Rai turned around the moment he heard the voice.
Rin stood behind him, leaning lightly against a stone pillar as if she had been waiting there for some time. She was no longer dressed in the dark rebel clothing he had seen before. Instead, she wore a simple village outfit—a plain robe tied at the waist with a thin cloth belt. The clothes were ordinary, the kind any young woman in Yunara might wear, yet somehow they suited her perfectly.
Her long black hair was loosely tied behind her back, and a few strands moved gently in the cool night air.
For a moment, Rai simply looked at her.
She noticed immediately.
"What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow with a small smirk.
"Nothing," Rai replied calmly.
But Rin could feel his eyes studying her.
"Are you ready to go, Raikaro?" she asked.
Rai nodded.
Before either of them could say anything else, footsteps approached from behind.
Rai turned his head slightly.
Someone else was walking toward them.
It was Haru.
Rai had not seen him for two days.
Haru raised a hand casually as he approached.
"So… you're also coming?" he said with a wide grin.
Unlike the other Min members, Haru was also not wearing the black rebel uniform. Instead, he wore simple civilian clothing—loose trousers and a plain shirt that made him look like an ordinary villager.
Rin folded her arms.
"Of course he's coming," she said. "Why else would he be standing here in the middle of the night?"
Haru laughed.
Then Rin suddenly turned toward Rai and looked at him carefully from head to toe.
"This is how you're going to the festival?"
Rai looked down at himself.
He was still wearing his usual samurai clothing.
"What's the problem?" he asked.
Rin sighed in frustration.
"Not your clothes, fool. Your mark."
Rai's eyes narrowed slightly.
Rin pointed toward his forehead.
"Everyone in this city knows about the mark. And if someone sees it, you'll be recognized instantly."
Rai understood immediately.
The mark on his forehead was not something ordinary people ignored.
It was famous.
Dangerously famous.
Without saying another word, Rin reached into the cloth bag she carried and pulled out a folded set of simple clothes.
"Here," she said.
She handed him a dark village outfit similar to the ones worn by street merchants.
"And this," she added, tossing him a long strip of cloth.
Rai caught it.
"What is this for?"
"To cover your head," Rin replied. "Unless you want the entire city to recognize you."
A few minutes later, Rai stepped out from behind a ruined wall after changing.
Now he was dressed completely differently.
The black village clothing hid most of his body, and the cloth tied around his head covered the mark on his forehead.
He no longer looked like a warrior.
He looked like a traveling merchant.
Rin and Haru stared at him for a moment.
Then both of them started laughing.
Rai frowned.
"What?"
"You actually look normal now," Haru said, barely holding his laughter.
Rin nodded.
"For once."
Rai felt a small wave of embarrassment, though his face showed almost no expression.
He quietly adjusted the cloth around his waist and carefully hid his katana inside the robe so it would not be visible.
After that, the three of them began walking toward the city.
As they walked, Rin and Haru talked constantly.
About random things.
About food.
About the festival.
About stupid memories from childhood.
Rai walked beside them in silence.
After ten minutes of listening to their nonstop conversation, Rai was already irritated.
Neither of them seemed capable of staying quiet.
Eventually, the dark road began to brighten.
A warm orange glow appeared in the distance.
Fire.
Lanterns.
Festival lights.
As they continued walking, the lights grew brighter and brighter until the city of Yunara finally appeared before them.
The city looked completely different from the broken ruins Rai had seen before.
Lanterns hung across the streets like small floating stars.
Colorful banners stretched between buildings.
Wooden stalls lined the roads, selling food, handmade crafts, toys for children, and bright fabrics that fluttered in the night wind.
Music filled the air.
Drums.
Flutes.
Laughter.
For the first time since arriving in Yunara, Rai saw the city alive.
Children ran through the streets chasing each other.
Old men sat around wooden tables playing games and arguing loudly.
Women carried trays filled with sweet rice cakes and grilled meat.
The scent of food drifted through the air.
Rin turned to look at Rai.
"Well?" she asked.
Rai slowly looked around.
"…It's loud."
Rin stared at him.
Then she burst into laughter.
"That's your reaction?" she said. "Loud?"
Haru shook his head.
"You really don't understand festivals, do you?"
Rin stepped closer to Rai and gestured toward the crowds.
"This is the only day people can forget the taxes… the soldiers… the fear," she said quietly.
"Just for one night."
Rai's eyes moved toward a group of children dancing in circles around a tall lantern pole.
Their laughter echoed through the street.
"…Strange," Rai murmured.
Rin tilted her head.
"What is?"
"They can still smile."
Rin did not answer immediately.
She simply watched the people around them.
Then she spoke softly.
"That's exactly why we fight."
Rai said nothing.
The three of them continued walking deeper into the festival.
However, Rai quickly noticed something else.
Soldiers.
Yun soldiers.
They were everywhere.
Patrolling the streets.
Watching the crowds.
Their armor reflected the lantern light as they moved through the festival like silent shadows.
The celebration continued…
But the fear was still there.
Suddenly, loud shouting erupted from the far end of the street.
Rai turned his head instantly.
A group of people had gathered together.
Men.
Women.
Even some young teenagers.
They were shouting loudly.
"We want freedom!"
"Down with Yun!"
"Justice for Yunara!"
Their voices echoed through the festival.
Rin's face grew tense.
Haru's smile disappeared.
Then it happened.
Masked soldiers rushed forward.
Without hesitation.
Steel flashed.
Blades moved.
The soldiers attacked the protesters.
People screamed.
A man collapsed to the ground.
Another woman cried out as she tried to protect a young boy beside her.
But the soldiers did not stop.
They struck anyone in front of them.
Even children.
The festival music continued somewhere in the background.
But the screams were louder.
Rai stood still.
His fists slowly tightened.
Rin and Haru watched in silence.
Anger burned in their eyes.
But they could not move.
Not here.
Not now.
If they interfered, the entire rebel network could be exposed.
The soldiers finally dragged the injured protesters away, leaving blood on the street.
The crowd slowly stepped back in fear.
The festival continued.
But the joy had faded.
Rin looked at Rai.
"You see now?" she said quietly.
Her voice carried deep disappointment.
"They're not all happy."
Rai stared at the bloodstained ground.
His eyes grew colder.
The night festival continued around them.
But the darkness of Yunara had just revealed itself.
To be continued…