Chapter 10 : New Will

While Chikara was integrating with the other children, Akeno continued in the lotus position, meditating.

"You're there!"

Turning towards the voice, Akeno saw three people dressed in white, their eyes tired and weary.

"Hi, let me introduce myself, Yang Jun."

"Xu Jié," said the second person.

"And I'm Yang Chengwu," said the third person.

"We're your roommates, in case you didn't recognize us," said Yang Jun.

Akeno took a moment to look at them and stood up to introduce himself, his hands clasped in front of his chest. He bowed slightly out of respect: "I'm Akeno, sorry for the disruption last night. I must have made a mistake during my meditation."

"Akeno? Never heard a name so strange, is that the name of people from the big cities? Ahahah," laughed Yang Jun.

From the sound of the voice, Akeno could remember that it was Yang Jun who had spoken to him last night before passing out. He was quite tall, with well-defined muscles, shaved hair, and an extremely present smile that gave him a charismatic and reassuring air.

Yang Chengwu was his twin brother, the difference being his hair, short but not shaved, and his smile less present.

Xu Jié was the smallest of the group, about 1.65 meters tall, with long black hair and a sword at his waist. He exuded a kind but also more distant aura.

"Anyway, don't worry, your little death last night surprised us more than anything. Now that we're well awake, follow us, we'll show you around the city and explain the rules to you."

Leaving Chikara where he was, Akeno followed the trio and headed towards the exit of the branch.

Passing by the reception where the old master was still asleep, the group of four walked through the streets of the city.

"I don't know what you know about Hope City, but let me tell you that everything horrible that's said about it must be true. The sect's children you might have seen in the courtyard come from almost every corner of the streets and are orphans.

It's the Master who takes them in to give them a second chance. Thanks to him, my brother and I were able to become who we are," explained Yang Jun.

"Unfortunately, he can't take them all in. Some aren't talented enough to walk the path of martial arts, and the number of orphans is far too high in this city," added his brother, Yang Chengwu.

Walking deeper into the city, the group could see several children looking at them with envy.

"We might be the only ones looking after them, the mayor of the city does nothing to improve the situation..."

"But where do they come from? I can understand that the border of the country can be dangerous, but how can such a large number of children appear here?" asked Akeno.

Looking towards the tower where the mayor lived, hatred was evident in their eyes: "The Empire's policy... Since the throne was succeeded by Emperor Celestial IIX, they send orphans of a certain age from all over the kingdom who live on the streets to the borders, so they can receive training and become soldiers."

"But the mayor of the city takes all the money the kingdom sends for their training, puts it in his pockets, and leaves the surplus children in the streets."

"Wait! If what you're saying is true, why haven't I heard about it elsewhere? It should be easy to verify the information," exclaimed Akeno.

With a sigh of exasperation, Xu Jié, looking down, replied, "Power... We've tried to report the information to higher authorities, but no matter our efforts, our words seem to turn into drops falling into an ocean."

"... Besides, the sects don't really have the right to interfere in the Empire's politics," added Yang Chengwu.

As the group continued their tour through the city, Akeno walked troubled by his new comrades' revelations. The documents he had read perfectly indicated a precarious situation, but nothing up to this point.

Recalling his childhood, he couldn't shake off the idea that if he hadn't been taken in by the orphanage where he had grown up, he could have been one of these young children he saw on the streets.

Not being part of this world and having spent his entire childhood locked away, training, he had never really felt like he belonged here.

He certainly wasn't a saint, but seeing all the harm being done around him, a part of him began to want to do more for this world. More than being a legend, he wanted to do what he deemed right and be able to act as he pleased without following the rules.

But all of this began with his own strength.

"With this, you will have toured the city. Otherwise, we were wondering at what level you are, if you don't find it too intrusive. My brother and I are at the Qi Refinement stage, and Xu Jié is still at Qi Condensation," said Yang Jun.

"And oh, well! I'll soon be advancing to the Qi refinement level too!" exclaimed Xu Jié

"Haha, but for now, we're your seniors," laughed Yang Jun.

"Hey you, I told you to go fetch water for me and my friends! So hurry up, otherwise we might as well mess up our job and your sister could be next on the list!"

As Akeno's small group headed back to the sect branch, they came across a group of guards laughing loudly at a thin child using all his strength to draw water from a well.

"Come on! Hurry up, I'm thirsty! Ahahah!"

"Quicker, brat!"

"Oh, come on! At this rate, do you want us to die of thirst?"

Stopping at the sight of this most abhorrent situation, Akeno's blood began to boil with rage. Since arriving in this world, he had known rage, but never like this. It was the first time he had actually seen this kind of scene unfold.

He knew what kind of world he lived in, he knew what lay ahead on his path, what he could see. But knowing and experiencing were two entirely different things.

Lifting his foot to walk towards the guards, his arms and his right shoulder were instantly grabbed and held back.

"Don't go there," said Yang Chengwu, his voice dripping with anger.

While Akeno was held back by Yang Chengwu, Yang Jun and Xu Jié, the child had finally managed to draw a bucket of water from the well and was slowly carrying it over to the guards.

"We understand your rage, Akeno, but think about what would happen to him if we acted. You can't play the hero without considering the consequences."

"If you want to survive and not make things worse here, you'll have to turn a blind eye to some things too. Even though it hurts," they explained to Akeno.

Akeno understood this very well. Acting now against them, and they might seek retaliation on the young child. Turning a blind eye, and the child would have to endure this ordeal a little longer but might leave alive.

"Why do the guards act like this!?" Akeno asked the others, not hiding the disgust and rage in his voice.

Hiding a mix of shame and sadness for their city, his comrades felt disgusted more than anything else: "They're not all like that. There are guards with good hearts left, those who act like these are just trash. Unfortunately, the mayor does nothing, or rather, let's say he doesn't care..."

Continuing their way towards the sect, Akeno and his companions remained in deep silence.

Although he was prepared to see a deplorable situation, Akeno hadn't anticipated things would go this far.

An excess of unassisted children, a malevolent and greedy mayor, a corrupt police force, and who knows if he had seen it all.

Arriving at the sect gate, the small group entered, their morale and heads low.

"So, Akeno, what do you think of what you've seen?"

Taking Akeno out of his thoughts, Fang Qin's voice resonated in the reception hall. Raising his head, he saw the old man's gaze, less smiling than the day before.

"Disgusting."

Observing Akeno's gaze, Fang Qin closed his eyes, as if he had heard what he wanted to hear.

Following the others to the training courtyard, Akeno was searching for answers within his own mind.

How could he act?

His arrival in Hope City was motivated by only one reason: tranquility to act as he pleased. This involved recruiting clan members and mastering Chakra.

But now, he wanted to do more than that, he wanted to help this city. The excuse he had given his instructor in Glory City was finally going to become a real reason for his departure.

Yet, he needed to know how to do it.

He knew he couldn't act like the heroes in movies or manga, fighting with his fists against malevolent authorities. He wasn't Luffy who could liberate a city from its own navy. If he acted like that, even if he was on the side of moral righteousness, he would end up dead or banished, but never rewarded.

It all came back to his own strength. If he were a grandmaster in martial arts and his level had reached a terrifying stage, he wouldn't need to think so much.

Looking at his comrades, Akeno felt a new flame awaken within him: "You said you help the orphans on the streets, how?"