(Chosen Crucible : 1)
(Here begins the treacherous road of destiny a turning of the tide, where the true trials of war and rigorous discipline shall commence. This new chapter unveils deep secrets and sows the seeds of profound knowledge.
Those chosen to hunt the accursed spirits, the Sapahans, are now poised to begin their real training. To be a Sapahan is a path distinct and far more perilous than that of a mere Samurai.
The forthcoming regimen is designed to forge the Sapahan within each spirit. The trials and revelations that lie ahead shall surely pave the way for this terrifying awakening.)
**
"Master Daisho…!"
"Master…!"
The assistant ran towards the Master, calling out loudly.
"Master Daisho…!"
"What is the matter?" Daisho demanded urgently.
"Yin," the assistant gasped, struggling to speak. His face was ghostly pale; he had clearly arrived in a state of terror.
Instantly, Daisho understood the unspoken message.
He bolted towards the chamber where Yin had been confined. The room was empty. Daisho froze for a brief, shattering moment.
Yin was gone, yet there was no trace, no evidence of an escape.
"You stood guard here all night! How did he vanish?"
"Master, I was posted here. But when I checked this morning, he was not in the room. No sound escaped this chamber throughout the night."
After listening to the assistant's report, Daisho began a frantic search of the room, yet found no clue.
The Master moved to the window and scanned the outside, but there was nothing there either.
"Master," the assistant called, needing to speak further. Daisho turned his attention to him.
"Should we not inform Master Henzo…?"
"No," Daisho cut him off sharply.
"But Master, surely Master Henzo must know of this?"
"He must, but not now. Yin could not have gone far. It would be impossible for him to escape swiftly. We must find him immediately."
Daisho knew he ought to inform Master Henzo about Yin's disappearance, yet for reasons known only to him, he resolved to keep the matter concealed.
**( Whetstone of Winter )
Thus, several days passed, and the village and the Dojo itself began to yield to the biting cold winter had set in.
The rigorous training for the chosen few now proceeded in earnest. Master Daisho's search for the missing Yin, who had vanished in a single night, had yielded no results.
(In the Dojo Grounds)
All the students were engaged in their respective drills. Physical might being paramount to their calling, strenuous exercise remained indispensable. Under the Master's direction, they were now building muscle and increasing their endurance by carrying heavy burdens across the vast training grounds behind the Dojo.
They ran, each bearing a massive, rough-hewn log upon their shoulder. The rule demanded a hundred circuits. Yet, few possessed the stamina to complete the task; many collapsed and withdrew after barely twenty rounds.
Sai, Haru, and Jinso, however, continued their brutal endeavor, driven by the single thought of finishing the drill. Finally, utterly spent, Sai dropped his heavy timber to the earth.
"I cannot do this anymore…" Sai gasped, sitting heavily on the ground.
"You haven't even completed ten, Sai. And already you are done?" Haru questioned.
"Yes, I am done. How are we supposed to run a hundred times with this crushing weight? I simply cannot!"
"Sai, this is not mindless labor. It is to strengthen our sinews, is it not?"
"If strengthening our sinews is the goal, why not just administer some medicine? Why this?"
"If your strength was to come from medicine, why did you come here? You should have sought a mere apothecary's house," a voice interjected from behind them.
Sai slowly turned and saw Izuma standing there. He, too, was continuing his training without pause.
Sai was instantly enraged by Izuma's comment. He stood up and spun to face him.
"Mind your own business and leave others to their affairs!"
"My apologies. I felt compelled to speak upon seeing one destined to become a truly weak warrior," Izuma said, then turned and proceeded forward with his log.
"Weak warrior?!" Sai's anger flared at Izuma's words.
"Hey, Izuma! I stand here because I am courageous and capable!"
"A blunder can always occur in certain selections. You are one such blunder, Sai. You arrived here purely by luck, and nothing more," Izuma stated without any change in his expression, continuing his advance.
"Luck… I came here purely by luck?" Sai was deeply offended.
"I stand here because of my own merit, and I am stronger than you!" Sai roared in defiance, hoisting his heavy log once more and rushing forward.
Haru and Jinso watched the sudden outburst, dumbfounded.
"Why is he suddenly acting like this?" Jinso asked in shock.
"Ah, I do not know what conflict lies between them. But let him run," Haru said, and continued with his own log.
"I do not think so…" Jinso muttered to himself as he followed Haru.
At that moment, Sai's mind was consumed by a single urge: to defeat Izuma. He snatched up the log and began to run at full speed. Haru and Jinso, who had paused, watched in amazement as Sai ran with renewed vigor, showing no sign of fatigue.
"Why is he running so fast all of a sudden?" Jinso wondered aloud.
"It must be the challenge with Izuma... nothing else would motivate him now," Haru replied, still sitting on the ground.
"But this will only cause him trouble later," Jinso noted. They then continued their own training.
Driven by his fierce rivalry with Izuma, Sai pushed himself faster and faster, determined to beat him, yet Izuma barely spared him a glance.
Meanwhile, Ani, a boy resting from his exhausting drill, thought he heard a voice calling his name.
"Ani..."
At first, he ignored it, focusing on his rest.
But then...
"Ani..."
The call came again.
Ani slowly turned and looked back at the forest; only the dense trees were there, nothing else. As he settled down to rest again, the same voice called out.
"Ani..."
Ani turned and stared into the woods. Someone was there, yet invisible.
"Ani... Help me," he heard someone plead for assistance.
"Who is that?" Ani asked tentatively.
"Ani... It is me, Yin."
"Yin..."
"Yes, Ani, it is me. Save me, please..."
The voice, sounding like Yin crying, pleaded with him.
"Yin, how are you there...? What happened to you?"
"I will tell you everything. Just save me from here now, please..."
Believing Yin was genuinely calling for help, Ani began to move into the woods.
"Yin... Yin... Where are you?"
Ani called out as he slowly moved deeper into the forest.
At that very moment, Izuma, who was running on the opposite side, felt a strange sense of unease settle in his mind. He dropped his heavy log and looked around. Sai, running closely behind, failed to notice the dropped log, tripped over it, and fell.
"Agh!" Sai cried out, suffering a slight injury to his leg.
"Izuma! Are you insane? Why did you do that on the running path?" Sai yelled angrily from the ground.
Izuma paid him no attention.
"Izuma... I know you did that on purpose!" Sai shrieked, unable to contain his rage.
Haru and Jinso, who were running up, rushed towards him. Jinso, however, began to feel an intense, strange force. Visions flashed through his mind rapidly.
Haru hurried over and helped Sai sit up. Izuma was still staring intensely into the woods.
"Izuma, why did you do this?" Haru asked.
But Izuma remained silent, his gaze fixed on the forest.
"Izuma!" Haru called again, but he did not respond.
"He did it deliberately, Haru! I'll teach him..." Sai tried to stand up to attack Izuma but collapsed again.
"Calm down, Sai," Haru said, holding him down.
Jinso, meanwhile, was struggling to control the strange feeling. His head spun, and a severe headache pulsed through him. He heard a faint sound of someone calling someone else's name in his ears.
Overwhelmed, Jinso collapsed onto the ground.
"Hey... Jinso!" Seeing this, Haru instantly ran to him, followed by Izuma.
"Jinso, what happened... Jinso!"
Jinso lay on the ground, crying in unbearable pain.
"Jinso!" Haru sat him up, trying to comfort him. Blood began to trickle from Jinso's nose.
"Jinso..." Izuma called, holding his hand. Instantly, Jinso shuddered and snapped back to reality.
"What happened, Jinso?" Haru asked.
"I don't know... when I came here, it felt strange..." He began to tell them what he experienced.
Izuma still sensed that something was gravely amiss in the forest.
Just then, Ani emerged from the woods. Seeing him, Izuma ran over immediately.
"What were you doing inside the forest?"
"Uh, I just had to pee... you can't go right here," Ani stammered.
Izuma was not entirely convinced by Ani's explanation.
Ani picked up his log and started running back to the path.
After Ani left, Izuma returned to Sai.
"I did not drop it intentionally, Sai. I did not see you coming. Sorry."
"I don't need your apology. I will give you an answer for this," Sai retorted.
Izuma said nothing more and walked away.
Haru helped Sai and Jinso, who was still confused by the whole ordeal, and they, too, started walking back.