The dojo was still when dawn broke, golden light spilling across its polished floors. Bang stood alone in the training hall, hands clasped behind his back, eyes closed in meditation. Yet his mind was far from quiet.
Even through the stillness of the morning, he could feel it the residue of last night's storm. The air around the dojo carried faint ripples, an echo of Kaizen's clash with Renji.
Bang opened his eyes slowly, sighing. "So it has come to this already."
He had known the tension was building. Renji's watchful suspicion, Kaizen's desperate struggle to contain himself. He had hoped time, training, and patience would weave them together. But the storm did not bend to hope it demanded proof.
Kaizen emerged from his quarters, his steps heavy. His ribs still ached from Renji's strikes, his mind from the weight of restraint. Yet he held himself upright, unwilling to show weakness.
When he entered the hall, Bang's gaze met his instantly. The old master studied him, eyes sharp yet not unkind.
"You fought last night," Bang said simply.
Kaizen froze. His breath caught. "You… knew?"
"Do you think the storm you carry can be hidden from me?" Bang replied. His tone wasn't anger, but disappointment cut sharper than any rebuke. "And Renji he, too, bears marks of a duel not meant for sparring."
Kaizen lowered his head, shame twisting in his chest. "He challenged me. He said… if I couldn't control it, he'd end me."
Bang's eyes darkened, though his expression remained calm. "And what did you prove to him?"
Kaizen clenched his fists. "That I could stop myself. That I could keep it from consuming me."
Silence stretched, then Bang nodded once. "Good. That is the first step. But you must understand, Kaizen… restraint once does not mean restraint always. You must win this battle every moment, with every breath. Until the storm becomes your ally, not your chain."
Kaizen lifted his eyes, determination burning despite the exhaustion. "Then I'll keep fighting. I won't let it own me."
Bang studied him for a long moment, then turned his gaze to the far wall. His voice softened. "You remind me too much of another student who once stood where you do. He, too, was consumed by power he thought he could master."
Kaizen felt a chill ripple down his spine. "Garou…"
Bang's silence was answer enough.
Renji entered moments later, his staff replaced but his eyes still sharp. He bowed to Bang respectfully but didn't so much as glance at Kaizen.
Bang's gaze shifted between them. "You two must learn to see each other not as threats, but as brothers. The storm cannot be contained by suspicion it must be steadied by trust."
Renji's voice was cold. "Trust is earned. And I haven't seen enough to give it."
Kaizen bristled, but Bang raised a hand. "Enough. Both of you. If you cannot resolve this in harmony, then I will resolve it with training harsher than either of you have faced before."
His words struck like iron, final and unyielding.
Renji bowed silently. Kaizen lowered his gaze, jaw tight. The rift remained, but neither dared press it under Bang's watchful eyes.
Far from the dojo, Garou crouched atop a ruined building, overlooking the skeletal remains of what was once a district swallowed by the rising seas. Waves crashed against broken walls, seagulls circling overhead.
But Garou wasn't watching the ocean. His eyes were fixed on the shadows crawling at the edges of the drowned ruins. Monsters amphibious beasts warped by the world's upheaval were stirring, gathering.
Garou's grin widened. "Perfect. The sea brings them, I bring direction."
He dropped into the ruins, moving like a phantom among the creatures. His presence was enough to agitate them, but he didn't strike. Instead, he whispered, coaxing, provoking.
"You smell it, don't you? The storm. A feast waiting beyond the dojo walls."
The creatures hissed, their bodies shifting restlessly, hunger in their eyes.
Garou's laughter echoed in the drowned streets. "Go then. Follow the storm. Let's see if the boy can really keep his leash tight when blood is in the air."
That evening, Kaizen trained until sweat soaked his clothes and his muscles trembled. Each strike, each stance, he forced discipline over instinct, repeating Bang's lessons until his breath burned.
Renji watched from the sidelines, silent, his expression unreadable.
Finally, Kaizen stopped, chest heaving. He glanced toward Renji, words caught in his throat. Part of him wanted to demand trust, to insist he wasn't the danger Renji claimed. But the other part knew words wouldn't reach him. Only proof would.
Before he could speak, the ground trembled faintly. Both turned, alert.
Bang appeared in the doorway, eyes narrowing as he felt the ripple in the air. "Something approaches."
A guttural roar carried over the waves, followed by the sound of crashing water. The dojo shuddered as a monstrous silhouette emerged from the sea, claws scraping against the wooden platforms of the floating village.
Kaizen's storm stirred instantly, responding to the threat.
Bang's voice cut sharp. "Control it, Kaizen. This is your trial."
Renji spun his staff, stepping forward. "Master, allow me"
"No," Bang interrupted. His gaze locked on Kaizen. "This battle belongs to him. But you will stand ready, should he fail."
Renji's jaw tightened, but he obeyed.
Kaizen stepped forward, fists raised, heart pounding. The monster's eyes gleamed with hunger, its body dripping seawater, fangs bared.
The storm surged inside him, demanding violence, demanding release. But Kaizen grit his teeth, forcing his breath steady.
This time, I fight it on my terms.
He charged.
From a distant rooftop, Garou watched, crouched like a predator. His grin stretched wide, eyes gleaming with hunger.
"Yes… show me, boy. Show me if you're prey to your storm, or the beast that rides it."
The night echoed with the sound of battle, and the hunter waited, patient as ever, for the cracks to widen.