The morning mist clung to the forest like a living veil. Leo Fang's body shook with exhaustion as he struck the wooden post again and again, splinters flying, his knuckles raw and bleeding.
"Your stance is weak," his master's voice cut through the air, sharp as steel.
Leo clenched his teeth. "I'll fix it."
He reset his footing, lowering his center of gravity, fists tightening until the pain in his hands became fire. He struck again—thud—the post trembled but did not fall.
His master's eyes narrowed. He was a man carved from stone, silent most days, but when he spoke, his words carried weight. "Strength alone won't save you. Control it. Shape it. Or it will consume you."
Leo struck again. This time the post cracked.
The old man allowed a faint smile to tug at the corner of his mouth, though his eyes carried the weight of memory—of the man he once called his disciple, Leo's father.
"Again," he commanded.
Hours passed. The boy's arms trembled, sweat dripping into the dirt. His vision blurred, but he refused to stop. The image of flames devouring his village, the sound of his mother's scream, his father's final stand—each memory struck him harder than his fists ever could.
When Leo finally collapsed to his knees, gasping for air, his master stood over him. "You hate the Four Legends."
Leo's head snapped up, his faint blue eyes glimmering with fury. "I'll kill them all."
His master's gaze darkened. "Good. Hate is a blade. But if you wield it carelessly, it cuts deeper into you than your enemy."
The boy didn't answer, but inside his chest, rage burned like an untamed fire. He was too young to understand balance. All he knew was pain. All he wanted was vengeance.
As night fell, Leo lay on the cold ground staring at the stars. For the first time since that night, he whispered aloud, as if his father could hear:
"I'll become strong enough. Strong enough to make them pay."
In the distance, unseen, the forest stirred. A pair of eyes watched from the shadows, their gaze lingering not on the boy's strength—but on the danger he carried within him.