Why Did You Quit?

"Can I ask you a question?" Shika asked.

In a sweaty mess, they were sitting crisscross-applesauce and rehydrating quietly. During their mini spar, both were testing the waters to compare each other's bo-staff styles. It became quickly noticeable that they were different as Shika's was more traditional while Hyeon's focused on performance. Either way, it was a pleasant change of pace.

Because Hyeon arrived late, their fight was only 30 minutes long. By 8:00 P.M., the fading daylight barely produced any illumination. Stopping now was A-okay with Hyeon. It can already be creepy when it was bright out and he didn't want to be anywhere outside when the mysterious blackness came. He could only imagine what sort of beasts made those hellish sounds. The creatures lurking around the borders during the velvety night would terrify any exorcist.

Taking another sip of his water, Hyeon said, "What's up?"

"Why did you give up bo-staff? You're rusty, but I don't have any doubt that you're good at it. For you to detect me before I could land a hit on you is a sign that you have impeccable intuition."

*Ah, the age-old question.*

If someone didn't know the story behind why he left the competitive world and the chance to become a pro, they wanted to hear the juicy details. An internet search of his name would provide the answers. Still, the specifics weren't something he wanted to admit.

"There was an accident and..."

Just mentioning it out loud caused sparks of vivid recollections from the past. Skidding tires. The van tumbling down the mountain. Seeing friends that were like family mortally wounded.

Hyeon wanted to hurl.

"Hey," Shika worriedly spoke. "Since it seems like a sob story, you don't have to tell me, but I think it's a good idea to keep training when you can. Not only to improve defending your life against these idiots here, but you seemed like you were enjoying yourself despite losing to my unbeatable skills."

Hyeon let the last bit slide. "Did I?"

"You constantly have this anxious expression with furrowed eyebrows, which by the way, can cause wrinkles. It makes the other servants think you're a weak little thing. During our practice, you looked more free."

A demonic yowl screeched from the dense forest outside the protective barrier.

At the sound, Hyeon said, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Well, since you are clueless about the ups and downs of the southern lights in general," he twirled a hand in the air. "I guess I have no choice but to answer."

*God, he's sarcastically blunt.*

"You were also like that, right?"

"Like what?"

As if on cue, the same wail screamed again.

Shika understood. "Ah, you mean how the spirits here were all blood-crazed monsters that consumed each other if we had the chance?"

Hyeon nodded. "I was told before that Master Fenrir made this place into a sort of rehabilitation center for animal demons. And he has to deem them worthy or something?"

Shika chuckled, "Haa. That sounds like a poor subplot for an online novel, but fundamentally yes. The Master will randomly get a feeling or hunch that there's a potential demon who can be saved. Since Master can't leave the property, he sends poor Mr. Sani to find them by describing a general area of where they could be. When I was found, I tried gouging out Sani's guts with my antlers!"

The deer continued, "All of us here have no memories of when we were alive. But just like how humans have an AA program, we also have a step-by-step system. For each stage we complete, we get more human characteristics and possibly a past memory. Some demons get these characteristics in the wild if they eat enough weak souls, but that can take years and years."

"During the final step, every memory from our sins return at once like a broken river dam. If we can accept what we did without going insane, Master Fenrir lets us reincarnate or transition to the northern lights. I'm sure you already know it's like heaven for us. If we can't acknowledge what we've done, well, we go berserk and revert back to our demonic selves. Those who fail are kicked out in their original form from when Sani found them with no chance of another redemption."

The unknown noise from before shrieked a third time. It was close. Too close. Goosebumps formed on Hyeon's arms and he instinctually wanted to hide.

Shika stood up and wiped the dirt off his dougi uniform.

"I guess it's time to go." He held out a hand to help him up.

Hyeon gratefully accepted, knowing well that his bones and muscles were going to be crying with soreness tomorrow. After heading in the castle, Shika securely placed a thick, wooden latch that extended from one end of the doors to the other. This was followed by a series of heavy deadbolts and chains.

Hyeon curiously acknowledged, "Don't all of those seem a little excessive? I mean, this place is protected by a huge smokey wall and a big wolf god, right?"

"Of course we don't want demons coming in from the outside, but we also need to keep certain, er, things from getting out," Shika winked.

*Keeping WHAT from leaving?*

"Goodnight. If you want to spar again, you know where I'll be." His new partner left the entry hall.

"Uh, right. See you," Hyeon said to no one.

_______________

[Shika]

Shika rounded the corner and made his way to the center of the castle. He felt guilty for abandoning the half-human to go to the servant's quarters alone, but there was something he wanted to confirm first.

On the way, a delicate black cat with a spine-chilling aura was limping its way to Hyeon.

*At least his cat will accompany him. I'll have to ask him later how he was able to snag a rare soul familiar. A menacing one at that.*

Arriving at his destination, Shika tried pushing down the lever handle on an old door. It was locked.

His tongue clicked against the roof of his mouth in annoyance.

*Tsk. Not this again.*

He knocked a few times before saying aloud, "Yo, open this door!"

A muffled voice from the other side replied, "Password."

"Um, no thanks. You know the rec room shouldn't be locked."

"That's not the password."

Shika rolled his eyes and nonchalantly spoke, "Weellll, then I suppose I should call Mr. Sani and complain. He'll be awfully angry to be disturbed considering he's probably doing some important meetings on Mount Olympus as we speak."

They didn't respond as the handle unlatched. Once in, he darted past Myron, the skunk spirit responsible for constantly playing this unnecessary childish game. Although the servants found him to be a nuisance, Myron was the recreational room supervisor who can temporarily ban spirits for the smallest things. Everyone wanted to enjoy the perks of using this room which included a few TVs, a computer, human music, pool tables, and other basic activities one would typically see. It was a privilege and not a right, so one disturbance would cause Myron to flip out. Just by being passive-aggressive to contact Sani, Shika was already on thin ice.

"Don't wear your dirty karate clothes next time," Myron snapped after him.

Again, I don't do karate.

If this white-haired guy with a black strip down the middle couldn't spray that nasty scent, Shika would gladly sucker-punch those oversized John Lennon glasses off his face. But that booty smell though...

There was only one desktop computer in the back and thankfully, no one was on it. Sometimes, Myron catches a spirit browsing human X-rated content which would result in at least a two-month ban.

Booting up Youtube, Shika typed in 'Hyeon Falken.' He wasn't one to snoop, but that boy was too skilled at bo-staff to not be unknown somewhere online.

Numerous clips displayed a bo-staff group with various performances and competitions throughout the world. He clicked on one of the more popular videos labeled "Arashikai Bōjutsu's Hyeon Falken Sets World Record at International Championships with Freestyle Routine."

His eyes boggled at the view count.

Ehh, it has 33.5 million views. Impressive.

The viral three-minute video featuring a teenage Hyeon was breathtaking even for Shika's blackbelt standards. The sole performer provided everything a judge would want to see in an award-winning execution. It included beautiful strokes, flawless flips and rolls, strong swings that would incapacitate heads, inhuman flexibility, and extreme confidence. Falken's face was in serious-mode, but his eyes read arrogantly, I know I'm the best.

*What happened to that overly-determined kid? I don't even recognize him.*

On Google, he searched Hyeon Falken's name again.

*Dang son. You even have a Wikipedia page.*

Shika expected to see more competition results and pictures, but under the Wiki link instead was flooded with reporting news articles.

They weren't good.

_______________

DRIVER, A 17-YEAR-OLD MARTIAL ARTS PRODIGY, IS LONE SURVIVOR AFTER CRASHING VEHICLE, KILLING SIZ BOJUTSU TEAM MEMBER PASSENGERS

TORONTO, ON, CANADA — Four minors and two adults are dead after an accidental car crash in the outskirts of Ottawa, ON, early Sunday morning. The crash occurred before 2 a.m. in the southernmost area of Papineau-Labelle Wildlife Reserve.

Hyeon Falken, an aspiring martial arts professional, volunteered to drive a van belonging to Arashikai Bōjutsu, an expert performance company specializing in bo-staff based out of Toronto, ON. Arashikai finished a show that evening in Montreal, QC, the last stop of their North American tour. The company decided to return to Toronto after the scheduled program.

According to police, a series of company vehicles carrying all 32 team members drove together, but Falken's van trailed last.

In Falken's statement, he was exhausted after a few hours and got lost, accidentally taking a wrong turn down a smaller trail leading into the reserve. The vehicle struck an unknown animal crossing the path.

The impact caused the van to drive off the mountainside road and tumble down a 100 ft. steep hill.

All except the two front passengers were not wearing seatbelts. The right front passenger, a minor, succumbed to his injuries at the Ottawa Emergency Hospital. Falken's injuries weren't as severe but suffered head trauma.

It's a miracle he's alive given the state of the vehicle damage, said police Sgt. John Olivers of the department's Collision Analysis Squad.

After examining the front bumper damage and Falken's description, police suspect the animal was most likely a small moose. It was not found at the scene.

A public memorial service will be held on November 29th for the deceased members.

It is unclear if Falken will be charged as an adult since his 18th birthday was a month away at the time of the accident. This is a developing story.

UPDATE. Charges will not be filed against Hyeon Falken.

_______________

The other articles had more information about the accident, aftermath, and speculations as to why the promising Hyeon Falken suddenly disappeared. The endless comments either blamed Hyeon for negligence or pointed fingers at the company for letting a teenager drive that far at night. While there were tons of supporters, there was also an equal amount of hate.

Shika leaned back and rubbed his tired eyes, soaking in everything he just read. He sighed.

"Sō desu ne. Wakarimashita." (I see. Understood.)