The clearing was empty when Kikimura arrived. The old man had told Kikimura to meet him every morning. So Kikimura came early and waited.
He stood at the edge where the grass met the earth. He was expecting the old man to come out of the grassland.
The morning was cool. There was mist on the grass. The sun was already climbing. Kikimura could see his breath.
Nothing was moving, no footsteps. No sign of anyone coming.
Then Kikimura heard a heavy sound behind him. The he spun around.
The beast stepped out of the grassland.
This was the creature that had nearly crushed Kikimura a few days ago.
Kikimura's first thought was to run. His body became rigid. Every muscle in his body was telling him to flee.
Something stopped Kikimura. The way the beast was moving was not like a predator. The beast's golden eyes were focused on Kikimura. They were intelligent and watching. Not hunting.
The beast was massive. It was easily seven feet tall on its hind legs. There was muscle beneath its fur.. There was something else about the beast that always annoyed Kikimura. The beast was wearing glasses. Wire-rimmed glasses were perched on the creature's snout.
These glasses were absurd, yet they were also kind of comforting.
"Humgh, the beast made a sound.
Then the old man appeared from the grassland, moving casually. It was as if he had been waiting out of sight.
"The beast will train you now ", the old man said. "His name is Ashor. There is no better teacher of KI than the beast itself. You follow his lead."
Kikimura opened his mouth to protest, but the old man was already walking away and disappeared back into the grassland with an unhurried pace.
"Wait—" Kikimura called out. But he was gone.
Kikimura turned back to face the beast, Ashur.
Ashur made another sound. It was like a commanding hum that vibrated through the clearing.
Then Ashur gestured with one paw. He wanted Kikimura to stand in a place.
The gesture was clear. Kikimura moved to where Ashur had indicated. This was the center of the clearing. The ground was most worn here.
"What do I—" Kikimura started to say.
Ashur made a sharp sound. He did not like Kikimura talking.
Ashur's paw pressed against Kikimura's shoulder. It was not hard. It was enough to stop Kikimura from talking.
Ashur was like saying: Stand and do not speak unless you are asked to.
The message was clear.
Kikimura fell silent. And did what the old man had taught him. He stood with his feet shoulder-width apart. His knees were slightly bent. His back was straight.
Ashur circled Kikimura slowly.
The beast's footsteps were heavy.. They were controlled. Each step was deliberate. Ashur moved like someone who had done this many times before.
The glasses caught the light as Ashur's head tilted. He was examining Kikimura from angles.
First, Ashur looked at Kikimura's feet and tapped his left foot with one claw. He wanted his foot to be wider.
Kikimura adjusted his foot.
Ashur tapped again. He was satisfied. Then he moved up to Kikimuras knees.
Ashur pressed gently against Kikimura's knee. He was testing the angle. He wanted it to bend.
Kikimura deepened his stance slightly.
Ashur continued to circle Kikimura. He looked at Kikimura's back, shoulders, head position and neck alignment. Every element was examined. Every adjustment was made with gentleness for such a large creature.
There was nothing kind about this. This was an inspection. Ashur was reading Kikimura's body like text.
Thirty minutes passed. Maybe more.
Kikimura's legs began to burn from holding the stance. His arms were heavy. The focused intensity of keeping the same position was exhausting.
Finally, Ashur made a sound while nodding his head.
He looked satisfied.
"This is correct", Ashur was saying. "The stance is the foundation. The foundation determines everything".
Ashur walked to the center of the clearing and stood facing Kikimura. Then he commanded Kikimura to watch.
Ashur breathed.
It was simple. He breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth.. The effect was immediate and undeniable.
The air around Ashur shimmered. It was like something physical was flowing and moving and becoming visible.
Kikimura could see the KI. It was golden and luminous. It was moving in waves with each breath.
It was beautiful and terrifying.
When Ashur exhaled, the KI flowed out. It surrounded him like an aura.
When Ashur inhaled, it flowed in. It was. Controlled. It returned to its source.
Ashur repeated the cycle three times. Each breath was more powerful than the last. The air itself seemed to vibrate with presence.
"This is KI control", Ashur explained. "It is not a strength. It is control".
Ashur. Gestured to Kikimura. It was his turn now.
Kikimura tried.
His breath came out shallow and uncertain. He could barely feel anything. He could not see it manifesting around him.
Ashur made a sound. He was not approving. He was patient.
Ashur told Kikimura to retry. He should breathe deeper. He should not breathe from his chest. He should breathe from his core. From the center.
Kikimura tried again.
It was better. Still not right. The breathing was still shallow. It was still afraid of the space inside his body.
Ashur guided Kikimura through it.. Again and again.
Each time Ashur corrected. He used gestures and demonstrations. Ashur would breathe, showing the flow. Then he would wait for Kikimura to replicate.
It was like learning a language through immersion. There were no words. There was observation and repetition.
By the attempt, Kikimura felt something shift. His breath deepened. His awareness of his body expanded slightly. It was not like what Ashur demonstrated. It was a beginning.
Ashur nodded. It was better. This is progress. Tomorrow, Kikimura would do this better.. The day after, he would do it even better.
Ashur approached Kikimura.
"Turn around, He gestured for Kikimura to present his back.
Ashur placed one paw on his back. It was between the shoulder blades.
Kikimura flinched instinctively.
The contact was gentle. It was careful. The claws were retracted. The paw simply rested, warm and heavy.
Then Kikimura felt it.
It was not a concept or a theory. It was a presence. A river of power flowing through
"This is KI" Ashur said. "KI is what makes all living things alive. You cannot measure KI with tests or special stones. You measure KI by how you can control it and understand it."
Ashur took his hand away.
Kikimura felt cold on his back because Ashur was not touching him anymore.
"You have KI inside you", Ashur said. "Your KI is sleeping. It is also afraid. I will help you wake it up. I need to teach you how to control it and make it do what you want".
Ashur stepped back and said, "Now it is your turn. Try to feel your KI. Do not try to grab it. Just feel it. Your KI is already inside you."
Kikimura closed his eyes and started breathing.
He tried to feel his body and his own presence, like what Ashur had shown him.
At first, he did not feel anything. Then he felt a warmth in his chest and a tiny tingling in his arms and legs. He felt his skin.
He tried to hold onto this feeling and make it stronger, but it disappeared.
However, for a moment, he felt his KI.
When Kikimura opened his eyes, Ashur was nodding his head.
"Yes, you felt it ", Ashur said. "This is where we start".
Kikimura was very happy with the progress. Now he is doing something he couldn't do in past.
Ashur was very careful. Demanded a lot from Kikimura. He did not accept laziness or half-effort. Ashur was also patient. When Kikimura could not do something, Ashur showed him again.
When Kikimura did the breathing wrong, Ashur demonstrated the way without getting upset.
Ashur understood KI very well. KI was not something he knew about; it was a part of his life. He knows KI in a way no human could do.
Around midday, the girl came to the edge of the clearing. She was carrying a waterskin and a bundle of food.
She did not come into the training area. She just sat on the grass. Watched.
Ashur saw her. He did not say anything. He kept working with Kikimura, having him practice his breathing and making changes to his stance.
Finally, when the girl put down the food and water, Ashur said: "Rest. Eat."
Kikimura walked to where the girl was sitting, and his legs were shaking because he was tired from the training.
He sat down and started eating the food.
"Why does Ashur wear glasses?" Kikimura asked. He still doesn't know why a beast has weak sight.
The girl smiled a bit. "I do not know either." She stood up. "Eat quickly. Ashur will want to continue."
The afternoon session was much harder.
Now that Ashur had figured out what Kikimura could do, he started pushing Kikimura to do more.
Ashur made Kikimura hold his stance for a time. He made Kikimura breathe in patterns without taking a break. Ashur made adjustments that forced Kikimura to hold positions that made his body hurt a lot.
Ashur was very careful about it. He seemed to know how far he could push Kikimura without hurting him too much. He would take Kikimura to the limit, hold him there and then just before Kikimura failed, Ashur would let him rest.
It was very tough.. It was also very smart.
By afternoon, when Ashur finally let Kikimura go, he could barely walk.
His breathing was deeper. It was steadier. Kikimura's awareness of his body's KI had grown a little bit. Kikimura could feel something, a warmth that he had not felt before.
Ashur approached Kikimura one time.
"You did well", Ashur said while resting his big paw on Kikimura's shoulder.
"Rest for today and let's continue tomorrow". Ashur told Kikimura to rest his body and sleep deeply to grow.
As Kikimura walked back to the house that evening, his entire body was hurting.
He felt that Ashur was a good teacher. He was not teaching him with words or ideas. He was teaching him with his existence. Somehow, that made Ashur a better teacher than any human could be.
Kikimura's legs were shaking as he walked. His lungs were burning. His entire body was protesting with each step.
Inside Kikimura, something was starting to wake up. Something that had been sleeping for years.