Unedited*
The silence in the room was more terrifying than any words. None of them could find the right words to start.
"The Sword Master... Did you see him?" asked one of them, his hands clenched under the table, sweat running down his back despite the cold.
"...It was hard to recognize him," replied another with the same expression.
"How did he end up like that?"
"A curse," said another. "It had to be a curse," he repeated.
No one contradicted him.
One of them took a deep breath. He spoke. "We have to fight," he said. They had all been to the World of the Sword, so they understood the dangers they faced.
"We must," replied another. "With the help of the Sun Clan, we should be able to do it. They were also threatened."
"Are you an idiot?" One of them slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly. "You're both idiots."
"What did you say, bastard?"
