Tales of the Linchpin

The Churning Torrent

David woke long before the sun crested the horizon, his body entirely heavy from the previous day's breakthrough. Every muscle ached with a deep, throbbing soreness, a brutal reminder of the dark grey energy he had forcibly pulled from his soul.

He sat up slowly, listening to the absolute silence of the room.

"You up?" Lazarus asked, suddenly appearing in the doorway with a knowing smile.

David turned his head. "Yeah. I'm up."

"Good. Get ready," Lazarus instructed. "We move to the next phase of your training."

David followed him outside into the cool morning air. The crisp wind washed over him, clearing the remaining fog from his mind. They walked past the small yard, David’s hands lightly brushing against the tall corn plants as they entered the dense treeline.

"How are you feeling today?" Lazarus asked without looking back.

"Great," David muttered, despite the aches.

"Hmm. Follow me."

They navigated deep through the unmodified wilderness until the faint, distant roar of rushing water reached David's ears. The trees eventually broke away to reveal a massive, powerful river reflecting the sharp orange hues of the rising sun.

They tracked the current upward until they reached a colossal waterfall. It stood roughly six meters high, its heavy, violent torrents slamming mercilessly into the smooth rocks below.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Lazarus asked.

"Yeah. It is," David replied.

Lazarus sat down on the rocky bank, crossing his legs to face the roaring water. David mirrored him.

"You were able to connect to your soul and unleash your raw energy yesterday," Lazarus said, his voice low but cutting clearly through the roar of the falls. "Not going to lie—I am deeply impressed. It takes months for ordinary people to achieve that. But because your physical body isn't trained yet, that raw surge completely exhausted you."

"That explains the blackout," David noted.

"Exactly. For this next phase, we are going to train your endurance, your stamina, and the active flow of **Presence** through your veins. Your body needs to learn how to burn that soul energy safely." Lazarus stood up, his expression hardening. "Take off your shirt and step directly under the waterfall. Once you can stand standard, you will continue your meditation right there to control the flow."

David stripped his shirt and stepped into the freezing water.

The moment he crossed beneath the main cascade, the hydraulic pressure slammed into his bare shoulders like a living, physical weight. The water was so blindingly cold it stole the breath completely from his lungs. His body trembled violently, his muscles locking up just to keep him upright.

The waterfall showed absolutely no mercy. The endless roar sounded like the voice of the world screaming at him to give up. The freezing chill sank deep into his bones, biting harder with every passing second. His footing slipped on the mossy rock, panic surged, and the crushing current instantly threw him off balance, shoving him hard down into the riverbed.

"Go again," Lazarus commanded from the bank.

David dragged himself up, coughing out water, and forced his way back under the cascade.

The waterfall roared like a rabid beast. David stood beneath it, his feet barely holding against the crushing force. Every drop felt like a stone slamming into his skull, pushing him to his absolute physical limits. He clenched his jaw, focused his mind, and tried to anchor his weight—but the current slammed him off balance again, tossing his body brutally against the jagged rocks.

"Damn it..." he wheezed, dragging his bruised body back up. "Again."

Time began to completely blur. Each agonizing attempt bled into the next.

Stand. Fall. Stand. Fall.

His skin grew wrinkled and pale from the water. His breathing turned ragged. His legs shook uncontrollably every time he stepped forward into the downpour. But he refused to stop.

The forest around them slowly shifted as the sun traced its path across the sky. The crisp morning light turned into the harsh heat of midday, which eventually softened into the deep orange glow of evening. Still, he kept going.

On his hundredth attempt, he steadied his feet beneath the thundering water, forcing his mind entirely inward. *This time...*

The water crushed down on him. His knees buckled violently—but he didn't fall immediately. For a few brief, agonizing seconds... he held.

Then his strength gave out entirely, and he hit the riverbed. David lay flat on his back in the shallow water, staring up at the darkening sky, breathing heavily. "...Still not enough."

---

Days bled into weeks, and weeks finally stretched into two full months.

Every single day followed the same brutal routine. Some days David lasted seconds longer under the pressure. Some days, minutes. Eventually, his legs stopped shaking entirely, his body adapting, hardening, and building dense, lean muscle. Through sheer repetition, he learned to actively flow his Presence passively beneath his skin, using the spiritual warmth to shield his bones from the freezing, crushing force of the waterfall.

Whenever he finally stepped out of the water, the second phase began: hours of grueling, silent meditation across from Lazarus to refine his control.

On the final day of the second month, the morning sun shone brightly across the clearing. Lazarus and David stood at opposite sides, staring face-to-face in absolute silence as a cold wind blew between them.

"You are finally able to control your spiritual energy," Lazarus said, his voice low and calm. "A month ago, you were entirely helpless. Now, you have changed greatly. For our next phase, we will engage in hand-to-hand combat. First round: absolutely no spiritual energy. Let's see what your body can do. Come at me with everything you've got, boy. Don't hold back."

David took a deep breath and slid into a solid fighting stance. Fists clenched, eyes focused, his breathing perfectly rhythmic.

He charged. David launched a swift right hook directly at Lazarus’s face. His fist came within an inch of its target—but Lazarus instantly vanished, reappearing directly behind him.

“How? My eyes couldn't even register his movement,* David thought, his adrenaline spiking. *I need to be faster!”

David spun, dashing forward with a rapid combination. Lazarus dodged each strike effortlessly, leaning back as David targeted his jaw with a high kick. David immediately transitioned into a low sweep aimed at the veteran's knee, but Lazarus spun cleanly through the air, landing a sharp counter-kick squarely against David’s face.

David stumbled backward, the copper taste of blood filling his mouth.

"Is that all you've got? Come on, you can do better!" Lazarus challenged, his hands still casually clasped behind his back. "I'm not even using my hands."

Rage sparking his movements, David charged in again. He leaped into the air, unleashing a powerful flying roundhouse kick. Lazarus simply leaned to the side, countering with a swift palm strike directly to David’s chest. The impact sent the boy flying through the air, crashing hard into the dirt.

David clutched his chest, his jaw locked tight against the agonizing pain. "Ahh... damn it."

"Get up. It's time for the second round," Lazarus said, his tone shifting. "You can use your spiritual energy now."

David forced himself up, wiping his mouth. He settled back into his stance. For a few seconds, the forest fell completely silent as they locked eyes.

Then, both men released their power.

Two massive kinetic waves exploded outward. David’s dark grey aura flared violently, burning tightly around his body, while Lazarus released a controlled, suffocating weight of his own.

"With spiritual energy active, our physical capabilities increase exponentially. That is either good news or bad news for you," Lazarus warned.

"Let's see about that," David retorted.

David dashed forward—so fast he left a blur in the dirt. He launched a brutal punch toward Lazarus’s stomach, which the veteran barely blocked with his palm. David immediately countered with a left hook, which Lazarus caught with his other hand. Bracing himself, David drove a front kick straight into Lazarus's midsection, successfully forcing the older man back a few paces.

Not wasting a single second, David followed up with a blistering combination of punches, striking faster and harder than ever before. He threw a spinning back-kick toward the face, which Lazarus blocked, then lunged with a right hook. Lazarus moved to cover his side, but it was a clever feint. David quickly dropped low, driving a kick into Lazarus's knee to break his balance, canceling the veteran's recovery.

With the opening secured, David brought his fist upward in a clean, devastating uppercut that connected squarely with Lazarus’s jaw.

The force of the blow sent Lazarus stumbling backward before he quickly regained his footing. A wide, genuine smile broke across the veteran's face.

"Well done, boy. You actually managed to land a hit," Lazarus praised.

David stood his ground, keeping his absolute focus pinned on his opponent. Lazarus began walking toward him casually. David prepared to intercept him, but his eyes suddenly lost track of the old man entirely.

Before he could even register a threat, a heavy hand gripped his shoulder and slammed him violently to the ground. A fist came striking down toward his face; David reacted on pure instinct, rolling his head to the side as the punch shattered the earth next to his ear.

He scrambled back to his feet, but before he could catch his breath, a brutal kick struck his face, followed instantly by a punch to the gut and a final, crushing palm strike to his chest. The sequence sent David flying backward, his spine slamming hard into a thick tree trunk before he slid limply into the dirt.

He lay there, wheezing, his vision swimming. “He's... so fast. I couldn't see a single thing. Who the hell really is he?”

"You did exceptionally well," Lazarus said, stepping down over him as his aura faded. "We will spar like this every single day. Oh... and try defending better next time. Come back to the house when you're done resting."