It finally happened.
I knew it would, just not this soon.
It's only been three years.
"Mikan, let go already," Ringo grunts.
"No! Don't go!" Mikan cries, clinging to her in a tight hug.
"Stop overreacting. I'm not leaving forever. Muromachi isn't that far."
Her crying pauses. "How far is it?"
"On foot… a week. Maybe two."
"NOOO!" She buries her face back into Ringo and refuses to let go.
"Now, now, Mikan," Mother says gently. "You knew this was coming."
"Let go so we can give her a proper farewell."
Mikan has grown a lot closer to Ringo these past few years. She didn't react like this when Eldest Sister Ichigo left.
Maybe that taught her how little time we really get once we start our martial paths.
…Or maybe she just can't handle her little sister leaving.
"She isn't even an adult yet!" Mikan snaps.
"She's stronger than most," Father replies.
That finally gets Mikan to let go.
Only for her to latch onto me instead, crying into my shoulder.
Go cry somewhere else!!
Father turns to Ringo. "I've already informed the trader where you'll be dropped off. Remember, each beast you take down on the road while on duty earns you two copper."
He leans in, lowering his voice. "He's a friend, but he's greedy. Don't let him scam you."
"I heard that!" someone shouts from the other side of the cart.
Father laughs.
"I understand, Father," Ringo says with a small smile.
Mother pulls her into a tight hug.
"Stay safe, alright?" she says, her voice soft. "If you change your mind, you can always come back."
"I know," Ringo replies, hugging her back.
Then she turns to me.
She's smiling. Wide. I don't think I've ever seen her smile like that before.
I smile back.
No words, but we get it.
I step forward, arms open. "Be saf—"
Huh?
The world flips.
I'm airborne, flying straight toward the fields.
I snap back and land on my feet. My tail steadies me without thinking, keeping me balanced.
It warns me too.
A chill runs up my spine. I duck as a kick slices through where my head was.
"Woah! That felt stronger than usual—"
I freeze.
Her fingers shoot for my eyes.
I jump back just in time.
With no pause, Ringo kept rushing with quick, razor-like precision. Her hands stab toward my vitals.
None of them land.
I'm quicker. But she's faster than before.
I manage a few hits. She slips past most of them, redirecting one and lining up another strike toward my eyes.
It misses. My tail nudges her leg off course.
She doesn't react. Just keeps attacking.
Each hit knocks the air out of me. I grit my teeth and push through.
I block another strike.
She grabs my arm.
Pulls.
My guard opens and she takes a clean shot at my eyes.
This time, I lean forward as her fist slams into my forehead.
THUD.
She winces.
I stagger, vision spinning, then steady myself as my tail spikes again.
I jump. A sweep tears through the ground beneath me.
I spin in the air and strike back.
Ringo reaches out to redirect, grabbing my leg.
But the kick she expects isn't there.
It shifts.
I twist mid-spin, turning the motion into a punch instead.
It crashes into her guard.
She redirects with her other hand, but not fully. She slides back across the dirt.
For a moment, she just looks at me.
Mikan and our parents go quiet.
Ringo steps forward.
"Hehe… that surprised you, didn't it?" I say, scratching the back of my head.
She doesn't answer.
"I was inspired by Eldest Sister's mist techni—"
She hugs me.
"You've really grown strong, Merun."
"Protect our family while I'm gone, okay?"
I've been growing nonstop these past few years. At eight, I'm already as tall as her. Though, that's really a big achievement. She's a very small girl.
Our spars got harder over time. I can handle Mikan without much effort now. My eyes and instincts keep up with her speed.
I can even wear Ringo down in a full fight. Grapples don't hold me like they used to.
The day I almost beat her, something clicked for her.
I had kept improving.
She hadn't.
She needed more. New fights. New techniques. A wider world.
I hug her back. "Of course. You stay safe too, Big Sister. Thanks for everything."
Now I get why she wants to join a clan.
Father and Mother stand together, holding each other while Mikan cries her heart out. I shout our goodbyes with her.
The buffalo cart starts moving. Ringo walks beside it for a while, then gets smaller, then disappears.
———
Muromachi. I heard it was a city protected by the Martial Clan Shinken, one of the strongest clans in the country. Hearing that they housed more Sages than any other clan barely registered as news.
Sages. Unfathomable beings. I'd read about them in the novel before, so they felt a little more human to me. To my family, though, they spoke about Sages the way people talk about gods who walk among them.
I learned quickly they weren't in the mood for jokes. One comment about the Martial Sages earned me a smack on the lips and a lecture that dragged on far too long, like they truly believed the Sages could somehow hear me.
Sages are absurdly powerful, I'll give them that. Still, I know they aren't all‑knowing or all‑powerful.
Trying to explain that to my family went nowhere. All it brought was more lip smacking and sharper looks.
This country loved its wars, and in that context, Sages might as well have been war gods made of flesh and blood.
If not for the Transcendents above them, people would have raised temples in their honor and written scriptures about their deeds. The idea wasn't hard to imagine.
Why the go through all that trouble to join the Shinken Clan though?
It seems each major clan specialize in a certain type of martial art—not to say that they don't use and have any other arts; it seemed to be a conscious, collective effort for each great clan to specialize in specific fields in order to elevate martial techniques from that niche.
And the Shinken Clan, specialized specifically for defense, so it seemed the perfect fit for Ringo.
Sigh.. I wish I could grow older much sooner.
I want to join a noble academy.
But first... I think it's time to get my pod.