The chief and Zen walked into the esteemed dojo. Zen surveyed the room and immediately noticed a silver blade pulsing with cursed mana. He gasped, stepping toward it instinctively — but the chief stopped him with a cold glare.
"Don't push buttons, kid," the chief warned.
Zen chuckled, meeting the chief's stare. Dark energy leaked from his body, forcing the chief to release his grip.
"This feeling…" Zen thought as he edged closer to the glowing sword. "Power…"
"A new student, huh?" a quiet voice whispered. In a flash, the blade vanished.
Zen raised an eyebrow and spotted a small old man holding the corrupted sword. The man smiled innocently before disappearing again — this time sitting atop a cardboard box.
"He's even faster than me," Zen thought, smirking.
"Sorry, kid, but I don't know your name?" the old man asked, backflipping beside him.
"The name's Zen," he replied, narrowing his eyes.
"Just call me Sensei," the old man said.
Zen stood frozen. The old man twitched as he watched Zen walk away. "That brat has an attitude, I see, huh?" the old man thought. Zen tapped his chin as he walked further away. "Can I really trust these guys?" he thought.
Suddenly, Zen stopped, eyes wide. "What's this presence?" he muttered. The footsteps grew fainter until they stopped completely.
"So, your name's Zen, huh?" a voice echoed through the silent room. Zen spun around — but no one was there.
"So you truly don't know what mana is," the voice continued from a different direction. Flames burst at their feet, and a boy with fiery red hair materialized before Zen, staring silently.
Zen's eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost.
"This isn't the time, Karu," Sensei said, narrowing his eyes as Karu approached.
"He's the same kid who caused that fire…" Zen muttered, trembling.
Karu chuckled before pointing a finger at Zen. "Not everyone should learn mana. In fact, I doubt you're even strong enough. Have you ever thought about killing in your entire life?" Karu mocked.
Zen trembled harder.
In a blink, Karu appeared behind him, hands in his pockets. Zen gasped as a surge of energy struck his chest.
"Is this ma—" Zen began.
"Mana," Karu finished, laughing.
"Don't just feel it — take it in. Focus all that energy into your heart, your soul. Breathe it in," Karu said, watching Zen's mana start to resonate.
Sensei nodded approvingly, eyes locked on Zen's black aura.
"Karu of Flames… my son, actually teaching a peasant," the chief thought, chuckling.
Zen breathed deep and grinned at Karu. Karu smirked back.
"All right," Karu said, igniting his own mana. "Decent, but was it a fluke?" His eyes blazed even brighter.
Zen's shocked expression said it all as he locked eyes with Karu.
"Excuse me," Karu growled softly, making Zen jump.
"YES, SIR!" Zen shouted, unleashing his mana. He squinted, controlling his breath as a burst of energy erupted. A vortex of air spun around him.
"Impressive," Sensei muttered, snapping his fingers to halt any damage.
"Control it, Zen. Control," Zen thought, his mana swirling steadily.
A confident grin spread across his face as he opened his eyes, glancing at his power.
"Nice," he said. Karu nodded.
"Test one complete. But can you guess test two?" Karu asked, expression unreadable.
"Easy. For your rival, anyway," Zen thought, smiling faintly.
Karu chuckled darkly and locked eyes with Zen. Together, they shouted, "DUEL!"
Ten minutes later, Karu and Zen stood on a mountain. Zen breathed in the fresh air and smiled, eyes resting on a peaceful waterfall.
Sensei folded his hands behind his back and closed his eyes, listening to the birds' song. The chief sat, leaning forward with a smirk.
"I haven't fought like this since Yui and I trained daily," Zen thought, stretching and glancing at Karu — who stood still, eyes closed, chuckling mischievously.
The chief chuckled and tossed two wooden swords to the rivals. Karu caught one; Zen the other.
"Things are getting exciting," Karu shouted, tightening his grip and igniting his sword with mana. Zen smirked and mirrored him.
The chief gasped. Sensei chuckled 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 said, glancing at the chief.
"That boy…" the chief muttered, glaring at Zen but taking a deep breath to calm himself.
"Jealous much?" Sensei thinks.