Chapter 1: Power Restriction

1014 AD, Cabin within a Forest

He was just having fun. He did it because he liked the challenge. He was willing to walk around with that enormous barbell because it weighed about half a ton; it managed to slow him down a little as he carried it with a hand.

Holding the doorknob of a wooden door in front of him with only the thumb and the index finger of his left hand, he turned it gently. With a click, the door opened.

Entering the room, he saw a bald man sitting at a mahogany desk, drumming his fingers against the table.

That man was Viktor; his master, or exactly, his creator. This grandpa was the person who had taken care of him since he woke up atop a heap of junk. The moment he opened his eyes, he had no idea how he could end up in a mound of rubble, cables, and metallic scraps. That sparked him to follow Viktor, especially after he heard a 'be my son' from him.

He had lived together with Viktor for almost a year, but life sometimes was just boring. Sure, this old man had often asked him to search for numerous things in the forest surrounding this cabin, but the tasks were often too easy for him. If his master wanted food, he only had to fly to a river, dive in, and catch a big fat fish with a hand. If his master asked for lumber, he just needed to find a good tree, knock it down with a fist, and carry the sturdy, yet not too heavy trunk home.

That was how he felt. The lack of challenge in this life became the drawback of living as an overpowering creature like him.

Judging from the surroundings, he could conclude that Viktor had just worked on something. There were numerous tools and scraps of metal atop the table, but something was striking amidst the mess. A golden domino mask was there, glinting off the lights in the room.

He called out, "Master."

Viktor turned, revealing his wrinkled face. "Ah, there you are, Guile." Picking the mask up with a hand, he walked towards Guile. "I've invented something to limit your power."

Guile blinked. What did his master mean with that? Was it related to the mask he was holding?

"I've been working on this for a month," Viktor began, handing the mask to Guile. "I created it with miniature black holes, so this should drain the energy you produce too much in your body. It means that your power will be limited once you wear this mask."

"My power will be limited?" Guile asked silently, taking the mask and glaring at it for a few seconds. If it were a fact that it could weaken him, then great! Life should be more fun with limited capability instead of full power.

"Wear it and let's test it out!"

Guile nodded and put on the domino mask. Nothing seemed to happen afterwards…

Nope, such feeling only lasted for a while. Once he perceived an odd mixture of propping and ticklish sensation around his eyes, dizziness and drowsiness began to overtake his body.

All of a sudden, his right arm ached, resulting in a trembling hand. It was only a matter of seconds until he lost his grip on the huge barbell.

CRASH!

The impact of steel against timber was so hard that it sent dust and some chunks of wood flying high into the air.

He wasn't safe from that incident either. The bumper plate of the barbell squashed his right foot, snapping him out of his daze and bringing about a painful scream. Soon, his instinct gave him a massive, albeit brief strength boost. In an instant, he lifted his crushed foot and knocked the barbell away with a quick kicking motion.

Soon, it became too painful to stand properly. He sat on the floor, bending and lifting a leg. Holding his limp but swollen foot with both of his hands, he gritted his teeth and squinted.

"The mask works!" Viktor cheered, giving a thumbs-up. "I'm successful!"

Guile kept silent. His foot did hurt, but complaining wasn't his hobby. Being whiny wouldn't earn one's sympathy; instead, it might only annoy people. But in this case, it could probably be different. Viktor was a nice person, and complaining might be rewarding… Hmph, put emotional things aside. Guile knew that his master always cared for him; he would soon treat his injury.

He was correct.

"Sorry, I got too excited earlier," Viktor said, kneeling down. "You know; whenever I've reached my goal, I'm very happy."

Who wouldn't be happy when he had accomplished a goal? With that in mind, Guile smiled faintly and released his injured foot. "Never mind, Master."

"For sure, you're lucky that your bones are made of titanium; else your foot is a bye. Anyway, did you get a strange feeling on your face when you wore your mask?"

Guile nodded.

He let out a gentle smile. "It's just temporary, son. The mask hooked itself into your flesh so that it could stick on your face."

"Hook into my flesh?" Guile spoke in an exasperated tone, wincing momentarily. Such thing was disgusting. But if that didn't make him feel painful, why should he care? As he thought of that, the frown on his face dissipated.

"Sorry, I couldn't find other way with limited materials here. But don't worry; there won't be a lot of bleeding when you wear your mask… Well, as long as you don't take it off, you won't bleed much."

"So I mustn't remove the mask too often?"

"Yep!" He placed his hands on Guile's foot and chanted, "Heal!"

At this, Guile felt soothing warmth on his leg and face. Like a wave, it swept away the stinging and burning sensation of his injured foot.

"This should do." Viktor released Guile's foot from his gentle grip. "If you still feel uncomfortable, just tell me. I'll fix it at Medina." He paused and smirked. "I don't have enough materials here."

Guile nodded. His foot was still aching a bit, but he spoke nothing of it and remained stern to hide how he felt. Such thing was just something minor, and complaining about it was just an exaggeration over a small problem.

"And there's another good news, son," Viktor added rapidly. "You often said that things were too easy for you, right? You'll never say that anymore from now on!"

Viktor was right, Guile thought. A life full of challenges was what he enjoyed, and with this mask on his face, he had it.

"Now, get up, son. Let's confirm if the mask is working properly," Viktor said, standing up. "There will be some difficult tasks for you."

Guile stood up, grinning at the term 'difficult tasks.' Being too powerful had made him crave for such thing.

"Try picking up the barbell. I didn't ask you to carry it around for nothing earlier."

Guile nodded at the command. Hunching, he grabbed the shaft of the barbell with a hand and tried to lift it… Unfortunately, he failed. The weight barely budged even when his arm had gone numb and refused to work. Soon, he let go of the barbell.

"Well, the mask seems to work." Viktor chuckled. "Anyway, you're giving up so fast?"

Oh, what had Viktor just said… Such challenge excited him, while his master's words were just adding some spices to his zest.

"I can lift it," Guile said flatly, staring at the barbell. If one arm failed, then he would try lifting it with two arms.

Oh, this should be fun.

He hunched and grabbed the metal bar with both of his arms. Face contorted, he growled as he struggled to pull the barbell into the air. It was heavy, but slowly, he managed to lift it a few centimeters above the ground.

"Keep it up, son!"

Guile roared loudly; passion was palpable in his voice. He was going to succeed. He was going to succeed! He was going to succeed!

The barbell was now in the same height with his thighs. Beads of sweat were dribbling down his scowling face and stiff body as he tried to lift it higher. However, his arms were now trembling. He might soon lose his grip on the heavy object.

Wait, the challenge was here! Why should he be giving up now?

He roared again as he tried to carry the barbell higher.

"I think that's enough."

What? So soon?

Guile was still spirited. He was not going to stop until this thing reached the area above his head. Unfortunately, his arms didn't cooperate; numbness suddenly overtook his hands, prompting them to release the barbell.

CRASH!

Thanks to the metallic bar between the bumper plates, Guile's feet were safe. However, the wooden floor wasn't. The impact had created two holes on the ground with large splinters of timber jutting out from the sides of the metallic plates.

"Good thing you stopped that, son," Viktor said. "I was worried when your arms got shaky all over."

"I'm fine, master." Guile huffed. "I admit that this is tiring, but I…" He smiled. "I liked it."

"Heh, that's what I'm expecting from you."

Wiping the sweat from his temple with an arm, Guile asked, "Anything else?"

There was a brief pause before Viktor replied, "Let's go out to get some fresh air and the newspaper. The newspaper boy should be here now."

Together with his master, Guile reached for his boots beside the exit door and walked out of the cabin.

1014 AD, Northwestern Forest of Medina

Outside, there was nothing but clusters of trees. Leaves were dropping off and swaying in the air slowly before landing on the uneven ground.

"The newspaper boy is late," Viktor muttered.

Guile looked around to see if his master were correct. It seemed to be yes, as it was silent except for the noise of rustling leaves.

All of a sudden, a sturdy rod-like object struck him on the face. He jerked away in the moment of shock, but he soon regained his composure. With a hand, he picked up the thing that had just hit him; a solid wooden stick wrapped in a newspaper.

"Mister? You got hit?"

That childlike voice was familiar. Yes, it was, especially when Guile could see a short, black-haired boy walking out of the towering trees.

It was Ben; the newspaper boy who seemed to breathe air of mystery around him. He did not only offer newspaper subscription to Viktor without any clear reasons, but he also knew Viktor's and Guile's names before they even introduced themselves. Such thing was too strange to be a coincidence, but Ben just looked…too innocent to be behind something else.

"It's weird, Mister," Ben commented. "You always catch it with your teeth, but today you don't."

Viktor smirked. "Hey, lad. See something strange with Guile?"

"He got hit by my newspaper!"

"Uh, I think Master Viktor has known that," Guile said in a flat but friendly tone.

"Then what?" Ben scratched his head, looking at Guile's face for a moment. "Oh, I know! A mask!"

Guile smiled and nodded.

"Why couldn't Guile catch the newspaper?" Viktor asked, before answering the question by his own, "It's because of the mask."

"What do you mean?" Ben blinked. "This mask weakens Guile?"

"It limits his power."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"I can't believe it!"

"Oh, come on. This is the third time I see that the mask works, so you'd better believe it."

"I want a proof other than the newspaper problem earlier!"

Viktor smacked his own face with a hand. "Oh boy…" He turned to Guile. "Prove him that the mask really works, Guile."

Ben giggled. "Guile is still very strong; I'm sure of it!"

"No, I'm not that powerful anymore," Guile muttered. "I shall prove it."

Ben finally burst out laughing. "I don't think you can be weaker just because of wearing a mask!"

"Whatever," Guile said flatly; his voice giving out a hint of annoyance.

"Try catching this arrow of lightning with a hand." Viktor pointed at Guile. Seconds later, the tip of his index finger emitted purple radiance.

"I know how it will end: Guile catches the arrow!"

Viktor only smirked as electric current crackled along his hand. Soon, the sparks of thunder flowed into the tip of his index finger. They merged, forming an arrow of violet lightning in front of the said digit. With a buzz, the crackling bold of energy set off in lightning speed.

Seeing this, Guile thought that this was going to be fun. The thunder arrow was almost invisible, and catching it should be challenging.

Fingers curled slightly, he stood still like a predator ready to pounce on its prey.

Whooosh!

At this, Guile sensed the stench of scorched flesh coming from his left cheek. Everything happened way too fast for him to follow.

"See?" Viktor questioned, grinning. "The mask limits Guile's capability."

"I still can't believe it!" Ben wondered out loud with his eyes widening. "No, no, no! I'll tag along with you then! This can't be true!"

"I'm fine with that, but if you insist that the mask doesn't work, you'll be disappointed," Viktor replied calmly.

"I will enjoy having you around, Ben." Guile smiled. "Do you have any interesting challenges? They provide joy for me and will probably satisfy your curiosity about my mask."

"Challenges, huh?" Ben asked. He paused for a moment, before saying, "Knock a tree down with bare hands! That should be fun for you!"

Guile nodded and grinned. He would need to exert more strength to destroy a tree now.

With that, he walked away, before stopping in front of a tree. Sturdy as it seemed, the tree was just tall. It stood about three times taller than he was.

Smirking, he clenched his fists and pulled them back, signifying that he would gladly destroy this tree.

BOOM!

He had slammed a fist against the trunk, and the result was pretty good for someone with limited power. The impact had managed to carve some minute fissures on the bark. But he would try delivering a few more blows before stopping. Ben had challenged him to destroy the tree, not just etching cracks upon its stout stem.

Large crevices were forming on the bark as his knuckles met the trunk. He wasn't going to stop anytime soon, although an uncomfortable feeling began to build up in his fists. It wasn't pain; instead, there was something like…some sort of sticky fluid trickling down the back of his hands.

Suddenly, his ears perceived a loud, raspy voice. "That's enough, son! Your hands!"

Those words prompted him to stop punching and shift his attention to his hands. It wouldn't hurt to have a break for a moment. Well, pausing to take a peek on his hands didn't hurt in any harmful way; instead, it was just a little disturbing to the eyes. The view of swollen and bruised flesh with innumerable bleeding scrapes met his sight.

"Guile, don't ever accept impossible challenges! You'll injure yourself!"

Upon hearing that, he felt a gentle touch on his back. A torrent of soothing warmth traveled across his body as he heard a loud 'heal.' Knowing what should be happening, he took a quick glance at his hands, on which his wounds were sealing themselves shut.

Without turning to look at his master, he muttered, "I'll keep trying, master."

"Don't be silly!" Viktor scolded. "You can't destroy a big tree with your bare hands when masked!"

"It's worth trying doesn't it?" he replied flatly, not caring much about Viktor's warnings.

He then slammed his fists into the tree trunk. More and more cracks were appearing and spreading across the bark for each collision.

Success would soon be his. He only needed to keep punching and ignore any pestering objects from the surrounding. Yes, Viktor's complaints included in his mental list of nuisances, even though the old man was his master. Guile just enjoyed trying, while obeying Viktor completely would only spoil the fun.

All of a sudden, as Guile landed his knuckles on the stem, the cracks spread wider and were circling the trunk very quickly. He stepped back, watching the tree tumbling backward and bringing about an earth-shaking boom.

He chuckled at the fallen tree. "See? I was successful because I kept trying."

Soon, he turned to see a grinning Viktor with a hand clasping Ben's mouth. It was a strange sight that prompted him to ask, "Master? What's the matter?"

"Uh, nothing. I'm glad that you've knocked a tree down successfully." He looked at Guile's hands and giggled. "And you only scratched your hands from all that mess! Heh…"

Something was suspicious indeed.

"Master, if you don't let Ben go, we can't go ahead," Guile said calmly. Perhaps Ben had something important to say, whether it was about his mask or something else… That 'something else' might be something unpleasant, though.

"Er, guess I can't hide this forever, eh?" Viktor lowered his hand and slipped it into a pocket on his trousers. "I did something you didn't like, but it was for your own good."

"What do you mean with that?" Guile asked, his tone rising. Did Viktor help him knock that tree down secretly?

"I cast a spell to…uh, destroy that tree," Viktor answered quietly. "Sorry, son, but I don't like seeing you getting hurt. You can't sense pain properly; I know that, but that doesn't mean that you're safe from infection and the likes."

Eyes widening and reddening with anger, Guile snapped, "Master, I don't need any lecture about my insensitivity to pain!" He paused. "I was trying to destroy the tree by myself, but you lent a hand! It wasn't fun anymore because of you!"

There was a pause, before Viktor smiled. "Calm down, son. You must be proud of yourself. I only used a weak wind spell to help you."

"A weak wind spell?"

"If it were something stronger, this meant that you were very weak."

"I see." Guile muttered blandly. Such reaction was what he let out because he didn't know whether he should be happy or not. He was still strong enough to damage the tree severely even when masked, but he only managed to destroy the towering thing with his master's help.

"Please understand, Guile. I know you love doing something difficult, but your body has its limit," Viktor said as he walked toward Guile. "Something terrible will happen if you push yourself too hard."

Feeling too lazy to debate, Guile simply nodded. Perhaps restraining himself from doing overly extreme activities would be the best. He wouldn't cause his master to complain too much this way, while he could still have a bit of fun.

"But Grandpa, can I still challenge him?" Ben asked.

"It's okay as long as it isn't something crazy."

"How about this one, Grandpa?" the newspaper boy began. "I want to go back to Medina, and I need some protection."

"Protection?" Guile asked.

"Some bandits attacked me earlier, but luckily they let me go after I gave them my bike," Ben replied. "I had to walk all my way here because of them."

Looking at Ben, Viktor grumbled, "Stealing from a little boy? Geez, those bandits are really shameless!"

Guile grinned. His master should allow him to fight those bandits for two reasons. First, Viktor didn't like those who picked on kids. Guile didn't know the exact reason why his master would go berserk upon seeing an act of bullying, but it was probably because children were weak and innocent. Second, fighting some bandits didn't sound too extreme. It might be less fun than lifting a gigantic barbell and destroying a tree with bare hands, but something was better than nothing. Or perhaps, a battle should be more fun. It needed something more than brute strength, which was the only thing he used for the challenges earlier.

"Let us go, master?" he asked, smiling.

"Sure thing, Guile," Viktor replied. "Those who pick on children need a lesson or two. Besides, I can fix your foot at Medina if it still hurts."

Injured foot? No, no, no. That wasn't a big deal for Guile. Viktor had eased the pain with a spell.

Moments later, Viktor suddenly said, "Looking at your face, I think I can read what's in your mind right now, son."

"Huh?"

"You're very excited about this because you get the chance to fight some bandits, aren't you?"

Guile chuckled. "Yes, that's right."

"Just like I thought. Okay, you may fight, but when there's danger, run away!"