Kyu
A ten year old Kyu rested on his knees, his hands on his lap, training katana neatly on the floor before him as he formally presented himself. Master Kagerou sat crossed legged opposite him, his sword before him nearly spanning the entire floor. The room was dark, with Kyu barely able to see the silhouette of the giant man before him.
"What is a samurai to you boy?" Master Kagerou inquired, beginning the lesson.
"Power."
"Power aye," his master scratched his beard. "Anything else? What do you first think when you hear of the Blades of Akuresh?"
Kyu first thoughts were to call them unrivalled power, the epitome of strength, honour and courage. But he hesitated. That wasn't right, that wasn't his first thought when this man has saved him all these years ago.
"Hope."
To the boy's surprise, a smile cracked across his master's expression. "Not bad."
Had he passed?
The giant man shifted and drew their attention down to the ground. He gently slid his fingers along the blade of his sword. "Ignoring its size. Do you know what makes this sword special?"
Kyu nodded.
"Explain."
"It's forged from kaezium steel. Smelted from Kaezite the rarest -"
A subtle shake of his masters head instantly made Kyu go silent.
"But why does that it make it special? Platinum and gemstones are rare yet were barely blink twice at them," Master Kagerou asked.
Kyu took a moment to compose his thoughts. "Across Eshina, Kaezium is one of the only things that can channel Retsu. Harness the power of the god."
Master Kagerou nodded, Kyu felt like he even seemed satisfied. "Kaezium is our foundation, the weapons we forge with it are the souls of our power. Do you understand that?"
Kyu nodded quickly, eager to keep the lesson progressing. He knew well from their past that his master would postpone his education for the smallest reason. He would not let his student advance unless he deemed Kyu's theory perfect.
"What do you know of the power of Akuresh's samurai? The power you're striving to achieve."
Excited they were finally getting to what he desired most, Kyu jumped to answer but found himself speechless. He knew nothing except it existed, that it was far from the myths some believed it to be.
"Nothing," Kyu admitted.
"What of Retsu?"
"It is life."
"Is that all?"
Kyu's jaw went taut and he forced himself to nod.
"Good," his master said happily, catching Kyu by surprise. "What's with your surprise. You should know well by now I prefer working with a blank slate. Easier to shape and condition." Master Kagerou paused a moment. "This is your last chance Kyu. Are you sure this is the path you wish to walk? You either ascend to a Blade or die trying."
Without hesitation Kyu nodded. He would never be caught defenceless again. He refused to ever be weak enough to feel fear like that again. With the power of the samurai he'd kill the terrified child within. "Yes master."
"You're to bring me an explanation of Retsu that I deem worthy of a samurai. Without it I will not let you advance forward. You have a week."
As soon as he'd been dismissed, Kyu set off instantly to research, to craft the foundations of his journey. He'd eagerly brought back an explanation that very night but it had been quickly deemed unworthy before he'd even finished. His master claiming it had no heart, no truth, just simply words from a book. Annoyed but unwavering, Kyu came back the next night and then the next night, after the fourth rejection his master told him not to return for a week. His only feedback being Kyu just simply wasn't understanding, that becoming a samurai took more than spewing out words like an ordinary lecturer.
As ordered Kyu took the entire week to prepare and on that seventh day marched to his master, brimming with confidence. He was once again rejected however, not without leaving a smile upon the old man's face. Slowly he was understanding. Kyu was given three more days and he took every hour, only takin breaks for life's essentials.
Two weeks had passed since he'd been given his assignment, and despite his confidence in his answer, Kyu stood as stiff as a stick before his master's door. Eventually he steeled himself and entered.
"So do you finally understand?" Master Kagerou inquired, relaxing casually on the ground while Kyu formally knelt.
"I believe I finally do master."
"Prove it."
"Retsu is simply life. The spirit power of every living or inanimate thing upon Eshina, all manifested into a force greater than any other. It flows through every animal and plant, resides even in the ground and air. It is as complicated everything and yet a simple as nothing, someone could live their entire life never learning of its existence and their life wouldn't be affected. It is thought by some to be magic able to achieve the impossible and bend the rules of reality. Retsu is the most fundamental force upon this world, more essential than oxygen and water, yet it's no ones to command, no ones to harness. To do so would be to go against Eshina herself. Hersey."
A small smile crept across Master Kagerou's face. "And yet we do. Are we heretics? Do we harm Eshina and act the impossible?"
"No."
"Elaborate?"
"The samurai do not harness Retsu directly, they instead use a medium. Kaezium. By bonding our own Retsu with the Retsu of the kaezium blade we unlock the ability to manipulate it, using the sword as a source and our body as a conduit."
Master Kagerou shifted forward an inch analysing Kyu and contemplating his words closely. Under his master's gaze, Kyu was forced to hold back a shudder and place all his effort into maintaining his resolve. He refused to break.
"Good enough," Master Kagerou eventually said. Kyu barely stopped himself from gasping in relief. He'd done it and finally he could advance. "But," Maste Kagerou's smile turned into a grin, "do you know what harnessing Retsu does to a samurai?"
"At the basics, channelling Retsu enhances a warrior's strength, speed, durability, senses and reflexes," Kyu said quickly.
"And what about at the advanced level? When samurai harness the so called power of the gods?"
Kyu paused, struggling to form an explanation. "… I know it involves Paths and Weapon Arts."
"That it does. And your next task is uncovering what they truly are, without such knowledge you can consider bonding impossible. You'll be rejected in an instant possibly even killed by the process."
Kyu nodded, although slightly disappointed about being instantly assigned more research and theory the excitement at finally discerning the truth behind the samurai's power carried him on. The beginning of journey begun now. "How long do I have?"
"Until tonight."
Kyu's eyes shot wide.
Master Kagerou grinned. "I'd move fast Little Shadow."