originally posted in:The New Dojo
"Zane!" The mistress called. "Approach the ladder!"
"Best of luck little brother." Setsuna told Zane.
English
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"Thanks sis, go check on Aki will you? That fall looked pretty nasty." He asked as he moved up to the ladder.
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"Ya..I'll take care of it." Setsuna said as she left the crowd and Zane walked to the ladder. The pole was set back up in front of Zane's small body. As he looked up, he saw the eleven levels of hell that rose in front of him.
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He stretched his arms them his legs, that way his muscles wouldn't freeze up. He leapt up and grabbed onto the bar, straining.
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He immediately felt the entire weight of his body weigh down on him. To get the bar up to the second level, he would have to use the force in his body to carry himself up. His legs wouldn't help him here, it was all upper body strength now.
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He tightened his grip on the bar and went up another level, his chest beginning to burn.
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He made it to the second level. His arms felt like they were being torn from his shoulders, but he wasn't tired yet. He made it to the next level as easily as the last
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He let out his breath then breathed back in. He went to move to the next level of the ladder.
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From the fourth level, he went to the fifth. And then the sixth. The crowd began to cheer again but they were not as enthusiastic as before. Sweat poured down Zane's face and it hurt his eyes.
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He closed his eyes to prevent the Sweat from getting into them, and he then made his move to continue the climb.
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He got to the seventh, then the eighth, then the ninth. Each was more difficult then the last but he made it as far as his sister. The crowd cheered him on but he felt as if he was waning. His arms were tired, and his body felt broken. The crowd cheered him on more and the pressure was unbelievable.
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Edited by SDK Zane: 5/29/2017 10:25:53 PMHe felt his grip slipping and tightened it, his hands felt like they were on fire. He hung from the bar, trying to find the strength to keep going.
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But...then he felt it get easier, and easier and soon it was like he had something under his feet. His eyes became more clear and the sweat seemed to subside as he felt power in his body. He had this.
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He let out the breath he was holding and moved up to the next level with ease.
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And that's exactly what it was. Easy. He made it to the tenth level but for some reason the kids started cheering. There was only the eleventh level left now.
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He grinned as he jumped up to the final level, then flipped upwards and stood on the bar.
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He could see the entire camp from where he stood. He felt...good. Better then he ever had. Then, Zane remembered. This was the first time his power revealed itself. As he looked down, he saw the crowd of children looking up at him with awe. Then, the mistress yelled at him. "Zane! Get down! Now!" She demanded angrily.
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He leapt off and rolled as he landed on the ground, grinning. He brushed the dust off his clothes. "Well, that sure was easy."
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The kids all looked at him wide eyed. They normally didn't look like this after such a feat. They never looked upon someone with such awe. He also noticed how the mistress looked at him, the same way the children did...
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"What, do I have something on my face?"
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"Quinn!" The mistress suddenly yelled. "Quinn get out here, now!" A man walked out of the house quickly. He wore an old black ragged cloak around him that couldn't cover his white hair. He grinned immediately upon stepping out as he hobbled over to the grounds. "My!" He said as he got through the crowd and looked at Zane. His back was hunched and his jowels receded on his old face. "It...well I've never seen this before!" He admitted as he looked down on Zane. Quinn was a surprisingly nice man. He was firm, and strict, but he was nice. People liked him rather then the mistress. But what was he talking about?
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"What, am I the only one to have made it to the top or something?"
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"Of course you are!" The old man told Zane. "You're in a crowd of a bunch of kids. Who do you think made it up there before you?"
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"Well I felt something inside me, a kind of force that just made it easier to climb."
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"You ain't still feeling it?" Quinn asked Zane with a raised eyebrow. Zane still felt the power around him. "You're hair is flying around like someone is taking a fan to it. You know what? Actually? Time to talk." Quinn went on. His mind wandered, a lot. Even in practice and training when he would give orders, sometimes he would end up telling stories of past contracts. "All of ya! Four laps around the village! Since you couldn't learn to climb! Go!" He yelled. The kids all began to run laps instantly but Quinn stopped Zane. "Time to talk, climber." The Master nodded to The mistress, who walked away and began to yell at the runners.
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"So what is this power? Did my parents have this ability as well? Or what about my brother and sister, why didn't it manifest in them?" He rambled on.