“Stop fighting the water, Hayato!” Grandpa barked. “You’re trying to be a wall. A wall eventually breaks. Let it flow instead!”
He spoke like he truly believed my stupid kid brain could handle wisdom that deep. Arms behind his back, katana in his hands. The one he never unsheathed, probably to avoid cutting me in half while casually hitting me on the head. He stood there, almost eighty, yet still more alive than me. I shook under the water, getting crushed while he locked his sharp eyes on me.
"B-but… it’s too heavy!" I screamed with sobs.
“It’s heavy because you’re trying to hold it,” Grandpa said, his voice calm now. “Misogi isn’t about enduring pain. It’s about accepting it and letting it pass through you.”
None of it made any sense to me. I kept waving my arms like that would scare the water away. I fought it with pure panic and zero brain. Grandpa walked over and swung his katana at my head. Too bad I was used to this crap. I dipped my head and slipped under it clean. He missed. I smiled. Big mistake. He turned and hit me while I was bent over. That one landed perfectly.
“Focus!” he yelled. “Stop fighting the water. Don’t be a stupid pond that floods. Be the riverbank. Let it pass.”
“I don’t understand anything!" I yelled back.
His voice cracked suddenly. “You,” he said, then turned away, “are the disgrace of our bloodline. If only I hadn’t lost my son so young… at least he had the strength to carry on our traditions.”
“You’re right!” I yelled. “If my dad were here, you wouldn’t dare hurt me like this!”
I broke down, ran out from under the waterfall and hid behind a rock. I pulled my knees to my chest and shut the world out. I was soaked, shaking, and done. I didn’t even notice when he came over. I only felt it when he put a gentle hand on my shoulder. I flinched but kept my eyes shut. When he saw how scared I was, he patted my back, then rubbed my head.
“I’m not hurting you,” he said softly. “I’m getting you ready for life.” He paused, swallowed, then went on. “Trust me, Hayato, life will hit much harder... One day, you will thank me for this.”
Grandpa was always wise. Always right. I didn’t get him. I hated him. But I still listened. I had no other choice. He was the last one I had. My chest burned with anger and sadness mixed all together. I said nothing, I just cried. I didn’t know it then, but one day, I really would thank him.
?
My chest felt ready to explode. It was like the whole earth was crushing me from every side. I forced my eyes open. Everything was blurry at first, then it all cleared. The dragon was right there, now wingless, but still frightening. Its massive body looming over me like a nightmare. It pulled its head back, filled its lungs, and roared straight at me.
The shockwave slammed me right in the face. The ground beneath me caved in like a crater, and as my bones cracked, I was pressed down, trapped under massive force. Blood gushed from my mouth, black fluid spilling from my side.
I tried to lift my head, tried to turn and check if Midori was still there. I couldn’t move. Nothing responded. Not even a single muscle. My body was dead weight. Tears ran from my eyes, and all I could do was lie there and wait for the end.
Suddenly, the strange dream I had just woken from came back to me. Grandpa’s last words echoed in my head. Words that never made sense back then, when my brain was small and my will was stubborn. This time, they somehow started to fit together.
What if, like he said, it wasn't about enduring pain, but letting it pass. Accepting it instead of fighting it. Maybe it was because I was close to death. I didn’t actually know. But I felt sharper for the first time. I focused on his words to understand what he really meant. And I think, at last, I did.
This mana, this crushing weight, this pain… it all felt so familiar, like something I had felt long ago. Just like that small kid under the waterfall, slammed by freezing water. Only this was worse, more brutal, more savage, more unbearable.
But Grandpa had already warned me long ago: life hits much harder, Hayato. Back then, I was too dumb to understand. But when it all finally made sense, a quiet gratitude rose inside me, and from the very bottom of my heart, I whispered a thank you to him, for all his teachings and beatings.
I'd always thought of myself as an empty cup, something that needed filling. I was all wrong. I should have been something different. No matter how hard the waterfall crashes, it means nothing to the riverband. I released my domain one last time. Not to fill the emptiness inside me. This time, I would let the mana flow around me and through me, like it was already part of me.
Soon, mana poured toward me from the massive dragon like a raging waterfall, but this time I didn’t fear it. I didn’t even blink. I accepted it. I let it spin and flow around me. I didn’t try to own it this time. No. This was far beyond that. I was the mana itself.
First the dragon’s legs gave up and melted into me. Then the belly followed, like it lost the will to stay still. After that, the rest of the body just poured in. The mana stopped trying to kill me. It wasn't wild. Not angry. Just smooth and quiet. It spun around me calmly, wrapping me in a dark sphere.
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In the end even the dragon’s head came undone and drifted. It was gone. Finally. I had done it this time. Relief flooded me, and my body soon gave up. My eyes started to shut. But I had done my part. I didn’t care what came next. No fear. Just quiet peace. I closed my eyes. I was ready to rest. Then I heard that damn voice again.
I opened my eyes only to see I was suddenly wrapped in a mana field, stronger than anything I had ever felt. My bones didn't hurt. I wasn't bleeding. It was like the fight had never happened. My body felt light, almost untouched. Then heavy mana pressed in from all sides, trying to crush me. This time, I didn't panic. I just let it flow. Slowly, it began to move with me, not against me.
I pushed myself up onto my knees and tried to understand where I was. Then I saw them. Two massive blue eyes, glowing through the fog, floating far above me. As the fog thinned, the rest followed. A huge, long, snake like creature stood right in front of me, watching surroundings carefully. Then I saw two arms along its long, wingless body. So it wasn't a giant python. It was a Loong dragon.
“I find myself wondering,” a woman’s voice came from above, calm and curious, “where that little creature is hiding?”
“W-who are you?” I asked, fear choking my throat. “And Midori… where is she?”
The dragon let out a slow breath from side to side, sweeping the mana away. The field cleared just enough for us to see each other, and I froze. This wasn’t another mana beast. This one was real. It had flesh and bone. Deep blue scales covered its huge body. It was massive, maybe ten or fifteen meters long. A dragon. A real one.
“Hmm, where you are… Ah, there you are,” it said, lowering its massive head toward me.
Its head alone was almost the size of a truck. My soul packed its bags and tried to escape, but I dragged it back by the collar. I stared ahead like this was fine, totally normal, while every sane instinct begged me to run.
“So tell me, handsome boy, what did you just do down there?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” I said, looking around fast. “Midori. Where is she?”
“Who even is that?” it asked. “Forget her for now. What kind of human are you?”
“I-I asked first!” I snapped, terrified but still trying to look contained.
Its eyes drifted to the huge sphere of dark mana spinning around me. Still chaotic, but under my control, somehow. Then it narrowed its eyes and raised its head back up. Soon the mana it scattered began to gather again, fog rolling back in until it was just a figure in the mist.
“Oh, that one you say,” it said. “Yes, yes… the one you mentioned is here. Somewhere.” Its big blue eyes locked onto me. “Maybe if someone cleared all this mana around, we could actually see.”
“If that’s all…” I muttered, and let my domain spread.
I wasn’t clueless anymore. I finally got it, how it moved, how it flowed. I just had to clear the space so I could see where Midori was. I pulled the thick mana in and let it melt into the flow around me. When it was gone, the view opened up. A huge, almost frozen lake lay before me. From its center, the giant dragon rose, half submerged, silent and watching. But Midori was nowhere in sight.
“So, where is she—”
It roared and the blast threw me back. I crossed my arms over my face and dug my feet into the ground. But it still pushed me several meters away. When the shock passed, I walked toward the dragon again. It pulled one leg out of the water and went to war with some flowers by the lake, stomping them flat over and over like they had personally offended it.
“Damn you… stupid… flowers!”
As I got closer, I saw almost a hundred of edelweiss blooming right in front of the lake, but each careless step of it flattened dozens of them.
“Hey! Hey! Hey! Stop! I said stop!”
It didn't listen. It didn't seem like it would stop until nothing was left. Anger boiled up inside me. That was my chance to save the old man. And this dumb dragon was grinding it into dust. Fire burned in my eyes. Without me even noticing, my katana ignited. I swung upward and sent a blazing slash at it.
At the last second, it lifted a wall of water and stopped the strike like it was nothing. Steam hissed as the flames went out. But at least, I caught its attention. It stopped trampling the flowers and glared at me.
“What do you want—”
It roared into the air this time, then casually wiped its nose before stomping on the flowers again.
“I… hate… the—”
“Hey, stop! I need them, leave at least one!”
“Fine, fine,” it said, looking at me, calmer now but still sniffling. “Maybe I should reward you for the kindness you showed me.”
“...What? And once more, where’s Midori?” I looked around. “You said she was here?”
“Oh, I just… told a small lie.” It turned its head away, like I wasn’t even there.
“You did what?!” I literally roared.
“I just needed someone to clean the mess," it said, “and then you showed up—”
“Shut up!”
I was done listening to this stupid lizard. I canceled my katana and crushed the fire into a sphere. Then I fed it. More mana. And more. I didn’t hold back. I dumped almost everything I had into it. A small sun hovered above my hand, roaring and hungry. I raised my arm higher, still pushing, still thinking it wasn’t enough.
“Just so you know,” it said, eyes half-closed, “that won’t even leave a scratch on me.”
That broke something inside me. I ripped some of its mana too, fused it with mine, pulled in everything else around, and shoved it all into the fireball. The flames darkened, then went pitch black. It didn’t look like fire anymore. It spun, shrinking, getting heavier, denser… and I felt it. Control slipping right through my fingers.
“W-what is that?” it said, backing away, scared. “You aren't throwing that freak thing at me, right? Don't be an idiot. That looks like it could erase the whole world!”
It was too late. I had already lost all my control. But if I somehow threw it at the dragon, I thought, at least the town's problem would be solved. So I pulled my arm back, but the mana ball didn't follow, it screamed instead. It didn't obey anymore. Like an angry black sun having a breakdown. The dragon saw it right away. It stared at the thing, then at me. It knew exactly what I was trying to do.
“P-Put that away right now. It’s very loud and rude!” it shouted, panic dripping from every word. “Wait! You... you want that person, right? Midori, was it? I can find her. Just… give me a second.”
It shut its eyes, pressed its hands to the sides of its head, and focused, deeply focused. A moment later, Midori appeared right in front of me. She looked around, confused, taking a few steps.
“Hayato! Where are you, idiot? Hayato!”
She turned and finally noticed me. Her face brightened. “Ah, you’re back—” then she froze mid-smile when she saw the blazing dark ball in my hand. “…What the heck?!”
“Tell… tell him to stop, please!” the dragon shouted, panic in its voice.
Midori frowned, like she recognized the voice very well. Then she spun around in pure anger.
“Overgrown worm?!” she shouted.
The dragon bristled at the words, leaning its massive head closer and narrowing its eyes at her. After a few seconds of clear confusion, its face scrunched up.
“Giant snail? What are you doing here?!” it demanded.
“You first!”
“Anyway, I’m glad to see you again. After all, our last fight ended… unfinished. You know, the one where you ran—”
“I— What?! You must be dreaming!”
“L-Ladies, please, can someone look over here?” I muttered, trying not to yell while everything was clearly on fire. “I really don’t want to interrupt your fight, but I have no idea how to stop this thing."
When they both turned to me, the color just drained from their faces. The mountain’s entire mana swirled in a dark sphere above my hand, spinning faster and faster, shrinking into itself, screaming, ready to explode. I froze, heart hammering, one wrong move, and everything would blow.
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