The master was astonished by the scene before him. He hurried to Yu's side. "My child, how did this happen?" Yu was silent, filled with anger towards himself. "I understand, my child. You've been through a difficult event. Now let's attend to young Tadashi," the master added. While carefully tending to Tadashi's wounds, Yu anxiously waited for his brother's condition. His brother had been harmed due to his own failure. "Please, Tadashi, please..." Yu had numerous questions in his mind, but for now, his brother's life was the priority.
After a long hiatus, the master opened the door, and Yu snapped out of his reverie, fixing his gaze on the door. The sight he saw filled him with relief. Tadashi was approaching, smiling. Yu hurried to his brother, embracing him tightly, apologizing, "I'm so sorry, so sorry." Tadashi, trying to boost his brother's morale, said, "Hehe, it's okay, my brother. It's not your fault. It was my fault for not defending against the bear." The master watched them both with a smile, instructing them to rest. "Yes, my children, rest now. You've been through tough times. We'll talk about these events tomorrow," he said.
The master struggled to grasp what had happened. He would learn the details tomorrow. The brothers had a restless sleep after the difficult day. Yu felt this way, but Tadashi seemed to awaken in a renewed body. "Good morning, brother," Tadashi greeted. Yu still felt guilty. "Yes, children, tell me about your situation," the master said to his students.
"We found the deer with my brother, grazing quietly. We were very quiet, but a giant bear came from behind and scared the deer," Yu explained. The master was surprised, "A bear?" he asked. "Why are you surprised, master?" Yu added. "An incident like this in the forest is..." the master trailed off. This situation was somewhat beyond Yu's understanding.
"Hmm, these situations are very strange. I must inform the Twin Blades about the situation. Children, continue your training," said the master. Tadashi was excited, "So, the Twin Blades who will be in our places in the future?" The master nodded and set off to relay the news. Yu wondered why he didn't inform his master about the complex situation, but it was too late now. Yu and Tadashi continued their training. Days passed, and Yu and Tadashi were ready for their first martial arts lessons.
"Yes, children, the first art we will learn," he looked at the upright column before them and struck it with a fist. The column shattered. "The Kyouka art requires you to compress the flow inside and focus it on where you want to strengthen."
"I understand, master, I'll do it right away," said Yu, focusing.
Tadashi swung his fist, and the column slowly cracked, then crumbled. "Well done, little Tadashi, very successful," said the master.
"I can do it too," thought Yu to himself. He continued gathering his strength and struck the column with his fist. Just then, he heard a voice saying, "Now it's my turn, my friend." Yu, filled with fear, without understanding what was happening, struck the column. The column exploded with a massive blast.
Tadashi and their master's eyes widened in unison; they hadn't expected such power. "MY BROTHER, THAT WAS INCREDIBLE!" exclaimed Tadashi.
"Yes, young Yu, that was incredible," the master said. Yu was bewildered; he needed to immediately inform his master about this event.
"Master, I have a-" 'This is between the two of us, my friend,' the voice faltered, leaving a gap in his mind, and all memories turned into a reel of film. The film strip was being rearranged, some scenes rewritten, and a motor. "Yes, young Yu, what happened?" the master asked.
"Ah, master, I d-did it, and exceeded my expectations," Yu said, reveling in the feelings of success.
Yu's sense of failure vanished entirely; his brother's injury and the forest mission had slipped from his mind. "Yes, you succeeded, my child, you even surpassed my expectations; you were incredible."
"Yes, Yu, you were incredible, magnificent, flawless," Tadashi said, hugging his brother fervently.
"Yes, I finally did it..." He had finally achieved the success he desired; the feeling was exquisite. He looked at his hand over his brother's shoulder and clenched his fist. "Yes, children, you did very well; now we can take a sweet break."
"A sweet break?" Tadashi ran to the temple.
"Hahaha, little Tadashi, you've earned your reward," said the master, looking at Yu.
"Little Yu, you did really well today; let's enter the temple," said the master.
Yu began to ponder whether it was right or wrong for his master to learn about the forest incident. "Little Yu, how did you manage to escape from the bear that attacked you in the forest?" the master asked.
"Why are we suddenly going back to this topic, master?" Yu was confused.
"My child, I need to get details from the one who experienced this incident to resolve it," the master said.
"I see, master. Tadashi and I saw the deer, and a bear came from behind, frightening the deer, which then noticed us. The bear ran towards us, scratched Tadashi, and I lost control, jumping onto the bear. I hit the bear's head with repeated blows and quickly brought my brother to the temple," Yu explained.
"So that's what happened; congratulations, my child, you've truly accomplished a difficult task; you saved your brother's life," said the master.
"Yes, I did," Yu said, with a smile on his face.
The master pondered what he could do with this information; none of it seemed to be of use. For now, they stopped thinking about it and entered the temple to eat their sweets.
---
Years passed; Yu continued his successes, and Tadashi strived to emulate him in admiration, as they reached the final exams of their sixth arts.
"Yes, my esteemed students, you've come a long way. You've shown tremendous progress. Now you've reached the final exam of the sixth art."
"We couldn't have done it without you, master; we're eternally grateful," said Tadashi, kneeling. "It was my duty; I merely did my duty, my young student."
"Take us to the final exam, master," said Yu, ready to showcase himself. "Of course, Yu, come children, it will be a long journey. We're going to Kami Mountain."
"So, the majestic legendary mountain?" Tadashi was excited, though not as visibly as before.
"Yes, Tadashi, this is it," said the master. Kami Mountain, believed to be the place where the gods resided, set the stage as the master and the students embarked on their journey. They advanced along the path of the mountain. Tadashi wondered what kind of display his brother would present.
They reached the summit—a flat, smooth, golden-yellow terrain. In the middle stood a large, crystal-clear lake. What was even more astonishing was the array of tools ready for training.
"This is a significant step on the path of the chosen ones."
"Wow, master, this is truly mesmerizing," exclaimed Tadashi. Yu was equally impressed; the sense of sacred soil made him feel a connection to this place.
The time for the exam had arrived, and both students were ready. "Today is a big day, inheritors of the twin swords. Today, you will learn to merge the arts," said the master, standing in front of the lake.
He pointed his finger, "Seisaku art." A water sphere rose from the lake at the tip of his finger. "Kanri art." The water sphere swiftly hurled onto the golden ground, creating a pit. "Kyouka and Sokudo art." The water sphere pulled towards him but bounced off before touching his body. "Taikyuu art." Finally, he ran his hand over the sunken ground, restoring it to its original state. "Chiyu art." He returned the water to the lake.
"Alright, who's first?" asked the master.
"Me, master," said Tadashi, stepping forward to the lake without Yu saying anything. As much as Tadashi wanted to be the first, he was curious about the performance his brother would demonstrate.
"Come on, my brother, show us your skills." Yu created a flow and formed a massive water wall in front of him, then swiftly pulled it upwards, trying to protect himself from the incoming torrent of water with taikyuu. 'The time has come, my friend,' a voice said.
Yu felt a shiver; all of his flow disappeared, sticking to the water, imprinting onto his skin. He couldn't control the power of his soul; he was crushed by the pressure from above. 'It's time for you to fall for my rise, my friend,' the voice said. 'Failure Yu, poor Yu, incompetent Yu, Yu who can't surpass Tadashi.'