Yujin finished his usual training and dried his damp hair with a towel. His body felt sticky with sweat, but he didn't mind much.
Buldrokkas'tee watched him with a look of quiet pride.
Three years had already passed since they first met. While some might call it a short period, it had been a long and arduous road for both Yujin and Buldrokk.
"…Look at that. Does that even look like a human body to you? He's a walking lethal weapon."
Kalaisha spoke from the bench where she always sat, though her eyes were crinkling with a smile. Buldrokk glanced at her and clicked his tongue.
"You're far gone, too."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing."
Watching his friends, who had maintained the same dynamic for three years, Buldrokk hoped this bond would never break. He knew well enough to stay away from the complicated emotions of women; he could only hope that Yujin's future would remain peaceful.
"This is the last time, isn't it?"
Yujin walked over to Buldrokk while wiping his neck. He had followed Buldrokk's grueling instructions perfectly. In the beginning, he had struggled just to run while wearing the binding shackles.
That was no longer the case.
If Buldrokk had reached his zenith through innate power, Yujin had reached his through sheer, relentless effort. Their spars reflected this. Having adapted to the Decay and forged a body of steel, Yujin's movements were now entirely free. Buldrokk, who never imagined he would be pressured, had experienced the bitter taste of defeat and an insurmountable wall for the first time.
"…Yes, Yujin. Have you decided on your destination?" Buldrokk asked.
Yujin had been preparing for a journey for the past year, and the time had finally come. He had kept his destination a secret until the very end. Buldrokk thought he would reveal it today, the eve of his departure.
"I have, but I'll tell you tomorrow."
Buldrokk sighed as Yujin continued to be elusive. He had a rough idea of where the boy was headed, but he wouldn't know for sure until he heard it. Kalaisha leaned forward, peering at Yujin.
"Why are you being so secretive? And you're really going alone?"
"Well, it's more fun to find out on the day. Just wait and see."
When Yujin first announced his plan to leave, it wasn't as if no one offered to join him. Theresia had declared she would follow him to the ends of the earth. But Yujin had insisted on traveling alone. No one knew the true reason why he felt he had to go out into the world by himself. The Master might have known, but no one dared to pry.
"Are you not feeling any regret?" Buldrokk asked Kalaisha with a smirk.
"About what?"
"You usually hide your emotions behind high energy. I'm just asking if you'll miss him."
Having grown up like siblings alongside Theresis and Theresia, Buldrokk and Kalaisha were close. Kalaisha's response was a sharp kick to Buldrokk's shin before she stormed off.
"Gah."
Buldrokk let out a sharp grunt of pain.
Leaving them behind, Yujin walked through the mansion. He knew every corner and corridor of this place now; though he felt a touch of sadness at leaving his home of three years, it was overshadowed by the excitement of a new journey. He spotted Theresis in the hallway, looking uncharacteristically drained.
"I'm the one leaving, so why do you look more exhausted than I do?" Yujin asked, patting him on the shoulder.
Theresis looked at him with eyes full of resentment.
"Sure, enjoy your little trip. I'm stuck here. Not only do I have enough work to drown in, but I've been stuck dealing with my sister's 'mood' lately. Do you have any idea how much of a nightmare it's been?"
"Theresia has a 'mood'?"
"Yes. You wouldn't know because she doesn't show it to you, but the closer your departure gets, the more her personality..."
Theresis's mouth suddenly snapped shut. His face twisted with irritation, and after a moment of silence, his jaw finally moved again.
"Why'd you stop?"
"Dammit. Did she really set a mental trigger on me just in case?"
Trigger. Hearing that word, Yujin immediately thought of Theresia's Arts.
"Forget it. You wouldn't believe me anyway. Just take care of yourself. If I hear that you got hurt or killed... I don't know what will happen."
"Wow, actual concern for once."
Yujin laughed as Theresis walked past him, raising a middle finger over his shoulder. Their relationship used to be stiff and formal, but this was much better.
At the end of the hall was the library where the Master resided. Netsalem sat there, reading a book through his glasses.
"You've come."
"This is the last session."
"Hmph. You say that as if you didn't already clear my trials long ago."
Yujin had completely adapted to the Decay, the life-stealing Art. At first, it had been a brush with death; later, he regained his baseline senses. By the end, he had fully conditioned himself, reclaiming every ounce of his combat instinct within the rot.
"Now, Arts similar to mine will have no effect on you. Toxins, as well."
"Oh, so it's like that 'Immunity to a Thousand Poisons' thing from the old stories?"
"…Spending time with Kalaisha has filled your head with nonsense," Netsalem remarked.
Watching the two of them grow similar over the years gave the Master pause. He wished Yujin had only picked up her good traits, but he had picked up the strange ones as well.
"I've been hearing that a lot lately."
"I don't know if you're becoming like her, or if you're just becoming the person you were meant to be."
The eyes that were once filled with terrifying fear and venom were gone. Netsalem had hoped Yujin would finally find peace here, yet he was choosing to leave again. They had been Master and disciple for three years; despite his best efforts, Netsalem had grown attached to him.
"Are you prepared?"
"I made up my mind a year ago. I'd be in trouble if I weren't prepared by now."
"The world is not as easy as you think. There are those who will pour out malice for no reason, and those whose values are entirely alien to your own."
"Master." Yujin smiled, reassuring him. "I climbed up from the very bottom. If I worried about those things, I never would have made it this far."
Netsalem, who knew the difference between being used to hardship and simply enduring it, watched him through narrowed eyes. He simply hoped Yujin wouldn't be broken by the world's currents.
"Very well. But I have a favor to ask of you."
"A favor? For me?" Yujin pointed to himself.
"It is not a command, nor is it something you must do. Just keep it in mind if you happen to come across it. Since you are going to Kazimierz."
Kazimierz—the land of knights Yujin admired, and his ultimate destination.
"A message has arrived," Netsalem continued. As the King of the Nachzehrers, he was privy to the news of other Sarkaz sub-races. "From the Banshees."
At the mention of the Banshees, Yujin looked curious. "Weren't they in seclusion in their valley?"
"Semi-seclusion, to be precise. They haven't vanished entirely. They are a race that values lineage and tradition. Since they are not on good terms with the Royal Court, they have requested my personal help in secret."
"What was the request?"
Netsalem leaned his head on his hand. "A princess has run away."
"…Pardon?"
"A princess has fled."
Yujin was momentarily stunned, while Netsalem looked like he had a massive headache just thinking about it.
"But why?"
"The culture of the Banshees, I suspect. Their traditions are... let's just say, not for everyone."
Yujin knew about the Banshees—hunters and messengers of death who blew into bone whistles and were notorious for being master backstabbers. While they were respected by the Vampires, many other races kept their distance because of their unsettling customs.
"So a princess went AWOL?"
"Indeed. And the place she fled to happens to be..."
"Kazimierz."
"You understand. If you happen to cross paths, see if you can persuade her to return. A Banshee is easy enough to identify by sight."
They had irregular, branch-like horns. Identifying one would be simple enough.
"I'll keep an eye out, though it isn't the main goal of my trip."
Netsalem knew very well why Yujin was heading to Kazimierz.
"The Major... the knightly sports. Must you do this?"
"It's one of my dreams."
Since he called it a dream, Netsalem could say no more. But Yujin carried the blood and title of a Sarkaz. If a Sarkaz were to win the Major... would Kazimierz, or the K.G.C.C., ever allow that to happen?
Netsalem worried for him, and for the runaway princess. But he would not stand in the way of his disciple.
"Go, then. Your time is almost upon you. I pray for your safe return."
"…Thank you, Master."
One more day. His long journey was finally about to begin.