Life of a Light

Chap 54 - What Lies Beneath

Setting: A narrow, echoing chamber lined with crystalline structures that hum with energy. Tao stands across from his opponent, a shadowy warrior whose presence pulses with raw aggression.

Tao (steady, calm):
"I don't want to fight you. But I will if I have to."

(The opponent doesn't respond, just rushes forward. Tao reacts swiftly, his movements precise, controlled. He parries blow after blow with almost mechanical discipline.)

Tao (thinking, breath measured):
Focus. Form. Control. Emotions cloud the mind. I can't let them in.

(For a while, Tao holds his ground—his style clean, almost graceful. But then his opponent shifts tactics, taunting him, calling out his fears, his doubts, bringing up things only someone who knows Tao too well could know.)

Opponent (with a twisted grin):
"You fight like you're trying to prove something. Who are you really protecting, Tao? Yourself?"

(That hits a nerve. Tao's movements falter. The next strike hits hard, knocking him back. He skids across the floor, bruised and dazed. His breath catches—panic starts to rise.)

Tao (thinking, shaken):
No. Not now. Don't lose it. You're better than this. You have to be.
But... what if I'm not?

(Flashback memory flickers in—someone close to Tao, a mentor, once told him: "Responsibility doesn't mean being perfect. It means getting back up when it matters most.")

Tao (eyes wide, then narrowing with renewed focus):
"...Right."

(He stands again, slower this time—but with purpose. He shifts his stance—not as rigid. Less about control, more about intention. The opponent lunges again, but Tao doesn't overreact. He flows with the movement, reads the rhythm.)

Tao (muttering, focused):
"I don't have to shut out what I feel. I just need to listen."

(He dodges, slides in close, and lands a clean strike—not fueled by anger, but precision. The opponent reels. Tao follows up—not with a flurry, but with smart, measured attacks that disrupt the enemy's momentum.)

Opponent (growling, stumbling):
"You... changed your rhythm."

Tao (firm, calm):
"I stopped trying to be perfect. I just fought the way I am."

(One final movement—an elegant, spiraling kick lands square in the opponent's chest, knocking them to the ground. Silence. Tao breathes hard, hands trembling—but he stands tall.)

Tao (quietly, to himself):
"I failed. Then I learned. That's all I ever had to do."

Scene: Late Afternoon – Residential Area Near Stone Hill Middle School]

(Mana's boots slam against the pavement with each step, her jaw clenched, eyes sharp with growing fury. She's not just annoyed—they've broken protocol. And nobody breaks protocol on her watch.)

Mana (muttering coldly):
"They're supposed to be in school. This isn't some casual hangout club. It's Stone Hill."

(She approaches Etzia's house first—neat, quiet, but the lights are off. She raps on the door sharply, three calculated knocks.)