A few mornings later, Rob's acupoints no longer ached. Ichiro woke him up at five.
"What's the deal, Mr. Ichiro? The sun isn't even out yet," Rob complained.
"Your training begins now," Ichiro replied.
"Huh?"
"The chest where you got the sleeping mat—there's a gi that should fit you. Go get it." Ichiro pointed to the large chest in the corner.
"Did you have a student before me, or is this for your son, old man?" Rob asked.
"It was for my son," Ichiro said, his expression solemn.
"Wow, you have a kid? Where is he now?" Rob asked, curiosity getting the better of him.
"The answer to that is not important right now. Put it on and let's begin your training," Ichiro instructed.
Rob put on the gi, and they walked out of the hut.
"Do as I do," Ichiro said, as they both stood on the stone platform outside the hut. He aligned his feet with his shoulders and straightened his hands, moving them slightly forward.
Rob mimicked Ichiro's stance.
"Make sure your feet align with your shoulders," Ichiro corrected.
Rob adjusted his feet.
"Yes, Sir!"
"Call me Master," Ichiro instructed.
"Yes, Master Ichiro!"
"This is how to stand at ease in Ember Flux Mastery; whenever I say at ease, you do this."
"Yes, Master Ichiro!"
"Now, there's a river south, about 3000 meters from here, at the bottom of the mountain. Fetch two buckets of water, one for each of us."
"You want me to walk to the bottom of this mountain?!" Rob exclaimed.
"No, you're going to run. I'll follow to ensure you don't stop. We'll take that path." Ichiro pointed south.
Ichiro retrieved two large, empty buckets from the hut.
"Alright, let's go," Ichiro said.
Rob stared at the path, contemplative.
"What, are you chickening out already?" Ichiro asked.
"No, I'm ready." Rob hopped on the spot, hyping himself up.
Ichiro handed Rob the buckets.
"Ready?"
Rob nodded.
"Go!" Ichiro's command echoed through the mountain air as Rob dashed down the path, with Ichiro closely behind.
The thin mountain air made every breath a struggle for Rob, and each step felt heavier due to the lack of oxygen.
Whenever Rob slowed, Ichiro would stretch out his hand and blast him with a burst of scorching hot air.
"Ahhhhh!" Rob yelped, hopping off the ground as the hot air hit his behind. He landed and immediately continued running.
"Don't you dare slow down!" Ichiro's voice commanded, echoing through the mountainside.
Rob had only covered 120 meters before he started to feel lightheaded. Sweat poured down his face as he fought to maintain his pace, his limbs growing heavier with each passing meter. He began to slow down, but his buttocks were met with a gush of hot air, causing him to accelerate. As Rob neared exhaustion, his vision began to blur at the edges. Despite the strain, he persevered, his determination outweighing the physical toll.
Soon after, the only thing he could see was darkness. He had collapsed; he had passed out.
Later, Rob awoke, his body sore and covered up, while lying on his mat inside the hut.
"You're awake."
His attention pivoted to Ichiro, who had already made breakfast and was treating himself to a meal. The aroma of chevon soup and coffee filled the air.
"Come have breakfast. I fetched a bucket for myself, so I have already taken a bath. When you're done eating, you can try again; your training won't continue if you can't bring at least one bucket back."
Ichiro's words sparked determination in Rob. He refused to be deterred, pushing through intense practice day after day, overcoming obstacles and never losing sight of his goal of avenging his father's death.
Days turned into weeks, with Rob exhausting himself, fainting occasionally. After a month and a half, he finally completed the water fetching task.
"Nice work; now you're ready for the next step," Ichiro said.
"Your previous training improved lung capacity, stamina, and endurance. Now, you must learn concentration." Ichiro led Rob to the lava pit in the cave "Every day, after breakfast, we'll meditate here."
"Ehh? What if I fall?"
"Try not to fall." Ichiro said before proceeding to instruct Rob in breathing. "Take a deep breath."
Rob did as Ichiro said.
"Now hold it for about 5 seconds before exhaling. Make sure to exhale everything."
Rob did as he was told.
"Now hold for five seconds before you breathe in again. Do this repeatedly; this is called balanced breathing. Learning this is essential for ember flux mastery. Do this breathing technique nonstop while meditating."
So every day they meditated on a hanging platform Ichiro placed above the lava pit.
"Numen, the universe's essence surrounds us. Opening your meridians with infused acupuncture gives you the ability to absorb it; now, through breathing, you must direct this energy through the paths in your body and strengthen your body to be able to withstand Ember flux mastery." Ichiro spoke as they meditated.
Deep inside him, Rob could feel this new-found pool of energy but struggled to direct it. Days turned to weeks as they continued to meditate.
"Feel the paths that lead to your muscles; let the Numen fill them."
After a month, Rob had learned to do this.
"How do you feel?"
"I—I–I feel… Kinda the same, actually."
"See that tree over there? Punch it." Ichiro pointed to a nearby tree.
"Huh? What good would that do?"
"Just do it."
Rob balled his hand into a fist and threw a straight punch at the tree.
To his surprise, the force of his punch had slightly uprooted the tree and greatly damaged its trunk.
"Ehhhhhh!"
"This is the result of the numen flowing through your body. It strengthens your muscles, improving your physical abilities."
Ichiro demonstrated the first form, and Rob mimicked him. Weeks turned into months as Rob trained relentlessly.
Soon, every breath synchronized with his moves. Balanced breathing became natural; he had mastered it. But his ultimate test awaited—throwing flames from his fists.
"There's an energy present in the world around us," Ichiro explained. "This energy, called Numen, is the universe's essence. Infused acupuncture opened your meridians, allowing you to absorb Numen. Now, expel this energy as fire."
Rob's determination knew no bounds. Rain or shine, he performed the first form with unshakable focus, maintaining balanced breathing as he did.
Ichiro watched, thinking, 'His determination is impressive.' Despite moments of frustration and fatigue, Rob's drive to avenge his father's death kept him going.
On a cold evening, Ichiro sat resting near the hut, observing Rob's persistent training with a warm mug of coffee.
Despite Rob's mastery of the movements of the first form, the ability to shoot flames remained beyond his grasp.
Frustration boiled within Rob as his body failed him, and he collapsed. "Why can't I do it?" he whispered, his voice escalating into a frustrated cry.
"Is this a joke, old man? There must be more to this!" Rob snapped, approaching Ichiro, who remained unmoved by his outburst.
"I wanted to learn how to do those magic tricks like you, but all I've been able to do is give myself a fever." He snapped as he walked towards the mountain wall. And with his anger, he struck the wall, and to his astonishment, a bit of flame flickered from his fists upon impact.
"Huh?" Rob looked at his hand with amazement. His grimace slowly lightened up.
Ichiro smiled at Rob's breakthrough.
Returning to the stone platform, Rob performed the first form again, this time with controlled bursts of flame.
"I did it!" His joyful declaration echoed over the mountain.
"It took me a year, but I finally did it."
Ichiro approached Rob, standing up from his seat.
"Now the real training begins.