C26 The Dragon’s Wrath

The room was silent.

Two men knelt on the tatami floor, bloodied from the fight at the gym. One clutched his ribs, the other’s jaw was already swelling, but neither dared groan. They bowed low, foreheads nearly touching the mat, waiting for judgment.

At the head of the room, Riku stood with his back to them, facing the sliding doors that opened to the garden. Rain whispered outside