CHAPTER 55 — Bones, Breath, and Balance
📅 26 July, S.C. 1510
👦 Ren — Age 7
📍 Foosha Village → Ren's Workshop → Cliffside Clearing
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Ren spent the morning by the docks watching fishermen gut their catch.
He wasn't interested in the fish — he was interested in movement.
Every time a hand twisted, every time a knife cut cleanly or slipped, Ren memorized the muscle patterns.
> "Forearm rotation…
Grip stability…
Wrist angle…"
Fishermen noticed him and laughed.
"Kiro's little brother is back with that intense stare again."
"Kid, you studying how to become a butcher?"
"Haha! Don't worry, Ren! One day you can cut fish like a master!"
Ren smiled politely.
He wasn't studying how to cut fish.
He was studying how people moved.
Zemo sat beside him, head tilted as if he were also analyzing fishermen.
Ren whispered:
"Muscles matter more than I thought."
Zemo sneezed, uninterested.
Ren giggled.
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PART 1 — SMALL ANATOMY, BIG LESSONS
Back in the workshop, Ren pulled out a small notebook labeled:
"Human Biology — Beginner Notes."
Inside, he had drawn:
arm bones
shoulder structure
rough muscles
joints
simple arrows showing movement direction
He had no real human body to study (and Makino would absolutely kill him if he tried anything crazy), so he used:
fish
rabbits
chickens
his own body
Kiro's borrowed arm (after bribing him with a sweet bun)
Today, he dissected a fish gently, tracing the muscle fibers with a stick.
Zemo sat by his feet, bored but patient.
Ren whispered:
"…Muscle pairs pull opposite directions.
One contracts… one relaxes."
He lifted his wooden sword.
"If my swing is weak—
it's because the wrong muscle is working."
Ren stood up immediately.
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PART 2 — TESTING THEORY ON SWORD TRAINING
The clearing was quiet.
Grass swayed gently.
Birds chirped softly.
Ren tightened his grip and inhaled.
This time, he imagined the muscles inside his arm:
Deltoid
Bicep
Tricep
Forearm flexors
He pictured how they should work together.
He exhaled—
Swish—
The wooden blade sliced through air cleanly.
No wobble.
No weak dip.
No wasted energy.
Ren's eyes widened.
"…It worked."
He swung again.
Swish.
Swish.
Swish.
Every strike followed the imagined muscle movement.
Zemo barked approvingly.
Ren laughed.
"Zemo! I figured out the problem!
The shoulder wasn't aligned!
The stabilizer muscles weren't engaged properly!"
Zemo had no idea what that meant but wagged his tail anyway.
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PART 3 — THE BALANCE EXPERIMENT
Ren drew a circle in the dirt.
His job:
Swing the sword without stepping outside the circle.
He lasted three seconds.
Zemo barked mockingly.
Ren glared.
"Oh, hush. As if you could do better."
Zemo stepped inside the circle—
And moved in perfect balance.
Ren's jaw dropped.
"…You cheat."
Zemo smirked.
Ren pointed dramatically.
"Fine. Help me improve then!"
Zemo understood the tone and lowered into a stance—
tail up, nose pointed, ready to dodge.
Ren inhaled sharply.
"Let's go!"
Zemo dashed left.
Ren swung, but too wide.
Foot slipped.
He fell sideways.
Zemo barked loudly — clearly laughing.
Ren shoved grass off his face.
"Stop laughing… ugh…"
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PART 4 — PROGRESS THROUGH FAILURE
For the next hour:
Ren swung and missed.
Zemo dodged perfectly.
Ren slipped multiple times.
Zemo barked like a bully.
Ren tried again.
But slowly…
Ren's feet stopped sliding.
His stance grew stable.
His hips rotated correctly.
His arms followed the imagined muscle lines.
Zemo moved faster.
Ren anticipated.
Zemo pivoted.
Ren adjusted.
Zemo leapt.
Ren swung —
narrowly missing Zemo's tail.
Zemo froze.
Ren froze.
Both stared at each other.
Then Zemo barked excitedly, wagging his tail wildly.
Ren grinned.
"I almost got you!"
Zemo growled playfully and tackled Ren into the grass.
Ren laughed as Zemo licked his face.
"Okay! Okay! I get it!
You're still the faster one!"
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PART 5 — NIGHT NOTEBOOK
Back at the workshop, Ren wrote carefully:
> Human Biology — Findings
• Sword swing relies on coordinated muscles
• Stabilizers matter most
• Balance is key — feet must anchor the body
• Breathing controls tension
• Visualization improves technique
Next Goal:
Link breathing → muscle movement → sword control.
Learn to move like Zemo: fast, balanced, precise.
He looked at Zemo curled beside the lantern.
"…I'll catch up to you someday."
Zemo snorted.
Ren smiled.
"Okay, maybe not in speed.
But in technique."
Zemo rolled onto his back for belly rubs.
Ren obliged.
Outside, the village was quiet.
No attention.
No danger.
Just a seven-year-old boy slowly building the foundation for becoming a prodigy swordsman and scientist.
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END OF CHAPTER 55