RIN

General Donghai stepped forward as he cut upwards at Rin in a fast, reflexive attack. Rin lept backward and slapped his blade aside with her own before sticking. General Donghai's brows raised in surprise, but he did not resist the blow, rather he turned the deflection over and cut at her head.

Rin lurched back, her nose a mere inch from his blade. The strands of her hair fluttered in the wind, while her bright emerald eyes became sharp.

Her heart was beating fiercely at this point. In anticipation, anxiety, and excitement!

Immediately, General Donghai shifted positions and increased the speed of his sword. Their blades continued moving, never resting.

The recruits watched the fight from a safe distance in awe. Every so often, a loud gasp of excitement echoed from the group. The moment the first strike took place, they were unable to follow the next movements afterward. Every time their blades made contact, it made a clear and mighty clang, like a song. It was as if they were dancing in the wind with swords.

What astounded them more was the fact that the young man was able to keep up with the large general, nonetheless, handle his fierce attacks. Rin stood in a very low stance, and yet she moved surprisingly fast, jumping on her toes as if she was dancing. Swift and shapeless as water, she was a snake evading the enemy with her whole body.

The scene made them speechless. They watch as the two continued their duel, neither backing down.

Stepping back, Rin's toes bounced a little, her robes fluttering beneath her. She couldn't suppress the smile on her face, her heart pounding even louder than before. For certain, she was unable to defeat General Donghai in terms of strength. However, that only meant she had to try other methods. Strategic methods.

Rin clutched her sword with such force that her knuckles turned pale. She took a deep breath while the corners of her mouth curled up. Relaxing her grip, she lunged forward again, body turning a little to his sides.

Taking note of her focus point, General Donghai shifted his blade to deflect, when suddenly his eyes widened in shock. After diverting the attack, he watched as Rin twisted her body and in such swift movements, switched the sword into her right hand.

General Donghai's pupils dilated. Before he could block the attack, he felt the tip of the blade poke his side.

Everything went silent. The clanging sound of swords ceased. Rin stepped back and lay her sword by her feet before bowing her head to the man across from her.

"Thank you, General Donghai. That was an excellent fight."

Hearing her words, General Donghai's black eyes glanced at the hands holding the hilt of her sword upright. He noticed both her hands and legs were shaking. It was clear near the end she had used the last bit of strength.

Returning his sword to the scabbard, General Donghai sighed.

"Thank you. As do you." Rin's mouth quirked in a small smile, for there was a trace of flattery in her voice.

"Now then," Turning her head to the group of recruits, her sharp gaze penetrated them one by one.

"My name is [1]Wang Lan. A strategist from the north. Starting today, I will be training you. I hope those of you who have joined did it for the heart of your empire. Because allow me to explain to you, I offer neither comfort, nor empty promises, nor warmth; I offer only pain, battles, and death. My goal is to make you the greatest you can be in the worst, most dangerous circumstances. Listen to me, follow me, abide by my orders, or leave and never return. Because I have no room for men who want nothing but to sit and defy me!"

Unlike her usually soft and kind voice, the Rin present currently carried the strict authority of a person in power.

The troops fell silent, taken aback by her words. They exchanged glances, and all of them saw a wisp of shock and fear in each other's eyes. Already, they saw the speed of Rin's sword was swift to the point where they were unable to see her movements clearly!

When Rin saw that recruits had finally gotten the message, her expression softened and returned to her usual tender smile. Her gentle demeanor also returned.

"Then let's begin!"

…

The town was afire, black plumes of smoke roiling and tumbling as they rose into a hard blue sky. Beneath broken walls of dried mud, riders galloped back and forth, swinging their long whips as they herded the survivors from the smoking rubble. Headless corpses filled the narrow, twisty lanes.

Among the chaos, a young man watched as the flames forced their way through the buildings, tendrils of smoke reaching desperately into the sky. In his hand, he held a burned children's doll.

"Aren't you going to join?"

The question came in a gently sardonic voice and the blue-eyed young man standing before the burning house turned his head. Manchu looked at An Ruo through a narrowed gaze.

"I thought you said we'd try negotiating with them first. Does that not benefit the clan more?" His reply had just the tiniest edge of challenge under his words.

The corners of An Ruo's mouth quirked in a small smile. In his right hand, he held a longsword that he rested over his shoulder - blood dripping at the tip.

"Possibly. But that will take too much time. It will be a lot faster if we clear out the first few provinces we encounter. Besides, this will catch the attention of the Capital, will it not?" An Ruo asked in a voice just too calm and grinned at the deadly look Manchu gave him.

Manchu's nostrils flared and white-hot fury pulsed in his veins. He looked away from An Ruo's gratified gaze and stared down at the small doll. Clutching it tightly, his knuckles whitened. At that moment, a hand reached out and took the doll from his grasp.

"For the young, the old, the weak, and the strong, death is inevitable." An Ruo dusted off the ash from the doll's face, his eyes unreadable. "But sometimes…others need a little push."

The doll that had once been in his hand was thrown into the burning flames. Manchu watched as the doll's body curled into the fire, its body shriveling into nothing but darkness.

"Their sacrifices and the others to come will all be for the greater good." He touched Manchu's shoulder and patted it.

Manchu turned to face him fully, blue eyes hardening as he straightened his spine.

"I'll remember that." He said with a slow, lurking smile of his own and shrugged An Ruo's hand off his shoulders eyes looking back at the home.

By the time the fire died out, the sky had turned a deep cobalt blue, though the stars still shone. Manchu's eyes squinted up at the twinkling lights. He recalled a saying he once heard from an old man, who accompanied him during his times as a slave.

The stars above are the souls of dead people. He bet the stars above were terribly angry.

Looking down at his hands, he frowned at the smudges of ash on his fingertips. His hands were dirty. Wiping his palms on his shirt, he gritted his teeth fiercely.

All of this was for the great or good.