The next day came and went. Most of the day was spend cleaning up the bodies from the battlefield. Daniel didn’t realize how many people were in “small” sect. If the hundreds of bodies were composed of a small sect, then he wondered how many people would have been in the big three.

Daniel tried to help move the bodies, but Diane forbade him from doing so. She even had Jace bring Daniel back to the base to ensure that he wouldn’t do anything.

“Words getting around that you saved my aunt’s life.”

“All I did was warn her about a sniper.”

“I’m pretty sure that counts.”

Daniel didn’t really see it as saving someone’s life. Besides, for all he knew, he was still the enemy of the Traditionalists. He looked up.

Father, if you can see me now…

There was moaning near where Jace was sitting. Daniel turned to see that Sarah was stirring. Both of them held their breaths, neither daring to say anything.

Sarah scrunched her eyes. Her eyes slowly opened. Her eyes had red veins forming over them, and she looked weak, but she was still alive.

“What’d I miss?” Sarah’s voice could barely even be considered a whisper. At one point, her voice faltered and Daniel had to piece together what she was saying.

Jace spoke before anyone could. “You missed a lot.” He pointed over at Daniel. “He saved aunt Diane’s life.”

Daniel coughed. “I just told her to get down.”

Sarah smiled. It lasted for a moment. She looked up. Her face was contorted in pain.

Jace looked down at his sister. He looked so sad. Daniel wanted to help him, but he couldn’t. He knew a bit of first aid, but unless there was something to disinfect or wrap bandages around, he was practically useless.

Over time, Sarah got well enough to walk. She made her way back to her room before the other boys came in.

There really wasn’t much to tell about what happened. Daniel was able to talk with a few of the traditionalists. Many of them heard what Daniel had did for Diane, so many of them tried to get to know the Traditionalist’s new “celebrity”.

It only stopped after Jace told them all that Daniel would be leaving them tomorrow.

That didn’t stop many of them from trying to speak with Daniel. Some asked where he came from. Others asked where he learned to fight. Daniel answered most of their questions, but when he was quiet, many of them just chose to move on.

Deep inside, Daniel hoped his uncle wasn’t their enemy. These weren’t bad people. They were just people.

They stayed up until they heard Diane shouting from the outside for them to “shut up!” All of them went to their beds. Aside from Daniel, they all had to be ready for their own training.

Jace had taken the bed next to Daniel’s. The lights were out, but the crudely built cabin still allowed for a bit of moonlight to get through. Some of it was hitting their faces, making it hard for Daniel to sleep. “Do you think if you asked, your sifu would let you join us?”

“Maybe. My sifu may not be a bad person, but that can change in an instant. It all depends on how he’s feeling at any particular day.”

Jace chuckled. “Maybe he needs to get checked like my aunt.”

Over the course of the night, Daniel kept thinking what he would have done if his uncle allowed him to stay. If he left it up to him, Daniel didn’t know what he would do in that moment. He saw what his father meant. He saw the weapons of the past. He saw the death they could cause.

But why did he have to be the one to stop them?

Daniel kept thinking about it until he became too tired and he fell asleep.

“Wake up.” Jace’s voice caused Daniel to startle awake.

It took Daniel a moment to remember where he was and what was going to happen. He shook off the sleepy feeling he had. He looked around the room and found that all the other boys were already gone. It was only Jace and him in the room.

After getting up, he began to do his morning stretches. Jace didn’t stop him. He then led Daniel to the cafeteria.

It was a small place. It didn’t even have more than twenty seats, not exactly the most ideal place to host a large amount of people. And yet when they got there, there wasn’t a person left in the dining area. The only ones left were a few people behind a counter where food was laid out in trays. But they were busy washing dishes to be concerned about them.

“How long was I out?” Daniel asked.

“Most of the morning. It’s almost noon.”

“Noon?” Daniel didn’t think he would have woken so late.

“Aunt Diane wanted you to have as much rest as you could before you went to see your sifu.”

“Does she know where he is?”

“If she does, she hasn’t said anything. But I’m sure she is has people on it.”

“Well it shouldn’t be too hard, my sifu isn’t exactly known for his subtlety. It’s just that most people don’t know what he looks like.”

“Let me guess. Horns, fangs, oh, I bet he spits out radiation infested venom.”

“I don’t think that’s a thing.”

“Joey at our Eastern branch can do that. I saw him do it once.”

“A mutant?” Daniel asked. In the wastelands, human mutants were treated as subhuman. Many settlements legalized the enslavement of mutants. Even those that didn’t, they still didn’t view the mutants very favorably.

“Yeah,” Jace said. “A chill guy, just don’t let him burp on you.”

Both of them laughed at that. They grabbed some plates and scooped out their own food. Afterwards, they found some seats. The two of them just talked as they passed the time. Now that Jace didn’t see Daniel as someone he should stab, he actually found Jace to be quite a nice guy.

Finally, time was up.

Diane walked over to their table without them noticing. “Are you feeling any better?” she asked.

“Well enough,” Daniel replied.

“Good. Our people overheard that the Western Fiend is somewhere in town. Apparently he’s been ambushing people in the dark with a dagger, asking if they’ve seen you.

“That sounds like him,” Daniel commented.

Jace gave him a weird look.

“The dagger part,” Daniel explained. “It’s his preferred weapon.”

Diane nodded. “Well, we’ll leave as soon as you get done.”

Jace’s face sunk when he heard that. He looked down at their plates. Not a lot was left; that meant there wasn’t much time left for each other.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

Diane left soon after that.

Jace watched her go.

He waited until she was out of earshot. “You’re really don’t want to stay with us?”

Daniel was shocked. How did Jace know what he was thinking?

“I know I’m not the smartest person, but back when I was with the Starmount Temple, I wasn’t allowed to speak. When you can’t speak, you see more from people. You can see things, things that they try to hide from everyone else. And I can see that you really don’t want to stay with us.”

Daniel looked at him. He tried to think of what to say. But every time he did, it just sounded rude or judgmental.

“Look, people should say how they feel.”

“Thank you.”

Jace snorted. “Don’t thank me yet. I don’t know how my aunt will take the news.”

“Well if my sifu is there, then I shouldn’t worry.”

“You sound confident.”

“When I first met my sifu, he took on a dozen members of the Lone Rider gang.”

“The Lone Rider Gang!”

Jace turned to look around.

“Is something wrong?” Daniel asked. He remembered how Diane acted when he brought them up before.

“I’m sorry, it’s just, aunt Diane doesn’t like us mentioning them. They killed her friend some years back. She’s been hunting them down ever since.”

Daniel didn’t find it that surprising. The Lone Rider gang was all over the wastelands. It wasn’t just Daniel’s family, he heard stories from people who came from the Flame Drum sect, the Nirvana Conglomerate, and even his home territory of Scarlet Grove all had stories of the Lone Rider Gang. Turns out their “free to roam,” policy just meant they could enslave and kill whoever they wanted.

Many people wanted to wipe out the sect, but it seemed the Lone Rider Gang had a monopoly on motorcycles. Most that were able to chase after them were found beheaded in the wasteland.

“If you want revenge,” Jace said. He pounded his chest with pride. As soon as he did a burp came out. Both of them laughed. Jace waited until it died down before he said, “you can always come to me in the future. We’ll hunt them together.”

Daniel looked down. “My sifu told me that I shouldn’t hunt them down. He said he’d leave me if I did that.”

Jace gave a dismissive wave. “He’s probably just trying to scare you. Besides, it’s not like you’ll be with him forever. Maybe when you’re all grown up, we’ll hunt them down together.”

“You bet.”

The two of them shook hands.

They then put away their dishes and made their way to Jace’s aunt.

Diane was talking with someone as soon as they got there. The man didn’t look like a traditionalist, at least not one that Daniel had seen. He wore blood red clothes and had a straw hat on his head. His skin was too pale for someone who lived in the wasteland. And his veins were visible through his skin. A mutant, maybe?

When they got close, Diane whispered, “We’ll talk later.”

The man nodded and began to walk away.

“Are you ready to leave?” asked Diane.

Daniel nodded.

Daniel left the headquarters along with an entourage of Traditionalists. Diane went with them along with Jace, and three others who acted as body guards for Diane.

“Wait!”

They had just barely gone five feet before someone called out to them. They all turned around. Standing there was Sarah. She had more life in her than last time Daniel saw her. But she was out of breath. He wasn’t sure if it was because she ran to find them or if she really wasn’t feeling well.

“Sarah, get back to bed,” Diane commanded.

“Please, aunt Diane. I want to see what the world is like outside these walls.”

Neither of them said anything for the longest time. They stared at each other.

“Fine,” Diane gave in. “But if you can’t keep up, Damon will bring you back.” Just to be sure, she looked at the muscular man standing beside her. He nodded.

Sarah joined up with them and they began their journey.

The group traveled through the desert. Even in broad daylight, Daniel found it confusing. There didn’t seem to be anything but sand for miles. They kept walking until they came across a river. Daniel recognized it, it was the same river that ran through the town.

The party took a break, pitching shades that looked like half tents. They were made from a cloth that was stretched out. And on one side, there were poles that were hammered down into the dirt. It was just wide enough for them to all have space. But the three guards left to get water for them all.

“We have half a day worth of light left,” Diane stated. “That means we’ll probably be staying in town tonight.”

“Is the town really that far?” Daniel asked.

“Not really so far,” Diane commented. “But it is best not to be stuck out in the wasteland after dark with so few people.”

Damon and one of the other guards came back with bottles filled with water. They handed them out to the four of them.

From what seemed like nowhere, the third bodyguard went flying through the air past the shade. He landed a few feet away from where they were sitting. They all turned to see what happened.

Far off in the distance was a familiar figure. He wore cowl over his head, but Daniel could still see the long beard coming out.

“Sifu!” Daniel called out.

“Daniel?” The figure looked up. It really was his uncle. His facial hair was unkempt. Daniel hadn’t seen that look since they had to go a full month without finding a single town. He had bags forming under his eyes. He ran towards his nephew.

Then the others came out.

Gram stopped in his tracks.

“Greetings, Western Fiend,” Diane said.

Gram spat on the ground. “I didn’t realize the Traditionalists were in the habit of kidnapping.”

“Sifu, you got-”

Before he could say anymore, his uncle went into a stance. He charged towards Diane. He held out his fist.

Diane moved to stop him with a defensive stance of her own.

Gram’s fist faced Diane’s forearm. In just the initial clash, both of them had the sand blowing in all directions. The two of them stood in a small crater.

“Western Fiend, there has been a misunderstanding.”

“Trying to hide behind pretty words, forget it!” Gram unleashed a stance that Daniel hadn’t seen before. It was quick as a whip, his fist twisted in the air like a drill. Diane moved to block, but the fist moved past.

A feint.

Gram’s side stepped, his fist curving through the air, turning into a claw and grabbing onto Diane’s hair.

Diane tried to duck, but she found that he had caught her hair.

“Sifu, let her go.”

Gram looked confused as he turned towards Daniel.

Diane took the opportunity to use both her fists to slam into Gram’s mid-section.

The Western Fiend staggered back. But as soon as he stopped himself, he turned back towards the leader of the Traditionalists. He was using a new technique. This was a ferocious technique that was aimed at dealing as much damage as possible while sacrificing the owner’s defense.

For an amateur, that would have been a problem. But Gram Rui was someone who had enough offensive power that even the slightest graze could have been detrimental to his opponent.

But Diane wasn’t a pushover either. Her defense was utterly flawless. Not once had Gram been able to land a single blow on her. It was as though she had been able to predict his every move. It was as though her mind was moving faster than even Gram’s.

Daniel could see this for what it was. His uncle hadn’t had much sleep. This was just like before. It was like his father that day.

“Stop!” Daniel cried out.

Both of them struck. Diane with her fist, and Gram with his. Both of them moved their fists off center just enough that they were hair’s width from each other, but neither of them hitting. They looked at each other, then pushed away.

Gram cupped his hands in respect. “I heard the head of the Traditionalist was an amateur who mainly relies on her people to do her fighting for her. Clearly a gross misunderstanding of your abilities.”

“Even when you’re tired, your Heaven Shattering Fist does not skip a beat,” Diane commented. She glanced at Daniel. “Does your disciple know the sect you are part of?”

“I’ve left him out of my affairs all these years.”

“Why, what sect is he a part of?” Jace asked.

Sarah whispered the answer into his ear.

Daniel felt his heart sink. He felt something before it even came. Daniel moved to the side. He turned to see Jace was there with a dagger. Had he been a second slower, the dagger would have punctured his heart.

“Traitor,” Jace shouted. He lunged forward with his dagger. “I knew you were a spy. I knew and no one believed me. I thought I could trust you.”

Daniel was able to move out of the way. Both of them got to their feet. Jace kept up his strikes. Daniel kept dodging, moving ever back, and not saying anything.

What could he have said? He had no excuse. He did plan to spy on them. He did plan to tell his uncle everything. But after seeing who they were, he didn’t know what to think anymore.

“Jace,” Sarah grabbed onto her brother’s arm.

“Fuck off.” Jace pushed her off. She fell to the ground.

Sarah’s face was in pain, clearly from more than just being pushed to the ground.

Jace didn’t notice. His focus was completely on striking at Daniel. His dagger swung through the air. It was a wild and berserk attack. There was no technique, just utter rage.

And yet Daniel didn’t lay a finger on Jace. He just kept backing up.

“That’s enough.” Diane grabbed onto Jace’s arm just as he raised his dagger.

He looked up. “Let go,” he growled. “He’s a traitor. He lied to us. He wants to hurt us, to kill us!”

“Was it him who did that to Sarah?”

Jace looked.

Sarah was laying down. The guards were surrounding her. One of them was doing his best to apply first aid, but without any proper equipment, there was little what they could do.

Jace pointed his dagger at Daniel. “He made me do it. It’s all his fault. He wants to hurt us.”

“Then why hasn’t he fought back?” Diane said.

“He’s probably too scared,” Jace stuck his tongue out at Daniel. He growled when Daniel just gave him a blank look. “Hey, aren’t you going to hit me? I’ll let you get in one free shot.”

Daniel looked down as he took a stance.

“See I told you, watch,” Jace said confidently.

Daniel struck the air. He infused it with his qi. Wind rushed forward. The wind screamed in anger as it moved towards its target.

Boom!

A loud explosion rang out.

Jace’s eyes went wide. He looked at the sand right next to him. A crater the size of a person was left in the sand. Jace looked back between the crater and Daniel.

Gram placed his hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “We’ll be taking our leave now.”

“Very well,” Diane said, not moving to stop them.

“And one more thing,” Gram said.

“What’s that?”

“This conflict between my sect and yours, there’s something about it that is off. I’ve been trying to send word to the higher ups about it, but they don’t seem to be worried.”

“Do you think someone is orchestrating the whole thing?”

“I have my suspicions. But none of my fellows seem to think so.”

“I will keep an eye out,” Diane said. “Thank you for the warning.”

Gram nodded. They turned to leave.

“Daniel,” Jace called out.

Daniel turned. He hoped he would see the person he knew in the cafeteria. The person who could be talked with, reasoned with. But he knew more than likely, it would have been the person he met in the cell, the one who stabbed him.

Jace growled. “I’ll see you on the battlefield.”