Year X770 —
Location: Forest Edge, Rosemary Village
Age: Ren (5) | Erza (5)
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Ren lay flat on his back in the grass, arms spread wide like a starfish.
"Ahhh… the sky's so biiiiig today," he said happily, kicking his feet. "I wonder if it ever gets tired of being blue."
Erza sat a short distance away, legs crossed, wooden sword resting across her lap. She watched him from the corner of her eye, brow furrowed.
"…You're weird," she said again.
Ren rolled onto his side and gasped dramatically. "You already said that yesterday! You can't reuse insults so fast!"
"I can if they're true."
"Heeey!"
Despite her words, Erza didn't look annoyed. Not really. She was calmer today—less tense. Ren noticed it immediately.
> Good. She slept better last night.
A soft voice echoed in his mind.
> [Great Sage: Emotional state of Subject Erza Scarlet has stabilized by 12.6% since first interaction.]
Ren smiled to himself.
> That's enough for now.
He pushed himself up and sat cross-legged, suddenly serious. The childish grin faded—not completely, but enough.
Erza noticed.
"…What?"
Ren looked at her wooden sword.
"Can I watch you train again?"
She hesitated. "…You won't laugh?"
"I promise!" He raised his hand solemnly. Then added, grinning, "Unless you trip like yesterday. Then maybe a little."
"I did not trip!"
"You did!"
"I slipped!"
They glared at each other for a second—then both laughed.
Erza stood up, gripping her sword.
She inhaled.
Her stance was clumsy, but determined. She swung—strong, direct, with no wasted hesitation. Too much power. Too little control.
Ren watched closely.
Very closely.
> [Great Sage: Initiating movement analysis.]
[Observation: Subject relies on raw force. Potential future synergy with structured breathing and rhythm-based combat arts.]
Ren's fingers curled in the grass.
> Moon Breathing… wasn't just speed.
It was control. Precision. Discipline.
Erza finished her swings, panting.
"…Well?" she asked. "You're staring."
Ren blinked, then clapped enthusiastically.
"That was awesome!"
Her ears turned red. "…You're lying."
"I'm not!" he insisted, hopping up and running over. "You're really strong! Stronger than everyone else our age!"
She looked away. "…Strength alone isn't enough."
Ren froze.
> She already knows.
He tilted his head, thinking carefully.
"…Then let's make it enough."
She frowned. "What do you mean?"
Ren placed a hand on his chest.
"I'm learning something," he said slowly. "Something about breathing."
"Breathing?" Erza echoed flatly. "Everyone breathes."
"Not like this!" Ren puffed up proudly. "This is special breathing!"
He inhaled.
Slow. Deep. Controlled.
The air felt warm as it flowed through his lungs, spreading through his limbs. His heartbeat steadied. His posture straightened naturally.
> [Great Sage: Sun Breathing — Conceptual Reconstruction Phase 1 successful.]
Ren's body tingled—not painfully, but warmly, like basking in sunlight.
He exhaled.
Erza stared.
"…You look different."
Ren blinked. "Eh?"
"You're… glowing. A little."
He looked down at himself, panicked. "I am?! I didn't mean to—!"
The glow faded instantly as he flailed his arms.
"…Idiot," Erza muttered, but her eyes were sharp now. Curious.
"What was that?"
Ren scratched his cheek.
"It's something I'm making," he admitted. "For me."
> Sun Breathing isn't just forms.
It's the foundation.
He remembered Yoriichi. The calm. The absolute control.
But this world was different.
Magic replaced stamina. Mana replaced blood.
> [Great Sage: Reinterpreting Sun Breathing as a Mana Circulation & Body Reinforcement Art.]
Ren nodded slightly.
> Good.
He clenched his fists.
> Sun Breathing will be mine alone.
Erza crossed her arms. "…Can you teach me?"
Ren opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
He looked at her carefully.
> Sun… isn't for her.
It would burn her path away.
"…No," he said softly.
Her expression hardened instantly. "Why?"
Ren panicked internally.
> Think. Say it right.
He smiled sheepishly and waved his hands.
"It's not that I don't want to!" he said quickly. "It's just—uh—this one's kinda… dangerous?"
"…You think I'm weak?" she snapped.
"No! No no no!" Ren shook his head violently. "You're super strong! Like—like a mountain!"
"…Then?"
Ren inhaled again—this time slowly, deliberately.
> [Great Sage: Initiating Conceptual Reconstruction — Moon Breathing.]
The memory was fragmented. Incomplete.
A blade dancing beneath moonlight. Controlled rage. Elegant brutality.
> I don't need to recreate it perfectly.
> I need to make it hers.
Ren opened his eyes.
"There's another kind of breathing," he said. "Calm. Sharp. Like… the moon."
Erza's grip tightened on her sword.
"…The moon?"
Ren nodded eagerly, excitement bubbling up.
"Yeah! It's quiet but strong! It doesn't rush, and it doesn't waste anything! I think it would suit you!"
She stared at him.
"You made that up."
"Hehehe… kinda!"
"…You're serious."
"Very!"
Erza hesitated.
"…Show me."
Ren froze.
"Eh?"
She stepped closer, eyes burning with resolve.
"Show me."
His heart thumped.
> This is it.
He sat down, patting the ground.
"Okay! Sit!"
"…Don't order me around."
"Please?"
She sighed and sat.
Ren demonstrated slowly.
"Breathe in… gently. Like the night air."
"Hold it… just a little."
"Then let it go. Smoothly."
She copied him.
At first—nothing.
Then—
Her breathing steadied.
Her shoulders relaxed.
Her grip softened—but didn't weaken.
> [Great Sage: Initial synchronization detected. Moon Breathing — Prototype Phase 0 established.]
Ren's eyes widened.
> It works.
Erza opened her eyes.
"…I feel… strange."
Ren grinned so hard his cheeks hurt.
"Good strange or bad strange?"
"…Good."
She stood, lifted her sword—and swung.
Clean.
Balanced.
Controlled.
The blade cut the air with a soft whisper instead of a clumsy rush.
She froze.
"…That felt right."
Ren jumped up and down.
"It did! It did! I knew it!"
She stared at him—really stared.
"…Who are you, Ren?"
He paused.
Then smiled—small, gentle, and very childlike.
"Your friend."
She looked away.
"…Then don't disappear."
Ren's chest tightened.
> I won't.
The sun dipped lower. The moon waited its turn.
And beneath the quiet sky of Rosemary Village—
Two paths were born.
One blazing.
One serene.
Both destined to shake the world.
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End of Chapter 2 🌙☀️