Chapter 4 (Redux) (Read! Ignore the Old chapter 4)

I've been training with Haukan in swordsmanship during my free time. He won't advance me to the next stage of my training until I can break this giant boulder. So far, I've managed to put some cracks and dents into the rock, but that's all. It's frustrating, especially considering that breaking a stick has become quite common for me.

It's been three days since I've been home. I told my mother that I was staying with Hwa and the elders for a week of training in Sen-Shēntǐ. But I forgot that Hwa would be looking for me, and one of the places he would search is my home.

At first, I panicked. I knew for sure I would get caught, so I had to interrupt my training for now.

Luckily, when I arrived home, I realized that Hwa hadn't been looking for me, so I went out to find her.

Arriving at the dojo, I saw Hwa training with the other kids. Instead of fearing her, they seemed amazed by her skills. Rather than mocking or feeling inferior, they were quite friendly towards her.

I didn't realize it at the time, but that was the first time I had felt jealous. When the other kids noticed me, they looked at me with disgust on their faces. What surprised me the most was that Hwa, who usually had a friendly face, also seemed to share the same expression as the other kids.

The children accepted Hwa and began to whisper. "Who allowed the child of that whore here?" said one of the kids. Then another kid said, "Shh! You don't want him to tell the elder on us."

The other children started to laugh at me and then began to call me names. Realizing I wasn't welcome, I left. Their words didn't affect me, but the look on Hwa's face.

The rest of my day has been sour. At first, I thought I should go home, but I decided to take this opportunity to train with Hauken more; it wasn't like Hwa was looking for me anyway. Heading back into the mountains, close to the forest I found my practice rock. "Stupid Hwa! Stupid village, and stupid rock!" I shouted before hitting the rock with the large branch.

At that time, I didn't know Hauken was watching me. He was displeased and worried about me, but this was all I knew how to do at the time. I vented my problems and sorrow out on this rock. It's all I can do, verbally and physically. What else could a weakling like me do?

I cried like a baby that day: sad that I lost my friend, upset that I was weak and tired of this village that I called home.

I've been away from the village for another week, avoiding returning to the place I call home. During this time, I've been snacking on fruits and nuts from the forest. Usually, Hauken would give me fish from time to time. I've noticed that my mind has become sharper over these few weeks. My swings have become faster and sharper, the body fat on my body has slowly started to turn into muscle, and I've even grown inches. These weren't drastic changes, but change is still changing, and as long as I'm improving, that is what matters the most.

Hearing footsteps, I turned around to see Hauken. He was still upset with me, and his hands he was holding a hand full of vines, that were used for bounding things. And my tiny mine, I thought it would be a new training method for me... How wrong I was.

"Are those vines for my training?" I asked, curious. Hauken just glared at me.

In the small village of Orange, the screams of a young boy echoed through the air. The villagers chuckled and giggled as they watched a foreign man binding and carrying Alonne. Alonne began to scream and even cursed at Hauken. "Let me the hell down! Why did you bring me back here? Hey! Are you even listening?" shouted Alonne, who was attempting to escape from his predicament.

The elder and Hwa showed up to see what the ruckus was all about. They never imagined they would see Alonne bound up and being carried by a foreign man. "Who are you, and why do you have Alonne bound?" asked the elder with a serious look on his face. 

Hauken started speaking in his native tongue. Alonne and everyone else couldn't understand what he was saying, except for Elder-San, who fluently spoke Hauken's language. This surprised and delighted Hauken. Alonne was speechless; he never imagined that the elder could understand the mysterious warrior's language and also speak it.

The elder looked at Alonne, his facial expression had a mixture of anger, pity, and sadness for the boy. The elder was aware of Alonnes treatment by his peers and the adults in the village.

"Come this way," said the elder, gesturing for Hauken to follow him back into his dojo with Alonne bonded.

"You found someone interesting, Alonne. A man from the eastern continent is traveling to the western sphere. The people who speak the tongue of the fire Salamander, called the Yūyake,s" said the elder before pouring some alcohol for himself and Hauken. Alonne was still bound by the vine, still trying to free himself. 

"The elder began to explain who the Yūyake are: "The Yūyake is a country filled with powerful warriors, each possessing their unique arts of war, distinct from the Western hemisphere. In their country, the ruffet, demi-human, and human all coexist as one. In the Eastern hemisphere, they are known as one of the top 4 strongest countries. Originally, before my clansmen's forefathers came to this land and lost their war with the Kingdom of Erlösung, we were destined and sworn rivals of the Yūyake. We also had our own language, but it is lost through history. Ever since we lost our rights as a nation, we also lost some of our history," explained the elder before drinking his Achole."

Alonne learned a lot today. Especially more about the people of Júzi rén, in their sad downfall as one of the greatest nations in the Eastern Hemisphere.

"The villagers were captivated by the woman, who was entirely covered from head to toe. Strands of her pink hair peeked through the bandages as she walked gracefully. The women in the village began to frown upon seeing her, while the men desired her. Her eyes were closed... She almost looked like a doll; a fragile, delicate creature. The woman made her way to the elder's home."

When the villagers weren't looking, the woman's eyes flashed a scarlet Red. She was furious with her Son.

End of the chapter.