control over where the blade would go. Also because right now, he wasn’t strong enough to defend himself one-handed.
Human bodies didn’t work in the way one would think in this world.
The average human body would be expected to go through long hours of work and hardship in order to create aspects such as figure, strength, knowledge.
Here, that is not the case.
The human body here is decided by the six senses.
Vision, Hearing, Smell, Touch, Taste, and the Sixth.
One could train their eyesight to see beyond the reaches of a naked eye. What could once be a blurry letter on a wall could become crystal clear if the vision was trained enough.
The range of hearing could be increased in intense situations. It required one to stay in silence and listen to the world around them. Only then could they start picking up the faintest sounds.
The same could be said for a sense of smell. Every tracker needed what was called a Stinker. Someone who could track by scent alone, and it was a vital skill to use out in the wilds.
Touch was the basis of all evolution for the body. In touching, you feel, and in feeling, you become familiar with that which you’ve chosen. Holding a blade, feeling it move through the air, the weight, the speed, the angles, the body took it all in. You could become a master of the blade, alongside the master of touch.
If anything, taste was in the category to simply keep all senses relevant. There were rumours of people who could improve their sense of taste, learn to like things that they did not before in terms of food, drink. But the evolution of taste had been a vital step forward in the world. After all, how would the world learn that things such as milk could be made edible for human consumption? It had to be done.
But the last and most interesting factor was the Sixth Sense. A sense hidden deep within every brain of every living thing in this world. The world itself was made by the Sixth. It breathed through the land, and if you wanted a more basic word for it, you could call it magic.
Every human had Sixth Sense Energy flowing through their blood, the veins, their body. It lived through past generations and would in the future too. Every human was special, whether it was their Birth Element, their Energy Value, or their Mastery.
Every human was born with a Birth Element, an element of magic that radiated deep inside them, at the heart. This meant that should a human choose to follow the path at magic, they would find themselves with an element they could cast easier than any others. Their strong point, their nexus, their element. Humans born with the Fire Element could breathe bright flames that scattered a thousand embers into the night sky. Those born with the Ice Element could learn to freeze lakes and rivers. Those born with the element of Thunder could cause the storm of the ages. Everyone had one, yet no everyone would discover their element. There was no way to check either. Not even Catalyst technology could trace Sixth Sense Energy if they could, they likely would have harnessed its power by now. Alas, the world seemed to protect itself perfectly.
Energy Value varied between every human too, though you could tell if someone had a better understanding than the other. How much Sixth Sense energy does a human have flowing through them? It’s a fascinating question because there’s never a set answer. It fluctuates, it buries itself deep down, and it expels itself back into the world. But a person’s strength can be measured by how much energy they have deep down. While the answer is never clear, one can train their energy to grow, to expand, to become a power that no other could hope to wield. Like a Birth Element, magic can be grown into new forms, more powerful casts, more devastating depending on the person. Once again, this is like training all other senses. But the Sixth Sense only grows with the aims of a person. Their drive for what they want for the future is what rises the energy, and creates new forms of possibilities.
Then there is Mastery. Only a few obtain that level of energy, where they manage to master the elements, master the art of energy, and become one with Sixth Sense itself. Those of old were said to be most in tune with the world, and ones who lived in harmony with Sixth Sense. As time went on however, new ways of life arrived, and slowly the world became cut off from itself, the inhabitants grew distant from what breathed life into their world. This was no terrible thing however, for the world was still safe, it did not need to be constantly connected to the human race in order to keep the world alive. There were also still those that kept the world company in achieving this level of skill.
Sixth Sense enhanced everything about a person. It increased so many attributes of a person. Enhancing strength to take on great feats against nature itself. Raising the agility allowed one to perform incredible feats some could only dream of attempting. Balancing the vitality of one’s health, keeping one strong and active through even the toughest of times. Giving the gift of intelligence giving the mind new ways to solve problems and find solutions accordingly. Creating a new dexterity in one's coordination and daily lives. All of these could be trained, and even though exercise to a human was a vital way of the path to mastery, it was the person who ultimately determined how strong they could become.
If they willed themselves on a drive, and if the world responded to the call of the energy deep inside a human body, then strength, power, control, it would come in no time at all. But it had to be a drive the world saw as value, that was needed.
This was the path Edge had chosen. He was going to fight against the Catalysts, and compete in this Catalyst Challenge. He knew about the laws of sixth sense energy, his foster father, Sparda, had been able to achieve Mastery in his time. While Edge never expected that level of power, he still wanted to become strong enough to fight for his freedom, to return to his family.
It had only been three days, but deep down Edge felt like the world had heard his call. It would still take a while, weeks, months maybe, but Edge could feel strength. The past week had taught him a lot already.
When this started, he had been someone who lacked the motivation to do anything, to get up and find his place in the world. Now the world had forced him to find it, and he knew it was fighting alongside those who would no doubt soon rise up against the Catalysts. He was just waiting for a sign, a sign that finally, the fight had begun. When he saw or heard that sign, he’d take the sword in his hands now, and use it to fight for freedom.
Raising the sword above his head, Edge swung down, repeatedly, in a pattern. He needed to learn the way of the blade, learn the warrior’s way. This would be the routine until the time came to fight. There were still many days ahead to train and grow, and Edge would use every one of them as best as he could. Train his sixth sense energy to grow, train his body to grow in muscle and mass, and train his skills with the sword so he could take on these powerful machines.
* * *
Every night Edge took a new book out from the bookshelves in the living room. These were books Sparda had collected through the years, and each held so much knowledge.
Books on the blade, that taught new skills, new stances, ways to block and to counter. Ways to effectively cut down the toughest of materials and how the blade was just as much a part of you, as well as an extension of yourself.
Books on the elements of magic, their history, and how they had progressed throughout time. Scrolls that explained how to harness the power of magic and how to carry basic through to advanced level spells. Edge had hoped to find ones on expert level casting, but it seemed Sparda kept those under some form of lock and key. Where that key was...well it had to be around the house somewhere. That could be a fun distraction at some point in the future.
With night approaching, Edge decided now was the best time for a second workout. That way he’d be tired from the burn again, and he’d hopefully be able to get sound asleep. He hadn’t paid much attention to how the outside world was taking things right now, the priority was himself.
Muttering to himself to motivate, Edge made sure he had enough room to complete his next workout. Then after stretching out his body again, he began the second workout for the day.
Floor triceps, twelve of them.
Pike push-ups, twelve of them also which was easier on his nagging back from all the sword training.
After every few, Edge would stretch out on the floor, thirty seconds at a time. Stronger, he needed to get stronger.
He repeated the exercises he had just done, now lowering them down to ten each, making sure not to push himself too hard.
His workouts turned to more ground-based. Supine push-ups and hyperextension. Once those were done, he closed out his workout with the same push-up routine from earlier.
“One...two...three...”
Had to get stronger.
“Four...five...six...”
Had to move faster.
“Seven...eight...nine...”
Had to stay focused.
“Ten...eleven...twelve...”
Had to survive the Catalyst Challenge.
“Thirteen...four...teen...fifth...teen! Six...teen!”
With that last gasp, Edge held himself up, not waiting to lay down like he had been defeated. The second workout for the day was complete, and now it was time to retire and get a good night’s rest. He’d continue tomorrow.
But as Edge began to climb the stairs to bed, the Unavenged Sheath in his hand, he looked back towards the front door. It hadn’t been opened since he arrived, and no one had come to check either. At some point, he needed to go out there and see what the world had become. He had only ever heard noises from the garden, hearing people scared and worried about what was to come.
He had been thinking about people recently too. Lunar and Sparda were clearly not in the city, they would have come here by now, surely they would have if they were still in the city. Edge didn’t want to think about the less fortunate case.
But there were still some people out there that Edge wondered if he should check on. While he wasn’t the most social person in the world, there were two friends out there who may be just as scared as he was.
He wondered if it was worth the journey...
Next Time:
Edge & Red's Story
The Friendly Reunion
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