21
Hidekazu
Energy crackled between Hidekazu’s fingers, and a flame ignited in his palm. He strained to keep the ki in place, urging the fire to blaze larger, brighter, hotter. But as quick as the spark came, the tiny bit of energy he’d conjured sputtered out.
He cursed. Another day of practice wasted.
“What am I doing wrong?” Hidekazu said.
He followed Barame’s projection instructions without variation. There were no discrepancies between Hidekazu’s form and the expectation, only the end result.
Itsuo, the engineer brought to assess the problem, placed his hands flat against the ghost stone’s white surface. A trilling sound came from the tablet as he examined the device.
As much as Hidekazu wanted to believe the tablet was to blame, a rotten seed grew with each failed attempt: what
