Hwarang got up early as requested by the gruff man who's name he had forgotten to get hold of but the man didn't bother to put an effort to tell him earlier.
With the aid of his personal maid which he found a weird, he got a nice bath and was dressed in a black robe, afterwards, he was given vegetables to eat, probably to make him grow healthy, but she had given him vegetables the other night and he wondered if the assassins would be given only vegetables.
She was kind enough to lead him out to the open courtyard where the assassins were training again like the previous night with brute leverage and remarkable fighting skills, both in sword fights and hand to hand combat.
None spared them a glance as they walked in, they continued relentlessly without distraction as they trained.
His eyes met the gruff man's cold hazel ones from afar as he caught sight of them before moving towards them, taking long strides in elegant footsteps as his body moved with a strong whiff of pride, melancholy whispering in the air around him.
His eyes darted to his personal maid for a split second before it dropped on him.
The maid's head was lowered, making sure she didn't look them directly in their eyes, and he realised she had never looked him in his eyes either, just how much power did the Hwarang harbor?
The maid bowed her head lower than it was, fingers linked together as her hands seated in front of her plain blue hanbok gown.
"Good morning my lord, the young lord is ready." She said with a timid voice as she tilted her head to his side.
Hwarang could see a pinkish tinge start to form on her cheeks and a smile threatening to run loose from her lips but she bit her lower lips down to stifle it.
Well, he couldn't blame her. The assassins were in all ways the epitome of quintessence, every chiseled face and muscular body was carved right to perfection.
The gruff man grunted with no reply on the maids word as his eyes were still glued to Hwarang with an unwavering steely gaze.
"I'll be leaving now, my lord, young lord."
The maid bowed before dismissing herself.
"Follow me." The gruff man commanded and without waiting for a reply, he veered around and started moving towards the east location, away from the training horde and into a different section of the house.
Hwarang followed behind him meekly into another network of labyrinth with hanji screened doors.
He had thought he would be trained aside with the rest of the assassins but he was wrong.
The gruff man went through a hanji screened door as he slid it open and he went behind him.
A few tens of young kids slightly older than him were training inside the spacious room with different fighting tools and hand to hand combat.
There was no older assassin in charge of the students as they trained but they didn't lag in the training.
The students caught sight of him and they abruptly stopped their training to bow their heads.
"Welcome Master Zhong!" They greeted in unison as they slammed a clenched fist on open palms with pointed elbows.
"I'm Zhong, Master in charge of your trainings." He turned to face Hwarang as he spoke and he bowed his head, as the other kids did in form of respect.
"Your training commences, first, twenty pushups." Master Zhong commanded and he saw himself gulp softly before going to carry out the command his master had ordered.
His body trembled slightly as he carried out the activity but he was surprised how quickly he adhered to it after a few trials.
Master Zhong taught him the basic etiquette of training along with the other kids who's level were obviously higher than his, it was evident that he was the only newbie and he could only hope they wouldn't bully him for being the weakest in the group.
"You will be made to take the oath of the Assassin Hwarang brotherhood when you're ready and you shall be taught the Hwarangdo, a special training only the Hwarangs are privileged to learn." Master Zhong informed him as he taught him the ways of the Hwarangs.
Master Zhong taught him how to wield the great powers of Maitreya surging inside of him and in a few years, he arrived at his peak of greatness in wielding the powers of Maitreya surging inside of him to elevated lengths.
For the next few years, his training elevated with every single passing day, each training more rigorous and brute than the last, challenging each day that passed with relentless skills and hectic training.
At the age of ten he was taught the special skill Hwarangdo which was privileged to the Hwarangs.
The Hwarangdo was a special skill assigned to the Hwarangs when they were deemed prepared for the training at any age when their chi surged opulently.
Most of the Hwarangs had been prepared for Hwarangdo at their adolescence age but it marvelled them when Hwarang was already prepared for the special training which required one's entire concentration and maximum resilience.
Hwarang grew in each passing day to become one of the best skilled assassins in the Hwarang, Master Zhong had grown an attachment toward the boy without realising it, not because he was one of their best, but because unlike the rest who darkened their hearts, a flicker of light retained underneath the thick cloak of darkness encompassing his heart.
At the age of thirteen, he was given his first kill on a solo mission.
His mission was to get rid of a minister in the high courts of the royal government who were discreetly planning to overthrow the king by gathering it's own followers to revolt against the rule of the king.
After his successful and quiet first kill, more missions piled up for him, some solo, others united with the other assassins.
He had grown close to his brothers in the assassin over the few years, they were supportive and accommodating, it made Hwarang acclimate to his new home better and he loved it.
The Hwarangs had five code of honor which they strongly lived by, it was as stated.
1. Loyalty to the country and the king
2. Devotion to the Hwarang brotherhood
3. Trust among the assassins
4. Never retreat in battle
5. Kill only with foresight
The Hwarang lived strongly by the five code of honor, not defying any one of the codes implemented on them by Maitreya.
Defiance of any of the codes was no less to treason and the punishment for defiance was death.
Fortunately, the Hwarangs we're honorable men who had a right virtuous and principled teachings along with their training, made them dignified and exemplary men who wouldn't dare desecrate a single rule in the codes, because violating it would mean a fatal taint in the Hwarang legacy that had been maintained and passed down from generations to generations.
Hwarang was fourteen years of age when he finally took the oath of the Hwarang. It was an oath made unmistakably and with wisdom, so they took the oath when they came of age to understand the essence and significance of the oath they were supposed to take which would make a great impact in their lives.
Darkness loomed over the land with only the moon emitting its dim light on them.
Hwarang hovered above the statue of Maitreya which they worshipped regularly, Master Zhong stood beside him with a knife in his hold.
"Take the oath of the Hwarang, an oath to symbolise Maitreya in its ways, an oath of the blood, an oath to loyalty, an oath to trust, an oath to death." Master Zhong's deep baritone voice echoed in the wind of the night, he remembered when he used to look down on Hwarang's small figure, but now the kid had grown an inch taller than he was, even though he was a very tall man, all the Hwarangs were. Exceptional in beauty and strength.
Hwarang took the knife from him, before poising his open palm atop the statue that symbolised Maitreya.
"I take my oath, an oath to symbolise Maitreya, an oath of the Hwarang, an oath to loyalty, an oath of the blood, an oath to trust and an oath to death."
He pressed the sharp blade against his palm enough to draw blood and his blood dripped from his slit palm down to the symbolism of Maitreya.