Squire Village

Tara and Kira led Shun onwards to an inn. Tara paid for two rooms, one for him and one for the kids. Once they settled in, Shun paid his respects to the dead for the second time of the day. Just as he was finished, Tara walked into the room. An attendant came to their room and Tara ordered some tea and a plate of rice crackers. As they waited for their snacks and drink to arrive, Tara decided to test Shun some more. He asked the boy many questions, basic ones, ranging from mathematics to history to literature. The answers he received back shed a lot of light on the boy. It appears that Shun had a very rudimentary education on most subjects, such as mathematics and history and grammar, but he was completely ignorant of other crucial subjects that are the foundation of education in the city; subjects such as literature, poetry, and science. He had knowledge on hunting methods, agricultural cultivation, and basic zoological anatomy, but most of this information wouldn't prove useful to him at all in the city.

Kira, meanwhile, was listening to the whole thing and she quickly grew impatient from her father stealing all of Shun's attention. "Geez, Father, what's with all of the questions?" she whined. "I want to play with Shun-wan now!"

"I just need to assess his educational level so that I know what it is he already knows," he reassured his daughter.

By this time, the snacks and tea arrived. Kira's attention immediately turned to the rice crackers and she took two, one in each hand. She handed one of them to Shun, who meekly accepted it, and finished her own in three bites. Shun shyly nibbled on his.

Tara poured the tea into three cups and handed Shun and Kira each one. Kira blew on the key and downed it. The tea warmed her body and she let out a satisfying sigh. Tara was a little annoyed with his daughter's lack of refined appreciation for the tea and reprimanded her by saying, "Don't drink in one gulp. That is disrespectful to your guests and to the tea."

"The tea was delicious!" said Kira cheerfully, ignoring her father's words.

"This is White River Jasmine Tea," informed Tara. "Do you know as to which family this tea belongs too?" he asked his daughter.

Kira was immediately put on the spot and she froze. And then she quickly placed her hands on her head and closed her eyes. "White River Jasmine Tea…White River Jasmine Tea…White River Jasmine Tea…," she mumbled to herself. And when she thought she had the answer, her eyes sprang open and her hands flew back down to her sides. "The Heavenly Brothers!" she answered confidently.

"Wrong," said Tara with a disappointing shake of his head. "It belongs to the Six Emperors Family."

"Shoot," cursed Kira. Tea culture was hard and she didn't understand it all one bit, even after all of the drilling her father had done to her.

"Now, can you tell me which emperor this tea is dedicated to?" asked Tara with a raised eyebrow.

"Ban Fadi!" answered Kira with unwavering confidence.

"Om Lairen," corrected Tara. "Have you studied your teas like I asked you to?" he asked his daughter.

"Who cares about tea?" groaned Kira.

"Understanding tea is an important part of our culture. It is an art in itself," said Tara. He then turned to Shun and asked in a softer tone, "Are you familiar with tea culture, Shun?"

Shun shook his head no. "Back in my village, we only drank green tea," he answered honestly.

"Mount Kenglai Tea or Jade Fairy Tea?" asked Tara.

"I don't know the name, but mostly the elders drink it," said Shun.

"Well, coming from a village, it makes sense that you are not exposed to many things that are a part of the high culture of society," said Tara. "I have learned about tea culture from my own master when I was only a little bit older than you right now. I hope to pass it onto my daughter. But…." He turned to Kira and made an exasperated face.

Kira quickly grab Shun by the hand and sprinted to the door. "I'm off to go play with Shun!" she called back to her father before sticking her tongue out and exiting the room without waiting for his reply. She happily dragged Shun behind her as she ran out the inn. "Where do you want to go play?" she asked him after letting go of his hand.

"Play?" he asked her.

The sounds of an excited crowd caught Kira's attention and she turned to the west. "Ooh, ooh! Something's happening over there! Let's go!" she told him. She again grabbed his hands and dragged him over to the spectacle.

The crowd had gathered around two men engaged in combat. The first man was a middle-aged butcher with a fat body and a very thick neck. He had an equally thick black mustache atop his upper lip and beady black eyes. Fighting against him was a younger man with handsome features. He had sparkling yellow eyes and spiky black hair with yellow streaks. The butcher was sweating hard and his apron was covered with dirt. On the other hand, the younger man looked like he had barely wasted an ounce of energy and was still glowing in the sunlight. Their fight had to be very spectacular to draw in a sizable crowd like this, with even more new people joining each passing second!

"Hey, what happened?" asked one of the newcomers.

"The young man over there apparently swindled the butcher out of a bag of jerky," answered a member of the crowd.

"Apparently, he paid for one bag but had somehow snuck out with two extra," added another.

"How did the butcher find out?" came another newcomer.

"The table where it was stocked upon only had five left. When the clerk noticed that three bags were missing when he had only sold one, he told the butcher and the butcher ran out to stop the young man just as he was about to turn the corner," answered a third.

"Hey, doesn't the young man look like the Thunder Thief?" asked a member of the crowd.

"How would you know? No one knows what he looks like," came another.

"But the streaks in his hair," came a third. "I've heard people talk about it before."

"Thunder Thief?" wondered Shun out loud.

"He's a member of the Eight Misfits of Gold Peak," explained Kira. "I don't really know much about them except for what my father tells me. According to him, they're a group of heroes from Gold Peak Valley. However, they're not generally well-liked by the authorities, and only a few nobles support them. This often gives them the image of a group of vigilantes. Father has met them before and he said that they're not a bad bunch of people, just eccentric."

"Why are they called the Eight Misfits?" asked Shun.

"Because they are a group of eccentric characters, misfits of society," answered Kira. "There's the Wandering Minstrel, the Barren Noble, the Calamity God, the Poison Rose, of course the Thunder Thief, the Living Anomaly, and the Castaway Monk. And their leader is the Mad Scholar."

"They sound like a group of interesting characters," commented Shun.

"Kid, you don't know about the Eight Misfits of Gold Valley?" came the man in front of them. "They're some of the greatest heroes and Duelists in the land!"

"Oh, hogwash!" came the man next to him. "They're just a bunch of radicals and heretics. Them being heroes is nonsense!"

"But you have to agree that they're some of the greatest Duelists in the land," said the first man.

"I bet their achievements and skills are all exaggerated," dismissed the second man.

The crowd quickly became silent and the two men began to resume their fight. Shun watched in amazement as they engaged each other in combat. The butcher came forward with a forceful swing of his arm. His style relied heavily on brute strength. However, the young man with the streaked hair nimbly dodged away and responded with a quick kick to the butcher's stomach. The move, despite appearing light and weightless, carried a lot of force and impact due to its use of the concept of momentum and speed. The butcher was pushed back and his hand clutched his stomach where the impact occurred. And then, before the butcher could even bat an eye, the young man dashed forward quicker than lightning and, in another blink of an eye, somehow teleported right behind him. A loud rumbling like thunder echoed through the crowd. He struck the butcher behind the neck and the butcher dropped to his knees with his eyes rolled back into his head. The crowd went silent once it was clear who was the winner. The young man turned to crowd and did a little bow before disappearing like a flash of lightning and leaving only thunder to be heard.

Once the young man was gone, men from the crowd rushed forward to help the butcher. Luckily, the butcher was only rendered unconscious. They dragged him back to his shop and everyone else dispersed to continued their daily lives.

Shun replayed the battle in his head many times. He was enamored with how quickly and gracefully the young man had defeated the big butcher. 'Is this what Qidao really is?' he found himself asking with a longing smile. And then the move where the young man had appeared to have teleported, Shun couldn't help but thought about how it could've been achieved. He racked his brain on trying to come with the best explanation but couldn't. 'It was like magic,' he told himself. This was because Shun's didn't understand yet the intricacies of Qidao, but he will learn that soon enough.

The children returned back to the inn after an hour or two of exploring the city and Tara greeted them with a very fancy dinner. Shun had never seen so many delicious looking and smelling food before in his life. As he ate and enjoyed himself, Tara reached into his robe and pulled out a small burlap bag. "Here," he told Shun.

Shun received the bag and could feel that it was filled with something. It had a pretty hefty weight like a bag of pebbles. He opened it and peeked inside. Inside, there were gold and silver coins, as well as a small bundle of silver-blue and light-green papers. He turned to Tara with wide eyes. "T-This," he stuttered.

"It's yours," Tara told him. "You need money in order to survive in the city."

"H-How much?" asked Shun in a high-pitched voice.

"In total, you have 8000 Kon," answered Tara. Kon is the official national currency that is traded in the Central Empire. It is typically divided into seven denominations: Bronze (bronze coins are equivalent to one Kon), Silver (silver coins are equivalent to ten Kon), Gold (gold coins are equivalent to 50 Kon), Pearl (silver-blue bill are equivalent to 100 Kon), Emerald (light-green bill are equivalent to 500 Kon), Crimson (red bills are equivalent to 1000 Kon), and Jade (dark-green bills are equivalent to 10000 Kon).

"T-T-This is too much!" protested Shun. "At most, a bird from our village only costs 150 Kon, and my family never really kept more than 1500 Kon for our finances. This is too much!"

"I also opened a bank account for you," said Tara, brushing away Shun's pleads. "In it, I have deposited for you 150,000 Kon. Use it wisely."

Hearing those large numbers made Shun's head swirl. He couldn't believe it. This was too much money for him to think with a straight head.

Tara reached back into his robe and pulled out a piece of paper. "Keep this with you until you memorized it completely. This is your account number," he said, handing it over to Shun.

Shun took a look at the paper: Junlong Shun - 898. His hands shook as he held the paper. 'My own bank account.' He didn't know if he should be feeling happy or anxious right now.

"Yay! Great for you, Shun-wan!" cheered Kira. "Hey, so what are you going to buy first?"

"Kira, don't make Shun waste his money," reprimanded Tara. Kira turned to him with her tongue stuck out. 'That cheeky daughter of mine,' grumbled Tara to himself. He sighed and then stood up from his seat. "We're leaving tomorrow," he told them.

"Leaving?" came Shun, who had been a little too preoccupied with the idea of having a lot of money until hearing those words announced. "Where are we going?" he asked.

"Home!" answered Kira.

"Tomorrow, we are leaving straight for Squire Village," informed Tara. He then bid them goodnight and left for his room next door.

That night, Shun was too excited to sleep. First, the fight that he had witnessed in the city today kept on replaying in his mind. It was just too spectacular for him to forget. And then the sudden gift of a bank account and money from Tara made his body tremble with a mixture of excitement and anxiety. He had never heard a large number such that before when talking about money. In fact, it still seems like a dream to him. Today had been a day full of wonderful surprises.

"Hey, Shun-wan, are you still awake?" came Kira's voice from the other bed.

"Yeah," replied Shun in a distant voice.

"Did you have fun today?" she asked him.

"Yeah," he answered in the same voice.

"Did you used to have fun like this in your village too?" asked Kira.

The mention of his village brought Shun back to the real world. Kira's words echoed in his mind for a moment before the keyword 'fun' brought up happy memories of his past. He smiled and said, "Yeah." He could feel the warmth of each memory flood through his body. Without any cuing from Kira, Shun began to recount the happy memories he had of his childhood and his village and his family. As he did, he made sure to not say the names of his siblings or close friends, because it was forbidden for him to say their names out loud before a fortnight had passed after their death per the rules of the third rite. Instead, he simply used labels such as "little brother", "little sister", "baby sister", "village elder", "old woman next-door", and the like when referring to them. Kira listened to his words with perked up ears and couldn't hold in her own smile as she heard the happiness in his voice as he told his stories.

The stories went on through the night until they both fell asleep around after midnight. When they did, they both were treated to good dreams that night. Especially Shun, as the happy memories that were still fresh in his mind took him back to happy times. He knew that as soon as he wakes up, they'll be nothing more than memories and so prayed for these dreams to last just a while longer.

The next day arrived and Tara paid the front desk for their stay. After letting Shun pay his morning respects to his family, he led the children through the street and out of the village. Along the way, Tara looked up at the sunny sky and, struck by inspiration, recited the following poem: "Tiai wo tai ri, giong gün goi oachi'! Hezan, tohai tao kamai!" ("From heaven to land, light for all life! Hezan [god of the sun], mankind's blessing!"). [The "ü" is read with the short u-sound as in "gun".]

Shun listened to the poem and was awestruck. It was musical to his ears and he felt his heart warm up. However, this poem was very different from the one Tara had written on the headstone. It was a different structure and carried a different rhythm. "Eru-ri," said Shun, "what does that poem mean?"

"Ri?" asked Tara.

Kira tapped Shun on the shoulder and leaned close to his ear. "He's your master now, isn't he?" she told him.

Shun quickly understood and said, "I apologize, Eru-sen." (Sen = a generalized honorific for teachers and educators.)

"No," Kira whispered to him, "the other one."

Now, Shun was confused. What other word was there? He turned to her with a puzzled expression.

Kira noticed his confusion and whispered, "Senzo."

"Eru-senzo," Shun called Tara. Tara replied with a warm smile. Shun, having seen that he finally got it right, smiled too. (Senzo = a specific honorific for teachers and masters, used especially by the martial arts community).

"Now, you had a question about the poem?" asked Tara.

"Yes," answered Shun with a nod.

"That was a poem composed by the great Hiko Dynasty poet Ku Hanaji," explained Tara. "He is regarded by scholars as one of the greatest poets to have existed. Even his contemporaries praised him. That poem, "Hezan's Blessing", was composed by Ku during his time as a Koziang. It was composed to praise the sun and Hezan himself."

"Koziang?" asked Shun, unfamiliar with the term.

"A Koziang is a kind of scholar, specifically those well versed in the literary arts, who are employed by the court as part of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. Their job is to produce cultural works for the court. Most authors, poets, playwrights, and essayists who have gone down in history were Koziang at one point in their life. The position is highly coveted by the literary arts community." He then reverted back to the conversation at hand. "Do you know of Ku Hanaji?" he asked Shun. Shun couldn't say that he did. Tara could tell this by the silence and chuckled to himself. "But surely you are familiar with the Hiko Dynasty," he said with feigned exasperation.

Shun couldn't detect the sarcasm in the man's voice and immediately nodded his head like a scared little boy. "The Hiko Dynasty was the seventh dynasty of Chirokai," he began to say out loud. "It's considered to be the dynasty that bridged the ancient period of Chirokai with the modern period of Chirokai because it was after the Long Dynasty and before the Three Great Dynasties."

Tara let out a hearty laugh, which surprised Shun and even frightened him a little. "Thank you for the information, Shun, but I didn't mean for you to say all of that. However, I am happy to know that your village had taught you well."

Shun was grateful for his teacher's praise and nodded his head. "My father was actually a great admirer of the ancient rulers of Chirokai. He wanted to lead the village just like how they had led the nation. He would often tell us stories about his favorite rulers and the wars that they fought and the events that they were a part of and the actions that they did that cemented them in history." He smiled to himself as he remembered those happy memories.

"I see," said Tara with a chuckle. "You must respect your father a lot. Now, if only there was someone who could learn from your example." He looked back at Kira through the corner of his eye as he said this. Kira gulped and shrunk from his gaze. "Yidie tao kaimu, yimai tao aino! So tao kaija dan oza'!" recited Tara. ("Father's example, mother's love! A child's success is certain!").

"Jinza Fong!" blurted out Shun.

"Ah! So you know this poem!" exclaimed Tara in delight.

"My father used to recite that poem all the time," Shun explained. "It was his way of telling us that everything a parent does is for the success of their children."

"Precisely," concurred Tara with a nod.

Meanwhile, Kira was growing a little jealous at how close her father and Shun had become. However, she restrained herself from making any comments that would draw her father's attention to her, especially after that last poem he'd recited. 'Who cares about old poets anyway?' she mumbled grumpily to herself.

By the time the sun was almost at the other end of the sky, the trio finally arrived at Squire Village. The city was even more glorious and grand than the Red City of Bliss. The streets were wider and more refined, shops were at least two-stories or more and had massive yards, street lantern lights were present at every corner, and there were at least twice the amount of people as the previous city talking and walking and all around enjoying this city! The smells were even more captivating and curious than those of the Red City of Bliss! But what Shun found himself drawn to the most was the different sounds and voices around him. He heard many different accents and dialects that he had never heard before and it made his ears tingle with excitement!

"Those two men over there are from the West," said Tara, pointing to two middle-aged men in happy conversation with one another.

"How do you know?" asked Shun with innocent curiosity.

"If you listen to the way they speak, their speech patterns are defined by the natural wavy pitch accent that is present in their phrases. It sounds a little bit like chanting, doesn't it?" It was Kira who now spoke and explained the reason to Shun. "I would say that they're from the Western Plains," she added. "Maybe Yellow Plains Village, or Grand City of Lights. Although, I'm only guessing. I've never been to Yellow Plains Village, but I have visited Grand City of Lights once with my father." She then turned to Shun and, with a laughing smile, asked, "Hey, Shun-wan, want to know something funny? In the Grand City of Lights, they call fish visava."

"Visava?" asked Shun with intrigue.

"Yup! Strange, isn't it? Everywhere else in the empire, we all call it fish (sana)." Kira then pointed to a family walking down the street and said that they must be from the north. She pointed to a couple and recognized the accent associated with the east. She could tell who came from the mountains, who lived in the valleys, and who were actual foreigners from outside of the empire. Shun was amazed at how much Kira knew about the empire and its peoples.

A middle-aged man dressed in a long blue kiso—a knee-length robe for men—approached them and greeted Eru Tara. "It has been a while, Eru-senzo," said the man with a smile.

"Goja-ri, I have returned home. How are you doing today?" asked Tara kindly.

"Very well, indeed," said the man.

"Ah, may I introduce to you a new student of mine," said Tara. He put his hand on Shun's shoulder and introduced him. "This is Junlong Shun. I found him in my travels to the south. He is originally from a village close to the southern mountains, but tragedy struck and he is the only survivor. I have taken him in now as my student."

The man nodded his head solemnly. "Well, boy, you are in great hands now," he told Shun with a smile.

"T-Thank you," said Shun.

"Ah, Eru-senzo, I must tell you that my master is to return this evening!" said the man.

"The duke is back from his travels already?" asked Tara. "Then it is great that I have also returned today. To be honest, I only took this little trip because he was going to be away for a month. I hope that he didn't neglect his studies because of this break."

"Oh, I guarantee you he didn't," reassured the man. "The lady had received letters from him all this time and the young master reassured her that he hadn't once neglected his studies during his time away."

"I'll take your word for it," said Tara.

The man said his farewells and the trio continued on their way to the Eru family's residence. They came to a very tall hill and began to ascend it. Shun looked up and could make out a small cottage up at the peak. After about a good half-hour, they finally made it to the top. The cottage was of decent size, comparable to that of a single-family dwelling, and was made of polished wood. The courtyard in front of the house was large and covered with stone pathways and various apparatus for martial arts training.

Tara approached the front door and opened it to walk inside. Kira followed her father in with a spring in her step. Shun, on the other hand, entered the dwelling very timidly. This wasn't his house and he felt like he was intruding.

"Are you alright?" asked Tara once he saw how hesitant and rather pale the boy's face was.

"P-P-Pardon my intrusion," stuttered Shun with a bow of his head.

"What are you talking about, boy?" said the teacher with a shake of his head. "Listen, this is your home now, too. You are now a part of our family. With that being said, I am not formally adopting you to be my son so don't worry about addressing me in any other way than Eru-senzo. I wouldn't feel right dropping you off at an orphanage. You are a village boy after all and you aren't familiar with the city-life nor its customs. However, you are my student. For this reason, I can claim you as a member of the household. It's not uncommon for many disciples to live with their teachers for the duration of their apprenticeship."

Shun was happy to hear this and quickly bowed his head once again. "Thank you very much, Eru-senzo. I promise to not bring dishonor upon you or your family."

"Such a smart boy," said Tara with a laugh.

Later in the afternoon, Tara cooked them lunch and the trio sat around the dinner table together. Today's dish was softly broiled-fish marinated in sauce with rice and a side of lightly-pickled red ginger. Next to their rice bowls were clay teacups filled with a flowery pink tea. They held up their hands and thanked the heavens for their food. And then, they began eating.

Tara lifted his teacup and sipped it before picking at the soft fish flesh with his chopsticks. Kara shamelessly dug in and shoveled the food into her mouth. On the other hand, Shun ate the food gratefully with restraint. Tara noticed the difference in their eating habits and lightly smacked his daughter with the back of his chopsticks.

"Ow!" complained Kara, stopping her onslaught to rub her head. "What was that for?"

"You are a lady," said her father, "Please be mindful of your behavior."

"Who cares? I'm hungry!" she replied.

Tara let out an exasperated sigh. "Sometimes, I worry for your future," he said quietly with a shake of his head. He then faced up again and gave the following announcement: "After lunch, we are to go to the Juwan Estate."

"The Juwan estate?" asked Shun.

"Is Zen back?" asked Kira with a beaming smile.

"The Juwan Family has returned from their trip to the west," informed Tara.

"Who are the Juwan Family?" asked Shun, confused with what was going on.

"The Juwan Family are the nobles responsible for governing Iaro Province," explained Tara. "Squire Village is the capital of Iaro Province and the home of the Juwan Family. They were given their noble ranks by the third emperor of the Chi Dynasty, Chi Jisaki. A legend told that the founder of the Juwan Family was a close friend of the emperor's and had saved him from an assassination attempt. As a reward, the emperor gave him the title of duke and gifted him Iaro Province, which was originally called Zashen Province, elevating his entire family to noble status. Since then, the Juwan Family had governed Iaro Province under the emperor's rule, and they still possess close ties to the Imperial Family. In fact, the current head of the Juwan Family, Juwan Daochi, in addition to being the governing duke of Iaro Province, is one of the emperor's closest advisors. The Juwan Family are well known for their benevolence and are extremely liked by the people. I truly believe them to be one of the only current noble families that are deserving of their title."

"Why are we going to their estate?" asked Shun.

"Father is really good friends with the duke," said Kira.

"One of your martial brothers is also over there," added Tara with a twinkle in his eyes.

They finished their lunch and then started on their trip to the Juwan Estate. As they made their way through town, Shun witnessed just how popular and respected his master, Eru Tara, was. Everyone they passed would turn in their direction and greet Eru Tara with respectful bows and handshakes. It didn't matter if they were in the middle of a conversation, working, or taking care of important business, no one dared to miss the master and not greet him with the veneration he deserved.

Tara accepted their greetings with humility. His presence and reputation within the village was great and his acquaintance with the Juwan Family only solidified his importance. He had done many great services for the village and its people. And so, despite his own personal preference of not wanting to be regarded as a larger-than-life figure and be showered with praises too mighty for a mortal such as him, through many years of denying these same words the people had heaped onto him for years, he learned to accept their veneration with humility.

They finally reached the estate in the northeastern quadrant of the city's central area. Typically, the estates of the nobles and governors were often situated right at the northernmost or southernmost point of their respective cities, far away from the commoners. But the Juwan Estate was different; it was located right in the heart of the city.

A large wall of stone and metal standing more than four meters tall surrounded the estate and was connected to an elegantly carved gate that served as the estate's entrance. Shun had never seen anything so majestic and grandiose before in his life! A person exited through the gate and walked over to talk to Eru Tara. After a short discussion, the man led them through the gate.

Shun was even more amazed and awestruck at what he found inside. The courtyard was a mix of concrete and grass, carefully taken care of and arranged to look like a beautiful piece of art. The concrete walkways were like small roads and intersected the beautifully cultivated sections of grass like little land bridges. They were smooth and glossy and big enough for two lanes of people to pass through.

The sections of grass had no weeds and surrounded even more luscious greenery artistically planted in the center—beautiful flowers of every possible color of the spectrum, lovely shrubs with fluffy leaves and carefully cultivated branches, and majestic trees of regal height with elegant foliages and alluring fruits. Shun was captivated by their natural beauty. It was like walking inside a colorful dream or among the heavenly gardens of the gods!

They crossed over a red bridge that connected the front garden to the mansion, which was separated by a clear blue stream filled with fish. Shun looked over the bridge and smiled like a little kid at the sight of fishes, big and small, swimming in the waters below. Tara had to curb the boy's attention away from the fishes with a subtle cough.

Finally, they made it to the main mansion. The architectural giant was made of fine wood and marble. Its windows were paned with silky paper, their corners beautifully painted with images of dancing fairies and the like. The doors were massive metal structures outfitted with golden dragon-head doorknobs. The man led them inside and the group came to a long carpeted entryway. The carpet was a beautiful scarlet red and was painted with brilliant illustrations of creatures, real and divine. They eventually came to the reception room and the man asked them to be seated.

Shun sat alongside Kira and Tara on the soft cotton chairs. He felt like he was sitting atop a cloud. This entire experience made him wonder if this place was really a human dwelling and not some deity's abode. He had often heard stories of people living in giant mansions and palaces made out of the finest wood and metal and filled with riches. Back then, it all sounded like a fairytale and was often treated as such by the villagers. That's why he found it so hard to accept that such a place exists for humankind, despite having now seen and experiencing it with his own eyes.

The man whom they had just met this afternoon, Goja-ri, entered the room and greeted the guests. He then announced the arrival of his masters and bowed as they entered the room. A couple and a little kid walked in and greeted Eru Tara, who had stood up in reverence during their entrance. Tara then introduced his daughter. He gestured for Shun to come and Shun complied. "This here is Junlong Shun," introduced Tara. "He is a native of a southern village. However, his village suffered a tragedy and he's the sole survivor. I am now taking him in as a student." The couple nodded their heads approvingly and smiled at the young Shun. "Shun, this here is Duke Juwan Daochi, the lord of Iaro Province," introduced Tara. Shun bowed his head in greeting.

"Pleasure to meet you, Shun-ri," greeted the duke. He was a tall man with a thin frame and a handsome face with crystal brown eyes and elegant black hair tied in a regal ponytail. A thin mustache ran down the sides of his upper lip. His left ear was decorated with a golden earring the size of a large coin. He had a kind and sophisticated air about him, just what Shun would expect from someone of great importance who is known for his generosity.

"And this is Duchess Juwan Muli," continued Tara. Once again, Shun bowed his head in greeting. The duchess was an equally tall woman with a bit more meat than her husband, but not enough to be called chubby. She had beautiful eyes that were sharp in the corners and the color of pink lilies. Her hair was a brilliant honey-brown color and neatly fell to her shoulders, bound only by a golden hairband with the family's crest in the center. Shun could tell that she was prim and proper, a lady among ladies.

"And this is their son, Juwan Zen," Tara pointed to their child.

Before Shun could bow in greeting, the boy ran up to him and held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, I'm Juwan Zen!" he said with a smile. Juwan Zen was a boy of the same age and height as Shun. He had slick black hair tied in a ponytail and shiny blue-grey eyes that glistened like stars. His body was a little more muscular than Shun's.

Shun hesitantly took his hand and shook it. "I'm Junlong Shun," he replied back meekly.

"Say, say, are you Eru-senzo's new student?" asked Zen excitedly.

"Zen, please restrain yourself," chided the duke. "You don't want to scare Shun-ri now."

"It's fine," reassured Tara. "How about you kids go out to play in the back?" he told the kids.

Zen immediately took Shun by the hand and led him out to the courtyard. Kira followed closely behind, all the while sporting a jealous look at how close the two boys were. Once they were gone, the duchess excused herself and left the men to engage in conversation.

"It has been a while, Eru-senzo," said the duke with a chuckle.

"A month can seem like an eternity indeed," agreed Tara.

"Zen had been studying really hard," said the duke. "He would study academics in the morning and practice martial arts in the evening. Those study materials and books you gave him were being used every single day. During the afternoons, he would come with me to my meetings."

"I see he is preparing himself to become the next duke," said Tara with a chuckle.

"He may take over before I even announce my retirement!" exclaimed the duke. Both men laughed and filled the room with their voices. Once they have sobered up, the duke moved on to discuss Shun. "About that boy, Shun, what happened to his village? Was it an epidemic? A famine?"

"His village was burned down," replied Tara with a little grimness to his tone. "I have reason to believe that the act was intentional, and not by any of the villagers either. Everyone there had become skeletons by the time I put out the fire. And the bruises and fractures on the bones told me that they had also suffered very recent injuries prior to being burned. It was likely that they were all killed by a group of men before the entire village was burned down to ashes. I had first thought that it could be the work of bandits, but I now doubt that after hearing an interesting conversation between government soldiers while in the Red City of Bliss."

"How did he survive?" asked the duke.

"He was lucky," replied Tara. "While the incident took place, Shun was at a trading post less than an hour away from his village."

"That is very lucky," gasped the duke. "About what you said with the government soldiers—," began the duke.

"I don't want to make any assumptions, but their conversation has led me to believe that the burning of Shun's village must've been done so at the orders of government official," said Tara. Both men became silent as the air around them became heavy.

Menawhile, outside, the kids were sitting and chatting on a bench in the courtyard. "Hey, hey, where are you from?" asked Zen excitedly.

"Condor Village," answered Shun.

"Was your village big?" asked Zen with expectant eyes.

"Y-Yes," answered Shun.

"Wow! I bet you hunted a lot of condors, huh? Your village was called Condor Village after all," said Zen.

Shun simply nodded along to his words. To be honest, Shun was a little uneasy over Zen's accent. He had never heard someone speak like that before in his entire life! He understood most of what the duke's son was saying, but the way he spoke was vastly different than anything Shun was used to hearing. His vowels were more rounded and the consonants had an attack to them that Shun couldn't help but feel like he was about to get yelled at at any moment!

"Geez, you're scaring him," Kira told Zen.

"What do you mean?" asked Zen innocently.

"Sorry," apologized Shun, "I'm just not used to hearing someone speak like you."

"Like me?" Zen was confused as to what the boy was referring to.

"It's your dialect," Kira told Zen. She then turned to Shun and told him, "Everyone here normally speaks with that dialect. It's called the Central Northern dialect."

"But you and Eru-senzo are from here too, aren't you?" Shun asked her. "Then why don't you both speak with that accent too?"

"My father is originally from the Southeast Mountains, and their dialect is pretty similar to the Southern dialect that you speak. I learned from my father. That's why I don't speak with a Central Northern accent," explained Kira.

"Now that I think about it, you speak pretty funny too," Zen pointed out to Shun. "Your consonants are pretty soft and your vowels aren't as rounded."

"The Southern dialect is heavily influenced by the ancient Shufusei dialect of the Southern Nation," informed Kira. "My father already taught us all of this in history class," she told Zen. She then smiled smugly and added, "Looks like you didn't pay attention at all. I guess I should tell my father about this. I'm sure he'll tell your father and get you grounded for an entire week."

"That's blackmail!" countered Zen.

Shun didn't like to see conflict occur and quickly said, "Guys, maybe we should just calm down."

Kira took this opportunity to mess around with Zen even further and said, "My father really likes Shun. I think that he'll be father's new star pupil! He's already proved himself to be smart. I bet that he's smarter than a rich kid like you."

"Oh, really?" came Zen with squinting eyes. He took those words as a challenge and immediately turned to Shun. "Junlong Shun!" he called out.

"Y-Yes?!" exclaimed Shun in surprise.

"From now on, I declare you as my rival!" declared the young noble with his finger pointing straight at Shun.

"Rival? Why?" Shun asked him worriedly.

Zen smiled and thumbed his nose. "That way, we can test to see which of us is really the best."

"B-B-But…," protested Shun. Zen held out his hand with confidence in his eyes. Shun could tell by those eyes that Zen meant what he had said, but he could also sense that they weren't words said out of malice or hatred but out of respect and friendliness. Shun had seen these kinds of interactions between the men of his tribe before and knew what they signified. He decided to accept Zen's feelings and nodded his head before gripping his rival's hand.

"With this handshake, we are now anyu," said Zen. (Anyu = "Sworn Sibling").

"No fair!" said Kira with a scary frown. She ran up to them and grabbed both of the hands. "I want to be anyu too!" she declared.

"Eh? Why would I want to be anyu with you?" groaned Zen.

"I want to be one too!" demanded Kira.

Shun smiled as happy feelings settled in him from seeing the two of them acting like close friends. "Alright then," he told the both of them. "How about all of us become anyu with one another?" Zen and Kira exchanged glances. They then broke out into cheerful laughter, which Shun himself couldn't help but join in. This was the beginning of their journey as friends and their relationship as anyu.