Sun-young dropped to one knee. What weighed her down were her very muscles. She wasn’t drained, she was…empty.

“Hm. I suppose we will have to work on your stamina.” The smile on the Marshal did not leave her. “An easy fix.”

“Who…” Sun-young gulped for air. “...who said I’m joining you?”

This time, the Marshal reacted, her smile disappearing from her. “I am a Marshal. I can feel the holiness of an individual—whether the Lord has blessed them with faith.”

“My grandparents were. I am too, I suppose. But…I am not joining the Templar Order.”

Marshal Margaret stared down at her, puzzled. Then it dawned on her. “Your friends. Oh, I forgot about them.” She shook her head. “I don’t blame you, they weren't bad at all. Especially your leader, Kazi. It is a shame that he is Muslim.”

“How would you know that?”

“I told you, I just know. I can feel it.”

Her words lingered in the air. Panting, her strength entirely on holding the katana, Sun-young remained on one knee. A million questions and thoughts were running through her end. In the end, she could only catapult one: “Why?”

“Why? I told you, I need strong warriors to serve under me. I felt a connection when I first saw you. At the time, I didn’t know what it was. Now I do. We are connected by the most human ability: anti-magic.”

'The most human ability...?' Sun-young didn’t understand.

“To use anti-magic means to defy fate," Marshal Margaret said. "You don’t understand it now but under me you will.”

“Fighting fate? Aren’t you a…?” Sun-young gestured to make her point. The Marshal was a part of a religious order. She was supposed to believe in fate.

“I don’t need to explain myself. I am who I am. But what about you? What is your purpose, Sun-young? Why do you swing your blade?”

Sun-young wasn’t able to respond, her mind too cloudy. “I…" Huff and puff, her throat was thick with saliva. "I...need time to think.”

“Those with real dreams would never hesitate to announce them. So answer me: what do you fight for?”

"I..."

"Tell me. What do you fight for?"

Slowly, she stood up. Slowly, her resolve coursed her veins and she gave the Marshal her deepest, most honest answer. “A…a good life. I…I want to get into heaven. I want to see grandma and grandpa again. I want…”

‘I want life to be like when I was at their place. I want the life I had when I was a kid—when I could eat all the ice cream in the world. I want peace and quiet and no burdens. I want to play my DS under the covers and play it late into the night. I want to beat all the games I wasn't able to play. I just…’

She fell to both knees, her katana finally slipping from her grasp.

‘I wish everything was simple again.’

“A good life?” Marshal Margaret’s features relaxed and she kneeled down to her level. “Sun-young, I am not saying that's a bad reason to fight, but with your ambitions you could be so much more. Don't you realize it, Yoon Sun-young? The only person holding yourself back is you.”

The Marshal took off her black gloves and offered a hand.

“Let me help you.”

Sun-young considered it, staring into the palm of her hands. There were scars. There was experience. There was a long life beneath those brown eyes of hers. Marshal Margaret was casual with her, unlike with Phillip or Cedric. She was…honest.

It was the very same look that Kazi and Marta gave her.

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“I…can’t.”

Ambitions. She hated ambition. Every time she put in the effort, it was for ambition. To meet expectations. To never disappoint. Sun-young did it even though she hated it. But with them, it was…different. The expectations weren’t always there.

Marta was someone she thought was a deadweight, yet somehow, she had saved Sun-young from death. She kept trying over and over again. She…reminded Sun-young of herself. Yet she hadn’t apologized to Marta for being so awkward and friendless with her.

“I have to go,” said Sun-young. With the last of her strength, she pulled herself up, katana in hand. Muttering, “Unequip,” the long sleek of metal disappeared from view.

“So you really are going. Fine. Go then.”

Sun-young began walking. Her legs were killing her and the bones in her arms were trembling. Still, she was better than when she came in. That was what mattered.

Rooted to her spot was Marshal Margaret, her voice a distant echo that would not leave her.

“You will recognize your weakness, Yoon Sun-young, and the feebleness of your dreams.”

Sun-young did not look back. She kept going, till the Marshal’s words were heard by the wind and the Lord.

“You will be the one who will usher in a new era for the Templars. Yoon Sun-young, you will return.”

***

Sun-young wasn’t sure the last time she felt so thrilled to see someone. Meeting up at the Nulgupjisin Grill House, it was like being back home. The smell of the grill as she went inside and the familiar servers. She spotted her friends at the corner table and did everything she could to stop herself from breaking out into a grin.

“Sun-young! You’re okay!”

Marta almost went for a hug, but stopped herself. She must have assumed she would be like Kazi and reject it. Frankly, that wasn’t true. Sun-young loved hugs as long as they were from mutual love. Her grandparents would give them all the time.

“Marta, it’s good to see you.” Sun-young’s words were followed by a strange chill. “You’ve…gotten stronger.”

“While you’ve been gone, I’ve been practicing. Trust me, I’m not the same as I was before." Marta stood tall—as tall as a five-foot-five woman could be. "Oh, but enough about me. Are you okay? I heard about your injury. Did the Commander heal it?”

“He did.” Sun-young put a hand to her stomach. “I’m okay now.”

Momentarily, the two were reminded of their near-death experience; of Jack and his overwhelming intensity. Kazi and William entered the fray before it got too bad.

“You say that but I can tell you got into a fight.” Kazi noticed. Of course he noticed, why wouldn’t he?

“If you have a story to tell, say it over some barbecue,” William said, grinning. “Assuming you can eat.”

Sun-young was almost offended. “I can always eat.”

David, Aisha, and Elena were also at the table. It felt like it had been weeks since she saw them.

The middle-aged brunette, Elena, was the first to speak to her. “Wow, you are looking thin, Sun-young! Thinner than usual, I mean.”

“...thanks.”

Elena continued and asked with a bright smile, “I heard you were talking to the Commanders and stuff of the Templars. How are they?”

Right, she was a religious woman. A Roman Catholic, to be exact. Sun-young had read about the Templar Order long before the Heavenly Games. The Order started off as Catholic warriors monks. Whether Catholicism applied to the order of the Templars, she wasn’t able to tell.

“...strict,” Sun-young said. “I met two Marshals: Margaret and…one other.” She was shitty at names and faces. Not her fault. “They were really strong.”

Elena made a face. “Oooh. Did you see them fight?”

“I did. I saw Marshal Margaret fight. She was…absurd.”

Unquestionably the strongest thing she had encountered.

“What about the Academy? How is that?”

Sun-young wasn’t too big on explanations. She was curt and to the point, and despite her lack of actual descriptions, Elena was utterly enthralled. Her stomach was begging for a crumb of food and while everyone else had ordered, Sun-young had not. On cue, the menu of the Grill House opened up in front of her.

[ Welcome to Nulgupjisin Grill House! ]

[ Signature Grilled Meats:

Galbi (Short Ribs) - Marinated in our secret blend of soy, garlic, and pear juice.

Bulgogi (Sliced Beef) - Thinly sliced beef infused with a savoury-sweet marinade.

Samgyeopsal (Pork Belly) - Thick slices of pork belly, perfect for grilling.

Specialty Dishes:

Japchae (Stir-Fried Glass Noodles) - Tossed with colourful vegetables and tender beef.

Kimchi Pancake - Crispy pancake filled with tangy kimchi.

Tteokbokki (Spicy Rice Cakes) - Chewy rice cakes simmered in a fiery gochujang sauce.

Sides and Accompaniments:

Banchan Set - Assorted side dishes including kimchi, pickled radishes, and seasoned vegetables.

Steamed Rice - Perfect to pair with grilled meats and flavorful dishes.

Doenjang Jjigae (Soybean Paste Stew) - Hearty stew with tofu, vegetables, and soybean paste.

Beverages:

Sujeonggwa (Cinnamon Punch) - A traditional Korean drink with a sweet and spicy flavour.

Maesilcha (Plum Tea) - Refreshing tea made from dried plums. ]

[ Would you like to flip to the next page of the menu? Yes or no? ]

“You better eat fast,” said Elena. “We plan to go somewhere today.”

As she picked her orders, the select meals materializing on the table, Sun-young tilted her head. “Hm? Where?”

Elena smiled and rubbed her hands. “The mall! Kazi said we can spend as many points as we want!”

The mall? Now? She turned her gaze over to Kazi. As always, he ate in a half-reserved fashion, as if savouring every bite. And as always, she was unable to read him.