Yun | Harsh Lesson

When I think back to that day at the party, I have to admit—I was lucky. A few months of training with the junior knights was all it took to show me just how outclassed I truly was in the capital. The training grounds became my second home. After my regular studies, I’d run off to the yard, the clang of steel and the shouts of exertion a welcome noise.

“It’s the village boy,” I overheard one of the older trainees mutter to another one day, just loud enough for me to hear. “Heard his uncle paid his way in.”

I clenched my jaw but didn’t turn, letting the comment fuel the fire in my gut.

One afternoon, the head instructor called for our attention, his voice struggling to cut through the testosterone-fueled din. “Alright, settle down! We have a guest today.”

I found Asa in the crowd and lined up beside him as a man I didn't recognize strode to the center of the field. He stood about a head taller than anyone else, his long, gray hair tied back in a way that gave him a feral quality, like a winter wolf. A latticework of old scars decorated the parts of his arms left bare by his leather tunic.

“This is Master Radek,” the instructor announced. “He has recently returned from the Northern Front.”

A quiet ripple went through our ranks. We all knew what that meant. The war.

“As many of you know,” the instructor continued, puffing out his chest, “we have been making progress against the threat to humanity. It is through the efforts of warriors such as Master Radek that we stand a chance at winning.”

I don’t think any of us truly believed we were winning the war, but the quiet, dangerous presence of the man before us made the instructor’s words feel believable for the first time.

Radek took a single step forward, his gaze sweeping over us. His eyes were the color of slate. “Do any of you have what it takes to challenge me?”

The yard went silent. No one dared move. Then, I felt a sharp poke in my side.

“Psst, Yun...” Asa hissed, prodding me harder.

Before I could swat his hand away, Radek’s stone-gray eyes locked onto mine. “What about you, boy?”

I am going to make Asa pay for this.

But the challenge was out there, hanging in the air. To refuse now, in front of everyone, was impossible. I took a single, confident step forward, sealing my fate. The other students shifted, forming a circle around us, their curiosity a palpable force. They were ready to watch me falter.

A grim smile touched Radek’s lips. “It’s good to see the empire still has young men with courage.”

I held my practice sword at the ready, my body sinking into a stance Sae had drilled into me during that brief time at the cabin. Her voice was a phantom whisper in my ear: Stay low, stay balanced.

Radek’s smile widened. “I like that look in your eyes. This isn’t your first time holding a sword with intent.”

As he spoke those words, I felt his oud ripple outward—a wave of pressure, immense and controlled. In the next instant, he launched at me with a speed no one so large should possess.

I threw myself to the side, my blade scraping against his with a high-pitched scream of steel. The raw power of the impact reminded me of the night-wolf’s ferocity, and my blood ran cold. I knew if this fight dragged on, I would lose. I had to end it now.

I raced in, a flurry of desperate strikes aimed at his guard. He was a wall of steel. He parried every one of my attacks with tiny, controlled movements of his wrist, his feet seemingly rooted to the ground. It was like trying to chop down an ancient oak with a hatchet. Frustration burned in my throat. I couldn’t let it end like this. I pushed forward with all my strength, my blade locking with his. Radek didn't even budge.

After toying with me for another moment, he grinned. “You’ll need more than ferocity, boy.”

In that instant, he simply let go of his sword.

My eyes instinctively followed the falling blade for a split second, a fatal mistake. The air was knocked out of my lungs as his fist landed squarely in my gut. The world tilted, my vision swam with black spots, and I buckled forward, crumbling to the dusty ground.

Radek looked down at me, his expression unreadable.

He offered a calloused hand. "Get up."

Once back on my feet, wincing, Radek gestured with his head towards a quiet corner of the yard.

"You fight like a cornered animal. All instinct, no control. It kept you alive once, didn't it?"

Shocked by the accuracy, I can only nod.

"That kind of fire is rare," He continued, “Most of the boys here in the safety of the capital have never felt it.”

Then as he walked away. “I’ll be around. Find me if you’re interested in getting stronger.”

I stood alone at the edge of the dusty yard as the other trainees slowly dispersed, their whispers following them. My gut was a tight, aching knot, but the physical pain was already fading behind the echo of Radek’s words. You fight like a cornered animal... It kept you alive once, didn't it?

He had seen it all in a single, brutal exchange—the desperation, the wildness I had mistaken for strength. He saw the ghost of Tamuri in the way I held my sword.

A hand landed cautiously on my shoulder. "Yun?" Asa’s voice was hesitant. "Are you alright? What he said to you... that was intense." He took a breath, and his words came in a rush. "Look, I'm sorry. That was stupid of me. I never should have pushed you."

I barely registered his apology. My mind was fixed on Radek’s final words, the invitation hanging in the air between us before he walked away. Find me if you’re interested in getting stronger.

I finally looked at Asa, shaking my head slowly. The sharp sting of embarrassment was gone, replaced by a strange, cold clarity.

"Don't be sorry," I said, my voice steady despite the ache in my ribs.

He looked confused. "But... he wiped the floor with you."

"Yeah," I agreed, a grim smile touching my lips for the first time. My eyes drifted past him, toward the gate where the master had disappeared. "He did. And it's the best thing that's happened to me since I got here."

***

The heavy front door swung closed, settling into its frame with a solid thud. My gut still ached where Radek’s fist had landed, a dull, throbbing reminder of my failure. But for the first time in a long time, failure didn't feel like an anchor. It felt like a starting line.

"You're walking a little taller today, Yun," Aunt Ella’s voice called from the direction of the kitchen.

I followed the sound, finding her observing a maid who was arranging pastries on a silver tray. The air was warm and fragrant with the scent of roasting herbs. she gave a small, approving nod to the girl before turning her warm smile fully on me.

"Despite looking like you wrestled a thornback," she said, her perceptive eyes taking in my disheveled state. "Good day at the yard?"

"Something like that," I managed, a real smile touching my own lips. "It was... instructive."

Her eyes twinkled, pleased with my good mood. "Well, this came for you," she said, reaching across the counter for a small, rolled parchment tied with simple twine. "From a young lady, by the looks of the handwriting."

I recognized Itzel’s neat, careful script immediately and unrolled the parchment, my heart giving a familiar pang of connection to the life I’d left behind.

Her letter was, as always, full of cheerful news, but a few parts stood out.

Minah is doing well, she wrote. You wouldn’t believe it, but she took down a giant hog all by herself!

My chest swelled with pride, quickly followed by a competitive sting. A giant hog. Alone. The image of the quiet, fierce girl I knew was sharpening in my mind. She wasn’t waiting for me; she was getting stronger on her own.

But the next lines tightened a knot in my stomach. I worry about her, though. She doesn't talk about it, Yun. I can tell she is still hurting and I don't know how to get through.

The final lines, however, brought a rush of surprise and relief. Itzel had been selected by her school in Nala to attend special lessons at an academy here in the capital. I should be there in a few weeks, she wrote. I hope we can see each other!

"So?" Aunt Ella asked, leaning against the doorframe with a teasing glint in her eye. "A letter from a sweetheart?"

I felt a flush creep up my neck. "It's not like that, Aunt Ella. She's just a friend."

She just chuckled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "Alright, Yun. For a 'friend,' she certainly has a way of making you blush."

The news from the letter, combined with the sharp clarity of my lesson from Radek, solidified the resolve that had been forging in me all afternoon. Minah was becoming a warrior. I wouldn't be left behind.

Feeling a sudden urgency, I ignored my aunt's comment and went straight to the small desk in my room, pulled out a fresh sheet of paper, and dipped my quill. The high from finding a true path forward, a way to keep my promise, made the words flow easily.

I didn’t need to write a long reply. I told her I was thrilled she was coming to the capital and couldn't wait to see her. Then, I added a final line, one I wrote with more conviction than anything I had in ages. I told her I’d met someone—a master—who was going to teach me.

I told her not to worry about me. I was getting stronger, too.