Kaien's first steps into the dojo had been hesitant, his bare feet shuffling against the smooth wooden floor. The monks had decided he should learn the ways of martial arts, both to discipline his growing strength and to teach him humility. At seven years old, he was younger and smaller than most of the other students, which immediately made him a target.
"Hey, Golden Eyes!" called Ryota, the self-proclaimed leader of the senior students. He was tall for his age, his presence commanding, and his fists quick to find those he considered weaker. "Think you're special because of your weird eyes and that shiny necklace?"
Kaien ignored him, focusing on his breathing as Hiroshi had taught him. But ignoring Ryota only seemed to fuel the older boy's determination to provoke him.
"Don't look away when I'm talking to you!" Ryota barked, shoving Kaien hard in the chest.
Kaien stumbled but managed to stay on his feet. He clenched his fists, a flicker of heat rising in his chest, but he refused to retaliate. Fighting out of anger was forbidden, and he didn't want to disappoint Master Hiroshi.
"Leave him alone," a voice rang out sharply.
The room fell silent as a girl stepped forward. She was around Kaien's age, with striking black hair tied into a tight braid and eyes as fierce as a hawk's. Her name was Aiko, a prodigy in the dojo and one of the few students who could match Ryota's skill in sparring.
Ryota sneered. "What's it to you, Aiko? Trying to protect your little friend?"
Aiko squared her shoulders, stepping between Ryota and Kaien. "You think picking on someone smaller than you makes you strong? You're pathetic."
Ryota's face darkened, his fists clenching. "Watch your mouth."
"Or what?" Aiko challenged, her tone ice-cold.
The tension in the room was thick as the two stared each other down. Ryota hesitated, knowing that starting a fight with Aiko would likely end with him humiliated. With a grunt of frustration, he turned away, muttering under his breath, "Whatever. Golden Eyes isn't worth my time anyway."
As the older boys walked off, Aiko turned to Kaien and smiled. "You okay?"
Kaien nodded, still a little stunned. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me," Aiko said, helping him straighten his gi. "You shouldn't let them push you around. You're stronger than you know."
From that day on, Aiko and Kaien became inseparable. While the other students treated Kaien with suspicion or disdain, Aiko saw something in him that they didn't. She admired his quiet resilience and his refusal to let anger control him, though she often teased him for being too passive.
"You know, you don't always have to stay silent," she told him one afternoon as they practiced katas together. "Sometimes standing up for yourself is just as important as staying calm."
Kaien shrugged. "Master Hiroshi says that anger clouds judgment. I don't want to hurt anyone."
Aiko tilted her head, studying him. "You're different, Kaien. Not just because of your eyes or that necklace. There's something about you... something big."
Kaien didn't know how to respond. He had always felt different as if a piece of him didn't belong in the quiet life of the temple. The necklace around his neck often pulsed faintly when he was alone, and the dreams of dragons still haunted him. But he had never spoken of these things to anyone, not even Aiko.
Over the next months, Aiko taught Kaien more than just martial arts. She showed him how to laugh, how to find joy even in the smallest victories, and how to believe in himself. Under her guidance, his skills improved, and he began to hold his own in the dojo.
But despite their growing bond, Kaien couldn't shake the feeling that something was coming—something that would change everything.
One day, as the two of them sat beneath a cherry blossom tree outside the dojo, Aiko glanced at him thoughtfully.
"Do you ever feel like you're meant for more than this?" she asked.
Kaien hesitated, his fingers brushing the dragon pendant that hung around his neck. "Sometimes," he admitted softly. "But I don't know what it is."
Aiko smiled, her confidence unshaken. "Whatever it is, I'll be right there with you."
Kaien looked at her, feeling a warmth that went beyond the spring sun. For the first time, he believed her words. Whatever lay ahead, he wouldn't face it alone.
To Be Continued…