"Hey, kid, it's time to wake up," said the voice.

"Ugh," Akiza moaned. "Just a few more minutes."

"You ain't got no time for that," said the voice.

"Fine, I'll get up," Akiza replied.

As Akiza got up and opened her eyes, she look around. However, she saw nothing. Just a large empty black space.

"You're finally up kid," said the voice.

"Where am I?" Akiza asked.

"We're in your Dantian," said the voice.

"What is a Dantian?" Akiza questioned.

"It is the spot about two inches or five centimeters below your navel, where your internal energy is stored," explained the voice.

"I'm inside myself?" Akiza asked.

"Sort of, you are inside and outside at the same time," said the voice.

"How is that possible?" Akiza wondered.

"You are not physically here, but you are here spiritually. Someone who is in a deep state of thought can enter their Dantian and see what exists inside of it," the voice explained.

"But where are you?" Akiza asked.

"You can't see me?" asked the voice.

"No," Akiza responded.

"I guess this is what happens when you do not enter your Dantian of your own free will," said the voice. "I'll help, but this will hurt for a second."

In that moment, Akiza felt an extremely sharp pain in her stomach, one that made her collapse on the floor once again. "AHHHHHH," she screamed.

"Can you see me now?" asked the voice.

Akiza looked up and saw a middle aged man dressed in a full suit of armor in front of her. He had tan skin, short but spiky black hair, and brown eyes. His armor resembled something like a European knight, full plate from top to bottom. On his back was a sword and a shield nearly as tall and wide as the knight.

"Yes," Akiza groaned as she tried to get up again.

"Take it easy kid, forcibly opening your Dantian and the pressure points on your body is a very painful experience," said the man. "You will feel better soon though."

Akiza layed there for a minute until the pain stop. "I think I'm okay now," she groaned as she stood up. As she looked around, something was different. It was no longer pitch black. Instead, there was a library worth of books surrounding them. Behind the knight was four large eggs and what appeared to be a small flower.

"Welcome to your Dantian," said the man.

"Who are you?" Akiza asked.

"My name is Akira," the man said. "I was the previous Hero. And, you are my successor, the next Hero."

"What?" Akiza asked.

Akira explained, "A Hero is born from troubling experiences, usually one of a great tragedy, similar to the death of your parents that you just went through."

As Akiza heard these words, her feet weakened and she fell on the floor once more. "Dead?" she said to herself.

Akira then realized that Akiza had not realized what has happened. She did not actually see her parents die, but Akira knew. There was no way her parents could have lived and Akiza was lucky to have survived the fall. "Your parents gave their life to save you," he said to Akiza. "But even if they are gone, I will protect you."

"Protect me?" Akiza wondered. "I'm alone then aren't I?"

"No, I will be here to help you," Akira said. "Even though your parents are no longer around, I will help you. I swear on it as my title as the Hero as long as you follow my instructions."

"Instructions?" Akiza asked.

"Yes, you must follow my directions exactly," Akira explained. "If you cannot agree to my terms, then I cannot help you as it is important to your survival. If you do not follow, you will die."

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"I don't want to die..." Akiza said.

"Then, do you accept me, the Hero Akira as your Master?" Akira asked.

"Yes," Akiza said whispered.

"I can't hear you!" shouted Akira.

"I, Akiza, accept you, the Hero Akira as my Master!" Akiza shouted.

"Then, I, Akira, accept you, Akiza, as my disciple!" shouted Akira. "And now, you must wake up."

Akiza blacked out for a second again, but saw the ground in front of her. "Ugh," she moaned. Her clothes were torn all over the place. She also saw that her arms still had blood on them. "My head hurts."

"That's normal after losing consciousness," Akira said.

"Where are you Akira?" pondered Akiza.

"That's Master to you now, but I'm still inside your Dantian," Akira explained. "I no longer physically exist. My life ended long ago. However, I still exist in spirit inside of you. As long as you continue to live, I will be here to guide you."

"Okay," responded Akiza.

"But first, you must survive," Akira continued. "You must first get the things that are needed to survive: food, shelter, and clothing. You should have food and clothing in your rings."

Akiza picked herself up off the ground and sat down. She was still extremely tired. As she looked at her rings, she still had all of them on her fingers. She was glad that she did not lose any of them. She opened the Jade Ring and saw that there was clothes inside.

"Hey, hold on a sec," Akira said. "Do you feel that?"

"Feel what Master?" Akiza wondered.

"Those rings were forged with someone's own internal energy," Akira explained.

"What does that mean?" Akiza asked.

"It means they have special properties and are not just for storage. It was a mistake for your parents to think that they were just for storage," Akira said. "However, they will not have much use until you have built up some internal energy."

"Okay," Akiza said as she nodded to show that she understood. "Now, time to find shelter."

"Wait a second!" Akira shouted as Akiza attempted to get up.

Akiza stood on her feet for about half a second before collapsing once more.

"I should have explained earlier," said Akira. "Earlier, you entered your Dantian for your first time, this is an extremely tiring experience that nearly drains someone of all their physical strength. However, since your Dantian and your pressure points are opened now, you should recover it fairly quickly."

As Akiza heard those words, she began to fall asleep at the side of the river.

A few hours later, Akiza woke up.

"Finally awake again?" Akira asked.

"Yes, Master," Akiza responded.

"Good, then let's continue on our way," Akira said.

"But how did I recover so fast?" Akiza asked as she looked at arms. They had stopped bleeding.

Akira explained, "Your Dantian is now open, meaning that you have access to your internal energy. This is called different things depending on where you are from. Ki, Mana, Chakra, and Internal Energy all refer to the source of power inside you. The only difference is how you use it. Once you have access to it, you are stronger and recover faster. As you develop it, it will be even more potent. However, you must not get distracted, you absolutely must follow my instructions to survive. Go quickly to find shelter."

Akiza responded with a simple "Okay" as she headed into the nearby forest.