"So those girls were actually experts, huh?"

"I don't know about that, but I can say they aren't far behind me."

"Was that was your school of swordsmanship they were practising?"

"It's a derivative they came up with after observing my training."

"They must have practised a lot to be able to dispel my sword qi like that."

"Mm. They're pretty diligent. Even I don't spend as much time training as they do."

"So, what are you going to do with them?"

"Do with them?"

"They're pretty much your disciples, right?"

"I wouldn't say that."

"They follow you around and learn from you. That's a disciple."

"I think they're just really earnest seekers of the sword path. It looks like they've sworn themselves to silence to remove even the distraction of conversation."

"You may be right. I've heard of certain monks who do that. It would explain their aversion to speech."

"I was thinking along the same lines. As for why they appear to be drawn to me, I think it's just a result of our philosophy when it comes to creating our techniques."

"Well, regardless of what their reasons are, as long as they don't get in your way, it's no big deal, huh?"

"Pretty much."

***

Before long, Hei and Tianlan found themselves at the foot of the snowy mountain where Tianlan had first met the wolf siblings.

Looking up to its peak, Hei wondered if they would be comfortable in a forest environment.

Then he witnessed something strange.

A section of the mountain burst into a giant cloud of snow and a violent tremor shook the earth.

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"No fair!"

Another upheaval took place as a blast of ice tore through the cloud, aiming at the centre of the prior explosion.

Hei watched as a white wolf ran through the air following its attack. It landed with a bang, kicking up another cloud of snow.

"That was a nice shot, but if you want to beat me,"

A shockwave passed through the cloud, clearing it away.

"You'll have to try harder."

"Argh! Get off me!"

Hei and Tianlan walked up the mountain while all of this commotion was going on and when they got to the source, they saw two giant wolves wrestling in the snow.

"Get, off!"

The smaller wolf who had been pinned down managed to escape, kicking the other away, but the other landed squarely on its feet.

"Grrrrr!"

The smaller wolf bore its fangs and growled threateningly.

"!"

The larger wolf was momentarily stunned.

The smaller wolf would never let such an opening pass it by.

"Wai-"

Ignoring the words of the larger wolf, it dashed toward it and bit down on its neck.

"Wait a minute, Shiva. It's-"

"Admit defeat!"

"You-"

The larger wolf tried to escape, but the smaller tightened its jaws.

"Shiva, you-"

"Admit defeat!"

"Ugh! Fine! I admit defeat!"

The smaller wolf stopped for a moment but didn't immediately let go.

"R-really?"

"Yes, yes, you win."

The smaller wolf slowly let go of the larger, not quite able to believe what it heard.

"I won? I finally won?"

It didn't know what to do with itself.

"This feels..."

It immediately took off, running to the peak of the mountain before letting off a thundering howl.

"Today, I, Shiva, have defeated my brother, Rhava, in individual combat!"

She stayed there for a while, observing the world that now looked a little different.

After letting all of her excitement out, Shiva headed back down to where Rhava was so she could gloat a little.

"I'm sorry about my sister, she gets a little excited sometimes."

"Hm? Who are you talking to, Rhava?"

She had come in from behind, so she couldn't see who it was at first, but once she caught a familiar scent, she immediately grew embarrassed.

"Oh. Hi, Tianlan..."

"Hey."

"You... didn't happen... to see..."

"Today, I, Tianlan, have witnessed something interesting."

"..."

Shiva wanted to bury her head in a hole. She really thought she had managed to intimidate Rhava that time, but it turned out he was just distracted by Tainlan's appearance.

"So, what brings you here? And why did you bring a human child? We already told you we're not offering rides."

"That's not it. This is Hei."

"Hei? Oh! Our other brother! We've heard a lot about you. It's nice to finally meet you in person."

"Oh? You've heard a lot about me? What kind of things did Tianlan tell you?"

"That you're really wei-"

"That you're a compassionate person who counts both man and beast among his family."

"Yeah, but he's also really-"

"Kind and caring."

"Rhava, what are you-"

"Shut up."

"No. Let her speak. I would like to hear it."

"But..."

"Now, as I was saying, Tianlan says you're really weird."

"Oh? Weird how?"

"He says you make things up and go with them as if they're real. That you're the kind of person who will hear a rumour and believe it immediately. Is it true?"

"I mean... there's a method to the madness. I'm not-"

"So it is true..."

Rhava and Shiva exchanged glances.

"It's okay. He's still young. I'm sure he'll grow out of it."

"I'm not so sure about that. Didn't Tianlan say he's been like this from a very young age?"

"Hm..."

"So you're going to talk about me like I'm not standing right in front of you?"

The two let out awkward laughter.

"Then let's see if I'm weird. I want you to tell me how to make you stronger."

"It's not possible," answered Rhava. "We've already reached the limits of our bloodline."

"First of all, I decide what's possible and what isn't. All you have to do is answer my questions."

Glances were exchanged.

"Stop that! Now, I want you to search your minds for information on overcoming your limits. Be it a rumour you heard in passing, or a bedtime story your parents told you, I want to know about it."

Rhava and Shiva exchanged glances once more before reluctantly agreeing.

"Nothing comes to mind."

"Mm. I can't think of anything either."

"You're not trying hard enough."

"But-"

"Close your eyes, both of you."

They did as he said.

"Now, think back. You found out that no matter how hard you tried, you could only get so far. It was a bitter pill to swallow. The thought that you could never be like those dragons and phoenixes of legend weighed down on your young heart. You looked to your elders for guidance, but having reached their own limits, they could only reinforce the commonly held belief. You began to lose hope and decided, whether knowingly or unknowingly, that the next time you asked would be the last. That was when you heard about..."

""King Namean.""