"Again."
Sensei's voice cut through the morning air like a blade. The disciples stood in a line, sweat dripping down their temples as they focused on their breathing. Yesterday's exhaustion still clung to their muscles, but there was no time to rest. Not with the UDC inspectors returning in six days.
Mono clenched his fists, his nails biting into his palms. "I don't get it," he muttered. "How are we supposed to move something we can barely feel?"
"Stop trying to force it," Sensei said, walking behind them. "Energy isn't a tool you grab. It's a part of you. Like your breath. Like your heartbeat."
Josei exhaled slowly, her hands resting lightly over her stomach. "It's like... a warmth," she murmured. "But deeper."
Raiba groaned, rubbing his forehead. "All I feel is a headache."
Hito smirked, though the usual confidence in his voice was strained. "Maybe you're just not cut out for this, Raiba."
Raiba shot him a glare. "Oh, like you're doing any better?"
"I'm closer than you are," Hito shot back.
"Enough." Sensei's voice silenced them instantly. "Energy responds to focus, not frustration." He stepped into the center of the courtyard. "Once you learn to feel it, you can guide it. Move it through your body. And eventually..." He raised his hand, and that familiar orange glow flickered to life around his fingers, pulsing softly. "You can bring it out."
The disciples stared, mesmerized.
Mono's eyes widened. "Wait, so we can all do *that*?"
Sensei nodded. "Every warrior's energy has a color. A reflection of their spirit."
Hito crossed his arms. "What, like your orange?"
"Yes."
"So what, we just... wait until ours decides to show up?" Raiba grumbled.
Josei shook her head. "It's not about waiting. It's about *letting* it out."
Hito rolled his eyes. "Easy for you to say. You've been meditating since you could walk."
Josei's jaw tightened. "And you've been running your mouth just as long. Maybe if you shut up for once, you'd actually feel something."
Hito's smirk vanished. "You think you're better than us?"
"I think I'm *trying*," Josei snapped. "Which is more than you're doing."
Raiba threw his hands up. "Oh, great. Now we're fighting. That'll help."
Mono rubbed his temples. "Guys—"
"Like this, Sensei?"
The quiet voice cut through the argument like a knife.
Everyone turned.
Tokira stood slightly apart from the group, his expression as calm as ever. But in his outstretched palm, a soft blue glow shimmered, swirling like water caught in sunlight.
The courtyard fell silent.
Sensei studied Tokira for a long moment before nodding. "Yes. Just like that."
Mono's mouth hung open. "How did you—?"
Tokira tilted his head slightly. "I stopped thinking."
Then, without warning, his knees buckled. The blue light flickered out as he swayed, catching himself on one hand before he could collapse completely. His breath came in short, sharp gasps, as if he'd just sprinted across the entire dojo grounds.
Sensei was at his side in an instant, steadying him with a hand on his shoulder. "First time always takes the most," he said quietly. "Your body isn't used to channeling energy yet."
Tokira nodded, still breathing hard. His usual composure was gone, replaced by something raw and exhausted.
Hito stared. "That's it?"
Tokira closed his eyes for a moment, steadying himself before looking up. "That's it."
A beat passed. Then—
"Okay," Mono said, plopping down onto the grass and crossing his legs. "New plan. Everyone shut up."
Josei sat beside him without a word. Raiba hesitated, then joined them. Even Hito, after a moment of glaring, dropped down with a huff.
Sensei watched as they closed their eyes, their breathing slowly synchronizing. The morning sun warmed their backs, the breeze rustling through the trees.
Somewhere in that quiet, energy waited.
And now, they had to find it—before exhaustion found them first.