‘Haa… how much time has changed.’

  The woman was sitting atop a tree.

  It was her old habit to sit alone on a tree whenever she had nothing else to do.

  But because of being sealed for centuries, she never got the chance to do so. That’s why now, she was relishing the moment.

  Her heart wished for time to stop just like this, so she could remain beneath this tree, under the moonlit night, immersed in darkness. But she couldn’t.

  At every moment, she kept hearing the screams and cries of her companions and loved ones in her mind when they were being slaughtered.

  She wanted to go and exact her revenge right now, to kill that man who massacred her people and sealed her away.

  But she couldn’t, not in her current weakened state, in this spiritual form.

  All she could do was rely on her disciple, so that together they could claim vengeance.

  But just then...

  ‘..!’

  She felt something strange.

  ‘Is that boy in danger?’

  She leapt down from the tree, and quickly rushed back towards the place where Sharv was.

  ***

  Sharv noticed the man’s gaze, and found it fixed on the beads tied around his wrist.

  ‘I get it…’

  He understood. This man must be the one the White Frost Bandits’ Chief had been waiting for, the one who came here for the beads and now, he had come to snatch them from Sharv’s hands.

  But…

  Sharv couldn’t understand why this man wanted those beads.

  Does he know that inside that bead lies his master’s body? Is that the reason? Or is it something else entirely?

  Lost in thought, Sharv pondered over all this. But at that moment, Vijay said to him,

  ‘S-Sharv, this man…’

  As soon as Vijay spoke those words, the man turned his face towards him.

  ‘!!!’

  Both Vijay and Sharv were stunned. A thought flashed in Sharv’s mind—could it be that this man was able to see and hear spirits as well?

  Sharv didn’t want to risk it, so he immediately called Vijay back into his sacred thread.

  ‘?!’

  Surendranath’s expression changed.

  Just a moment earlier, he had sensed someone’s presence.

  The place had been filled with overwhelming negative energy but in the very next moment, it had vanished without a trace.

  “…I really need to cut down on drinking.”

  Surendranath muttered under his breath.

  He felt as though his excessive drinking was making him hallucinate strange things.

  In truth, what had happened was this :

  When he had grown tired of searching for the traces of the person who stole, ‘that thing,’ he had stopped to rest against a large boulder, drinking alcohol.

  And then, he had heard an explosion echoing from atop a mountain.

  Following the sound, he had arrived at the ruins of Sharv’s destroyed house, which had collapsed in that blast. But there he found that metal box in which the beads were initially kept.

  “It's the same box!”

  But by then, no one was there—Sharv had already left, but this time around his footprints were there.

  “Looks like that person hasn't gone far away...”

  Thus, tracking Sharv’s footprints from there, he had finally reached this place.

  ‘Tch! I should have concealed my tracks better back then…’

  Earlier in the village, he had erased all his traces.

  But when his house had been blown apart by the blast, he hadn’t had enough time.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Most of his time had been spent turning his master into a spirit servant, so he had been forced to leave in a hurry.

  “Boy! I don’t know who you are, but you made a grave mistake by misleading me!”

  With those words, the man unsheathed a sword.

  Seeing it, Sharv’s eyes sharpened.

  Then Vijay’s voice rang in Sharv’s mind :

  ‘Stay away from that man! He’s no ordinary person, he’s an elder of the Crimson Heaven Society!’

  ‘..!’

  An elder of the Crimson Heaven Society?

  Did that mean the beads Sharv held were something the Crimson Heaven Society wanted?

  Swing!

  The man slashed his sword towards Sharv.

  But, Sharv sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the strike.

  Behind him, the temple was split clean in half by that slash. It was completely destroyed now.

  Sharv did not feel fear. Not at all. His eyes and expression remained calm.

  Why should he fear? He had just wrestled with death itself moments ago.

  Compared to his master’s power, this Crimson Heaven Society elder’s was no where near to her.

  “Hand me those beads. If you do as I say, I’ll give you an easy death!”

  Surendranath demanded.

  Sharv smirked lightly.

  “Why don’t you come and take them yourself?”

  Surendranath’s anger began to rise, veins bulging on his forehead.

  He gripped his sword tightly and charged at Sharv with blinding speed.

  Bam!

  Had Sharv seen such speed before meeting his master, he might have been astonished.

  But now, not anymore.

  Sharv didn’t flinch. His eyes observing Surendranath’s sword movement, the way it makes an arc and moves in trajectory.

  Surendranath’s sword slashed towards his body, but Sharv twisted at the last instant, dodging it.

  The strike came within inches of his body. One wrong move, and he would have been cut down.

  But that was the thrill of battle; the fear and exhilaration of life and death. Without it, a fight had no true meaning.

  Slash!

  Surendranath swung again, this time far more dangerous than the last.

  Tak!

  Sharv had no path left. He leapt back to narrowly escape.

  “I won’t let you run away!”

  Bam!

  Surendranath lunged after him with even greater speed.

  Sharv kept retreating as though attempting to escape.

  Seeing this, Surendranath pushed himself faster, closing the gap to just a few steps.

  But suddenly...

  Bang!

  Sharv spun around and hurled a punch directly at the oncoming Surendranath.

  ‘?!’

  Sharv’s brows furrowed.

  He had expected his fist to land squarely on Surendranath’s body.

  But it hadn’t.

  Because, At the very last moment, Surendranath had intercepted his punch with his sword.

  Swing!

  He shoved Sharv’s fist back with the blade.

  Then he glanced at his sword. A faint layer of frost had crept onto it—but it wasn’t the frost of the mountains.

  ‘This… coldness came from his fist…?’

  Such cold could only be born of one thing; Lunar Energy. But that was something that resided only in women!

  ‘Does this boy…?’

  It was hard to believe, impossible even. Yet the evidence was before his eyes.

  And Surendranath, a seasoned martial artist who has also fought some women, knew his eyes could not be mistaken when it came to Lunar Energy.

  Thud!

  Sharv fell, rolled, and quickly stood up again.

  He had thought that after awakening the Lunar Energy, he would become far stronger.

  And he had but the man standing before him was on an entirely different level of strength.

  Once more, Sharv realized just how vast this world was, filled with countless powerful beings.

  If he wanted to survive among such people, he too would have to grow stronger. Otherwise, in this immense world, he would be crushed like an ant.

  ‘Disciple!’

  Sharv turned his gaze toward the voice.

  His Master was standing by a tree, watching him.

  She was just about to step forward, but Sharv raised his hand lightly, signaling her to stop.

  The woman couldn’t understand why he was telling her not to interfere.

  But then...

  Whoong!

  “I don’t have time to waste playing with you. I’ll just cut off your hand and take those beads!”

  Surendranath spoke, releasing his internal energy. Its quantity was too overwhelming.

  The moment Sharv’s Master laid eyes on him and sensed that internal energy, the expression on her face twisted.

  Her eyes filled with fury, she shouted :

  ‘…Life Prana!’

  ‘What’s the?’

  Sharv thought to himself, but right then

  Bam!

  That women launched herself toward Surendranath with great speed.

  ‘That stupid woman!!!’

  But in that very instant, Sharv recalled her back into his sacred thread.

  ‘..!’

  Surendranath felt as though some invisible force was rushing toward him, only to vanish just as suddenly.

  Grip!

  He tightened his hold on his sword.

  ‘Release me! I won’t let that man live! Release me now!!!’

  Sharv gave no reply. Staring at Surendranath, he asked,

  “Why exactly do you want these beads?”

  Surendranath snorted.

  “You have no need to know.”

  “Oh, is that so?… Then…”

  Inside Sharv’s mind, his Master raged on,

  ‘Disciple! Release me, or it will be very bad for you—I’m warning you!!!’

  ‘Hey! Hey! Calm down! Why are you so furious?’

  Vijay tried to calm her down, but he failed miserably.

  “So, does that mean the martial arts inscribed on these beads are fake?”

  ‘?!’

  Martial arts?

  ‘But what martial arts?’

  Surendranath didn’t understand. He had only been ordered to retrieve the beads at all costs.

  That the beads had martial arts techniques inscribed on them—he had no knowledge of that.

  ‘Martial arts? On those beads?’

  ‘Sharv, just what are you planning?’

  Both his Master and Vijay’s voices echoed inside Sharv’s mind. Even his Master, who had been shouting moments ago, fell silent now.

  “What nonsense are you spouting?”

  “Don’t tell me you don’t know that written in tiny, fine letters on these beads is a martial arts technique? But never mind you don’t need to kn...”

  Sring!

  Sharv suddenly felt the icy edge of Surendranath’s blade at his throat.

  The man had moved so swiftly, Sharv hadn’t even noticed until the sword was there.

  “Boy! Tell me everything you know or my sword will separate your head from your nec...”

  “Like I care?...”

  Cut!

  ‘!!!!!’

  Sharv deliberately pressed his throat against the blade, allowing a cut to open and blood to drip out.

  “You lunatic!!!”

  Surendranath pulled his sword back. He hadn’t expected Sharv to go that far.

  “What’s wrong? Weren’t you trying to threaten me just now?”

  Grit!

  Surendranath clenched his jaw in anger.

  He wanted to strike Sharv, and get every information that he has regarding those beads, after that just now...

  This kid gave him a weird type of feeling.

  ‘I should just go ahead and cut off his hand…’

  The thought crossed his mind.

  Thud!

  ‘?!’

  Sharv tossed the beads from his hand onto the ground.

  “Here… take them. They’re useless to me now anyway.”

  Surendranath grew wary.

  Why was Sharv handing them over so easily? He couldn’t understand it.

  ‘There’s something fishy going on here…’

  Or maybe, having witnessed the internal energy he had unleashed earlier, Sharv had been frightened and so decided to hand over the beads without a fight?

  Step! Step!

  Surendranath advanced toward the beads.

  “Humph! Did you really think giving me the beads would save you?”

  “You’re right. Surviving this won’t be easy for me. But…”

  “…”

  “What if I do this?”

  Sharv suddenly raised his leg over the beads.

  ‘!!!’

  “No!!!”

  Shatter!

  And with a sharp stomp, he crushed the beads beneath his foot.