The room had become quiet.
Everyone was lying down, but sleep didn't come easily.
Alfie stared at the ceiling, his eyes slowly becoming heavier.
I don't know how Mama, Eli, and Marcus are doing.
His hands slowly tightened.
I'm a little reassured because Eli and Marcus are in the Shinra Academy. But Mama, on the other hand, is exposed to the outside world.
Alfie's expression became worried.
What if the kingdom is under attack? What if Darkside Spirits swarm the whole place? The Shinras won't be there to protect Mama. They'll focus on themselves and their families.
His hands squeezed tighter.
I just hope nothing like that ever happens while I'm away.
He swallowed.
Mama can't be taken away as well.
His eyes closed.
No... she can't be taken.
Alfie remained silent as he continued speaking to himself inside his thoughts.
A few feet away on another bed, Jackson was having his own thoughts.
It's been months since I last saw her.
He stared at the ceiling.
I know the house is really lonely for her since I'm not there.
Jackson slowly exhaled.
If everything goes as planned, then she's probably in that kingdom with Papa.
He raised one hand toward the ceiling and looked at it quietly.
I hope she makes lots of friends. Friends who will make her smile all the time.
A small smile appeared on his face.
And don't think about me too much.
Jackson slowly lowered his hand and exhaled again.
Across the room, Sasaki was sitting on the sofa.
He suddenly dropped himself backward until his back rested against it.
I'm just a big bad guy without brains, aren't I?
His eyes remained open.
Always swinging that sword of mine to cut down anything in front of me that doesn't mean well.
Sasaki sighed.
There's more to life than just fighting, you know.
He stared at the ceiling.
Keeping the boys in order... keeping myself in order...
A long pause followed.
Sasaki suddenly sat upright.
Never mind.
A faint grin appeared on his face.
That's not the way of Sasaki.
He glanced toward Alfie.
He's different. That's why he's Sasaki.
Sasaki looked away.
I'm no longer the Reaper, even if that rock head keeps calling me that.
He looked down at his hands.
I'm going to swing that sword until my last breath to protect those around me.
Sasaki leaned back against the sofa.
Then he looked toward the two boys.
"You boys should get some rest," he said. "We need to be ready for whatever tomorrow's going to be."
Sasaki stood up from the sofa and stretched.
Then, without another word, he jumped onto the last empty bed.
Alfie and Jackson slowly got into their sleeping positions.
The room became silent.
One by one, they finally fell asleep.
---
The Morning
Morning arrived.
BANG!
A loud sound suddenly shook the door.
Sasaki's eyes opened.
"Huh...?"
He slowly sat up, looking half-asleep.
Another second passed.
He lazily walked toward the door.
Behind him, Alfie and Jackson were already awake because of the noise.
Sasaki reached the door and opened it.
Standing outside was a beautiful blonde girl.
She wore black sleeves, large black trousers, and low, fancy sandals.
Her arms were crossed, and her expression was serious.
"You guys do sleep a lot for Shinras, don't you?" she said.
Sasaki stared at her with sleepy eyes.
"Get yourself together and come out. The Clan Head wants to meet with you."
Sasaki remained completely still.
The girl stared back at him.
"Go inside and take care of yourself. I won't be standing here all day."
Sasaki yawned.
"Whatever. Suit yourself."
He began closing the door.
"Give us fifteen minutes."
BAM!
The door slammed shut.
The girl stared at the closed door without changing her expression.
Inside, Sasaki turned toward the boys.
"You guys go take your bath. I'll be waiting."
He yawned again.
Alfie and Jackson immediately got up and walked into the bathroom.
A few minutes later, both boys came back out.
Sasaki had finished getting ready as well.
He looked at their clothes and immediately frowned.
"You guys are not wearing those clothes again."
Sasaki reached into his Storage Ring.
He pulled out two sets of clothing and threw them toward the boys.
"Put these on."
Alfie and Jackson caught the clothes.
They wore tight white sleeves that fitted closely around their bodies, making their small muscles slightly visible.
They then put on gray trousers.
Unlike the sleeves, the trousers weren't tight.
Sasaki tossed two pairs of gray sandals toward them.
He also gave them two short, specially designed gray and black capes.
Black for Alfie,gray for Jackson.
Once they were dressed, Sasaki stood in front of them.
He was wearing black trousers and tight black sleeves, with a large red cape hanging from his shoulders.
He looked at the boys.
"Good enough."
Sasaki opened the door.
The blonde girl was still standing outside.
She immediately looked at him.
Her serious expression didn't change.
"You said fifteen minutes."
Sasaki blinked.
"This is twenty-two minutes and thirteen seconds."
She paused.
"Fourteen seconds."
Another pause.
"Fifteen seconds."
Sasaki stared at her.
"Relax. We're out now, aren't we?"
He stepped outside.
"Lead the way, ma'am."
The girl exhaled and turned around.
As they began walking, she spoke in a low voice.
"You need to be a better man and always keep to your words."
Sasaki glanced at her.
He didn't respond.
---
The Temple Town
They walked down the stairs leading away from the building.
As they reached the open area, the beauty of the town on top of the mountain finally became clear.
The sun was shining brightly above them.
The ancient buildings spread across the mountain, surrounded by mist and towering structures.
Young men and women were training in meditation in the yard of one of the buildings.
A white Renshi circle glowed beneath each person.
They were all dressed in black costumes.
The instructor standing before them was the only one wearing white.
"Focus your breathing!"
The instructor said calmly.
The students remained completely still.
As Alfie and Jackson walked past, they couldn't help looking around.
Every building seemed to have its own group of people training.
Some were practicing attacks with different weapons.
Others were practicing defense with shields.
Some were moving through complicated hand-to-hand combat exercises.
Others were training their movements and balance.
Alfie stared at them with interest.
Jackson did the same.
There was something completely different about this place.
Everyone seemed disciplined.
Everyone seemed focused.
After several minutes of walking, they finally arrived at the massive temple.
Five people were training together in front of it.
Four of them were teenagers, probably around sixteen years old.
Three were boys.
One was a girl.
The fifth was a young girl around Alfie's age.
They were all fighting each other.
The little girl with the sword moved first.
Her sword wasn't too large or too small.
She swung it rapidly while moving around the others.
Another teenage girl fought with two chain daggers.
The daggers were attached to her hands by chains, allowing her to swing them around her body.
One of the boys was using a bow.
He moved around the battlefield while firing arrows.
Another boy looked slightly older than the others.
He had long black hair and wielded a large black scythe.
The last boy carried two curved blades.
They continued battling each other across the entire area.
But there was something strange about their fighting.
There was no Renshi.
No special abilities.
techniques.
Just pure combat skill.
Alfie and Jackson watched with surprised expressions.
They were clearly interested.
The blonde girl leading them suddenly stopped.
"There's no time for spectating."
Alfie and Jackson immediately looked away.
The girl reached the massive golden door.
She placed both hands against it.
With a powerful push....
GROOOOAN...
The enormous golden door slowly opened.
The inside of the temple finally came into view.
Giant pillars supported the massive structure.
Assassin artwork covered the walls.
The ceiling stretched incredibly high above them, disappearing toward the top of the enormous building.
The atmosphere inside was completely different.
Quiet.
Serious.
Almost intimidating.
The blonde girl didn't step inside.
Instead, she moved to the side and gave them a clear path.
"Don't keep him waiting."
She looked at the three of them.
"Go inside."
Sasaki stared into the enormous temple for a moment.
Then he took the first step inside.