Morning Beneath the Gathering War Clouds
Late in the morning, as Soun walked a wide circuit around the estate, something sharply foreign brushed against his senses.
It was not a sound.
Not a sight.
It was a presence.
Like a small shard caught in the throat—minor, yet unmistakably wrong.
He slowed at once.
Without looking directly toward it, he confirmed its position through his awareness, then began circling wide to approach from the rear.
Since mastering the arts recorded in the Compendium, his movements had changed.
With light-body technique woven into his steps, he no longer relied on brute strength.
His body flowed with precision.
Training after awakening is swift.
He had never practiced lightness techniques before crossing that threshold.
Only afterward, studying the pathways of force described in the Compendium, had he refined how power should move through him.
Now his motion was clean.
Fast.
Effortless.
He skimmed across the blue earth as though gliding, swallowing even the sound of his passage.
The location of the disturbance fixed itself in his mind like a point marked upon a map.
Two men lay prone on a distant rise, peering toward the estate.
They wore commoners' clothing.
But wrapped in cloth and strapped across their backs were blades—short, narrow swords fit for ambush.
A memory of earlier assassination attempts flickered through him.
It begins.
It was not the two men before him that troubled him.
He would have preferred to avoid confrontation as long as possible.
But he understood: the time for forbearance had passed.
The enemy had come.
Reconnaissance is always followed by battle.
A thin, foolish hope—that there might be more time—quietly shattered.
If only reinforcements had gathered a little more.
If only preparation were further along.
But war never waits for readiness.
The two men were studying the outer walls and the broad paddies surrounding the estate.
Their caution was lax.
They did not even lower their voices.
"Nothing much here. We could just rush it."
"Exactly. They warn us because they fear General Jin. His family? What's there to fear?"
"Let's just sweep the place."
"Can't believe we're hesitating over some little manor in the middle of nowhere."
"Heard the local militia once got butchered by something called the White Dragon unit. Whole force trembling like dogs."
"They're gone now."
"A few leftovers maybe. Nothing serious."
For scouts, they were careless.
They believed the distance sufficient.
Believed no one near.
Soun pressed flat to the ground and closed the final stretch in silence.
He rose behind them like a shadow.
Two short, dull strikes.
The sounds were soft.
The results were not.
Both men gasped and collapsed, unconscious.
Soun bound their hands behind their backs and secured their ankles with nearby vine.
He collected their weapons.
He had done this often in Haran.
It felt no different than packing supplies.
He scanned the surroundings.
Two White Dragon patrol riders were cresting a distant ridge.
Soun raised a hand in signal.
"Brother, it's me—Soun."
"Scholar? What are you doing out here this early?"
"Making a circuit. I've secured two scouts. Interrogate them—get the commander's name and where the main force is stationed."
"That's my specialty."
The riders spurred forward.
Soun watched long enough to ensure control, then moved further along the direction from which the scouts had come.
Beyond two low hills, a narrow road connected to the main thoroughfare.
Three horses stood tethered.
A lone man leaned against a rock, dozing.
Soun altered his expression instantly.
He approached with the vacant ease of a country boy.
"Uncle, what are you doing here?"
The man blinked lazily.
"What does it look like? Sleeping. What about you?"
"I'm heading to the county office."
"You live around here?"
"Farther out. Where're you from? Don't think I've seen you."
"Came from the capital. From the Imperial City."
"How would I know that? I'm just a country kid. That's far, though."
"It is."
"You here to see the magistrate?"
The man snorted.
"The magistrate? I don't care about him. Why are you hovering around me, kid? Go on your way."
Soun gave a foolish grin.
"On my way here, I saw two men get captured. They were dressed like you. I thought maybe they were with you. Some men are heading this way too. If you stay here, you might get caught."
The man's eyes snapped fully open.
"Captured?"
"Yes. Same clothes. Looked like your companions. I came to warn you."
"Damn it—why didn't you say that first?"
He scrambled upright, sleep gone.
His hand seized the reins.
And in that instant, Soun's eyes changed.
The morning air tightened.
The war clouds had settled.
It had begun.