The inner courtyard of Runan Manor was unusually busy today. Winter was upon them and Ryuk’s lessons had begun in earnest now. His father had even hired Song Ran, a renowned teacher from the capital, to tutor him in the art of cultivation.

“Ryuk! Are you listening to me? You must become one with your spirit, look deep into yourself, and feel the Qi circulating around your meridians!” Song Ran lectured in his usual didactic tone.

“Teacher Ran, it’s a little cold out here. Are you sure this is something we can’t do inside?” Ryuk asked for the tenth time.

“A little cold never hurt anyone. Now, draw your Qi from the dantian and let it flow through your body, through your arms, through your-” Song Ran stopped himself mid-sentence and gave an embarrassed cough.

Ryuk was a special case. He was crippled. With no arms and legs he couldn’t even feed himself without the help of a servant. To Ryuk, his disability was his identity. It was his one defining trait. He would forever be the cripple, the waste no one wanted to play with, the odd one with no friends.

Song Ran waved a silver fan in front of Ryuk’s face, snapping him out of his introspection. “Are you listening to me, Ryuk? There are plenty of famous practitioners with missing limbs. The renowned Gold Fist Abbot was missing his right hand when he slayed the infamous Ivory Howler.”

Ryuk frowned in response. “Didn’t the Gold Fist Abbot grow back his hand after killing Ivory Howler?”

Song Ran gave another awkward cough. “That was a bad example. Let’s postpone our practical training and move on to the textbooks, we can head inside now.”

A young girl in servant’s robes approached Ryuk from the corner of the courtyard and wheeled him inside. Her name was Kaya, and despite her status as a servant she was his closest confidant. Like Ryuk, she was defective; her tongue maimed in a raid by barbarians from the north.

She was then sold into slavery and was circulated around several noble houses until she made her way to Runan’s household. Runan, Ryuk’s father, was a generous man, freeing her after only two years of service. Contrary to his expectations, she decided to stay. He wasn’t sure why; either because she had nowhere else to go, or she genuinely cared for him. Regardless he was grateful for her presence.

On their way to the study, Song Ran gave him a quick quiz.

“List the differences between an immortal armament and a mortal-”

“Immortal armaments have their own ego, and mortal ones don’t.”

“You forgot to mention that mortal armaments are divided into three classes depending on the tool’s might.”

Ryuk groaned. “Is any of this really necessary? It’s not like I’ll be needing this information in the future.”

“The elders of the Dragon Peak Academy will expect you to know all of this information beforehand.”

“Elders? Dragon Peak? What are you talking about?”

“Oh dear, what I meant to say is-” Song Ran said, tripping and stumbling over his words. 

Resisting the urge to lash out at Song Ran, he took a deep breath and exhaled. “Kaya, please take me to my father.”

Kaya nodded, wheeling him away from the study and towards his father’s office. Song Ran raised a hand but dropped it back to his side, deciding against trying to stop the boy.

“I’ll be in the study… feel free to drop by after you… finish your talk,” Song Ran stammered from behind, inching away to the study.

Kaya stopped right outside of his father’s office and gave him a concerned stare.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“It’s okay, wheel me in,” Ryuk muttered, suddenly unsure of himself.

Runan was poring over dusty tomes in his office when Kaya wheeled in Ryuk. He waved them away without giving a glance. “I don’t need any more tea, you are dismissed.”

“Father, it’s me. I want to ask, why would you enroll me in Dragon’s Peak?”

Despite the abruptness of the question, Runan did not look up from his work. “It’ll be good for you. I’m sure you’ll make friends.”

“No, I won’t. People will think I’m a freak! And they're right. I am a freak. I don’t have any arms or legs. I can’t change my own clothes! I can’t eat by myself, I can’t even go to the bathroom by myself! And you think I’ll be fine?”

Runan finally looked up. “You will go, and you will make friends. I will not have you cooped up in this house forever like some uncouth shut-in. Do I make myself clear?” Runan barked, the tone of his voice indicating their conversation was finished.

“Yes. I understand,” Ryuk said, his body going limp. “When do I depart?”

“In a month. I expect you to be at the initiated stage by that time.”

Ryuk nodded, his way of bowing,  and then signaled Kaya to push him out of the office. On the way out they passed by his older sister, Yasha. The last thing he saw from the corner of his eye was Runan jumping up from his seat to greet Yasha.

Kaya placed her hand on Ryuk’s shoulder. It was her way of showing support. With a gentle smile, Ryuk rested his head against her hand.

“I don’t suppose running away from home is an option,” Ryuk remarked, his spirits managing to rise a little. “Let’s head back to the study, I better get started on preparing for my breakthrough.”

Song Ran was pacing the study, his eyes glued to a diagram of human meridians pasted on the wall. “Ah! You actually came. How are you holding up?”

“I’m fine. Thanks for asking.”

“If you ever need someone to talk to, as your teacher I’m always here for you.” Song Ran said, his tone uncharacteristically gentle.

“I’ll keep your offer in mind.”

“Good! Now let’s move on to today’s lessons. Your body is unique, but not in a good way. Your lack of limbs is a large detriment to your potential. I will not sugarcoat this, but with enough luck and effort we can get you squeezed past the barrier of uninitiated and initiated. All I ask is that you trust me. I have your best interests in mind.”

Ryuk only managed to nod dumbly, blinking away the tears welling up in his eyes. Song Ran’s expression softened for a brief second but he wiped it away with a stern frown.

“I’ll be honest with you. No one in this house expects you to break into the initiate stage. Not even your own father. But I see something deep inside you. You have something unique, you know the meaning of true pain. You have to learn to harness that pain and turn it into something more productive. Not anger, which is volatile and destructive. Or grief, which will make a weak and indecisive man out of you. You must turn that pain into fortitude. Now, wipe away your tears.”

“Do you really think I can make it past the initiate stage?” Ryuk asked while Kaya wiped his tears away with her sleeves..

“Without a doubt,” Song Ran said with a beaming grin.

“How much is my dad paying you?” Ryuk joked, his eyes puffy and red.

“Not nearly enough,” Song Ran replied, chuckling for a brief moment before composing himself.

Reaching inside his sleeves, Song Ran pulled out a shiny, translucent stone. “Now then, are you ready to take your first step into the world outside?”