Not sure what to expect, he looked up...
Then froze. A vine curled around his neck, but he didn’t move.
It was Toshi.
Certain he’d come to kill him, too, Ryuichi moved to shield his face.
The leader of the Black Tortoises lifted his sword to strike.
Great. If the vine didn’t get him, Toshi would. Terrified, Ryuichi held his breath and waited for the final blow.
Toshi’s sword grazed his cheek right before it severed the vine at his throat.
“C’mon!” He grabbed Ryuichi’s arm and pulled him free.
Stunned by that gesture, it was all Ryuichi could do to move forward.
Why had Toshi helped him? It didn’t make sense. But he didn’t have time to ask about it as the other members of the Black Tortoise and the Kai-dan arrived to assist with the exploding madness around them.
“Where are our instructors?” Takara was the first one to realize that only the students were fighting alongside Koichi.
Koichi shrugged as he continued fighting against their enemies who were intent on ending them.
Literally. Everything was attacking them.
Ryuichi ducked a flying pail that whizzed past his face before it circled back in another attempt to knock him upside his head.
All of a sudden Koichi grabbed Ryuichi under the armpits and held him high, feet dangling above the ground. “You can stop this.”
Yeah, right. “How?”
Koichi’s voice was low and urgent. “Feel your power, Ryuichi. Don’t be afraid. Remember, the yokai and all these things answer ultimately to you. Use your mind to tell them to go away.”
The problem was, he didn’t feel powerful. He still felt like the forgotten foundling no one wanted.
Powerless.
Mocked.
Hated.
Until he glanced at Takara and the kind, expectant expression on her face. She believed in him.
No door leads to happiness or unhappiness. Either one will gladly enter your home and take up residence with you, if you welcome it...
Yoshi’s words echoed in his mind as Ryuichi finally understood what his old trainer had been trying to stress.
I make my destiny.
Not simply with actions but also through words and thoughts. A single whisper had as much power—or more—than a sword stroke. One venomous thought or whispered word could do more damage than an entire army.
Mind where your thoughts graze. For an untended flock can quickly find itself in pastures where it cannot escape.
For too long he’d allowed his thoughts to cripple him.
The negativity and feeling of being lesser...
Now...
