[Open] Of Gifted Blood

A leg sweep. Jacob had become so focused on fighting blade-on-blade, that the idea of using one's own limbs slipped his mind. It was a momentary lapse in judgement that Einar had used quite effectively, and Jacob suddenly felt himself go off balance as one of his feet slipped out from underneath him.

He had to react quickly, and his counter came to him just as every other move: without actual thought. It was all gut instinct. A feeling. A reflex borne into his very muscles that knew what to do without his brain having to say anything. Even with all his movements and the jumps and having to deal with Einar baring down on him, Jacob still felt his mind was at ease. It was beautifully peaceful in his head as all of his focus and attention were utterly trained on the task at hand.

Jacob used his slip and harnessed its movement. He twisted and turned around his stable leg, whipping the slipped leg around. He became like a top, or a twirling ice skater, balancing on one foot with his sword providing a nasty edge to his low-angled spin.

With just enough space to move and raise his sword, Jacob jumped back to his and took up a classical samurai stance. Once more, his feet were set wide and he raised his sword high over his head. His muscles tensed and the wind fell still on the campus. Not a leaf nor a blade of grass moved at all even as Jacob's sword began to descend in a simple, powerful slash.

"STOP."

Jacob's slash was halted mid-swing as his father called out. The slash was incomplete, but Einar would feel a rumble of air pass over his shoulder and close to his head. Behind him, the entire top half of a tree suddenly popped off its trunk as it was cut at the same angle as Jacob's unfinished attack. Jacob himself had simply gawped at his dad until the tree fell, and he was suddenly back to being his less dexterous self, nearly dropping his sword in surprise.

"That was a close one. But I've seen all I need to see. Put away your weapons, please."

"M-Maybe that's a good idea..."

"Thank you, Einar..."

Jacob had retrieved his sheathe and was in the process of clumsily trying to fit his sword back into it. When the blade finally slipped into its resting place, and the locked clicked shut, he too reached up and wiped his cheek. It was only then that he felt the sting of the cut.

"It... It was a great first fight. Though I dunno if it really was a victory. Maybe some other time?"

With his first taste of battle, Jacob could already feel it taking root deep in his gut. He would definitely want some more if he could get it.

"So yeah. Why'd you need to us duke it out?"

"To confirm that Mr. Einar's statements weren't just hyperbole. You really do have your mother's power. Blades are in your blood, just as it was with her..."

Issac chuckled rather amusingly as he thought back to Jacob's mother.

"Blade of silver wind
Flashing in the blackest night
A sword to cleave all..."

"Excuse me?"

"It's a haiku, you numbskull. It describes the style your mother used, as do you apparently. The Silver Wind style. Fantastic speed and precision, and able to send cuts farther than a sword's reach."

The older man pointed specifically to the split tree that now lay in two pieces on the other side of the field. It was a clean cut right through the thick trunk of the tree, lobbing off the top portion that had all the branches and leaves. No one was around to get hurt, but now students were congregating and wondering what happened.

"Your mother always said that using a blade just came naturally to her, and your performance confirms it to be more than a fluke. The only problem is that you don't know what you're capable of. That tree coulda been Mr. Einar here."

"You keep mentioning mom. This can probably wait until later, when it's just you and me, but you gotta start coughin' up all this about her. The woman abandons us when I'm baby and now she's a big deal in my life? That ain't cool, dad."

"I look forward to meeting you again, Mr. Einar. Perhaps WE could talk about the Silver Wind style."

"I bet you already know more about it than I do. But yeah. See you some other time."

Issac and Jacob both gave Einar a bow in return, before taking their leave of the Sports Field as well. Jacob was already grilling his father as they walked, and Issac continued to tease his son along with hints and vague allusions. It was not until they both sat down at Jacob's apartment that he actually began to give up the ghost about Jacob's sword abilities and the relationship it had with his estranged mother.

Truth be told, the tale had Jacob enraptured, and a little disgusted.

Unbeknownst to him, the story of how his mother had abandoned him and his father was not entirely truthful. What was true was the note she had left and the fact that she left them. What was not true, or at the very least simply withheld from Jacob, was the true reason why. Even though he had previously never shown much interest in getting to know his mother, he still felt betrayed about not knowing the truth even as he entered his fortieth year. Maybe it was excusable when he was young, but not after he was old enough to have a teenage daughter of his own and an ex-wife.

Issac recounted that both he and the woman that would become Jacob's mother were once renowned practitioners of sword combat and the martial arts. In fact, they had both met as rivals seeking to test their skills. But, to Issac's great amusement, swordsmen's respect turned into something more romantic and Jacob was the result.

His birth signaled to Issac that it was time to settle down and hang up his sword. His mother did not exactly feel the same way, and so she left to continue her pursuit of sword mastery. That mostly brought Jacob up to speed with everything, and where his abilities came from.

Jacob... Well... He needed time to process the history he never knew he had. Stunned and curious, he grilled his father for more information. How were there still practicing swordsmen in the modern age? How did SHE get her powers? Why was it all kept from him? The only answer he received was to the last question. His father was just not sure if the powers would ever manifest in Jacob, and did not think it wise to reveal what might never happen. Then combined with Jacob's existing disinterest in his mother, Issac just assumed there was no problem in keeping it that way.

So now Jacob was left to wonder about and stew in the revelations. At least his father was around to help sort it all out with him...