The group arrived at Kukimura soon after I joined, and we gathered into the village center. I kept to the back of the group, and as the messenger was talking I scanned the crowd, looking for Ken. I saw him near the back, and out eyes locked. Ken's eyes widened and turned questioning. I shook my head slightly, trying to make him understand that I didn't want him to sign up. I also didn't want him to get hurt because of Gor's trial. Ken didn't get the message, and of course, he signed up. That idiot, I thought.
We were halfway to the next village when Gor tested Ken. Gor put his foot out, and Ken tripped. I opened my mouth to shout but Ken turned over, saw the axe coming down, and did something I had never seen, nor tried, before.
He stopped the axe in midair, right in front of his face, using wind.
Ken quickly scrambled away and moved aside. Gor stared at his axe, still stuck in midair, then looked at Ken. Ken released the magic and the axe dropped to the ground with a dull thud.
"Eh, sorry about that." Ken said, and gave a sheepish smile. Gor began to laugh and I walked up to Ken and explained that he had just passed the first test. Ken gave a big grin and whooped. He gave Gor a tackling hug, mortifying myself and leaving the group in laughing fits. Gor seemed just fine with that, and the two idiots wrestled in the mud for a minute.
Ken came up to me, bouncing on the balls of his feet, and asked how I was doing. I replied I was fine while the troupe members looked a little dumbfounded. Gor asked how we knew each other, and before Ken could speak, I interjected saying we'd met nearby the border when we were small kids. Ken glanced at me, but I kept a straight face. Gor nodded, and the troupe introduced themselves to Ken. We travelled to two more villages in the Wind Territory. We gained one other member, Yoshi Nakada, a gentle man who was flexible, the type who would go wherever the wind took him.
That night, I ghosted past the other troupe members and met with Ken outside our camp. I actually felt a little more reassured, knowing Ken was with me. There was nothing I could do that would send Ken back to Kukimura. We discussed what we might see in Haneul, what would happen if we became Royal Guardians. We smiled at the prospect, and wondered what would happen the next day.
YOU ARE READING
Last Sky
AdventureIn the land of Shora, there are five clans which have their own magics, each pertaining to a single element of fire, water, wind, wood, and sky. But Rin Kumori is the last of a sixth clan, one that was massacred and is now believed extinct. Rin is...
