RIN

Stumbling backward and landing hard on her bottom the young girl lightly grunts. Rin swiftly rises herself back up - a sharp glint brewing in her calm eyes.

Charging forward with slightly gradual movements Rin aims the blade near the Commanders strong legs only to have him block.

Retreating backward, Rin leisurely wipes a trail of sweat off her forehead, before advancing forward once more.

Once again...blocked.

The rest of the soldiers eagerly watched as the young girl charged forward fighting their Commander. At no time had they thought there"d be a day where they"d see a young girl dueling with the old great Commander Bai.

Feeling a faint buzzing beside her, Rin"s shallow eyes narrow dangerously low only to feel a push on her back allegedly causing her to tumble towards the dirt ground. Shifting her bruised body around, a blade is held to her face.

"Not bad for a beginner," The old Commander chuckles. "You could intentionally use some work with your defense and attacks but overall not too shabby."

Lavishly bestowing a faint smile between light pants, Rin stands up from the ground dusting the dirt off her pants and shirt.

"Rin wishes to exceed more in her fighting skills and hopes Commander Bai will properly teach Rin!" The charming girl said fiercely with determined eyes.

Laughing delightedly at her fierce gaze the old Commander laughs as he leans down to ruffle the young girl"s silky hair. She undoubtedly was a fascinating little girl…

"En," He laughs gently. "Let"s try once more, this time I"ll a.s.sist you with your defense."

Nodding her head happily, Rin picks up her sword to begin once more.

…

Returning to her tent with sore muscles little Rin lands softly on the fur-covered blankets with a huff.

Despite his considerable age...the old Commander was brutal! He hadn"t even gone easy on a little girl!

However, that"s what Rin was reasonably hoping for.

She didn"t want baby training - she naturally wished for intense military training that"d help a beginner like herself.

The old man"s training may be rather harsh, but it undoubtedly produced her quicker results and better tips. His training method was similar to how Rin"s mother would properly teach her when she was little.

Her mother…

Feeling her sore eyes slightly tremor, Rin stuffs her face in soft blankets burrowing the overwhelming sorrow deep within her heart.

"Mommy…"

Suddenly, cautiously approaching the young girl, Ju lands gently near Rin with worried eyes. Well...as worried as a bird"s eyes could look. Gently letting out a faint screech Ju nudges its head towards her ruffled hair.

Glancing longingly up towards the precious bird Rin"s large dewy eyes water.

"Ju…" She whispers hoa.r.s.ely grabbing the bird and rubbing her plump cheek against its head.

Screeching with a tone of being startled, Ju willingly allows the young girl to vigorously rub her cheek against its feathered head. Even it was truly uncomfortable…

Rin divinely reveals her glowing eyes abruptly now flashing with a sense of fierce determination and fiery light.

"This is no time for tears, Ju," Rin said while wiping the wet stains from her cheeks. "I merely need to become stronger…"

She needed to grow stronger. After all, that"s what her mother would want.

…

Meanwhile…

In the Commander"s tent, the old man furrowed his brows on the report in front of him. Previously, when Rin had appeared at the training camp, Commander Bai sent out his trusted men to properly investigate Rin"s wrecked village.

The following day, his men uncovered information confirming the young girl"s sorrowful words were indeed true.

However, the cause for its brutal destruction was undiscovered.

Despite this, there was one thing Commander Bai was sure about - it wasn"t a criminal group of typical bandits that had severely burned down the village.

Typically if it were mere notorious bandits, the damage would be minimal.

However, if it were people who were advanced in martial arts, the amount of damage done would have definitely been what was seen.

He knew there was something bigger behind the destroyed village but even with his men investigating nothing came out. That could merely suggest someone in power was behind it…

The question was who? And why burn down an unknown small village?

Sighing back in his seat, Commander Bai stares at the stack of reports with crinkled eyes.

Another thing he was sure about - Rin was definitely no ordinary child.

Earlier he was intrigued to find out she was interested in learning how to fight. It was enjoyable for him to observe such a small child - a frail girl interested in training.

However, what he didn"t expect was the young girl to be so well trained in martial arts. Although she was sloppy in most parts, she was more skilled than most of his learned men when first entering their specialized training.

To say he wasn"t surprised would be an understatement - he was beyond shocked!

Not only was she strong-willed, but she was eager to naturally learn without instantly breaking into uncontrollable tears. This independent action of hers undoubtedly caused the old Commander to gently twist his bearded lips into a broad smile.

Truly an interesting young girl…

Wonder what other surprises she kept hidden inside that small little head of hers.