Kyu-Son tilted her head back, and savored the warm broth that flowed down her throat while it filled with noodles. They too were worth savoring, the various vegetables and seasonings pairing with the perfect texture of the noodles to make flavor explode in her mouth as she chewed.

  She set the bowl back down, looking at her aunt Xiu in front of her.

  "It was as delicious as always," She said. "It's a wonder that your shop isn't always overflowing with customers."

  "Heh," She replied. "Always a flatterer."

  "I can't help but be honest," Kyu-Son said.

  "And I can't help but to wonder if the compliments would come the same if you had to pay for the food," The older woman quipped.

  Now it was her turn to laugh.

  "What are you going to do now?" Her aunt continued. "You may be self-trained, but I'm sure there are plenty of masters who would be willing to take you as a disciple now that your aura is fully created. There should be a completion for that that you can sign up for some time sooner or later."

  "You know that wouldn't work for me," She said. "If I don't stop them, how can I ever expect Yuze to rest in peace?"

  Her eyes narrowed. "There are lots of injustices in the world. Why can't you trust the imperial soldiers to deal with them, rather than dedicating yourself to revenge?"

  Kyu-Son stood up from her seat. "We've had this conversation before. You aren't going to convince me to leave this to the empire. You think they really care about one peasant girl enough to pick a fight with a group like that?"

  "And if you get yourself killed, that will do what exactly?"

  "Thank you for the soup," She said.

  Seconds later, she was out the door and into the fresh fall air that had just begun to grow cool from the summer. As she looked at the multi-leveled city stretched out in front of her, she couldn't help but let her frustration go.

  Both above and below people hustled about their lives, the many streets crossing over one another, each one built without thinking of the levels above and below it. She was currently on the third level, which meant there were two floating levels below her, and below that was the ground level of the city.

  Rather, it was where the mines had once been, and now that they were abandoned it was a massive crater filled with all kinds of buildings in a growing slum. In a sharp contrast to the levels built on floating stone above, which were made primarily of stone to withstand the stronger weather higher up, down there wood was the material of choice, being far cheaper and easier to use.

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  She idly twisted a strand of her dull red hair around her finger as she watched. Her other hand came to rest on the heavy sword at her waist. It had taken her almost as long to save up to buy it as it had taken her to train up to her current level.

  Day after day, forcing her body to the very limit with field work in order to coax her aura into growing stronger. If not for the fact that she could get paid for her training itself, Kyu-Son might still be at home, working to find the money for her blade.

  The incident had been years ago now, but even just mentioning it in the conversation before was enough to make the images appear in her mind, just as clear as the day itself. There was no way she could forget about it, just move on after what had happened.

  The railing started to creak under her grip, and she realized that her aura had condensed without her noticing, responding to the strong emotions welling up inside her. She hastily let go, and started down the street.

  For all her confidence, she really had no idea how to begin her journey for vengeance. The last time she saw those she was looking for was more than eight years ago, and she didn't even know their names.

  She had come to the city two weeks ago, hoping that she could find a clue on their whereabouts, but no one she had asked seemed to be familiar with the descriptions she gave, nor did they know of anyone who would be.

  One problem after another kept springing up, getting in the way of her goal. Maybe it would be best for her to leave, heading for a larger city with less unique of a situation. Perhaps there would be more information about them in a place that wasn't under imperial control.

  Her new plan assured, Kyu-Son continued down the street, now with a refreshed sense of purpose. She would head out this evening, so for now she just needed something to do with her afternoon.

  Kyu-Son was sitting on the third level of the city, enjoying a cup of tea, when she saw the woman. She was dressed in clothing that had been slashed through, stained with what appeared to be blood, and to much of it and in too many places for it to be her own.

  At her side was a beaten old katana that had seen better days, worn and weathered to the point where most people would have thrown it away. She herself wasn’t in much better shape, her dark hair looking as though it had been tied up days ago and since had rebelled more and more, barely held in place by a moon-shaped pin.

  What truly drew her attention though, was the black bandages that were wrapped around her arm. A thin stripe of red ran down the middle of them, and they were immaculately clean in comparison to the rest of her.

  The teacup in her hand shattered instantly as her hand formed into a fist, and the chair under her broke from the weight as her aura fully condensed. She stood, and drew her blade as she stepped forward into the street, blocking the stranger’s path.

  Kyu-Son had only ever once in her life seen those bandages before, and the people wearing them then had been the same ones who killed her sister.

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                          Chapter end

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