Jin returned to the Sect lands, wandering through the territories of the Ten Thousand Peaks until he reached the squad's headquarters. He stood at a high vantage point, looking down at the main courtyard. The team was training; the progress they had made was clear, and their mastery of the sword style he had invented was evident before his eyes. He then headed down to the headquarters.
Shortly after in the courtyard… Jin distributed the new weapons to the team. The members thanked him profusely, everyone noticing the exceptional quality of the blades.
Song, the historian, stood beside him and asked, "Why were you gone so long, Captain? Don't try to convince me that forging these weapons took all this time. Were you... hmm... it seems you've been a naughty boy, Captain."
Jin laughed softly, then smiled as he spoke, but that smile carried a weight of sorrow rather than joy.
Jin: "Man, your imagination is running wild. What was I doing? ... I don't know what to call it... perhaps, I was trying to understand this world a little."
Song fell silent for a moment, looking at the expression on Jin's face. Song might be a historian who knew nothing of combat, but he was ultimately a man of letters who understood emotions through words. What if he saw both words and faces? It was enough for him to realize there was something heavy on the Captain's mind that he could not voice.
Shao-Kan approached from a distance, excited: "What is this, Captain? Your sword looks different."
Jin paused for a moment, narrowing his eyes as he scrutinized Shao: "What is this? I told you to stop sleeping on your stomach, but it seems you're sleeping even more now. Anyway, draw the sword and look at it if you want."
Jin handed him the sword. As Shao-Kan drew it, he gasped in amazement.
"What is this, Captain? It's truly incredible. I don't know what materials it's made of, but I'm certain it's entirely different."
The rest of the members gathered, looking at the sword, mesmerized by its design.
Song asked him, "Did you forge it from your old sword?"
Jin: "How did you know?"
Song: "I was used to seeing you walk with that sword on your hip and the blade on your back, but I don't see either of them now."
Jin smiled, noting his sharp observation: "Yes, you're right. Even though it's a recycled sword, it's miles better than the previous one. Anyway, did you recruit the two new writers as I requested?"
Song: "Yes, they're asleep. They didn't expect you to come today. But... why did you change the sword in the first place? You told me it was made of Orichalcum."
Jin: "Ha, asleep? Ah, leave them be. If I were in their place, I'd be sleeping too. And the sword... it did its duty until the end."
Song smiled and asked, "Have you named this sword?"
Jin: "Yes, its name is... (Sinfonia della Notte)."
Yuan appeared behind him and asked, "What language is that?"
Jin: "Damn you, why do you always want to startle me?"
Yuan: "Because I want to."
Jin: "You bastard. That language is called Italian, from a country on Planet Earth."
Yuan fell silent for a moment, looking at Jin: "It seems... we need to talk a little."
In the evening, the two young men sat in the Captain's suite.
Yuan: "It seems there's a lot going on. Do you intend to talk about it?"
Jin looked at him for a moment, features of sadness appearing on his face: "I don't know where to start. There's so much... First... I met my father."
Yuan: "Huh? How?"
Jin: "I was undergoing a personal trial in the Tower. I was supposed to face a copy of myself, but I faced his copy instead. Yuan... it seems my home is in this same world, not a different one."
Yuan was silent for a moment. Jin had told him parts of his life before, so this part was truly strange.
Yuan: "Don't worry about that now. Tell me the story of the new sword. It's better to postpone thinking about that matter for later. You look like a fragile girl; I can't stand the whimpering of girls."
Jin replied with annoyance: "You really are a bastard. Damn you. ... Hmm... do you think our talent level with the sword is normal? And is it possible for there to be another person as strong as us at the same age?"
Yuan: "No, that isn't even a human talent to be considered normal. And no, it's not normal for someone else to have the same strength. How did you meet this person?"
Jin: "You have no doubt in that question. Damn your quick deductions. Anyway, he was different. He isn't a dark mage, nor a demonic swordsman; he's a Holy Knight."
Yuan: "A Knight? I didn't know Holy Knights possessed talent levels that reached this extent."
Jin: "That's why it's strange. He was stronger than me and had a skill similar to the Void Sphere. How did he become like that?"
Yuan fell silent for a moment: "Are you trying to claim you don't know? Do you think I don't know?"
Jin's eyes widened upon hearing this response: "When you met Chun Ma—no... your father now—did you find out about this?"
Yuan sighed, leaning back and resting his back against the wall: "Yes. It was madness. A Constellation whose age doesn't match his appearance at all. He told me about a skill called (Domain Expansion). He told me about the sponsorship of Constellations and said he would give me his sponsorship if I could convince him. That's why I'm certain there's a Constellation supporting that person without saying a word. Also, given that talent, the Holy Kingdom surely provides him with every kind of support. So, it makes sense that he'd become stronger than you."
Jin fell silent for a moment, thinking. Everything had been strange lately. The sponsorship of the Heavenly Demon was truly concerning, but one thing made Jin worry even more.
Jin: "You know, that illusion of the Sect Leader in the Testing Cave? You saw his talent level. Even my father, when I met his copy, had a talent like ours—even more. This world... is truly terrifying."
Yuan: "Man, don't let it get to you. Oh, right—the Elders' Council meeting is at the beginning of next month. Two days left. You missed the previous meeting. You'd better go."
Jin: "... Fine."