Part 2

Part 2

The familiar weight of the beer crate was a comfort in Hyunjin's hands, a predictable burden in a world he refused to understand. As always, he carried it down the winding path to the house that belonged to Mr. Yamato. The man was a fixture, a middle-aged man, around 47 years old.

all he knew for certain was that during the great war between Hischeria and Marshallan the one that had raged before he was born, Mr. Yamato had lost two fingers

The scent of blooming jasmine and damp earth filled the expansive garden as Hyunjin approached the marble table "Mr. Yamato" he began, his voice a carefully neutral mask "I don't know why someone as wealthy as you would bother ordering beer from our small, dusty tavern" He set the crate down with a soft thud, the glass bottles clinking a hollow melody

A gentle, weary smile touched the older man's lips "Sit, Hyunjin. Rest those young bones for a moment before you rush back into the world" Mr. Yamato said, his voice a low rumble. He was already pouring two cups of rich, black coffee, the steam curling into the cool afternoon air like a ghost. He placed one before Hyunjin with a quiet reverence that the boy found both irritating and confusing

Hyunjin sank into the offered chair, his movements stiff with a reluctance he didn't bother to hide. The tranquility of the garden, a paradise of manicured greens and vibrant flowers, felt like a taunt. His eyes, hard and unwavering, locked onto Mr. Yamato's.

"Please..." Hyunjin said, the word sharp and strained. He reached for the coffee not out of thirst but to have something to hold onto "Just answer me this one time. Why does a man from Marshallan care so much about a Hischerian? Every time you look at me, I see it in your eyes. This... weight.... Aren't you afraid your own people will see that pity and brand you a traitor?"

A shadow of profound sorrow passed over Mr. Yamato's face so brief Hyunjin almost missed it "Ah, my stubborn boy" he sighed, the sound heavy with decades of unsaid words. He finally settled into the chair opposite, its frame groaning softly beneath him "Your questions are like stones you throw, hoping to break down a wall you do not understand"

"And I will keep throwing them until I get a real answer" Hyunjin shot back, though the heat in his words was banked by a flicker of something else frustration, yes but also a desperate, hidden need to understand the source of this inexplicable bond "I just find it strange! Nothing in this world is given for free. Not kindness, not coffee, and certainly not the attention of a Marshallan to a Hischerian orphan"

"One day...." his voice dropping to a near whisper as he cradled his cup "When the time is right, I will tell you everything"

A bitter, hollow laugh escaped Hyunjin's lips. "Who says you'll live long enough for that 'right time'?" he asked, the cruelty in his words a shield for the sudden, unwelcome pang of fear that notion caused "Look at your age. The past has already taken its pieces from you" He pushed his chair back, the legs scraping harshly against the stone patio "I have to go" The finality in his tone was as cold and impenetrable as ice

Mr. Yamato did not protest. He simply watched, his heart a tight, aching knot in his chest as the boy the living, breathing ghost of his greatest regret walked away. His hand twitched then lifted slightly from the table a helpless, aborted gesture as if he could physically pull Hyunjin back from the distance growing between them. His fingers curled inward, tightening until his knuckles turned white, the old scars on his missing digits stretching pale. He watched until Hyunjin was a silhouette swallowed by the glare of the setting sun, his eyes pools of a deep, bottomless regret that seemed to stain the very air around him.

The world was growing dark, the sunset bleeding into a bruised twilight as Hyunjin after much hesitation, found himself walking towards the address. It was a place on the frayed edges of Marshallan where the city's grip loosened and the wilds began. The house stood isolated, a large, old structure of weathered wood that leaned more towards a neglected cabin than a home.

His hands buried deep in his pockets, Hyunjin approached with a simmering reluctance. Then, his gaze lifted, and he froze. Leaning against the wall of the house, as if he had been waiting for an eternity was the same blond-haired figure.

Felix pushed himself off the wall, uncrossing his arms. A slow, knowing smile spread across his face "Wow" he said, his voice cutting through the quiet evening "You finally came"

"Whatever this is, say it quickly," Hyunjin said immediately, his voice flat, his eyes guarded and cold

"Hmm... don't you want to come inside?" Felix gestured towards the heavy wooden door, his tone infuriatingly casual.

"No" Hyunjin refused without a heartbeat of hesitation.

"Not even... " Felix's smile didn't falterbut his eyes sharpened "if it's about the fate of Hischeria?"

The words landed like a physical blow. Hyunjin let out a tense sigh, the weight of those words forcing his hand. He moved closer to the door, a silent, grim signal for Felix to enter first.

The inside was a stark contrast to the derelict exterior. And it was packed. Hyunjin's breath caught in his throat, his indifferent mask shattering as he scanned the room. There were forty people, maybe more, their faces a mix of determination and anxiety. The air was thick with whispered plans and unspoken fear.

Then a man sitting on a chair near the fireplace turned. His eyes widened, his face paled "Hyunjin?" he breathed, the name a disbelieving whisper. In an instant, he was on his feet, crossing the room in swift strides

Hyunjin could only stare, his mind reeling, unable to process the face before him. "R...Ren?"

Ren didn't answer with words. He grabbed Hyunjin in a fierce, desperate hug, his grip tight as a vice "You're alive" he murmured into Hyunjin's shoulder. Hyunjin stood rigid, his arms hanging limp at his sides too stunned to reciprocate too overwhelmed to push away

"You're here..." Hyunjin finally managed to pull back slightly, his voice a shaky echo "What are you doing? What is this?"

But his questions multiplied tenfold as his gaze swept over the crowd again. His heart hammered against his ribs. There was Ayumi, leaning against a far wall, watching him with an unnerving, cold indifference. And others faces from a life he thought was lost forever, ghosts from his school days, all here, all alive.

"What's happening...?" The words left him in a stunned exhale "Are all of you... alive?"

Ren finally released him, his own eyes glistening. It was Felix who stepped forward, that slight smile still playing on his lipsbut it now held a grim, official air.

"Welcome.... " he announced, spreading his arms wide to encompass the entire room "to the Hischerian resistance"

A cacophony of questions erupted in Hyunjin's mind, drowning out the murmurs of the room. He understood nothing. The foundations of his isolated world had been ripped away in a single moment.

It was at that moment Hyunjin stood at the precipice of a choice he never knew he had to make. Or perhaps the path had already been carved for him long ago, his destiny written in scars he couldn't remember receiving. His cold, lost eyes scanned the room and for a fleeting second, they seemed to lock not on a person but on a point in the void as if looking directly at me, the silent witness. And in that hellish, fractured gaze, I understood nothing except for the inferno raging within him

Hyunjin sank into the wooden chair Felix indicated, the protest of the old wood echoing in the sudden silence that had fallen over the room. Forty pairs of eyes were fixed on him, a mix of hope, suspicion, and shared pain.

"Can someone please explain everything to me?" Hyunjin's voice was low, the confusion warring with a simmering anger he usually kept buried.

Ren stepped forward, his hands clenched into white-knuckled fists "As you know, the ruthless Marshallans killed our families just to ensure our descendants wouldn't survive and our name would be erased"

The memories crashed over Hyunjin unbidden: the leering face of a soldier, his parents' final, desperate shouts, the piercing sound of Kiyoshi's crying As the images flashed, a sudden, searing pain lanced through his core, a physical manifestation of the old wound being torn open. A strange, tingling awareness flickered to life within him

"Are you okay?" Ren asked, his anger momentarily replaced by concern as he placed a steadying hand on Hyunjin's shoulder.

Hyunjin flinched slightly but didn't pull away. "It's nothing... I just felt a pain" he managed, brushing it off.

"I felt it too" Ren confessed, his voice dropping "When I first came here and all those memories returned... the same thing happened"

Besides himself, Ren, and Ayumi, he didn't know most of the others except for their names, as he hadn't been very friendly with them. What was strange was that half of them had been students with him 7 years ago, totaling 20 people, but the other 23 people, he didn't recognize at all, and they seemed somewhat older

"Finished with your investigation?" Felix asked, a hint of annoyance in his tone as he rested his chin on his hand.

"Who are the others?" Hyunjin demanded.

"Hischerians like us. Rescued from that day, scattered and hidden until now" Felix explained

A girl with long black hair and sharp, honey-brown eyes named Shizu cut in, her impatience palpable "Now that we're all finally here, we're likely the only ones left. So let's stop wasting time, Speak"

Felix nodded, his expression turning grimly determined "We don't need to relive the past. We all carry that hell inside us. What we need now is to unite, to stand against Marshallan, to take our revenge and erase this injustice—"

Hyunjin cut him off with a hollow, weary laugh. "Ha..." He let out a sigh "Do you honestly believe this number is enough to defeat the entire nation of Marshallan?"

"The pain we carry is fuel enough to fight!" Felix retorted, his voice rising

"Soyour plan is to stand against every single Marshallan?" Hyuniin shot back, his gaze intense "Even the ones who are innocent?"

"Enough!" Ayumi's shout sliced through the tension. She strode forward, grabbing a fistful of Hyunjin's collar and forcing him to meet her fiery gaze "Innocent? Do you care about their innocence? Have you forgotten the sight of our families burning? Their screams as their bodies turned to ash? Huh ?"

"Please, stop this!" Kenji, a tall boy with messy blond hair and calm, ocean-colored eyes, moved to intervene

"I never said we would kill all Marshallans!" Felix's voice boomed, restoring a fragile order. The commotion died down

"Can you speak more clearly?" Ren said

"If all their people knew, do you think they would have let us live all these years in Marshallan? Only some of them knew, who were undoubtedly the soldiers because before I completely lost consciousness, I heard one of them saying 'Go tell all the soldiers, let's leave before they regain consciousness,'" Felix explained

A stunned silence filled the room.

"Then why did they let us live?" Hyunjin pressed, the question that had haunted him for years finally voiced "Out of pity? So we could grow up to serve them?"

"That" Felix said, his eyes glinting with resolve, "is the truth we must uncover."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Ayumi asked "We're just young . How can we stand against trained soldiers?"

"You will have to learn to become more than kids" Felix stated. "You must strive to learn how to fight."

A tall boy with short black hair named Haru spoke up, his voice skeptical "So, you know how to fight?"

A slow, enigmatic smile spread across Felix's face as he shook his head

A vast quantity of food, rich with roasted meats and steaming vegetables, was laid out on the tables. A hushed, almost reverent silence fell over the group. Eyes widened, staring at the feast as if it were a mirage for many, it had been years since they had seen such plenty

"First, eat Regain your strength" Felix instructed, his voice softer than before.

As everyone found their seats, Hyunjin remained detached, his eyes conducting a cold, analytical sweep of the room before settling into a distant stare.

"I never cared much for meat before" Ren admitted, reaching eagerly for a slice "But now... I feel like I could devour it all"

They had only just begun to eat when a firm, authoritative knock echoed through the cabin. Forks froze mid-air. A wave of tension instantly silenced the room. Everyone looked at one another, their faces etched with panic and suspicion.

"Were you expecting someone else?" Hyunjin asked Felix, his voice a low, accusing chill

"No" Felix replied, his own expression tight with worry

Haru moved to the door and opened it cautiously. Hyunjin, Ren, and Ayumi shot to their feet, their faces pale with shock. The others merely watched in confused silence.

"Commander William!" Ren blurted out, his body snapping straight instinctively, his hand pressed over his heart in a formal salute

Felix and the others stared, bewildered "Who are they?" Felix managed

"Greetings" the lead soldier said, a man with a weathered face and the bearing of a leader "I am Commander William. I was formerly of the Hischerian guard but my unit was reassigned to the northern borders years ago on a long-term deployment"

Felix quickly composed himself, stepping forward with a forced warmth "Please come in, You must be tired" He glanced at the other soldiers crowding the doorway "The space is small but please make yourselves as comfortable as you can"

While the others stood in uncertain respect, Hyunjin sank back into his chair with a dismissive slouch, his gaze burning into the commander "Why are you here?" he asked, his tone dripping with contempt.

Ayumi and Ren exchanged horrified glances at his blatant rudeness.

"I learned of the tragedy that befell Hischeria" Commander William explained, his voice heavy "I heard whispers that some of our people had survived. I have been searching for you to see if you were ali—"

"Really?" Hyunjin's laugh was a sharp, bitter sound "And where have you been all these years? Don't feed us lies about a 'mission' Tell us the truth. You went to elevate your status to earn glory in the eyes of our enemies while you left your own people undefended"

"It seems you are... acquainted," Felix interjected with a strained smile "It's the first time I've seen a citizen speak to a commander with such... familiarity"

"If you hadn't abandoned your post, if you had fulfilled the duty you swore to Hischeria none of this might have happened!" Hyunjin's voice rose, trembling with a rage he could no longer contain "You took the strongest soldiers, the most promising young men and you left us as lambs for the slaughter. So I'll ask again, why return now when there is nothing left to save?"

"That deployment was my duty—" William began, a defensive edge entering his voice

But Hyunjin exploded from his chair, slamming his hands down on the table with a force that made the plates rattle "Your duty was to protect the borders of Hischeria!" he roared, his voice cracking with raw pain and fury "Not to serve the enemies who crossed them!"

Without another word, without a glance at the stunned faces around him, Hyunjin turned and stormed out into the night, leaving a thick, uncomfortable silence in his wake.

I didn't know what connection existed between Hyunjin and Commander William but from Hyunjin's behavior, it seemed he held a deep hatred for him. He vanished into the night without a word, leaving his allegiance and his future a troubling question mark. I had mistaken his cold indifference for a lack of feeling, a quiet acceptance of his loss. I was wrong! What I saw in his eyes wasn't an absence of grief but a contained inferno! a hell so vast it threatened to immolate the entire world

The others had settled into their new, clandestine routines but Hyunjin remained adrift, his decision hanging in the balance. He was back at the tavern pouring drinks and wiping counters as if the world hadn't been upended

"So this is where you work" a familiar, unwelcome voice stated. Commander William stood at the entrance, his sharp eyes scanning the dim interior.

Commander William was a man of imposing height and a soldier's rigid posture, his presence naturally commanding space. At thirty-eight, his hair was a thick, severe black, cropped short and disciplined, with the first distinguished hints of silver just beginning to thread at his temples. His eyes, a dark and piercing brown held a sharp, analytical intensity that seemed to weigh and assess everything in a single, sweeping glance.

Hyunjin slammed a ceramic mug onto the counter with a crack that made a nearby patron jump "What do you want?"

"Let's talk" William said, his tone even

"Slaves like me don't get breaks for conversation" Hyunjin retorted a bitter sarcastic smile twisting his lips as he turned away

"Sir" William addressed the owner, his voice dropping to a persuasive murmur. He stepped closer and a moment later the distinct clink of heavy coins passed from hand to pocket "I'd like a word with your employee"

"Of course! Take all the time you need!" the owner sputtered, nearly tripping over himself in his eagerness

Hyunjin shot William a look of pure venom but stormed out into the chilly air. They walked in tense silence until they reached a bridge overlooking the river.

William stood to his right side and stared out at the water. The silence stretched, thick and uncomfortable.

"Have you ever been in love?" William asked, his voice quiet

Hyunjin let out a sharp, incredulous laugh. "Ha... what a meaningless question! I have work to do"

"You hate me I know and I deserve it" William conceded, finally turning to look at the young man's profile "But you don't know the truth, Everything I did ... leaving Hischeria, taking the troops north was to be certain of something"

"Which truth?" Hyunjin snarled, finally turning to face him, his eyes blazing "The only truth I see is a commander who betrayed his homeland!"

William met his gaze, his own expression deadly serious "Do you believe that demons might actually exist?"

Hyunjin stared, his anger momentarily frozen by the sheer absurdity of the question. He raised his eyebrows in disbelief "Are you serious? Are you mocking me or have you finally lost your mind? DEMONS?!"

"Look, you can mock me but—" William's words came out in a rushed, urgent plea.

But he couldn't finish his sentence. Hyunjin's eyes rolled back, his body going limp. William lunged forward, catching him before he could hit the ground

"Hyunjin!" William's voice was sharp with alarm, all pretense of calm gone. He shook him gently "Hyunjin?!"

Sorry for all mistakes hop ya enjoy the part and don't forget to vote 🤍

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