The Varied Path (Akatsuki no Yona Fanfiction)

Chapter 67: Underground Initiation

"Psst, are you ready?"

Yona nodded albeit sleepily, and Calista shot her an apologetic smile, wrapping her hands securely.

"I'm sorry to do this to you, Yona."

She shook her head, tousling her short, red hair. "It's alright," She said through a tired yawn. "What do I have to do?"

As she told her what she had told Jae-ha when he went down with her, Yona's face tightened at the mention of not being able to interfere if someone was getting hurt.

"It's not like it is here." Calista whispered, packing what she would need. Strapping a couple of knives to her ankle just in case, her daggers glinted in the moonlight before they were secured to her forearms. "Your every move is being watched down there, so if this is going to work, no one can know who you are."

Yona acknowledged her orders reluctantly, taking the cloak that she offered up after she untied it from her shoulders.

"But why not? I could help them." She frowned, fiddling with the soft material.

Calista ripped off the patchwork on her shoulder that Shin-ah had done, revealing the haphazard scar that had finally closed. All wounds were supposed to be shown during initiation. It was an unspoken rule amongst the veteran fighters since seeing what their opponent had lived through gave them an idea of their skill level.

Not to mention, the sight of it struck fear into her opponents' hearts when they had seen what she had lived through.

With scarlet scars peeking out from beneath her clothing as badges, and cold steel strapped to her body, she looked lethal.

"There's a lot of anger down there. His Majesty wasn't the main cause, but he did contribute to it during his reign and many people still blame him for the disarray the country is in."

She stiffened at the quiet confession and nodded tersely, indicating she was ready. The larger cloak nearly swallowed her form, but Calista wanted her to be completely covered.

The fighter gulped, changing a look at the peacefully sleeping boy.

After the plan was set in stone yesterday, Yoon hadn't said a word to her. She had hoped that he wasn't upset with her, but she didn't know since he wasn't talking to her and the silence was starting to feel intentional.

Unable to dwell on it now due to the task ahead of her, she pushed it into the corner of her mind.

Calista glanced at the tent one last time where Shin-ah was sleeping. She wanted to tell him what she was doing, but didn't want to wake him or come off overly-clingy. She had thought about waking him up just to say goodbye, but he needed to rest. His health was her first priority next to his safety and happiness, so she decided against it.

The princess and her assassin slipped away into the shadows, and as they ran, the fighter wound a black ribbon over her face to hide it.

Yona panted beside her, trying to keep up. "Why do you cover your face?"

Calista jogged a bit slower, noticing her struggle. "It's to hide my identity. There's a lot that goes on down there, and it can transfer to daylight if you aren't careful. Keep your hood on and stay by my side. Under no circumstances are you allowed to speak, do you understand me, Your Highness?"

She nodded firmly and together, they sped up. They ran past Ik-soo's place, until they reached the mountains that bordered Kouka Kingdom and the Kai Empire.

The same place she had taken Jae-ha to.

It didn't take long to find it. After endless trees, the two came to an enormous cave in the mountains marked with bloodstains, both old and new. Calista nodded to Yona and she ducked her head down in acknowledgement.