Pulses of the Sky

Ivo looked at Jinsu.

He noticed the sweat beginning to appear on his face.

It wasn't just a few drops caused by the heat or exhaustion.

Jinsu was sweating noticeably.

Ivo watched him for a few moments.

Then he understood.

Jinsu wasn't the cause.

It was what was inside him.

Kaizen.

Something about the presence of the Yami King inside Jinsu was reacting to the man standing before them.

Or perhaps...

It was recognizing him.

At that moment, Ivo moved quickly.

He raised his hand and placed it on Jinsu's shoulder.

Jinsu raised his eyes toward him.

Ivo said nothing.

He simply looked at him for a moment.

Then Jinsu turned his gaze back toward the Lord of the Assassins Village.

The man was still standing in the same place.

Behind him was a massive bookshelf filled with books.

The books were arranged with great care.

But something else caught Jinsu's attention.

Above the bookshelf...

A Yami was hanging there.

It was a female.

Her hair was yellow, and her body hung there in a strange position.

Jinsu stared at her for a few moments.

She looked different from the Yami he was accustomed to seeing.

There was something strange about her features.

But Jinsu didn't try to think about it for long.

He looked away.

"My father."

Ivo's voice broke the silence.

The Lord didn't answer.

He didn't move.

He simply continued watching.

He was watching Jinsu.

Not Ivo.

Jinsu.

His eyes remained fixed on him, as if he were trying to see something beyond his body.

Something that could not be seen with the naked eye.

Then he rose from his chair.

He began walking toward them.

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One step.

Then another.

Ivo noticed.

He immediately moved and stood in front of Jinsu.

But the Lord did not take his eyes off Jinsu.

And in that moment...

Jinsu felt it.

That feeling that made his heart tense.

Did he know?

Did he know about Kaizen?

Jinsu didn't know.

But he felt that the man standing before him could see something he shouldn't have been able to see.

After a few moments, the Lord finally looked away from Jinsu.

He walked toward the window.

Then stopped in front of it and looked outside.

Jinsu and Ivo remained standing where they were.

Neither of them moved.

The silence was heavy.

But this time...

There was something Jinsu hadn't noticed at first.

The room.

Jinsu began looking around.

And for the first time, he noticed.

The room wasn't simply filled with guards.

Almost every corner had someone standing in it.

Every inch.

Guards stood in different positions.

Some near the walls.

Some behind them.

Some near the doors.

And all of their eyes were on them.

On Jinsu and Ivo.

There was nowhere they could move without being watched.

Jinsu felt it.

Then his gaze returned to the Lord.

The man spoke while still looking through the window.

"How is the world, Ivo?"

Ivo looked at him.

"As it is, Father."

Jinsu paused.

He noticed something in Ivo's voice.

It was different.

Completely different from the person he had known.

The Ivo Jinsu had met before was nervous.

Impulsive.

Always moving.

Jinsu had never seen this side of him before.

The calmness.

The respect.

And the obvious submission he showed toward only one person.

His father.

There was respect in Ivo's eyes.

Something Jinsu had never seen in him before.

Then the Lord spoke.

"Do you know that when turtles are born..."

He paused for a moment.

Then continued.

"Their mother abandons them."

Ivo remained silent.

"Either they survive..."

The Lord continued looking through the window.

"...or they die."

Ivo answered:

"Yes, I know."

But the Lord didn't look at him.

He said:

"I wasn't asking you, Ivo."

Jinsu raised his eyes in shock.

He looked at the Lord.

He realized the man had been speaking to him.

"No..."

He paused for a moment.

"I didn't know."

The Lord continued staring through the window.

Then he said:

"In our land..."

He paused.

"We do not abandon our children."

He remained silent for a moment.

Then added:

"We do not leave them to die."

Something strange stirred inside Jinsu at those words.

But before he could think about them any further, the Lord continued.

"We sharpen them first..."

Then he turned slightly.

"And then we leave them."

Jinsu froze.

He continued staring at him.

He didn't answer.

He didn't know what to say.

The sentence was simple.

But its meaning was heavier than Jinsu wanted to think about.

The Lord looked at him.

Then shifted his gaze toward Ivo.

"Why did you come, Ivo?"

He paused for a moment.

"What do you want?"

Ivo looked at his father.

Then answered:

"Yes, Lord."

He paused for a moment.

"I want Jinsu to become part of the Assassins Squad."

The Lord continued looking at him.

He didn't answer immediately.

His eyes remained on Ivo.

Then he said:

"Do you know what you're asking, Ivo?"

He paused.

"You're asking for him to become one of us."

Ivo bowed.

"Yes, Lord."

The Lord continued staring at him.

Then he asked:

"Why are you doing this?"

Ivo raised his head slightly.

"Because someone I cherish asked me to protect him."

Silence filled the room.

The Lord looked at Ivo for a long time.

Very long.

As if those words were more than just an answer to him.

As if he were trying to understand the person standing before him.

Finally, he spoke.

"Very well."

He paused.

"Although the squad belongs to you..."

He looked at him.

"But it doesn't matter."

Then he added:

"Do as you wish."

Ivo bowed again.

"Yes, Lord."

Then he said:

"Thank you, Lord."

Ivo turned around.

He left the room.

Jinsu followed behind him.

As soon as they had moved away from the place, Jinsu looked at him.

He was still thinking about everything that had happened.

Then he asked:

"What is the Assassins Squad?"

Ivo continued walking.

"The Assassins Squad is a unit under my command."

He looked at Jinsu.

"But that's not the main reason."

Then he continued:

"You need to be in my squad so I can protect you."

He fell silent for a moment.

"There's another reason."

Jinsu looked at him.

"You need to become one of us."

Jinsu remained silent.

Ivo continued:

"If you're not one of us, I'll have to protect you alone."

Then he looked directly at him.

"But if you become one of us..."

His voice changed slightly.

"Everyone in the Assassins Village will protect you."

He paused.

"Even if you're guilty."

Jinsu's eyes widened slightly.

And suddenly...

He remembered something.

The sign.

The words he had read at the entrance.

The words he had never understood.

Jinsu raised his eyes.

"We are the saviors..."

He paused.

"We are the rescuers..."

Then he said:

"We are assassins."

He looked at Ivo.

"That's what it means."

Ivo answered simply:

"Yes."

Jinsu remained silent for a few moments.

Then he said:

"I have another question."

Ivo looked at him.

"Yes?"

Jinsu hesitated for a moment.

Then asked:

"Earlier, you called it the Land of Assassins..."

He looked at him.

"But why do you call this a village?"

Ivo laughed.

A short laugh.

Then answered:

"Yes."

He looked ahead.

"The village is where the assassins live."

Then he continued:

"But the land..."

He paused for a moment.

"Every place where the Yami live is our land."

Jinsu looked at him with interest.

Ivo said:

"We don't need to live there to prove that it's our land."

Then he smiled.

"Because we are assassins."

He continued walking.

"We are wherever the Yami are."

He looked at Jinsu.

"We don't wait for them to come to us."

Then he said:

"We go to them first."

Silence followed for a few moments.

Then Ivo said:

"Now, let's go."

Jinsu looked at him.

"I need to introduce you to the squad."

The two continued walking.

Their footsteps were calm.

But Jinsu's mind was still filled with everything that had happened inside the building.

The Lord.

The guards.

The sign.

The Assassins Squad.

And everything he had seen behind those doors.

Then suddenly...

A familiar voice came.

"Oh..."

Jinsu stopped.

"We meet again, Ivo."

Jinsu looked ahead.

Someone was approaching them.

Rio.

He was coming toward them as well.

And the two met again.

Rio looked at Jinsu.

Then smiled.

"Hello, Jinsu."

Then he shifted his gaze toward Ivo.

His smile widened slightly.

"Hello, Ivo."