The Rugged Road Ahead

A deep silence hung in the courtyard.

Emiko's mind still echoed with Tsubaki's words.

"The Council isn't going to let you off that easy.

Emiko's grip on the wooden training sword tightened as her heart raced in her chest. The heavy reality was dawning; training wasn't about bettering oneself anymore, it was about survival.

Kaito, She said, voice low but certain. "He wasn't bluffing, was he?"

Kaito heaved a breath and raked a hand through his silver hair. "No. The Council does not issue empty threats."

Saya crossed her arms and narrowed her golden eyes. "We knew this was coming. They were always going to go after Kaito. But now…" She glanced at Emiko. "Now you're a target too."

Emiko swallowed hard. She had known danger was inevitable, but hearing it out loud felt more real than it had ever been.

It's time to stop training pointlessly just to get stronger.

No more waiting to fight a distant war.

The war was coming.

And she had no option but to prepare.

Emiko stared at the wooden bead in her palm that night as she sat alone in the dojo.

That ember of power still thrummed inside her, but it wasn't enough.

She needed more.

She had to wake up whatever strength was buried within her — now.

She shut her eyes, inhaling deeply. Feel. Don't force it.

The ember flickered.

A tiny, inconsequential spark.

Then—nothing.

Emiko exhaled in frustration. She sensed it, but it was like trying to catch smoke — always just out of reach.

She clenched her fists. I don't have time for this. Without my power awakened, I'll die before I have the opportunity to fight.

A voice interrupted her daydreaming.

"You're impatient."

Emiko glanced back and saw Kaito leaning in the door, arms crossed.

She sighed. "Yeah, well, excuse me for not wanting to die."

Kaito smirked at that but said nothing. Instead, he crossed over and sat down opposite her.

"You're trying too hard," hetold her. "Spirit energy does not work with brute-force assault. You cannot make it wake up — you have to allow it to come to you."

Emiko frowned. "How am I going to do that?"

Kaito regarded her for a moment, then tapped lightly at his own chest. "It's about instincts. You think too much."

"Stop thinking?" Emiko said, its eyebrows raising. "That's the worst advice I've heard in my life."

Kaito chuckled. "Is it?"

He leaned forward slightly. "I mean, when Saya hit you earlier today, you missed some of her attacks, I think?"

Emiko nodded.

"And did you think about, in that moment? Or did you just move?"

She was going to answer, but she stopped.

I… just moved.

Kaito looked bemused at her realization. "That's what I mean. Your body knows how to survive already. You have a stronger gut than you realize. You just need to trust them."

Emiko frowned. "And how do I do that?"

Kaito stood up. "We find out the hard way."

Hours later, Emiko awoke to sirens and flashes of red and blue lights outside the window, she stood at the edge of this particular part of the city, most of its buildings old and decaying.

Saya cracked her knuckles. "No training swords today."

Emiko tensed. "Wait, what?"

Kaito smirked. "Time for a real fight."

Before Emiko had time to protest, Saya lunged.

There was no wooden sword this time to cushion the blows. No restrictions. No holding back.

It was a real fight.

Emiko didn't even have time to respond before Saya's fist slammed into her stomach. It knocked her backward, her lungs gasping.

Pain detonated inside her body, only, by the time she reoriented herself, Saya was going in for another attack.

Too fast—!

Emiko ducked just in time to avoid a blow to her head. Instinct kicked in, and she rolled off his side, creating space between them.

But Saya didn't stop.

Emiko scarcely saw the next kick coming before it scattered her against the dusty ground.

She coughed and tried to lift her body, but it felt as if it were made of lead.

Saya crossed her arms. "Get up."

Emiko ground her teeth, trying not to ball her fists in dirt.

She's not going to allow me to quit. If I don't fight back, I'll lose. If I lose—

I will die when the real fight is coming.

Something inside her snapped.

A flicker.

The ember burning in her chest flared, hotter than it had burned before.

Emiko's body acted before she could think.

Saya charged at her again, but this time, Emiko was quicker. She evaded, the movements sharper, more precise. When Saya attacked again, Emiko deflected with her forearm, the blow jarring yet bearable.

Then she countered.

A fist shot out — instinctive, spontaneous.

Saya barely avoided it, her golden eyes flashing in surprise.

Emiko's breathing grew rapid, but she didn't pause.

She couldn't stop.

The ember that lay within her flared brighter.

I can do this.

And with everything she had she launched forward and attacked.

Saya met her head-on.

The battle was fast, brutal.

Saya had pushed her to the point where the only response she could have was instinct. No thinking. No hesitating.

Emiko was no longer just surviving.

She was fighting.

The ember in her pulsed, heat coursing through her limbs. It wasn't only adrenaline — it was something much deeper.

And then, at the height of the battle —

A spark ignited.

A jolt of energy coursed through her body.

"Just for a moment, I was weightless. Her movements grew quicker, crisper. Everything around her was in slow motion, just so.

Saya swung again, but this time, Emiko was already two moves ahead.

She dodged.

Then countered with a blow that, surprisingly, sent Saya skidding backward.

A second of silence passed.

Then—Saya smiled.

"I see you finally got it," she said.

Emiko stood there, breathless, hand trembling from the aftershock of whatever had just occurred.

What… was that?

Kaito let out a low whistle. "Well, damn."

Emiko stared down at her hands, still buzzing from aftershocks of static.

She had felt it.

For the first time, she had touched something.

It was no longer just a flicker.

It was fire.

And it was just the beginning.