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"Now I get it. But there's only one issue: I've never held a weapon in my life, except for a kitchen knife. How am I supposed to override blows of an experienced soldier?"

"Stop thinking and follow your instincts. The Force inside you will do the rest."

He nodded and took a stance. Instead of following the example, I focused on the feelings raging inside me. And rather a few accumulated over the past few hours. Fear, resentment, hopelessness, distrust, fatigue, and anger fought inside with no means of relief. I could feel the Force they all were talking about. It seethed, flowed the same way as emotions, and longed for release. And I let it out. A powerful flow of energy formed a sphere, took the form and crushed the Guardian with the black mass. I thought it would take Eugene long to get from point A, where he was standing, to point B, where the hall walls were, but this did not happen. He did not even move. The ball just flew through him and hit that same wall, making a hole in the next room. Those, who trained close to us, looked back in surprise and long could not figure out how half of the wall of one meter thick was blown away.

"Not bad!" Eugene said. "But I didn't tell you one thing. The Guardians are immune to almost all the Forces, except for the physical impact. We protect the Balance and must resist even the Gods, who may want to ruin it. So, your tricks won't work."

"Great! What am I supposed to do when attacked by one of you? Not knowing how to fight with swords, not having any weapon to withstand your blows and without your protection, I will become an easy prey! How will I protect myself from someone who can't be killed?"

"Firstly, the Guardian can't attack you because it will directly affect the Balance, and this is contrary to our purpose. Secondly, we can die since we are not immortal. Tol has already told you this. Thirdly, that's why I'm warning you not to go home! You're unable to protect yourself, and especially those around you. Think about it!"

"Okay! So, I need to learn how to use this thing!"

I got the sword and took a stance, awkwardly repeating the movements of Eugene. He nodded, and in an instant, the halos of his pupils lit up and scared me again. The next moment, Eugene lunged, forming an arc in space, which left a light trail. I narrowed my eyes, putting my arms forward without the slightest hope to withstand the impact and expecting that my sword would break like Eugene warned, but nothing happened. Having opened my eyes, I found that my weapon stopped the Guardian's Sword, and Eugene was smiling. He began to walk around, playing with his Sword and drawing spheres in the air. He moved so fast that it was impossible to keep track of his movements. I could only marvel at the dexterity of maneuvers and the caused hypnotic effect. It was pure grace.

"Now it's your turn! Attack!"

It was easy to say but not to do. I closed my eyes and lifted my arm, but could not even get close to Eugene, who only stepped aside. My sword dully whistled, cutting through the air.

"You're too predictable and clumsy. Stop thinking! Use your powers! And don't close your eyes before the attack."

"I've been living in the body of an ordinary person without any super abilities for almost 19 years, so I'm sorry that I don't know how to use them."

"Focus on your inner feelings. Shape the Force. Imagine how you control it. In fact, this substance is like water. It's in your powers to give it the necessary form like it was with that ball!" he nodded toward the destroyed wall. "You won't be able to harm me, but you'll be able to use dexterity, refract space, move faster, and hit harder. Do not act like a human. Do not give commands to the muscles but control the Force. Or let it control you."

Only Eugene knew what he was talking about because I, personally, didn't understand how to control something that wasn't mine and that I hadn't even felt until now. I sighed and concentrated, as I was taught to do at the first yoga classes. Meditation was not my strong suit. It always seemed a waste of time. It was not easy to find a hint of the otherworldly inside. I did not feel any special changes at rest. Even hallucinations, which literally drove me crazy in the morning, were gone. The anger that helped me feel the surge of Force just disappeared along with the huge energy ball that had destroyed half of the wall.

"I'm sorry but not today! I can't help it. This is all too much to deal with at once…" Eugene's ironical smile stopped me. "Why are you looking at me like that? Don't you know what fatigue is?"

He nodded and then said,

"Look under your feet!"

I looked up and raised my eyebrows in surprise. My body hovered about half a meter above the ground, and my feet clearly felt the solid ground. There was no slightest hint that I was weightless.

"Wow!"

"You have to understand that it's part of you now. As long as the Force is in you, everything you take away becomes yours, and you can use it the same way you use your voice or hearing, for example. You don't have to try too hard, get angry, meditate or something else you've been thinking of. Just act!"

I nodded and smiled. If it's mine, then why can't I give this blockhead some business?

Further on, everything was quite strange. The feeling was amazing like I was a passenger in my own body, an observer. My brain could only perceive the changing images, and the mind hovered somewhere near the body. It was not me, but something inside me that was acting at the moment. I did not really want to be controlled, especially by something lifeless. I needed to find a way to cooperate with that Force and not just obey.

Picking up the sword, I literally came up to Eugene and made an attack, which he easily repelled, but I did not stop there. My feet walked through the air like up the stairs, and I could easily climb higher to hit from above. I began to like it with time. I moved more boldly and hit harder, trying to find a loophole in Eugene's protection. He was too fast, and I barely had time to notice his movements, which were so light that it seemed as if he was playing rather than fighting. Sweat flowed down my back and, pushing away from the invisible wall, I hung in the air perpendicular to Eugene, while swaying my sword. He did not repel the attack but bent down like Neo in The Matrix, and my sword whizzed past him.

In a blink of an eye, I noticed that we were being watched, having lost a few precious moments of attention. When I looked back at Eugene, he was already attacking. With every attack, blows came from all sides, as if there were several opponents. I barely had time to repel his blazing attacks, having the fear of being cut in half by his magic sword. There was nowhere to retreat, and I rested my back against the wall. Eugene was not going to stop the fight, even after cornering me. As if in slow motion, I saw him lifting his hand to strike from above, holding the sword firmly in both hands. I closed my eyes and prepared for the pain, but nothing happened. Having opened my eyes, I discovered that my sword stopped Eugene's blow.

He nodded and stepped back.

"Not bad as for the first time! Not bad at all! But your fear doesn't let the Force get released in full. You don't have to control the fight. In the end, you'll just die!"

"What do you mean?" I asked, getting up and shaking off.

"You have to unleash your inner demon when you fight. I do not think, do not analyze, but obey my inner warrior."

“That's lovely! You have a warrior, and I got a demon! Why is that?"

"The Guardians are neutral. We're created to serve the Balance. But you're a different creature. You'll have to fill the Force with souls and abilities of the Murky Shadows, demons, and other creatures. You can have only their abilities, so you get the inner demon. Let's go! I'll take you to the library! I need to take care of a few things, and then we'll send you home."

The library of the Guardians was amazing. Multi-level cabinets with numerous shelves and breathtaking stairs led to the cherished goal – ancient tomes, scrolls, and even leather scraps of fabric. All the most valuable works of the ancient literature were gathered here. One had to lift up the head to see the end of the bookcase. The territory of the library could be compared to the football field gathering all the most valuable specimens. But there was no echo as if the architect had specially worked on the sound insulation so that every reader could retire with one of the numerous exclusive volumes. There were also massive tables with chairs like in the reading room of the Royal Library. This library could not even be compared with the Harvard Library, which was considered to be one of the best in the world. All that I saw now was a thousand times more amazing than the university library. I even stopped breathing because I was so amazed by the view.