CHAPTER 8: The Fears of a Shark

  Yumi squeezed the wooden amulet inside his pocket, feeling the ridges of the seal carved by Master Ren. The air between him and Nao felt charged with static electricity, a tension that threatened to explode into physical violence at any second. Ren had warned him that she would be afraid—that her aggressiveness was just a shell—but what Yumi had in front of him didn't look like a frightened victim; she was a cornered predator, a volcano on the verge of eruption that wouldn't hesitate to reduce everything around her to ashes.

  He observed Nao’s clenched fist, knuckles white from the force, and that golden gaze that seemed to search for a weak point in his emotional armor. His training with Kumiho and Mugen dictated a clear response: block the first blow, take down the opponent using their own weight, and subdue them until the threat ceased. However, his master’s words resonated with unusual strength in his head: “Don't go like a soldier, Yumi. Go like someone who recognizes his own coldness in the eyes of another.”

  —"I’m not 'poor little thing,'" Yumi finally replied. His voice didn't tremble; it dropped a tone, becoming as sharp and polished as a shard of glass under the moon. —"And I’m not afraid of your teeth either, no matter how sharp you think they are."

  Nao let out a dry laugh, a raspy sound that vibrated in her throat as her green and purple hair shook with the movement. It was a laugh devoid of joy, an intimidation tool she had perfected on the streets to keep the curious and the cruel at bay.

  —"Wow! The little doll has guts," she mocked, though her eyes didn't stop analyzing him with a manic suspicion. —"Then speak, kiddo. Who is this 'Ren' guy, and why did he send a runt with a jacket three sizes too big to look for me in the middle of my turf? Is he some kind of circus recruiter? Because if so, I already have my own face-biting act."

  Yumi slowly pulled his hand out of his pocket. He made no sudden movements; he knew Nao would react to any sign of attack. He showed the wooden amulet, letting the afternoon sun hit the sacred seal. He didn't hand it to her; he simply allowed her to see the intricate design representing the balance between the conscious and the dream world.

  —"He is someone who can teach you how to make those lights stop bothering you," Yumi explained, taking a step forward and closing the safety distance, challenging the girl's personal space. —"Or at least, he can teach you to stop punching walls out of the frustration of not understanding why those 'stains' disappear at noon and return with more force in the dark. You were born with this, weren't you? For as long as you can remember, the world has been full of a colored static that no one else sees. A visual noise that makes you feel like you're losing your mind."

  Nao’s expression changed for a fraction of a second. The mask of hatred cracked to reveal a vulnerability so deep that even Yumi felt uncomfortable observing it. It was the look of someone who is finally heard after years of screaming into the void. But the crack closed as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by a renewed hatred.

  —"I don't know what you're talking about," she spat, though her pupils had dilated. —"But if this Ren guy thinks he can 'cure' me, tell him to shove his amulets where the sun don't shine."

  —"It’s not a cure because you aren't sick," Yumi stated. —"It’s an invitation. If you want answers, go to the temple on the hill at dawn. If you’d rather keep biting the air, stay here until the lights devour you completely."

  Yumi turned around without waiting for an answer, leaving Nao alone in the alley with the echo of his words floating in the heavy air.

  A Tense Dawn at the Temple

  The next day, the sun was barely beginning to lick the stones of the temple courtyard when a crash broke the sacred morning calm. It wasn't the sound of a bell, but that of a heavy boot furiously kicking the main wooden gate.

  —"EXPLAIN YOURSELF RIGHT NOW, YOU SECOND-RATE RUNT!" Nao’s scream tore through the morning silence, startling a flock of crows resting on the rooftops.

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  In the courtyard, Mugen was performing his usual training routine, striking a reinforced wooden post with such force that the structure vibrated to its foundations. Hearing the shout, he stopped dead, turning with a menacing slowness as he wiped sweat from his forehead with his forearm. His red eyes locked onto the intruder, and a vein began to throb in his temple. Nothing put Mugen in a worse mood than someone interrupting his energy flow with unnecessary shouting.

  —"And who is this?" Mugen asked, his voice a low growl that carried more danger than the girl’s scream. —"And why does she look like she wants to bite someone's soul?"

  Nao didn't flinch. She walked toward the center of the courtyard with an arrogance bordering on madness, completely ignoring Haru’s sweat—as he practiced basic forms in a corner—and Mugen’s steel gaze. She planted herself in front of Yumi, who was leaning against a carved column, observing the scene with the same emotional intensity as a marble statue.

  —"You!" Nao exclaimed, pointing at Yumi with a finger trembling from rage. —"'See you tomorrow'? Is that all you had to say? Last night, after you left, the lights went crazy! You put me in a shadow asylum; I saw deformed babies coming out of the walls and then I woke up in my bed as if nothing had happened! Explain yourself right now or I swear I'm going to use that sweater of yours to mop the floor!"

  Yumi closed his eyes for a moment, letting out an almost imperceptible sigh.

  —"What you saw was your own nightmare manifesting," he explained with a calmness that only infuriated Nao more. —"The amulet I showed you yesterday acted as a catalyst. I didn't 'put' you anywhere; I simply allowed your subconscious to stop filtering reality. I did nothing more than open the window. You were the one who looked out."

  —"I don't understand a single damn word of your monk logic!" Nao claimed, showing her fangs. Her pointed teeth glinted under the sun, giving her a feral appearance. —"I want this to stop! I want the buzzing in my head to shut up!"

  —"Oh-oh-oh, looks like Yumi finally found someone who screams louder than Mugen," a jovial and vibrant voice suddenly intervened, breaking the tension like a ray of sunlight piercing a storm cloud.

  Ren appeared beside Nao in a blink. There was no sound of footsteps, no perceptible displacement of air. In an instant, the empty space next to the girl was occupied by the Master’s imposing yet relaxed figure.

  Nao leaped backward, her street instincts sending maximum alert signals to her entire body. She hadn't even seen him move; one second the man was sitting several meters away talking to Kumiho, and the next he was invading her personal space with a smile so wide it was suspicious.

  —"Don't get so close, you bead-wearing hippie!" Nao growled, dropping into a combat stance. —"Who the hell are you?!"

  Ren didn't seem offended by the insult or the aggressive posture. On the contrary, his brown eyes scanned her with genuine and kind curiosity—a gaze that didn't judge her flamboyant hair or her shark teeth, but sought the spark of her spirit.

  —"Wow, Yumi was right!" Ren exclaimed, letting out a laugh that seemed to make the nearby tree leaves vibrate. —"You have a will that bites, young lady. Wah-hah-hah-hah! I like it. Most people run when they see the lights; you try to punch them. It’s a refreshing approach, though not very effective for the health of your knuckles."

  Nao was taken aback. She was used to fear, rejection, or mockery, but this man's cheerful acceptance completely disarmed her.

  —"I am Ren," the Master continued, adjusting his robes. —"And this 'asylum' is my home. If you are here, it’s because your soul can no longer contain the power you were granted at birth. You can keep being an outcast in the streets, or you can learn to be the master of your own dreams."

  Mugen, still watching from a distance, spat on the ground and crossed his arms.

  —"Master, we don't need another crazy girl in the group. We already have enough with the crybaby rookie and the conceited popsicle."

  —"Shut up, matchstick head!" Nao yelled at him, recovering her fire. —"Nobody asked for your opinion!"

  Ren laughed again, patting Nao’s back with a force that almost made her stumble.

  —"Perfect!" the Master shouted. —"Mugen, you will teach her to channel that fury. Yumi, you will teach her the discipline of vision."

  —"WHAT?!" Mugen and Yumi shouted in unison, while Nao looked at both with a grimace of deep disgust.

  —"Destiny doesn't just bring nightmares, boys," Ren concluded, looking toward the sky where the first spiritual lights of the day were beginning to dance. —"Sometimes, it brings us the weapon we didn't know we needed."

  Nao observed those present: an angry giant, a boy who looked like an ice robot, an older man who seemed like a hyperactive child, and an apprentice who trembled at the sight of a sword. She bit her lip, feeling for the first time in years that, perhaps, the lights weren't a curse, but the path to something much greater. But, of course, she wasn't going to admit it that easily.

  —"Fine," Nao growled, pointing her finger at Ren. —"I'm staying. But if any of you tries anything weird with me while I'm sleeping, you'll wake up without ears. Is that clear?"

  Ren only smiled, knowing that the balance of the temple was about to change forever.

  Hao!

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