Jaden stood still, staring at his reflection in the window of a small shop as he passed by on his way to Master Shang's. His eyes settled on the scar that ran down from the side of his face, stretching like a curse across his chest. People always stared. Whispered. Judged. And Jaden always asked the same question silently—why was a scar such a fascination for people who didn't understand the pain behind it?
He shook the thoughts from his head. He wouldn't leave for the city without seeing Master Shang. He needed to know if his mentor was doing alright—especially after the memories they both shared recently. That pain… it didn't just vanish. He knew it lingered.
As Jaden arrived at the small hut tucked into the base of the mountain, he noticed the door was slightly open. The place was quiet—too quiet. But he already knew where Master Shang would be. That man had a habit of vanishing into the nearby bush whenever he needed herbs or something to calm his restless mind.
Jaden followed the narrow path that led deeper into the woods. The trees were tall, bending and whispering to the wind. The sun pierced through in golden stripes. He took quiet steps, careful not to make noise.
And then he saw him.
Master Shang was crouched low near a thicket, his back slightly hunched and eyes locked on something in front of him. Jaden stepped forward, but Master Shang immediately turned his head, giving a firm hand signal that said: "Don't move. Don't speak."
Jaden obeyed, standing still like a statue, watching his mentor with silent admiration. In a sudden, quick move, Master Shang grabbed a small creature hiding beneath the brush—a rare forest rat known for enhancing strength when boiled with certain herbs. He gently dropped it into a woven herb basket and stood up, his face breaking into a small smile.
"You came," he said, brushing dust from his sleeve.
Jaden nodded. "How have you been?"
That simple question made something shift in Master Shang's expression. The usual sternness relaxed just enough to show that it mattered to him—being asked, being thought of. For a man who had lived so long alone, with so much loss and pain buried inside, it meant something that Jaden, the cold one, had come just to check on him.
"I'm well," Master Shang said. "The forest has been generous today. Good herbs, good hunt."
Jaden nodded again. He didn't say much—he never did—but his presence spoke louder than words. After a few more quiet moments, he placed a hand gently on Master Shang's shoulder, a gesture of quiet respect and gratitude.
"I have to go," he finally said.
"Duty calls," Master Shang replied with a knowing look.
With that, Jaden turned and made his way toward the city.
The moment he stepped into the city's edge, it was chaos. Screams echoed through the air, thick smoke rose into the sky, and the streets were stained with blood. The demons had done their work here. He could feel it in the air—the same energy, dark and violent, that always came before the silence of death.
Jaden jumped straight into action. With his blades ready, his movements were sharp and precise—he was a ghost, moving through the ruined alleys, cutting down anything in his way. The demons didn't stand a chance. He was no longer the weak boy his father once threw from a cliff.
In the middle of the ruins, Jaden heard a child crying. The sound hit something deep in him. He turned quickly and saw a little boy, no older than six, sitting alone among broken stones, his small hands clutching a stuffed toy soaked in dust and blood.
Jaden rushed over just in time to pull the child away as a cracked building wall collapsed where the boy had been seconds ago.
The child looked up at him, wide-eyed and silent. Tears ran down his cheeks.
"My mom…" the boy whispered. "Where's my mom?"
Jaden didn't speak, just scanned the area until he saw a woman, bruised and covered in ash, stumbling through the smoke, calling her son's name. The moment she saw the boy in Jaden's arms, she cried out and ran.
He handed the child over.
"Thank you," the mother said through sobs.
Jaden gave a slight nod, turned, and walked away.
That moment stuck with him—the fear in the child's eyes, the desperation in the mother's voice. It reminded him too much of his past. Of Luna. Of his mother. Of the moment everything changed.
But today, at least one family stayed together.
And that was enough.
Jaden returned home. Another mission completed. Another memory added to the weight he carried.