Vera, Chun, and Sword Dog walked over a mud path with embankments of trees on either side of the road.

  The air, once laden with dust, now shimmered a dull gold under the setting sun.

  After a day's preparation they had left, as Chun called it, the seventh sector of the Blade Master's domain.

  His gaze lingered on the embankments that surrounded the mud path.

  The mud path stretched into the horizon, no people, no buildings, just an expanse of forest and earth.

  The sound of the city's bustling had turned into the ebb and flow of a stream.

  His shoulders loosened; a gentle smile grew on his face.

  The Demon Continent has changed me a lot. To think I hated being inside that city so much.

  As he released the tension in his body and let the sounds of the world engulf him, he heard a quiet rumbling.

  His smile turned to a smirk.

  "I told you we should've eaten breakfast." He spoke with a wide grin as he stared at Chun.

  Chun looked at the ground as he adjusted the rucksack over his shoulder. "Well, we don't have an option till we reach the next city, now do we?"

  "Why not? We can just hunt." Vera responded as he quietly signalled to Sword Dog, who trailed behind the two of them.

  "Hunt what? There is nothing here."

  "You may not see it, but this place is teeming with life. Never underestimate the power of travelling alongside fresh water bodies!" His hands waved across the length of the creek as he spoke

  Just as Vera was done speaking, a shrill whistle resounded through the wind.

  Tufts of dust rose into the air from the embankment, rushing towards Vera.

  Sword Dog ran through the cover of trees rushing towards Vera; droplets of water splattered from his soaked fur.

  Within a moment's time, the trail of dust behind Sword Dog stopped by Vera's side.

  His sudden appearance shocked Chun leaving him reeling backward, almost falling to the ground.

  Vera watched Chun's bewildered expression with his patented mocking grin.

  "What did I say?" He spoke as he held Chun in place with his rucksack's strap.

  Chun's eyes widened and his jaw gaped as he stared at Sword Dog.

  After a few moments of his words tripping over each other. Chun formed a fragment of a sentence.

  "Why d-does he h-have a sword?"

  Both Vera and Sword Dog leant their heads to the right.

  A laugh permeated the air.

  "You know what his name is, right?" Vera spoke with stifled breaths, barely holding his laughter back.

  "Uh..."

  "Say it."

  "Sword Dog..."

  After taking a few more moments to end his laughter, Vera led the aggrieved Chun to the creek and set up a camp.

  Their footsteps imprinted over the wet muddy ground and the broken twigs in their path collected.

  ...

  The trio sat by a makeshift campfire, watching the fish lathered in spices getting cooked.

  As the meat reached a browned char, Vera pulled it off the fire, to debone it.

  After a minute of swift plucking and plating, dinner was prepared.

  He gave Chun a piece and kept four for himself and Sword Dog.

  "Why do I get just one?"

  "Finish that first. If you do, I'll jump into the stream and get two more for you."

  Having decided on holding Vera to his promise, Chun dug into his plate with a newfound ferocity.

  As always, Vera sat resting against a tree, his gaze fixed on the gentle stream.

  We can find a branch of the Blade Master's school in the sixth sector. I could settle there for a few years, at least until I learn how to intuit Law.

  Vera ate quietly; Sword Dog rested against his lap. The thin horizon had long faded into night.

  "Just because you can eat now doesn't mean you should eat so quickly! What will you do if you choke?"

  Sword Dog poked his nose into Vera's ribs and went back to sleep.

  "Fine, I'll stop nagging you. Go sleep."

  Vera softly combed Sword Dog's fur as he slept.

  Just as Vera was peacefully enjoying his meal, low thuds shook the ground. Chun walked towards Vera with heavy steps; his stomach bulged over his chest pressing into his robes.

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  "You promised." He spoke while pointing at the stream. His words slowed as he barely held himself back from puking.

  "Shut up and sleep. I'll give you two tomorrow." His sights were fixed to the far end of the embankment as he spoke.

  Vera pulled out two blankets from the pouch Ezra had given him and passed one to Chun.

  Having proved his point, Chun found a warm corner and went to sleep.

  The chirping of birds dimmed as the moon stood over Vera's head.

  Flames turned to smoke as the campfire's crackling dulled.

  His eyes were closed, but his senses were still alert. People were approaching; they were trying to hide their presence.

  Five second ranks.

  Thick boots mulched over leaves. The sharp, but silent, clang of blades being unsheathed. Each step drew closer to Vera's camp.

  Are they here for the pouch or the kid...

  As the people entered the covers of the embankment, hidden from their surroundings, Vera opened his eyes.

  The weight of their steps eased the closer they arrived; their clothes lathered with mud and leaves to mask their scent.

  Just as they reached the camp's borders a small portion of Vera's qi seeped out of his body, reaching for the five assailants.

  While they were no masters, they could recognise qi, but it was too little too late.

  Within a second, Vera's qi engulfed their bodies.

  Qi fashioned to the likes of a doctor's blade sliced through every joint and tendon in their bodies.

  They fell to the ground squirming, unable to move.

  The assailants, no matter how hard they tried, couldn't open their mouths. Be it to speak or to scream. They stared at each other with sheer horror.

  Vera was never charitable to his own people without due reason. He watched the assailant's squirming in pain with cold eyes.

  Don't blame me. If you are ready to take a life, be ready to die as well.

  Vera's footsteps formed low thrums in the ground. His gaze shifted to Chun.

  Still sleeping.

  Vera picked up one of the assailants by the neck; his empty stare stripped his opponent bare.

  "Be quiet. I will release your mouth now."

  The attacker couldn't feel any pain from under his neck after Vera picked him up. His mind cleared as he met Vera's eyes.

  The searing of the flesh over his neck broke any hesitance he had in revealing his organisation's secrets.

  The man nodded vigorously.

  And so an 'interrogation' began.

  ...

  Trails of blood seeped from the attackers' extremities; finger nails scattered across the floor.

  Vera gaze mirrored the soulless nature of their actions. His tone was cold and clinical; it felt like the only way to hold back an adverse reaction.

  "You all work for the beggar coalition. Your task is to scout children who have been orphaned recently and have no one to rely on."

  The five attackers nodded. Not even a tinge of shame in their expressions.

  "Then you either sell them as slaves or..." Vera's brows furrowed; his teeth ground. "If they don't bring much value as a slave, you salvage them."

  According to the attackers, it seemed most merchants were involved in the flesh trade.

  A few broken bones revealed that the beggar coalition was one of the many organisations that met the merchant's requirements.

  Runaways, orphans, beggar families, and just about anyone that had value as a slave.

  As for specifics, the attackers weren't aware; this much was confirmed through a strenuous 'interrogation'.

  Vera stared at them for some time as he decided what to do.

  "Is there anything else you know?"

  Their expressions contorted, words were the only lifeline they had. But lies would result in an outcome they didn't dare fathom.

  They shook their heads with a solemn expression, only hoping Vera would let them go.

  They have nothing more to tell me. But letting them go will only harm others...

  Having made his decision, Vera acted on it with no remorse.

  "Then die." His low tone reverberated through the ground.

  They tried to squirm only to realise it wasn't just pain that was cut off.

  They shook their heads frantically, pleading for forgiveness. But only a dull snap met their cries.

  Qi built up through Vera's meridians, an orange fire seeped through his fingertips consuming their bodies.

  The smell of charred flesh dissipated in the winds of night—once clear, now marred by ashes.

  Almost as if they were never there.

  Dull steps mulched over the leaves in the embankment, the cold empty in Vera's eyes fizzled away.

  His expression softened, Vera walked back to camp.

  Sword Dog stared with his teeth bared.

  "Calm down, buddy. I would have let you take care of it, but I needed to talk to them first." He ruffled Sword Dog's fur as he lay down near the tree again.

  He watched the moon's slow climb to the horizon.

  In organisations like the beggar coalition, the failure of authority was the end. Now that a mistake had been made, there was no choice for them but to correct it.

  The big ones will reveal themselves soon enough...

  ***

  The mud path extended as always.

  Sword Dog hunted for food as dawn broke and dusk settled. Vera taught Chun how to set up camp and cook food.

  Sometimes he taught Chun basic self-defence. However, it didn't take long for him to realise the boy had no combat sense whatsoever.

  Nonetheless, being bad at fighting was better than not knowing at all.

  As the days passed, their surroundings changed. The dense bands of trees that embanked the mud path turned to wooden fences.

  Soon, even the mud path was paved by coarse red and grey bricks.

  Chun asked Vera why he was only stepping on the red bricks. Vera answered with two words.

  "Just because."

  Toward the end of their travel to the sixth sector, where the Blade Master's school was, all three of them stepped on only the red bricks.

  And on the tenth day of their travels, the city's gate had finally come in sight.

  Having passed on a few coppers to the guards, Vera, Sword Dog, and Chun entered the city with no incident.

  Chun looked at Vera with an exasperated expression.

  "I told you to haggle with them! All the city guards are like dogs; once you give in, they won't even leave your bones to bury."

  Vera patted Chun's head, trying to placate him.

  "Don't worry about it. I conveyed our purpose to them clearly; they won't bother us. Also, apologise to Sword Dog; I don't think he liked your choice of comparison."

  As Chun hurried over to apologise to Sword Dog, Vera examined the city.

  Unlike the seventh sector, poverty was rare over here.

  There wasn't a single beggar in sight, and the people here were well fed. Buildings like the Golden Dragon mercantile weren't rare.

  The bustling of the city was calm and ordered. The sound of haggling and fighting was replaced by that of pleasantries.

  Smells of various delicacies wafted from the doors of inns and restaurants.

  It was a big city, so much so that Vera was worried for Chun.

  His gaze shifted to the boy.

  As Chun was done apologising to Sword Dog, he stared at the city. His widened eyes shifted through every corner of the sector.

  "It is different from your home, isn't it?" Vera asked the starry-eyed Chun.

  "Hm..."

  "Can you navigate on your own?"

  While Vera didn't want to send him off alone...

  After I join the sect I won't have much time. I can't have him depend on me for everything.

  Slightly overwhelmed by the big city, Chun was taken aback by Vera's request. He took a moment to breathe and steel his resolve.

  "Yes. I can find my way around on my own! What do you need me to find?" His little voice beamed with resolve.

  With his hand ruffling Chun's head, Vera spoke with a smile.

  "It would be helpful if you could find a place for the three of us to stay. Can you take Sword Dog along and look for a place to stay?"

  Chun nodded at Vera with excitement.

  "Take this. Buy yourself something after you're done looking around. Meet me here by sunset."

  Vera handed Chun a pack of coppers.

  In a moment's time the boy ran through the city looking for inns; Sword Dog followed him from behind.

  A large breath escaped Vera as he stared at the cityscape.

  "Time to join the Blade Master's sect, huh..."

  The afternoon sun illuminated the sixth sector's splendour.

  But even under the sun's gaze, there were shadows.

  Vera's sense caught the poor who weren't visible on the city streets lurking in shadowed alleys.

  Shadows that questioned if the city's splendour was built of prosperity or poverty.

  Shadows that could engulf anyone at any time.

  Veracity.