The days bled into one another. Every morning, before the first bird stirred, Seijuro stood barefoot on the cool concrete of the training grounds. The mist hung low, curling around the cherry blossom trees, and the air shimmered faintly with Tenebris energy.
Frank's voice cut through the stillness,
"Again, young Seijuro. Breathe. Feel the rhythm of the world around you."
Seijuro's knees trembled as he held his stance. Sweat ran down his temples and soaked the collar of his shirt. The weight of exhaustion pressed heavy on his limbs. The forest air was crisp, but each inhale burned his lungs. He wanted to release the pressure building inside him, but Frank's calm tone anchored him,
"Control begins with silence," Frank said, his eyes closed behind his shades. "You cannot bend Tenebris if you cannot bend your own emotions. Silence your mind."
Seijuro clenched his fists, the words echoing in his mind. The first week was nothing but pain. Frank forbade him from touching his sword. Instead, he made Seijuro run laps around the training grounds, climb steep ridges, and carry heavy logs through the forest paths,
"Why are you making me do this?" Seijuro grumbled, eyes glaring at Frank,
"It'll help." He pushed his shades up, "You need to be in peak physical condition. Tenebris flows through your body as well as mind and soul."
Each muscle screamed in protest, and his palms tore open more than once. Every stumble was met not with pity but with Frank's quiet repetition of the same phrase,
"Your body gives up before your mind does. Keep going."
By the fourth day, Seijuro began to understand. The exhaustion was still there, but somewhere beneath it, his movements grew steadier. The noise in his mind began to fade.
The second week brought meditation.
Each dawn, Frank sat cross-legged near the stream, the soft rush of water blending with the whisper of the trees. Seijuro joined him, struggling to sit still while the morning chill bit at his skin,
"This is where you removed my blade. Tenebris is not summoned," Frank said, "It listens. It responds. Feel the flow within and around you. The peace and quiet should make it easier."
Seijuro closed his eyes. The forest was alive, branches creaking, water flowing, wind moving through leaves. He tried to listen, but his thoughts were louder.
Ren's voice echoed in his head,
Help me, brother…
The words struck like knives. His hands tightened into fists, and the air around him pulsed faintly with shadow. His Tenebris energy flickered uncontrolled, distorting the grass beneath him,
Frank's voice was calm but firm. "You're letting it control you again."
Seijuro snapped his eyes open, breathing hard. "How am I supposed to control it when every time I close my eyes, I see…?"
Frank tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable. "Then learn to see him without losing yourself. You cannot erase your grief, but you can reshape it."
That day, Seijuro sat in silence for hours, eyes closed, forcing himself to breathe through the memories. The pain didn't vanish, but it dulled, becoming something he could carry without breaking.
The next morning, Seijuro entered one of the Foundation's lecture halls. It was modest, stone walls lined with glowing blue panels that pulsed faintly with electricity. The seats were arranged in a semicircle, facing a large digital board filled with complex diagrams. A drone scanned every students face, marking their attendance. At the front stood Lisa.
Her silver hair shimmered beneath the room's light. She adjusted her glasses and smiled faintly as Seijuro entered,
Lisa tapped the board, bringing up an image of a humanoid silhouette surrounded by streams of black energy,
"Tenebris," she began, "is not just darkness. It's a reactive energy generated from emotional states. It amplifies intent, but it also mirrors it. Rage feeds chaos. Fear creates distortion. Calm brings clarity."
She turned to the class. "Control isn't about suppressing emotions, it's about understanding them. That's why you train your body first. A weak body leads to a weaker flow. The two are connected."
Seijuro scribbled notes, occasionally glancing up as Lisa continued,
"When Tenebris users lose control, their energy decays into what we call Corruption Fields." Her tone darkened for a brief moment before she exhaled and continued,
"Our role, as Mages, is to prevent that cycle to keep harmony between emotion and energy."
Someone raised a hand, "Is that why Frank makes us meditate every day?"
Lisa chuckled. "Correct, Damian-san! Though his methods can be… boring."
The class laughed softly. Even Seijuro couldn't help but smirk.
Afterward, as the others filed out, Lisa stopped him near the door. "How's it going, Seijuro-san?"
He looked up, a small smile appearing on his face, "Alright, I suppose. Just heading to another drill now with Captain Frank."
She nodded, her red eyes glistened under the light like pearls, "You're trying your hardest from I've heard." Her expression softened. "Keep your head straight, and don't let your guilt be the thing that drives you."
He paused, taken aback. "…You can tell?"
"Dark matter is emitted from our emotions, Seijuro-san. It's written all over your aura. Happiness is green, sadness is blue, anger is red and fear is light purple. Try be more green." She flicked his forehead and smiled faintly, then turned away, leaving him alone in the quiet hall.
The following days carried a rhythm of body, mind, and theory. Mornings were for endurance, afternoons for lectures, evenings for meditation.
By the third week, his body had changed. His shoulders were leaner, his posture straighter. Sweat glistened on his skin as he sprinted around the track, the early morning sun painting golden streaks across his face.
Frank watched from a distance, a faint smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "Good. Your body is getting strong quickly. Let's see if your mind will improve at a similar rate."
After the run, Frank gestured for him to sit once more near the stream. Cherry blossoms drifted down from the trees, some landing gently on Seijuro's lap,
"Today," Frank said, "you will not suppress your emotions. All I want to see, is control. Nothing more, nothing less."
Seijuro frowned. "How?"
Frank pushes his shades up, "Let them exist. Anger, grief, doubt, acknowledge them without being ruled by them. Like waves crashing against a rock."
The young man exhaled slowly, closing his eyes.
For a long while, nothing happened. His mind wandered, his mother's smile, Ren's laughter, then the memory that haunted him. His chest tightened, but instead of pushing the emotions away, he breathed through them. Something shifted. For the first time, the Tenebris inside him stirred not with rage, but with calm. A faint hum rippled through the air, the energy swirling around his body in quiet resonance.
Frank nodded approvingly. "Good. That is what harmony feels like."
Seijuro opened his eyes, the dark purple glow fading from his skin. He didn't smile, but there was a quiet pride in his expression. "I think… I understand."
"Not yet," Frank replied softly. "This is just the basics for combat. But you will."
By the fourth week, the routine had become ritual. Every motion, every breath, refined him. The forest had become his companion. Some days, Seijuro faltered. The memories hit harder, and frustration bled through. On those days, Frank offered no comfort, only a single phrase:
"Breathe. Begin again."
And Seijuro always did. On the thirtieth morning, the sun rose brighter than usual. The air shimmered with the faint hum of his Tenebris. Seijuro sat beneath the cherry blossoms, his breathing steady, the world around him calm. He opened his eyes slowly, the forest, the wind, the earth beneath his hands, all pulsing in unison with his heartbeat.
Frank approached, his wheelchair rolling quietly over the grass. "You've learned to listen," he said, "Now, you're ready to speak." They both chuckled.
Seijuro looked up, meeting his gaze. "So my real training begins now?"
Frank smiled faintly. "This is your real training. The foundation must be strong in order to build upon it."
Seijuro rose, bowing his head slightly, "Thank you."
Frank nodded. "Rest tonight. Tomorrow, we begin combat training. But remember this, young Seijuro, what you've done here is more than physical strength. You've learned to face yourself."
As Frank turned away, Seijuro looked down at his hands. They trembled faintly, not from exhaustion, but from energy. The Tenebris within him pulsed softly, steady and calm. He exhaled, watching the wind scatter the cherry blossoms across the clearing. For the first time since that tragic night, his mind was quiet.