8 Leaf's Training I

"Brother, I'm so sorry" Said Leaf after leaving the dean's tower with Alar.

"It's ok, you would have known about most of what I talked about with father sooner or later." Answered Alar smiling gently.

The two kept walking until they reached one of the olive trees in the main inner courtyard where the dean's tower was.

"Brother," asked Leaf "what is this ceremony that you and father talked about?"

"Emperor Asad had decreed around ten years ago that the children of the Akmar's family should have their Ba'sar tested." Said Alar.

"And does it hurt?" asked innocently the green-eyed boy.

Alar chuckled "no, of course not."

"Then why were you so worried?"

"You don't have to worry about that. Your big bro will take care of everything." Said Alar while caressing his little brother's fiery head, a hint of sadness and resoluteness in his eyes.

"What you should be worried about instead," Said Alar "is you having to start training, with me".

Leaf saw the scary and yet funny smile of his brother. Being trained by Alar was like a dream coming true to him. What he didn't know is that Alar- who had started teaching in the academy for some time - was known as Alar the Heartless for his severity both in military and bureaucratic courses. In a few months Leaf would have started the lessons at the academy and even before that he would have to go through the ceremony. As for Alar, he had no intention of wasting a single moment.

"Six months. You will have to awaken your Ba'sar and control it in six months." Said Alar to an anxious Leaf "Tomorrow morning I'll see you at the private training ground a dawn." Said Alar the Heartless.

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The two brothers were standing in the training ground. It was an area similar to one of the inner courtyards but equipped to training the academy's military disciples. It had straw targets and in the center a little arena highlighted by a white circle at the level of the ground. The training thus commenced.

"Leaf, attack me." Said Alar "If you manage to land a hit on me, no matter how weak, you win. So, give it your best."

Leaf understood from the tone and the look that that was no moment to back down. He was not facing his gentle brother, rather he was facing alar the Heartless. It was not uncommon for military students to break a bone or two, as for Alar's disciples they would often break more than that when facing Alar. Thus, Leaf charged.

The little Leaf had never received any particular formal training, but the games he used to play with his brothers were far from being kinds' games. In short, thanks to those running and catching games Leaf was agile, fast, and had quick reflexes and wit. Leaf charged while slightly grinning, his brother was grinning as well. Leaf then changed directions rapidly to try to distract his brother, he was zigzagging like a red thunder, trying to be as unpredictable as a leaf blown by the wind. While zigzagging and approaching his brother he suddenly leaped forward trying to use his short stature to hit his brother's legs from the front. Leaf then changed direction at the last instant and transformed his low frontal kick into a kick to the back of his brother's leg, rotating like a red windmill, with the aim of putting Alar off balance. As Leaf was grinning and Alar was still turning his back on him time seemed to stop. His brother did not even have to turn, he only had to kick Leaf with a movement similar to that of a donkey kick. Leaf's body flew throughout the training courtyard like a red ball, his hands and legs in front of him because of the air pressure and the gravity. He smashed violently against one of the straws, which slightly deviated his trajectory, thus making the violent crash against the wall non-lethal.

Alar's look was impassible "Stand." He commanded. his medium length red hair not even ruffed up, contrary to Leaf, who as in a pitiful state. Leaf had to put all his strength to keep himself conscious. A brutal but also shocked look on his, teeth grinning, fiery eyes. He understood what the kick was for.

"I won't underestimate you next." Said Leaf, who understood that the kick was to teach him that he had to be serious.

Alar chuckled a bit thinking that if Shimun and Elemir were to see the look on Leaf's face they would not recognize him. They knew that he was persistent but not that the cute green-eyed boy could make a resolute and fierce look that one Alar was seeing. But he knew his brother the most and trusted that Leaf had great potential.

Leaf kept trying to hit his brother for hours, failing miserably at every try. He did not use the same strategy twice, he did not use the same attack pattern twice, he did not underestimate his brother twice, and yet all attempts failed. Leaf already knew he had no chance, but what he wanted to understand in all his painful attempts was why.

"Why!" asked a panting and exhausted Leaf "why can't I hit you Alar."

To which a smiling Alar replied "let's rest for a bit" recovering a bit of the gentle look Leaf knew.

Leaf just crashed on the ground catching some breath and sweating, in order to recover a bit of his stamina. As for Alar, he seemed to look even fresher than when he began.

"What do you know about Ba'ar, Leaf?" asked Alar, who had thrown a towel for his brother ans sat beside him.

"I just know what I managed to grasp from Shimun, Elemir and you. Oh, and from mother and father, but that doesn't amount to much. I just know that in some way it's part of how the world works and that we can access it depending on our level of understanding." Explained Leaf.

"And you know how Ba'sar affects reality?" Asked Alar.

"Well I remember it was something like...having two things become the same and then separating them. When those beings are three, one of them being the Ba'sar user, then affecting one of the beings means affecting the other. They become connected." Said Leaf while moving his lower lip with his index absorbed in thought.

"That is a nice way of summarizing it in a simple way." Said Alar, a bit proud of his student.

Alar then introduced his brief explanation saying "remember one of the most fundamental and important rules of Ba'sar. The more you'll understand its theory, the more you'll be able to harness it."