CHAPTER 9: THE SECRET OF ZAN
The morning sun was slowly rising. In the training yard, no sound could be heard except the breathing of the three young ones. All three were completely focused, meditating with their eyes closed. Nearly an hour had passed, but there was still no progress. They were just breathing in and out.
Kaito thought to himself: "Almost an hour has passed – maybe more, I don't know. But there's no progress. Why? I can't feel anything. And this is frustrating."
His friends weren't thinking anything different.
Ren was struggling to keep his patience, his blue hair swaying slightly. "How many minutes have passed? Or hours? No progress. What are we doing wrong? I'm sick of this meditation."
Aiko was restless too. "Hmm… why isn't anything happening? We're just breathing in and out, and the result is zero. I'M BORED!"
Just then, a clapping sound was heard. As the three were about to open their eyes, Master Woli shouted in anger.
"You three brats – can't you even do this properly? All you have to do is empty your minds completely. But you can't even do that. I'll say it again: Empty your minds completely. Don't think about anything. Let your mind be completely blank. When you close your eyes, don't even see the darkness. Only then will you be able to feel your Ren. That means you will have learned Ten."
When Woli said these words, it was as if Kaito, Ren, and Aiko had an epiphany. They refocused.
Kaito thought to himself: "Master is right. What are we doing? We've been thinking and racking our brains since morning. We're doing exactly what Master doesn't want. Now I will succeed in seeing Ten."
Ren's blue eyes were closed, but his mind was now clear: "I understand! When we close our eyes, the only thing we should see is emptiness. Nothing else. I've figured out the logic now!"
And at that moment, Ren began to feel something in his heart.
"There! I feel something in my heart. This must be Ten. But it's tiny – like a spark. It doesn't matter. I feel it. I did it!"
Ren opened his eyes. A rare expression of satisfaction appeared on his face.
Woli nodded in approval. "Bravo, Ren. You're the first to feel it. Now you can perceive and measure others' Ren levels. I'm sure you'll master Ten over time."
"Thank you, Master."
Kaito gritted his teeth: "So Ren succeeded. Then I can do it too. Come on, push yourself a little harder."
Aiko's eyes were still closed, but there was determination in her voice: "I understand the logic. It's the same in normal life. Even in battle, if you want to measure your opponent's Ren level and amount, you must always stay calm and focused. I'll do exactly that. Empty my mind and just focus. Very simple."
When Aiko emptied her mind and focused completely, she too felt a warmth, a spark in her heart.
"There! I feel something in my heart. I've finally learned Ten. Thank you, Master."
Then Aiko opened her eyes. Her green eyes were shining.
Woli nodded. "You've succeeded too, Aiko. Congratulations. As you can see, it's actually very simple. Don't make Ren bigger in your heads. Learning Ren is simple. The hard part is mastering it."
He fixed his eyes on Kaito.
"Come on, brat. Your teammates have succeeded. You can do it too. Empty your mind and focus."
Kaito's breathing had quickened. Droplets of sweat were streaming down his forehead.
"I'm trying, but I can't do it… Ahh! This is so frustrating. Every time I close my eyes, my deceased family comes to mind. And the Ifrit who killed them… Zaryx comes to mind. What should I do? PLEASE! Someone help me!"
Woli seemed to understand the situation. His voice was calm but sharp.
"Brat, I know your family and that Ifrit come to your mind. But don't torment yourself with that. To take revenge for your family – to kill that Ifrit – you must learn Ren! Otherwise, have you forgotten the promise you made to me?"
When Woli said these words, something stirred in Kaito's mind. All his thoughts disappeared at once. As if a fog had lifted.
"Master… thank you!"
And at that moment, Kaito too felt something in his heart. A small spark. Like the fluttering of a firefly's wings. He opened his eyes. His brown eyes were shining.
"I did it, Master! I've learned Ten."
A faint smile appeared on Woli's lips. "Bravo, brat. Honestly, I didn't think you could do it. But you surprised me. Congratulations."
Pride was in Kaito's voice. "I'm very proud, Master. Thank you."
Woli crossed his arms. "Now you can read and measure each other's Ten. Yours is currently the lowest level – D-level. But with every training session, and especially with every battle, this will increase."
His eyes hardened.
"Now it's time for Zan. Get ready!"
The three shouted in unison: "Yes, Master!"
They took their positions. They stood ready to hear what Woli would say.
Woli pointed with his finger. "Now what I want from you is to spread your Ren throughout your body. Don't let it stay only in your heart. Spread it throughout your entire body as I said."
He opened his arms.
"Kaito and Ren, face each other. You will have a small sparring match."
The two stepped forward. They stood facing each other.
"Begin!"
Kaito and Ren immediately attacked. Kaito made the first move. As they got close, Kaito threw a right hook. Ren ducked and dodged easily. Then he landed a punch to Kaito's liver. Kaito took the punch but immediately countered. His fist landed right on Ren's cheekbone.
Ren stepped back a few paces. Surprise was in his blue eyes.
"Why did I take damage? Wasn't I able to spread my Ren throughout my body?"
Kaito was equally surprised. "I took a really hard punch to my liver. It hurt. So I wasn't able to spread my Ren either."
Woli shook his head. "Brat, you're thinking too much during the fight. Did you forget? All you have to do is focus on the moment. You focused on meditation earlier. Now focus on the fight. And spread your Ren throughout your body naturally. Come on!"
The two shouted together: "Yes, Master!"
Kaito thought to himself: "Right. All I have to do is focus. Focus on the fight and spread my Ren throughout my body."
Ren muttered to himself: "No need to overthink. All I have to do is focus. So then… let's begin."
This time, Ren made the first move. He jumped into the air. As he glided down, he threw a straight kick.
Kaito's inner voice: "Here it comes. Focus. Focus!"
Just as Ren's kick was about to hit Kaito, Kaito raised his guard. The kick struck Kaito's guard with full force. Kaito stepped back a few paces. But he hadn't taken any damage.
Ren's blue eyes narrowed. "He blocked it. He's really improved. Normally he would have taken that kick. He's made a lot of progress. But I've gotten stronger too. Now I'll show that power."
He attacked again.
Kaito took a deep breath. "Here he comes. Hmph… I can do this. I have to do this."
He dropped his defensive stance.
Ren's eyes gleamed. "So you're looking down on me, huh? You'll pay for this, Kaito!"
Woli watched from the sidelines. "I think he's starting to understand the logic. But as long as Ren can't keep his cool, he'll never learn Zan."
Kaito closed his eyes.
He thought to himself: "I'm focused. My mind is blank. Don't think about anything. Let it come naturally. Completely natural. Make an instinctive defense!"
Ren threw a spinning left kick. His goal was to completely crush Kaito.
Kaito's eyes were still closed.
"Not yet."
Ren approached.
"Not yet. Until the emptiness… is completely empty… not yet."
Just as Ren's kick was about to hit Kaito – Kaito took a step back. The kick missed.
Ren's eyes widened in shock. "What? Did he read my kick? How?"
Woli thought to himself: "It seems Ren has completely figured out reading. He read Ten very easily. And even with his eyes closed, he managed to dodge the kick. This brat… he's gotten really strong in such a short time. His potential is very high. I can feel it."
Aiko approached him. "Master, Kaito has completely figured out reading Ren. He looks like he's already mastered Ten. How is that possible? How did he master a technique he just learned in such a short time?"
Woli didn't answer. He just watched.
"I told him he had to do it for his family's revenge. That's exactly the reason. He'll probably win this fight too."
Aiko objected. "He defeated Ren once before. But that wasn't really a victory, Master. Are you sure?"
Woli's voice was calm. "I'm never wrong, Aiko. Don't forget that."
"We'll see, Master."
"We'll see, child."
Ren attacked in anger. "Don't get cocky, Kaito! That dodge was pure luck. It won't happen again. I guarantee it!"
Kaito's eyes were still closed. He was thinking: "Not yet. I still haven't fully focused. But I can read Ren's Ten. He's right in front of me now. Coming toward me. His fist is ready. He's raised his right fist exactly. Right now, he's all I see. Nothing else. That's not enough. I need to see his Ren, not him."
Ren threw a straight right punch. Kaito tilted his head left and dodged. Ren didn't stop. He threw a left hook. Kaito dodged that one easily too.
Ren's voice turned into a shout: "How much longer are you going to run, Kaito? Don't run! Fight me like a man!"
Kaito's eyes were still closed. But something inside him had changed.
"There! Now I understand. Just focusing isn't enough. You also need to empty your mind. And if we empty our minds, we can control ourselves. In other words… we can keep our cool. This is what Master was trying to tell us. Controlling anger. Keeping our cool. These are the fundamental traits of a strong hunter."
He took a deep breath.
"There! I don't see Ren anymore. I only see the Ren flowing through his body. I can read his Ten purely. And I've emptied my mind. It's time."
Ren struck Kaito's head with a right kick.
BAM!
Aiko shouted joyfully: "Did you see that, Master? I told you Ren would win!"
Woli's voice was calm. "I don't see Ren winning, Aiko."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Watch carefully."
Kaito had taken the kick directly. But he hadn't taken any damage. He had only turned his head slightly.
Ren's voice cracked with surprise. "H-How? That kick should have knocked you out. How is this possible?"
Kaito slowly opened his eyes. His brown eyes now looked deeper, calmer.
"I told you, Ren. The important thing is to keep your cool. And you… got angry again."
Kaito took a deep breath. "Now… it's my turn."
He threw a left uppercut with all his might.
Ren stood there, helpless, his energy depleted.
BAM!
Ren took the uppercut directly to his chin. His vision blurred for a moment. His knees buckled. He collapsed to the ground.
Woli clapped his hands. "Fight over! The winner… Kaito!"
Aiko's mouth hung open. "But… how is this possible? Ren was clearly stronger."
Woli shook his head. "Strength alone isn't enough, Aiko. Kaito may have been weaker. But he stayed calm and saw Ren's Ten flow. And he avoided all the attacks."
He turned to Kaito.
"Don't misunderstand. 'Seeing Ren' doesn't mean seeing your opponent's attacks. You only feel the Ren. And you react automatically to incoming attacks. This is called 'Ren Reading.' Not attack reading."
Aiko's green eyes were still full of surprise.
Woli continued. "Let's get to the other matter. Kaito was essentially in a meditative state throughout the fight. His eyes were closed, and he barely opened them. He didn't even move except when necessary. This way, he stayed calm and emptied his mind. If he had gotten excited and lost his focus, he would have been taken down like in his previous fights. But this time, he controlled himself. And when he was finally ready, he opened his eyes. This allowed him to spread his Zan throughout his body. And no physical attack could harm him. This is completely instinctual."
Kaito was surprised by his own success.
Ren slowly started to come to his senses.
Woli continued: "Remember this. The higher your Ten knowledge, the more advantageous you are in battle. When the training is over, I'll tell you everything about Ren. I'll also explain the logic of how the four principles work."
Aiko approached, her expression serious.
Woli crossed his arms. "Now, take a short rest. Then it's Ren vs. Aiko. Ren will learn Zan while fighting with you, Aiko. Because he can stay calm when he's with you."
Ren stood up and dusted himself off.
"This isn't over. I'll prove that strength is everything."
Aiko smiled, her pink hair rustling.
"Alright, bring it on."
To be continued...