They were eating breakfast quietly.

A few minutes after finishing, Rin stood up and said in a commanding tone,

“Now everyone, get up and walk towards the training ground for training!”

All trainees and trainers rose from their seats and walked out of the cafeteria. Rin, Amaya, Hikari, and the two leaders led the group toward the training ground.

As they arrived, an old lady was seated on a bench, watching them from a safe distance. Hikari ordered Ash to sit with her.

Then Rin handed thunder swords to Ming, Luca, Kenzo, Sofia, Akiko, and the other three passengers.

Sofia's hands trembled as she held her sword. She took a deep breath and gripped it tightly.

Akiko, already familiar with swordsmanship from fighting monsters before, still felt nervous. This sword was different. She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them and took position.

For Ming, Kenzo, and Luca, this was a new experience. They felt nervous and anxious, but they knew they had to do it. They each took a breath and steadied themselves.

Hikari shouted,

“Everyone, take position! Attention! I know some of you are scared and nervous, but remember—

you are no longer just humans. You are soldiers! You are not heroes!

If they are monsters, then so are we!

Humans are the real monsters!

But we can defeat them—because we’re different. We know how to use our monstrous power for the right reason.”

He paused, looking at them all, then continued.

“In this war, there’s no room for emotion. If we lose, this world will fall.

This world is cruel—but there are still innocents worth saving.

We fight for humanity.

We fight because we are soldiers!”

His words gave everyone strength. Some still felt fear, but they stood tall. They had no choice but to fight.

The leaders divided the trainees into small groups for training. Rin led one group, which included Kenzo and Ming. In that group was a trainee named Sheto. His hands were shaking badly. While others were making mistakes, Sheto couldn’t even hold his sword properly. Even with both hands, his grip trembled. He was sweating and on the verge of tears.

Rin noticed—and stepped forward.

Everyone grew tense. Rin was infamous for his cold, strict nature, especially during training.

Ming and Kenzo watched, confused and curious.

Then—Rin slapped Sheto.

Everyone froze.

Luca, Akiko, Sofia, the other passengers, and even the trainers looked shocked. Amaya moved as if to intervene, but Hikari stopped her with a shake of his head. She looked worried—she trusted Rin, but it still concerned her.

Ming was stunned. So were Kenzo, Luca, Akiko, and Sofia. Everyone stared—except Hikari, who stood calmly with arms crossed, watching the scene without a word.

Rin grabbed Sheto by the collar.

“What do you think you're doing, you coward?” he snapped.

Before Rin could continue, Sofia stepped forward hesitantly and shouted,

“Y-you can’t treat anyone like that!”

Everyone turned toward her in surprise.

Rin gave her a cold glare but ignored her, turning back to Sheto.

“What were you thinking about? Dying? Everyone here has lost someone important.

If we don’t fight, this world will die.

They’ll either turn into blood-sucking monsters or be killed by them.

I called you a coward. Yes. But don’t you want to prove you’re more than that?

Don’t you want to prove you’re a soldier?

Throw your fear away.

Take a deep breath.

Hold your sword with confidence.

Say it. Say that you are a soldier.”

Everyone watched Sheto in silence, waiting.

Sheto looked up, trembling less now. “I am a soldier,” he said quietly.

“Louder,” Rin ordered. “Say it again—loudly!”

Sheto took a deep breath and screamed, “I am a soldier!”

This time, his grip on the sword was steady.

Everyone was impressed—not just with Sheto, but with Rin's ability to pull that strength from him.

Amaya shook her head and smiled. Hikari smiled too.

Rin turned to Sofia and said calmly, coldly, but not harshly,

“Next time, mind your own business, little girl. Don’t interfere in mine again.”

Then he returned to training.

Sofia, embarrassed, covered her face. “That was embarrassing… How foolish I am. I shouldn’t have interfered in the first place,” she whispered to herself.

Amaya and Hikari chuckled quietly. Amaya patted Sofia’s shoulder reassuringly.

Training resumed. Kenzo, Luca, and Akiko smiled and got to work. Ming, expressionless, rolled his eyes and joined in.

They broke for lunch and returned to training later.

During the session, Rin noticed small mistakes in Ming’s technique. Ming wasn’t doing badly, but Rin still called him out sharply.

Ming grew frustrated—not just from being corrected, but from Rin’s tone. He didn’t like Rin—especially since he was only a year or two younger and spoke to him so rudely. Ming glared at him, barely able to hide his irritation.

---

A Few Hours Later

By 8 PM, training was over. Everyone left for dinner.

Ming, still frustrated, stayed behind, sitting alone on a bench. Hikari, noticing, came over and sat beside him.

“You look frustrated,” Hikari said gently. “Is it because of Rin?”

Ming sighed and nodded.

Hikari smiled kindly. “Rin isn’t a bad person. He just doesn’t like to show weakness through emotion.

He wants all of us to be strong enough to protect ourselves—and each other.

He’s lost everything. And now… he doesn’t want to lose anyone else—not even us.”

He paused, looking ahead.

“Deep down, he cares. But he hides it. Because in war, there’s no room for emotion.”

Ming looked at him with surprise.

“Who did he lose?” he asked.

Hikari smiled faintly. “Everything.”

And with that, he got up and walked away—leaving Ming alone, his mind full of questions.

What is the story behind Rin’s cold nature?

---

End of the chapter 8