Chapter 6

Flashback – (15 Years Ago)

On a quiet night, the warm city lights reflected off the sidewalks as Sbyam walked beside Risa. Both were seventeen, strolling through the stillness of the city's alleys. Risa looked at Sbyam with a mischievous smile before speaking in a sarcastic tone, laced with a hint of shy playfulness: "Brylo won’t be upset with me, right?"

Sbyam paused for a moment, looking at her with surprised eyes, as if he hadn’t expected her to bring that up. He replied, "Why would he be upset?" Risa took a deep breath, then laughed softly, responding with a smile that was half playful, half mysterious: "Because I took you from him!"

A surprised smile appeared on Sbyam's lips, a quiet laugh escaping him as he looked at Risa with a natural expression, his eyes widening with a warm smile, before he turned forward, as if running from the feelings beginning to blend with his words.

Risa continued speaking in a warm voice, gazing at him tenderly: "So... I told you my feelings just a little while ago, right?"

Sbyam walked with slow steps, trying to hold back a smile, replying in a low voice: "Let me… I don’t want to rush my answer."

Risa looked at him with a bit of longing and replied with a soft smile: "But you're walking with me now; doesn’t that mean you’ve accepted my feelings?"

Their laughter filled the air as Risa gently placed her hand in Sbyam’s. They walked in sync, as if the warmth of the city surrounded them, their intertwined laughter echoing in the alleys of that night like an immortal whisper from the past.

---

Present Day – (15 Years Later)

Under the faint moonlight, amidst an eerie silence settling over the devastated area after a fierce battle between Sbyam and Smart, the townspeople stood at a distance, gazing at the destruction around them with expressions of fear and shock. Murmurs slipped from their lips; a man spoke with a tense voice: "What happened here, I wonder?"

A girl replied, her voice trembling: "He killed him in a horrifying way; I’ve never seen anything like this before!"

Amidst the scattered whispers, Sbyam appeared with his weary features, his eyes carrying a deep sorrow as he walked, holding Risa's body in his arms, as if he were carrying a part of his burdened soul. His steps were slow, softly touching the ground as he looked at her silent face, seemingly searching for a final moment of life. At that moment, the townspeople gazed at him in fear, as the power that had manifested in the battle had now faded, leaving behind a painful silence akin to death.

---

In a distant place where a grand stone castle stood in silence, Spailo stood quietly behind Raiso, who was standing beside a large window with the cold moonlight seeping through. After a moment of silence, Spailo broke the stillness, speaking with a tone brimming with determination: "I’m going to do it."

Raiso slowly turned, studying Spailo’s features as if reading his thoughts before saying calmly, with a hidden warning in his voice: "You’re not obligated to do this, you know?"

Spailo responded with a tone filled with dry resolve, his brows furrowed: "I will do it, and I won’t back down."

Raiso replied with a cold voice, laced with concealed wisdom: "You know that Suero hates you, don’t you? If he finds out what you intend to do, he’ll never forgive you."

Spailo's expression faded for a moment, as if he were absorbing Raiso’s words. Then he looked at him firmly, saying in a calm, confident voice: "I don’t care; the day will come when he’ll know the truth, and by then, I won’t regret it."

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Raiso smiled slightly, his eyes holding a mix of satisfaction and indifference as he replied dryly: "Do as you please."

---

Standing in front of an apartment door, Sbyam looked at it with tired eyes, burdened by a heavy weight, holding Risa’s body in his arms. His face showed a mix of confusion and pain before he knocked lightly, as if he feared the sound of his own knock.

After a few moments, an old woman opened the door, staring at him for a while, as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Their eyes met, and the exchanged look held an indescribable sorrow as her gaze shifted to Risa’s body in his arms. Sbyam whispered in a shaky, barely audible voice: "She’s… she’s gone."

Shock filled the old woman’s eyes as she looked at Risa again, as if she wanted to deny what she was hearing. Sbyam slowly stepped inside, gently laying Risa's body on the couch, as if he were bidding her farewell one last time. For a moment, he stared at her peaceful face before leaving, leaving the old woman stunned in front of Risa’s body, as though her world had collapsed in an instant.

---

With the first rays of dawn, mother Salma quietly left her home, her steps careful, her face weighed down with worries. She paused for a few moments in the street, taking in the cold air, and muttered to herself in a trembling voice: "Spailo… I want a reason for everything you’re doing."

She turned her back on the house, hailed a taxi, and left everything behind, embarking on a journey in search of the truth.

---

As the sun rose, Sbyam returned to the school, his steps slow, carrying the weight of a long night in his gaze. He walked through the school gates slowly, where the students awaited him, their faces filled with astonishment and concern. His silence spoke volumes, but he didn’t want to say anything.

He looked at them with a silent gaze, as if asking, "What is it?" But Suero stepped forward, concerned, asking him gently: "master! Are you alright?"

Kamyo looked at Sbyam curiously, noticing his exhaustion, and asked: "What happened to you?"

Sbyam raised his gaze to them for a moment, then breathed slowly, replying in a quiet, cold tone: "Leave me be, that’s all I want."

He walked towards his room, closed the door behind him, leaving silence to reclaim the atmosphere.

Baysal stared at the ground in shock before whispering, her voice choked with sorrow: "Sbyam’s… lover has passed away."

Moryo turned to her in astonishment, asking in surprise: "How do you know that?"

Baysal looked at him with a troubled face and replied: "Didn’t you hear the news yesterday? Risa… she passed away."

Moryo whispered to himself in shock: "Risa?"

Baysal continued, as if recalling a painful memory: "Do you remember, Moryo?… It was Risa, his friend!"

---

Inside the room, Sbyam sat on the edge of the bed, holding an old photo of him and Risa. He gazed at the photo with distant, lost eyes between memories and pain. A faint smile appeared, but tears stifled that smile when a knock on the door interrupted his silence, pulling him back to the present. He hesitated for a second, then regained his composure and said in a hoarse voice: "What do you want?"

He heard Moryo’s voice from behind the door: "master, may I come in?"

Sbyam replied hesitantly: "Moryo?... Come in."

Moryo slowly opened the door, entered, and closed it behind him. He sat beside Sbyam on the bed, staring at him silently with a gaze filled with concern and care before speaking in a calm tone: "Are you alright?"

Sbyam looked at him with a pained smile and slowly replied: "Of course… I didn’t expect this to happen… to live this moment."

Moryo hesitated for a moment, then gently asked: "How… how did she die?"

Sbyam furrowed his brows, fiddling with his fingers as if trying to avoid the truth, with lingering words he didn’t want to say, the harsh reality he couldn’t share: "I won’t tell him that his father is still alive, nor will I reveal his father’s crimes." After a moment of silence, he turned to Moryo and replied in a guarded tone: "Nothing… she was killed by a human."

Moryo stared at Sbyam in disbelief, saying in a low voice: "A human…?"

Sbyam lowered his head, his eyes burdened with sorrow, whispering: "They say I’m strong… but is strength alone enough?" He lifted his gaze slightly, as if searching for an answer in the emptiness.

Moryo’s face showed turmoil as he gazed at Sbyam with sympathy and respect. Feeling a desire to comfort him, he said after a quiet moment: "Yes… but that doesn’t stop you from continuing to train us, does it?"

Sbyam slowly smiled at the mirror, as if trying to regain his confidence, replying with a forced tone of certainty: "Yes… that’s the reason that keeps me going. I have all of you, and that’s enough." Then he turned to Moryo with a mocking smile, placing a hand on his shoulder, and said with a lively tone: "Let’s go to the movies! I need to watch a great film."

Moryo looked at him in astonishment, surprised by the sudden change in mood, and muttered to himself in amazement: "What’s with this sudden shift?"

Sbyam laughed and playfully squeezed Moryo’s shoulder, saying: "Don’t worry, you’ll have fun! Don’t be so serious, Moryo."

Moryo sighed in resignation, a small smile appearing on his lips, as he replied with feigned annoyance: "Damn… I hate this side of you!"

Sbyam looked at him with a mock surprise, asking: "My other side? What do you mean?"

Moryo sighed, retreating slightly in embarrassment, saying: "Never mind, it’s not worth explaining." Suddenly, they heard a loud explosion shaking the place, and both jumped in concern, exchanging looks before rushing to the window.

Sbyam looked through the window, seeing smoke rising from the city center, saying anxiously: "What happened there?"

He turned to Moryo, quickly deciding: "Let’s go and check it out." Sbyam jumped out of the window, followed closely by Moryo, both flying toward the source of the smoke, determined to uncover what was going on.

Suddenly, they heard a familiar voice calling from behind: "master Sbyam!" Sbyam turned to find Suero, accompanied by the rest of the team.

Sbyam asked him with concern: "What are you doing here?"

Kamyo eagerly replied: "We heard the explosion, we came to see what’s going on."

Suero said with determination: "And we’re here to help."

Sbyam nodded in agreement, saying firmly: "Alright, let’s continue our way."

Together, they headed toward the site of the explosion. Upon arrival, they floated above the crowd gathered around a burning taxi. They exchanged tense glances, broken by Moryo’s question: "Is this the reason for the explosion?"

Sbyam answered, looking at the flames: "It seems so."

Then Baysal looked toward the car, spotting something horrifying and whispered in a trembling voice: "There… there are people inside the car."

Suero focused his gaze, shocked to see a woman’s body inside. He stared in disbelief, his voice trembling as if disconnected from reality: "Mom?!..."

And the chapter ends.