“Wow, it’s already the big day,” Mr. Zaki said, a smile stretching across his face.

“His mother would be so proud,” Mrs. Zaki added, her tone both wistful and warm.

“Quick, quick, he’s coming downstairs!” Sofia called excitedly as she glanced toward the staircase.

A boy named Dan appeared at the top of the stairs, yawning and rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“I’m here,” he mumbled groggily.

“Happy birthday!” everyone shouted in unison.

Dan blinked, his face lighting up with surprise and joy. “Oh my gosh, thank you so much, guys!”

Sofia grinned. “I can’t believe you’re sixteen now! You’re all grown up. You’re like the little brother I never had.”

“Same for you too.” Dan gave her a quick hug. “Now, where’s the cake?”

Mrs. Zaki appeared with a beautifully frosted cake in hand. “Here it is,” she said with a warm smile.

“Blow out the candles!” Mr. Zaki encouraged.

Dan leaned forward and blew out the single candle in the center of the cake. “Thanks so much, everyone. After I eat, I’ll start preparing for the Knight Exams.”

Sofia sighed audibly. “You still haven’t given up on that? Dan, your mother didn’t want this for you.”

Dan’s expression softened. “I know. But she also told me to do what makes me happy.”

Mr. Zaki folded his arms, his expression conflicted. “Dan, we’ve been trying to convince you otherwise for years, but… if you’re determined, I suppose we can’t stop you.”

“Just be safe,” Mrs. Zaki added, worry in her voice. “You know… since you don’t have any chi.”

Dan nodded, a hint of uncertainty flashing in his eyes. “I know. But that’s why I’ve been training so hard in karate. I’ll be okay.”

Sofia frowned. “But still—”

“It’s okay,” Mr. Zaki interrupted. “It’s his choice now.”

Dan smiled gratefully. “Thanks, everyone. I’ll stop by the dojo first, then head to the registration center.”

“Take care!” Sofia called as he turned to leave.

Dan gave them one last wave and dashed out the door, excitement and determination written all over his face.

At the Dojo

The dojo was bustling with activity.

“Axel!” Zen, the karate teacher, barked. “I told you to clean up before the students arrived!”

Axel, the assistant teacher, rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Sorry, I forgot.”

Just then, three students—Alexander, Eugene, and Ruby—entered the dojo.

“Ugh, you’re still not done?” Alexander groaned.

“I thought you guys would stop slacking,” Eugene added with a disapproving shake of his head.

Ruby rolled her eyes. “As expected.”

“Hey, show some respect to your teacher!” Zen snapped. “Anyway, where’s my top student? Where’s Dan?”

Alexander grinned. “He should be here soon. You know, it’s his birthday.”

Zen froze. “What?! None of you told me!”

“We thought you knew,” Eugene said with a shrug.

“You’re his teacher. Shouldn’t you know?” Ruby teased.

“What am I supposed to do now?” Zen muttered to himself, looking around in panic.

Just then, Dan walked in. “Hey, everyone!”

Zen stiffened, then forced a wide grin. “Ah, Dan! Happy birthday!”

“Happy birthday!” Alexander, Eugene, and Ruby chorused, handing him small wrapped presents.

Dan thanked them all, then looked expectantly at Zen.

Zen hesitated. “Uh… Here, Dan.” He grabbed his golden trophy—the one he had won years ago—and handed it over

Dan’s eyes widened. “Wow, thanks, Master! I know this must be hard for you since it’s your most prized trophy.”

Zen forced a laugh. “You wouldn’t believe it…” A single tear escaped his eye.

“Still,” Alexander chimed in, “I bet nothing beats the bracelet your mom gave you.”

Dan glanced at the bracelet on his wrist and smiled. “Yeah, nothing will.”

After some quick farewells, Dan explained he had to head to the registration center.

“Good luck!” Zen called after him.

The Knight Exam Registration

The registration center was crowded, filled with aspiring knights from across the nations. Dan weaved through the crowd, trying to find his way when a familiar voice called out.

“Dan, is that you?”

Dan froze, his stomach sinking. That asshole. He turned to see Ezekiel, a noble from his state, smirking at him.

“Yes, what do yo—” Dan’s words were cut off as Ezekiel’s kick landed squarely in his chest.

“I thought I told you to give up on this stupid dream,” Ezekiel sneered. “Face it. Without chi, you’re nothing.”

Dan clenched his fists. “Shut up!” He swung at Ezekiel, but the noble dodged effortlessly and retaliated with a blast of sound energy that sent Dan sprawling.

Before the situation could escalate, a knight in red armor appeared, using his barrier ability to separate them.

“Hey, if you two keep this up, I’ll kick you both out,” the knight warned.

Dan muttered an apology while Ezekiel smiled smugly. “My apologies,” he said with mock politeness.

The knight stepped back. “Save it for the tournament.”

Dan and Ezekiel reluctantly agreed before going their separate ways, the tension between them unresolved.

That evening, Dan sat on the roof of the noodle shop, staring at the distant horizon. The events of the day played over in his mind, and the anger he felt toward Ezekiel boiled beneath the surface.

“Damn him,” Dan muttered to himself, clenching his fists. “Damn him!”

The sound of footsteps on the wooden roof caught his attention. Dan turned to see Damon, his best friend, climbing up to join him. Damon carried a small box in his hand.

“Hey, man,” Damon greeted casually as he sat down beside Dan. “What’s with the shouting? It’s your birthday, you should be celebrating.”

Dan sighed and looked away. “Sorry… It’s that damn Ezekiel again. He keeps bullying me because he’s a noble and has chi.”

“That idiot?” Damon scoffed. “Want me to go beat him up for you?”

Dan chuckled, shaking his head. “As if you could.”

“Hey, don’t underestimate me!” Damon said, grinning. “Anyway, here. Happy birthday.” He handed Dan the small box.

Dan opened it to reveal a small wooden carving of a phoenix. His eyes lit up. “Wow, thanks, Damon! This is awesome.”

Damon shrugged. “Figured you’d like it. But seriously, don’t let that guy get to you. You’ve been dealing with him for years. You’ll get through this.”

Dan sighed. “Yeah, but tomorrow’s the Knight Exams. It’s the biggest thing I’ve ever faced. I need to prove myself.”

“That stupid tournament,” Damon said with a smirk. “Do you really think it’s worth it?”

Dan’s expression softened. “Yeah, I do. I’ll become a knight, no matter what it takes. I just wish you were doing it with me.”

“No way, dude,” Damon replied, leaning back on his hands. “I want to be a traveler and see the whole world.”

Dan laughed. “That means we’ll probably see each other again someday.”

Damon smirked. “Yeah, just don’t die before then.”

“I won’t,” Dan promised, his determination returning.

“Good luck tomorrow, man,” Damon said, giving him a firm pat on the shoulder.

“Thanks,” Dan replied. “I’m going to need it.”

The following day, Dan stood in the competitor’s tunnel, preparing to step into the arena. His heart pounded in his chest as the crowd roared above him. He could hear the announcer’s voice echoing through the space.

“And next up, we have Ezekiel, the sound wave user, versus Dan, the karate non-chi user!”

The crowd erupted into cheers, though Dan could hear murmurs of doubt scattered among them.

“My money’s on Ezekiel!”

“Of course. The other guy doesn’t even have chi.”

Dan took a deep breath, trying to block out the noise. “I can do this,” he whispered to himself. “I’m Daniel Mori. I can do anything.”

With those words, he stepped out of the tunnel and into the blinding light of the arena.

Across from him, Ezekiel stood confidently, a smug grin on his face. “Are you sure you want to go through with this?” Ezekiel called out.

Dan clenched his fists, his eyes blazing with determination. “Come at me, you asshole.”

Ezekiel’s grin widened. “Fine. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

The match began with Ezekiel charging at Dan, unleashing a barrage of sound blasts. Dan tried his best to dodge, managing to avoid some of the attacks, but he wasn’t fast enough to avoid them all. A blast caught him square in the chest, sending him sprawling.

The crowd erupted in cheers as Ezekiel continued his relentless assault.

“Wow! Ezekiel isn’t holding back at all!” the announcer exclaimed.

“Are you sure you still want to do this?” Ezekiel taunted, smirking as he delivered another blast.

Dan gritted his teeth and pushed himself to his feet. “Shut up.”

He charged at Ezekiel, throwing a punch, but Ezekiel easily dodged and countered with another sound wave, knocking him to the ground again.

“You’re pathetic,” Ezekiel sneered. “What, did you think you were the protagonist in some heroic story? That you’d make some amazing comeback? Newsflash—you’re not. You’re just a useless non-chi loser.”

Ezekiel stomped on Dan’s chest, driving the air out of his lungs. As Dan struggled to breathe, Ezekiel’s eyes landed on the bracelet around his wrist.

“Oh, what’s this?” Ezekiel said, plucking the bracelet off Dan’s wrist. “Is this from someone special? Maybe your mommy?”

Dan’s eyes widened in alarm. “Don’t you dare—”

Before he could finish, Ezekiel crushed the bracelet with a single blast.

“Noooo!” Dan screamed, his voice echoing through the arena.

The crowd fell silent, their cheers turning to murmurs of shock.

“What will you do now?” Ezekiel asked mockingly. “Cry about it?”

Dan’s body trembled as rage consumed him. His vision blurred, and a strange energy began to surge through his veins.

Ezekiel leaned in, smirking. “What’s the matter? Gonna give up?”

Before Ezekiel could react, Dan’s fist shot out, crackling with electricity. The punch connected with Ezekiel’s jaw, sending him staggering back.

“What the hell?!” Ezekiel shouted, holding his jaw in shock.

Dan stood tall, his entire body surrounded by sparks of lightning. His eyes burned with determination as he charged forward, moving at an impossible speed.

Punch after punch, kick after kick—each strike crackled with raw power as Dan unleashed his fury on Ezekiel.

“Who will pay for that bracelet?!” Dan roared, his voice reverberating through the arena.

Finally, Dan clenched his fist and delivered a devastating blow to Ezekiel’s jaw, sending him flying across the arena. The force of the impact echoed like thunder.

The crowd erupted into cheers.

“The winner is… Dan from the Lightning Nation!” the announcer declared.

Dan stood frozen in shock, staring at his hands, which still sparked with residual electricity.

“What the hell just happened?” he whispered to himself.