Water reflection

Nothing. His will wasn't enough. He lays in the water. His hairs float around his head. The white kimono he is wearing turned gray, soaked in water. The liquid caresses his neck, his hands and his legs. 

The young boy takes a deep breath but decides to not move yet. The master silently observes the student. Neither of them dare to break the silence which imposed itself over the domain. 

The last bit of sunlight touching their skin disappears behind the trees surrounding the domain. The soft coldness of the night slowly takes its place, tickling the two residents of this place.

Kazuki gets out of the puddle. The cold, even soft, is amplified by the wetness of his clothes and himself.

"I want to go home."

The old man does not move an inch. He looks at the horizon. The young boy, a bit impatient, pulls on the sleeve of his master's kimono.

"Master Yi, can we go back to the temple?"

Tian-Han doesn't move but takes a slow breath. He calmly asks Kazuki the following question. 

"Do you think you're done?" 

The young boy knows what it means. When his master asks this type of question, it implies that there is more to do.

"I guess not. But it's getting cold. And I don't know what more I can do, besides repeating the exercises once more."

The old man stands up on the rock. He joins his hands in his back and pumps his chest. The wind of the night brings leaves and flowers around the old man stence.

"Listen carefully, Kazuki.. Art isn't something easy. But because of the threat which floats upon us, I have to teach it to you very young. You'll have to train under harsh circumstances. Neither of us want it. But yet, both of us have to make an effort in order for things to go well."

The kid, who always listens to his master with attention and admiration, is stunned in both ways by his master. He doesn't really understand the urgency of the situation. He did get threatened, when he went to a nearby village with Tian-Han, but the fear is due to his shyness in front of someone abrupt. This new kind of threat is different. 

But right now, there is no visible threat. If he can't see it, then it's not there. So it confused the young boy to see his master so focused on it. In his eyes, something changed about his master. It's not entirely the same old man who took care of him for 10 years. 

This feeling is mixed with an admiration for Tian-Han, a sense of perfection highlighted by the surroundings and the stance of the old man. Those feelings help to mark the last words of Tian-Han's speech in Kazuki's head. 

"As long as something like the mere coldness of the night or the screams of people around you shatter your concentration, then you're still not done with it."

Kazuki doesn't have anything to answer to the old man. He just looks at him, in silence. The gaze of the master is now turned to the pond. The young boy follows the eyes of his master. He now stands in the pond. The water gently licks his feet. The wind lifts their hair. 

"Go on, my boy. Try it, once."

Kazuki passively obeys. This time, he gets on his knees. He closes his eyes. Once again, the darkness takes over his senses. Slowly, it fades to the endless water world. But the wind softly bite Kazuki's skin and the inner world starts to disappear. 

In a vain effort, Kazuki tries to grab the fading world with his hands. The only thing he achieved is that he jumped in the pond while trying to grab the water.

Kazuki makes a fist with his hands. He doesn't move, looking at himself in the reflection of the water. His body is tense. He doesn't want to disappoint his master. His master told him more than once that it's important. Frustration takes over the young boy's mind. 

In the reflection of the pond, the moon slowly disappears hidden by the reflection of Tian-Han. The old man takes the kid in his arms.

"Do not let your anger shatter your determination too. You can't achieve everything in one day. You understood how it works. You understood that you can even in the coldness of the night. Be harsh on yourself is one thing, letting the negativity take over yourself is another."

The young boy starts to sob. He wipes his face with his sleeves. 

" I'm sorry master. I just wanted to not disappoint you."

The old man takes the kid by the hand and leads him to the temple. 

"It's fine. I'm glad that you think this way." 

As the master shows gratefulness, the eyes of the student light up a bit of confidence. 

"Do your best to never disappoint me, but be careful about yourself. Can you make that promise to me?" 

The kid nods without any hesitation. 

"Yes! I'll do my best with caution!" 

The old man smiles at the kid.

"Good. Go dry in the restroom. I'll make some tea and a hot meal."

Under a black, cloudless and starry sky, the master and the student head to the entrance of the temple for a well-deserved rest.