Black Badger

A short run from the cabin led to a massive training field.

We headed there to warm up. The seniors handed me a sleek sword. It was almost identical in form to my own.

We exchanged few words. Once preparations for the spar were complete, Lee Ye-hyeon picked up his sword and took his position opposite me.

Yoon would observe.

The morning air painted the gym floor white. The spacious gym carried the scent of fresh morning air.

Lee Ye-hyeon laid his blade on the ground.

"I'll just use the sword."

It was a statement that he wouldn't use the silver shape-shifting weapon glinting from his ear.

"You said your skills haven't fully returned yet."

"Yeah."

It would still be more watchable than when he was slicing through those mushrooms.

I gripped my sword and nodded. Lee Ye-hyeon fixed his pitch-black eyes on me.

The air shifted in an instant. Tension crackled through it, pulling it taut.

My opponent charged silently.

Clang!

Our colliding swords sparked.

The blades crossed in an X.

I felt the power behind Lee Ye-hyeon's sword.

Our swords trembled faintly. When an opponent pushed this hard, it was better to pull the blade upward and aim for the throat rather than pushing back.

I slid my sword tip down along his blade.

And then straight for the opening at his throat...

Sching!

Lee Ye-hyeon curled his blade upward in the same motion.

An X formed as we both lowered our tips. We deflected each other's swords almost simultaneously and leaped back, creating distance.

...No.

I was a second slower.

As he pushed my curling blade aside, an opening appeared at my throat in that split second. If he'd been serious, Lee Ye-hyeon could have run me through in that one second.

"I lost."

I muttered, and Lee Ye-hyeon let out a small laugh.

"It's not over yet, Hilde."

"Yeah."

As our swords met again, I absorbed the flood of swordsmanship memories.

It wasn't entirely familiar, but it wasn't uncomfortable either. I gave a faint smile as I gripped the sword.

"Please go easy on me."

Instead of replying, Lee Ye-hyeon gripped his sword and charged.

The sound of the blade slicing through the air rang in my ears.

*

Dozens of minutes later.

I lay collapsed on the ground, overwhelmed by self-loathing.

"You're not recovering fast at all... I shouldn't have used real swords. Yoon, grab the first aid kit."

"Hey, you've improved a lot."

Yoon marveled casually from beside Lee Ye-hyeon, who peered down at me with a troubled voice.

The spar was over. It had ended in no time at all, leaving me with nothing but immense self-loathing.

I hadn't held out hope of winning, but facing the reality hit hard.

How had things come to this?

The two seniors gathered around my sprawled form.

I rolled my eyes slightly and caught sight of my mentor stroking his chin as he looked down at me.

"Your skills have improved leaps and bounds since I last saw you. Looks like rolling around in that subway helped."

"Yoon, I said grab the first aid kit... No, I'll get it."

"I'll get it."

At his superior's words, I reflexively shot up from the waist.

But Lee Ye-hyeon's palm blocked me immediately. Hearing the firm "Stay put," I froze. The superior hopped to his feet and vanished from view. He disappeared through the door at the far end of the gym.

I hadn't landed a single scratch on that pale, lean man.

Sparring with Lee Ye-hyeon felt eerily like facing my past self. It was a strange sensation. He wielded swordsmanship eerily identical to mine. I knew every technique he used.

I was just a second slower each time.

That made it worse. It was like fighting a mirror—utterly familiar techniques pouring down, but my body was too sluggish to counter any of them. My mind knew how to parry efficiently, but my body wouldn't follow.

It was more shocking than when Richard called me a "useless newbie who doesn't even know the basics of shooting."

Reality was too cruel.

Still seated and unable to shake off the self-loathing, I watched as Yoon knelt down to meet my eyes.

"I don't think you need me to teach you swordsmanship anymore."

"What? You saw how thoroughly I got beaten."

"That's just a matter of speed. Some things only time can fix."

My mentor pondered.

I waited gloomily for his conclusion. Even when Lee Ye-hyeon returned and gave the same diagnosis—"You'll recover with time"—my mood didn't improve.

Lee Ye-hyeon treated my cuts with a troubled expression.

"I didn't realize your recovery was this slow. You've been through a lot."

"Not at all."

It was everyone around me who'd suffered.

I just checked out mentally, and that was it. When I woke, a skilled doctor treated me on the company's dime, and I got legitimate time off. So what hardship had I endured? I was just grateful to the seniors who dragged me to the hospital room every time.

When I voiced this, Lee Ye-hyeon sighed.

"So the stories about you not taking care of yourself are true."

"I love myself. I don't get why everyone says that."

"Don't ignore Yoon's coaching and push yourself too hard just to regain your skills. Only time can heal that."

My superior brushed off my retort lightly.

I could only nod bitterly. I knew they were speaking the truth. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

It just left a bitter taste accepting it.

Yoon, who had been lost in thought and silent, finally looked up.

"Now we can start assigning missions on the outskirts inside the Core, right?"

"Yeah."

Lee Ye-hyeon nodded readily.

"Let's do that."

There was progress.

I took solace in the improvement.

We tidied up and left the gym. Lee Ye-hyeon had taken the day off, he said. He couldn't rest long due to the hospitalization, so he'd handle personal maintenance and return to work tomorrow.

As we walked the autumn path with its slightly rising temperature, I thanked him for dedicating his holiday morning to me. Given his position, taking even a day off couldn't have been easy.

Yoon outlined my upcoming schedule.

Physical training would continue as before, and we'd start shooting practice. For the next mission, Ricardo would act as my mentor in his place.

Since it was the first course inside the Core—the outskirts—he told me to get the details from Ricardo.

As we walked and talked, we soon reached the cabin.

The morning's tasks ended on a positive note. The seniors bid me to rest and turned away.

Watching their backs as they headed to their residences, I hesitated.

Then I mustered my courage.

"Lee Ye-hyeon."

Yoon and Lee Ye-hyeon whipped their heads around at incredible speed.

They both looked shocked. Their wide-eyed stares as they froze in place were almost comical.

My stomach wasn't settled enough for a smile, though.

I stood there dumbly before the two men, who waited for my response. Truth be told, I still wasn't sure if saying this was right.

After a long hesitation, I opened my mouth.

"I might be overstepping here..."

"What is it? Speak freely."

Lee Ye-hyeon widened his eyes and leaned toward me.

"What's wrong?"

Those large, kind eyes.

My chest ached. Memories worked in mysterious ways. Once a door in them cracked open, a flood of recollections poured out mercilessly. Just seeing those worried eyes waiting for my answer nearly suffocated me with the rush.

The answer wasn't easy.

"I've met Lee Seung-hyun's wife—your mother."

Lee Ye-hyeon looked as if he'd been struck on the head.

"I'm hesitant to bring this up, but I thought you might be curious... It was a brief encounter, and there are no photos left. But if you want, I'll tell you everything I know to the best of my ability."

Lee Seung-hyun probably wouldn't have allowed it.

I finished quietly and waited for his reaction. Lee Ye-hyeon stayed frozen for a long while.

I waited uneasily for him to recover from the shock.

We stood there under the clear sunlight that warmed our bodies.

I wasn't sure if this was the right thing to do.

I might have stirred up pain in someone who'd been at peace. Hearing this could have wounded him deeply.

I'd brought it up hoping it might comfort him, but that judgment could have been my arrogance.

Yoon and I waited in silence for his response.

Only after a long time did Lee Ye-hyeon stammer, breaking the quiet.

"...Can I ask her name?"

"Huh? I didn't catch that."

"Her name."

His voice came back hoarse.

"My mother's name."

He hadn't even told him that much.

What had the child done to deserve this?

I barely schooled my crumpling expression.

The war broke out after Lee Ye-hyeon was grown. I passed my sword to humans during the war. So while Lee Ye-hyeon went through childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, I must have been on Earth too.

How had I not known how Lee Seung-hyun treated his own child?

If I'd known, I'd have slapped him awake. And if he still wouldn't come to his senses, I'd have gone to the child and given him the affection myself. I could have. If I'd paid even a little more attention to Lee Seung-hyun.

I swallowed the stinging guilt rising in my throat.

And answered.

"Sasha."

She was an orphan like Lee Seung-hyun.

"She had no family name."

"Sasha."

Lee Ye-hyeon murmured the name blankly.

"Sasha..."

My past self had committed too many errors.

Even without remembering everything, every step I took was filled with my mistakes.

I remembered Ray. The comrade who lost his life to my sword out of affection for me. I remembered Kyle. The comrade who pointed his blade at me with eyes full of betrayal and resentment.

And Lee Seung-hyun and Lee Ye-hyeon.

My god. I might have been the reason Sasha died in childbirth. Lee Seung-hyun never told me, and I didn't even ask if the child was a boy or girl.

I knew Lee Seung-hyun had grown darker, but I chalked it up to sensing the approaching war.

Foolishly...

"Thanks."

Lee Ye-hyeon's hoarse mutter pulled me back to reality.

"Really."

I wasn't sure I deserved his gratitude.

I nodded with a complicated expression. Lee Ye-hyeon, still half-dazed, took a while to fully regain his composure. He thanked me again and asked if he could inquire more once he'd sorted his thoughts. I could sense him barely holding back his emotions.

Of course, I could tell him everything.

Lee Ye-hyeon replied with a smile, saying he was grateful.

I pretended not to notice the tears welling in his eyes.

*

There was a reply from Shu.

[I'll buy you a meal. When are you free?]