The forest air was damp and heavy with the scent of moss. Laine walked ahead, his cloak brushing against the long grass, while Airi followed close behind, clutching the small bag that held her new clothes. Sunlight filtered through the tall branches, scattering golden patterns across the ground.
"Brother… why are we going deeper into the jungle?" Airi asked, her voice soft but nervous.
Laine glanced back, his expression calm but sharp. "Because this place hides something important. I can feel it."
A faint whisper echoed in his ears, the mask strapped to his side vibrating with a strange hum.
Do you feel it, Laine? The pulse of power buried in this land… it calls to you.
He clenched his jaw but didn't reply. He knew better than to answer the mask out loud—not in front of Airi.
Instead, he stopped by a clearing where the sunlight struck an old, broken stone altar half-buried in the earth. The air here felt heavier, charged, as if invisible threads of energy danced through the ground.
Airi looked around, her brows furrowing. "Brother… this place feels… strange."
Laine knelt down, running his hand across the moss-covered stone. "Strange, yes. But it's also… useful. A good place for training."
Airi tilted her head, still confused, but she trusted him.
Without another word, Laine reached behind his back and unstrapped the weapon he had carried all this time—the Berserker Sword. Its jagged edge was cracked, the chain wound tightly around it humming with sealed rage.
Airi's eyes widened. "That sword… it feels so… angry."
Laine smirked faintly. "Because it was never meant to be chained."
He placed the sword on the stone altar and wrapped his chains tighter, focusing. Dark energy pulsed along the links, and with a sharp pull, the chains shattered the blade into fragments of crimson steel. For a moment, the air trembled with violent energy, but Laine's will pressed down on it.
Slowly, he guided the fragments together, refining them, shaping them into something new. The rough, jagged sword melted into the form of a sleek katana—black hilt, silver edge, and a faint red glow running along the blade.
Laine exhaled. "Better."
He turned to Airi and held it out. "Take it."
Her eyes widened, hands trembling. "For me?"
"Yes. This weapon… it's yours now."
She accepted it carefully, her reflection shining on the blade. "But… why give me such a weapon? I don't even know how to use it."
Laine's gaze hardened. "Then learn."
He stepped back, pulling a thin wooden branch from the ground. He raised it like a sword and motioned to her. "Come at me."
Airi blinked. "W-What? Now?"
"Yes. If you can't swing it at me, how will you swing it at an enemy? Don't think—just move."
She swallowed, raising the katana awkwardly, and took a hesitant step forward. The blade trembled in her grip. She swung, clumsy and slow, and Laine parried effortlessly with his branch.
"Too weak," he said flatly.
Her cheeks flushed. "I-I'm trying—"
"Trying isn't enough," Laine snapped. "Again!"
She bit her lip and swung harder this time, but Laine dodged, tapping her shoulder with the stick. "Your stance is wrong. Feet apart. Lower your center. Again."
They repeated the motion over and over, the sound of wood clashing against steel filling the clearing. Airi's arms began to ache, sweat dripping down her forehead.
Finally, she dropped to her knees, panting. "I… I can't."
Laine crouched beside her, his tone softer now. "You can. You just don't believe it yet."
Her wide eyes turned to him. "Brother… your way of teaching… it's so different. When I was in the palace, the soldiers always taught us strict formations, stances, rules… but you—"
He cut her off sharply. "Forget their way. Focus on mine."
"But… why is your sword style so different?" she whispered.
Laine looked away, his jaw tightening. He didn't answer. Instead, he pointed to the katana. "Less questions. More focus. You'll understand in time."
Before she could say more, the bushes rustled. A low growl rumbled from the shadows.
A massive tiger, its fur striped with black and gold, stepped into the clearing. Its eyes glowed with primal hunger, fangs bared.
Airi froze. "B-Brother…!"
Laine's eyes narrowed. His chains slithered out, wrapping around his arms. But instead of attacking, he looked at her. "This one is yours."
Her heart skipped. "What?! I can't! Look at it—it'll kill me!"
"If you can't kill this beast," Laine said coldly, "then you'll never survive what's coming. This is the first step."
Tears welled in her eyes. "Brother… please, I… I can't do it…"
The tiger snarled, inching closer. Laine's chains lashed out, holding the beast back just long enough. His voice was harsh, unrelenting.
"You want to protect yourself? You want to stand beside me? Then prove it. Kill it, Airi. Or else you'll always be a burden."
She trembled, the katana heavy in her grip. Her heart pounded as the tiger roared, straining against the chains.
"Brother… I-I'm scared…"
Laine's voice thundered. "Then use that fear! Strike, Airi!"
With a sob, she raised the katana and stumbled forward. The tiger lunged at her, its claws flashing—but Laine's chains yanked it down just enough to give her a chance.
Screaming, tears streaming down her cheeks, Airi drove the blade into the beast's throat. The tiger thrashed, roared, then fell silent, collapsing into the grass.
The katana shook in her hands. Her whole body trembled, breath ragged.
She dropped to her knees beside the corpse, staring at her blood-stained hands. "I… I killed it… I really… killed it…"
Laine knelt beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. His voice was calm but firm. "Remember this feeling. It hurts, doesn't it? But pain… is proof you're alive. And it means you'll never forget what it takes to survive."
She sobbed into her hands, the weight of her first kill crushing her heart.
Night fell by the time Laine finished burying the tiger's remains. He guided Airi back toward the city, her steps weak and unsteady. When they reached the inn, she collapsed onto the bed, exhausted, tears still streaking her cheeks.
Laine pulled the blanket over her gently. "Sleep. Tomorrow… you'll be stronger."
She mumbled softly, half-asleep. "Brother… don't leave me…"
He brushed a strand of hair from her face. "I won't. Rest."
But once her breathing steadied, Laine stood and slipped out of the room.
The mask pulsed faintly at his side, its whisper curling into his mind.
You did well, Laine. But you know this is only the beginning. Come deeper… let the power here awaken you.
Laine's eyes hardened. He adjusted his cloak and walked into the silent streets, heading toward the dark pull that the mask had sensed earlier.
The night swallowed him, and with it, the promise of something more.