The village had changed.
The perimeter stood strong now, walls built from stacked stone and timber, carefully fitted, the way mountain fortresses had been built for generations. Thick pine beams were driven deep into the earth, supporting the stonework with cross-bracing tied by woven rope and animal rawhide. Atop the walls, narrow walkways allowed the security team to patrol the boundary, eyes sweeping across the forest edge.
Inside, life moved with steady rhythm. Smoke curled from tiled chimneys. The clang of steel rang out from a small smithing shed where tools and blades were sharpened by hand. Children chased one another past hanging bundles of herbs and drying fish. Water sloshed from wooden pails as farmers returned from the nearby stream.
The people were lean, calloused, and sun-worn, but they were no longer surviving.
They were living.
Kai stood at the edge of the central courtyard, overlooking the heart of the village. His robe, patched and practical, fluttered gently in the morning breeze. A short sword rested at his side. His gaze swept across the rooftops, the forest, the horizon. A full month of work had turned rubble into home.
Jin approached from the inner path, her hair tied back, a strip of cloth wrapped around one hand from earlier training.
Jin: "The last of the northern wall is sealed. No gaps. I checked it myself."
Kai: "Good. Keep two on the gate. Change the rotation every four hours."
She nodded, then looked out at the gathered villagers, some preparing meals, others finishing the frame for a new storage hut.
Jin: "They follow you, you know. The people."
Kai: "They follow what we built."
Jin: "Maybe. But they trust you to hold it together."
Kai didn't respond. He wasn't sure he believed that. But he knew the truth: leadership wasn't earned through words. It came from being the first to rise, the last to rest, and never asking others to do what you wouldn't.
Above, the sky stirred.
The Corvus returned without sound, landing on a wooden post just beyond the courtyard. It folded its wings and stared at Kai with that now-familiar gaze, patient, silent, unnerving.
Jin: "It's never far from you."
Kai: "I think it's watching. Not just me. Everything."
Kai glanced up at it. The bird blinked once, slowly.
The wind carried dust across the courtyard as Kai and Jin stood in silence, the Corvus watching the horizon with unnerving stillness.
Then a bell rang, once, short and sharp.
From the main gate.
Jin's head turned.
Jin: "Gate bell. Unexpected visitor."
She was already moving. Kai followed.
She moved like someone who didn't need magic.
Kai continues followed, watching for a moment the way her form cut through the space between them and the gate, no hesitation, no flourish. Just practiced efficiency. The kind earned through years of sweat, bruises, and survival.
Even without power, she was dangerous.
The outer gate loomed ahead, half-open, guarded by two of their best. Both stood still as stone, though their eyes flicked anxiously toward Kai and Jin as they approached.
Guard (low): "They're not alone. Five more. Uniformed. Armed."
Jin's jaw clenched. Her hand rested near her blade.
Kai stepped up onto the inner ledge of the gate, just high enough to see over the stone wall.
Kai: "Clan?"
Guard: "Blue Dragon. No banners, but the jade pendants give them away."
Jin's eyes sharpened.
Jin: "High-ranking, then. That's not a message. That's a warning."
Five riders waited just beyond the threshold, mounted and still as statues. Their robes were indigo, trimmed with silver at the cuffs and collar. Over each chest, the symbol of a coiled azure dragon encircling a scroll was sewn in tight needlework. The leader bore a silver clasp at his shoulder in the shape of a dragon's eye, and a polished jade pendant. They were from the Blue Dragon Clan. One of the old houses. One that followed protocol even when declaring war.
Kai (quiet): "They sent honor guards to deliver a threat?"
Jin: "Or a performance."
Kai gave a small nod to the gate guards.
The gate creaked open fully, and the riders entered at a slow, deliberate pace, their horses striking the stone path with practiced rhythm. Dust swirled gently in their wake.
The leader dismounted smoothly and approached without hesitation, flanked by two soldiers who remained a step behind. The man's face was clean-shaven and controlled, with the kind of calm that came from generations of elite training.
Han Gyeom: "Kai, Chieftain of the Outlaw Clan," he said, voice like polished steel. "I am Commander Han Gyeom, speaking on behalf of Lord Cho Seong of the Blue Dragon Clan."
His tone was coldly respectful, just enough not to be insulting.
Han : "By ancient accord and in accordance with clan law, we come bearing formal notice. The unlawful extermination of the Jang Clan, though wrapped in survival, was unsanctioned. The spilling of noble blood demands answer."
He held out a scroll, tied in blue silk and sealed with pressed black wax in the shape of a dragon's coiled body.
Jin stepped forward to take it.
That's when the blade came.
A flash of motion from the right, a Blue Dragon guard unsheathing his sword in a blur, not for show, not for warning, a direct, lethal strike aimed at Jin's throat. The kind meant to kill cleanly and leave no time for talk.
No words. No hesitation.
Kai moved faster.
He was between them in an instant, catching the descending blade on his forearm, a burst of mana flaring from his skin to block the steel. The air cracked with heat and pressure. Sparks flew.
Then Kai struck.
His free hand lit with a surge of burning energy, raw, honed mana forming a short-bladed spear that glowed hot with the intent to kill. No holding back.
He didn't hesitate.
The spear went forward, aimed directly for the guard's heart.
And would have struck, if not for Han .
Steel flashed. A sword enveloped in a blue aura.
Han's blade cut across Kai's magical strike mid-air, disrupting the energy in a single, impossibly precise motion. The spell detonated off course, exploding in a sharp arc of light and concussive force that left a glowing gash in the stone courtyard.
Jin had already drawn her blade, now standing firm at Kai's side.
The Blue Dragon guard staggered back, wide-eyed, arm scorched, blood seeping through his sleeve.
Kai's eyes burned. He wasn't breathing hard. He didn't need to.
Kai (coldly): "He went for her throat. That wasn't a warning."
Han (level): "I know."
He turned to the injured soldier.
Han (quiet, deadly): "You've brought shame on our house."
The guard opened his mouth to speak, but Han moved first.
A short, sharp strike with the hilt of his blade to the side of the man's head. The soldier collapsed to his knees, dazed and silent.
Han sheathed his sword in one fluid motion.
Then he looked at Kai, not dismissive, not apologetic. Measured.
Han: "You could have killed him."
Kai: "I was going to."
A long beat passed between them. The crowd of villagers and guards watched without a word, tension like a drawn bowstring in the air.
Finally, Han turned back to Jin, never lowering his gaze.
He extended his hand to offer the scroll again.
Then stopped.
His hand was empty.
The scroll, which had remained firmly in his grip throughout the chaos, was simply... gone.
A flicker of confusion passed through his eyes. Not alarm. Not fear. Just the awareness that something had shifted, and he hadn't seen it happen.
His gaze moved slowly to Jin.
The scroll was already in her hand.
Firmly held. Undamaged. As if it had never left her fingers.
She hadn't moved. Her stance was still, her blade sheathed. But her grip on the scroll was sure.
Han's eyes narrowed slightly.
Han: "…I see."
He didn't ask how.
He didn't have to.
Turning sharply, he gave the signal to his soldiers. They gathered their wounded and mounted without a word, the last glance backward from one of them holding more caution than contempt.
As the heavy gate closed behind them, dust curling in the air, Jin looked down at the scroll in her hand.
The Corvus landed nearby on a wooden beam, letting out a low croak.
Jin stared after the closed gate.
Jin: "This isn't politics anymore."
Kai: "It never was."
...
The Blue Dragon riders rode in silence, the village shrinking behind them beneath the trees.
After a while, Han broke the quiet.
Han: "That kid's more skilled than most I've faced. My hand's still trembling from blocking just one strike."
He gave a slow exhale, not looking back.
Han: "And the girl, his second, I assume, she was fast. Too fast. I don't know if I could've tracked her, even if I'd been watching."
The group rode on in silence for a moment longer, until Seungho Seo spoke from the back.
Seungho: "Commander... if it came to a real fight, just you and him, who wins?"
The other guards turned slightly, waiting.
Han didn't pause.
Han: "Me, of course."
Back at the village, the gates were shut. The courtyard was quiet now, the weight of what had just happened still settling in the air.
Kai stood beside Jin, the scroll in her hand.
She passed it to him without a word.
He broke the wax seal, a coiled dragon pressed into black, and unrolled the parchment carefully. The ink was fresh. The calligraphy sharp, deliberate, unforgiving.
He read aloud.
Kai:
"By the authority of Lord Cho Seong, master of the Blue Dragon Clan, the following decree is issued:"
He paused, eyes scanning ahead.
Kai (continued):
"Your actions, the overthrow and extermination of the Kang Clan, are deemed unlawful, without sanction, and in direct violation of the ancient accords between established lineages."
Jin: "They really love their titles."
Kai kept reading, voice low and steady.
Kai:
"You are hereby given formal notice: Thirty days from the date of this writing, the Blue Dragon Clan will march on your territory. Your clan will be disbanded, your leadership removed, and your lands reclaimed for stabilizing rule."
A short silence followed.
Jin: "No room for interpretation."
Kai lowered the scroll. The wind tugged gently at the edges of the parchment, but the ink didn't smudge.
Kai: "They're giving us thirty days."
Jin: "To surrender. Or prepare."
Kai nodded.
Kai: "Then we prepare."
The Corvus let out a low caw from the roofbeam above, feathers ruffled in the wind.
War wasn't coming.
It was scheduled.
He folded the scroll and handed it off without a word, his gaze turning toward the village. Smoke rose from hearth fires. A hammer struck wood in rhythm with someone's breathing. Life continued, but too quietly.
Jin stepped up beside him, arms crossed, her face unreadable. She didn't ask what he was thinking.
She knew he was already building a plan.
"We start today," Kai said.
She gave a short nod, already moving to gather the others.
Back in the main courtyard, he stood before the able-bodied fighters. About eighty of them. Some had trained before. Others barely knew how to hold a blade.
Didn't matter.
They'd be split into squads, six, maybe seven people each. Small enough to move, big enough to hold a line. He wouldn't need them to win battles. He needed them to delay. Harass. Survive.
The captains of these squads would be the members of the security team, the five individuals Jin had personally selected for their skill and potential. They were the most capable fighters among them, and they would be crucial in the battle to come.
That being said, they weren't yet at the level they needed to be.
They would be.
Kai raised his voice, firm and steady.
"These five will serve as your squad captains. You've seen them before. Now you'll follow their lead."
He motioned to the first.
"Daejin."
Broad shoulders. A quiet temper. The kind of man who could split a log with one swing and carry it on the same shoulder. He carried a heavy wooden club and moved like he didn't need more than that.
"Haneul."
Fast-talking. Faster on his feet. Uses what ever weapon available.
"Bora."
Silent. Unshakable. She carried a long spear she'd carved herself, and wielded it like it was part of her arm.
"Sura."
Thin. Quiet. He kept his answers short, his movements shorter. Carried a small round shield and a walking staff, sharpened at one end.
"Yul."
Youngest of the five, but with the quickest hands. His blade was simple and slightly curved, more tool than weapon, but he'd made it himself. His age didn't matter.
Kai looked out over the crowd.
"They've already earned your respect. Now they'll earn your trust."
His tone sharpened.
"I'll be training these five personally. Every day. Tirelessly. And they'll pass what they learn on to you. Directly. Through action."
He paused, letting the weight of that settle.
"We have thirty days. We make every one of them count."
One Week Later...
The clack of wooden weapons filled the air as sunlight spilled across the packed earth of the training yard.
Daejin grunted as he brought his club down, only for Bora to catch it with the haft of her spear. Sura called break mid-swing, and Yul, too quick for his own good, got swatted in the ribs by Haneul's stick and dropped with a grunt.
Jin stood nearby, arms folded, eyes scanning the movement like she was sorting it into pieces. Kai stood beside her, silent, observing the same things.
"Yul's still too eager," Jin said, not looking at Kai.
"He doesn't commit to the follow up strikes," Kai replied.
A moment passed.
"They're getting better," she added.
"Not fast enough," he said.
Jin was quiet for a while, watching Sura roll back into stance like he'd never lost balance.
Then, casually:
"You should fight them."
Kai raised an eyebrow.
She didn't look at him.
"Not all out," she added. "But they need to feel what they're up against. They've trained with each other. Not with you."
He was quiet.
She finally glanced at him.
"You want them to lead squads into real blood? They have to get bruised first. Break their rhythm. Force them to adapt. They need to lose before they lead."
Kai exhaled slowly.
"And you?"
Jin smirked. "I'll be joining them too."
A few hours later...
Jin stood in front of her five captains, each armed with simple training weapons: a club, spear, knives, a shield and staff, a curved practice blade.
Across from them, Kai stood alone, holding a wooden staff across his shoulders.
He dropped it into one hand.
"Begin."