The Coming Year

The lake glimmered gently in the serene night that was as calm as the water. 

Lou Cheng sat in the deck chair, blending into the darkness without a sound. 

For a while, he zoned out, his eyes distant and wistful. 

It had been almost a year since he made it into the semi-finals of the Battle of Warrior Sage and suffered defeat under the Dragon King. Since then, he had followed what Empress Luo and his master had taught him: exploring the inner strength within him, fusing his most tender emotions into his body's will, expressing that through his mind, and blending it into his moves.