When the door closed and silence reclaimed the dojo, Rhyka let out a long breath For the first time that evening, his guarded expression slipped His lips curled into a small, unrestrained smile
The meeting had gone well Better than he could have asked for Nero had made his position clear, others would not be leaving with them, at least not now, and Rhyka found himself more than satisfied with that The thought of dragging along the rest of the class, with their petty rivalries, shallow grudges, and endless whispers, was laughable He had no interest in shepherding weaklings out into the real world
This journey, whatever it became, was his
But that didn't mean he was blind
He leaned back against the door, golden eyes glinting in the lantern light as he mulled over Nero's words about the devil beasts His smile faded into something harder, sharper He had never fought one Not directly And yet, thanks to the Martial Vision, he understood enough about combat to grasp the danger
