The cold wind moved softly through the empty field as I tightened my grip around the sword.
Ken stood a few steps away from me, holding his own sword casually in one hand.
Even the way he stood felt calm.
Balanced.
Like someone who had held a sword for years.
"Again," he said quietly.
I took a deep breath and rushed toward him.
This time my movements felt smoother than before. I swung toward him confidently.
Clang!
Ken blocked it effortlessly with one hand.
The sound echoed sharply through the empty field.
I stepped sideways and attacked again immediately.
Clang!
Blocked again.
"…You're seriously annoying," I muttered.
"And you are predictable."
"…That hurts a little."
"It should."
I clicked my tongue and attacked once more, aiming lower this time.
But suddenly—
Ken disappeared.
My eyes widened.
"…What?!"
A cold breeze brushed past my shoulder.
"Too slow."
His voice came from behind me.
I immediately turned and swung my sword—
Clang!
Ken blocked it again with perfect timing.
Not even a single wasted movement.
Then with one smooth motion—
he pushed my sword aside and stepped back.
For a second, I could only stare at him.
"…How fast are you?!"
Ken looked at me calmly while resting the sword lightly on his shoulder.
"This?"
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"This is not even my actual speed."
Silence.
"…What?"
"I am slowing myself down."
"…You're joking."
"I rarely joke."
My grip tightened around the sword.
"…Are you using powers?"
Ken sighed softly.
"Do you really think every strong movement is magic?"
"…Normal people can't move like that!"
"I never said I was normal."
The answer came so naturally that I couldn't even reply properly.
Ken slowly lifted his sword again.
"You focus too much on my body."
"…What else am I supposed to focus on?"
"My sword."
He suddenly stepped forward.
Fast.
Clang!
I barely blocked the strike in time.
The impact shook my arms.
"Watch the blade carefully," Ken continued calmly. "A swordsman's body lies. The sword does not."
I gritted my teeth and pushed back.
Our swords clashed again.
And again.
Every strike from Ken felt precise.
Controlled.
Beautiful.
Like he had mastered every movement completely.
Not a single unnecessary action.
Even while attacking, his expression remained calm.
"…You're really good," I admitted while breathing heavily.
"I know."
"…You seriously praise yourself without hesitation."
"It would be strange to deny truth."
"…That's unfairly cool."
Ken ignored my complaint and attacked again.
This time faster.
Clang!
I blocked.
Barely.
But before I could recover—
another strike came instantly from the side.
Clang!
Then another.
And another.
My arms started shaking from the pressure.
"…Wait—slow down!"
"No."
Clang!
"You will not ask your enemies to move slower."
"…You sound like an old martial arts master."
"I am older than you."
"That is NOT the point!"
For the first time—
a small laugh escaped from Ken.
Soft.
Quiet.
But real.
Then suddenly—
he vanished again.
No—
he moved.
Fast enough that my eyes completely lost him.
The air shifted behind me.
Instinctively, I turned and raised my sword—
CLANG!
A powerful impact exploded through my arms.
I had blocked him.
For a brief moment—
both of us froze.
Ken looked at me silently.
Then slowly—
a faint smile appeared on his face.
"…Good."
My breathing became uneven.
"…I actually blocked that…"
"You stopped thinking and reacted naturally."
I stared at him in disbelief.
Then slowly—
a small smile appeared on my own face too.
"…Maybe I'm not completely hopeless."
Ken lowered his sword calmly.
"I never said you were."
The training continued after that.
Again.
And again.
The sound of swords echoed through the empty field under the dark sky.
My movements slowly became sharper.
Cleaner.
Even though my whole body hurt, I didn't want to stop.
Somehow—
for the first time in a long while—
my mind felt clear.
No overthinking.
No loneliness.
Just the sound of metal clashing against metal.
At some point, the cold night slowly began to fade.
A soft orange light appeared at the edge of the sky.
The sunrise.
I lowered my sword slowly, breathing heavily.
"…Morning already…?"
Ken looked toward the horizon quietly.
The golden sunlight touched his face softly, moving through his dark hair as the wind passed by.
For a moment—
he looked strangely peaceful.
"…You improved faster than I expected," he said calmly.
I sat down on the grass immediately.
"My arms are literally dying."
"That means the training worked."
"That sounds evil."
"It is effective."
"…Same thing."
Ken walked closer and held out a bottle of water toward me.
I blinked in surprise.
"…You brought water?"
"I expected you to collapse eventually."
"…Why do I feel insulted and cared for at the same time?"
"You should feel grateful instead."
I took the bottle and drank quietly.
The morning breeze felt softer now.
After a few seconds, I looked at Ken again.
"…You really don't get tired, huh?"
"No."
"…Are spirits built differently or something?"
"Yes."
"…That's unfair."
Ken sat beside me calmly.
For a brief moment—
neither of us spoke.
We simply watched the sunrise together.
And strangely enough—
it didn't feel awkward at all.
The morning breeze moved softly through the field as we slowly walked back home.
My whole body felt heavy after the training.
My arms hurt.
My legs hurt.
Even holding the sword properly felt difficult now.
Meanwhile—
Ken looked completely fine.
"…Are you even human?" I asked tiredly.
Ken glanced at me calmly.
"No."
"…Right."
"I already told you that before."
"…You saying it so casually makes it worse."
Ken gave a faint smile.
"You are still walking properly. That means today's training was not enough."
I stopped walking immediately.
"…Not enough?!"
"Yes."
"…You're actually evil."
"I know."
I stared at him in disbelief.
"How are you saying that with a straight face…"
The morning sunlight slowly spread across the empty streets as we continued walking.
For some reason—
the world felt strangely peaceful after spending the whole night training.
Even my mind felt lighter.
Then suddenly—
Ken stopped walking.
My steps slowed too.
"…Ken?"
He didn't answer immediately.
The wind moved softly through his dark hair.
His eyes looked toward the road ahead calmly.
But something changed.
The peaceful feeling from before disappeared instantly.
"…What happened?" I asked quietly.
Ken's expression became unreadable.
"…Stay behind me."
My chest tightened slightly.
"…Why?"
No answer.
The air suddenly felt colder.
A strange pressure spread through the street.
Then—
I noticed it.
A figure standing near the electric pole ahead.
Tall.
Wearing dark robes.
Its face hidden beneath long black hair.
For a second—
it didn't move.
Then slowly—
its head lifted toward us.
A chill ran down my spine instantly.
"…Another spirit?"
Ken quietly moved one step in front of me.
His voice became calm.
Too calm.
"…Do not move."
The spirit suddenly smiled.
But something about that smile felt wrong.
Unnatural.
Its body twitched strangely before speaking.
"So this is the human…"
Its voice sounded broken.
Like multiple people speaking together.
My grip tightened unconsciously.
"…Ken…"
But Ken's eyes never left the spirit.
"…You should not be here," he said quietly.
The spirit laughed softly.
"And yet… you are here as well."
Silence.
The wind stopped.
Even the sounds of the city felt distant now.
For the first time—
I felt something terrifying from Ken.
Not anger.
Not fear.
Something colder.
Something ancient.
The pressure around him changed completely.
The spirit's smile slowly disappeared.
"…I see," it muttered quietly.
"…So it really is you."
I looked at Ken in confusion.
"…You know him?"
Ken ignored my question.
"…Leave," he said softly.
The spirit took a slow step backward.
Not because it wanted to.
Because it was afraid.
And somehow—
that scared me even more.
"…Interesting," the spirit whispered while staring at me.
"…No wonder the gate reacted."
My eyes widened slightly.
"…Gate…?"
Before I could ask anything else—
the spirit suddenly disappeared into black smoke.
Silence returned instantly.
The pressure vanished.
The wind moved again.
Cars could be heard faintly in the distance.
Everything felt normal again.
But my heartbeat still wouldn't calm down.
I slowly looked toward Ken.
"…What was that?"
Ken stayed silent for a moment.
Then finally—
"…Trouble."
"…That explains absolutely nothing."
"I know."
"…Can you stop doing that?"
"No."
I rubbed my forehead tiredly.
"…One day I'm seriously going to lose my mind because of you."
Ken glanced at me calmly.
"You are already close."
"…Thanks."
We started walking again.
But this time—
my chest felt uneasy.
Because for the first time—
I realized something.
The spirits were not only dangerous.
They were afraid of Ken too.