( journey begins ":7:" Trial by Rain & Serpent Gaze )
It was the third day of their arduous training.
As was his custom, the Aide roused the young apprentices before the morning light fully broke. With a groan of reluctance, they dragged themselves from their meager sleeping mats, heading out to face the unknown demands of the day.
Jinso, Sai, and Haru emerged together from their quarters. Outside, a fine, chilling rain was commencing a soft, persistent drizzle accompanied by a cold that bit through their thin robes.
"There will be no training today," Sai declared with a visible sigh of relief, gazing out at the wet courtyard.
Haru and Jinso looked at him, bewildered. "Why is that?" Jinso asked, confusion clouding his face.
"Do you not see this?" Sai gestured towards the bleak morning sky. The two looked out and finally registered the falling rain.
"Rain... and so?" they questioned in unison.
Sai chuckled, enjoying his momentary wisdom. "And so, who would dare conduct training in such a downpour? If they did, we would only suffer for it. We would surely catch a chill and be laid low." He spoke with the comfort of one who believed he had outsmarted his destiny. "Did not the Master say that only with robust health can we aspire to become true Samurai? If we train in this rain, our health is surely forfeit!"
"What are the three of you doing standing here?"
The voice of the Aide, coming from directly behind them, was sharp and unwelcome. Sai spun around, startled.
"Will the training commence... in this rain?" Sai dared to ask, a tremor of disbelief in his voice. "If you make us do so, will our health not be ruined?"
Hearing the question, the Aide merely allowed a thin, cold smile to cross his lips.
"Less talk. Go."
With that command, he turned and strode away, leaving the three youths to face the harsh elements and the certain, uncompromising discipline that awaited them.
Sai was furious upon hearing the Aide's words. "What is that man saying? Who trains in this rain?" Anger fueling his steps, he marched towards the training grounds.
Jinso and Haru laughed as they watched Sai storm off in a fit of pique, choosing to linger in the veranda. It was then that Jinso felt a sudden prickle a distinct sensation of being watched. He scanned the area around the veranda, but found no one.
Haru, meanwhile, began to don his training garments. Even as Haru dressed, the thought persisted in Jinso's mind: they were being observed.
Suddenly, Jinso felt a presence directly behind him. He spun around. All he caught was a fleeting glimpse of someone running away, disappearing down a corridor. He walked towards the spot to investigate. The space opened into a long, dark hallway. Jinso peered into the gloom, then turned to rejoin Haru. Just as he did, he heard the faint sound of hurried footsteps echoing from within the corridor once more. He quickly turned back, looking again, but the hallway was empty.
Suddenly! A hand landed heavily on his shoulder.
"Agh!" Jinso screamed in terror and tumbled backward onto the ground.
It was Haru. "What is it, Jinso?" Haru asked, startled by his friend's reaction.
"It... over there..." Jinso stammered, pointing a trembling hand toward the dark corridor.
Haru paid him no mind. "Come on, let's go. Everyone else has already left." He immediately bolted towards the training area. Jinso cast one final, fearful glance into the darkness of the hallway before running after Haru.
At the far end of that long corridor lay the room where Yin was being kept. Inside, Yin was awake, still sitting on the floor beneath the frame of the bed.
Jinso and Haru joined the other apprentices, where Sai was already waiting, the anger still etched onto his face. After a short while, Daishō, the Master, appeared before them.
The youths immediately bowed their heads in respectful silence. Daishō stood before the formation. "Welcome, all, to the third day of training," he announced. The apprentices lifted their eyes, focusing intently on their Master.
"Today, your instruction shall proceed under this rain. I trust every one of you is prepared for the challenge," Daishō said, scanning their faces.
A young boy raised his hand. "Master," he queried, "how are we to train in this relentless rain?"
Daishō smiled at the innocence of the question.
"For the purpose of war, neither rain, nor sun, nor any element is an obstacle. For a Samurai to prove his strength against an adversary, the weather offers no refuge, no shield. You must understand this fundamental truth: Training is not a luxury reserved for fair skies. The climate must never be an impediment to your discipline."
"To overcome the torrent, to conquer the heat those who achieve victory regardless of the elements are the true Samurai. This is a lesson you must embrace even in your youth."
Daishō stepped amongst them. "Today, you must disregard this rain entirely and continue your rigorous practice. With every drop that strikes your skin, you shall remember, in that very instant, the purpose of your mission."
The Master returned to the front of the group. "Today, your training shall be conducted in this rain."
"You shall repeat the same drill as yesterday. However, in place of fifty circuits, you shall now complete one hundred circumambulations of this training ground. And it must be completed within the allotted time."
Having delivered his stark warning, Daishō initiated the clock. "Begin!"
At the Master's command, the apprentices broke formation and rushed out of the training area to commence their assigned task.
Jinso and Haru stood ready to run, but Sai moved to the side and sat down.
"Sai, aren't you coming?" Jinso asked.
"I cannot run in this rain," Sai declared with a stubborn confidence. "When the time is finished, I will simply walk inside."
Ignoring Sai's protestations, Jinso and Haru grabbed him and began to drag him into the downpour.
"Haru! Let me go! I am not coming!" Sai shouted repeatedly, but Haru did not pause to listen, forcing Sai to run alongside him as the rain beat down upon them.
(Trial of Endurance) :
Watching the children commence their training, Daishō first summoned his Aide.
"Keep a watchful eye on every one of them. Ensure no one leaves the training grounds," the Master instructed before departing for another location.
The Aide moved to the edge of the training area to observe the apprentices.
The children continued their drill, running around the grounds without pause. By the halfway point, many were collapsing onto the muddy earth, utterly exhausted. They began to falter, yet the stronger ones pushed past them, maintaining their speed.
"Does this man have some affliction of the mind? To make us run like this in the pouring rain!" Sai grumbled angrily.
"Sai, did you not hear the Master's words?" Haru responded. "We must not dwell on the rain or the sun. Our objective is paramount; that is all we should focus on."
"What objective? Who can force a purpose upon a person who does not inherently possess it?" Sai retorted, his voice filled with frustration.
Jinso, however, remained detached from the argument. While Haru and Sai continued their heated debate, Jinso's attention was elsewhere, his gaze fixed upon a single, foreboding point.
He was staring at the main building of the training grounds. A cold sensation crept over him, the instinctual dread of being watched. He felt, keenly, as if an unseen predator were measuring them from the shadows.
It was in the midst of their bickering that Haru finally noticed his friend's distraction. Seeing the distant, unfocused look in Jinso's eyes, he nudged him sharply. "Jinso!"
"Eh?" Jinso startled, turning quickly to face Haru. "What is it?"
"Why do you stand here, silent?" Haru pressed.
"He is surely contemplating the spirit-devouring monsters from his grandfather's old tales," Sai scoffed, unable to resist a taunt.
Jinso glared at Sai, but Haru swiftly intervened. "We have no time for idle chatter! The Master's allotted time is nearly spent!" Haru grabbed them both and pulled them forward, urging them to run.
With every circuit they completed, passing near the academy building, Jinso felt a disturbing shift within himself.
The closer they came to the source of his anxiety, the stronger the sensation grew. It was an oppressive weight, a tightening coil around his spirit. When the feeling peaked, he abruptly stopped running.
The intense strain of this unseen perception began to overwhelm Jinso. He reached up, feeling something wet beneath his nose. He touched it,it was blood. A crimson stripe painted his fingers. Jinso froze, stricken with sudden fear, uncertain of whom to tell or what to do.
Haru, having run ahead, noticed Jinsao's absence and retraced his steps. He found Jinso standing still, staring blankly.
"Jinso! What are you doing? Come!" Haru seized his arm and pulled him forward, forcing him back into the relentless rhythm of the race.