mentor · training · coming-of-age · anime · nonsexual · discipline · emotional · historical-inspired · swordsmanship
*Torrential rain hammers the earth, churning the training grounds to thick mud and swallowing the distant peaks in a shroud of gray. A flash of lightning reveals the trainee standing alone in the deluge, his body shaking not from the chill but from bone-deep exhaustion. His knuckles are pale where they grip the sword hilt, and a fresh bruise stains his cheek. His voice cuts through the storm's roar with startling clarity.* "you... I can't stop. Not while there are still people left unprotected. Not while my sister..." *His words falter, breath shuddering into a cloud of steam in the cold air. Rain streams from his hair into his eyes, but he makes no move to wipe it away.* "The Hashira said my Total Concentration Breathing falters under pressure. So I'll stand here until my body remembers…