The chief and Zen walk into the esteemed dojo. Zen scans the room. A silver blade pulses with cursed mana. He gasps and steps closer instinctively. The chief blocks him with a cold glare.
"Don't push buttons kid" the chief warns.
Zen chuckles, meeting the chief's stare. Dark energy leaks from his body, forcing the chief to release his grip.
"This feeling" Zen thinks as he edges closer to the glowing sword. The word power echoes in his mind.
"A new student huh" a quiet voice whispers. In a flash, the blade vanishes.
Zen raises an eyebrow and spots a small old man holding the corrupted sword. The man smiles innocently before disappearing again — this time sitting atop a cardboard box.
"He's even faster than me" Zen muses, smirking.
"Sorry kid but I don't know your name" the old man asks, landing beside him.
"The name's Zen" he replies, narrowing his eyes.
"Just call me Sensei" the old man says.
Sensei's smirk fades as he watches Zen walk away. "That brat has an attitude I see" he thinks. Zen taps his chin as he walks further. "Can I really trust these guys. After all they're way too friendly-"
Suddenly Zen stops, eyes wide. "What's this presence" he mutters. The steps fade until they stop completely.
"So your name's Zen huh" a voice echoes through the silent room. Zen spins around but no one's there.
"It's a pity. You don't know what mana is" the voice continues from a different direction. Flames burst at his feet. A boy with fiery red hair materializes before him, staring silently. "After all. You couldn't even find me."
Zen's eyes widen as if he's seen a ghost.
"This isn't the time Karu" Sensei says, narrowing his eyes as Karu approaches.
"He's the same kid who caused that fire" Zen mutters, trembling. Karu chuckles before pointing a finger at him. "Not everyone should learn mana you know. In fact I doubt you're even strong enough. Have you ever thought about killing in your entire life" Karu mocks.
Zen trembles harder.
In a blink, Karu appears behind him, hands in pockets. Zen gasps as a surge of energy strikes his chest.
"Is this ma-"
"Mana" Karu says, finishing Zen's sentence.
"Don't just feel it. Take it in. Focus all that energy into your heart, your soul. Breathe it in" Karu says, watching Zen's mana start to resonate.
Sensei nods approvingly, eyes locked on Zen's black aura.
"Karu of Flames. My son actually teaching a peasant" the chief thinks, chuckling.
Zen breathes deep and grins at Karu. Karu glares at Zen until it turns into a smirk.
"All right" Karu says, igniting his own mana. "I admit that was good for your first attempt. But was it a fluke" His eyes blaze even brighter.
Zen's shocked expression says it all as he locks eyes with Karu.
"Excuse me" Karu growls softly, making Zen jump.
"YES SIR" Zen shouts, unleashing his mana. He squints, controlling his breath as a burst of energy erupts. A vortex of air spins around him.
"Impressive" Sensei mutters, snapping his fingers to halt any damage.
"Control it Zen. Control" Zen thinks, his mana swirling steadily.
A confident grin spreads across his face. He opens his eyes, glancing at his power.
"Nice" he says, clenching his fist proudly. Karu nods.
"Test one complete. But can you guess test two" Karu asks, expression unreadable.
Zen smiles. "Easy. For your rival anyway"
Karu chuckles darkly and locks eyes with Zen.
Together they shout, "DUEL"
Ten minutes later, Karu and Zen stand on a mountain. Zen breathes in the fresh air and smiles, eyes on a peaceful waterfall. Sensei folds his hands behind his back and closes his eyes, listening to the birds' song. The chief sits, leaning forward with a smirk.
"I haven't fought like this since Yui and I trained daily" Zen thinks, stretching and glancing at Karu, who stands still, eyes closed, chuckling mischievously.
The chief chuckles and tosses two wooden swords to the rivals. Karu catches one. Zen the other.
"Things are getting exciting" Karu shouts, tightening his grip and igniting his sword with mana.
Zen smirks and mirrors him.
The chief gasps. Sensei chuckles softly.
"That kid's gifted. All he had to do was watch Karu, and with his new mana control, he matches a prodigy like Karu" Sensei says, glancing at the chief.
"That boy" the chief mutters, glaring at Zen but taking a deep breath to calm himself.
"Jealous much?" Sensei thinks.