"Step outside now, my son. The time has come," the old man looked at his grown son with happiness. His son had never strayed from his path. He had never neglected his education. When the young man took a step outside, he took a deep breath.
"Are you sure, father?" the old man lowered his face. "I don't need to hide you anymore, my son. You know that. The chosen ones in the new generation you will educate have not revealed themselves." Kazou hugged his father. Master Shen looked at his son with loving eyes. "We will solve everything, father... We will solve everything." Kazou, along with his father's tears, couldn't hold back his own and tears began to flow slowly.
"Of course, we will handle everything, my son. I believe in you," Kazou smiled and looked at his father. "Now, if you permit, may I wander around?" Master Shen smiled with tears in his eyes. "Certainly, enjoy it. You are free; you deserve to be free." Kazou nodded and left the part of the temple made for masters.
He started running joyfully around the temple. Master Shen had told him that today would be very precious, that this feeling would be different. He was absolutely right. For Kazou, seeing the outside like this for the first time and making contact with a different place was an amazing feeling. However, the reason for this special freedom granted to Kazou was not a particularly happy one.
Kazou had stepped outside earlier than the usual time. He had become the earliest apprentice to leave the temple. It was nice; it gave him a special feeling. But this had nothing to do with his superior abilities and rapid development. They were approaching a turning point for Seiren; the balances had changed. Master Shen had thought for a while about releasing his son early in the face of the absence of the chosen ones.
Kazou always respected his father's opinions. And his father had already made the most logical decision for him. Seiren's fate was flowing into a completely different future; it was certain that nothing would be the same.
Kazou focused his eyes on the small town. People looked like ants from the hill where the temple was located. Kazou pushed his sorrows aside and started laughing. Despite feeling uncomfortable about what people would experience, he pushed these feelings aside; he had to spread hope to them.
Kazou crouched to the ground to test his power, gathered the flow in his legs, and suddenly leaped into the air. As he floated in the air, he opened his arms, feeling the magnificent tranquility of the breeze hitting him. Finally, he landed again. "I did it, finally," he exclaimed with a sense of achievement, and joyfully leaped towards the city.
When he entered the city, he caught the attention of the crowd. Kazou was pleased with the looks he received; he couldn't stop introducing himself to everyone, saying, "Hello, I'm Kazou." People liked Kazou's demeanor; the city had a suitable atmosphere for him. Although he felt uncomfortable about what they would go through, he suppressed these feelings; he had to be a beacon of hope for them. His father had released him early for this reason.
Tomorrow was the day when Yu and Tadashi would take over their swords. As Kazou continued to stroll through the city, observing the surroundings, these scenes were amazing for him; this was the place he always wanted to be, the place he eagerly awaited to meet people. But thoughts brought along distraction; eventually, he collided with a woman in the middle of the market. Both of them fell to the ground; the woman's bags scattered.
"I'm so sorry, so sorry," Kazou began to apologize with his hands clasped together. Swiftly gathering the fallen fruits into bags, he offered them to the woman. "I'm really sorry, for my distraction-" Kazou froze when he looked at the woman's face. This feeling was very strange. The woman's green eyes had frozen him with a single glance. The red hair falling onto her face created a different harmony with her eyes. But what truly captivated and immobilized Kazou was not that. It was the emotion he saw in the woman's eyes. It revealed something about her.
The woman adjusted her hair and took the bags Kazou offered. "Oh, it's okay; it's my fault too. I was distracted too, I'm sorry." The woman looked back at the family standing at the stall with her children. When Kazou followed her gaze, he understood the reason for the resemblance he saw in her eyes. Kazou smiled and stood up.
"My name is Kazou..." He reached out his hand to help the woman stand up. "What's your name?" The woman was the first person Kazou had asked for his name. To others, he just stated his name and walked away. But this woman had evoked different feelings in Kazou. The woman silently stood up without taking Kazou's offered hand and continued walking.
"Hey, I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you fall, but I told you my name and asked for yours, not answering is quite rude." The woman stopped for a moment. "I- Amy," and continued walking. "Amy, huh..." Kazou continued on his way with a big smile on his face.
After exploring the city completely, Kazou decided to go to the forest out of curiosity; his father had experienced a mysterious event there. He wanted to witness it up close. The forest was vibrant; the surroundings were filled with bird sounds. Kazou saw many animals; all of them were harmless, herbivorous, and timid. Finally, he reached the place his father had described the event. There was nothing here. Just as his father had said, there was no fallen tree or even a cut tree around; there was no trace of any battle.
"Ah, what did I think I would find?" Kazou, hitting his head, headed towards the temple to join his father after walking through the city. His father had already researched this area many times, and the chosen ones had done the same, but none of them had found a concrete trace.
The big day had come; Kazou watched his father's procession towards the festival area with Yu and Tadashi. Today was the day fate would change; Seiren would change, he knew that, but he had no idea what would happen. He decided to listen to what was happening outside the festival area. There was quite a loud crowd, but it didn't hinder him from understanding the events. Everything seemed to be progressing normally.
What was the terrifying event Kazou was waiting for? Yu and Tadashi would take up their swords. And just as they took them, Kazou's eyes opened wide. "This is incredible!" The sound of the body suddenly splitting into two reached him. This sudden event was something Kazou had never expected. He witnessed the cheers of the crowd and Yu's laughter. Kazou quickly moved towards the exit, making sure everyone had left safely. But Kazou was filled with anxiety; where was Amy? Hadn't she come? No, no one could have ignored coming here on such an important day. And after a long wait, he saw Amy.
Kazou started feeling those strange emotions again. Forgetting his purpose for a moment, he followed Amy. These feelings had to be a sign for him; he had to take action. Finally, making his decision, he blocked Amy's way. "Hello, Amy." Kazou wasn't surprised by Amy's astonished expression; it was quite normal. "I'm Kazou... Kazou Okumi." Making the first move to establish a connection, he extended his hand to Amy.
Kazou thought he wouldn't shake hands with Amy due to her condition, but Amy suddenly shook his hand. "I'm Amy Shizen, nice to meet you." Kazou relaxed; he was progressing successfully. Although the fake smile on Amy's face expressed her failure, it was undoubtedly a success. Kazou responded with a genuine smile.
"Well, I have a question for you; how do you know me?" Kazou was suddenly surprised; hadn't Amy remembered him? Anyway, it wasn't a problem; he just had to continue. He scratched his head and started grinning. "Hehehe... How do I explain, I know it's not the right time, but I've liked you since the moment I first saw you." Kazou began to worry about Amy's facial expression; had he progressed too quickly? "Do you think it's the right time to say that, Mr. Kazou?" Kazou clasped his hands. "I know, I know; I'm sorry. I'm really sorry that I haven't expressed my feelings to you until now, but now I'm afraid. Without the Chosen Ones, I don't know how it will affect our future. That's why I wanted to express my feelings to you before anything bad happened in these fearful times." Although he knew his apology wouldn't change much, he had to do it.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Kazou, but I can't reciprocate your feelings. Please understand." As Amy moved away from him, Kazou was filled with a strange confidence; he had to say this. "I TOO HAVE THE SAME DREAMS, AMY. I SWEAR I WILL WIN YOUR HEART ONE DAY." Successfully stopping Amy with these words made him happy. He watched her with a smiling face until she disappeared, then headed to the temple to meet his father.
As Kazou approached the temple, his feelings inside surged even more. And finally, in front of him, the person who created these feelings appeared. Where had she come from, or was she already always following him? These were all possible scenarios because the aura of the person in front of him was immense. Kazou, with astonishment, opened his eyes. "Y-you're chosen." Master Shen would wait for Kazou in the temple for a while longer. Kazou was about to assume a role to change Seiren's fate.