His attire stood in stark contrast to the blue training uniforms worn by the other warriors. Tailored to fit him perfectly, Sahan's red training uniform exuded an aura of intimidation that made him seem formidable.
"Ah, Sahan."
"Pfft—"
Without warning, he chuckled softly, catching Lynn off guard. Confusion crossed her face as he suppressed his amusement, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
"It's hard to explain, but there's something amusing about you calling me by name."
"Huh?"
"Nah. Want to spar with me?"
Lynn hesitated, her expression turning awkward. The Sahal Warriors pretended not to be interested, yet their subtle glances betrayed their curiosity.
"Oh, um. I don't really have the confidence for that yet."
With heavy steps, Sahan approached her, drawing one of the swords from its scabbard and offering it to her. His confident smile contrasted with her vacant stare at the weapon now in her hands.
"Who knows? Your body might just remember."
He drew his own sword, positioning himself a few paces away. The playful demeanor he had moments ago faded, replaced by a serious intensity in his gaze.
As Lynn gripped the sword, a strangely familiar sensation coursed through her hands. Yet before she could fully process it, an anxious tremor rattled her thoughts.
Hey, wait a sec—are we seriously using real swords? There are plenty of wooden ones right over there.
Weren't we friends or something...?
Swallowing hard, she cast a nervous glance at him.
Just then, before she could voice her mental complaints, Sahan charged at her, his sword flashing brilliantly in the sunlight.
Eek, aaah!
Instinctively, she raised her sword to block the blade swinging down toward her.
Clang!
The impact reverberated through her arms as his full body weight bore down, causing her to falter and step back.
Unconsciously, she swung her sword sideways, aiming for his left leg. But Sahan deftly twisted away, easily batting her blade aside.
"See? You do remember after all."
He raised an eyebrow, a smirk dancing at the corners of his mouth. The clash of swords rang out repeatedly as Lynn instinctively deflected each of his strikes, her movements driven by an instinct she couldn't quite understand.
An inexplicable familiarity spread through her, intertwining with a sense of foreignness that made her momentarily frown.
Just then, she startled, lifting her sword as a glinting blade came crashing down inches from her face.
Sahan showed no signs of holding back.
In their close-quarters struggle, Lynn locked eyes with him. While she strained to fend him off, he maintained a calm composure, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"You've got way more openings than before."
"Ugh," she grunted, trying to catch her breath.
"From the moment you grab the sword, Lynn, drop all other thoughts."
With a furrowed brow, she mustered her voice, which betrayed a hint of exertion.
"...Is your shoulder okay?"
He fell silent for a brief moment. Although he had been holding back, he knew he could effortlessly overpower her if he chose to. Her naive question struck him with disbelief.
"You're worried about me in this situation?"
"...Well, you know."
For the first time, he noticed the sweet fragrance that wafted from her, and it surprised him how pleasant it was.
"There's no way you'd actually hurt me."
We're friends, after all.
Her steady gaze remained fixed on him, a reflection of unwavering trust that made Sahan scoff lightly.
"Ha."
He lowered the sword that had been locked with hers, sliding it back into its scabbard. After a moment's pause, he casually tossed the sheathed sword onto a nearby plank and turned his back to her.
"Don't lower your guard too much."
Lynn stood there, dazed, watching Sahan's retreating figure as he walked away, her heart pounding in her chest.
***
A forsaken sliver of glory: the Brendell Kingdom.
Once a land of aspiration, it served as a refuge for every wanderer.
In this realm, even a solitary blade of grass, pushing through barren ground, displayed a tantalizing elegance.
The Brendell Dynasty, basking in the reverence and adoration of its subjects, held a reputation for grandeur that stretched far beyond its borders.
Yet, this seemingly flawless radiance was nothing more than a pretense. Concealed beneath it lay an abhorrent and merciless truth.
It all began with a curse unleashed upon the Brendell Dynasty by a nomadic widow. Concealing her sharp nails within flowing sleeves, the elderly woman delivered a blood-curdling pronouncement:
- Lo, the moon ascends. A mean-spirited wolf pup settles in the royal house. Your ultimate gasp. Your final moment of grandeur. That very splendor I shall snatch away.
- Forsake it and perish; embrace it, and death shall reign. The seed of demise, you've already conceived it. As the seed germinates, your last vestige of glory, even that grandeur I shall strip away.
The woman, spewing curses with manic eyes, was brutally beheaded. Even in her final moments, as she spat blood, the madwoman's vacant gaze still gleamed with insanity.
Though the entire royal family tried to hush it up, the curse spread openly, losing none of its inherent power. Eventually, it permeated the whole Brendell Kingdom, and rumors of a cursed child born into the royal family became the talk of the town.
The royal family issued an official statement, declaring that such a thing would never happen and threatening severe punishment to anyone who dared to speak of the curse.
After that, the unsettling whispers that had been quietly shaking Brendell began to subside gradually.
On a night when the sharp crescent moon exposed the cruelty of the royal family, a newborn child was brought into the world within the depths of dawn, while everyone else slept. The anxious second queen, flustered and desperate, hurriedly examined the child's body.
Upon noticing a small mark on the crying infant's chest, her face crumpled in despair, tears mingling with sweat as they streamed down her cheeks.
She embraced the child in desperation, her heart pounding at the sight of the faint symbol hastily etched in blood on the right side of the child's chest—a mark that unmistakably resembled a wolf baring its teeth.
***
"Hwan, what are you doing there?"
As Hwan stood by the window, fixated on a particular spot, a woman approached. She was tall with a lean physique, her long straight hair pulled into a high ponytail, giving her a strikingly fresh appearance.
Her attire, identical to that of Hwan and Sahan, fit snugly against her svelte form. Hearing someone call out to him, Hwan turned his head to face her.
"...Garnet."
As she came closer, Garnet glanced at what he was observing. Her eyes fell upon a woman engaged in a sparring match with Sahan amidst the Sahal warriors training in the field.
"Hmm." Garnet squinted slightly, her delicate lips curving into an amused smile.
"Is that the girl? The one they say was brought back as a war trophy from the mission?"
Hwan offered no specific reply, simply nodding. Within his line of sight, he observed the woman laboriously deflecting Sahan's relentless onslaught.
"I was told she was quite something, so I was curious," Garnet continued, a hint of disappointment in her voice.
"But her skills are rather underwhelming. Did she lose her memory or something? Is that why she's like this?"
Quietly observing, Hwan responded with a single word, devoid of emotion.
"Her skills weren't bad."
"Oh, really?" Garnet smirked, her long lashes half-veiling her widely set eyes.
"Eh, time will tell, I guess."
Silence fell between them for a moment.
"Looking forward to a match with her," Garnet said, her piercing gaze fixed on Lynn, her vivid red lips curving into a broad smile.
***
Moments ago, after an unexpected sparring match with Sahan, Lynn had entered the building, feeling as if all her energy had been sapped away.
Before picking up the sword, she had been completely at a loss. However, once it was in her hands, she experienced an unexpected sense of familiarity. As she trudged through the hall lined with bronze sculptures, she silently pondered Sahan's recent words:
'Don't lower your defenses too much with others.'
What was that supposed to mean?
Lost in thought, Lynn was startled as Hwan approached from a distance.
Oh, what should I do? Should I say hello?
Watching him walk toward her, she felt an inexplicable awkwardness and found herself clearing her throat unnecessarily. Suddenly, Hwan was right beside her. In an attempt to mask her unease, she gave him a quick wave.
"...Hi there?"
Come on, respond... She had silently begged him to return her greeting countless times. Hwan merely tilted his head slightly, noticing her clumsy attempt at a smile, before brushing past her without a word.
Whoosh—
Lynn swallowed hard as the awkwardness of the moment seemed to plunge the ambient temperature by a good ten degrees.
...Well then. Looks like I wasn't really friends with them after all.
After drawing this straightforward conclusion, Lynn continued walking with a bitter laugh when a man's voice suddenly called out from behind her.
"You."
Huh? She turned her head. The tall man had stopped in his tracks, looking down at her. Sharp eyes peeked out from his mid-length, pitch-black hair, fixing her with a detached stare that seemed to pierce right through her.
Faced with his expressionless demeanor, Lynn involuntarily lowered her gaze.
He's not exactly staring me down, but geez, what's with this guy's ice-cold atmosphere?
"Take care of yourself."
Huh?
Lynn, wondering what he was about to say, remained quiet, raising her eyebrows in expectation.
"It means you should know better than to get into situations like that again."
"What situation? Are you talking about my sparring with Sahan?"
Did he see that?
"Yeah."
Oh, so that's it. He witnessed it.
But why should I avoid it? Does he think I'm not fully healed?
Wait, could it be... is he worried about me?
A flood of pointless questions rushed through her mind, but she deliberately kept them to herself.
Well, to spill out all these trivial thoughts... I guess there's just this sense of distance with this man, isn't there?
Meanwhile, Hwan stood with folded arms, simply observing Lynn's ever-changing expressions.
I've never encountered anyone whose inner thoughts are so blatantly exposed through their expressions.
Naivety or pure idiocy?
Having concluded that she was foolish, he continued with what he had intended to say.
"Get stronger on your own. Even if it's just for the people who care about you."
For Hwan, this was all he could offer.
His monotone voice trailed off as he pivoted on his long legs and walked away with deliberate steps, unaware of the ripples his words had caused in Lynn's heart.
...I knew it! You really are worried about me, aren't you, Hwan?!
That one sentence was all it took for the mysterious barrier in her heart to come tumbling down with a soft 'thud.'