Kai stood in the light of the moon, shivering from the cold that permeated the air. The light flurries of snow fell around him in waves and the already slightly white ground was being covered with the slowly falling rain.

He breathed in the cold air through his nostrils, feeling the chill force its way down his throat before he let it back out in a release of air through his mouth. Kai could feel his nose numb slightly as he continued the breathing exercise and even though the frost was starting to cool his insides, he started to relax.

Kai unsheathed his sword and started to move through the Forms, letting his mind wash away in the repetition that was tied to his very Soul. However, even with the large fur coat and the exercise he was getting from practice, Kai was still unable to significantly warm himself up.

He made out a slight noise at the edge of his hearing and sharply turned his head to the right, body tensing up in anxiety once again. After a few minutes, he forced himself through another breathing exercise to relax his body.

It had been three months since the now smaller caravan had left Novan. They’d traveled through five other villages in that time where they’d stayed for a few days each. Due to the fact that the caravan had less merchants now, they’d only had to stay in each village for a short time before leaving.

Kai had been interested in the way each village compared to his own home, but he hadn’t seen many significant differences in the way the people were nor in the way it was set up.

He’d also realized just days after leaving Novan that he had gotten much too used to sleeping on a comfy mattress in a warm room in the mansion. However, the initial uncomfortableness had turned slowly back into acceptance as he stayed longer with nature. This didn’t mean he wasn’t happy every time they were able to stay at an inn in one of the villages though.

Kai shook himself out of his thoughts as he felt something he hadn’t felt in over a year and a half. The tenseness that his body had been accumulating and then letting go of over the last few bells while he’d been on watch suddenly rose to a commanding peak. He could feel the ever-present noose that surrounded his neck slowly tighten in anticipation.

He stood up, alarmed, unsheathing his sword again in one quick motion, and just in time too, as two arrows flew out of the shadows of the woods and thudded into the ground near him.

Seeing the crossbow bolts on the ground, Kai snapped his head back up and yelled, “Bandits,” at the top of his lungs.

He saw four shadows detach from the darkness of the woods and rush towards him. Raising his sword and sliding his right foot forwards just a notch to ready himself for the oncoming attack, he tried to complete a shorter version of his breathing exercise to relax his body.

Unsuccessful, he shrugged in acceptance right before the first shadow attacked.

The shadow neared him and Kai’s eyes caught the glint of a small blade flashing in the moonlight. He was able to quickly slide to his left, letting the quick shadow speed past him.

Kai lashed out with his blade as the shadow flew past and he felt some resistance from the dark cloak the bandit was wearing, before his sword cut through. The man he’d gravely wounded gave a slight scream before suddenly cutting himself off. However, Kai did not notice because the second shadow had reached him.

This one was using a sword, and seeing this, he let his face break out in a slight smirk. Unless this was the leader of the bandits, Kai was comfortable about facing him in a sword fight.

Even though the second bandit was quick, Kai was able to tell the man had mastered only two of the Forms and after a couple of exchanges, Kai brutally thrusted his blade through the bandit’s midsection. He pushed the corpse off of his sword and it fell limply to the ground.

The entire exchange against both bandits had taken around ten seconds, which wasn’t that much time, but it was more than enough for the other two bandits to reload their bows.

Kai’s eyes widened as he saw the glints of two arrowheads only twenty paces from him. He threw himself to the side just as his ears picked up the sounds of both arrows being released. Fortunately, just like the last shots, neither arrow touched him and so he sprang back to his feet.

He saw both crossbow wielders trying to reload as quickly as possible and one even dropped his bolt in his nervousness. Kai rushed forwards and as he was only five paces from the duo, one looked up. Eyes widening, he quickly dropped his bow and fumbled for the weapon that was surely fastened to his belt. Unfortunately for him, it was too late.

Kai reached both bow users and swung his sword into the one who’d been trying to grab his secondary weapon. After dropping the first one, it was even easier to kill the second one. Unlike the first shadow that had attacked him, the other three had been relatively quiet, even in their deaths. It was obvious to Kai that this group of bandits had been trained in stealth, to the point that even fatal wounds wouldn’t cause them to make a loud sound. That first bandit must’ve been a newer recruit.

Kai checked all four bodies to make sure none of them had a pulse and he was surprised to see that the first bandit had already succumbed to the wound he’d given him.

He stood up from his kneeling position on the ground near the first corpse and as he stood, he could hear the slight clashing of weapons and the screams that marked the heated battle between the caravan guards and bandits. Instead of cleaning his blade as he’d been about to do, he kept it unsheathed and rushed through the trees, making his way back to where the caravan had camped for the night.

Because of the trust he’d built up over the year and a half he’d spent with the captain, Kai had started to receive more responsibilities on this journey with the caravan, one of which was sentry duty in the woods around where the caravan camped every night. This was one of the reasons he’d been attacked by the bandits first and also why he hadn’t been paired up with anybody. In the end it hadn’t mattered, however. He’d taken care of business.

It only took Kai around half a minute to make his way back to the caravan and when he got there, he was met with an unpleasant sight. A group of approximately forty shadows were fighting the score and a half of guards. However, even though they were outnumbered, the fight still seemed pretty even.

In the middle of it though was a sight that sent a chill through Kai’s bones. The captain of the guard and who he assumed to be the leader of the bandits were exchanging blows with their weapons. The captain was using a broadsword while the bandit leader was using a mace. Both leaders were evenly matched and it was obvious that the bandit leader had mastered the first five Forms of the mace. Kai could also see the small Techniques that were being thrown around in the fight, though none as flashy as he’d seen from the disciples of the Uroboros School almost a year and a half ago.

Some others in the crowd of fighters were using Techniques, though these could barely even be classified as such. Kai ripped his eyes away from the two fighters in the middle and looked for others he could take out easily.

He caught sight of a one on one fight where the guard was outmatched. The bandit was using a series of sword strikes to push the guard back. Kai only took a second to ready himself before he rushed in and stabbed the bandit through the back.

Hunter had taught Kai many things, including the concept of honor. It had been forced into Kai’s brain ever since Hunter had started teaching him. He remembered Hunter’s words.

Honor is a fickle thing, boy. Sometimes, powerful people will use it to trap you. Other times, they will forget what honor even is. Remember, in war it is always important to have honor because more times than not, the issue between two nations has nothing to do with the soldiers fighting. However, saving the life of a companion is always worth the loss of reputation.

Kai felt no regret in stabbing the bandit through the back because in the first place, the bandits had come out of the dark forest, most likely intending to kill everyone in their sleep and steal the caravan’s valuables.

The guard he’d helped nodded once at him, and even with some cuts that Kai knew should be looked at, the armored man still turned and jumped into another battle.

Honor dictates you keep fighting for your companions, for your people. This world will take many things from you. No matter what happens, never lose your honor. But at the same time, have your own values. Only you will know what the line is and whether it is right to cross it or not.

Kai rushed into the battle, body calmed for the first time since he’d taken watch that night. It was like the rest of the world had bled away and the only thing he had was himself and an extension of himself.

Glittering steel flashed through the torchlight as Kai cut down bandits left and right. A one on one, a two on one, sometimes even three on one. None of it mattered. He was the weapon, and the blade, a tool of his destruction.

He felt that barrier again, one he hadn’t felt since his battle against the wolves over a year ago. Kai could tell that beyond that barrier lied mysteries that would strengthen his very Soul. Yet once again, as he tried to break through, he was rebuffed. Instead of trying to push his mind through, he left the barrier alone this time and kept fighting.

And suddenly, his sword was swinging through open space as he had no more opponents left. Kai looked around and saw that all of the bandits had been downed, including their leader. The captain stood above the bandit’s body, waves of energy rolling off of him.

Cohen was off to the side, having taken down two other bandits with his Techniques. Unfortunately, there were five armored bodies strewn across the clearing. He recognized Dorian’s face from back at the village, and he felt the sadness that came with the death of companions. Over the last year and a half, he had become much closer to the rest of the guards and although he didn’t have the brother or sister like relationship with any of them like he had with Cohen, he had still become friends with most of them.

He could imagine the tear filled faces of Dorian’s mother and father back at Brasbury and the crack in the normally stony appearance of the blacksmith.

Death is a cruel master to the living, isn’t he, he thought to himself.

Kai kneeled at each of the bodies of the guards and repeated the words that Hunter had taught him.

“May you find peace in the Great Beyond.”