Ten days had passed since Kagu personally expelled Rinku from the dojo.

  Thi?t Long T? [ Iron Dragon Monastery ] no longer felt the same.

  The courtyard remained unchanged.

  The stone steps were still cold beneath bare feet.

  The wind still swept across the aged roof tiles.

  And yet, in everyone’s heart… there was an emptiness that could not be named.

  No one spoke of it.

  But everyone felt it.

  As if an essential piece had been torn away from this place.

  Aren sat quietly on a stone bench beneath the fading afternoon sunlight.

  His gaze followed the disciples training in the courtyard.

  They still threw their punches.

  Still held their stances.

  Still shouted their mantras.

  But something was missing.

  The fire.

  During a short break, a voice muttered,

  “Hazzz… Ever since Rinku left, I just don’t feel motivated to train anymore.”

  “Yeah… you’re right.”

  “I… I really miss him.”

  The whispers weren’t loud, but they were loud enough for Aren to hear.

  His fingers tightened slightly.

  Aren understood better than anyone—

  It wasn’t just him.

  The entire Thi?t Long T? …

  was wavering.

  Not because they had lost their strongest fighter.

  But because they had lost someone who had once been the heart of this place.

  Aren rose from the stone bench.

  He walked toward Kagu’s main hall.

  The long corridor was so silent that each footstep echoed clearly against the cold stone floor.

  The wooden door slid open.

  It was the same room.

  The same low table.

  The same cup of steaming tea.

  But Kagu’s eyes…

  were no longer the same.

  He sat there quietly, watching the steam from his tea dissolve into the air.

  His gaze was heavy. Deep. Burdened.

  Aren knelt down.

  “Master… please don’t be sad.”

  He spoke softly.

  “Think of this as a lesson for Rinku.”

  Kagu slowly set the teacup down.

  Tap.

  The dry sound echoed in the stillness of the room.

  “I am not sad because Rinku made a mistake.”

  His voice was low, slightly hoarse.

  “I am sad… because in the moment my disciple stood at the edge of despair… I, as his master… could do nothing.”

  Aren clenched his fists tighter.

  Kagu closed his eyes.

  “I let him drown alone in hatred.”

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  The room fell silent.

  Aren lowered his head, unsure of what to say.

  After a while, Kagu spoke again.

  “In a few days… someone will come to take me to prison.”

  His tone was strangely calm.

  “I entrust Thi?t Long T? … to you.”

  Aren froze.

  “You must lead the disciples forward and continue the path I have yet to finish.”

  Kagu reached out and gently placed his hand on Aren’s head, just as he had when Aren was still a child.

  That hand trembled slightly.

  And Aren felt it.

  Tears welled up at the corners of his eyes, but he bit his lip, refusing to let them fall.

  “Yes…”

  Just a single word.

  Yet it carried both responsibility… and the growing fear inside his heart.

  Outside the grand hall, the wind swept across the tiled roof.

  An era of the Iron Dragon Temple…

  was slowly coming to an end.

  Kagu let out a soft sigh.

  “I wonder what that brat is doing at this hour.”

  His gaze shifted toward the window, where the evening light was fading.

  “I wonder if he’s doing what I told him…”

  Aren hesitated for a moment before speaking.

  “Master… please don’t worry.”

  “I’ve been messaging him lately to check on him.”

  Kagu tilted his head slightly.

  “Oh?”

  Aren nodded.

  “Rinku is doing fine. He’s healthy.”

  “These past few days, he’s been working as a dock laborer… earning money to get by.”

  The room fell silent for a few seconds.

  Then—

  Kagu let out a quiet chuckle.

  “Well… that’s good.”

  The smile was faint.

  But this time… it wasn’t forced.

  “At least he chose to work with his own hands.”

  He closed his eyes, as if releasing some of the burden in his heart.

  “As long as he doesn’t walk down the wrong path… I can be somewhat at ease.”

  Aren looked at his master.

  For the first time in ten days…

  he saw a little less gloom in those eyes.

  But deep within them—

  still lingered the worry of a teacher who had never stopped caring about his student.

  Aren lowered his head.

  “Master… I request permission to be absent for two days.”

  “I want to visit Rinku.”

  Kagu looked at him for a moment, then gently nodded.

  “Very well.”

  His voice was low, but softer than before.

  “If you see him… give him my regards.”

  Aren gave a small smile.

  “Yes.”

  At the same time.

  In a dimly lit room somewhere…

  The air was thick with the stench of dampness.

  A faint yellow light flickered against cracked walls.

  A large figure sat in the shadows.

  Slowly, he rose to his feet.

  The corner of his lips curled upward.

  “Finally… the time has come.”

  His deep, muffled voice echoed through the empty room.

  A few hours later.

  The bus pulled into the station.

  The doors opened.

  Aren stepped down.

  From a distance, Rinku was already there waiting.

  The same hair.

  The same familiar build.

  Only his clothes were simpler now… and a trace of dust from work still clung to his shoulders.

  Their eyes met.

  For a brief moment—

  the distance of ten days seemed to dissolve.

  Rinku raised a hand and waved.

  Aren did the same.

  They quickened their steps, stopping just in front of each other.

  Bright smiles spread across both their faces.

  No grand greeting was needed.

  A single look was enough.

  The air between them seemed warmer, even amid the crowded street.

  Two close friends…

  after many days apart…

  finally reunited.

  They sat down on a stone bench beside a vending machine.

  Rinku stood up first and slipped a few coins into the slot.

  A soft click echoed.

  He took out a chilled can of orange soda and handed it to Aren.

  “Here. Drink.”

  Aren accepted it with a faint smile.

  “Thanks.”

  They sat side by side.

  No more noise.

  Only the distant hum of traffic and the gentle evening breeze.

  Aren spoke first.

  “Hey… Rinku.

  Master asked about you.”

  Rinku froze for a moment.

  His gaze dimmed slightly.

  “I see…”

  He looked off into the distance, his voice lowering.

  “It’s been days already… I really want to go back to the dojo.

  It feels like… I’m starting to forget Master’s voice.”

  Aren tilted his head toward his friend.

  “Don’t worry.

  Master’s still doing fine. And he… was truly happy to hear you’re living well.”

  Aren popped open the can and took a sip.

  Then he spoke slowly.

  “Yeah… in a few days, someone will probably come to arrest Master.”

  Rinku turned toward him.

  Aren let out a quiet breath.

  “He was supposed to receive the death penalty.

  But because of everything he’s done for the people of WAIK… the sentence was reduced to thirty years in prison.”

  He gave a small chuckle.

  “For someone like him… surviving thirty more years behind bars would already be a miracle.”

  Silence fell.

  Aren glanced sideways at Rinku.

  The can in his hand was trembling slightly.

  “What’s wrong, Rinku?”

  Rinku lowered his head.

  “It’s nothing…”

  His voice turned hoarse.

  “It’s just… right now, I really want to see Master one more time.

  Maybe… for the last time.”

  He tightened his grip around the can.

  “But I don’t know what I can do… to repay the kindness he’s shown me.”

  Aren looked at Rinku for a long moment.

  Then he smiled softly.

  He reached over and gently patted his friend’s shoulder.

  “I know.

  You’ve never once forgotten him… not even for a second.”

  The evening wind drifted past.

  But this time—

  the warmth in the air was no longer complete.

  Inside Rinku…

  something was slowly taking shape.

  Aren looked straight at him.

  “He chose to spend almost the rest of his life in prison… in your place.”

  His voice grew lower.

  “So what you need to do now isn’t to torment yourself or try to repay him with something grand.

  Just live by what Master Kagu taught you.

  And never repeat the mistakes of the past.”

  Aren gave a faint smile.

  “I think… that alone would be enough for him.”

  Rinku stayed silent for a few seconds.

  Then he took a deep breath.

  His eyes gradually hardened with resolve.

  “I understand.

  I’ll do my best.”

  A new spark of hope ignited in his heart.

  No longer regret—

  but determination.

  That afternoon,

  the two of them wandered through the streets together.

  They stopped by their usual restaurant, laughing like the days before everything had fallen apart.

  Their laughter blended into the bustling crowd.

  That brief stretch of time…

  was truly peaceful.

  But elsewhere—

  Deep within the forest outside the city,

  on a small slope blanketed in dry leaves…

  Heavy footsteps echoed.

  Crunch.

  Crunch.

  Leaves were crushed beneath thick soles.

  Two figures slowly emerged through the thin veil of mist.

  Tall frames.

  A chilling aura enveloped them.

  The killing intent radiating from their bodies caused the surrounding trees to wither, bark splitting apart as though corroded by something unseen.

  The air grew suffocating.

  One of them spoke quietly.

  “The destination… is ahead.”

  In the distance—

  The place they were heading toward…

  was the Thi?t Long T? .

  End of Chapter 8