Episode 1

"The Unexpected News"

Kazu walked along the neat streets of the colorful village of Okimoto. Small wooden houses caught his eye. If you looked at just one of the houses, there was nothing unique about it - a rather ordinary roof, unremarkable walls, lonely windows. But together with the local nature, these views could really impress a lonely wanderer or wandering writer, and later he would write a book about the small village of Okimoto, located in the south of the Singing Kite country. The exceptional nature of this area also made itself known, with the quiet and loud sound of the surf, rustling leaves of solitary trees that were like keepers and guardians of this place. Amazing landscapes opened up from almost any side of the village, making it a favorite spot for naturalist artists who would eagerly draw the restless sea in a storm and the merciless attacks of the waves on the coastal cliffs.

On the outskirts of the village, near the shore, stood an older man who looked to be about fifty, but was actually a little over forty-two. If you looked at him closer, you could see a slightly messy morning stubble, a hooked nose, and a serious gaze that had seen a lot. The hair on his head was gradually turning gray, giving him that older look. Looking at his figure, you could say that he was an incredibly well-built, stately man, and his body was also adorned with various scars. He was a teacher and mentor for the young generation in this village. A former soldier, he taught children and teenagers various techniques of the water element.

Right now, the "Shikundaev" training session is about to begin. After the events of the Third World War, a special ranking system was introduced to classify all people according to their strength. The lowest rank was called "Minarai". It was given to people who had just started their training. As they learned more techniques, the next rank was "Shikundai". This rank was held by the majority of people, and the range of strengths in it was very different. This happened because the next rank, "Gakushinai", was incredibly difficult for an ordinary person to obtain. From this rank, one could officially become a teacher. Previously, to obtain the Shikundai rank, you had to pass a test from your mentor, who was at least a Shikundai, but the new rank could only be obtained on a special island. Examiners and teachers lived on the island at the same time. To obtain the rank, it was necessary to pass several stages of testing. At the "Gakushinai exam," you had to show yourself better than other participants...

"Nice weather today, isn't it?" Kazu called unexpectedly to Mr. Myanmar.

Kazu was surprised that the teacher noticed him, as he was standing with his back to him. But he still replied:

"Yes, it's beautiful, teacher!"

"Did you want to ask me something, Kazu?"

"No, I just came early," the boy said with a smile.

"Do you know about the upcoming Gakushinya title tournament?" the teacher asked without taking his eyes off the sea.

Myanmar loved the sea very much, and in the village, there was even a joke that this boy almost lived there. Perhaps partly it was true. Myanmar had spent most of his life in the sea, during the Seventh World War, he was in the thirteenth unit of the strongest fleet of the Singing Whale. If people could be inferior to the element of water on land, then they had no equals in the sea. Breaking enemy ships one after another, they marched undefeated against their enemies. Myanmar remembered those battles, looking at the sea, recalling the smiles of his fallen comrades.

"Yes, I heard something similar before, but I don't remember where."

"I wanted to tell you something..." But here he was suddenly interrupted by a joyful voice behind him.

"Hello, teacher Myanmar!"

"So, did you decide to come on time today, Mitsuri?" The old man asked, turning around with a mocking tone.

"I could have not come at all!" Mitsuri replied, slightly frowning and puffing her cheeks.

"Don't be offended, especially since I have some news that will make you happy."

"And what is it?" Kazu and Mitsuri asked in unison.

"I want to recommend you both as participants in the upcoming Gakushin tournament."

"What? Is this a joke?" Mitsuri looked at the teacher suspiciously.

Kazu's eyes widened in surprise, as if they were filled with a bright light.

"Of course not! And how could you even think that I'm deceiving you?"

"Bad experience, teacher!" Mitsuri's eyes seemed even more suspicious.

"And since when did your mistrust of me grow so much?" Myanma asked sincerely.

"Maybe from the time we went on a boat trip? You told us that a huge shark was approaching and it would eat us, but it turned out to be just your prank!"

"Oh, come on, I was just joking once!" Myanma said, looking away.

"Once? Really?" Mitsuri squinted, tilting her head to look at the teacher in the eye.

"Well, this time I really recommended your candidacy, even the headmistress knows about it." The teacher raised his index finger, as if it was a reason to trust him, when he mentioned the headmistress.

Misuri didn't believe it at first and wanted to argue, turning away several times and covering her mouth with her hand, clearly considering a prank, but then confidently denying the idea. Eventually, her eyes lit up too and she looked even more like an excited child than Kazu. Although the boy was a simpleton who sincerely rejoiced even in trifles, Misuri's enthusiasm in such moments was incomparable. After their teacher's words, the teenagers were satisfied, silently looking at each other, trying to convince themselves that it was not a dream.

"But don't get your hopes up too much, I just recommended you," Myanmar laughed.

"Oh, okay..."

"Right..."

After Myanmar's words, the kids became discouraged, realizing the reality. Just a moment ago, they were as happy as children about a simple recommendation, but it wasn't even participation, just a little chance to get on it.

Noticing the sudden change in mood, the teacher panicked a little.

"Hey, don't be upset, I'm also a Shikundai," he said.

After hearing this, Kazu and Misuri were slightly encouraged.

They talked about different things for a while, waiting for some late students.

Episode 2

The Power of the Element

Two more people came to the training ground.

"Sorry for being late, sensei!"

"No problem, take your seats, we're starting," Myanmar replied, folding his arms over his chest.

Kazu and Misuri nodded in greeting and the newcomers repeated their gesture, quickly following the teacher's instructions.

There were leather mats lying on the ground in some places. The training ground itself was a spacious area of land on the shore with a rocky cliff. Shots were practiced to avoid damaging someone's house, so the dummies were facing the sea. The Shikundai trained under the open sky. At night, one could see a whole ocean of different constellations here. Such a sky had a simply magnificent view and could be watched for hours. Sticks or stones became targets. When practicing techniques, they often lined up in front of the sea. The location itself was also chosen for a reason, as elemental users could use the environment for their purposes.

For example, water mages are capable of controlling any type of water, whether fresh or salt. The same worked for the other elements as well. People could create fire from their taikyri, but it would be less costly to take control of some flame and use it.

Taikyri itself is the energy with which a person can control the elements given to them by nature, be it fire or water. This energy can be given various forms and controlled. Also, a person's reserves can be slightly increased through diligent training with full expenditure of energy. One can only increase their capacity until the age of twenty-five, as it will not increase further, although this is not a limit. In reality, there are quite a few ways to become stronger. For example, one can hone their technique countless times until it can be executed almost automatically and consumes much less energy than during the initial usage.

"Today I will check how well you have learned the techniques I showed you and see what you have learned over the past week," said Myanma, carefully setting up the targets.

Actually, the technique involved using a water sphere flying at a decent speed. The move itself was uncomplicated and straightforward, but even it could play a significant role in a fight. If the enemy was hit with this technique, they would most likely be knocked out or have a limb broken. Myanmar had seen some skilled individuals sharpen this attack to the point where they could even pierce through steel.

"Speed. Density. Destructive power. I will be evaluating your techniques based on these parameters," explained Myanmar. "The task is simple: hit all the targets. The first is a bundle of straw, the second is a branch, the third is a log, and the last is a rock."

Hiron was the first to go. He tried to show his confidence to the group, even though he was afraid of not doing better than the others.

"Alright, go!" yelled Myanmar.

Hiron ran forward, his right hand aiming his palm directly at the first target. Water began to take shape in front of his hand, forming a sphere. With a characteristic sound, the sphere "shot" forward.

CRACK

The bundle of straw was easily broken, and the next target became the branch. After going through the same process, a new water sphere hit its target.

"Yes, I can do it! I'll definitely be able to do this, just watch!" thought Hiron to himself.

SNAP

The branch was severely bent, but it didn't break. Hiron started to worry when he noticed this, even though the teacher remained silent. But since nothing happened, it was counted as a success.

"Damn, that was close. We need to put more effort into it, let's go!"

The boy spent a little more time and effort on the next target. This time, the ball was the size of a large apple, and there was a small crack after he hit it.

However, his attack failed to penetrate halfway through, only breaking off a piece.

Hiron realized this and became sad. His wrist trembled slightly, but he quickly suppressed the tremble. Myanma put his hand on Hiron's shoulder and encouraged him:

"Don't worry, it's only been a week. I think you'll be able to hit all the targets soon if you keep training hard."

"Yes, thank you, teacher," Hiron said and bowed.

Next was Mirai. This guy didn't show much enthusiasm for learning. He didn't have any outstanding talents or a sharp mind. He was just ordinary, and there were many like him in society. Looking at him, you could say he was just a gray mass, although if you told him that, he wouldn't get angry or anything. You could even say he didn't mind it. Despite these qualities, there was still something good and humane about him. He got along well with Kazu and Hiron, but he didn't like Mitsuri's personality, and they often argued with each other. He was that kind of person.

He did as well as Hiron, but not better.

Next up was Mitsuri. With a slight smirk, she walked past Mirai, who involuntarily clicked his tongue while looking at her.

"How confident she is, what the hell?" thought the guy to himself, looking at her.

Mitsuri caught Mirai's gaze and seemed to hear his thoughts.

"I'd try harder, I'd definitely surpass Hirona," she thought and put that into her gaze.

Their mental dialogue was interrupted by Myanma, who urged the student to hurry up.

Mitsuri then simply turned around and aimed her left hand at the target. There were no differences in the first shot compared to the others: the same size and speed, but her attack was sloppy. Despite this, the target was destroyed.

"She didn't even try, but she still succeeded. Mitsuri is amazing," Hiron thought to himself.

The next attack was slightly less careless than the previous one, although the second target still took enough damage to be considered passed. In reality, she did a little worse than the others, but she didn't even notice it.

"Mitsuri, what are you doing? Come on, focus already!" Kazu was annoyed in his thoughts.

No one had passed the next stage yet. Now it was Mitsuri's turn. And only after two targets did she finally get serious. With her eyes closed during creation and fully focused, she strengthened the structure of her water bullet thanks to her excellent control. She managed to create a pretty strong water projectile. After the sound of the shot, a characteristic crunch and crack followed. The log broke in half from her attack. All of this took about three to four seconds.

After such successful results, she caught several different looks: a approving glance from the coach, admiring glances from Kazu and Hiron, and a slightly dissatisfied look from Mirai.

"I was able to hit the last target, but who knows if the next one will be too much for me? Ha! What am I thinking? If I don't try, I won't know, so I'll do my best!" Mitsuri thought to herself with a confident smile on her face.

She had spent more than six seconds on this projectile, and it was at least twice as strong as the previous one, as far as she could tell. It wasn't exactly what Myanmar had wanted, given the time limit, but it took a little longer than she had expected. The size of the projectile remained the same, but the ball itself moved faster.

CRACK

The rock split into pieces, and even Myanmar was pleasantly surprised by the result. Kazu and Hirona's reactions were amazing.

"Wow!"

"That's awesome!"

Their expressions of admiration knew no bounds. Mitsuri bowed slightly, feeling a little embarrassed but happy, and returned to her place.

Now it was Kazu's turn.

Thoughts about the Gakushin tournament still lingered in his head. At the examiners' island, you could learn a lot, and a bright future was guaranteed. High-paying jobs, honor, and strength, of course, were all inherent in those who would win the tournament. Since childhood, Kazu had dreamed of becoming stronger to protect what was dear to him, but there was another goal of a different nature...

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Maybe I'll be able to master my Rengo?"

Shaking his head in different directions for a few seconds, Kazu dismissed these thoughts. By the time Myanmar had set up the targets, the boy had already focused.

Raising his right hand, he stepped back with his left foot to use it as support. His gaze became serious, his blue eyes shining for a moment before a sound of a water projectile shot echoed.

CRACK

His hand immediately shifted towards the next target. It took less than two seconds for the second target to be hit. Another distinct crack was heard.

In a couple of moments, the same happened with the log. The third target was hit within two seconds, all thanks to Kazu's emphasis on speed and moderate strength. His reserves of tayakiri allowed him to train hard all day, which is why he used it much more than his friends.

The last target was a stone, and the projectile was still created within two seconds. However, unlike Mitsuri, the stone didn't shatter into pieces, it only cracked and flew off to the side.

There were several reasons why he couldn't handle it. The first and stupidest reason was that the guy was in a hurry, and the projectile turned out not as strong as expected. The second reason was related to his poor control. The less tayakiri you have, the better the control, and this rule worked in reverse as well. A person with a large reserve has a blurred perception of their limits, making it difficult to control them. The same situation was with Kazu, except he didn't feel his limits at all. Not at all! The guy knew the feeling of fatigue, but he could feel the presence of tayakiri even after several hours of continuous training. And that said a lot. Once he managed to reach his limit, or so he thought, but he decided to double-check it, and instead of water, his rengo appeared. After that incident, he never used it again because he was simply prohibited from doing so.

"Very good, Kazu, but don't rush so much next time."

"Yes, sensei." The guy bowed and then sat back in his place.

That's how the days of two teenagers passed in the village of Okimoto in the southern part of the Singing Kite country.

Episode 3

Unexpected Guest

Spring. Sometimes this time of year delights you with its arrival and marks the end of winter's reign, but sometimes it brings echoes of the coldest season. It was one of those days. The cold and strong wind attacked the village with its gusts. The sea was also restless. Today, the waves raised by the wind exceeded their size by several times compared to the previous ones. The water would then ebb and flow with a certain periodicity. It seemed that if it were not for the rocky cliffs on which the village stood, there would be no trace of it left. The sun seemed to have hidden under a blanket of gray clouds, making the sky so gloomy and unfriendly. That was the unpleasant morning that dawned for Kazu. Although it did not stop him from fishing in the sea.

From early morning, as usual, the guy in a gray cloak and an empty bucket stood at the shore. Today, he wouldn't be able to go far out to sea on a boat to catch some wonderful fish. Now he could only catch a small catch from the shore, so fishing for Kazu was more of a hobby than a duty. By the way, he fished in an amazing way, manipulating the water currents. Mostly he relied on luck and simply sharply spread the water around the fish so that it fell to the bottom, then stunned it with a water projectile and threw it up into the boat. Or he managed to push the fish to the surface with a sharp stream of water and catch it that way. And now everything was even more interesting and difficult because he was starting from the shore. It was like training. First, he had to constantly maintain a barrier of taykiri around himself so that the water would not simply wash him away, and with the other hand, he continued to spread the water around the fish, then approach and pick it up. For an ordinary person with average reserves and the same average control, this would be madness. After all, at any moment, the taykiri could run out, and the water would simply wash you away, and most likely carry you out to sea. But for Kazu, with his reserves, it was just training.

Unfortunately, due to carelessness, when Kazu was already coming out of the water, one of the waves accidentally exceeded the height of the barrier wall, and he was drenched with cold water. After that, he got out of the water and hurried home.

Already in the village, the boy heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Kazu! You'll catch a cold like this, you can't get so wet on windy days!"

It was Mitsuri, and she scolded him.

The boy was confused by such an early meeting, as his girlfriend loved to sleep in.

"I was just..." he didn't have time to finish when Mitsuri interrupted him, reaching out to take the bucket.

"Okay, give me the bucket and come with me!" she said.

"But I can do it myself..." Kazu started to say, but was interrupted again by Mitsuri.

"Just give it to me, I said!"

"Why is she so insistent?! Damn, I have no strength to argue with her," reluctantly agreed Kazu, handing the bucket to Mitsuri.

As soon as the boy's hand stopped holding the bucket, it almost fell, spilling a little water on the floor. Managing the weight of the bucket, Mitsuri took Kazu by the hand and led him somewhere.

He didn't even notice how they ended up at her house. This time, everything was different in his girlfriend's house, with a tidy bed, cleanliness, and order. The girl took off Kazu's soaking wet coat and began to take out a new blanket, which was neatly folded in a nearby cabinet next to the sleeping bag. After covering his sleeping bag with another blanket, Mitsuri told him to undress and get into bed while she made him tea and dried his clothes. Kazu obediently did everything, amazed at his girlfriend's care. She took his things and laid them by a small fire that was in the center of this small dwelling. After throwing in a few sticks of wood into the fire and pouring fresh water from her canteen into the pot, she finally sat down next to him.

" I didn't think I'd have guests today," Mitsuri said thoughtfully, clearly speaking her thoughts out loud.

"You're the one who brought me here!" Kazu coughed with indignation.

"But I couldn't leave a friend in need! Especially when it's your own fault," Mitsuri spoke with some excitement in her last words.

"Well, thank you anyway!" He coughed again, thanking his friend.

"It looks like you've caught a cold, you klutz," Mitsuri said, placing her delicate hand on his forehead.

"You're just..." Those were the last words Kazu heard before his vision went black, and he lost consciousness.

Episode 4

Kazu's Cold

Kazu woke up at home, in his comfortable bed, covered with a large blanket and drowning in a soft feather pillow. He raised his head and moved his blanket slightly to take a look around. Although it was heavy as if someone had hit him with a hammer, he managed to lift himself up a little. His sleepy eyes didn't see too well. He noticed a silhouette to his right and immediately recognized it as his mother. He tried to speak but his voice was terribly hoarse, so he had to clear his throat to regain his speech.

"How long... have I... slept?" Kazu spoke with a few pauses, trying to gather his thoughts.

"You slept for 2 whole days. You had a high fever yesterday, and I was worried sick. But I'm glad you woke up!" His mother answered him with a bright smile.

"It seems like they already treated me, and all that's left is to rest for a few days to recover." He thought to himself.

"Now you have to lie down and regain your strength, and I have to go to work," his mother said, smiling.

Kazu nodded. Slowly, his body began to return to normal.

"Oh, almost forgot! Your friend will take care of you," said Mitsuri.

"Really...!?" His thoughts once again became a jumbled mess, making it hard to focus. Mitsuri's cheerful voice snapped him out of it.

"How are you feeling, Kazu?"

"Better than that day," he replied, frowning.

"Okay, I'm already late. Mitsuri, you're in charge," she said, leaving the room and leaving Kazu alone.

"Wait, don't leave me alone, sick, with her!" Kazu thought indignantly. "Okay, the main problem now is surviving in incredibly dangerous conditions!" he pondered.

"I'll be back soon," Mitsuri said as she left the room, leaving Kazu alone.

"Darn it, my body won't listen. I could have escaped right away since she already 'watched over' me once. What am I going to do? I'm definitely going to die this time!" Kazu repeated to himself.

"Come on, think. Think. Think! Imagine you're in an ocean of ideas, you need to choose the right path to survive, otherwise..."

His thoughts were interrupted by Mitsuri entering the room with a wooden tray holding a large cup of strange green liquid.

"This is healing tea that Grandma Kiyo taught us. It will quickly get you back on your feet," she said with a smile.

"So, this is my death..." Kazu's stream of thoughts was cut off.

"Give it to me, I'll drink it," the boy said resignedly, accepting his fate.

Mitsuri placed a special table on the bed so that her friend could drink without applying too much effort. She placed the tray on top of the table.

"What an unpleasant smell this potion has. If she made it, it's better to drink it in one go, or else I'll die," Kazu thought to himself, his hands trembling as he reached for the cup.

"Drink it slowly, it's hot tea," Mitsuri said, barely holding back her laughter at her best friend's behavior.

Kazu didn't notice it, nor did he pay much attention to it. He was sick and couldn't afford to think about many things. Kazu had already taken almost the first sip of the healing concoction when suddenly:

"Ha-ha," the girl accidentally blurted out.

"What's with the 'ha-ha'? Something is definitely wrong with the tea!" thought Kazu.

Kazu eagerly took sip after sip, and then he tasted the tea. He drank almost half of the cup, which surprised Mitsuri.

"What? This is amazing, but how can it taste so darn good!"

"What's happening?! Last time, the taste was so revolting that you could torture people in prison with this remedy, and now it's really delicious healing tea."

"Well, how does it taste?"

"Simply splendid! I don't think I've had better medicine!" Kazu exclaimed in complete delight.

"So, it was just a coincidence... Phew. I thought my days were numbered, as I barely survived those deadly trials that life had given me."

"Finish your tea, and I'll prepare lunch for us from the fish you caught recently," Mitsuri said.

"The music didn't last long. I remember last time she cooked, and it wasn't great, although maybe she learned something now?" Kazu thought.

"Okay," Kazu answered shortly.

"My intuition tells me that she still hasn't learned how to cook, and I need to save myself urgently. Therefore, the best solution is..." He didn't finish his thought because he just passed out. The tea had a strong sleep-inducing effect, and because he drank the medicine quickly, it worked faster.

That's how Kazu fell asleep in his bed, thinking he had avoided an unfortunate fate.

Episode 5

Motivation

From early morning, sounds of intense training could be heard on the royal training grounds. Ari trained tirelessly, pushing himself to his limits. Through his training, he could escape the bitterness of losing the person who was dear to his heart. He focused entirely on his attacks, honing old techniques and learning new ones to distract himself from reality and maintain his mental health. His personal servant, Isabelle, also helped him immensely. Ari respected and loved her sincerely. In some ways, she even replaced his mother. He never shouted at her, as other owners of personal servants did, and, most importantly, he saw her as a close person. She became his support after the loss of Yakimoto. Although Ohima was closer to him by blood, he seemed distant. Ari's uncle simply did not know how to communicate with children, which resulted in a gap between them. However, there were bridges in the form of mutual respect.

In recent days, Ari had allowed himself to show weakness, but now that he was feeling better, everything was returning to normal. He could once again wear the masks of aristocrats called pride and arrogance.

Suddenly, Ari felt the presence of an intruder.

"What do you want?" the young prince asked calmly, not turning to his unknown guest.

"Hmm, you did notice me after all, Ari," Ohima said kindly. His voice was in his usual manner, artificial and cheerful. This tone tended to make people like him, but it only made the young prince nervous and tense.

"Oh, it's you," Ari said, hearing the familiar voice. His body tensed. "So what did you want, uncle?"

"Can't I come to my nephew's training just because?" Ohima said haughtily, smiling falsely. He restrained his anger and stretched his smile even more, making it seem even more insincere and unnatural.

"No, you can't. Just tell me what you wanted to say and leave," Ari said, almost losing his temper. He spoke in a calm tone, tired of pretending in front of his uncle. Being constantly on edge was a huge stress, no wonder he snapped. It was his mistake. Before Ari realized it, a haughty voice sounded.

"Oh, and my nephew is a busy man," he said. "You could see his eye twitching."

"Okay, let's get to the point," Ohima said seriously, his tone instantly changing. Ari was silent.

"You understand that on the exam you will be the strongest participant from the Fire Nation, right?" He asked the young prince."Yeah, so what?" Ari's uncle's direction puzzled him.

"Don't embarrass yourself and don't fall on your face, otherwise they will only laugh at you," Ohima said as coldly as possible. He knew his nephew's weak points and deliberately pressed on them to make him work harder. Although it may not be immediately apparent, this man is quite reasonable and insightful, although he does not always control his emotions to the fullest extent. The boy shook with emotion, his feelings exploded like a volcano, and the flame that was shining in his right hand suddenly went out. He was about to turn to his uncle and shout something, but he stopped.

"Good luck with your training, Ari!" Ohima said again with a fake smile as he walked away from the training area. "... How annoying... This insincerity and pretense. How dare he play with my emotions?! Doubting my abilities?! Well, never mind..." Ohima knew exactly which strings to pull to motivate Ari to win. If his crown didn't depend on this tournament, he wouldn't put in so much effort. And that was exactly what he had expected, which annoyed him terribly.

Episode 6

Leisure time. Chess. And good news.

It had been a week since Kazu fell ill. During this time, Mitsuri had been visiting her friend and taking care of him, helping him recover, preparing medicinal teas and food for him. To the boy's great surprise, her cooking was delicious. She had definitely changed and improved her skills since then. Teacher Myanma and friends also visited him, wishing for his speedy recovery. They told him about what happened during their training sessions, and Kazu was a little envious. Nonetheless, our heroes were not idle. Sometime on the third day, the "sick" boy asked Mitsuri to read him a rather boring book, as she thought. It was a guidebook on the use of Taikiri. This work also described various styles and elements, and even mentioned people with the lightning element who had already been exterminated. According to history, during the Third World War, four elements united against one, and the struggle lasted for about two years until the lightning element was destroyed. It is still unknown whether anyone survived with such a rare and powerful element. In addition to this book, Kazu and Mitsuri played a board game, which was, in turn, a simplified version of Eastern chess. The boy was not very good at it, but still held up well, even though he never won. This game has a quite long history and it originated in the land of the Tora monks. Several sages created this game out of boredom, and it later spread around the world, thanks to one adventurer. He was called Toradin Kel-Hurin. He was a fairly well-known traveler who possessed the element of wind. Fantastic stories about his adventures were still read and loved by people. These works inspired people with the spirit of the original adventurism and the desire to go on a long journey.

So here's the story of chess.

Once, while traveling through the dense forests of Kusa-no-Kami (which were the vast forests in the southernmost part of the continent), a young and at that time nameless adventurer finally emerged into the light. The tall trees no longer covered the sky with their thick foliage, and the boy saw the sun for the first time in weeks. Its bright rays welcomed the traveler, and he had to cover his eyes with his hand. In the distance, he could see the towering mountain of Lindrebium, the summit of which was hidden behind clouds. Such a view brought a radiant smile to Toradin's face. Upon closer inspection, he saw that buildings resembling monastic temples were attached to the mountain. This sight surprised the adventurer greatly, and he hurried to climb the mountain to take a closer look. Literally soaring into the sky like a bird, he managed to grab onto one of the mountain peaks by tossing himself up with the element of air. After performing this unthinkable and incredible feat, his loud and joyful laughter rang out.

"This is unbelievable!" he exclaimed in a burst of joy. And he decided to explore one of the temples a little closer. As he approached the temple, he accidentally kicked a bird, causing him to collide with it. This bird was not ordinary, it was one of the species of large high mountain eagles. The peculiarity of these birds was that they resembled small clouds and could easily be mistaken for them. Its body was up to one and a half meters long, and its wingspan was four and a half meters. So, due to the collision, the adventurer lost his balance and fell down like a stone.

Attempts to regain control bore fruit, he fell slower, but was still in danger. Toradin decided to take extreme measures. Directing all the taykir under his body, he was able to cushion his fall. He fell and lost consciousness, and that could have been the end of his story if he had not been born lucky. He was fortunate to fall into the temple grounds, where he was picked up and taken inside. Unconscious, he spent a couple of days there. When he woke up, the traveler discovered that all his limbs were in place and he himself was fine. Managing to focus his gaze and regain his senses, Toradin was extremely surprised by his location. He was lying on something very hard, a sensation that was familiar to him, as if he were sleeping in a bedroom on the floor. Raising his head, the adventurer looked around and saw a beautiful view before him. From his temporary dwelling, he could see a valley with forests and a river, and in the distance, the beautiful city of Treoham was visible. His peace was interrupted by a man who entered. Among his features, it could be noted that this man wore a red robe, and his head was shaved bald.

That's how Toradin managed to get to the monks and live with them for a while. There he was able to witness firsthand the game that he would later spread throughout the world.

A couple of lines from the story: "About My Adventure in the Land of Monks."

On this amazingly sunny day, Kazu was in a wonderful mood. He was having a great time and was almost completely recovered, so he would soon be able to train again and go fishing. This couldn't but make him happy. Mitsuri, like an older sister, took care of her friend, and this was also pleasant to some extent.

But then Kazu noticed three figures walking towards his house. One of them was Myanma, but the other two were unknown to him.

"Hey, Mitsuri, look here," the guy called his girlfriend to come to the window.

"Myanmar teacher and some people," he said.

After a minute, there was a knock from the entrance to the house.

"Come in!" Kazu shouted, leaving the room and heading towards the entrance.

The door opened, and the first to enter was one of the unknown men. He turned out to be an old man with a long gray beard, his face covered in wrinkles, and he looked very old. He had no hair on his head except for his beard. He was wearing an old gray kimono with a beautiful carved pipe at his waist. A badge with four stripes was displayed on his robe, indicating his high status.

"Oh, what a humble house of the village chief," he said, laughing.

Next, a young man entered, dressed in the same gray kimono, but his badge had only two stripes. He was most likely the old man's guard.

And lastly, Myanma came in, closing the door behind him. Apparently, he accompanied them.

When everyone was together, the old man cleared his throat and began to speak.

"My name is Mikotto, I am a trusted person, right-hand man, ambassador, and close friend of the ruler of the Singing Kita. On behalf of our ruler..." a short pause.

"Damn, I forgot his name, oh well."

"I give you the tickets of the tournament participants for the Gakushin competition, Kazu Azaro, and Mitsuri Yuruginai!"

After that, the old man approached each of them and handed them a special ticket.

This ticket was a hard sheet of paper with various information about their participation, and most importantly, it had the royal seal.

Extraordinary delight was on the faces of Kazu and Mitsuri, the latter was so stunned by this news that she even fell into a stupor.

"I will answer your possible questions right away. You were chosen by the leader himself based on recommendations from teachers from different parts of the country. Besides you, there will be three more participants, and you will receive information about the others from your teacher. Goodbye."

And everyone left. It happened so quickly that the friends stood silently for a couple of minutes, digesting what had happened.