“Grandpa, what do you think we should do about him?”

Chang and Shin had left the bedroom after they calmed Ryther down, and moved into the living room. Both the adult and grandchild donned complicated expression on their faces, while they sat across from each other in their seats as the situation had become complex.

“Hm… It’s not like we can go back to Taegook and look for his parents or anything, as everyone have evacuated…”

“You’re not thinking about just dropping him off at some village or city are you? He’s my life savior grandpa!”

“What do you want me to do then?! We can’t stay here much longer; your training period is almost over and we have to go back to the capital soon. It’s not like we can take him with us.”

“Why don’t we take him and have him become a disciple too?”

“You brat! Do you think anyone could become a disciple within the Samjoko?! Only the most talented are just considered. You’re lucky that you are my grandson or your grade B beast soul wouldn’t have been enough to qualify for a disciple spot.”

“Umm…excuse me, but what is this Samjoko?”

As the two relatives argued over what to do, they both leapt in surprise to the voice behind them. When they turned around, they saw Ryther had come out of the room and walked in from the hallway. When he saw their reactions, Ryther scratched his hair and spoke in an embarrassed voice.

“Sorry about that. I didn’t intend to eavesdrop in on the conversation, but I could hear you two from the bedroom.”

“Ah no, you can’t be blamed for that, lad. Well since you’re here, I think it’s for the best that we talk about what to do next. As you just heard, Chang and I are here for his training. Even though we will be here for another year or so, we will have to go back to the capital by then. I’m fine with you staying with us for that time period. Hopefully, during that time you can recover your memory. If not though, the best we could do is drop you off at a town or city on our way to the capital.”

“Elder Shin, what about the other option Chang was talking about? Something about the Samjoko?”

“Haa… about that. Well first off let’s start with an explanation of Samjoko. They are the private army of the Estrada Kingdom’s ruler. The Samjoko are in charge of protecting the royal family, along with conducting special operations for the sake of the Kingdom. Of course, the members within Samjoko are the best of the best, and only the elite will be enlisted. Anyways, we have a disciple program for the young men who show extraordinary talent and martial skills. The program usually lasts between fourteen to twenty years of age; about six years.”

“So If I’m talented enough, I could also become a disciple?”

“Well technically, yes. Although, the chances of you having enough talent is…”

“Is there any way you could test me, Elder?”

“Testing you isn’t a big issue, but, why are you insistent on joining the Samjoko? There’s no saying that your memory won’t return shortly and you could change your mind, you know?”

“Elder, I can’t place all my hopes in regaining my memory some day. I would rather decide my future through actions than waiting.”

“Haa, your way of thinking is truly admirable. I wish Chang would grow to have that type of personality too. Still, the Samjoko isn’t an organization you can join just because you aspire to. Let us first test if you have the qualifications. Chang, go get the soul inspection crystal.”

“Alright, grandpa. I’ll be right back.”

Not even a minute after he had left to retrieve the crystal, Chang returned with the crystal in his right hand. The crystal had a clear gray color and had a circular shape. As Ryther glanced at it, he found that the crystal looked rather familiar to him.

“Alright then. The testing process is quite simple. All you have to do is place your hand on the crystal and it will tell us your soul strength, beast soul attribute, and the level of grade. I will warn you in advance though, please don’t be too disappointed if you don’t meet the requirements. It’d actually be weirder if you did, since it’s so rare to meet people who do meet them. Now then, place your hand on the crystal.”

“Understood, Elder. No matter what the result, I would still like to thank you and Chang for saving me, and giving me this opportunity.”

Having said that, Ryther bowed toward Shin. He truly was genuinely thankful toward the two. Even though they said that they saved him because he had helped Chang out; they could have easily dropped him off anywhere with people, or just left him there. They had no obligation to help, but they did.

“Aww man! what’s with this depressing situation. You two make it sound like we’re about to depart from each other or something! Don’t worry man, I have total confidence that you’ll pass! Also, that swordsmanship you displayed against those soldiers wasn’t a joke either man!”

Shin’s expression indicated that he really didn’t know what to do with his grandson. The sight of Chang being so energetic and throwing a thumbs up made him shake his head confoundedly. Ryther, on the other hand, just smiled wryly at the situation before he nodded his head. He had a favorable impression of Chang’s outspoken and positive attitude. Without any further ado, he stretched his right arm out and placed his palm on the crystal.

Brilliant lights of blue and silver interchanged with each other as soon as Ryther’s palm touched the crystal. Shin and Chang both turned their heads and covered their eyes at the sudden brightness. Ryther, on the other hand, continued to stare at the crystal and thought about how familiar those lights felt. Slowly, the lights dimmed and the crystal went back to its clear appearance.  When he turned around to see how he did, he saw the expression of shock on Shin’s face. After he took a few moments to get over the shock, he showed a much calmer expression while he spoke.

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“Ho…. A double attribute beast soul. That is indeed quite the rare beast soul. And it was one of the S grade ones huh? I wonder which water/wind beast soul you have..”

“Heh, so what about it being highly unlikely that he wouldn’t be talented enough grandpa?”

“You little rascal! Since I haven’t hit you in a while I must look like a pushover, huh?! Get over here!”

As the grandpa/grandson pair played a game of cat and mouse around the living room, a smile slowly rose onto Ryther’s face. Even though he hadn’t shown it, he had been quite nervous about whether he would meet the qualifications. There was, after all, such a low percentage of people who did. Even though it would have been a year later, he had been afraid of being left alone without his memories.

After he waited a few moments, the two returned to their original positions with Chang holding his head in pain.

“Anyways, before this idiot interrupted us what was I saying… Oh yeah, you indeed have the qualifications talent wise to join. Regarding your skills… I’m not too worried as if you don’t qualify yet, you will by the time we go back after some training… Also, you haven’t met your beast soul yet have you?”

Ryther felt a chill run down his spine as he could have sworn that he saw a glint in Shin’s eyes as he spoke about training. Still, the mention of meeting his beast soul intrigued him. He wondered just what type of creature would be inside of him.

“No elder, I do not think so?”

“Well, you’re probably right. You would have most likely already spoken with it after you woke up by now if you had. Well, you look like you’re around Chang’s age so it should be time for you to anyways. Well then, if you want, we can do the ceremony here.”

“Yes, if you would please elder.”

There was no hesitation at all as Ryther agreed to Shin’s offer. Once he saw how excited Ryther looked, Shin simply nodded his head before he led them outside after he had grabbed a few stuff. What greeted their eyes outside was an open clearing that was surrounded by trees.

The exterior of the house didn’t look like much, just some logs that had been cut and shaped into a cabin. Still, the sight of cabin in the clearing was quite calming. Also, if Ryther had to guess, he figured they were located in some mountain area as they were on slanted terrain and beyond the clearing there weren’t many marks of human movement.

He couldn’t help but take a deep breath in appreciation of the view though. The setting of the sun above the tree line alongside the fallen leaves were quite a sight. As he appreciated the view, he felt a weight on his right shoulder and turned around to see Chang who had put his elbow on his shoulder.

“Quite the view, isn’t it man? It’s one of the perks about living in such an isolated area.”

Ryther nodded his head in response. He couldn’t find any fault in what Chang said. As the two enjoyed the scene, Shin created the formation necessary for the ceremony. After he had enjoyed the view enough, Ryther turned his attention to the formation and began to examine it.

The formation was shaped like a star with six points. Lines intercrossed each other to make a small opening that was just large enough for Ryther to sit in. At each point, a strange symbol was drawn with a different colored powder. Shin, after he had finished his inspection of the formation, nodded his head his in satisfaction.

“Alright, the formation is fine. If you would head to the middle and sit down.”

After he nodded in recognition, Ryther headed toward the middle of the formation while he was extra cautious to not mess with any of the lines. It wouldn’t be funny if the formation went wacky because he had accidently screwed it up. After he had safely reached the middle, he sat down cross legged and awaited Shin’s next order.

“Alright then. All you need to do is just close your eyes and relax. When I activate the formation, you’ll feel yourself getting drowsy. After you do lose consciousness, this formation will help you and your beast soul form the final link which will also let both you and your beast soul to communicate with each other. Any questions?”

“No, elder. I’m ready whenever you want to begin the ceremony.”

“Alright then, I’m starting.”

After he had made sure that Ryther was prepared, Shin also sat cross legged right below the southern tip of the formation and began an incantation in a strange language that Ryther had never heard. Unknownst to him, the powdered symbols at each point began to light up as though they were charging while the lines lightened with a blue hue. Just as Shin had stated, Ryther noticed that his mind slowly grew hazy.

Right when he felt as though he was going to fall asleep, the darkness in his consciousness suddenly brightened significantly. The blueish white light that took over the area slowly became smaller and formed into a shape. As Ryther tried to make out the shape and figure out what it was, a deep, solemn voice rang out in his mind.

“Human, I have waited a long time to talk with you. We finally meet.”