Chapter 8: "No Room for Emotions"

They were eating breakfast quietly.

A few minutes after finishing, Rin suddenly stood up and said in a firm, loud voice—

"Alright, everyone, get up! Head to the training ground! Now!"

No one argued. All the trainees and trainers rose and followed. Rin walked ahead with Amaya, Hikari, and the other two leaders. The group trailed behind like a river of people who didn't really know what they were walking into.

When they got there, an old lady was already sitting on a bench, off to the side. Watching everything quietly. Hikari told Ash to stay with her. Ash didn't complain. He just nodded and sat beside her.

Then Rin started handing out the thunder swords—one by one—to Ming, Luca, Kenzo, Sofia, Akiko, and the three other passengers.

Sofia's hands were shaking a little. She took a deep breath and tried to grip the sword tighter.

Akiko, who had fought monsters before, still looked a bit uneasy. The sword felt different—like it had weight that wasn't just physical. She closed her eyes for a second, exhaled, then got into position.

As for Ming, Luca, and Kenzo… this was their first time. They were nervous. It showed. But they didn't say anything. They just nodded to themselves, like trying to fake courage.

Then Hikari's voice rang out—loud and sharp.

"Everyone, take position! Attention!"

They all stood straight, trying to look like they weren't about to panic.

"I know some of you are scared," Hikari said, "but remember this—you're not just humans anymore. You're soldiers. You're not heroes either."

He paused. Everyone stared at him, waiting.

"If they're monsters, then so are we. Because humans are the real monsters. But we… we know how to use that power the right way."

Another pause. Silence.

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"This isn't a game. If we lose, the world ends. No second chances. This world is cruel—but there are still people worth protecting. Innocent lives. And that's why we fight."

"We fight for humanity. We fight because we have to. Because we're soldiers!"

Some people nodded. A few clenched their fists. The fear didn't go away—but at least now it had company: purpose.

Then the leaders split the trainees into groups. Rin got one group—including Kenzo and Ming.

In that group, there was a boy named Sheto. He looked like he wanted to run away. His hands were shaking so bad, he couldn't even hold the sword right. Everyone else was messing up too—but Sheto couldn't even lift the blade properly. He was sweating. His face pale.

Then Rin noticed.

He walked over.

And without warning—

SLAP.

Everyone froze.

Even the trainers stopped. Amaya flinched, like she wanted to say something, but Hikari shook his head slightly. She held back, but her expression said it all—worried.

Ming just stood there, stunned. Kenzo too. So did Luca, Akiko, Sofia, and the others.

Only Hikari didn't move. He watched, arms crossed, calm as always.

Rin grabbed Sheto's collar.

"What the hell are you doing?" he snapped. "You wanna die? You think we have time for weakness here?!"

Then, before he could say more—

Sofia stepped forward.

Her voice was small but shaking with courage. "Y-You can't treat people like that!"

Everyone turned.

Even Rin.

He stared at her. Cold.

Then, without a word, he turned back to Sheto.

"You thinking about dying? About how scared you are?" he growled. "Every single one of us lost someone. Everyone. We're all broken. But if we don't fight, we die. Or worse—we turn into those blood-sucking things."

He tightened his grip.

"Yeah, I called you a coward. But you wanna stay that way? Or do you wanna prove me wrong?"

Sheto said nothing. Just stared, breathing fast.

"Throw your fear away. Breathe. Hold that sword like you mean it. Say it."

"…Say what?" Sheto whispered.

"Say it. Say you're a soldier."

Silence.

Then, finally—so quietly it was almost a whisper—Sheto said, "I… I'm a soldier."

"LOUDER!" Rin shouted.

Sheto gasped, stepped back, and screamed—"I AM A SOLDIER!"

Everyone stared.

His hands… weren't shaking anymore.

Akiko blinked. Luca nodded slightly. Even Ming raised an eyebrow, a little impressed.

Amaya just sighed and smiled. Hikari too.

Rin turned to Sofia, voice cold but quiet. "Next time, don't interfere, little girl."

Then he walked off.

Sofia's face turned red. She whispered to herself, "That was stupid. Why did I even say anything…"

Amaya patted her shoulder gently. Hikari gave her a small nod like, It's okay.

Training continued. The group got back to work. Kenzo, Luca, and Akiko were smiling again. Ming just rolled his eyes and joined in.

They broke for lunch, then came back for another round of training.

At one point, Rin noticed a small mistake in Ming's stance. He called it out, sharply. Not cruel—but not soft either.

Ming clenched his jaw.

He hated being corrected—especially by someone barely older than him. He didn't like Rin's tone. Not one bit.

He glared at Rin, not bothering to hide it.

---

A Few Hours Later…

By 8 PM, training was done. Everyone headed for dinner.

Except Ming.

He sat on a bench alone, arms crossed, still fuming.

Hikari noticed and walked over.

"You look upset," he said, sitting beside him.

Ming didn't reply right away. Then he sighed. "It's Rin."

Hikari nodded, like he already knew.

"Rin's not a bad guy," he said calmly. "He just doesn't show emotion. He doesn't believe in it. Not in war."

Ming stayed quiet, still staring at the ground.

Hikari kept talking, voice soft.

"He's lost… everything. And now, he doesn't wanna lose anyone else. Not even you."

There was a silence.

Then Ming asked, quietly, "Who did he lose?"

Hikari gave a small, sad smile.

"Everything," he said.

Then he stood up and walked away—leaving Ming alone with his thoughts, and a new question burning in his head:

What happened to Rin?

..

End of Chapter 8