Chapter 4: — “Weak Today"

Kael woke up slowly. His body hurt all over. His back was sore and stiff. The marks from yesterday were still there, red and angry-looking. He remembered yesterday, the whip, the pain, his dad yelling, his sisters crying.

He swung his legs off the bed. The floor was cold under his feet. Every step to the bathroom made his back hurt. He rubbed his eyes. He felt tired, but he couldn’t stay in bed.

When he got to the bathroom, he lifted his shirt. The wounds were worse than he expected. Red streaks cut across his back. Some were still wet with blood. He swallowed hard and pulled the shirt down quickly. His hands shook a little.

“Kael…” a small voice said.

He froze. Sakura was standing in the doorway. Her hands were fidgeting. Her eyes were watery. “Your back… it’s… I’m sorry…”

Kael didn’t turn around. He stayed quiet. He could feel her guilt. It pressed down on him. He hated it but also understood it.

“I… I didn’t want this to happen,” she said, stepping closer. “I only told them so Hina and Yui wouldn’t get hurt. I only did it to protect them. I thought—”

Kael clenched his fists. He took a deep breath. “Don’t rat me out again,” he said. His voice was low but firm.

Sakura flinched. A tear rolled down her cheek. “I… I won’t,” she whispered, nodding fast.

Kael didn’t say anything else. He walked past her. The floor creaked under his weight. Every step reminded him of yesterday. His sisters were safe. That thought made his chest tighten. He felt angry, but also… thankful, in a strange way.

Before leaving, he looked over his shoulder. “And don’t tell anyone next time,” he said. Sakura’s lips pressed together. She nodded again, trembling a little. Kael didn’t say another word. He opened the door and stepped outside.

The morning air was cool. He paused and looked at his hands. They ached. The memory of the whip, his father yelling, his sisters crying, all came back. He shut his eyes and breathed slowly. Anger rose inside him, but he pushed it down. Not now.

Sakura’s voice echoed in his mind. I only did it to protect them…

Kael’s fists clenched. He felt frustrated and grateful at the same time. He walked down the street, adjusting his shirt to hide the marks. His steps felt heavy. He looked at the city around him. Everything moved fast. He felt stuck in yesterday.

He stopped for a moment. Then he started walking toward the Iron Lotus dojo. Not for himself, not for Sota. For his sisters. Each step was heavy, but he promised himself something. He would get stronger. Strong enough to protect them. No one would hurt them again.

Kael walked into the dojo slowly. His shirt was still covering the wounds on his back. The floor creaked beneath his shoes. The smell of the training mats and sweat hit him immediately. Students were already warming up, punching dummies and practicing their stances.

Sota spotted him and jogged over. “Kael! Hey! You’re here early today,” he said, grinning. But when he got closer, he noticed something was off. Kael wasn’t smiling. He wasn’t even moving like he usually did.

“Kael… are you okay?” Sota asked, frowning.

Kael didn’t answer. He just shook his head slowly and walked toward the side of the dojo. Sota followed him.

Finally, Kael stopped near the bathroom and turned to face Sota. His hands were trembling slightly as he lifted the shirt just enough to show the marks on his back. Red streaks, deep and angry, cut across his skin.

Sota’s eyes widened. “Kael… what… how did this happen?” he asked, voice rising slightly.

Kael’s jaw tightened. “Sakura… she ratted me out yesterday. Told them I was out the whole day. Said it was to protect Hina and Yui,” he muttered. His voice was low, but there was a sharp edge.

Sota blinked. “Wait… she did that for your sisters?”

Kael’s fists clenched. “Yeah… so they wouldn’t get hurt. But I… I got punished instead,” he said, his voice breaking a little.

Sota’s eyes narrowed. “That’s… that’s stupid! Why would she do that? That’s not fair. She’s… she’s an idiot!”

Kael’s eyes snapped open. In a blur, he grabbed Sota by the collar and pushed him against the wall. “Don’t you dare call her that! Ever again!” he yelled, his voice echoing in the bathroom.

Sota froze, his face red. “I… I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it like that! I just…”

Kael’s grip tightened slightly. “I don’t care what you meant. You call my sister stupid again, and I’ll—” He paused, breathing heavily, feeling the anger and pain coiling inside him. Then he let go.

Sota stumbled back a little, rubbing his chest. “Kael… I… I didn’t expect… I’m sorry,” he said softly, shaking his head. His smile was gone, replaced by worry.

Kael ignored him. He pulled his shirt down over his back and walked out of the bathroom, leaving Sota standing there. Sota watched him go, still stunned. His friend, the calm Kael, had snapped in a way he never had before.

Kael walked slowly to a bench near the edge of the training area. He sat down, hunched over slightly, his hands resting on his knees. Every breath was careful, every movement reminded him of the pain in his back.

Sota finally came over and stood near him. “Kael… you don’t have to keep everything inside,” he said quietly. “It’s okay to… to talk about it. You know that, right?”

Kael shook his head. “No… I don’t want to talk. Not now. I just… need to think,” he muttered. His voice was soft, almost a whisper.

Sota nodded slowly, understanding. He didn’t press further. He just stayed nearby, watching Kael carefully. For a moment, there was silence, only the sound of other students training in the distance.

Kael’s mind drifted back to his sisters. He understood why Sakura ratted him out. She was trying to protect Hina and Yui. And even though it hurt that he got punished, he couldn’t be angry at her. Not really.

But that didn’t make the pain in his back any smaller. It didn’t make yesterday disappear. It didn’t make the marks fade. He just sat there, quietly, thinking about how he could get stronger. Strong enough that nothing like yesterday would ever happen again.

The sharp clang of the bell rang out, echoing down the hallways of the Iron Lotus. Students shuffled from benches and corners, heading toward the dojo room for their next session.

Kael sat hunched forward on the wooden bench, elbows on his knees, staring at the ground. His shirt clung to his back where the bandages rubbed raw against his skin. The wound pulsed with each heartbeat, and every time he shifted, pain stabbed through him like fire.

Sota stood beside him awkwardly, hands in his pockets. Neither had spoken since the bathroom incident. The silence was heavy, almost unbearable, until Sota finally broke it.

“…We should go,” he said quietly.

Kael didn’t answer right away. He pressed his lips together, drew in a shaky breath, then stood up. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

The two walked side by side toward the training room. Their footsteps echoed softly, Kael dragging a little slower than usual.

Inside, the students of 1.G lined up quickly, and the trainee was already standing at the front, arms crossed. His sharp eyes scanned the rows until they landed on Kael and Sota at the back.

“Line up!” he barked.

Everyone straightened. Kael tried to as well, though his shoulders hunched slightly from the pain.

“Today’s lesson,” the trainee said, “is endurance. Strength is nothing if you can’t last more than a minute in a fight. You will hold a horse stance until I say stop. No excuses.”

The students groaned under their breath, but they obeyed.

“Lower!” the trainee shouted as soon as they bent. “Feet wider! Back straight! Arms out!”

Kael gritted his teeth and lowered himself. His legs trembled immediately. The wound on his back made it worse. Sweat rolled down his temples only seconds in.

Sota glanced at him from the corner of his eye. “You okay?” he whispered.

“I’m fine,” Kael muttered.

But he wasn’t. Every muscle shook like it wanted to give out. He tried to steady his breathing, but the pain in his back grew sharper with every passing second.

The trainee walked slowly down the row, correcting stances, shouting at anyone who wavered. When he reached Kael, he stopped.

“Lower,” he ordered.

Kael gritted his teeth, trying to sink deeper, but his legs burned like fire. His knees buckled. He dropped forward onto his hands, gasping.

A few students snickered.

The trainee’s voice cut like a blade. “On your feet.”

Kael forced himself upright, wobbling. His breath came in ragged bursts.

“You gave up too soon,” the trainee said firmly. “You think one good punch yesterday makes you special? Strength doesn’t come from one lucky moment. It comes from discipline. From holding when every part of you wants to fall.”

Kael clenched his fists, chest heaving. He stared at the floor, but the words stung.

“Back in position,” the trainee ordered.

Kael bent his knees again, arms out. His legs trembled violently, his face twisted in pain. Seconds felt like hours. The laughter from earlier echoed in his head, mixing with the sting of his father’s voice, the crack of the whip, Sakura’s apologies—

Something inside him snapped.

He shot up straight, fists shaking. “Shut up!” Kael shouted.

The room froze. Every head turned.

The trainee’s eyes narrowed. “What did you say?”

“I said shut up!” Kael’s voice cracked but roared across the room. His face burned red with rage and pain. “You don’t know anything about me! You stand there telling me I gave up too soon, like I’m weak, like I’m lazy—” He slammed a fist against his chest. “But you don’t know what I’ve been through! You don’t know what it’s like to fight just to keep standing every damn day!”

Gasps rippled through the students. They were shocked to see Kael yelling at the trainee.

Sota’s eyes widened. “Kael! stop—”

But Kael couldn’t stop. His voice trembled, louder with each word. “You tell me to hold, to last longer—but I already do that every day at home! You think this hurts?” He jabbed a thumb toward his chest. “This is nothing compared to what I face when I go back there! So don’t stand there and tell me I gave up too soon!”

Silence filled the room. The trainee’s face stayed unreadable, but his eyes hardened.

Kael’s chest heaved. He stood there, fists clenched, trembling with fury. Then, without another word, he turned on his heel and marched toward the door.

“Kael!” Sota hissed, scrambling after him.

The trainee’s voice rang out, calm but sharp. “If you walk out that door, don’t expect to be treated the same when you return.”

Kael froze for half a second, hand hovering on the frame. He didn’t look back. “Fine,” he spat. His voice was hoarse, but firm. “I don’t care.”

He shoved the door open and stormed out, footsteps echoing down the hall.

Sota stood frozen, torn between following his friend and staying. His stomach twisted. Then he hurried after him, calling, “Kael! Wait!”

He caught up in the hall, grabbing Kael’s shoulder. “What are you doing?! You can’t just yell at the trainee like that! You’ll get thrown out for sure!”

Kael yanked his shoulder free, spinning around. His eyes were wet, though he wasn’t crying, just furious. “I don’t care, Sota! I’m sick of being told I’m weak! I’m sick of people acting like they know me when they don’t!”

Sota flinched. He had never seen Kael like this before.

Kael’s chest rose and fell heavily. He wiped his face roughly with his sleeve. “…I’m done for today. That’s it.”

Sota opened his mouth to argue but stopped when he saw the look in Kael’s eyes. It wasn’t laziness. It wasn’t arrogance. It was pain. Deep pain.

“…You’ll come back tomorrow though, right?” Sota asked softly.

Kael hesitated, then nodded stiffly. “Yeah. Tomorrow.”

And with that, he turned and walked down the hall, leaving Sota standing there, heart heavy, watching his friend disappear around the corner.