The training room was quiet, lit only by the soft glow of fire torches. The air was still, warm with the smell of smoke. Rei sat cross-legged on the floor with her teacher, both supposed to be meditating.
But instead of silence, little "puff—puff—puff" sounds came from Rei's lips. She puffed her cheeks, blew the air out noisily, and let out a tiny laugh at her own silliness. Her breath fogged slightly in the warm air, and the sound made her heart lighten a bit despite the tension in the room.
The teacher cracked open one eye. His brow twitched.
"Young Master, will you please concentrate?" he said, voice sharp but calm.
Rei looked at him with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes and burst out laughing. A small, quick "heh-heh" escaped her lips, and she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, playful but full of energy.
The teacher sighed, closing his eyes again. But with a flick of his fingers, one of the torches flared brighter. A whip of fire leapt across the air, striking toward Rei's back.
"Hey!" Rei yelped, twisting away just in time. Her breath caught in a short gasp, her heart skipping a beat. "That was cheating! You can't attack me from behind!"
"In war," the teacher said calmly, letting the flame die down, "an enemy can attack from any angle."
"You've said that so many times already!" Rei puffed her cheeks again, blowing a small cloud of air into the room. "But I'm not here for war. I'm only here for training!"
She stood quickly, brushing imaginary dust off her pants and marching toward the door, her steps loud against the floor. Each step echoed like a drumbeat in the quiet room.
"And where do you think you're going, Young Master?" the teacher asked. He didn't move, still sitting perfectly straight, but his voice carried a weight that made Rei's steps falter. His calmness clashed with her rising panic.
"Can't you see? I'm leaving," Rei said boldly, reaching for the door. Her pulse thumped in her ears, quick and excited.
The teacher's hand glowed. From the flame, a fiery arm stretched out and wrapped around Rei's waist, dragging her back across the floor with ease. The heat licked her skin lightly, tingling, almost playful in its bite.
"Wha—hey! Old man! What are you doing?!" Rei kicked wildly in the air before thudding to the ground again. A short, sharp breath escaped her with each kick, her frustration bubbling out.
"Old man?" The teacher's eyes went wide, as though someone had thrown a stone at his calm pond.
Rei brushed her hair back with a smirk, tilting her head. "Well, you are bald… and you look like someone over a hundred."
"H-Hundred?!" The teacher's voice cracked. "Young Master, I am fifty-six years old."
"Well, that still counts," Rei teased, laughing, a short "ha!" escaping as she rolled her eyes dramatically. Her chest rose and fell in quick little bursts, her body refusing to stay serious for long.
"Back to meditating!" the teacher snapped, voice firmer, the tone snapping like a whip.
"You can't tell me what to do!" Rei stomped her foot. The sound reverberated, making her tiny cloud of frustration burst. "We've been sitting here for hours already! I have someone to visit!"
The teacher only sighed, exhaling slowly as if letting go of her stubbornness was a battle itself.
With another flick of his wrist, the fiery arm appeared again. Each time Rei tried to stand, it gently—but firmly—pushed her back down. Again. And again. Until Rei groaned in defeat, her breaths short and quick, puffs escaping her lips like steam from a kettle.
"Okay, okay, fine!" Rei huffed, puffing her cheeks like a child. She rested her chin on her folded arms. "But instead of meditating, why can't we do something else?"
"Because meditating keeps us calm," the teacher said softly, closing his eyes once more. The warmth of the fire flickered across his face, and Rei's gaze followed it.
"Well, I am calm," Rei declared proudly, crossing her legs again. Her chest rose and fell with exaggerated breaths, dramatic as a performance in a theater.
The teacher gave a small smile, barely visible, without opening his eyes. "True calm is felt… not spoken. Yours runs off faster than a frightened goat."
Rei gasped dramatically, leaning forward. "See?! That's exactly how old people talk!" Her lips formed an exaggerated pout, and she let out a small, defiant puff of air, her tiny rebellion against the wisdom of age.
This time, the teacher only made a low, displeased noise in his throat.
"We are not doing combat today," he said at last. "We are going to talk."
Rei blinked, her mouth opening slightly. "Talk?"
"Yes." His tone lowered, serious now, a subtle weight in each word. "Master Akarawa is displeased with your combat skills lately. All you think about is that Hoshino maiden."
Rei's smile faltered for a moment, her lips pressing into a thin line. "She has a name, you know. Her name is Lady Akari."
"A Hoshino will always be a Hoshino," the teacher said firmly. His words lingered, carrying more weight than the flames themselves.
Rei rolled her eyes, letting out a soft exhale, almost a sigh. "Well, two days ago I fought an entire army of giant ants. And I didn't even need my puppets to win!"
The teacher's expression didn't change. His eyes glimmered faintly in the firelight, sharp as the edge of a blade. "There are greater dangers than giant ants. You must grow stronger, be prepared. One day, you will be Master of the Akarawa clan. You must lead by example."
"I'm not going to fight a Hoshino. Never," Rei said stubbornly, folding her arms. Her small breaths came fast now, chest heaving with indignation.
"Hoshinos are not the only enemies we face," the teacher replied calmly, letting the words settle like heavy stones on her shoulders.
"Come on! That's all I've been taught since I was a kid. Introduction to defeating the Hoshinos. How to destroy the Hoshinos. Weakness of the Hoshinos. Blah, blah, blah." Rei flopped back dramatically, letting out a long, exaggerated breath, her cheeks puffing with defiance.
The teacher's eyes glimmered faintly, his voice dropping lower, carrying a weight of unspoken truth.
"Do you know why, when the sun sets, we make sure Akarawa is never left in darkness?"
"So we can see at night?" Rei asked quickly, her head tilting, breath coming short and fast in her eagerness.
"The moonlight helps us see," he agreed. Then his tone sharpened. "But it is more than that. Where light fades, true Darkness awakens. And when it comes… it feeds on the Five Sins. Without the Sun's glow, without the Moon's watchful light, the Darkness would spread unchecked—devouring everything."
Rei's brows knitted, small breaths escaping her as she leaned forward, captivated despite herself. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because you never pay attention to the lessons given to you. If I repeat them enough… perhaps one day you will listen." His voice grew heavy, echoing against the walls, the weight of generations threading through every syllable.
"The Darkness does not hunger for the body, but for the soul. Greed. Wrath. Deceit. Despair. Pride. These sins are its feast. And do you know what it craves most? Our wrath. This land has burned with it for generations. That is why we mark our skin with tattoos. They bind the fire within, keeping wrath from consuming us. For when wrath runs wild, the Darkness feeds. And worse still… unchecked wrath can twist a soul into something cursed. A Hellbound."
The teacher's gaze locked onto Rei. "Do you know what it means… to become a Hellbound?"
Rei cut him off with a quick, sharp breath. "Of course I do. When wrath breaks its chains, the body burns. The mind is lost to fury. A Hellbound can't tell friend from foe—they destroy everything. And when the fire inside finally bursts… nothing is left but ash. That's why we wear the tattoos, right? To keep wrath bound. Father says that every chance he gets."
She stood up quickly, brushing her hands together. The little puffs of breath she let out were fast and shallow, a mix of frustration and energy. "Well, guess what? Darkness was destroyed centuries ago—way before you or I were even born. And it's never coming back. Not in my generation. Not in the next."
She turned to leave, taking a few determined steps. Her shoulders were back, her chest rising and falling with each dramatic breath. "So if today is only talking and meditating… then I'm done. I'm going."
But before she could reach the door, the teacher's hand glowed once more. From the flame, a fiery arm appeared, dragging Rei right back again. Her feet scraped lightly against the floor, tiny puffs of air escaping her lips as she tried to resist.
"Come on!!" Rei wailed, her breaths quick, sharp, almost melodic in their panic. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, frustration mixing with laughter, fury, and sheer defiance.