The bamboo grove seemed quiet right away - slim green stalks stretching up high, rocking slow like they were singing something soft. Light from above slid through the leaves in bright, narrow lines. Tiny birds sat on fragile twigs, making low chirping sounds. This felt like a spot where kids could picture invisible beings drifting by when morning just begins.
Yet now, the woods stood ready - hungry for violence.
Okuta noticed first, even before Tari caught on. His footsteps eased up as tension crept into his back. One hand slid near the dark sheath strapped by his hip - slow and quiet. He was looking high, then low, checking every rustle, every patch of shade under the trees.
Tari, distracted by a squirrel climbing a bamboo stem, murmured, "What's with that shuffle - like you invited chaos on purpose?"
Okuta didn't reply.
Every part of him stayed tuned in.
The wind carried a weird hush - offbeat, a soft scrape, someone or something out of place. Birds fell silent fast, almost like they were saying stay put.
"Stop," Okuta said.
Tari froze immediately.
"What is it?"
Okuta lifted two fingers up - "Three. Wait... four."
"Four what?"
"Killers."
Tari's heart skipped. "Huh?"
Okuta cocked his head a bit, like he could catch their breath from miles off.
"They've been following us since the river. They waited until we reached the bamboo. Less noise. More hiding places. Better for ambush."
Tari swallowed. "And you didn't tell me?"
"You talk too much already," Okuta muttered. "If I told you, you'd shout."
"I don't shout---"
"Shhhh."
Tari's lips clamped together fast.
Okuta crouched down, grabbed a stray bamboo leaf, then let it float upward. It floated slow... yet quickly spun to the side.
Okuta nodded. "Left flank. They're closing in."
A cold ripple crawled up Tari's spine.
He whispered shakily, "So what do we do?"
Okuta stood up slowly. "Let's move ahead now."
"Walk? Like normal?"
"Yes."
"Into danger?"
"Yes."
Tari pressed his hands together. "God of Heaven, help your children…"
They went further into the woods, Okuta leading, then Tari right after. The mood got heavier. Branches whispered overhead. A shape flicked between trunks. His neck prickled, like someone watching.
Then---
A small stone struck Okuta's shoulder.
The swordsman stopped.
The woods fell quiet.
Three figures leapt from the trees - swift as meteors. One after another, they hit the ground without a sound. Not even rustling leaves gave them away.
A figure emerged from the shadow of a fat bamboo stalk.
They surrounded them.
Wrapped in dark red armor lined with black hide, faces covered by fabric masks, their torsos carried the symbol of a twisted scorpion.
The Red Scorpion Elite.
Tari's legs wobbled. Without thinking, he clutched Okuta's arm.
Okuta stayed still, yet his breathing didn't change.
The main killer moved ahead. Taller he stood compared to the rest, wide-chested, with a glare hot as ember.
"Wanderer," he said. "Hand over the boy."
Okuta spoke quietly - "The path's blocked by you."
The assassin sneered. "We didn't come to play games. Step aside."
Okuta moved his head from side to side. "Man, you make a lot of noise."
The killer paused, unsure. "Huh?"
"I hate noise."
The assassin lifted his blade. "Kill the man. Take the boy."
The rest reacted fast - quiet like ghosts.
Tari shouted, "Okuta!"
Okuta stepped forward.
Everything went crazy after that.
The first killer charged forward - yet stumbled mid-step.
Okuta swung - a sharp curve - quick enough to make the wind scream. Blood splattered the reeds. Down dropped the man, split apart.
Tari staggered back, caught off guard.
A guy leapt from the side, spinning mid-air, blades aimed at Okuta's neck. He dipped low, twisted fast - elbow smashing into the attacker's ribs. Bone snapped loud. Down he went, struggling to breathe.
Yet right when Okuta was about to end it -
The third attacker shot a dart - then quickly moved back.
Tari shouted, "Watch yourself!"
Okuta shifted his head just in time - missed by inches. The dart slammed into a nearby bamboo pole, still shaking from the hit.
Okuta's gaze turned sharp - his posture shifted at once.
Dangerous.
Focused.
Lethal.
The lead assassin shouted, "You cannot win, wanderer! We are the elite! We trained in the Valley of Thorns, under General Raigo himself!"
Okuta moved ahead at a steady pace.
"I've killed better."
The guy yelled out - then rushed forward.
Their swords hit hard, making a sharp noise that shook the whole woods. Yet suddenly, bright sparks shot out. Even the bamboo stalks wobbled from the force. Then birds burst into the air, flapping fast.
Tari ducked behind some bamboo, eyes wide. Yet she couldn't do a thing.
Okuta met the killer head-on - steel hit steel, step matched step, every move strong enough to snap something. While the attacker fought raw and quick, Okuta moved smooth, almost too accurate. Though different, both were deadly fast. Yet neither gave an inch.
The clash rattled the ground beneath the trees.
One error was enough to decide his end.
His swing went way off track.
Okuta disappeared for a split second.
Then showed up right behind him.
Shhhh---
A single slice, sharp and clear.
The main killer stopped dead, red liquid trickling down his throat.
He fell onto his knees.
"T…this… cannot… be…"
He dropped straight down, already gone by the time his body landed.
Just a single killer was left - he had broken ribs.
He stepped back fast, shaking, with his gun clattering as it shook loose.
"You… you monster…"
Okuta cleaned his knife using a leaf.
"You ambushed a child," he said. "What does that make you?"
The assassin shook, terrified. "The general… will hunt you… he will gut you… he will—"
Okuta showed up outta nowhere - fast as a flash.
"Noisy."
His blade flashed.
The trees went quiet again.
Wind brushed the bamboo, almost sighing with ease.
Tari stumbled forward, knees wobbling, fingers jittering. "Uh… did we make it through okay?"
Okuta tucked the blade into the scabbard.
"For now."
Tari looked at the dead guys, panic rushing inside. "These ones... nothing like the rest." He felt it deep down - something was way off this time."
"No," Okuta said. "These were elites. The general's personal dogs."
"Why did they come after me so fast?"
Okuta looked down at him. "Because the thing inside you… whatever memory map it is… it must be bigger than even you think."
Tari swallowed. "Then… more will come."
"Yes."
"Stronger ones?"
"Yes."
"Okuta… are you sure you want to keep traveling with me?"
Okuta hesitated before replying.
He crouched down, grabbed a cracked mask off the dirt, stared at the scorpion carved into its surface before tossing it aside.
He glanced over at Tari in the end.
"You're my responsibility. At least for today."
Tari let out a shaky breath. "What about tomorrow?"
"We'll see."
Tari gave a small nod, yet fear stayed on his skin, heavy and damp.
Yet when they moved farther into the woods, a single thought pressed hard on Okuta's thoughts:
What's making General Raigo deploy top troops this soon?
When they faded out of sight, a movement stirred near a tall bamboo post.
A single set of eyes kept a quiet watch on them.
A masked scout.
He quietly spoke into a tiny metal tube
"The elites have fallen… but the boy is alive… and the wanderer walks with him."
He paused.
"Send the message to General Raigo."
The voice at the far side broke up - "Got it."
The scout slipped quietly into the woods.
The bamboo moved once more.
Blood had already soaked into the ground.
Then Kyoden saw it.