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A Hero Tale {Complete}

"Losing isn't the end," Lark muttered from under his hands and scruffy hair. The old man rose his head slightly, chin still rested against the table, and looked up at Jenso quietly. There was a very subtle pain in his eyes, but he kept himself composed despite the painful memories that resurfaced. "Five years ago, before I had even shacked up in this dreadful little rock-grave, the same thing happened to me and my people on the island of Gaia. A strange woman in a black mask was somehow able to find our village despite the magic that hid it. She seemed peaceful at first, flirting her way through our men and women to her hearts content, and not really bothering anyone. That is, until one day, when several of our most powerful warriors were killed in their sleep," Lark paused and looked down at the table's intricate details and closed his eyes. "Nobody knew how she'd gotten so many married men and women into bed, nobody knew how she'd turned virtue into lust, and nobody thought she was that strong. Before I knew it, I was flat on my ass as I watched her chase my son off the island, and kill every last one of my family members before me. I fell asleep, and the next thing I knew, I was awake on the shore of your continent with Harold by my side. He says, 'eh, you washed up on shore' and I didn't question it. Just had to cope with the deaths of my people... And well, as you can see, I don't exactly cope in the healthiest ways." Lark sat up and stretched his back. "Haven't had to summon the ole' soul breaker in ages. Haven't really spoken to anyone other than Harold for ages either. It's been pretty lonely out here. But hey, Pij didn't leave me when I was tossed into the Ocean. She's been with me as long as I can remember, aint that right Pij?"

The little bird tweeted happily and flew over to comfort Lark. He chuckled as he feathers tickled his cheek, and cleared his throat right afterward. "You aint dead yet, Jenso. Don't throw away your future like I did. A loss is only the end if you let it consume you."

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Lark nodded silently. "It's not just the memory, but something back then really must've triggered your inner power really fucking heavily. That kick was on par with mine at full strength- No, it was stronger. That's not a normal source of power you've got there, kid. That's uncanny." Lark sighed loudly and rested his chin on one hand. "Whatever it was you did, it worked. Unfortunately, it's not as easy as just figuring out what triggers it. That burst of Ki wasn't controlled, it was like your soul was trying to defend itself. You've gotta figure out how to become one with it, like, tickle it into acting up on command... Uhg, I don't know." Lark fell forward and placed both hands on his head. "Bah.."

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Chapter 7

_{A Lonely Tale}

Lark pulled Jenso over to the chair he'd sat in before, and Pij fluttered about on the table, eager to see the result of whatever the heck the two were doing outside. Lark nodded to the bird, and she immediately quieted down. "Sorry, kid. Kinda lost myself for a moment there," Lark said quietly, sitting across the table from Jenso. "Brave of you to try and attack despite a lack of any opening. 'Course, if that were a real fight, you'd be dead, even against somebody with the same speed as you."

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Lark desummoned his sword again, but not before heating the blade's length and instantly cauterizing Jenso's wound. He then rushed to support Jenso over his shoulder and huffed. "Gotta be honest kid," Lark started, pulling Jenso back towards his hut, "If I didn't block that kick, it might've killed me."

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~ End Of Chapter 6 ~

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Lark moved much quicker, and struck Jenso's leg in mid-kick with his sword, slicing deep, but stopping just before it tore into his bone, and holding his leg in place with his right hand. "Easy there," Lark muttered, looking somewhat traumatized that he'd hurt Jenso. "That's enough."

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Lark Chuckled and nodded as Jenso approached him, focusing his Ki to tank Jenso's attack again. "Yea, that'll happen when you've-" A sudden lapse in his thought process caused Lark to stutter his word and summon his sword on instinct. He held the flat edge of the blade with his left hand and blocked Jenso's kick with the opposite side. His feet slid across the dirt ground a few feet, and he lowered his blade in shock. Lark blinked a couple of times, and then smiled. "Hey hey hey! Look at that! That's Gaian Levels of Ki M'boy!" Lark cheered, gripping his sword with both hands. "Alright, back to the sword!" He called out, rushing Jenso and slashing at his chest. If Jenso dodged, he would slash again, and again, not giving him an opportunity to attack safely.

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Lark stopped and deflected all of Jenso's punches one after another, easily staying one step ahead of the uncoordinated attack. The palms of his hands felt almost like rocks as Jenso punched them. Once he was finished, Larked thrusted his right first forward and hit Jenso in the face with a weaker blow, as not to knock him out. As soon as Jenso was able to move again, Lark would start talking.

"Do you usually hit your opponents with that move? That's just a bunch of random punches! Maybe if I couldn't move.. Or or- I was slow as fuck! It might've done something then, but-" He stopped and shrugged. "Got anything else?"

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Lark De-summoned his sword and dodged Jenso's punch by the skin of his teeth. "You gotta find a link-" Lark started, grabbing Jenso by the throat before he could react, and tossing him into a nearby pile of stones. Lark hooted loudly, a little lost in the adrenaline. "Like my link with adrenaline! Ahaha!" He began walking towards Jenso, but with each step, Jenso would feel a new sensation. It was faint, and very weak, but Jenso had the ability to tap into something. He felt Lark's aura, and although he couldn't quite understand what it was, the power was growing as he got closer.

"My power isn't innate, kid! I'm channeling it actively with memories," Lark explained briefly, tapping his skull regardless of whether or not Jenso could see it. Right after, he dashed towards Jenso and prepared to stop on his Leg.

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Lark Tanked the punch with his entire mid-section flexed. He held his blade on Jenso's right with one hand, looked down at him for a second, and nodded with his lower lip pursed outward, as if to say 'not bad' or something along those lines. But his lips curved into a smile moments afterwards, and he rose his right foot up towards Jenso's chest, With a single motion, he kicked forward with a massive amount of force.

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Lark's sword shot up to block Jenso's foot with its flat side. The movement was far faster than before, but Lark didn't attack afterwards. His right elbow was bent in front of his chest as he held the sword up-side-down and kissed his teeth mockingly, shaking his head. Suddenly his right elbow jutted forward and slammed against Jenso's chest with immense force and speed, far faster than Prisma was for sure. "Come on, wimp! You're sluggish!" Lark shouted, raising his blade again, and beckoning Jenso to attack.