The sky was dark, yet it didn't stop Jin's body from doing its usual routine. Cold wind seeped through his bones, jolting his consciousness alert. He kept his pace fast and kept pumping oxygen throughout his veins.
Jin exhaled a white mist as he doubled his pace, running around the village's perimeter before stopping behind the wooden house where he was staying.
One night passed as Jin and the others stayed in one of the vacant houses in the village. Thanks to the chief's permission, they could stay inside a house rather than go camping. Jin stayed with his father in the living room, while the women stayed in the bedroom.
The guard went to the town after Ryan told him to report their plan to the Duke.
He looked to the horizon, where the dark curtain of night slowly peeled back, revealing the first day of light.
Jin stood still, facing the east. He basked within its golden glory. Warmth spread on the land as it gave life to the world and chased away the darkness that took over.
A moment later, a bokuto appeared in his grasp. Jin stood firm on the ground as he prepared his middle stance. His eyes closed deep, and he inhaled the cold air that penetrated his lungs; Jin's eyes snapped open.
*Swoosh!
His first downward swings cut through the morning silence. Jin's nerves awoke, and his body was fully committed to the movement. He swung again and again.
Each time he swung, his bokuto whistled through the air, and his mind became clearer as a blue sky stretched endlessly.
Jin began to get absorbed in his training, forgetting that the sun had greeted him with its full body. The people who started their days early watched him in awe and amazement.
Feeling many stares prickling his skin, Jin parted his lips in a smile as he began to shift his footwork and show others his technique. Jin stepped forward, and his bokuto sliced through the wind while performing eight cardinal slashes, a basic amongst basic.
After that, Jin tightly gripped his sword, stepped back, and snapped forward like a snake by thrusting his bokuto.
Jin exhaled, letting all the tension leave his body. He stood up to see a crowd of people watching around him, and they began showering him with thunderous claps.
"Woah, amazing".
"That's cool, big brother. Show me more!".
"What are you doing? It's finished, let's go to work".
"...".
Whether it was the elderly or the kids, their flattery was too much to bear. Jin nodded his head off and turned to the back. He witnessed his parents having prepared in advance, wearing their adventurer outfits.
"Good morning, Father, Mother". Jin walked and approached his peers.
"Good morning, son".
"Morning sweetheart". Marina stepped forward, took a white towel from her storage and dropped it on Jin's head.
"Thank you, Mother".
"...Good morning".
Jin turned to look at the girl who had crawled out of the house. Her complexion was bad, her hair was messy, and she had black bags under her eyes. It seemed she hadn't had enough sleep.
"Good morning, Silvia". Jin smiled wryly, seeing her dishevelled state.
"Lady Silvia came here with me".
Marina approached Silvia as the two disappeared toward the nearby well to freshen up the girl, who seemed to have had a hard time during her first stay outside.
When the two women leave, the air stifles as Ryan walks toward Jin, his battle aura slightly leaking. Jin tightens the grip on his bokuto, his eyes shrink, and he endures the oppressive feeling with sheer will alone.
A second passed, and the air around them blasted to bits, creating a tiny shockwave that pushed the dust around.
Ryan lifted the corner of his lips and snorted. "Hmpt, Let's do this later".
"Yeah, we have something to do first". Jin lightly exchanges some fist pumps with his father and waits for Marina's arrival, who is caring for the sheltered princess.
The group finished preparing and had a light breakfast before pursuing their mission to investigate the Dungeon. It takes no less than ten minutes as traces of the blue blood still remain in the area.
They finally arrived at the open space with a rocky structure elevated from the ground. Jin's Jade eyes captured the miasma around the Dungeon, which was much thicker than that around the village.
"What do you think, Father, Mother?". Jin looked to the side, to his parents, their brows knitted in deep frowns.
"Yeah, there is no mistaking it…".
"This was a Dungeon".
Marina completed Ryan's words as she began to close her eyes. Fleeting distortion-like waves spread to the surrounding area as she tried to detect heat sources.
Her eyes snapped open. She looked straight at the dark maw and said, with a calm tone, "There are many monsters waiting inside."
Ryan glanced to his side. "What about the possibility of turning into a Monster Wave?".
Marina bit her lips and clenched the staff in her hand, "It's slightly high".
"So, we come at the right time, Jin?".
Jin stood still. He looked around the area, seeing a vast space surrounded by towering trees. His eyes closed, and an image began to form before his mind.
The flow of the wind changed as it gathered around Jin, who calmly walked forward, forming a swirling tornado that protected him. The air around him burst when Jin tapped the primal mana source in the atmosphere.
A gust of violent wind began to gather at him as the centre, Ryan and Silvia, backed away, their faces tense, seeing the unnatural phenomenon that happened.
On the other hand, Marina's eyes opened wide, for she was familiar with the feeling her son gave her, 'Jin, how far have you grown?'.
"Wind Sanctuary".
Jin murmured those words as the surrounding winds spread out, forming a thin layer of barrier—another layer of wind barriers stacked together, taking form into a cage that trapped all of them.
"This…?". Ryan looked around dumbfounded.
"...". Silvia stares at the phenomenon before her with her jaw slacked to the ground.
Marina, who dedicated her life to being a wizard, closed her eyes. The mana inside her body began to stir. It flowed smoothly, following her will, and connected her consciousness with the surrounding mana.
She pried open her eyes and saw chaos unfolding. A mana storm curled together, distorting even the space around it. Yet, at the epicentre of it, her son Jin calmly stood unbothered like a Mad God who had descended to the Mortal realm.
'This is!?'. Her vision blurred before a strong shock jolted her consciousness away, and her body, in reality, staggered before she used the staff as a holding.
"Marina, are you okay?". Ryan ran beside her and held her shoulder tight. "...Your nose!?".
"Oh?". She traced below her nose and saw blood dripping. Marina bit her lip, her mind swirling in a thousand thoughts. "...I'm fine, dear".
"Lady Marina?". Silvia's voice cracked, witnessing the woman faltering like a dry twig.
"Don't worry, Lady Silvia…". Marina used her sleeves to wipe away the blood and put on her smile in front of her, "I am stunned to see this unfurling chaos, that's all".
Marina's eyes trembled as she stared at the boy's back.
Dread washed over the blood on her face, where cold shivers began to seep through her skin like frostbite.
The chaotic storm that unfurled before her shredded her trained mind. Everything she learned, every sleepless night she spent mastering magic, felt like a cruel joke in the face of Jin's overwhelming might.
She reached out to her chest, feeling it pounded so hard that it could burst. Cold sweat drenched her back, a silent confession that shouldn't have appeared on her mind: fear of her own son.
"Y-Yes". Silvia tilted her head, unable to process the meaning behind those words.
"Alright, I think this is enough". Jin turned around, and his eyes widened to see his mother's pale face. He could see traces of blood on her nose, "Mother, are you alright?".
Jin's eyes tremble as he runs to her side; he grabs his mother's other hand, supporting her weakened feet.
Marina turned to her side, and light returned to her hollowed eyes. The warmth that permeated her arm thawed her frozen heart, and she realized just how silly her thoughts were. Her lips loosened in a smile, and she pinched her son's nose.
No matter what happened or how strong her son became. It didn't change anything that Jin was her son.
Sure, he was stronger than her and her husband, but even so, 'I must protect him, even if I have to crawl like a bug'. Marina pinched the boy's cheek and muttered inside, 'I will not let these things shake me ever again. Because I was his Mother'.
"Ouch, M-Mother".
"I'm alright, let's go into the Dungeon".
Ryan and Jin exchange glances before they nod in silent understanding, watching Marina, who clearly forced her way in. Both of them tightly clenched their fists, and Ryan followed her steps behind.
"Let's go, Silvia". Jin reached his hand.
A fleeting thump rang in her ears, and blood surged through her cheeks, tainted with pink. Her lips parted into a smile as she took his hand.
"Yes".
The two walked away following the steps of the adults who entered the Dungeon. They sucked a cold breath, feeling a disconnect of atmosphere between the two sides.
A gentle embrace of Mother Nature warmly enveloped their being. But when they passed a thin layer of barrier that was invisible to the eyes, the two were welcomed by the eerily cold.
Inside the Dungeon was a miracle itself. A vast space stretched to the sides, forming a massive formation of rocky caves. Above them, a source of light came from a moss that sucked the mana around the atmosphere, glittering like a star.
The air is thick with palpable gloom, and whispering growls of unseen creatures lurk beneath the shadows of the abyss.
Jin's eyes scrunched as he saw the dense miasma creeping out from every corner. His eyes widened, and he tightened the grip on his Katana. "Something is coming," he said.
His voice bounced across the space, alerting his party and the residents inside it.
*Gyaak!
A howl echoed, prompting the others to prepare their stances. Ryan stepped forward, and a long silver sword appeared in his hand, along with Marina's, whose body was enveloped by a bright aura.
Behind the curtain of darkness, a pair of yellowish eyes peeked through; then another one opened before escalating until it covered the entire blackened field.
"This amount!?". Ryan gasped; disbelief painted his face.
"Can you handle it, dear?". Marina's calm voice broke through the tension surrounding the Dungeon.
"No, not alone". Ryan glanced at his back and saw Jin standing beside Silvia like a guard dog, "Jin, will you help me for a bit?".
"No problem. Mother, please take care of Silvia while I fight". Jin turned to his side and parted his lips in apology, "Sorry, but stay around my mother for a while".
"Okay". Silvia nodded and walked towards Marina before standing one step behind her.
Jin stands beside his father and raises his palm. In his mind, an image of a thousand wind blades madly scattered around the enclosed space, creating chaos. He lifts his gaze, facing those creatures that are coming close in horde.
"Are you up for the challenge?".
Ryan's voice broke Jin's thoughts as he turned to the side and witnessed his father's casual attitude despite facing this horde of monsters.
There is no tension.
Instead, Jin saw a blazing spirit shining brightly in his father's blue eyes.
Jin's lips spread as he prepared his stance. Ryan also followed beside him, preparing his stance. Meanwhile, Marina shook her head behind them, exasperated by the two men's attitude.
"Fireball". Marina raised her staff; on its tip, a spark ignited before turning into a swirling flame that got sucked into the centre. A small ball of flame hovered before her as she thrust the staff upward. "Go!".
A small sun ascended to the ceiling, giving birth to a new light that shone inside the enclosed space.
"Let's go, Jin". Ryan kicked the ground and lunged toward the horde of monsters.
[Black-Heaven Style Swordsmanship - Gale]