It was raining. Not a storm—just that steady drizzle that soaked everything in silence. Eleo stood motionless in the field behind Master Kuma’s dojo, completely drenched. His soaked fur clung to his tiny body, ears drooping like wet socks. In front of him stood a wooden training dummy, staring back in the most taunting, lifeless way possible. And still… Eleo …

The village lay quiet under the night sky, save for crackling torches and distant insect songs. A crowd had gathered in the town square around a single old television perched on a wooden cart—a rare sight in this humble settlement where technology was scarce. Farmers, blacksmiths, merchants, and children huddled together, faces bathed in the screen’s bluish glow. Elder Hagan, …