Chapter 3: — “The Iron Lotus: (2)"

Kael and Sota sat on the wooden bench just outside the training hall. The sun was warm on their backs, and the sound of distant students practicing filled the air.

Kael wiped sweat from his forehead. “I still can’t believe how hard that was,” he said, his chest heaving.

Sota grinned. “It’s only the beginning. You’ll get stronger fast if you keep at it. Trust me, I’ve been here a few months longer than you.”

Kael looked down at his hands, still shaky from the exercises. “I just… I don’t want to mess up. If I can’t get better, I can’t protect anyone at home.”

Sota nudged him gently. “You’re not alone. We’ll get through this together. That’s what this place is for, right?”

Kael nodded silently. He wanted to believe it, but the memories of Yui’s screams and their parents’ yelling still lingered in his mind.

The recess bell rang, signaling the next session. Kael stood up, took a deep breath, and followed Sota back inside.

The wooden doors of the training hall creaked as Kael and Sota stepped inside. The air smelled faintly of sweat and cedar wood. Other beginners were already gathering, stretching and talking quietly. At the front stood their trainee instructor, a young man with sharp eyes but a calm smile.

Kael’s heart pounded. This was his chance. Before the class even started, he rushed up to the trainee, nearly tripping over his own feet.

“H-hey! Wait,” Kael blurted, his voice shaky. “I need to know something.”

The trainee raised a brow but didn’t look annoyed. “Go ahead.”

Kael swallowed hard. “How long… how long does it take? To get stronger. To move up to the next class. How long before I can actually fight back?”

The trainee folded his arms, thinking. “It depends. Some students train for months before moving up. Others, years. Strength doesn’t come all at once. It takes time, work, and patience.”

Kael’s eyes widened, frustration boiling up. “Months? Years? I don’t have that kind of time!” He stepped closer, his hands clenched. “Can’t you make an exception? Push me harder? I can take it, I swear—”

The trainee shook his head firmly, though his tone was gentle. “No exceptions. You’d only hurt yourself. If I threw you into 2.G right now, the advanced students would crush you. They don’t hold back. Some of them aren’t as friendly as me.”

Kael’s teeth ground together. He wanted to yell, to demand, to fight against the answer. But before he could, Sota rushed forward and pulled him back.

“Kael, stop!” Sota said quickly, turning to the trainee with a bow. “I’m sorry. He’s just… desperate. He didn’t mean it.”

The trainee looked at Sota, his expression softening. He gave a small smile. “It’s fine. I know why he’s asking.” His gaze flicked to Kael. “But trust me, if you rush, you’ll only break. Take it one step at a time.”

Kael bit his lip, his chest heaving with anger and helplessness. For a moment, he thought about snapping again… but when he caught Sota’s pleading eyes, he stayed quiet.

The trainee clapped his hands. “Alright. Everyone, follow me. We're going in another room.”

The trainee led the group of beginners down a narrow hallway until they reached a small dojo room. The walls were lined with wooden racks, holding staffs and training gear. In the center stood a row of tall training dummies, each one thick, padded, and bolted to the floor. They looked simple at first glance, but their size and weight told a different story. These weren’t toys, they were built to take punishment.

The trainee clapped his hands, his voice steady but strong. “Today’s goal is simple. Each of you must try to knock one of these dummies down. Sounds easy, right? But don’t be fooled. It’s harder than you think. You’ll need more than strength, you’ll need focus, and the right strike. Go ahead, show me what you can do.”

The students nodded, lining up in front of the dummies. One by one, they stepped forward, throwing punches and kicks. The room filled with grunts, smacks of fists against padding, and the dull thud of bodies colliding with the heavy figures. But no matter how hard they tried, the dummies barely budged.

Even Sota, who had been training for months, stepped up and gave it his all. His kicks were sharp, his punches quick, his form steady. He threw strike after strike, sweat dripping down his forehead. But the dummy stood tall, unmoving, as if mocking his effort. Breathing hard, Sota stepped back, shaking his head. “Still not enough…” he muttered under his breath.

Kael stood at the end of the line, his stomach twisting. He glanced at the others, then at his own dummy. The thing loomed over him like a giant. He clenched his fists, trying to copy what he saw, and punched the dummy’s chest. Nothing. He slapped at it, kicked weakly, even rammed his shoulder against it, but it didn’t even sway. His strikes were soft, clumsy, powerless.

He heard some of the other students chuckle quietly, and shame burned his face. He already felt like the weakest one here.

As Kael stood frozen, his fists trembling at his sides, the trainee walked up behind him. He didn’t scold, didn’t sigh, he simply placed a steady hand on Kael’s shoulder. His voice was low, but carried weight.

“Don’t look at it as wood and padding,” the trainee said. “Think of it as your enemy. The thing standing in your way. The thing that threatens what you care about. Focus, Kael. Aim with your heart, not just your hands.”

Kael’s breath caught. Enemy.

His eyes locked on the dummy. And slowly, his mind began to twist the image. It wasn’t just a padded figure anymore. It was his parents. The ones who raised their hands against him, who broke his body and spirit. Worse, it was his parents raising their hands against his sisters. Against Yui, whose small cry still rang in his head. Against Sakura and Hina, sobbing in the corner, powerless.

The heat in his chest exploded. His anger was fire, and it spread through his arms and fists. He could almost hear his mother’s sharp voice, his father’s cruel tone. He saw flashes of his sisters crying, bruised, screaming his name. His heart pounded so hard it hurt.

“No…” he muttered, his teeth grinding. “No more.”

The anger boiled over. He let out a raw, furious scream that shook the air, his whole body trembling. Then, with everything he had, Kael pulled his arm back and drove his fist forward.

CRACK!

The sound echoed across the dojo as his punch slammed into the dummy’s chest. For a second, silence fell. Then, with a loud THUD, the dummy wobbled… tilted… and crashed onto the ground.

Everyone froze.

Kael stood there, chest heaving, his fist still outstretched. His knuckles stung, his arm throbbed, but he didn’t even care. His scream still rang in his ears, his breath sharp and uneven.

The students’ jaws dropped. A murmur spread through the room. Even Sota, still wiping sweat from his forehead, stared at Kael in shock.

The trainee’s eyes widened, his mouth slightly open. He had seen many students try. None had succeeded on their first day, not even close. Yet here Kael was, the boy who couldn’t even slap the dummy right a moment ago, standing over it like he had just defeated a giant.

The trainee’s hand lowered slowly from his side. “Impossible…” he whispered under his breath. Then his lips curled into the smallest smile. “No. Not impossible. Potential.”

Kael blinked, staring at the fallen dummy. His chest still burned, his blood still rushing. For the first time, he didn’t feel weak. He didn’t feel useless. He felt… powerful.

But deep down, a shadow lingered in that power. It hadn’t come from calm or control. It had come from his rage, from the darkest place inside him.

And though no one said it out loud, everyone felt it, Kael wasn’t like the others.

He was something else.

The sun was dipping low, painting the streets orange as the students left the cult for the day. Kael and Sota walked side by side, their feet crunching against the gravel road. Neither spoke for a while, both of them completely silence.

Finally, Sota let out a laugh, shaking his head. “I still can’t believe it, Kael. On your first day, you knocked a dummy down. Do you know how many people fail at that? Even I couldn’t do it, and I’ve been here for months.”

Kael kept his eyes on the road, his body still sore from training. He didn’t answer right away.

Sota nudged him with his elbow. “Come on, how’d you do it? What was going through your head?”

Kael’s voice was low, almost a mutter. “The trainee told me to think of it as my enemy… so I did. I saw my parents. The ones who hurt me. The ones who hurt my sisters. I wasn’t hitting a dummy... I was hitting them.”

Sota slowed his steps, his smile fading into a small frown. His chest tightened. For a moment, he had been so caught up in Kael’s strength that he forgot why Kael was here in the first place. This wasn’t just about training. It wasn’t just about getting stronger for the sake of it. It was about survival.

Kael glanced at him, noticing the silence. “What? You asked.”

Sota shook his head quickly and forced a weak smile. “No, no. I get it. I just… forgot for a second. But you did good, Kael. Really good.”

They reached the corner where the road split, one path leading toward Sota’s house, the other toward Kael’s. Sota gave a small wave. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Rest up, alright? You’ll need it.”

Kael nodded, raising his hand in return. “Yeah. See you.”

Sota turned down his street, disappearing behind the row of houses. Kael stood for a second, watching his friend go. Then he turned toward his own path, the weight of home pressing on his shoulders again.

With every step closer, the warmth of training faded… and the fear of what waited behind his front door returned.

Kael pushed open the door to the apartment, every muscle in his body aching from training. He wanted nothing more than to collapse on his bed, but the sight that greeted him froze him in his tracks.

On the couch, his sisters were huddled together, their small bodies shaking. Yui was pressed tightly against Hina’s side, while Sakura’s arms wrapped protectively around them both. Kael’s chest tightened.

He rushed over. “What happened? Did they hurt you again?”

Hina shook her head quickly, tears still running down her cheeks. “N-No… they didn’t touch us.”

Kael let out a shaky breath, relief flooding him for a brief second. “Good… good…”

But that relief died as soon as he looked at Sakura. She wasn’t just crying quietly, her face was twisted with guilt, her tears streaming down in heavy drops. Kael’s worry spiked all over again.

He crouched in front of her. “Sakura? What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

Her lips trembled as she tried to form words. “S-Sorry, Kael… I’m so sorry…” Her voice broke, and then she burst into uncontrollable sobs. Hina and Yui’s crying grew louder too, their little hands clinging to Sakura’s clothes as though they were drowning.

Before Kael could ask again, the sound ripped through the air.

CRACK.

The sound of a whip slamming against the floor behind him made every muscle in Kael’s body go stiff. He slowly turned his head.

Their father stood there, whip in hand, his face twisted with rage.

“You,” he growled, his eyes burning into Kael. “Out all day, leaving your sisters here. You think you can just disappear? I’ll deal with you. Only you. The girls get a break tonight because of you.”

The words cut deep, but Kael’s blood boiled. His sisters, shaking, crying, he couldn’t let this continue. This was it. His chance. His first day of training wasn’t much, but he believed it could be enough. He clenched his fists.

As his father stepped closer, Kael took a shaky breath and launched forward, trying to punch.

But his father caught his fist in one hand. His grip was iron.

“You dare fight back?” his father roared, squeezing Kael’s hand until the boy cried out in pain. “You little piece of trash.”

Kael didn’t even see the kick coming. His father’s foot slammed into his stomach, throwing him to the floor. Air left his lungs in a painful rush, and Kael gasped, clutching at his chest.

Still, he tried again. He forced himself up, his legs trembling, and went to swing once more.

Another kick. This time harder. Kael flew back, landing half on his side, his head spinning.

“Pathetic,” his father spat.

The whip came next. The sound split the air again, CRACK, before it dug deep into Kael’s back. He screamed, his voice breaking, his body jerking under the strike.

Again.

CRACK.

Again.

CRACK.

Each lash burned his skin, tearing it open, blood staining his shirt until it clung to him. With every strike, his father yelled, his voice cruel and full of hatred.

“This is what you get for being late!”

“You think you’re a man now?!”

“You’ll never be anything!”

The girls screamed and cried louder, their voices shaking the small apartment. “STOP! PLEASE!” But their pleas meant nothing.

Kael’s vision blurred, his breath ragged. He tried to shield himself, but his body wouldn’t listen. Every strike forced him closer to the floor, until he was just lying there, twitching under the pain.

Finally, after what felt like forever, the whipping stopped. Kael lay there, bleeding, sweat dripping from his face, his chest heaving as he fought for breath.

His father stood over him, glaring. “Where were you?”

Kael swallowed hard, his throat dry. He couldn’t tell him the truth. If his father knew about the cult, he might forbid him from ever going back, or worse, hurt the sisters even more.

“I… I was just… with a friend…” Kael forced out between shallow breaths.

His father’s jaw clenched, and for a second Kael thought another strike was coming. But instead, the man gave a disgusted grunt and turned away. “Pathetic. Don’t let me catch you sneaking off again.”

And then he was gone, leaving Kael broken on the floor.

Slowly, painfully, Kael pushed himself up and staggered toward the bathroom. Every step left drops of blood behind him. His sisters rushed after him, crying out his name.

In the mirror, Kael saw it, his back torn open, blood still running from the wounds. He leaned on the sink for support, his body trembling. He could barely stand.

“Kael…” Yui’s small voice cracked as she tried to reach for him, but stopped, scared of touching the blood.

Sakura stood in the doorway, her tears unstoppable. “I’m sorry,” she whispered again, her voice breaking.

Kael turned his head weakly toward her. “Why… why do you keep saying that?”

Her whole body shook as she admitted, “Because… because they were going to hit all three of us tonight. But I told them… I told them that if you came home late, they could take it out on you instead.” Her voice broke completely as she sobbed harder. “It’s my fault, Kael… it’s all my fault…”

Kael stared at her, his body heavy, his chest aching, not just from the beating, but from the truth.

He felt betrayed. The one who had promised to stand strong with him had given him away. And yet… deep inside, he understood. She did it to protect Yui. To protect Hina. To protect herself.

No words came. Not anger, not comfort. Just silence.

He leaned against the wall, panting, his blood dripping onto the floor. His sisters’ sobs filled the bathroom, their voices echoing in the small space.

Kael’s eyes lowered. He said nothing. Just stood there, weak, bleeding, the sound of betrayal and sorrow heavy around him.