The Lesson of Flame
The day began in the dojo. Ma'am Neko was in rare form, an excited glint in her eyes. A lining of obsidian black appeared on her hand, followed by a lick of black and crimson flame.
"This is our lesson today," she announced.
"I'll get the oil!" Kaida charged forward, ready for combustion.
"Wait, Kaida," Kai interjected. "I don't think she meant lighting our hands on fire."
"Oh, yes I did mean it," Ma'am Neko purred, "just not with oil."
"Then with what?" Itsuki asked.
"Anyone want to answer him?"
"With Kishō, Itsuki," Kurone offered quickly.
"Not exactly."
"Then what?"
"Dōwa-ryoku" Reina finished, triumphant.
"Exactly, my little protégés. You now have the intellect and capacity to imbue your Dōwa-ryoku into your punches."
"Ahh, okay," Reina said, nodding.
"And just like that, you reminded me," Ma'am Neko mused. "My previous students always wanted to speed up, but you guys actually want to take it slow. It's a new thing for me, so forgive me. We have at least two more things to go over before we can actually make a flame."
"So the imbuement thing is for later on?" Kai asked.
"Correct. So today, we shall learn of Body Resonance and Kinetic Transfer."
"I think I heard that term in the books you gave us," Itsuki said, eager to impress.
"Someone has been studying, good. And yes, today we shall focus on Body Resonance and Kinetic Transfer. So buckle up, kids. It's going to be an interesting ride."
"Let's go!" Itsuki exclaimed.
Satsuki slowly opened one eye. "This is a lesson I wouldn't sleep for."
"Good. Now listen up. Body Resonance gives the perpetual amplification of strength, speed, and durability."
"Ummm, how do we do it—like, this body resonance thing?" Kai asked, playing the slow student perfectly.
"You already have done it—well, part of it, but still, you have done it. Your concentrated breathing and blood, along with your vigorous training, made sure that you are in a state of body resonance. The user maintains a constant, stable flow of Dōwa-ryokuto ensure every cell, muscle, and joint operates with perfect, continuous efficiency."
"Okay, then, so we are like honed blades," Itsuki summarized.
"For a Ken-shi, yes. You are honed blades, minus Kai."
Reina glared at the teacher. "You could have said that later without telling him right away."
"Yeah, he might be weaker than us, but he should have... potential," Kurone added, trying to be kind.
"Sure, why not give the child false hope," Ma'am Neko sighed dramatically. "But either way, to review our learning of body resonance, come outside." She slid the dojo door open and gestured them out.
The Pillars of Power
Outside, six stone pillars stood arranged, each bearing the name of a student.
"Today we shall end here. The test is simple," Ma'am Neko explained. "The stone pillars have charged Kishōin them, and when they detect anything within a twenty-foot radius, they will shoot out that energy. You must perform a Kinetic Transfer to absorb, channel, and redirect that Kishō into a Dōwa-ryoku punch. Simple, right?"
"Ummm, why do we need the kinetic transfer technique?" Itsuki asked.
"Ah, you kids are so curious! I love you, but sometimes curiosity gets me annoyed!" Ma'am Neko threw her hands up. "These two steps are the basic things you need to do when you have Body Resonance. The more you grow, the more durable, strong, and fast your body will become. The more you can transfer and channel kinetic energy, the more you can do—like taking a full-on blast and channeling it back into your body. It converts back to its original form, so it's up to you if you want to keep it in your body and boost yourself, or release it straight away."
"Wow, man, when you put it like that, it's actually kind of cool," Itsuki said.
"Hell yeah! So let's do this thing already!" Kaida charged at her pillar.
Just as she reached the boundary, she smirked, ready to dodge the blast. But the energy appeared right by her gut.
"Wait, what?! This didn't happen before! You've got to explain this, Ma'am!"
"I didn't explain the Echo Form? Well, that's quite interesting. I usually love talking about this. Anyway, let's just get this over with. You see, the Echo Form is actually a very interesting, dangerous form, and its main reason why it is so dangerous is because of the two-second delay."
"Two seconds? Delay? What do you mean?" Itsuki yelled.
"Ah, do you hear that? It's time for me to go. Lunch is calling!" Ma'am Neko sighed. "Anyway, don't come back to my class tomorrow if you haven't finished this topic or mastered these pillars. There's more to these pillars than meets the eye and your regular senses. Once you master these pillars, you'll be able to continue with me. But if you stay and lack behind, it's not my issue. Ta-ta!"
Ma'am Neko was gone. All six students stood before the pillars, looking defeated.
"Mmm. Why don't we switch pillars?" Satsuki suggested.
"It doesn't matter. The energy is still the same," Itsuki sighed.
"So then, wha—"
"Master! You are needed!" Renaria appeared from the shadow beside Kai.
"Now?" Kai asked, feigning annoyance.
"Yes. Your sister Lyra has asked for you and Elara's presence."
"Well, I can't leave my sister waiting. Bye, guys!"
Kai and Renaria walked off. The remaining students looked at their obstacles and sighed.
For the next five hours, they tried the same thing over and over, amping up their \Kishō to block the blasts, but the more they tried, the more the pillars hummed in response.
"Aha!" Kaida yelled for the fiftieth time.
"This is your fiftieth 'aha'! Please let it be reasonable," Itsuki groaned.
"Trust me, it is. Satsuki, can you do what you did?"
Satsuki instantly lay down on the ground and started sleeping.
"Okay," Kaida said. "Look at Satsuki when I do this." She picked up the sleeping girl and threw her toward her pillar, but the pillar didn't attack.
"What!?" Itsuki was dumbfounded.
"It won't work... we tried with our eyes closed, but still it didn't work!" Kurone cried out, her face flat against the ground.
"Yes, it didn't work, but every time we turned off one of our senses and heightened another, we got an inch closer to the pillars. So what am I trying to say?"
"That we have to turn off all our senses and fight blindly, deaf, and mute?" Itsuki asked.
"Nope."
"Please do tell us what is your great, glorious plan to us taking down these pillars of concentrated power," Reina asked sarcastically.
"Well, it's simple. We must fight using a subconscious while being conscious."
"She's lost it. Okay, guys, we've got to get a frying pan, two blades, and sedatives," Reina concluded.
"Will Dragon Brew work?" Itsuki asked.
"I can offer my poisoned blood," Kurone offered tiredly.
"Guys, hear me out!" Kaida exclaimed. "Why is Satsuki safe by the pillar? Because she's asleep! Her true self is not awakened! When she is, the pillars activate and blast her!"
"Wait, she's right!" Itsuki realized. "But still, we'll have to be asleep, and none of us can sleep-fight! So what is your great plan after that?"
"Spatial awareness."
"You mean that forgotten technique over twenty years old that almost killed many people?"
"Because they didn't have the understanding we do! We have Body Resonance! What we have to do is enter a subconscious state while being conscious—our eyes closed, our senses completely shut off—but then at the same time, we're moving as if we are alive. It's basically a state of being dead while being alive."
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but she's right," Reina admitted. "If we can just—"
"Kyōketsu-ritsu sleep," Kurone whispered.
They all instantly felt dizzy. They slumped down, but after two seconds, they were awake. Their bodies' Kishō was no longer radiating. In one swift, synchronized action, all five pillars exploded into rubble.
"Hey, we did it!" Itsuki cheered. "Okay, never mind, I'm going to have hope whenever she's around!"
"Told you. Now what about him?" Kaida pointed at Kai's remaining pillar.
"Oh, come on. The future Ama-Shōgun called him, and my dad is his sister. With all of that, I think they should give him a podium. I'm very sure that he'll be fine," Reina said.
"Huh?" Itsuki asks
"She means, will he even be able to break the pillar?" Satsuki asked, sitting up.
Reina looked away. "Well... no... no, he won't."
"We could break it for him," Itsuki suggested.
"Isn't that cheating?" Satsuki asked.
"It is, and besides, this is a test," Reina concluded sadly. "Maybe it's best he learns with the other students. Their training is apparently less invigorating than ours."
"So we all agree Kai can't be in the same class with us because he can't keep up with us," Itsuki finished.
"Yep," Reina and Kaida agreed.
"I agree," Satsuki chimed in.
"Me... too," Kurone mumbled.
They sadly walked away to wash up.
The Cost of Power
As they left, Kai and Renaria returned from Lyra's meeting.
"So, let me get this straight," Renaria said, an amused tone in her voice. "Lyra called you for tea and to rate her new outfit. She definitely missed you two."
"Well, it's good to see her smile," Kai said softly. "Being an Ama-Shōgun isn't going to be simple. So her smile might be rarer as Father is still planning his retirement."
"I see."
They made it toward the pillars. "It seems they have broken theirs." Kai's eyes fell on his own pillar, which hummed in synchronized form with his Kishō and presence.
Kai closed his eyes. His senses instantly went dull, and he barely moved, his presence suppressed to the point of being non-existent. [CRACK! SHATTER!] His pillar was instantly broken.
"Let me guess," Renaria said, admiring the speed she hadn't seen. "You suppressed your very presence to the point that it allowed you access. But why such speed that I couldn't see you move?"
"Because it's either I die, and I don't know how to resurrect, or I lose my entire emotional state so that I can fight."
"Hmm?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
Renaria just smirked, loving the mystery. The chapter ended with Renaria and Kai walking back toward the academy.