When Elder Suma noticed the fan tucked into Yasuo's belt, everything seemed to click into place. In his long life, he'd never met someone quite like this.
A natural talent, no question. But reliable? Not even a little.
Everyone else had spent the morning suffering under the unrelenting sun, while Yasuo had been lounging, munching on melon, and—judging by that fan—he'd even wanted to cool himself.
For the first time, Elder Suma began to question his decision. Was it really wise to let Yasuo join the Wind School without a trial?
Yet the choice had already been made, and it was too late to retract the invitation. All he could do was sigh and make a mental note to keep a closer eye on Yasuo.
With the elder's growing concern, the second phase of the trial began.
This time, instead of the hot sun, the trial involved standing against a powerful windstorm—an ordeal conjured by Elder Suma himself. He placed incense on four altars around the training grounds, each marked with incantations.
As the incense smoke curled into the air, a fierce wind began to stir.
"The task is simple," the Sword Guard bellowed. "Stay within the training ground until the incense has burned out, and you'll pass."
The youths had barely registered his words when the wind came roaring to life.
The incantations on the scrolls combined with the altars unleashed a torrent that engulfed the entire training ground in a raging gale. Outside the grounds, the air remained calm, but within, it was a swirling tempest.
Faced with the gale, many of the youths tried crouching, thinking that if they kept low to the ground, they could withstand the wind. But the winds summoned by the incantations weren't so easily tricked. Soon, those crouching boys found themselves lifted from the ground, swirling helplessly before being tossed out of the arena.
The first to go were those who tried to outsmart the storm.
Next were those who panicked, forgetting the teachings of the past few days and throwing themselves against the wind without strategy. Even a trained adult would struggle against the force of these incantations, let alone these young, untrained boys.
As the incense burned to a quarter of its length, many were already swept out of the trial. Yone, however, focused solely on his balance, recalling every lesson Elder Suma had shared about the wind.
He knew he couldn't overpower the gale. Instead, he needed to find a way to exist within it.
"Wind is formless, wind is boundless," he whispered to himself, eyes shut, letting the teachings flow through him. "The incantations called upon the Four Winds."
"The Four Winds are the East, West, South, and North," he murmured, recalling Suma's lecture. "The East Wind thaws, stirring slumbering creatures awake. The West Wind is fierce, bringing the cry of warriors to dreams. The South Wind nurtures growth, while the North Wind chills to ice."
He moved in sync with each gust, shifting his weight without resistance, not fighting the wind but flowing with it. He became like a leaf in the gale, separate from the wind yet at one with it.
Yasuo, watching from a distance, grinned, nodding approvingly.
My brother's got this.
Unlike the first trial, where most had passed, the second trial culled a significant number. By the time the incense burned out, less than a fifth of the youths remained standing.
Elder Suma and the Sword Guard didn't seem surprised by the high attrition rate; this was all part of the process.
As the wind finally settled, Yone, though tired, had managed to endure the entire trial. Exhausted but determined, he readied himself for the third and final phase.
Yasuo, preparing to head home with Yone, was intercepted by Elder Suma.
"Yasuo," he said, his expression softening into a rare smile. "Tonight's trial is an important one. You should join Yone. Your results won't affect your acceptance into the Wind School, but this trial serves as an initiation lesson."
A trial that won't affect the outcome?
For a brief moment, Yasuo wondered if Suma had simply grown tired of watching him stand idle and wanted him to stop distracting the others. But, since this was "part of his initiation," he couldn't really refuse. So he shrugged, nodding in agreement.
The final trial would take place around midnight. The long break allowed the youths time to eat and rest, but with no exact start time, they had to wait patiently, none daring to sleep for fear of missing it.
As the moon climbed high, fatigue settled in. Many struggled to keep their eyes open, their heads nodding with drowsiness.
Yasuo, however, was as lively as ever. After countless late nights in his past life, staying up this late was second nature to him.
Just as several of the boys looked ready to drift off, the Sword Guard arrived with a sharp command.
"Line up and follow me. Stick close."
The loud call snapped everyone to attention. The handful who remained from the day's trials quickly lined up, Yasuo included, and followed the guard through the darkened woods.
Navigating at night was no easy task. After a good while, the Sword Guard led them to a forest clearing. Though close to Gentle Breeze Village, the forest had been transformed into a mysterious, almost otherworldly place.
Once everyone had gathered, the Sword Guard explained the rules of the final trial.
"Follow the wind," he announced. "It will guide you to the destination. Reach the endpoint before dawn, and you'll pass."
With that, he stepped back, signaling the start of the trial.
The night air whispered and howled.
Impatient youths were already dashing off in pursuit of the breeze, eager to find the endpoint.
Yone, attuned to the forest, closed his eyes briefly, aligning himself with the rhythm of the wind before choosing his path.
Yasuo, however, remained behind, not looking for direction, nor showing any signs of following the breeze. He simply stood there, gazing up through the branches, fixated on the bright moon shining through the leaves.
It looked as though he were daydreaming. Or perhaps…