(Chapter unfolds:9" Duty over Dread)
The new day dawned. In the center of the training grounds, Master Daisho and his Steward stood waiting. Their arms were crossed, their countenances grave and unmoving.
Before them, four katanas were driven deep into the earth, standing like silent sentinels.
Haru, Sai, Jinso, and Izuma approached the center. Sai still bore the affliction of his leg, his gait halting and painful with every step, yet he moved forward.
However, upon their faces, there was neither fear nor hesitation. Instead, a fierce intensity burned in their eyes the forged resolve of a sleepless night.
"The time is past," the Master pronounced. "Today, this very earth shall decide if you have found your balance."
He commanded them to step forward and reclaim their blades.
Haru was the first to approach. He grasped the hilt of the katana, squeezing his eyes shut as he steeled his spirit.
"Haru," the Master's voice pierced the silence. "That which you fear, fears you in turn. It trembles before the power within you. Awaken that power and destroy your fear."
Tightening his grip, Haru heaved the blade upward with a singular, decisive motion. The steel was torn from the earth's embrace. It rose without a tremor, the blade held steady in the air, its deadly edge gleaming in the morning light.
Next came Izuma.
Izuma approached his blade, grasped the hilt, and raised the steel heavenward with effortless grace. Jinso followed suit. Yet Sai, his vitality drained, struggled to master the weapon's heft. The agony in his limb forced him to hoist the blade with trembling slowness, battling the gravity that sought to pull it down.
"Today, your adversary is my own blade," the Master announced, his voice cutting through the morning air. "I shall strike, and you must arrest the speed of my katana. To retreat in terror is death; to strike with excessive force is failure."
It was a daunting challenge. To parry the blade of Master Daisho was a feat deemed nearly impossible.
Haru was the first to step into the void. The Master struck with sudden, blinding ferocity. From the arc of his blade, a force unleashed a sensation akin to a tempest of dark wind rushing toward the boy. Haru's heart hammered against his ribs. The wind began to spiral around him, encircling him like a living shadow. A myriad of thoughts flooded his mind, but one voice cut through:
"Haru... that which you dread, dreads you in return. Your defeat empowers it; your victory obliterates it. Cling to your courage and stand firm..."
The shadow lunged for his throat.
But Haru tightened his grasp upon the hilt. He awakened his courage with a calm resolve, whispering to his spirit that he would not suffer defeat again. He reined in his brute strength, arresting the motion of the Master's blade in a single, precise instant.
CLANG!!!!!!
The sound of steel meeting steel rang out, yet the impact did not even tremor his hands.
The onlookers stood transfixed in astonishment, wondering how Haru, who had known only failure, had achieved this masterstroke.
But Nobaya's keen gaze was drawn elsewhere.
He observed Haru's hands, still locked tight upon the hilt. As Haru held the Master at bay, Nobaya witnessed a subtle anomaly a faint, silver luminescence radiating from his grip upon the steel.
Next came Sai. He approached the center with a visible limp, the agony in his leg making his movement labored.
The Master, showing no mercy, aimed his stroke directly at Sai's afflicted limb. Sai gasped in shock; a blow there would render him lame forever. His spirit recoiled in terror, and he fell back, collapsing to the ground.
"You have failed," the Master pronounced.
"Your fear defeated you. When I targeted your injury, you targeted your injury in return and retreated. You should have targeted my attack. That is the duty of a Sapahan."
The Master moved to call the next disciple, but Sai, though trembling, slowly pushed himself to his feet.
"Grant me one more chance, Master," Sai pleaded.
"You have failed. Withdraw."
"A true assault does not cease simply because one falls, Master," Sai argued, his voice strained. "I know my error; I only ask for the opportunity to rectify it."
The Master studied him, then tossed Sai's fallen katana before him.
"Very well. Rise, then."
The Master resumed his ready stance. Sai slowly retrieved his blade, the wound in his leg now screaming with renewed pain.
Sai retrieved his blade and took his stance. A wave of searing pain radiated from the wound in his leg, yet this time, his focus was not upon the injury, but solely upon the Master's oncoming sword.
"Duty," Sai muttered to his spirit.
"No fear. Duty is my purpose."
The Master, granting no quarter, struck ruthlessly at Sai's vulnerable limb once more.
This time, Sai conquered the terror. He did not yield; he defied the agony. His movement, though deliberate and lacking haste, was the perfection of precision. He brought his katana down, arresting the force of Daisho's blade with utter exactitude.
CLAAAANG!!!!!!
The Master lowered his sword. Nobaya and the remaining disciples stood transfixed. Astonishment seized them all, seeing the one whom they expected to fail now standing victorious.
Nobaya's gaze settled upon Sai's blade. From the fierce grip of his hands, he perceived a faint lunar luminescence radiating into the steel, a silent sign that Sai had successfully forged his fear of weakness into the elemental discipline of the sword.
"I have prevailed now, Master Daisho," Sai stated, driving his sword point into the earth.
The Master looked upon him with a rare smile. "Yes... you have achieved victory, Sai."