This chapter is a bit shorter. Under 1000 words again. Breaking up the story into individual events and keeping them interesting is hard. The entire first story arc is explaining the rules of how the world works and there aren't any new characters introduced until the second arc.

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The next day, training began when the sun began to rise and the sky was still glowing with the orange light of the sunrise.

"I know you like to sleep and all Aki, but it is time to WAKE UP!" shouted Akira.

The sudden noise caused Akiza to hold her ears. The birds in the area scattered. The floor shook from the sound.

"Are you crazy?!?" cried Akiza. "What if something comes to attack me?"

"Don't worry," Akira replied. "It is only something that you can hear, others cannot hear me talk."

"Oh, okay," Akiza responded.

"But it is time to get up and get moving, go go go!" shouted Akira.

Akiza got up so that Akira would stop shouting at her. She had been sleeping on the ground, but it was something that she was used to. She looked around at herself and saw that her wounds from yesterday were all healed. Not even a scratch remained. The only thing left on it was dirt from sleeping on the floor. Akiza started walking towards the exit when Akira interrupted.

"Hold it!" Akira said. "It is too soon for you to go out, for now, we practice in here."

"But I thought we were training?" Akiza asked.

"First, you need to be able to use your internal energy. That means you have to meditate until you can access your Dantian on your own," Akira explained.

"Okay," said Akiza. She sat on the floor with her legs wide open and leaned her back against a wall.

"That is how you meditate?" Akira asked.

"I would like to have done it sleeping because that is when I am the most relaxed, but I can't do that any more since you woke me up!" Akiza said despondently.

"Whatever works for you I guess, but you should be able to do it anywhere in the future. The first step in the most important," Akira said. "But first, you agreed to listen to me."

"Yes I did Master," Akiza replied.

"That means you must you follow my rules," said Akira.

"Yes," responded Akiza.

"Rule one, your power is for helping others, not for self gain. However, I will not stop you if someone provokes you first," said Akira.

Akiza listened closely and memorized every word he said. She also pondered the reasoning for each of his rules as he spoke them to her.

"Rule two, help those in need regardless of whether you think they deserve it," Akira continued. "Rule three, refuse rewards. Rule four, stay neutral in conflicts. Rule five, always fight against those who threaten the existence of your world. And last of all, stay true to yourself!"

Akiza thought about each of these rules closely and the words behind them. The first rule is obviously to prevent the abuse of power. Setting this as first means that it is important to never take advantage of the fact that you are stronger than others, but that does not mean you cannot use your power at all. It is important to be able to make an example of someone to prevent problems in the future. The second rule is obvious to fulfill the role of a Hero. A Hero is meant to protect people and save as many people as they can. The third rule is another one to prevent corruption and owing of favors. If you owed someone for something they gave you, then you would have to return it somehow, forcing you to ignore the duties and morals of a Hero in order to live with the rules created by someone else. It was safer to avoid this altogether so that a Hero is not drawn into unnecessary conflicts. The fourth rule is so that the power of the Hero cannot be taken advantage of in personal fights, it is more or less an extension of the previous rule. A Hero that is drawn into too many smaller issues cannot possibly focus on the main problems that the world is facing. A Hero must be able to stand above these conflicts. The fifth rule is meant to reinforce the duties of a Hero. But the last rule...

"Master, I don't understand the last rule," said Akiza.

"It is doing what feels right in your heart," Akira replied.

"What feels right?" Akiza wondered.

Akira explained, "When you do something wrong, your heart feels uncomfortable. When you do the right thing, your heart, mind, and eyes all agree that you are seeing and doing the right thing."

"But what is right?" Akiza asked.

"The easiest way I can explain it is to not hurt others unless you absolutely must," Akira explained. "A Hero that is accepted by others acts as a guide for others. The worst damage that you can do is to hurt others without good reason. Others will believe that it is okay to hurt others if the Hero does as well. If you hurt someone, there must be a good enough reason to do so, such as if they tried to kill you. You are still too young to know what is right from wrong, but this is something I will teach you as we go."

"Okay," Akiza nodded in agreement. She then repeated the words that Akira had just taught her and explained what she thought.

"That is good that you understand," Akira said. "You are a quick learner, so we will now begin your training. The first thing I will teach you are the basics, the ability to use your own strength, and the ability to read the strength of others."