The day was quiet, a rare moment of peace after the gruelling training sessions that had pushed Kael and Ren to their limits. The master, who had always carried an air of mystery about him, sat in front of them, his usual stern demeanour softened by the weight of what he was about to reveal.
Kael and Ren were both in the middle of eating their meals when the master spoke, his voice quieter than usual, almost hesitant. "There's something I need to tell you both. You've earned the right to know the truth."
The boys exchanged curious glances, setting their bowls aside. For all their training, for all the trials they had endured, they had never once questioned their master's authority, his strength, or his past. But now, they were about to learn something that would change everything.
The master took a deep breath, his eyes clouding over for a brief moment as if the weight of the confession was heavier than any battle they had faced. "I'm not as old as you think," he said, looking directly at them. "I'm only five years older than both of you."
The revelation hit them like a thunderclap.
"You… you're only five years older than us?" Ren asked, his voice laced with disbelief.
The master nodded, his expression darkening. "Yes. But I'm not like most people. My life has been full of hardship, more than you could ever imagine. I've trained longer, fought harder, and endured more than anyone should have to. But I never got to choose. I was thrust into this world, forced to survive."
Kael looked at Ren, his mind racing. The master had always seemed so much older, wiser, and stronger. They had assumed he was decades ahead of them in experience. The truth was jarring, but it only deepened their respect for him. If he could rise to this level of power in just five years, what did that say about their own potential?
But it wasn't just the revelation that shook them. It was the emotion that followed.
Ren, in his usual blunt manner, looked at the master and said, "We see you as more than just a teacher. You've been like a brother to us, guiding us, pushing us when no one else would. You're not just our master. You're family."
Kael nodded in agreement. "You've been there for us, even when we had nothing. We'll never forget that."
The words hung in the air, and for the first time, Kael saw something in the master's eyes that he hadn't expected: vulnerability. A crack in the hard, impenetrable shell that the master had built around himself. The master's face twisted in emotion, his eyes welling up with tears.
"Brother…" The word caught in his throat, and he choked back a sob, trying to compose himself but failing. "I… I've always been called a monster. Ugly. Unworthy of love. But you two… you see me as family. You see me for who I truly am."
Tears slid down his face, a sight Kael and Ren had never thought they would see. The master, who had always been a figure of immense strength and discipline, was crying—not from weakness, but from the sheer weight of what had been denied him for so long. The rejection, the ridicule, the isolation he had suffered had come crashing down upon him in that moment. But in Kael and Ren, he had found something he thought was impossible—acceptance.
Before Kael could say anything to comfort him, a massive energy wave exploded through the air. The dojo's ground trembled, and the air seemed to crackle with a raw power. A figure appeared at the entrance, its presence suffocating and overwhelming. It was the true master.
The master, who had been crying moments before, suddenly straightened up, wiping his tears and standing taller than ever before. A new fire burned in his eyes, a fire that had been rekindled by the words of Kael and Ren.
"Master…" Kael whispered, stunned by the sudden change.
But before they could say anything more, the true master spoke. "You've done well, my student. But there is something you still don't understand. Your connection to them, your willingness to protect them, has unlocked a new potential in you."
The true master's presence intensified, and the air around them seemed to bend and twist under the weight of his power. "You've reached a level that I never thought was possible for someone of your age," the true master said, his voice booming as it resonated through the dojo. "You've surpassed the limits of the God Realms, moving beyond what I had thought was possible."
The master looked at Kael and Ren, his eyes glowing with newfound determination. "I could not ascend any further before. But now, with the purpose of protecting someone, I have broken through."
In a flash, the master's body was engulfed in a brilliant aura. The dojo quaked as the energy emanating from him shattered the very fabric of space itself. The true master's ascent had begun. He passed through the Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth God Realms as if they were nothing. His power surged, his body transcending mortal limitations, until he reached the Sixth Realm.
The universe around them seemed to bend. The very sky cracked, revealing glimpses of a thousand galaxies in a single moment. The energy radiating from the master was so immense that it felt like the very universe was shaking under the weight of his power. One by one, a hundred thousand universes trembled, as if acknowledging the master's new ascension.
Kael and Ren could only stare in awe, their mouths agape, as their master ascended to new heights. This was no longer the man who had trained them. This was something else entirely—a being beyond comprehension, a force of nature.
"I… I never thought it was possible," Kael whispered, unable to take his eyes off the spectacle.
Ren, his usual bravado replaced by awe, could only nod. "He's… he's something else."
The true master's voice boomed, shaking the air. "I've ascended because of you, my student. Because now, I have someone to protect. And that gives me the strength to go beyond even the God Realms. No longer will I be bound by limitations."
As the energy began to subside, the master's form became more solid, his aura now a steady pulse of raw power. He turned to Kael and Ren, a rare smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
"It's time," he said softly. "The Divine Academy awaits you."
With that, Kael and Ren stood, feeling the weight of the moment. They had come so far, but now the real journey was about to begin. The academy would test them in ways they couldn't yet imagine, but with their master's blessing, they were ready.
And so, with one final look at their master—now ascended to unimaginable heights—they left the dojo behind. The road to the Divine Academy lay before them, a path fraught with challenges, but also with the promise of a new beginning.