The windy December at his Grandpa's residence that afternoon was quite warm. In addition to the more vibrant sun channeling its heat that day, three graceful fires burning in the courtyard beside the dojo also added warmth there. A group of under-15-year-old children in white uniforms watched the campfire from a safe distance, fenced off by three to five adults, including Ken's father and uncle. Ken himself was standing bent in front of the three bonfires that were actually getting bigger. His grandfather stood at some distance beside Ken, watching him with a serious face.
"Hey, hey, why that big bro can stand too close to the fire while we can't?"
"Sensei said, that big bro is a great person! That guy is also the one who made those bonfires!"
"Make? Oh, you mean the one who collected the wood and lit the fire, right?"
"Eh?! Look, look! Why is the fire in the middle getting bigger?!"
"Ah, I remember! That big bro, I saw him on Ketteibi's first day! I don't know the whole story but I saw his whole body on fire!!!"
"Eh??!!"
Ken clicked his tongue loudly while scratching his earlobe. Despite the distance, Ken could still clearly hear the chatter of the children who were busy gossiping about him. He lifted his jacket hood until it covered his head, then again stood up straight.
"Ken."
His grandfather walked up towards Ken. The man patted his shoulder three times, then moved to the side. With both hands covered with wrinkles, he lightly patted Ken's chest. Three times. Ken could only keep quiet and accept the treat his grandfather had given him without commenting.
"Your body is too stiff," he said. "As a result, your energy will be explosive and difficult to control."
Ken frowned. He turned his head towards the three fires that continued to smolder before him even though the wood in its path had become ash. Ken did the breathing therapy he did whenever he was nervous, then turned his head back toward his grandfather.
"Then, what should I do?"
"Don't think of this exercise as something that gets your emotions racing."
Ken was confused. What does that mean? Driven by emotion? Ken didn't feel like it. After all, what kind of conditions can called into the category of fueled by emotions? Angry? Fear? Nervous? ... Challenged? The more Ken thinks about it, the more he doubts himself. Is he indeed being driven by emotion when doing this exercise without knowing it?
What does this have to do with his stiff body? Does it really have an effect? Whether his bones, muscles, or maybe his nerves .... Hm? Wait.
Damn. He forgot that science is the most complicated lesson his brain can digest.
Seeing Ken put on a sullen face, his grandfather added his explanation. "Maybe you don't realize when you start training, there is something you want to achieve. Enthusiasm, ambition, that sort of. But Ken, don't get blinded by it all. The main focus in this exercise is calmness and harmony."
"Imagine like this." His grandfather clenched one hand, opened it, then clenched it again tightly. "When I clenched my fists, all the energy gathered here. But when I loose it, the energy will no longer gather at one point and will flow to all parts of the body evenly. That's what we're doing."
Ken swallowed his grandfather's remarks. He tried to practice it himself. He began to clench his fist, and suddenly a fire enveloped his fist. He tries not to panic, then releases his fist. Then the fire vanished. He repeated the same thing over and over again, until he got used to seeing the fire enveloping his hands without leaving the slightest wound.
After many trials and errors, Ken swung his arm towards a piece of wood that was still in good condition next to the three bonfires that were still burning. A tinge of fire burst out from his palm, engulfing the poor piece of wood. The fire was burning, but this one didn't seem as big as the three flames beside it. The amazed exclamations of the children sounded exciting in his ears.
"Ho...." Ken turned to look at his grandfather who was rubbing his palms. "Not bad. Now, try not to burn the remaining wood. Try to control it so that these four flames shrink, but don't let them extinguished."
Ken swallows his saliva while his grandfather tells his uncle to pick up the remaining logs to be stored back in the dojo. Ken looked straight ahead. But suddenly his mind went blank.
How?
Ken had absolutely no clue what to do so that the four flames in front of him tame without having to extinguish them to the root. When he thought about it, he didn't even know how to put out or eliminate the fire. Ken clicked his tongue desperately.
Well. He tried to recall what his grandfather said. He focused his gaze on only one of the most massive and ferocious flames, right in front of him. He tried to imagine that it was his other self because the fire was generated by energy from his body. He repeated his previous activity when he clenched his fists. But nothing happened.
Ken tried to focus more until no sound came into his ears other than the sound of a gust of wind. At that time, although the difference was not very significant, he could see that the fire in front of him was slowly expanding even though it was no longer moving wildly. The blast was calm and only pointed towards the sky, no longer running to the right or left. He exhales, unclenches his fist.
That's it! The fire shrank by almost half! He barely believed his own vision until he faintly heard a murmur of awe that slipped into his ears. He took a slow breath to refocus his aim. Although he was sure the fire had shrunk, even at that size it was able to burn down an apple tree three to four meters high to its roots in less than fifteen minutes. Meanwhile, his target is to shrink it to the maximum extent possible.
Still standing beside his grandson, the grandfather continued to observe Ken who began to look drenched in sweat. His development seemed to be moving very quickly. He did not even expect that the teenage boy standing next to him was the same person as the little boy who could not help crying when his feet were bleeding. He then stared at the tinge of one of the flames before him that was slowly shrinking. A sigh came out of the gap in his slightly open mouth. His lips pulled upward with a feeling of pride.
The grandfather intends to pat Ken on the shoulder, telling him to stop for a moment. But before his hand touched his grandson's skin, he had swerved to the side. The four flames in front of them were instantly extinguished.
"Hiroshi! Yuutaro! Get Ken inside!"
...
The incident of Ken's fall was enough to grab the attention of all eyes watching at that time. Ken's father and uncle immediately brought him into the house. His grandfather told one of his students to call a doctor at the clinic. The children were discharged on the spot.
Ken just woke up when it was late afternoon, almost night. The doctor who treated Ken already confirmed umpteen times that his patients were doing well and were simply exhausted from putting out too much of his elemental energy. Ken's father, who could not believe the doctor's statement, repeatedly asked the doctor—who was his friend—to reexamine Ken's condition. Over and over again, the answer remains the same.
"What the doctor said is right, I simply just tired."
Hearing the direct statement coming out of Ken's mouth, his father finally stopped urging the doctor. The grandfather accompanied the doctor out while the father walked closer towards Ken and directly pressed his palm to his son's forehead. Warm. And it is a normal warm temperature.
"Tomorrow I have to come—"
His father interrupted Ken's remarks by patting him on the shoulder. "We go home tomorrow morning. Today we sleep here. No but. Just take a break. I'll call you later when dinner is ready."
Ken couldn't say a word as his father went straight out leaving him alone in the room to rest. He could only flick his shoulder, then lay back on the futon while staring at the ceiling.
A slight vibration near his pillow made him roll to the side while reaching for his phone. The incoming message from Yasuhiro made his fingers busy dancing over the screen. His eyes instantly narrowed as he read a message from one of his best friends.
Ken swore restraint while typing a reply message full of annoyance.