The living room of the Yi household felt smaller than usual, filled with the nervous energy of teenagers preparing for war.

"Alright," Jin announced, clapping his hands together with a sharp thud that silenced the room. "No more delays. We start training today."

"Great!" Maya pumped a fist, trying to feign confidence she didn't feel. "Noah, do your best."

"Well, Maya," Jin turned to the girl with the pink hair, who was currently trying to sink into the sofa. "You will be able to see for yourself, because you are coming too."

"Whaaaaaaaaat?" Maya whined, her head falling back. "But I'm a Level 2! I already know the basics!"

"Yeah, you haven’t finished your Guardian training," Jin countered, crossing his arms. "And considering you tapped out after five Ki arrows during the swarm, you need endurance work. You are joining in."

"Okay," Luna stood up, grabbing her purse. "You guys have fun playing ninja. Lynn and I are going to go start our homework."

"Where do you think you're going?" Jin grabbed the back of Luna’s collar before she could take two steps. "You need more training than anyone."

"Training? Me?" Luna pointed at herself. "I'm the emotional support! The hype woman!"

"No, you're a liability," Jin said bluntly. "When we were in the swarm, you were defenseless. If we get separated again, you have to be able to protect yourself."

"Isn’t that what you and Maya are for?" Luna argued. "And him over there?" She points at Noah.

"And what if we get separated like we did in the swarm?" Jin shot back. "Demons don't care if you're the hype woman. They eat hype women."

"She doesn't need to worry," Noah puffed out his chest, gripping his staff. "I would never leave her side."

"Can it, Romeo," Jin rolled his eyes. "Just go get changed, Luna."

While the group prepared, a sleek, black stagecoach rumbled down the street. It was an antique design retrofitted with a steam engine, polished to a mirror shine. The blinds cracked open, revealing Leven Soto and his lackeys, Burt and Mitch.

Leven’s eyes narrowed as he watched Jin and Luna laughing on the front lawn through the window.

No... he is at her house! Leven thought, his grip tightening on the window ledge. What in the world is going on here? I have never been invited over to her house. I am Leven Soto! Heir to the Soto Academy! That pauper can't hold a candle to me. There is something illicit going on here.

"Get me out of here, Bitterman," Leven snapped at the driver. "She seems to be... occupied with the help."

"As you wish, sir," the driver droned.

"Why are we leaving, man?" Burt asked, cracking his knuckles. "We should march right over there and kick that punk’s ass."

"Yeah!" Mitch agreed. "We can take him this time."

"No," Leven said smoothly, leaning back into the velvet seat. "That wasn't a fluke last time. He caught us by surprise. But I am a tactician. I will deal with him when I'm good and ready. And when I do... he won't see it coming."

The stagecoach hissed and rolled away, leaving Jin and the others unaware they were being watched.

The group marched into the dense woods behind Luna’s neighborhood, finding a secluded clearing away from prying eyes.

"Okay," Jin said, pacing in front of them like a drill sergeant. "Harnessing your Ki is the foundation of everything. Without Ki, you’re just meat for demons. I want you guys to focus on gathering it."

"Sounds good," Noah said, sitting cross-legged in the grass. "But how exactly? Is there a button I press?"

"Hold that thought, Noah," Jin turned. "Maya, I want you to shoot as many Ki arrows as you can straight up in the air."

"Ummm," Maya looked up at the canopy. "I don't think that’s a good idea."

"Why? Scared?"

"No," Maya sighed. "Because Ki arrows explode on contact. If I hit a branch, we all go boom."

"True," Jin nodded. "But if you shoot straight up, past the trees, the Ki will eventually dissipate as it loses cohesion. It’s safe. Do it."

"Okay, but won't people notice pink fireworks in the middle of the day?" Maya asked.

"Fine," Jin grumbled. "Change of plans. Maya, go practice your melee forms over there. Don't use projectiles. Just keep your Ki flowing."

"Roger that," Maya saluted and wandered off to punch a tree.

"Okay," Jin turned back to Noah and Luna. "Drawing out Ki energy. The best way to describe it... imagine there is a fire burning deep in your stomach. Not painful, just warm. You have to find that heat and pull it up to your hands."

"Um, is it just me, or did that not explain anything?" Noah asked.

"Nope," Luna shook her head. "I'm completely lost too. Sounds like hippie nonsense."

"You’re not very good at this, Jin," Maya yelled from her tree.

"Hey! Give me a break!" Jin shouted back. "I’ve never trained anyone from scratch before! I was a prodigy; I just did it!"

"It shows!"

"Okay, let's try it this way," Jin sat down in front of them. He held his hands cupped together. "Watch."

He closed his eyes. A moment later, a faint blue flicker appeared between his palms. It grew rapidly, stabilizing into a swirling ball of blue light the size of a marble. Then a baseball. Then a softball.

"This is Ki," Jin explained, the light illuminating his face. "It’s life force. Search for the warmth inside you. Pull it to a single point. Now you try."

Noah and Luna closed their eyes, straining. Minutes passed. Birds chirped. A squirrel ran by.

Nothing happened.

"Nothing's happening," Luna opened one eye. "I give up."

"What?! It hasn’t even been five minutes!" Jin snapped.

"This is stupid. It’s not working. You’re a bad teacher."

"Luna, just shut up and try!"

"Hey," Noah opened his eyes. "You can't talk to her like that."

"Why don't you both shut up?" Jin stood up, his Ki ball vanishing. "I'm sick and tired of your whining. Maybe if you focused a little harder, you would get it. You two can't even sit there and focus for five minutes! Now that it isn't something that just falls in your lap, you want to quit? Well, guess what? I’m not having it. The two of you aren’t going anywhere until you make a Ki ball. Even a speck."

"You can’t make me stay out here," Luna crossed her arms.

"The hell I can't," Jin grinned. "Your mom gave me full authority. So sit down."

"Well, she isn't my mom," Noah stood up. "I’ll leave if I want."

"Yyyyeah, Noah," Jin stepped into his space. "After all that bull crap you gave me about wanting to protect Luna? If you leave before you make it to the next step, I will punch you with everything I have right in your dumb face. And I won't hold back like on the roof."

Noah glared at him, then sat back down aggressively. "Fine. I’ll stay. But not because I’m scared of you. Because I don't want to leave Luna alone with a tyrant."

"Whatever you have to tell yourself."

An hour passed. Luna and Noah were still seated, eyes squeezed shut, faces red from exertion.

"I don't think they can do it, Jin," Maya whispered, leaning against a tree.

"No, anyone can use their Ki," Jin insisted. "It just takes time to break the dam."

"Well, I’m getting bored," Lynn yawned, examining her nails.

"You can always join in," Jin suggested.

"And sit in the dirt? Yeah... no thanks. I’ll stick to cardio."

Lynn walked up to Jin, leaning close enough that he could smell her perfume. She whispered in his ear. "Well... we could always go somewhere and make out while they focus."

"Um... a... um... but... a..." Jin stammered, his face turning bright red.

Lynn burst out laughing. "OMG, I’m kidding, Jin! You should see your face!"

"Oh... Yeah. Ha. Okay." Jin rubbed the back of his neck, trying to recover his cool.

"I have to admit," Lynn smirked. "I like the disappointment in your voice."

"Well, of course I'm disappointed," Jin muttered. "Who wouldn't be?"

"Oh really?" Lynn raised an eyebrow. "Well then, you are just going to have to take me on a date later."

"What are you two talking about?" Luna demanded, opening her eyes.

"NOTHING!" Jin and Lynn shouted in unison.

"Nothing??" Maya piped up. "I thought I heard something about making out."

"WHAT?!?" Luna shrieked.

"Why do you keep doing that?" Maya shrugged innocently. "Do what?"

"Jin," Luna glared. "Maybe you should be more focused on training us instead of flirting with Lynn."

"But I wasn’t... Oh, forget it!"

"Um... guys?" Noah said, his voice trembling.

"WHAT?" everyone yelled.

"Something is happening."

Flashes of jagged red energy were sparking between Noah’s hands like a short-circuiting wire.

"What do I do? What do I do?" Noah panicked.

"Focus, Noah!" Jin shouted, dropping into a stance. "Whatever feeling you have right now, don't lose it! Focus on it harder and picture it in the shape of a ball! Contain it!"

"Ahhh! Okay! Here goes!"

A marble-sized ball of red Ki formed. But it didn't stop. It grew rapidly—baseball, basketball, beach ball. It was unstable, crackling and spitting sparks.

"That’s it, Noah! Okay, you can stop now!" Jin yelled.

"I don't know how!"

The ball kept growing, pulsating violently. The air around them began to hum with static electricity.

"Dang it, Noah! Stabilize it!"

"I’m trying! It feels like it’s going to explode!"

"Noah!" Jin realized the danger. "Throw it!"

"Throw it?!?"

"Jin, are you crazy?" Maya screamed.

"Not at someone! Throw it straight up in the air as hard as you can! It’s going to blow!"

"Okay! Here goes nothing!"

Noah heaved the massive ball of unstable energy upward with a guttural yell. It soared into the sky, a red comet ascending above the trees.

"Well, I guess that worked out," Jin shielded his eyes.

BOOM.

The ball detonated high in the atmosphere, turning the entire sky an eerie shade of green for a split second. A shockwave rattled the trees.

"Oh well," Noah panted, wiping sweat from his brow. "I guess it’s a good thing I threw that, huh?"

"You big dummy!" Jin smacked him upside the head. "You need to have better control! That could have leveled the forest!"

"Hey! Stop calling me names!" Noah rubbed his head. "I only did what you told me to do! Since it was under your orders, that makes you the doofus!"

"Who you calling doofus, you son of a—"

"You know what?" Luna stood up. "I have to agree with Noah. If you didn’t suck so bad as a teacher, this wouldn’t have happened."

"You know what? To hell with all of you!" Jin threw his hands up. "Not you, Lynn. You're awesome."

"What the hell is all this racket?"

A gravelly voice cut through their argument.