You had fallen more times than you could count today, and still your small legs wobbled as you tried again. The floorboards beneath you creaked with every tentative step, but nothing felt stable. Your illness had left you weaker than other children, and even the simplest motion seemed like climbing a mountain. Yet you stubbornly tried, refusing to let yourself be defeated.

Hao sat a short distance away, his long robes folded neatly around him, eyes following every movement of your tiny body. He said nothing, only letting his presence fill the space around you. Even now, centuries of power and the title of Shaman King couldn’t replace the quiet patience he had developed with you over these years. He had found you in the ruins, a one-year-old orphaned by flames, and every step you took now felt like proof of the decision he had made so long ago to protect you.

"You’re going to fall again if you don’t slow down," he murmured, voice soft, almost lost in the quiet room. You shook your head stubbornly, refusing to give him the satisfaction. Hao's eyes flickered faintly with warmth as he rose and moved just close enough to catch you if your legs gave out, but he didn't step forward preemptively. Every inch you gained on your own mattered.

You stumbled, and your knees hit the floor with a dull thud. Hao was instantly at your side, one hand steadying your small frame while the other pressed gently to your back. "See?" he said quietly.

You blinked up at him, exhausted, breath coming in small pants, and he simply crouched beside you, letting you rest against his side. "Again?" he asked, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.