RIN

When Bo Guozhi asked what the issue was, he was surprised by the words he heard.

"Sir, I would like permission to leave for the Western Empire."

The moment An Sun finished speaking, Bo Guozhi seemed taken aback, his brows furrowed. A rare expression of skepticism on his face. He had been silent for a moment before he leaned forward in his seat, hands folded on the desk.

"As your commander, I must ask your reason for wishing to go west. You must know the Western Empire is not an easy territory to cross." Bo Guozhi tapped a finger on the desk.

"I am well aware, sir. I wouldn't make such a request if it wasn't important." An Sun said.

"Mm, then do tell what this reason is."

An Sun paused for a moment then spoke up.

"I received word from a companion of mine residing in the Western Empire that it is currently under attack by an unknown enemy. Three of their provinces have already been destroyed."

A frown marked Bo Guozhi's face.

"Let me see the letter," He waved his hand.

Taking the folded paper from his pocket, An Sun passed it to the commander. While reading the letter, Bo Guozhi's expression gradually changed. When he finished, he looked up at An Sun with a narrowed gaze.

"Who is this companion of yours?" He asked seriously.

"Bai Rin." An Sun said without further identification, but it was enough for Bo Guozhi to react.

"The granddaughter of the Bai family?" Bo Guozhi stared at him, eyes wide in astonishment, and An Sun nodded.

Bo Guozhi gazed at him for several seconds, clearly considering what he'd just been told, then shook his head.

"This matter…I will investigate it. But I can not promise I will be able to help. After all, we are not in an alliance with the west."

An Sun felt his hands close into fists behind his back.

"But innocent people are dying. Did we not vow to fight to protect those in need of help?"

Bo Guozhi replied sternly, "Our job is to protect those of our own. The Northern Empire does not need to assist the west. Those matters lie on their territory, not ours."

An Sun's jaw clenched in a suppressed anger. Those gray eyes barely concealed the rage seething within as he spoke, "What if their enemy takes over the Western Empire and goes for the north? Then what do we do?"

"Then we defend our people as we always have." Bo Guozhi said calmly in his seat.

After hearing his words, An Sun was even more bothered. He could not help shift his deep eyes to look at the letter in the commander's hand.

And yet he still couldn't protect the ones he cared for. The ice in his eyes burned suddenly hot with remembered emotion, and his nostrils flared.

Noticing the grim expression on An Sun's face, Bo Guozhi sighed heavily.

"An Sun, you are now a captain in charge of the lives of your recruits. In a few years, perhaps you will be promoted and eventually become commander. However, no matter your rank, there will always be a force stronger than yourself. It's a harsh truth, but that's how life is." Bo Guozhi said, and his voice was sharper than before, edged with command.

"I will look into the situation in the west, but as I said, I can't guarantee we can be of any assistance. I would like to help, but this is a force beyond my control. Even if it happens to involve saving the Bai family's granddaughter."

Silent, An Sun stood as he took in the words of his commander. The more he heard, the calmer his expression became - they were hitting him within his heart.

"Do you understand?" Bo Guozhi's tone sharpened.

Raising his head, An Sun gave a strained smile. "I understand, sir."

Grunting in approval, Bo Guozhi folded Rin's letter and handed it back to An Sun.

"Return to your quarters and wait until I receive information on this event. I will call you the moment I hear anything."

"Yes, commander." An Sun nodded and turned to leave the office when Bo Guozhi's voice paused his steps.

"An Sun…This may be hard, but don't worry yourself too much. I'm sure the Bai family's granddaughter is a clever girl."

With his back still toward Bo Guozhi, An Sun's teeth grated audibly.

"I know…" With that, he left the office.

Outside the office, An Sun stalked down the halls in a black, bleak intensity so deep that the door warden physically flinched away from him. In his defense, An Sun had no idea his fury showed, which was, of course, yet another sign of its seething power.

When he arrived in his bedroom once more, the small brown falcon was still present, its body resting on his pillow. Approaching the tiny bird on the bed, An Sun reached out and carefully stroked Ju's head. The falcon didn't retreat and rather closed its eyes in comfort.

"Your master was right…" An Sun said in a low voice. "I am rather impulsive."

…

Late in the night of Jinping barracks, a figure could be seen slipping through the night, his figure moving along the shadows. Moving out the door and into the courtyard, An Sun put two fingers into his mouth and whistled as softly as he could. A brown horse came galloping toward him, it's head bumping against his. An Sun stroked its head and prepared to mount the horse when a voice ceased his movements.

"Captain Sun? Where are you going?" Fan Mingli, who woke up in the night to train early, was surprised to see the young man slipping out the door.

Behind Fan Mingli were the other recruits during their first mission together. They too were surprised at the scene before them. Seeing the group of men look at him with a confused and skeptical expression, An Sun sighed heavily. Stepping back from his horse, he turned to the group.

"There's something I need to take care of."

One of the men's eyes widened. "You mean…You're leaving?"

An Sun said nothing, but the men needed no words to read the thoughts behind his eyes, and Fan Mingli chuckled harshly.

"Why?" He demanded bitterly.

"Yeah, why? What's so important that you need to take care of?" Another recruit joined in on the questioning.

Sighing, An Sun looked up at the sky to see the sun was rising behind the mountains. It would be morning soon. If he didn't leave now, the others would wake up and for certain, Bo Guozhi would have him monitored.

Rather than offering a full explanation, An Sun kept it brief.

"There's trouble in the Western Empire where a friend of mine is taking refuge. I intend to help them."

The men were momentarily shocked by his words. The Western Empire was in trouble?

But more importantly, An Sun was leaving...

"So, you're leaving just like that? After becoming captain and leading us, you're just going to throw it all away?" Fan Mingli spat, unable to contain the hurricane of emotions whirling within him. "I thought you were better than that, but it turns out you're just…"

"Fan Mingli."

The whipcrack authority of those two words cut through Fan Mingli's white-hot tirade like a knife, and he froze. For one dreadful instant, everyone seemed to hold their breath, unmoving, waiting, paralyzed between one moment and the next.

"I'm not abandoning my position, and I'm certainly not abandoning any of my men. I made a vow to you that I intend to keep." An Sun's voice was colder than a northern winter and sharper than a long blade. "But right now, I need to complete the vow I made to another. When I finish my duties there, I will return to all of you as your captain. I have already settled in a letter who will be in charge during my absence."

Fan Mingli and the men said nothing. After a moment of silence, one man walked to the front and looked at An Sun hesitantly.

"This…This threat in the Western Empire…is it dangerous?"

An Sun sighed and shook his head. "I won't know how serious or dangerous it is until I get there."

Growing silent again, all the men looked at one another with an unreadable look. When looking back at An Sun, the man's expression revealed resolution.

"In that case, I would like to join you, Captain Sun."

The man's words not only shocked the rest of the group but An Sun as well.

He continued, "You vowed to protect those we care for, and as your men…it's only fair we do the same. As our captain, we should protect you as you've done for us."

It only took a few seconds after the man spoke for another to chime in.

"He's right. Captain Sun, if it wasn't for you I wouldn't have been able to learn how to shoot at a target!"

"Yeah, me too!"

Fan Mingli watched the men's reactions, then stared at An Sun where their eyes met. Pursing his lips, he let out a loud huff.

"Captain Sun, I always thought of you as a brave man. But today…I see nothing but a fool."

"Hey, Fan Mingli…" A man frowned but was interrupted by Fan Mingli's raised hand.

"Leaving behind the title you've earned, and the men you trained to carry out the vow you made to another makes me realize what a fool you truly are."

Staring into An Sun's deep gray eyes that glinted slightly with surprise, Fan Mingli grinned.

"Because of this, I can't help but want to serve alongside you even longer."

An Sun stood completely motionless for almost a minute. Then he tossed his head and turned to the men, and this time his smile was almost natural.

"I see," He chuckled and shook his head helplessly. "Then if you're willing to fight alongside me, I will do my best to protect you as I hope you will for me."

The men's eyes brightened, and they nodded their heads.

"Yes, Captain Sun! You can count on us!"

An Sun concealed an amused smile and turned back to his horse.

"Well, hurry up then. You have five minutes to get ready, or I'm leaving without you."

Just as he finished his sentence, the men fled to their rooms to collect a few belongings for the new trip they would take on. An Sun watched their departing figures and chuckled.

Looking above to see a certain bird hovering above him, An Sun's smiles deepened. Touching the letter in his pocket, a look of determination flit across his face.

"I'm coming for you, Rin."