Flood of Darkness

CHAPTER FOURTEEN


...almost five months ago...


The dojo was empty on this hazy day. He sat there, facing the mirrors. Looking at himself, alone with the early morning sun. Sensei greeted him with his traditional sneak attack. The old man flew at Jack with a heavy kick. Jack absorbed the shot, letting Sensei hit him, grabbing his leg and using his momentum against him, tossing him across the mat.

"The Flood knows not impatience..." Sensei foretold, "Use the gifts given to you and absorb, then react. You are the one prophesied about. The one who cannot be killed. And much much more..." Sensei leaped at Jack again. Kick. chop. Jab. Jab. Jab. Kick. Roundhouse. Jack caught the old fighter's kick and slammed in onto the mat. Sensei jumped back up. Jack could swear that he heard his body crack. But the Sensei continued to jump around him on the offensive while he preached, "You are the one legend foretells of, and in the days of 2 Suns shall save the Earth."

Jack stopped for a second, "What was that last part?"

Sensei takes the opportunity to attack, double spin kicking Jack in the chest; knocking him off his feet. The Sensei walked over to him scrambling on the floor. "Don't worry, the times leading up to you are described as the Flooded Days. If the temple of the Flood have actually predicted something of that magnitude, we have something much more to prepare for."

"Is there actually a prophecy or are you just messing with me, Sensei?"

"What have I been teaching you since the day you saved my grandson?"

"Flood technique, Sensei."

"Correct. That is no fairytale. This technique derived from a temple deep in the hills. The Temple of the Flood it was called. They taught an ancient time when forces ruled the world. When the forces began to die out, man would rule the Earth. Until the day when the Earth is reborn and both the forces of old and mankind are propelled into the future."

The Sensei had now settled down and began stretching, preparing for meditation. "Do you wish, Jack Hanover...for me to tell you everything right now?"

"No Sensei. No offense, but I can take only so much 'ancient legend' every day."

"All you need to know for now is they call upon the one who cannot die to bring the world together, and you're not going to be able to do that if you're just fighting me every day..."

"Why should I protect them? What would they do for me if my life was is in the gutter?"

"You mustn't think like that."

"How must I think, Sensei?"

"Think what you want, Jack Hanover. Know this...If you never want to be anything in your life keep going on... excusing your actions at the mercy of others."

"You really know how to tell it, don't you, old man!"

The meditation was cut short. Jack looked up in his prone, at ease stance. Sensei was coming down hard on top of him. Jack was punched twice in the face, a penalty for being caught off guard. Tossed forward and kicked back to the ground. Jack got to his feet sliding across the mat. Disrespect was not tolerated inside the dojo.

Sensei swung back around low on Jack, both feet kicking in his knee, shattering his knee cap. Jack fell on the broken knee, and struggled to get back up. The pain was not subsiding. Every time he got hurt his threshold was not diluted by his altered state. The Sensei kept him on his wounded knees with a couple more jabs to the face before he relented. Jack laid beaten on the mat, trying to gather enough strength to take a defensive stance.

Sensei walked away from him and Jack stared up from the floor. He was done. Too exhausted from all the training. Now he knew, when he gets physically tired, he cannot heal himself as quickly as he can normally. "I Learn somethin' new every day about myself, Sensei."

"Good, Jack Hanover."

The Sensei knew exactly what he was doing, what he did not know...was that he would help one of the greatest members of the human race fulfill his destiny and become a global savior. He blindly followed the teachings of the Flood jujitsu, but never thought the prophecies of old would occur in his time.

A Flood is coming, one they say is unstoppable, and it will change the world forever.