Giichi descended to meet us halfway, his movements fluid and precise. He bowed to Takeo—shallow, respectful, but not subservient. “Anzu Takeo-san. It has been many years.”
“Too many, old friend.” Takeo returned the bow, his offering far deeper than the one he had received. “I bring you a student.”
Giichi’s eyes shifted to me, and I suddenly felt pinned beneath his gaze like an insect on a board. He studied me for a long moment, silent, assessing, his face giving away nothing. I forced myself to hold his stare, even as every instinct screamed to look away.
Finally, the abbot spoke. “Anzu Yoshi-san, son of HirokiDaimyo. I know of you.”
“HonoredJuji.” I bowed deeply, lower than I’d bowed to almost anyone. “I have come to learn.”
“Many come here to learn. Most fail.” His tone was matter-of-fact, but not cruel. “Our path is not for the weak of body or spirit. It will break you. Whether you remain broken or forge yourself anew, that is your choice—and the will of the gods.”
Behind us, the sound of training continued: the crack of wood on wood, the sharp commands of instructors, the rhythmic breathing of men pushing themselves past their limits.
This is it. This is where I prove whether I’m worth anything.
A familiar voice whispered in my mind,“Not prove, Yoshi-san, discover and awaken.”
I nearly staggered backward. The abbot’s lips twitched into a slight curl.
The Emperor’s dragon had not spoken to me in weeks. I’d thought she’d lost interest or found another to frighten with her slithering thoughts. But she’d returned to taunt me as I began my new life within a monastery’s walls.
“I will follow, honoredJuji.” I dropped to my knees and pressed my forehead to the ground in the ultimate show of deference.
When I peeked up, Giichi’s head had cocked, and again a tiny twist curled one corner of his mouth. He offered the slightest incline, his gaze never drifting from my prostrated form. “We shall see.”
Then he turned to Takeo. “You will stay?”
“My brother bade me remain with my nephew.”
Giichi nodded once, a crisp movement this time, then turned back toward me. “Come. I will show you where you will sleep, where you will eat, where you will spend the next years of your life. If the gods are good, your uncle will stay out of my way.”
Takeo chuckled again. Damn him for being amused.
Then the abbot added words that chilled all humor, “If you survive what is to come.”
The old man turned and began climbing the steps. I followed. Each stair we ascended felt like another promise, another vow. At the top, I paused and looked back at the training grounds. The formations continued their endless drills. The sparring rings echoed with the clatter and clash of controlled violence. Monks moved through it all like shepherds tending a flock, shaping raw material into weapons.
And somewhere in that sea of bodies, I would have to find my place.
I’m not strong enough, childhood doubts whispered.
But I was here.
Because Kaneko needed me to be strong.
Kibo needed it.
The Emperor commanded it.
And maybe, somewhere deep down,Ineeded it, too. I needed to prove that I was more than the weak boy who’d hidden while others had fought and died, more than theDaimyo’s disappointing son with scrawny arms and an uncertain future.
Maybe I could become something else here, something harder, something capable of protecting what mattered most.
If I survived.
I turned and followed the abbot through the massive doors, leaving behind the world I’d known. As the temple swallowed me whole, I felt my true trial begin.
Chapter 4
