It was a quiet Sunday morning.

Era slipped on his sandals and quietly stepped out of the house. After a short walk through familiar paths, he reached a dense forest. Nestled deep inside was the hidden mansion—the secret training base of the young Nightwalkers.

As soon as Era stepped through the entrance, four figures jumped out in front of him with a loud yell.

“Welcome!!”

Era flinched. “Huh?! What is this?!”

A1 grinned. “This was A3’s idea!”

“What?!” A3 protested. “A4 said we should do something!”

“Yeah, but all of you went along with it,” A4 replied, crossing his arms.

A2 quickly raised his hands. “Nightmare, I didn’t do anything! They forced me into it!”

The rest nodded in unison. “Yeah!”

Era sighed and smiled lightly. “Alright, it’s fine. But what exactly have you all been doing during your break?”

A4 yawned. “Relaxing.”

“Wait—so no training at all?” Era asked, narrowing his eyes.

“You told us to take a break,” A3 said, shrugging.

“That doesn’t mean stop completely,” Era replied sharply.

“Wait, so whatever you say, we just do?” A2 asked innocently.

“Yes,” Era said.

“Even if you told us to jump in a well?” A1 asked, testing him.

“Of course not! But... it's nice to know you all listen. Just remember to take some initiative too.”

“Understood, Nightmare!” they chorused.

“Good. Then let’s begin.”

Training Resumes

For the rest of the day, they trained hard.

They began with 5 hours of meditation, followed by intense running, then tree-punching drills, and finally ended the day with a game of chess to sharpen strategy.

Days passed. Then weeks. Then months.

The same rigorous routine continued—no breaks, no shortcuts.

Ten Months Later

Almost a year had passed.

It was another Sunday when Era stood before the four kids—now stronger, sharper, and more confident than ever.

“Your training is complete,” he said firmly.

They stood straighter, silent and focused.

“Your first mission begins next week. You’ll have 5 years to complete it.”

“What’s the mission, Nightmare?” A1 asked.

“You’ll form the first official Nightwalker team. Recruit new members. Create a safe base. Train and lead them. And most importantly—those who join must leave their old identities behind.”

“Understood!”

“Your mission is entirely yours. You’ll assign roles—captains, trainers, and scouts. I’ll be watching... but not helping.”

“Yes, Nightmare!”

“I look forward to seeing Nightwalker in the news five years from now,” Era smiled.

“Roger that!”

With pride in their eyes, the four disciples saluted and walked away to begin their mission.

Back to the Real World

Era glanced at the sky and whispered, “Now I need to prepare for my school exams too…”

Exam Week Ends

Several weeks passed. Era’s final exam ended. As students poured out of the school gates, happy to be free, Era walked toward home.

But then—he noticed something.

Across the street, a girl was being harassed by four boys.

Era narrowed his eyes. “Is that… Rita?”

He clenched his fists and walked over.

Without a word, he threw a punch—straight into the first guy’s face.

“Ahh!” the boy yelped, stumbling back.

Rita gasped. “Era?!”

The second boy lunged forward, but Era twisted and slammed a fist into his stomach.

The third one growled, swinging blindly—but Era ducked and landed a double kick to the face, knocking him down.

The fourth froze, then turned and ran for his life.

“W-Was that a kid?! We just got beaten up by a single kid!!” one of the boys cried out.

Era dusted off his sleeves and turned to Rita.

“You’re safe now,” he said.

“T-Thank you, Era,” she said softly.

Era looked away. “It’s nothing… I don’t like doing this kind of stuff anyway.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing. Forget it,” he replied, walking away with calm confidence.

[End of Chapter 8]