14 Chapter 14— Crawley and the Thunderclap
~Fun Fact: Did you know that Fred and George Weasley were born on April Fool's day. Maybe that explains their penchant for adventure and pranks.
**************************************
(Old Crawley POV)
When I woke up today, I didn't think I would be seeing my old student coming through my door. Not to mention with his son!
It'd been more than 10 years since I last saw him and damn, how time flies. It felt like just yesterday when we were entering youth tournaments where he would mop the floor with the competition. And yet for some reason, I have a feeling his son is a whole different breed of monster.
"How've you been old man!" Adam said, grinning as he walked towards me.
"Ya haven't changed after all these years have ya, kid?" I laughed while hugging him. "Still disrespectful as ever."
'Damn, he's a father and still hasn't gotten out of shape?!' I thought after feeling his body.
"Take a seat while I bring us some coffee." I said, turning around to hide my shocked face.
The last thing I expected was for Adam to walk in here as a father with a body that was far more developed, athletically, than when he had left. Knowing him, I thought he'd goof off and enjoy his life.
I walked back with 2 cups of coffee as Adam told me about how his life had changed over the years since he left my gym.
*****
(MC POV)
After dad and the old man had caught up, he'd left for work leaving me with the old man, alone. We had dropped off Harry at a Karate dojo before coming here.
"Boy!" snapped the old man, making me jump. "What's your name?"
"Aayan Barak, sir!" I replied a little fearfully.
Although older than the kids I'm usually surrounded by, the majority of the adults I know are all far older than I used be.
"Less of the sir, my name's Crawley. This is my 'Kai Muay', or in English, my Muay Thai gym. Here, I will teach you the Art of Eight Limbs. You will strike with your fists, knees, shins and elbows. I will turn your very body into a weapon....if you can withstand my training that is..." The old man said, giving me a sinister smile that promised nothing but endless suffering.
*****
<5:10 PM>
Sore, drenched in sweat and hungry, I sat in dad's car lamenting my pain for the fourth time as dad sat there laughing.
"Oh lord!" He said, wiping tears from his eyes. "I think I get why Old Crawley found my suffering so hilarious. It's the complaining and the colourful ways that people find to describe their pain!"
"It's not funny!" I exclaimed but it was futile, my protesting elicited another round of laughter from dad as we drove off to pick up Harry.
*****
"How did you find Karate, Harry?" I asked him as we drove home.
"It was so fun!" He replied excitedly. "Hard but really, really fun! Next time Akio-Sensei said that we'll learn proper punching technique. How 'bout you Yan?"
"Don't get me started Harry..." I replied, shuddering as I remembered the training that damned old man put me through.
Dad stifled a chortle as we continued our journey back home.
**************************************
<2 years later>
"Kick harder boy! What are you, weak?!" Crawley shouted as held up a Thai Pad.
I was inside a boxing ring throwing kick after kick at the Thai Pad, covered in sweat.
"Shut it old man! Do I look weak?!" I shouted back, throwing another kick at the pad.
Over the last year, I'd come to see Crawley as a sort of Grandfather, albeit a very tsundere one. If I wasn't at school or at home practising magic, I was in here.
I was now 54 inches tall and pretty athletic looking. My hair was still long and curly despite mum's pleading for me to cut it. Instead a compromise was made. We agreed that I would tie it back instead. Most of the time I rocked a man-bun, or a boy-bun since I'm not really a man yet; which if I do say so myself, looks absolutely badass.
"Alright! Last kick, give me everything thing you've got!" Crawley shouted.
'Pause.' I thought, amusedly as I threw my last kick as hard as I could, resulting in a very audible smacking sound reverberating inside the gym.
"Sheesh, I guess you're stronger than I thought..." Crawley said.
"Thanks old ma—" I started to say.
"...but you're still weak." He finished, smacking me upside my head.
'Is this damned old man trolling me?' I thought irritatedly.
"In all seriousness kid, you've improved by leaps and bounds this past year. You've gotten stronger, more confident and learnt how to kick some serious arse. But don't let it corrupt you because absolute power corrupts absolutely."
"Are you really quoting Lord Acton on me, old man?" I snorted.
He blushed and cleared his throat. "I-It doesn't matter. The meaning is still the same. Although you're stronger than your peers, don't let that fill you with pride. Because that kind of pride is a destructive one, and all it will lead to is your own failure and ruin. Do you understand me?"
"Got it old man. And if it doesn't matter, how come you're blushing?" I said teasingly.
"Oh, you think you can challenge me?" He said, a sinister smile spreading across his face once more. "Time to serve you some training from hell."
.
.
.
(A year later)
This was it, it was finally the day I had been waiting for. My eleventh birthday! But before the festivities came breakfast. I got out of bed and went down the stairs, noting the absence of house's inhabitants.
'Huh, kind of weird that everyone's still asleep at 10 AM but it's whatever I guess...' I thought. Walking into the kitchen, I switched the light on.
"Surprise!" Came the collective shout of mum, dad and Harry.
My reply was to scream like a girl in a horror movie as they laughed at me.
"Yo what the hell?! Did you guys know that scaring people can cause heart attacks?!" I shouted, my heart pounding as my face flushed in embarrassment.
"Happy Birthday, Yan!" Harry said, as he ran up to hug me.
"Thanks Harry." I replied, still somewhat blown away by the surprise.
"Alright you two, go take a seat in the living room while your mother and I make breakfast." Dad said, still laughing.
It was as if a lightbulb went off in my head as I turned to Harry, grinning. "First person to the living room gets control of the remote." I said as I ran down the corridor, cackling madly.
"Oi!" Harry said, smiling as he ran after me.
*****
It was in the afternoon when I finally got some time alone to myself. The majority of my day, however, was spent in bliss. We went to the park as a family and played with frisbees. Finally, we had a picnic to finish our outing. Although not the most lavish birthday, it was one that I enjoyed thoroughly and was very fulfilling.
Currently, I was sitting in the garden cross-legged in the grass and meditating. I slowly felt my surroundings melt away as I opened my metaphorical eyes.
Suddenly, I was back inside the Ancient Egyptian Palace from my flashback except I wasn't the one on the throne. Instead, there was a man upon the throne who looked exactly like me— albeit a lot older. He was 6"0 and had long and curly black hair. However, where we truly differed were our eyes. He had yellowish amber eyes that fixed upon me and seemed to see through my very soul. He started to smile as he looked upon me.
"W-Who are you?" I asked, nervously.
"Hear my name, boy. "My name is ??????????, King of kings. Yes you shall do! You shall carry on my legacy." The man said, authoritatively.
He began to say something else, but his words became more and more distorted as my vision blurred and then faded to darkness.
*****
Waking up, I noted that I was in the same spot as when I had begun meditating, my clothes drenched in sweat.
'Why did I get so sweaty, I didn't even do anything?!'
Grumbling in annoyance, I got up and walked back into the house through the kitchen, greeting my parents on the way in.
"Hello..." I grumbled, in mild annoyance.
"Hello Yan!" My dad called before looking up at me. "What's got you so drenched?"
"Believe me dad," I began shaking my head ruefully. "I haven't got the faintest idea."
**************************************
*A/N: Ah yes, the chapter that for the most part made absolutely no sense. I'll have to edit a few more things but for the most part, I'm done. At least I think so. Now, Yan isn't too OP while still remaining fairly(ish) powerful.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISCORD SERVER: https://discord.gg/HT3VeC26fb
