Lorn Merkton

Ch. 1

Prologue

Lorn bowed. Across the empty Dojo, his instructor bowed. They simultaneously rose from their bow and fell into their favorite ready positions. Nothing new, Lorn had already mastered everything the instructor had to teach, anyway. This was to be their last sparring match. They circled each other for a while until, as usual, Lorn’s instructor launched the first attack, initiating the flurry of blows and parries that characterized all their sparring matches.

Lorn, along with a few other orphans, had been accepted into the Dojo for free as an act of charity on the part of the instructor. Lorn had started out rather apathetic about the whole thing, not seeing the point in the routines, and already having a unique gift he could use to end a fight anyway. Slowly he fell behind as his peers advanced ahead of him. Not wanting to see Lorn fail, the instructor pulled him aside one day and explained that the bettering of one’s fighting ability wasn’t the only purpose of martial arts, but that it was also a mode of self-discipline. This came as an epiphany to Lorn, and he began to seriously apply himself. Immediately he began flying through the Dojo’s ranks, achieving and surpassing the level which his peers had achieved, until he found himself on equal ground with his instructor and unable to progress further only because there was no-one left to teach him.

After a particularly tricky exchange of blows, the two combatants broke away from each other and began circling again. “I’m going to miss you,” Lorn said.
“I’ll miss you, too,” his instructor replied, “You’ve been the best student I’ve ever had,” he shifted the direction of his circling, hoping to throw Lorn off but failing, “At least you’ll get that fresh start you wanted.”

Twice he’d almost been adopted. Twice the prospective parents learned of Lorn’s strange ability and quickly changed their minds. Then, after his final year in Middle School, out of nowhere it seemed, a coulple from out of state signed his adoption papers. Little was said of Lorn’t gift, and his prospective parents were skeptical enough to pass it off as nothing and move along with the adoption.

“A dream come true,” Lorn agreed, “A whole new school, full of people who’ve never heard the name ‘Lorn Merkton’ before.”
“Again, I wish you the best of luck,” his instructor said, then lunged in for the attack.
Lorn deflected the flurry of blows, then got in under his instructor’s guard and touched his index and middle fingers to the instructor’s forehead. Lorn’s eyes closed as his fingers touched. For an instant the instructor’s eyes went vacant and his body went slack, but the instant ended and he took a sharp breath, allowing his arms to slowly retreat to his sides as Lorn took a step back, turned, and headed for the exit, scooping up his bag on the way out.
Unable to contain himself, knowing he’d likely never see Lorn again, the instructor called across the empty Dojo, “What ARE you?”
Lorn paused, hand on the doorknob. He gave a sad sigh, “I wish I knew…” he replied softly, then opened the door and left.


I am unlike my fellows,
Though how I cannot say,
The difference is unclear to me,
Though vast as night and day…