The House of Grey- Volume 4 by Collin Earl Page A

Monson had ever seen or even imagined. Movements and poses that he knew were not humanly possible flared with ease as both men tried to find an opening in the other ’ s defense s . As expected , Gi’s style was wild, aggressive and explosively powerful. He continually shifted his blade from a forehand to a backhand position and augmented his strikes with aggressive hand combat , with burst s of swirling handheld flames increasing his combat effectiveness. The style felt strongly reminiscent of Case y’s fighting mode, but less form - centered and much less controlled.
    Gi attacked with both his blade and fire - tip ped extremities , striking at the face and chest of Yari, but no matter what he used to strike or how he struck, h e could not penetrate Yari’s defense s . Yari’s style fluidly meshed patient blows and counterblows ; he wasted no energy on unnecessary posturing. Small movements close to the body blocked every slash and thrust thrown his way. The style was so graceful it was almost beautiful. Burst s of mist met blasts of flame as the concoction of elements entangled and vied against one another , giving off the feel not of fire and mist but of passion and fluidity , abstract concepts that Monson did not even attempt to understand.
    Th e battle continued for a few minutes until both men , exchanging a look , stopped, cradled their weapons, and bowed again.
    “Amazing ! ” Monson’s voice reflected his awe.  He felt completely blown away by the display. “ W hat in the world was that?”
    “Magi Blades , ” Monson’s counterpart said simply . “Along with my two other admonitions, t his is what we have come to show you.”
    “But why? Why would I need to see this?”
    “ The Magi ’ s Blade is the key to your release ,” said Yari as his magical weapon evaporated, becoming mist, then vapor, then nothing . “You should know now , Monson Grey , that you have power . Y ou have felt it before .  Your power is extraordinary. Yet, it means nothing if you do not know...” —h e hesitated as if he was choosing his words carefully — “how to use it.”
    “Guys , ” beg a n Monson , unsettled. “I don’t know what you ’ re thinking but I’m just a normal — ”
    Yari put up a hand , cutting him off . “ Do not say you are normal. You were never normal. You will never be normal.”
    Monson sighed. It wasn’t like he actually believed it either.
    “ This is crucial, ” whispered the other Monson. “ Yo u must understand . O nly then will the markings be bre a ched.”
    Monson sighed again, looking at all of them.  
    “Let ’ s say for minute that this isn’t a total figment of my imagination, which I’m not say ing it ’ s not, b ut let ’ s just pretend for now. H ow does watching a sparring match teach me how to use this power? What do these blades have to do with anything ? ”
    “Everything , ” answered Monson’s mirrored self. “The Magi Blade is a representation of something much greater. Before we or your guardians can teach you anything else, the construction and preservation of this weapon must be attained. Th is blade is the mark of any real magic user. And you , Monson Grey , are a magic user . Y ou just do not know it yet . ”
    Guardians, blades, power , magic... magic ? M agic was real... ? H o-ly crap!
    “Our time is quickly coming to an end , ” Yari interrupted. “Do you remember everything we ha ve told you?”
    “Well yeah,” Monson said in a hurried voice . “ B ut I don’t understand the blade thing. Are you trying to tell me that I have to figure out how to make it by myself?”
    “Precisely , ” answered the other Monson.
    “How in the heck am I going to do that?”
    “Just remember that you have power , ” interjected Gi in a surprisingly soft voice. “Look deep within the depths of your heart and remember what you’ve always known .  The power to perform will be there when you need it and the tools are all around if you know where to