Seijirou lay flat on his back, staring at the dark wooden beams of the ceiling.
The futon was comfortable, but his body felt like it had been put through an industrial thresher.
Every time he shifted, a different muscle group screamed in protest.
He held his hand up in the darkness, concentrating, and soon a faint, shimmering silver light coated his knuckles, the physical manifestation of his Ki.
It was the power he had dreamed of, the secret energy that separated the "extras" from the true powerhouses of this world.
He should have been ecstatic. He had unlocked the Spirit Circuits in a single day, a feat that would take most disciples years.
But the memory of the afternoon spar was a cold weight in his stomach.
Retsu hadn't just beaten him; she had completely and utterly dominated him.
There was no struggle, no close calls, she had moved with a casual, terrifying efficiency that made his newfound power feel like a toy.
