"Come on!" I shouted as I sprinted after Marie and Tobisa.
Days had passed since I joined the training center.
Every morning, we ran.
Every afternoon, we ran.
And every evening, we somehow ran even more.
The strange thing was that I could actually feel myself getting stronger. My legs were faster. My breathing lasted longer. The hundred laps that once felt impossible were becoming easier every day.
But there was one problem.
Nobody could complete a thousand laps.
Not Marie.
Not Tobisa.
Not even the older recruits.
It was like an invisible wall nobody could overcome.
That night, after another exhausting day of training, I collapsed onto my bed and instantly fell asleep.
Then I found myself standing in a familiar place.
A field of endless grass stretched in every direction.
The sky glowed with golden light.
And standing in front of me was Senjuro.
"How's it going, Fogo?" he asked with a smile.
I sighed.
"Not well."
Senjuro chuckled.
"I figured."
He crossed his arms.
"You want to learn Nature Breathing, don't you?"
My eyes widened.
"Yes!"
It was the very thing I had been thinking about.
Ever since arriving at the training center, I'd wondered why I couldn't use it.
Everyone seemed to expect me to know it already.
Senjuro reached inside his and pulled out a book.
"This is my book," he said, handing it to me.
I stared at it.
"Wait... that's it?"
"That's it."
"No teacher?"
"You don't need one."
I blinked.
"Seriously?"
Senjuro grinned.
"Trust me."
Then he reached behind him and drew a katana.
The blade shone like polished silver beneath the golden sky.
He offered it to me.
"Take it."
The moment my fingers touched the handle, something strange happened.
The silver metal began changing.
Darkness spread across the blade like ink flowing through water.
Silver became gray.
Gray became black.
And within seconds, the entire sword had transformed into a deep obsidian color.
I froze.
"What happened?"
Senjuro wasn't surprised at all.
"The color of a katana changes depending on its user."
I stared at my reflection in the black blade.
For some reason, a chill ran down my spine.
Before I could ask another question—
The world shattered.
My eyes snapped open.
I sat upright in bed, breathing heavily.
The clock beside me read 11:00 PM.
"It was just a dream..."
Then I looked down.
My heart nearly stopped.
The book was resting in my lap.
And the black katana lay beside me.
For several seconds, I couldn't move.
The dream had been real.
Slowly, I picked up the book and opened the first page.
A single message had been written inside.
They say that those who wield black blades die young and never achieve greatness.
This book is for the one person who will prove them wrong.
I stared at the words.
Then I turned the page.
And began to read.