Pov Author
The training hall breathed history.
Its massive wooden beams arched overhead like ribs of some ancient beast, darkened by centuries of sweat, blood, and divine impatience. Symbols carved into the pillars had been worn smooth by time—half-forgotten warnings etched by hands that no longer existed. The floor bore scars that never fully healed: grooves carved by blades dragged in frustration, faint scorch marks where power had slipped, cracks that had been repaired only to reopen again.
This was not a place of comfort.
This was a place where failure stayed.
At the center of it stood Anna.
She adjusted her grip on the bow, fingers tight, shoulders tense. The weight of the weapon felt unfamiliar—wrong in a way scalpels never had. This was not a tool meant to save. It demanded certainty, and certainty had never come easily to her.
Kiyoshi stood beside her, calm as dawn.
"Breathe first," he said gently. "Then aim."
She inhaled, exhaled, lifted the bow.
Behind them—
Shou Feng sat.
He occupied the raised platform near the back of the hall, one leg crossed lazily over the other, black robes spilling like shadow around him. A porcelain tea cup rested in his hand, steam curling upward in thin, controlled spirals.
His black eyes followed Anna's every movement.
She released.
The arrow flew—and missed the target entirely, striking the wall with a dull thunk.
Anna grimaced. "That one… doesn't count."
Shou Feng sipped his tea.
"It counted," he said flatly. "It just failed."
Anna shot him a look over her shoulder. "I didn't ask for commentary."
"You're receiving it anyway."
Kiyoshi hid a faint smile. "Again."
Anna reset, jaw clenched. She raised the bow once more.
Released.
The arrow skimmed the outer edge of the target before veering off.
Shou Feng tilted his cup slightly. "Impressive. You almost offended the target."
Anna glared. "Why are you even watching?"
"Entertainment," he replied calmly.
"Then stop distracting me."
"You miss on your own," he said. "I merely witness it."
She scoffed. "You're insufferable."
"Yes."
Kiyoshi stepped closer, adjusting her elbow. "Don't fight the bow. Let it rest."
Anna nodded, focusing again.
The doors to the hall burst open.
"GOOD MORNING, ANCIENT TRAUMA AND EMOTIONAL DAMAGE—"
TWANG.
An arrow slammed into the floor right beside Mong's head, the vibration humming through the wood.
Silence.
Mong froze mid-step.
Slowly—very slowly—he looked down.
Then at the arrow.
Then up.
"…I see," he said carefully, "that today's theme is surprise death."
Anna's face drained of color. "Mong, I'm so sorry—I didn't see you come in—"
"Oh, it's fine," Mong said, patting his chest. "My soul only briefly left my body."
Shou Feng raised his cup slightly.
"Welcome," he said dryly, "to 'Enter at Your Own Risk.'"
Mong squinted at him. "You renamed it again."
"I rename it based on mood."
"So hourly."
Kiyoshi sighed. "Mong, perhaps stand farther back."
Mong shuffled sideways. "For the record, I would like a bell installed on her."
Anna groaned. "I apologized!"
"And I accepted," Mong said cheerfully. "After emotionally processing my near-death experience."
Shou Feng glanced down at him. "You should have sensed the arrow."
"I did," Mong replied. "I sensed it wanted me gone."
Another arrow flew.
It missed.
Shou Feng clicked his tongue. "Too tense."
Anna spun around. "You're not helping!"
"You're welcome."
Their argument continued—sharp, fast, almost comfortable in its hostility.
As they spoke, footsteps echoed again.
Measured. Calm.
Yuvan Yu entered the hall.
He stopped mid-step, eyes flicking toward Anna just as she released another arrow.
Without hesitation—
He caught it.
Two fingers. Clean. Controlled.
The arrow stopped inches from his face.
Anna stared. "Wow! That was… incredible."
Yuvan smiled gently. "Thank you."
Behind them, Mong's eyes lit up. "Oh this one's pretty."
Shou Feng did not speak.
His tea cup cracked.
The sound was faint—but Kiyoshi heard it.
The pillar behind Shou Feng groaned, a thin fracture crawling upward like a warning.
Yuvan approached Anna calmly. "May I?"
She nodded, a little breathless.
He adjusted her grip, careful, respectful. "You hesitate at release. Trust yourself."
She listened.
Released.
The arrow flew true.
Starlight bloomed briefly at the center of the target.
"I did it!" Anna exclaimed, laughing—and hugged Yuvan without thinking.
Shou Feng's smile did not falter.
But the pillar behind him cracked further.
Mong noticed and murmured happily, "Ah. There it is."
Kiyoshi's gaze sharpened—not at Yuvan, but at Shou Feng.
Yuvan didn't feel the godly pressure behind him. He only smiled, stepping back.
"You're learning quickly," he said.
Anna nodded, glowing.
Shou Feng stood.
Slowly.
The hall seemed to hold its breath.
To be continued…
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