CHAPTER 39: FIVE POLISH WOOD CASKETS

The northern wind of the city of Bion moved, whistling through the trees and sliding leaves one after another, trembling and drifting lazily through the soft morning sun’s rays, and making shadows dance across the ground, shrinking and stretching long as they floated before landing gently on the dew grass.

Squirrels jumped, passing on the trunks and entering holes visible on the trees, as crows shifted and dived, their black feathers rustling as the wind threaded through old stone markers and iron-wrought crosses, stirring petals left on the concrete graves.

In the rows of the gravestones, people dressed in black outfits of all styles, holding hands as they walked, brushing their handkerchiefs on their cheeks. Tires rolled under black cars, halting them at the gate of the Bon Central Cemetery. Doors opened with muted thuds as the sun shone on the dark windows and reflected on the round torch-structure light on the metal walls of the cemetery.

One after another, figures stepped out, placing their boots on the cemented ground and screeching it as they stepped in the grass walkway.

Wind flew by the hems of coats and dresses, lifting and tugging gently at the threads where two swords crossed, the symbol of the barracks woven with pride and duty. The same cloth remained at the center of all five polished wood caskets glimmering under the morning sun.

The Bion city soldiers straightened their backs as they stood in rigid queues, facing the caskets with saddened expressions. Kai, who seemed to be the smallest of them all and wearing a bag of weapons on his back. Their breaths rose and fell in calm rhythm, steadying themselves, but their eyes betrayed them, blinking and shedding tears. Still, Kai stood there, no tear around his eyes or cheeks, though he had a sad facial expression.

"We are gathered here today to pay our last respect to the relentless soldiers who sacrificed their lives for this city. Though they are gone, their memories will forever remain in our hearts," Gray said, pulling his sword from the bag wrapped around his back and stretching it to the sky, crying heavily.

Although he was the strongest, no strong person could retain his tears when burying his only younger brother, whom he thought would rather do him the honor of burying him in case a catastrophe should happen.

Old women collapsed, slamming their knees on the grass as the caskets got pulled in the hole dug in the ground. Wet sand began dropping on the caskets one after another, covering them and sealing them completely.

"Look at how you will end up if you joined your friends when they rushed into the military recruitments," a woman standing behind the soldiers at a far distance said, pointing a hand toward the men dressed in black as she trod the road at the other side of the cemetery, holding a fifteen-year-old boy’s hand.

...

"Look at their faces, haaa... do they think they have many years to live?" Denis said, zooming the telescope placed on one of the thick branches of the trees from afar, covering himself in a cloth made of dried leaves.

He moved the telescope, shifting it from one person to another, and stopped when it fell on the boy with black and blue hair walking beside the two most famous soldiers who had ever been or still are in Bion city.

Denis frowned, tightened his grip on the metallic body of the telescope, and pressed hard on it, squeezing and closing the hole that enabled him to see. After losing his grip, he could still see through the now-narrow space the telescope had.

"Are they moving out of the cemetery, or are they still there?" Kang said, sliding down from the top of the tree, gripping the thick roots of the trees that looked like a jungle rope for climbing the trees.

A few moments after clinging tightly to the tree’s bark, seven men, also wearing outfits made of leaves, slid down, spiraling on the natural rope before stopping at a close distance from Kang.

After everyone vanished from the gravesite, including the last car driving off the gates, Kang, Denis, and their men descended from the trees and walked swiftly, sneaking behind raised cone-shaped stones, and entering the large building at the far end of the cemetery.

"We rest here..." Kang said, entering the building and closing the door.

...

"Today was a very long day. I wish I could skip the training and sleep for five days straight," Kai said, stepping out of the van that conveyed them to the cemetery and back to the barracks. Walking to the dormitory, his hands remained in his pockets as he tilted his head downward, staring at the shadow following him and acting like his own shadow.

The walls of the dormitory welcomed him with cool wind that brushed on the hair covering his face, raising and shifting it slightly. And when he reached his door, opened it, and made an attempt to enter, he saw Lieutenant Gray gesturing from a distance as he neared him.

Not knowing why he was being called, Kai shut the door back, leaned on the right side of the wall, waiting. After a minute, Gray neared him, placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder, and handed him a red envelope with the inscription ’From the Headquarters’ written boldly on it.

"Sir, do you know anything about who a shadow king is?" Kai said, smiling and scratching the back of his head.

"Yes, I will tell you what I know about that during our next training session tomorrow. Right now, read the letter in the envelope when you’re alone. And no one should know about you receiving anything from the headquarters, not even royalties or being fed with their food." Gray said, tapping on the boy’s shoulder before leaving him alone, still holding the envelope.

The moment Gray walked out of the dormitory’s exit, Max entered, walking directly to Kai’s room as if hearing of him receiving something from someone.

"Knock. Knock. Knock."

Three consecutive knocks echoed on the closed door, yet Kai didn’t think of opening or going to check whoever was there as he sat at the tip of the bed, focusing thoroughly on the words written on the white sheet he pulled from the envelope.

This message comes from the sub-department of the headquarters.

We entrust you with this letter, informing you of a secret operation that will be taking place in two days.

There is no time to reconsider; your name has already been added to the records of those chosen to partake secretly and undertake this operation.

Currently, you don’t have any skill grade from E to A, yet you’re the one capable and suitable to be added to one other to lead the few members needed for the right job to be done.

We aren’t there physically, but we’ve seen all the works, the strengths, and the leadership skills you’ve portrayed throughout your two-year stay in the swordsmen sect.

Kai, in snow, sun, or fire, like the oath signed the first day before you were recruited, you have no other option than to respond to this letter with a written notice to Yung through the person who handed this letter to you.

When the boy finished reading the letter, he gasped, tilted his gaze to the window, and watched the sky change from late afternoon to early evening.

...

"Why is this boy not opening the door?" Max said, turning from Kai’s door with an angry expression.