Haruto awoke from his silent sleep. The daylight rose from his bedroom window, its radiant glow unhurriedly touching his disarrayed bed. The lulling whistles of birds tweeting on the apple tree concurrently with drops of water that fell on the grass, welcomed him, another typical day perhaps.

It was dawn in Kananga, a tiny modern town of Arid City in the region of Rajahnate, Maharlika. A glamorous industrialized city crammed with lasting attractions. It was a community that the founding fathers built right next to a small mountain that was settled by farmers. The entire island was enclosed by a crystal-clear beach under a clear azure sky that allures tourists to relax on the white sand. Talisay is an active place in the morning, often having people storm out of their houses to catch the nearest taxi or jeep to get to work. At night, however, relaxing music and lights transformed the city, lighting up people's sadness, preparing them for the next day as if magic had been cast on them. However, nothing big usually happens around here except for festivals and holidays. It was a normal town with normal people who go around in their normal lives. The hometown of Haruto Hikaru Amaterasu.

Haruto gradually stood up to stretch his limbs a bit, his hair had dropped down to drape his entire forehead and his shirt had a small smudge of saliva. The usual appearance of an early morning waker. His body felt energized from the usual 8-hour sleep he had every night. He glanced at the silver clock on the table next to his bed and thought of what he could do for today. After straightening his entire bed and departing his still room, he began his day once more. At the front of his bedroom door was a hallway with a window for a wall that stretched to the end. The amiable pink sakura garden could be seen clearly from inside, the grass remained wet from the rain earlier and radiated a distinctive smell, a smell that Haruto didn't appreciate. Walking down the silent hallway in his blue pajamas, he came across his beloved pet, Cujo—a rottweiler that he found all abandoned as a puppy near the train station when he was still a child. The dog barked at him excitedly, lying down on his back for his master to pet him.

"You're energetic aren't you today, boy?” Haruto laughed as he rubbed his dog's belly. "Are you hungry? Let's get your breakfast, boy!"

Reaching from the tall cabinets, Haruto yanked the plastic box of dog food and sprinkled it on his pet's bowl, petting him while the dog licked his face. Cujo sat down after eating his entire meal and rested with his nose near his legs. Haruto smiled, happy to see the usual greetings from his pet despite the number of times he had to clean the stains and poop. He resumed to walk, passing beside some small paintings of various places, family photos, and a collection of the Griek Gods before coming across the unexpected noise of oil sizzling as he took another step. The sound was accompanied by a sublime scent of cooked eggs and freshly brewed chocolate drink, driven by the hypnotizing smell of the food that he could almost taste, he arrived at the kitchen to witness a man who was cooking in a dimly lit kitchen. The man was quiet but he could see his cooking skills shine. 

Haruto knocked on the wooden entrance and spoke. "Good morning, dad." He greeted the man.

The man looked back at him and smiled.

"Good morning, son!"

The man was Daisuke Amaterasu, a tall, and remarkable individual who had a great physique. Despite his authoritarive and scary appearance, the townspeople regard him as the kindest person in Talisay. He was well-known for always helping his town in times of need, in fact, he did far better than the people he was helping, so much, that he ended up receiving a gift from the town's mayor—a house with a sakura garden far from the city near the beach. No else knew much about him, only his son did whom he loves very much and takes care of himself. 

Daisuke flipped the pan full of eggs and rice a few more times before shutting the burner down and closing the gas container. "Sit down Haruto, let's eat breakfast." Grabbing the plates from the silver container, Daisuke placed them on the round table. "Did you get a good sleep, son?"

"I did dad, but I did have a weird dream last night..." Haruto said with a confused face as if he saw something remarkable but forgot what it was all about.

Daisuke saw this and thought of an attempt to cheer him up. "What sort of dream son? Were you dreaming of women?” He said in a mixture of sarcasm and perversion as his eyebrows moved up and down rapidly.

Haruto's eyes widened as he choked on his water and slammed the table with his fist. "It wasn't like that old man!" He responded in an irritated manner as Daisuke's bellowing laughs filled the kitchen.

The smell of his breakfast came closer as his father moved the frying pan and placed the eggs on to his white plate together with some hotdog fried rice. 

"So son, what was this dream all about?” Daisuke asked as he sat down and began to prepare his meal of defrosted vegetable soup and rice.  

Haruto noticed this and asked his father. "Dad, we ate that last night, can't you cook something else for yourself?"

"We ran out of eggs and other canned goods, son. I used the last of the ingredients to whip up something delicious for you. Plus, it's not good to let food go to waste. I thought I already taught you that?" Daisuke replied as he poured the warm soup and soggy vegetables into his plate.

"Dad come on, that's not fair. Let's share my food." Haruto offered. Dividing his food equally with his fork and moving his plate close to his father. 

Daisuke smiled. He pushed the plate back to his son's position. Placing his hand on his boy's face and caressing his rough hair. He spoke in a calm tone. "Don't worry son, if you eat well, I'll be well." His father's smile made him smile as well and they gave thanks for their food. They started to talk about a lot of things, from his sleep to education, and even about what Haruto wants to be in the future. But before his son could tell him what he wanted, he abruptly stopped him to say something.

"Son, remember when I told you that one day, you would get to fight other people?" Daisuke sat closer to his son. "I've taught you everything I could, but now, I am letting you do things for yourself. So you better be fully prepared today, there's gonna be a sparring tournament in the complex and I want you to join it. It'll be a friendly match just like the ones we see from time to time and I'm sure you'll like it." 

Haruto stared at his father intensely with a widened face. He could feel the seriousness exerting from the man's aura, it was almost as if a giant was towering over him. But the sight of rice crumbs under his chin made him let out a little chuckle, which turned to a father and son laughing out loud. Lightening up the mood.

"Go clean and ready your sword, son. It must be prepared for tonight." Daisuke said as he placed away all the dirty dishes for washing. "Your sensei is expecting you to do your best." 

A master and teacher of Kendo—the act of Japanese swordsmanship, Daisuke is the primary and only sensei of Haruto while his son has been his only pupil for as long as he could recall. Utilizing his proficiency and background, he taught the young boy the basics of Kendo, instructing him to be both physically and mentally strong at such an early age, at times he would even educate the boy on the distinct stances of the way of the sword, whilst attacking a wooden dummy using their wooden swords. At the peak of their training, they would wear their special robes and spar on the fragrant and pinkish garden in the morning or even the wet-misty grass at night.

A few hours had already passed and Haruto noticed it was already afternoon. The pair were almost finished performing their daily chores which consisted of washing, cleaning, and sweeping among other things. Haruto gazed at the sunshine that blanketed the sakura garden, the sight of the wet grass and pink trees reminisced him of all the times they sparred, to which he always lost. Thinking it was absurd to participate in a large duel without even winning against his only opponent once, he wanted to do something, holding his broom even tighter, he looked at his father with unfazed eyes.

"Dad, I want to spar with you today. And I'll make sure that I win this time." Haruto said with a stern face.

The tone of Haruto's words made a surprised look on his father's face, but Daisuke understood Haruto—a strong-headed child who stood up to the challenges. He nodded. Placing his hand on his son and hugging him, they decided to get ready, putting on their robes, and doing warm-up exercises. As they unlocked the glass door, a cool breeze that smelled like pink rushed into the house, Haruto inhaled deeply, the serene smell almost made him dizzy. They stepped into the garden of light and fragrance. It was beautiful and soothing, the sakura petals dancing in the air like little fairies flying. Both took their places on opposite sides, they were about to start. 

As Haruto gripped the handle of his sword, he started at the figure in front of him and spoke in his own mind. 'This time, I will win against you!'

Performing a bow in front of his father, Haruto pulled out his wooden weapon, took a deep breath, and concentrated a stance. Burning with determination to defeat his sensei today before he would join the tournament, he wanted to prove that he was strong and focused, that the tournament he would join was going to be a stepping stone for him to realizing his dream of becoming a famous martial artist. Daisuke saw this and merely emitted an emotionless expression, he did the same but instead of using his wooden sword, he threw it aside.

At that moment, Haruto glimpsed the fire in his father's eyes, they were inviting him, taunting him to attack like the fingers of a villain flickering at a protagonist. Haruto took a deep breath and ran towards his battle-stanced sensei. All he needed was to strike him once and make him fall, then he would win. That was the rule of Kendo. In a moment, as his sword was being swung into his sensei's side, he was flung into the air. Haruto gasped at the sudden deflect on his attack, he used this chance to attack his opponent with a single-piercing strike, as he was plummeting, his father's back was still facing him. He decided to use it to his advantage, adjusting his body to improve the speed of his fall, he came closer to his still enemy. But Haruto began to hesitate, the mysterious aura of the man and the fear of his fighting prowess made him unconciously change the angle of his blade, at the very moment when the tip of the blade reached just an inch from the man's nape, he felt a sudden hit on the back of his neck and fell on the sakura petal-littered ground. The wind blowing them away as Haruto tumbled and kneeled. He became angry, hitting the ground with his fist as he stared at his father with a disgruntled look.

Daisuke walked around his opponent with an unfazed look, eyes looking down at the child as he corrected his son's mistake, "Emotions are but a hindrance in battle Haruto, if you do not control them, they will take away what you hold dear...”

Picking up his sword again, Haruto assumed a different stance, this time focusing more on stab attacks. Taking a deep breath once more, he charged at his sensei with the intent to hit him in the gut. His father once again deflected the strike but Haruto's momentum prevailing, he struck, again and again, all of which to no avail. After failing to hit his father the second time, he was met with a strong kick to his side. He gasped, flipping backwards before hitting the ground to maintain balance, the sakura petals flew ferociously in the air as he caught his breath, dancing towards the blazing sun. 

"Focus, Haruto! Is this what you would've wanted your mother to see? Weak and pathetic without even any hopes of being competent?" Daisuke taunted his son further.

Further angered by his father's words, Haruto punched the ground, and carelessly charged at him despite his sensei's warnings to control his emotions. With each erratic attack, Daisuke deflected, and with each failure, a kick or a punch was thrown at Haruto. The battle went on until he was unable to get up because of the pain, Daisuke approached him, glaring at the boy's angry eyes and comforting him.

"Haruto... Do not give in to your emotions. Learn to be in control. Do this... and you can overcome the world." He said. 

After the battle, Daisuke instructed Haruto to pick up his sword and be prepared for the tournament. Taking off his robe and entering into the kitchen to continue his daily routine. 

"Dammit!" The boy screamed at himself. Haruto thought for a while. He couldn't remember his mother, he could only see her through their family pictures when he was still a baby. He wanted to see her but he couldn't, it was all he ever wanted, something impossible but something he still held on to. His back landed on the pinkish-grass and tears fell from his face, the orange color of the sky somehow calmed him down. But he knew that he had to keep moving on, a 13-year-old like him needed to prepare for life, that was what he was taught, and so he picked himself up and wiped the tears off his face. 

Spotting the sword at the nearby fountain, his mind told him to pick it up. But after accidentally catching his reflection on the water, he was mesmerized by what he saw. As he gazed at the crystal-clear, reflective surface, his eyes suddenly glowed bright sky-blue and a pattern on the left side of his face appeared, like the markings of a warrior. Mesmerized and afraid, his hands placed down the sword and went to touch the radiance from his face. But before he was able to, an announcement about the tournament from the city center abruptly blew up from the nearby speakers, it always blew up in unexpected moments like this one, urging everyone who wanted to participate to head for the complex immediately. When Haruto looked again at the water, the pattern and his glowing eyes were gone. Curios and confused at the same time, he branded it as merely seeing things.

However, with no time to waste, he prepared to get ready for the tournament, determined to win to prove his strength.

The kitchen lights were finally turned on and Daisuke was preparing his son's dinner who was tying shoes on the doorstep. Haruto grabbed his backpack and sword and headed for the arching gate metal gate. Upon hearing the door open behind him, Haruto turned around and saw Daisuke running up to him to give him his food. 

"Hey hey wait!" Daisuke shouted behind him, giving him his prepared bento dinner before hugging his son. "Good luck son, do your best!" He said and smiled.

Haruto hugged his father back and waved him goodbye. "I'll do my best dad!" He replied

As he watched his son walk off into the distance, Daisuke rested himself on the door step and patted himself on the back. "Sarah... What do I do without you huh? The boy's growing up. I just hope I taught him well." Daisuke said to himself as he untied his pony-tail and stared at the horizon as the sunlight left his face. The beautiful sight was refreshing to witness as the cold wind blew right past his dangling hair. As he stood up to enter back into his home, the corners of his eye caught something in the distance, a green-dressed old man walking toward his house, lifting his umbrella before speaking to him.

"Oh sunny! How you doing?" The old geezer said happily.

"Ah! Mayor, what brings you by today?" He replied.

Back at the streets, Haruto continued to step down the stairs of the sky-bridge as he took out the earphones from his pocket and started listening to his playlist. As he casually walked next to the street accompanied by cars and bikes, the buildings leisurely lit up with different colors, a cool breeze swam through the air, and the sun was starting to set at the horizon, a view you'd want to see while you jogged or if you just wanted to go for a walk. 

Uninterrupted in his stroll down the road, familiar faces—the local barangay cleaner, the bakers, a woman selling pancakes at a cheap price, and many more people who have been a part of his life for some time now, met and greeted Haruto as he passed them by. Waving at him and giving him compliments that you'd normally expect as the son of a famous individual. However, none of them could compare to the other two he was about to meet. 

Haruto continued to walk until he came across a peculiar but obvious sight. Standing alone at a lamp post both deep in thought and feelings was a beautiful and short Asian girl. Her hair was tied almost like a ponytail the rested on her shoulder. She stood casually but with a sense of poise and grace, back arched and hands behind her back, though her head was tilted down as if she wanted to be elegant without having to care about her surroundings. Her bag was a rubbery one that had a keychain of a knife on it and her attire consisted of designer brands, something you don't see all the time in this town. Bold in ignoring her surroundings and focusing on her thoughts as if her only companion was herself, it was dangerous to do that especially at a time where night was almost here. 

"Man. She keeps doing that everytime we meet up for practice. I just hope she doesn't get into an accident as she keeps doing that." Haruto said to himself. "She's always so elegant and graceful when she doesn't think of the world."

The girl was Sayozane Konasumi, a 13 year-old practitioner of Taekwando from the country of Areon, and a clumsy, silly little girl. Rationalising yet again about the things she could do in the future when she leaves this boring town. She was always a shy and timid thinker but at the same time, also a great fighter. Even in that position, she was cute, so cute, that Haruto remembered them when they were children, the time when he had feelings for her.

Haruto tucked away his earphones and started jogging towards her, "Oy Sayozane!" Haruto called out, but his body unexpectedly bumped against another person who was hard as a rock. The towering figure was huge and muscular, compared to Haruto's slimmer physique, the guy looked like he was about to stomp him.

"Oh boy..." Haruto thought to himself as the guy's shadow enveloped him whole. A big, handsome, and muscular guy. Around 6ft tall paired with a deep voice husky voice that girls would melt over. But his overarching aura was the opposite for guys as they could feel his strength even just by looking at him. Every step he took was like a boulder coming at you. Even his presence alone exerted pressure among his peers. It was Kenriki Hibikima, a 14 year-old Filipino who was a practitioner of the stick-fighting style Eskrima. The "kuya" of both him and Sayozane.

Kenriki towered over Haruto, his shadow covering Haruto's body and expressionless face and spoke. "Where do you think you're going little man? You think you can just bump into me and get away with it?" Kenriki said as he stared intensely down at the boy.

Looking down at Haruto with his face near his, he smiled and laughed. 

"Yeah, yeah, Kenriki. You're the big guy here..." Haruto said, unfazed by the person standing in front of him.

Grabbing him by the neck and rubbing his head, Kenriki apologized to his little bro. "Haha sorry man. Welcome back buddy! Hope you're ready for our tournament tonight. It's gonna be rad!" He said excitedly.

They both walked towards Sayozane who was still staring down deep in her thoughts, unintentionally looking at them, she was startled. Like a timid child she started panicking about how they immediately showed up like ghosts. Her actions portrayed how much of an airhead she was, fixing her hair and apologising too much for not noticing the pair who was standing near. 

"Oh no, Haruto, Kenriki, I'm such a clutz! I couldn't see you guys because I was— well, I was... I'm sorry!" Sayozane stammered as she waved her hands erratically in the air.

Kenriki and Haruto laughed at her and told her that there was nothing wrong. A few mintues later they started to talkabout what they would expect for the upcoming tournament.

"To think that I would finally be able to enter a tournament for the very first time, I'm glad it's with you guys!"Haruto said. His happy tone made his friends smile with him. "With everything that's been happening so far, I just hope we'll all have fun fighting."

"We're glad too Haruto. And it's great that it's the local one in our town, plus we don't even need to pay any registration fees." Kenriki explained. "Like every tournament we've witnessed, it'll only be a friendly match where if you pin the enemy to the ground, you'll win the battle. There's no need for too much violence in this event."

"No registration fees, huh? Are they sure about that?" Haruto asked, thinking that there had to be some catch to it. "This tournament is huge. Though I'm sure the rules are just the same as the tournaments dad and I saw back then, but would they even allow swords in this competition?" He asked.

"Normally for a tournament this big, you'd expect a really big fee, but it seems that they're hosting this tournament without any charges. At least that's what we were told. And I heard that any type of martial arts was accepted in this event, so swords are probably a no-brainer to include." Kenriki said, looking at the various flyers that flew into the streets, littering them in the process as Kenriki grabbed one, and started reading the details. "Let's see... 1v1 fights... Oh, look at this, there's gonna be a clinic just in case... and... Yup, just good'ol professional sparring. Nothing too unusual."

"But, but... Isn't the tournament going to be dangerous? I mean, yeah, it's fighting. But like, are there any restrictions or something? Is this tournament going to be really violent or something?" Sayozane stammered anxiously as if she a gun was pointed at her. Kenriki and Haruto looked at her with confused faces. It was as if they questioned why their best friend was so such a blockhead. "Why would you ask a question like that?" They thought.

Haruto looked at her and patted her shoulder, "Well of course it's dangerous dummy, but you know you can continue to fight training dummies there too! Besides, no one's gonna kill you cause that's illegal, or..." He said sarcastically with an evil grin. 

"Du-dummy?! I'm not a dummy, Haruto! A-also, who cares if it gets really violent?! I-I'm not afraid!" Sayozane stammered again as her eyes started to tear up in frustration. She raised her fist in the air and started hitting her friend on the shoulder like a child throwing an anger tantrum. But their small bickering was interrupted when an announcement from the local speakers abruptly declared openly that the tournament was almost starting.

Haruto looked back at Sayozane and placed his hand on her shoulder before speaking gently, "Don't worry Sayo, fighters are disciplined people who are taught to fight fairly. No one's gonna get too violent with you, besides I'd be furious... and I dont know what I'd do if that would happen. Nobody can bear to hurt you!  You're too precious! Just look at you! Who wouldn't feel bad for hurting you big baby!"

Sayozane looked back at her friend's innocent eyes as she ignored her friend’s tease, the kind of eyes you see of a pure child, the kind of eyes you see before something terrible happens, as she placed her hand on top his, she smiled back at him as they hugged.

"We should go now, before we're late for the regustrations." Haruto said. Nodding towards one another, they all ran towards the enormous building at the distance. “This is it, this is my journey, to become the greatest fighter ever!” 

A fight was about to take place.