Bloodbound Secrets

The night was quiet... too quiet. After everything that had happened, the house felt heavier, as if silence itself carried weight. But deep within that silence, a storm was brewing inside Ryo.

The Beginning of Training

Sakura stood in the small backyard behind the house, holding a wooden sword while Ryo stared at her with determination. He had no idea what awaited him, but he was ready for anything.

"Your first lesson," Sakura said, tossing him a wooden sword, "is to learn how to endure pain."

She didn't give him time to ask what she meant. In a swift motion, she attacked, her sword moving faster than he expected. He barely managed to lift his own sword to block, but the force of the strike made his hands tremble.

"You're too slow."

She delivered a quick kick to his stomach, sending him crashing to the ground. Ryo gasped, feeling a burning pain spread through his body. He clenched his teeth, trying to push himself up.

Sakura smirked in approval. "Good... keep getting up, or you'll die in your first real fight."

The training went on for hours. Ryo took hit after hit, but each time, he forced himself to stand again, ignoring the pain. Yet, he knew deep down—he was still too weak. The realization gnawed at him.

"Tell me..." he said between ragged breaths, "how... how do I become stronger?"

Sakura studied him for a moment before raising her sword again. "First, you must learn to fight without fear."

Moving in the Shadows

Elsewhere, the mysterious man who had previously watched Ryo's house walked through the dark alleys of the city, heading toward a hidden destination. He knew the assassin they had sent had failed, which meant it was time to take bolder actions.

He arrived at an old building and stepped inside a dimly lit room. Several men sat around a table, their gazes shifting toward him as he entered.

"It's time to move," he said coldly.

One of the men, who appeared to be the leader, nodded slowly. "So, it's time for revenge?"

The mysterious man smirked. "Not yet... but we'll make them feel fear first."

He pulled out a sealed letter with a black emblem and placed it on the table. The leader glanced at it before smiling in return.

"Then we'll start by applying pressure... let's see how they react when they realize the past isn't dead yet."

Ryo's True Test

After hours of intense training, Ryo's body was covered in bruises, but he refused to stop. Sakura watched him with sharp eyes, impressed by his relentless determination.

"That's enough for today," she finally said.

But Ryo didn't move. "Not yet... I want to be stronger."

Sakura studied him for a moment, then smiled. But this time, there was something different in her expression—something like pride.

"Alright then... but be ready. Next time, it won't just be training."

Shadows of the Past

Late at night, as Ryo lay in bed, his entire body ached. However, something else occupied his mind… the look in his mother's eyes. It was a look he had never seen before—the look of a warrior.

"Who are you, really, Mother?" he whispered to himself before drifting into sleep.

But even in his sleep, there was no peace. In the shadows of his dreams, he saw blurry images… battle, blood, his father wielding a bloodstained sword, and his mother standing beside him with cold, unfeeling eyes.

He woke up gasping, drenched in sweat. He wasn't sure if they were just nightmares… or memories yet to be uncovered.