Dark Sun
Jinsu remained standing where he was.
His eyes moved between the teacher, the Yami, and the children.
But what stayed with him the most was not the Yami.
It was the children’s eyes.
They were fixed on him.
There was no fear in them.
No pity.
Not even the curiosity one would expect from a child seeing a stranger.
There was something else.
Something that sent a shiver through Jinsu’s body.
They were the eyes of children who wanted to kill him.
Children.
Jinsu had never expected to see such a look in a child’s eyes.
But he saw it.
And the worst part...
They did not seem afraid of it.
At that moment, the Yami tried to take advantage of the chaos.
It moved quickly.
It took one step back, then another.
Then it suddenly lunged, trying to escape.
Jinsu saw it.
For a moment, he thought the Yami had succeeded.
But then a voice rang out behind him.
“Eiro!”
Everything stopped for a moment.
One of the children immediately stood up.
He did not need a second command.
He pushed off the ground with his foot and jumped.
His body rose into the air.
He disappeared from Jinsu’s sight for a moment.
Then he suddenly appeared directly above the Yami.
And in the next instant...
His sword came crashing down.
The blade pierced through the Yami’s back.
It continued downward until it struck the ground.
Jinsu froze.
The Yami was pinned in place.
As for the child...
He pulled out his sword.
Then calmly returned to his place.
As if he had done nothing.
As if he had not stabbed anything moments ago.
As if he had simply completed an ordinary task he had been given.
Jinsu kept staring at him.
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He could not speak.
The child was small.
Very small.
Yet his movement had been precise.
Fast.
And strangest of all...
He was not proud.
He was not happy.
He was not waiting for praise.
He simply returned to his place.
As if what he had just done was not even worth thinking about.
The teacher looked at Baki.
“Baki!”
The child raised his head.
“Come here.”
Baki moved.
One step.
Then another.
But Jinsu stretched out his hand in front of him.
He stopped him.
Jinsu looked at the child.
He did not want to let him return to that place.
But Baki looked at Jinsu’s hand.
Then he grabbed it.
Jinsu stopped.
He lowered his eyes toward him.
And for the first time since entering this village...
he saw a smile.
A genuine smile.
It was not mocking.
It was not cruel.
It was not the smile of someone who enjoyed pain.
It was the smile of a child.
Simple.
Calm.
As if Baki were telling him without words:
I’m fine.
Jinsu slowly moved his hand away.
He let him go.
Baki approached the teacher.
The teacher held out the sword to him.
Baki took it.
Then he began walking toward the Yami.
The Yami was still lying on the ground.
It raised its head.
And when Baki approached...
Its form changed again.
The same woman appeared.
Baki’s mother.
“My son...”
She paused for a moment.
Then stretched out her hands toward him.
“Please.”
Jinsu froze.
He expected to see fear again.
To see the same child from a few minutes ago.
The child who had been trembling.
The child who could barely even look at the Yami.
But he did not see that child.
Baki looked at his mother.
But his eyes were different.
They no longer held the same hesitation.
There was no longer that same inner struggle Jinsu had seen moments ago.
Something had changed.
Something that had happened so quickly that Jinsu could not comprehend it.
Two minutes.
Perhaps even less.
And yet...
The child who had refused to even hold the sword was now standing before the Yami without taking a step back.
Baki raised his sword.
Then struck.
The blade fell against the Yami’s neck.
Everything stopped.
Then the Yami’s body fell.
It was dead.
Baki remained standing.
He stared at the body for a moment.
Then raised his head toward the teacher.
He did not wait for the teacher to applaud.
He did not wait for him to tell him he had done well.
He did not wait for him to smile.
None of that happened.
The teacher gave him no applause.
He did not praise him.
He did not even say, “Good.”
He simply looked at him.
Then said:
“Now return to your place.”
Baki nodded.
And returned.
He sat among the other children.
But the children did not stop looking at Jinsu.
They continued watching him.
It was as though they were waiting for an order.
Just one command.
And then...
they would attack.
A chill ran down Jinsu’s back.
He looked at all of them.
Then he understood.
This place...
did not raise children.
It raised an army.
Jinsu was pulled from his thoughts when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
He turned.
It was Ivo.
“Come on.”
Jinsu looked at him.
“We’re leaving.”
Jinsu hesitated.
“Y-Yes.”
The two began walking.
At first, Jinsu did not look back.
But he could feel the children’s gazes following him.
As if their eyes had never left his back.
After they had walked a short distance away from the arena, Jinsu heard a voice behind him.
“Ivo.”
Ivo stopped.
He did not answer.
He simply glanced back.
The teacher was still standing there.
Then he said:
“Keep moving, Jinsu.”
Jinsu looked at Ivo.
But Ivo said nothing.
The two continued walking.
Until they had completely left the arena behind.
Only then did Ivo stop.
He turned toward Jinsu.
His face was calm.
But Jinsu was not.
He remained silent.
Waiting.
Ivo spoke.
“Jinsu...”
He paused.
“I let you see.”
Jinsu raised his eyes toward him.
“To make you understand something.”
Jinsu did not answer.
He simply listened.
Ivo said:
“The Assassins Village is not merely a village of killers.”
He looked ahead.
Then added:
“It is the village that hates the Yami the most.”
Silence.
Then he looked directly at Jinsu.
“And right now...”
He paused.
“...you are carrying their king.”
Jinsu’s expression changed.
He remained silent.
“Do you understand?”
Jinsu did not answer immediately.
But the words began settling into his mind.
Kaizen.
If they discovered his presence inside him...
If they found out that he was carrying the Yami King...
It would not simply be a problem.
There would be nowhere to hide.
And Ivo would not be able to protect him easily.
Perhaps he would not be able to protect him at all.
Jinsu lowered his gaze.
“Then...”
He raised his head.
“Why did you bring me here?”
Ivo looked at him.
He remained silent for a moment.
Then said:
“He must see.”
Jinsu frowned.
“See what?”
Ivo gave a sarcastic smile.
“He must see...”
Then he turned around.
“...what we do to them.”
He said nothing else.
He began walking.
Jinsu remained standing for a few seconds.
Then he understood.
He understood what Ivo meant.
He had not brought him here merely so he could learn that this was the Assassins Village.
He wanted Jinsu to see it for himself.
To see how they looked at the Yami.
How they raised their children.
And how their hatred of the Yami had become something a child was taught before he was even old enough to understand it.
Jinsu caught up with Ivo.
The two continued walking.
They passed between the village buildings.
Until they reached a large building.
Jinsu stopped.
He had seen this building before.
Ever since the day he arrived in the village.
But he had never entered it.
It was larger than most of the surrounding buildings.
Ivo stood before it.
This time, Jinsu noticed something he had missed before.
A small sign.
It was attached to the building.
Jinsu focused his eyes on it.
He read the words.
“We are the saviors.”
He paused.
Then continued:
“We are the rescuers.”
Then the final line:
“We are assassins.”
Jinsu continued staring at the words.
He did not understand.
How could someone say:
We are the saviors.
We are the rescuers.
And then say:
We are assassins.
All in the same statement?
But he did not ask.
He simply memorized it.
He had a feeling those words would mean something later.
Ivo stood before the door.
Then looked at Jinsu.
“Come on.”
Jinsu approached.
“Where are we going?”
Ivo raised his eyes toward the top of the building.
Then said:
“We’re going to meet a lord.”
Jinsu frowned.
“A lord?”
Ivo looked at him.
Something had changed in his face.
Anger.
Clear anger.
But he quickly suppressed it.
Then he said:
“The Lord of the Assassins Village.”
Jinsu fell silent.
Then looked at Ivo.
He waited for the name.
But Ivo said nothing.
He simply continued staring at the building.
Then, finally, the word left his mouth.
“My father.”