The morning mist still clung to the mountains of Tashi, curling through the trees like drifting breath. The smell of dew and dust filled the air. Birds had yet to sing. The only sound that broke the silence was the soft thud of bare feet on packed earth the rhythm of training.

Master Vince stood before them, shirtless save for a band of cloth around his missing arm. The scars that crossed his body weren't trophies they were lessons carved by time itself. His eyes, sharp as tempered steel, moved from face to face Khael, Juno, Ceyla, Andromeda, and Matthew.

"Just because you lot have affinity," he said, his voice low, steady, every word carrying the weight of conviction, "doesn't mean you don't need to train your body."

Ceyla crossed her arms, tilting her head with a smirk. "But I'm a girl, so nah."

Khael's eyes widened, his tone cutting through like a blade. "Ceyla!"

She blinked, feigning innocence. "What? It's true. My echo art handles all the heavy lifting."

The faintest curve appeared on Vince's lips not quite a smile, not quite disapproval. "And when your Echo art fails? When you can't summon it because you're drained or poisoned? What then?"

Ceyla looked away, the wind tugging at her hair. "I'd… improvise?"

Vince stepped closer, the weight of his presence sinking into the air. "Improvisation without foundation is desperation, girl. The body is the first weapon before the Shinrei, before the blade, before the chant."

He turned toward Khael, who stood silently, his dragon-marked forearms glowing faintly under the morning light.

"You understand this, don't you, Dragon Knight? The body remembers what power forgets."

Khael nodded firmly. "Yes, Master. The flesh must follow the will otherwise, power becomes burden."

"Good. Then show them."

Without hesitation, Khael sank into a stance balanced, low, precise. His breath deepened. His aura flickered not as golden flame, but pure control. He struck forward, each motion sharp enough to stir the air like a blade.

Matthew watched, eyes wide, wind circling around his arms unconsciously. "He's fast… but it's not just speed. It's… rhythm."

Andromeda chuckled, scratching Junjun's head beside him. "Man's built like a fortress, moves like a dancer. That's what you call body flow, huh, Master?"

Vince gave a slow nod. "That's Taishin, the unity of thought, breath, and movement. The body's truth. The only reason power listens is because discipline commands it."

He moved suddenly faster than the eye could follow. Even with one arm, he swept Khael's leg, countered his balance, and stopped just short of striking his neck. The impact of air alone knocked up dust.

"See? Power isn't about more. It's about enough."

Khael's breath hitched. Sweat dripped down his temple as he steadied himself. "Understood… Master."

Vince turned to Juno next. His eyes softened, faintly proud. "You've opened six gates of Taishin, haven't you? Then let me ask, what's the seventh?"

Juno hesitated, his gaze darkening. "The gate of control. The one I couldn't open… yet."

"Then start by mastering your breath. Every inhale is focus, every exhale is release. The gate won't open for anger. It opens for understanding."

The group fell silent only the wind answered.

Ceyla, for once, had no quip. She looked at her hands, fingers trembling slightly. "He makes it sound so simple," she thought, "but every word feels like a mountain pressing down."

Vince stepped back, looking over them all — his disciples, his hope.

"Your affinities, your Shinrei, they are tools. But this…" he tapped his chest with his remaining hand, "…this is your core. When all else is stripped away, what remains is flesh, breath, and will. The world breaks those who forget that."

Matthew clenched his fists. "Then we'll remember it, Master. We'll train until the body remembers too."

Vince's eyes gleamed, the faintest warmth of pride. "Good. Now again. From the top. Until your bones ache and your spirit burns. Until you no longer move but flow."

The sun broke through the mist, spilling gold over the clearing.

Khael exhaled, lowering into stance.

Ceyla tightened her gloves.

Juno steadied his breath.

Matthew's wind stirred again, echoing the rhythm of training.

Andromeda grinned, shouting, "Alright, let's make the old man proud!"

From the hill above, the villagers of Tashi and Captain Robi, the grizzled protector of the village, watched in silence.

Robi's weathered face cracked into a faint smile. "That's Taishin training, alright… old Vince hasn't lost his touch."

A villager whispered, eyes shining. "So that's the way of the Affinityless… strength through will."

Another murmured, "No Shinrei… no Echo… just pure spirit."

As the young warriors trained under the rising sun, every strike, every breath, carried something ancient something sacred.

And for the first time in years, the people of Tashi felt pride burn in their chests once more.

The Taishin Path was alive again.

As The sun had long slipped behind the Tashi peaks. The evening wind whispered across the quiet training ground where only two figures remained.

Master Vince sat cross-legged upon the flat stone, his one arm resting across his knee, eyes shut as though listening to the hum of the world itself.

Khael stood before him, chest bare, sweat still clinging to his skin from the day's training. His dragon-marked forearms faintly glowed in the moonlight, the scales rippling as though alive.

For a long while, neither spoke. The night was filled only with the distant sound of running water and the rhythmic breathing of teacher and student.

Finally, Khael broke the silence.

"Master…" His voice was low, uncertain. "Can I ask something?"

Vince's eyes opened, sharp even in the dim light. "You already did."

Khael gave a small, nervous smile before continuing, "Why does death exist? Why do we have to lose people to understand strength?"

Vince didn't answer immediately. He rose to his feet slowly, each motion deliberate, as if even standing carried a philosophy.

"Death isn't the opposite of life," he began, pacing slowly in front of the boy. "It's its teacher."

Khael's brows furrowed. "Teacher?"

Vince nodded. "Every scar you've seen on me, every student I've buried, every enemy I've slain, they all taught me something I couldn't have learned while they still breathed."

He looked toward the mountain line, his gaze far beyond the horizon.

"Death strips away comfort. It forces you to see what's real. You can lie to yourself in peace… but not in loss."

Khael clenched his fists. "But… isn't that cruel? People die, and we're just supposed to call it a lesson?"

Vince turned to him, his single hand resting on Khael's shoulder. The touch was firm, grounding.

"It is cruel. The world doesn't ask if you're ready. The Shinrei doesn't wait for your heart to heal. It moves on like the wind. That's why you train, boy. So when death comes for you or those you love, you don't shatter. You remember."

Khael's breath trembled. "Remember what?"

"The reason they lived."

The night wind passed between them, carrying the faint scent of pine and smoke.

Vince's voice softened, almost like a memory.

"You think I don't still see their faces? My brothers, my wife, my squad all gone. The Taishin Path was born from that pain. Because I realized… when Shinrei fails, when all the light is gone, only the body remains to carry the will forward."

He stepped closer, the weight of his words pressing down like a mountain.

"Your dragon blood will give you power, yes. But that's not what makes you dangerous, Khael. What makes you dangerous is your heart, the part that feels even when the world tells you not to."

Khael looked up, meeting his master's gaze. His eyes burned not with anger, but quiet conviction.

"Then… if I have to face death, I want to face it standing. I want to understand it not fear it."

Vince's lips twitched into a faint smile pride and sorrow mingled together.

"That's the right answer. Not because it's brave… but because it's honest."

He turned, gazing at the stars.

"You'll learn this one day, Dragon Knight, the Shinrei flows strongest when your heart accepts both life and death. One fuels the other. To reject death is to reject growth."

Khael stood silently for a moment, letting those words sink deep.

"Then, Master…" He looked at his hands, the dragon mark pulsing faintly. "If I die protecting them Juno, Ceyla, the others will that be wrong?"

Vince closed his eyes. "No. But make sure your death means something. Dying isn't hard. Living with purpose that's the real fight."

The boy nodded slowly. "...I understand."

Vince's gaze softened, a rare warmth flickering in his tired eyes.

"Good. Then you're already stronger than I was at your age."

The wind howled softly, as though carrying their words into the heavens.

Khael bowed deeply, fist pressed to chest. "Thank you, Master."

To be continue

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