Voices from the past

As the first rays of morning light crept into Joe's room, the familiar sounds of the gym echoed in his ears. Whenever he woke up, the sound of the fight, the sweat and the straining of his muscles played like a melody in his brain. Sometimes when he heard those sounds, forcing his imagination, he would close his eyes tightly and try to bring himself back to life. But somehow he felt different this morning.

Something had changed.

That day, Kimura decided to teach him another lesson. He had to start a new struggle, not only physically, but also spiritually. "Punches don't just tire the body, they tire the spirit," he had once said. Joe remembered this and stepped into the hall.

Kimura's parlour was a complete retreat from the outside world. This old building offered a kind of purity, even in the wear and tear of the years. Here people didn't just fight, they touched each other's souls. They could communicate with a look.

Kimura had finished training in the morning and called Joe to him. "We're going to do something else today," he said. Looking intently at Joe's face, he added: "You're not just going to throw punches. You need to learn something that will really help you defend yourself."

Joe shook his head. "Just punching? What do you mean?"

Kimura bowed his head slightly, closing his eyes tightly. "Let me ask you a question, Joe. Can you always see your enemy?"

Joe was confused. "Sometimes... yes. Sometimes I can't."

Kimura suddenly stepped towards him. "It's like this. Fighting is not just a physical thing. Do you know who your strongest opponent is?"

Joe nodded silently. There was a twinkle in Kimura's eyes.

"Sometimes the greatest opponent is not right in front of you. Sometimes the person closest to you, the one who influences you the most, deals you the biggest blows. Life is not about fighting, it's about protecting those you love. A man gets the deepest scars from within."

Joe took a deep breath, each word seared into his mind. After his mother's death, he was constantly confronted with the fact that he couldn't protect her. When his father disappeared, he had to learn to silence his anger. But there was always a part of him that was lost somewhere, a broken person.

Kimura moved a little away and sat down in a chair. "Today will be hard for you. Not only physically, but mentally as well. Seeing your enemy is not as easy as throwing a punch. You have to feel them. I will leave you alone today. Your goal is not only to throw a punch, but also to feel everything around you."

Joe's question marks multiplied. "What about you? Aren't you just going to watch?"

Kimura smiled slightly. "I trust you, you can hit the target. But first you must learn to feel the target."

For the rest of that day, Joe tried to keep up with Kimura's strange but effective methods. He had to find and target a toy ball hidden in plain sight and sound in the hall. But it wasn't just a matter of the eyes. It was an inner focus, an integration of mind and body.

As the hours passed, Joe's eyes blurred with fatigue, but he could not target anyone. Every punch to the ball sailed through the air. Slowly, he began to get frustrated. Even after all the practice, he still didn't feel like he had taken a step forward. The more he tried to feel his enemy, it was as if another force was increasing the tension within him.

Kimura silently witnessed his efforts as he watched from a distance. When Joe's eyes flashed anger, Kimura smiled slightly. "Now it's done," he said inwardly. Anger indeed... He had recognised the deep emptiness in Joe's soul. It was a sign that he was on the right track.

Joe was too ambitious to give up at last. As his eyes focused, he felt it all make sense. Suddenly, he lunged for the ball. His fist, trembling in the air, went straight for the target.

Kimura watched Joe make this move and nodded slightly. "That's it... you seized the right moment."

For the first time Joe felt like he had actually achieved something. His body was tired but his mind was sharpened. He wasn't just fighting, he was living.

Kimura came up to him and had a deeper look in his eyes. "Come on, now it's time for the real fight."