Congratulations," Sensei Shu says calmly. "You managed to lean on each other for your very first sparring session."
I blink. "Is that supposed to be a compliment? I honestly can't tell."
Jordan tilts her head. "Yeah. That didn't sound like a compliment."
Maya exhales through her nose. "I feel slightly attacked. Not gonna lie."
Cameron rubs his side. "I got put on my butt in like… three seconds."
Shu raises a hand. "Enough. All of you."
The room stills instantly.
"Your powers are unstable. Unfocused. Inefficient." His gaze moves slowly from one of us to the next. "That is expected. What matters is how you improve from here."
He turns to me first.
"William. You barely used your power at all. You fought like someone afraid of their own strength."
My jaw tightens, but I don't say anything.
"Cameron," Shu continues, "you relied on speed alone. No defense. No restraint. That is why you were countered so easily."
Cameron nods, quieter now. "Yeah. That checks out."
"Maya," Shu says, "you stayed calm. You observed. You waited." He pauses. "That is good. But restraint can also become hesitation. If you do not use your power, you will never fully control it."
She gives a small nod. "Understood."
"And Jordan," Shu finishes, "you have a solid foundation. Your movements are clean. But you are predictable. Next time, disrupt your rhythm. Force your opponent to guess."
Jordan exhales slowly. "Got it."
Shu folds his arms. "Everyone understand?"
"Yes," we answer together.
He watches us for a moment, then asks, "How do you think your first training session went?"
I hesitate. "Honestly… not great."
Jordan smirks. "Oh? Was it the part where you got knocked down, or the part where you stayed there?"
I stick my tongue out at her. She snorts.
Maya shakes her head. "You're both exhausting. I think it went fine for a first day."
Cameron shrugs. "I mean, I definitely didn't do good."
Shu nods. "Good. None of you did."
That shuts us up.
"It was your first day," he continues. "I did not expect perfection. What I did see was potential. Raw, dangerous potential."
He turns and walks a few steps away, then stops.
"Training will be every day after school. Same place. Same time."
Every day.
"Any questions?"
Maya raises her hand. "How long does training last?"
"One week."
The room reacts instantly.
"A week?" Cameron says.
"That's it?" Jordan adds.
I frown. "Sensei… that doesn't feel like enough time."
Shu turns back to us, eyes sharp.
"It isn't."
We go quiet.
"The enemies you will face are not going to wait for you to feel ready," he says. "The world will not slow down while you train. Your role is to protect it, whether you feel prepared or not."
The weight of his words sinks in.
"This week," Shu continues, "is for foundations. Control. Discipline. Learning how to fight as Dragon Keepers. The rest will come through experience."
We nod slowly.
"Understood?"
"Yes," I say.
"Yeah," Cameron mutters.
"I guess," Jordan adds.
"All right," Maya says.
Shu studies us one last time. Then he speaks again.
"I'm choosing a leader."
My stomach drops.
"The leader will be William."
Silence.
"What?" everyone says at once.
Maya steps forward. "That makes no sense. Jordan or I should be leader. We won."
Jordan crosses her arms. "Exactly. We proved ourselves."
Cameron stays quiet, watching.
Shu doesn't raise his voice. He doesn't need to.
"My decision is final."
The room stiffens.
"Understood?"
"Yes, Sensei," they say reluctantly.
I swallow. "Sensei… may I ask why?"
Shu looks at me for a long moment.
"Because you hesitate," he says. "And hesitation, when paired with power, means you think before you act."
He steps closer.
"You fight with your heart. You question yourself. Leaders do that. And the red dragon responds to will, not arrogance."
The others stare at me like they're trying to see something new.
"I understand," I say quietly.
"Good. You're dismissed."
As Shu walks away, the tension doesn't leave with him.
Jordan brushes past me. "I'm not in the mood to talk."
"Same," Maya says flatly. "No offense."
Cameron steps between us. "Hey. It's not his fault."
Jordan scoffs. "Sure. Shu's favorite."
Maya stops in front of me. "You're not the strongest one here. I don't see why you're leader."
They walk past me, shoulders clipping mine.
I stand there, heat crawling up my spine.
Maybe they're right.
I barely used my power. I lost. I hesitated.
How am I supposed to lead anyone like this?
A hand taps my shoulder.
"Don't let it get to you," Cameron says. "They'll come around. You just gotta prove it."
I force a smile. "Yeah. Thanks."
We walk out together, splitting ways near the street.
"See you tomorrow," he says.
"Yeah. Tomorrow."
I sprint home under the streetlights, heart pounding. Every shadow feels closer than it should.
I reach my house just before a car pulls into the driveway.
Too close.
I rush inside, up the stairs, hoodie on, washing my face, hiding the bruises just in time.
I stare at my reflection, breathing hard.
Leader.
I don't feel like one.
But tomorrow, training starts again.
And I can't afford to fail.
I stay upstairs, lying back on my bed, staring at the ceiling.
I think.
I overthink.
What am I even supposed to do?
My team already hates me. Or at least, they don't trust me. They don't think I deserve the role. Cameron's the only one who didn't look at me like I stole something that belonged to him. Jordan seems determined to make my life harder than it already is. And Maya… I can never tell what Maya's thinking. That scares me more than open hostility.
I exhale slowly.
"How am I supposed to be a leader," I mutter, "when I can't even trust my own power?"
My eyes drift to the sword resting in the corner of my room.
The blade is crimson red.
Not bright. Not shining. It glows low and deep, like embers buried beneath ash. Heat rolls off it in quiet waves, steady and restrained, as if it's waiting. Watching. Alive in a way that doesn't need to announce itself.
I don't feel angry. I don't feel confident.
I feel afraid.
Afraid I'll lose control.
Afraid I'll hurt someone.
Afraid I'll explode and take everything around me with me.
Uncontrolled power is worse than evil.
That's what Shu said.
I swallow.
Yeah. I'm screwed.
Click. Click. Click.
The sound of the lock downstairs snaps me out of my thoughts.
"Oh, they're home!" my mom calls up the stairs.
My dad follows. "We brought dinner."
"I'll be down in a minute!" I call back.
I grab my backpack, pull out my homework, and rush through it without really reading anything. My head's still underground, in a dojo that smells like old wood and pressure.
When I head downstairs, my mom notices immediately.
"Why are you wearing a hood?" she asks. "It's hot in here."
"I'm just… cold today," I say.
She presses a hand to my forehead. "Are you sick?"
I lean back. "No. I'm fine. Really."
She hesitates, then lets it go. My dad doesn't even look over. He's already turned on the news.
"Hey, kiddo," he says. "You hear about this?"
The reporter's face fills the screen.
"My name is Jessica Robertson. Earlier today, eight more bodies were discovered in an alley downtown. Police report no suspects at this time. This marks the fifth major case this year."
My dad exhales. "Eight in one day… it's getting worse."
I stare down at my plate. A burger. Fries.
Eight more.
Eight lives.
My chest tightens.
It has to be him.
Lord Drakna.
People are dying while I'm training. While I'm learning how to hold a sword. While I'm figuring out how not to burn my own house down.
How many more die while we "prepare"?
Now I get why Shu said a week.
There isn't time.
My grip tightens around the fork.
Too tight.
Heat blooms in my palm.
The metal softens. Warps. The prongs curl inward.
I freeze.
Then drop it, heart pounding.
Breathe.
Slow.
Control.
I glance up. My mom's already gone upstairs. My dad's still watching the screen.
Good.
Tomorrow. Training. I'll learn control.
I finish eating in silence, head upstairs, shower, brush my teeth, and collapse onto my bed.
The ceiling stares back at me.
Eight bodies.
A week.
A team that doesn't trust me.
I close my eyes.
Sleep comes fast.
And it doesn't feel peaceful at all.