Sophie glanced at Ki who was standing behind her. "Go back now before the king finds out about this," he commanded.
"What about you? What are you going to do?" Sophie asked curiously.
"I still need that shelter for my friends," Ki replied, turning around and walking into the dense forest.
The door flew open as the king stormed into the castle, furious. All the maids gathered to greet him. Ignoring them, the king walked past to the hallway and entered his chamber.
Ki sneaked to the training ground with one goal in mind. He peeked around a corner, spotting two soldiers guarding the horses.
One soldier heard a noise and went to check. Finding nothing, he was suddenly taken out by Ki. The other soldier noticed his comrade's disappearance, only to be taken out by Ki from the shadows. Ki grabbed a horse and was about to leave when he spotted several barrels. Checking inside, he found them filled with liquor.
Alerted by the commotion, soldiers spotted a carriage outside the wall and immediately opened the gate to pursue it, sending troops after it. Clayman, arriving at the gate, demanded a horse and joined the chase. Zephyr, watching from a distance, saw the gate open and soldiers with torches dash out. "This is bad," Zephyr sighed. Septh also noticed the commotion. "Faster!" she demanded of the merchant, who whipped the horses vigorously. "I shouldn't have agreed to this," he exclaimed, panicking.
Soldiers on the watchtowers saw the group of horses chasing the carriage, but another noise caught their attention. Another carriage was approaching the gate, even though it was clear it wouldn't make it. This distraction gathered all the scattered soldiers to one area. Kenji and his men saw their opportunity. Laughing, they unsheathed their swords, setting houses, stalls, and anything flammable on fire as they marched to the castle.
The soldiers prepared for the approaching carriage, sensing something was wrong. There was no one in it, and they smelled liquor. Realizing what was about to happen, they panicked and broke their defense, jumping to avoid the anticipated explosion. The carriage crashed into the gate, spilling liquor everywhere. Confused by the lack of an explosion, one soldier sighed. Behind him, Ki, wearing a black cloak and holding a torch, appeared. The soldier sensed him and attempted to slash Ki, but Ki vanished, dropping the torch and setting the liquor ablaze. The fire quickly spread to the wooden gate.
Distracted by the fire, the soldiers scrambled as their commander ordered them to fetch water. He glanced at the distance, seeing smoke and fire consuming the wooden houses throughout the city. Shouts and cries filled the air as people tried to put out the fire, but it was too late. Kenji and his men had entered the castle, terrifying the maids. Kenji headed straight to the king's chamber while his men set everything ablaze.
Kenji cautiously entered the dark room, seeing the king sitting on his throne with hopeless eyes. "How can you do this to me?" the king asked, his head resting on his palms. "I brought you into this world and raised you. How can you turn against me?"
"You stated the reason, and you're still asking me?" Kenji replied. Unsheathing his dagger, he dashed at the king, but a shadow blocked his attack. Stepping back, Kenji saw a cloaked man. "Long time no see, Kenji," the man said. "Do you still remember me?"
The man removed his cloak, revealing dark curly hair, dark spots under his eyes, and scars across his eyes and throat. Kenji recognized him. "You! You're still alive?" Kenji raised his dagger, ready to fight.
"You do remember," the man laughed madly. "This time, I'll have my revenge."
Kenji, angered, had a vision of a smiling girl. "This time, I won't leave a scar but will separate your head from your body!" he shouted. The two clashed daggers fiercely.
Clayman, riding his horse to catch the carriage, passed the troops who had gone after it. "Zephyr, what have you done? You were the perfect man to inherit my will. What did you do to anger the king?" he whispered as he galloped in the dark. Nearing the carriage, Zephyr looked back and saw Clayman approaching. "I promised to protect the innocent," Clayman's voice echoed in his head. "I'm sorry, Clayman, but I have to do this." Zephyr grabbed a sword and stepped outside the stopped carriage.
Clayman dashed in front of them, causing Septh and the merchant to panic. Zephyr calmly stepped out. Smoke rose in the distance as troops approached. Turning to Clayman, Zephyr saw disappointment in his eyes. "Zephyr, I'm disappointed," Clayman said. Zephyr clenched his teeth and took his stance. Clayman unsheathed his sword and attacked, but Zephyr blocked, though the force made him jump back.
"I want an answer. Why are you escaping from the king?" Clayman demanded, eyes locked on Zephyr. "I'm sorry, but I'm doing this for my friend," Zephyr replied, resuming his fighting stance. The troops arrived, surrounding them. Septh and the merchant hid inside the carriage.
"Friend, you did all of this for your friends. Look what have you done." Clayman shouts as he points in the blaze of fire beyond the walls. "All of this was caused by you and your friends."
"But I have no choice. I have to protect what I have before I regret it." Zephyr shifted his gaze from Clayman's in shame. He is waiting for Clayman's answer.
"Is that so..." Clayman lowered his sword and sheathed it. "Remember this. A man can only be called brave if he is protecting those important to him. My father protected the smiles of the people because he values them. I protected this city because it is important to me. And you protect your friends because they are more important for you." Clayman commanded his troops to head back, and they rode back to the kingdom, now illuminated by fire and smoke. Zephyr sighed in relief, glancing worriedly at the kingdom. "Friend...you promised you would come back," he murmured.
Kenji's men were fetching gold from the treasury when one noticed Kenji hadn't returned. "Hey! Someone check on Kenji," he shouted. "I will," another responded-it was the man Ki had knocked out in the bar. He walked down the hallway and saw the open king's chamber. Peeking inside, he saw no one. "Yooohooo! Kenji, are you there?" The room was dark, lit only by a nearby fire outside. As he stepped in, a voice from the shadows stopped him. "Don't move if you want to live." It was the king, staring at him.
"I don't know where Kenji went, but I'll have the honor of eliminating you myself," the man said, stepping in and unsheathing his scythe. As he stepped, a spark startled him, causing him to fall. "Ouch, what was that?" He heard the sound of blades clashing but saw nothing. Looking more closely, he saw shadows fighting with incredible speed.
Kenji and the scar faced man were moving like the wind, their movements almost imperceptible. Kenji blocked an attack mid-air and landed, quickly jumping back to avoid another. His opponent was fast, too fast to read. Kenji thought of a plan, standing in the room's center, blocking every attack. He closed his eyes, maximizing his senses. In his mind, he imagined a water drop marking each movement of his enemy. He sensed a drop of water in front of him, behind him. It appears in two places, In three places. Everywhere like rain dropping on the ground. Sensing an opening, Kenji turned and swung his dagger, freezing in place along with his opponent. After a long pause, a drop of blood fell to the ground.