Spirit Silhouette

Shiro's sharp eyes remained locked on his son. At first, he had planned on going easy on Ao, both because this was his first fight and the fact that Koi was watching. Shiro needed to go easy on Ao, but that didn't mean that he couldn't rough him up a bit to give him a taste of the real world. He had no doubts that Ao would lose—he was a child, barely two, with no combat experience. But it wasn't about winning or losing. It was about watching how Ao thought, how he moved, how he adapted.

But then there was that unsettling feeling.

Shiro was no stranger to spiritual energy. He was among the most adept spiritual manipulators in the world and that was including the Queens court, so his senses honed to recognize even the subtlest fluctuations in aura. Every living being had a spiritual presence—some stronger, some weaker—but Ao's…

His was strange.

The energy rolling off of his son wasn't vast or overwhelming, not yet, but its quality was different. It lacked the raw, wild nature of an untrained spirit. It was too refined. Too controlled. And it wasn't just control—it felt... wrong, it was akin to seeing a pond of water, no ripples, no movement, just.. There and clear.

His birth wasn't exactly normal, Shiro thought, gripping the makeshift twig-sword in his palm. I need to watch his development closely. Something about him… I can't ignore it.

Even so, there was no use dwelling on it now. Shiro's stance remained relaxed, his twig held loosely but it was firm, similar to that of a sword. "Come at me, Ao," he commanded, his voice steady.

For Ao, fear and excitement was twisted into the same sensation, making his heart pound against his ribs. He had never fought before—no training, no experience, nothing. And yet his muscles didn't feel foreign to the act. His grip on the stick felt natural. The stance, the way his knees bent slightly, the way his body instinctively leaned forward—it all felt right, like something he had done before but forgotten.

He swallowed, closing his eyes for a brief moment, focusing his breathing. Spiritual energy flowed into his lungs, filling them completely, then on top of that. He activated Spirit Cycle, forcing the spiritual energy to flow into his limbs and filter out any negative spiritual energy lingering in his body, strengthening his muscles to their max. Then, he layered his spiritual energy over his body.

He mimicked the spiritual flow of wind, coating himself in light, subtle flows of energy to reduce drag, to make himself quicker. Then, he reinforced the grip of his hands alongside increasing his durability and finally, he coated his body with the spiritual flow of water for fluidity and swiftness. It wasn't perfect. He had never tried stacking them all at once before. But it would have to be enough.

I'm at a disadvantage, but lucky for me, I don't need to hold back, if I manage to pull off anything they'll just chalk it up to a fluke.

His feet dug into the grass. Then, he exploded forward, his movement was like a blur due to the coating and respira and spirit cycle, was as fast as a bullet.

Shiro's breath hitched slightly. Oh?  He had expected Ao to be fast, but not this fast. The boy closed the gap between them in an instant, his stick slashing through the air within a horizontal slash that was as fast as his movement, the slash was aimed right for his ankle. The movement was rough, unpolished, but it had intent behind it. He's already aiming strictly for the weakest point, aiming to achieve his goal in the quickest way possible, by going for my back foot and throwing me off balance. Not bad. Shiro noted with amusement.

He simply moved his foot, dragging the balls of his foot across the ground, to not lose his footing.

Ao's strike missed, and his momentum carried him forward faster than he could handle. He then crashed into the dirt, rolling across the grass before quickly scrambling back up in the same swift motion.

"You're fast," Shiro admitted, watching as Ao shook the dirt from his hair. "Way too fast for a kid your age, but that's about it. Charging in blind like that will get you killed. Be lucky I decided not to strike." He said while pointing the tip of the twig at Ao's forehead.

Ao eyebrow twitched, part of him was frustrated, but he decided not to let it get to him. instead, he took what Shiro said into consideration and launched off of the ground but not as quickly as before

Shiro smirked. Still coming at me straight on? Seems I overestimated you.

Ao's movements were quicker this time, sharper. He aimed a downward slash at Shiro's side, but Shiro shifted his foot back, dodging with minimal movement, similar to the last time. Then, something changed. Shiro barely caught the flicker of Ao's palm opening near his belly.

Boom.

A small burst of spiritual energy erupted beneath Ao, launching him upward, almost twenty feet into the air.

Shiro's eyes widened.

He used spiritual energy?!?!? to change his position mid-attack nonetheless! Shiro was baffled, he didn't know that Ao was capable of using spiritual energy. Most kids don't even show signs of using spiritual energy until they reach the age of three, and that was being generous. Not only that, but changing trajectory mid momentum by using spiritual energy, it was an unbelievably advanced tactic—something that required a fair bit of control over spiritual energy. The kind of thing seasoned fighters used to throw off their opponents.

From above, Ao swung again, into a vertical downward slash aiming it at Shiro's head..

Shiro didn't think—his instincts reacted before his mind could catch up and he tilted his head slightly.

Ao's stick missed, slicing harmlessly through the air just inches from Shiro's shoulder.

Before Ao even realized what had happened, the back of a wooden twig snapped across his cheek.

The sound was sharp, followed immediately by the dull thud of Ao hitting the grass. For a moment, Ao lay still, blinking up at the sky. He was disoriented and lost, he barely even knew where he was, the only grounding Ao was the throbbing warmth radiating from the spot where his father had struck him on the cheek.

What…?

He didn't even see the attack. One second he was mid-air, the next, his face was burning, and he was on his back.

A soft whistle came from above.

"Impressive," Shiro said, his voice carrying a genuine tone of admiration. "Didn't expect you to pull something like that."

Ao slowly sat up, rubbing his cheek. "What… was that?"

Shiro smirked, twirling the twig in his fingers. "I just tapped you with the stick, kid."

Ao's ears flattened against his head, he rubbed the side of his face, the stinging was painful. Tapped? That was a tap to him?! Ao could barely believe his eyes, he didn't even know what happened, how can he even counter that?

Shiro laughed. "Now you know what a gap in experience looks like." He gestured toward Ao's body with the stick. "Your movement's sharp, your instincts are good, but you're too direct. That's what got you hit."

Koi sat frozen in her chair, torn between awe and frustration. For the former, she had never seen a child move like that, let alone her one-year-old son. Ao's speed, his tactics, his sheer instinct—it was unreal. But then for the ladder, was Shiro's complete lack of restraint.

He had hit Ao. Hard. Too hard.

She surged forward, ready to march up and give Shiro a piece of her mind, but before she could even open her mouth, Shiro lifted a hand, silencing her.

"He's fine," he said calmly, his gaze never leaving Ao. "Remember, he can quit whenever he wants."

Koi's eyes flickered between them. Ao had hit the ground hard, yet he wasn't crying. He wasn't even dazed. Instead, he was pushing himself back up to his feet, his small body shaking slightly from the impact but otherwise steady. With a slow breath, he wiped the dirt from his cheek with the back of his hand.

Shiro smirked, proud. So, he's not giving up? Either he didn't realize how much stronger I am, or… he's just going to keep trying no matter how futile it is.

Ao's body still stung from the hit, but he didn't let it show. I was hit so fast I couldn't even react… He clenched his jaw, ignoring the lingering pain. So this is the gap between us… It's even bigger than I thought.

If he was going to have any chance at landing a hit, he had to use everything he had at his disposal.

Everything.

He took a deep breath, Spirit Cycle and Respira activating once again, his body reinforcing itself with every controlled inhale. Then, he wove spiritual energy over his skin again, he didn't notice before, but the strike knocked him out of his spiritual layers like they weren't even there. 

Shiro's grip on the twig tightened once he saw Ao steady his stance once again, his eyes locking onto Shiro's yet his light blue pupils glowed faintly and that caught Shiro off guard, yet he shook it off. "You ready?" he asked.

Ao narrowed his eyes, thoughts racing. His father still underestimated him. That was the only real advantage he had. I need to use everything I've learned. It's my only shot, if I mess this up, I won't be able to learn swordsmanship until I turn three or even four.. I can't let this opportunity slip through my fingers, not without a fight.

With a short nod, Ao dashed forward again—this time, with a different approach.

Shiro watched, his stance was firm like before, but less relaxed, he was prepared for another straightforward charge. But just before Ao got too close—

He kicked up dirt. A thick cloud of dust shot up between them, momentarily blocking Shiro's vision.

Heh. growing desperate I see, Shiro mused, his lips curving slightly. But still predictable.

He didn't panic. Instead, he calmly activated Spirit Sight, his pupils glowing white as the world around him shifted, showing only the spiritual energy dwelling inside of the environment around him and the spiritual essence within the animals and insects.

Spirit Sight was an ability that allowed the user to see the original spiritual energy of whatever he looked at, breaking down the components of what made up something like a spell, technique, mechanism. And It also showed the essence of whoever was being looked at, through walls, ground or floors, you name it.

Everything turned grey, except for the vibrant hues of energy that flickered in the air. The trees glowed with a gentle green, their roots pulsing beneath the soil. Tiny specks of ambient energy drifted like fireflies. And then, there was Ao—his small silhouette outlined in a fiery blue essence which was the size of a tennis ball ducking behind a nearby rock.

Shiro's brows furrowed slightly. Why hide?

He observed closely, his enhanced vision allowing him to see through the dust. Suddenly, Ao's aura flared brighter—earth, wind, and water all at once.

So, he really can coat his body with spiritual energy… at this age?

Shiro was impressed. This was the first time he's ever seen his son be able to coat his body in spiritual energy, let alone mimic elements, most people don't even learn how to do that until they reach the age of six or seven. It was honestly terrifying. But he didn't let it show.

Ao didn't waste time. He darted from behind the rock, shifting right, a handful of dirt in one hand and a small rock in the other. His movements were precise. Ao then leaped from behind the rock, pointing the small condensed ball of dirt at Shiro, making it shoot off like a small bullet, which was impressive, unfortunately, his opponent was Shiro.

He used spiritual energy to compact it? Clever, but— 

Shiro simply spun the twig between his fingers then flicked his wrist, the slash was so quick and precise he didn't even look like he swung the twig, and the ball of first was quickly cut in half. Ultimately useless-

And that was his biggest mistake.

The moment the ball split, it erupted into a thick explosion of dirt, kicking up a second, larger cloud of dust.

Shiro didn't react outwardly; he kept the same poker face, not even having a muscle twitch, but internally, he smirked. Same trick twice? Heh. He really is a kid.

He ignored the obstruction, relying on Spirit Sight to track Ao's silhouette—

Except Ao's silhouette was gone.

Shiro's stomach twisted slightly. What?

The dirt wasn't normal—it was infused with spiritual energy, blocking his sight completely.

Now, that caught him off guard.

Shiro's ears twitched as he sharpened his other senses, listening for movement. After all, he was still a demi-human so his other senses were far sharper than the average person. Heathen picked up the faint whistle of something slicing through the air.

Incoming attack—

Shiro turned his stick instinctively, deflecting—

CLACK!

His stick hit something solid. A rock.

What?!

Before he could process the deception—

Ao emerged from the dust behind him.

His twig swung in a quick, seamless cross-slash—aiming for Shiro's planted foot.

For the first time in the fight, Shiro had to move.

Reacting purely on instinct, he shifted his balance, his body lowering as he dropped into a full front-and-back split. His foot—the one he could not move—remained rooted in place, while his other leg stretched out behind him to dodge Ao's strike.

Ao's eyes widened. He dodged that?!

But it wasn't over yet.

Still mid-motion, Shiro used the momentum of his spin to sweep his extended leg across the ground in an attempt to force Ao back.

But Ao wasn't there.

Instead, he was crouched lower—waiting.

His tiny hands moved in unison, outstretched on both sides, staring at Shiro, his face was slightly darkened due to his hair casting a shadow over his face, showing only Ao's slit light blue pupils.

Then—

Two large bricks—each infused with compressed earth energy—came hurtling toward Shiro's ankle from both sides, it was a checkmate tactic, either Shiro moved his foot, letting o win due to their bet, or sit there and take the attack, making Ao win due to him landing a strike by any means on Shiro.

Shiro's heart pounded, not from being scared, but excited at seeing what his son was capable of doing. He set this up?!

It was checkmate.

Or at least, it should've been, unfortunately for Ao, his opponent was Shiro.

And Shiro wasn't known for playing fair.

Without hesitation, he adjusted mid-spin, his extended leg , sweeping it over into a swift arc kick with his back foot, slamming into the left brick, shattering it instantly. At the same time, his right hand—still holding the stick—sliced through the second brick in a single, fluid motion.

Ao's eyes went wide.

"You've gotta be kidding me—"