Episode 6 - Burn Alone

The scream faded into silence.

But Genji was still there—adrift in that infinite void, facing the dragon whose voice scorched the very air around it.

"You are not ready to face the truth of your blood," the Hollow Flame rumbled. "But know this, Genji Takashima—power like ours... devours everything. It leaves only ashes. And those who stand too close..."

The dragon's eyes dimmed to a melancholy green.

"...will burn."

Genji gritted his teeth. "I don't care! I'll control it. I'll use it to protect them."

The beast's mouth curled—not quite a smile. "Then learn quickly. Or watch everything you love turn to cinders."

Its wings unfolded, blotting out the void.

And Genji fell—

He awoke with a gasp.

The paper ceiling swirled above him. His chest felt tight, the pendant resting against his skin like a frozen weight.

Outside, the courtyard was silent again. Only the gentle knock of bamboo against stone and the hiss of wind through trees filled the space.

He sat up. Asumi was already there—arms crossed, bruises faint against her skin, eyes unreadable.

"You good?" she asked flatly.

Genji nodded, rubbing his temples. "I had a dream. No, more like a warning…"

She knelt beside him, not speaking.

Zakachi's voice rang from across the room.

"Then it's time you trained. If you're to wield that flame without losing yourself to it, you must temper your soul like steel."

The Days That Followed

Zakachi was relentless.

Each morning began before the sun rose, in silence, with meditation beneath the old spirit tree. It was there Genji learned to hear the pulse of the earth, the slow rhythm of the phoenix flame, and the quicker, unstable beat of the other—the green fire, still unnamed.

Asumi joined him in physical drills. Their sparring had evolved beyond testing strikes. Now, they forged each technique into blades of precision.

"Kōrai Geri!"

Genji's leg blurred with crimson lightning, cracking a boulder in half.

But Zakachi only shook his head.

"Still too linear. You have power, but no finesse. Channel it inward—let your heart direct the flame."

Genji panted. "Then I'll create something new."

For days, he vanished into the training yard, experimenting. He combined the soaring agility of Haishōkyaku, the explosive weight of Kakongeki, and the burst-speed of Kōrai Geri.

Finally—

He stood beneath the twilight sky, his body coated in sweat.

"Let's see if this works," he whispered.

He shot forward, his entire body enveloped in red lightning and flame, twisting mid-air.

"焔雷閃脚 (Enraisenkyaku) — Flame Thunder Flash Kick!"

He disappeared in a streak of molten light and struck a practice dummy from above. The explosion of impact sent shockwaves across the yard.

Asumi clapped from a distance. "Took you long enough."

Zakachi simply nodded. "Now it begins to resemble a martial art."

One Night — A Question

Later, after dinner and bandaging his bruises, Genji sat with his grandfather in the garden.

The fireflies blinked lazily in the air.

He finally asked, "What was that green power? That thing inside me…"

Zakachi's hand tightened on his cane.

"I said we would not speak of it."

"But I need to know! It's part of me—"

"It is not part of you. It is what waits for you to weaken." Zakachi's voice cracked like thunder. "The Hollow Flame… is not some tool you can wield. It is a curse born from the wars of the ancients. A beast that devoured nations before it was sealed by your ancestors."

Genji looked away, frustrated. "Then why is it in me?"

Zakachi didn't answer. The silence lingered.

Only much later that night, when Genji was half-asleep beneath the stars, did the old man speak again.

"You should know about your mother."

Genji blinked.

"She was strong. Brilliant. Born with talent that could've reshaped the Maoshinara clan. But… she refused to inherit my name."

"She chose Takahashi instead," Genji said quietly.

Zakachi nodded. "It was her mother's name. Naomi believed in freedom, not bloodlines. She didn't want to lead a clan bound by tradition. She said we were… 'chained by dead men's fire.'"

He sighed, eyes distant.

"I tried to stop her. I thought she was betraying the family. We argued. I called her selfish. And then she left—disappeared into the world. Years later, she returned with you in her arms… and begged me to keep you safe."

Genji swallowed the lump in his throat. "Did she have the dragon too?"

"No," Zakachi whispered. "But she knew of it. That's why she ran. Why she hid you."

A breeze passed between them. A fox yipped in the distance.

"I failed her," Zakachi said softly. "And I won't fail you."

The Next Morning

Kazuya arrived with his usual laid-back grin, hands stuffed in his coat pockets.

"So. Ready to stop being a hermit and join society?"

Genji raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

Kazuya held up a neatly folded school uniform, the badge of Mishima Prefectural High sewn on the chest.

"Your mom wanted you to live. Not just train. Come to school. Make friends. Maybe punch a delinquent or two. It's all part of growing up."

Genji glanced at Zakachi.

The old man nodded slowly. "You will continue your training here… but yes. You must learn to live among people. You must learn restraint. That begins with peace."

Asumi smirked, arms folded. "Better not cry when the math test hits harder than me."

Genji looked at the uniform again… then at his bruised knuckles.

The dragon's words still echoed in his mind.

You burn too bright for their chains.

But maybe—just maybe—he could burn without destroying.

He took the uniform.

"Alright. Let's see what this school has to offer."

To Be Continued…