The breeze from the valley blew fiercely that morning. The dojo was full of life, and the sound of training echoed through the green hills. However, I was far from there, at the foot of a crystal-clear waterfall, panting as I held a heavy rock on my back.
Jiro: (Thinking) "Again... I have to make it this time..." —I murmured as my feet sank slightly into the damp ground.
Every day was the same since the students at the dojo started mocking me for not being able to control magic well. They called me "all muscles and no brains." The funny thing was, they weren't that wrong... Well, at least about the muscles.
—"Come on, Jiro! Don't stop now!" —I repeated to myself as I climbed the last stretch of the slope.
Sweat ran down my forehead, and my breathing became heavier, but I couldn't give up. My grandfather always told me that effort forged great warriors, and if there was one thing I had in abundance, it was willpower.
Finally, reaching the top, I let go of the rock and collapsed onto the ground, exhausted. The sound of the nearby waterfall filled the air, and for a moment, everything felt calm. I closed my eyes, enjoying the cool breeze that brushed against my face.
In the distance, voices could be heard. A group of students from the dojo was returning from training.
— "Did you see Jiro this morning?" — "Yeah, he was doing those ridiculous exercises again. Says he wants to be strong like the ancient heroes... What a weird guy."
— "Bah, he can't even use magic properly. He just causes disasters."
I shrugged when I heard their comments. It wasn't the first time they said those things, and it surely wouldn't be the last. But I didn't care what they thought of me. I had a goal, and no malicious comments were going to stop me.
Jiro: (Thinking) "I have to try again. If I can't control magic, I won't be able to protect anything..."
I got up and walked over to the edge of the waterfall. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to focus. I felt the flow of energy around me, the same energy that both Onis and humans had learned to master over the centuries.
But for me... it had always been unstable, as if something inside me resisted flowing in harmony.
I extended my hand and whispered a few words under my breath. The energy began to concentrate in my palm, forming a small red spark.
It was Crimson Magic, an element that not everyone could control. I felt a small spark of hope, but just as I thought I had succeeded, the spark spiraled out of control and exploded, throwing me to the ground.
Jiro: "Ah, why does this always happen!" —I shouted in frustration as I sat on the ground, shaking the dust off my clothes.
The sound of laughter in the distance made me grit my teeth. I knew they were watching me. "Laugh all you want..." I thought, as I stood up once again.
Life in my village wasn't easy, but I couldn't complain too much. Humans and Onis had lived in peace for centuries, and the major problems had disappeared long ago.
However, since I was a child, there had been something that always troubled me: dimensional cracks, or Shinketsu, as the elders called them.
When I was six, one of those cracks appeared near our village. It was the first time I saw something so terrifying. My father, a great Oni warrior, disappeared that day while trying to protect us.
No one knows what really happened, but since then, my grandfather took it upon himself to train me and tell me stories about the heroes who faced the unknown.
Jiro: (Thinking) "If I can't use magic properly... I'll never be able to face those cracks."
I knelt beside the waterfall and drank a bit of fresh water. "One day, I'll make it..." I murmured to myself.
But that day was still far away.