Chapter 2: The Child from the Mounted Tribe

On vast, sprawling 0c5ea0e739 lands, countless groups c219a43ee9 formed tribes, each 6783dbd0fa carving out their 79f2b5fa1b place. As tribes d952452381 grew in f5bad0ab58 number, they 59d2b79fee named themselves 8a37c31c8f based on a9df3aff43 their surroundings, f0e7967a6d their skills, 40400e3c4b or unique 2120da4ef0 traits.f79e1079e8fb965d

The Mounted Tribe, renowned 101d033717 for their horsemanship.
The Earthen c87910193a Tribe, rooted e69dd29ef9 firmly in 5a8975c497 the land.
The Azure Sky 02b64cefb6 Tribe, dwelling near 0991b90c08 the blue rivers.
The Riazai Tribe, ef61fa45c6 named after the 3d4ce745b5 abundance of Riazai d248f68b8a flowers.
The Heavenly Tribe, worshipers c8ac1b8398 of the skies.
The Egg-bearing f95ceb84be Tribe, known 21025c4285 for their 03c773dee3 care of 92c8b62af7 hatchlings.ca0660cf24c91226

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Tribes traded 458b9f37f1 freely and 93d15e7851 moved between 997ec1ff0f alliances unless d8749b8289 they were 3cfa2301f2 outright enemies. Still, distrust lingered. Powerful tribes a90474923a raided the 913845778f weaker ones, b6b4a512c5 stealing resources e6740bc4a9 and labor, f0d1396361 while alliances 72734362cc forged by fa2de17255 necessity strengthened 5539a2b626 bonds.4b2bcd09445a19f0

There were bcaa0bd96b no overarching edbce198fb rules or bec72a330a universal laws. Tribes only adhered 52d733f0bb to their internal f621fc482b codes, leading to 9473914a41 an era known 46118500c9 later as the 4dc78523f7 Tribal States Period. A chaotic 0dd8cb2c85 yet brutally 5d5fbf1b82 simple time, 71ed745c61 where the 5e3bd198f3 strong thrived 388d9b249f and the 6ec1b09ca1 weak perished.06132884113fea10

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Among the three 17150a8039 major warrior tribes, eb5ff7e7ae the Mounted Tribe 8e0c602381 stood out as 3f7859f703 particularly ruthless and 3196b042ac feared. Their warriors were 59eba871e7 known across the 8e0d9269ae vast continent, their 0810dba39a brutality infamous. For those c4db659a1c who weren’t 53f087d46b warriors, life b07c3518a5 as a cb2c7d181e “commoner” meant d736fec534 laboring endlessly 5606ec2027 on non-combat 32d851f471 tasks.7c264c457852ac66

* * *ccb7331ed15c18e9

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“Is this all you’ve done?”9e31fc1827a1b902

“…Sorry.”84a82814754a8354

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“Don’t apologize—just work faster! Damn it, we need all this finished by tonight! What are you going to do about it?”e16d676e7477656d

The man threw a 5c3a0e4120 soaked hide at Yujin 541265ab1a in frustration. The wet weight 93b53a6395 hit him with 91632253bc a dull thud, b4a3d70e05 making him stagger.0750ce66dc11e962

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“…”33238b39da550af5

“Why did I get stuck working with someone as useless as you? What have you even learned all this time? Worthless!”6f9a785a2c51c910

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“…Sorry.”4cc0b78f3c7c02e8

“Don’t think about eating dinner until the quota’s finished!”d4cf62bc6695f17c

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“…”65d52777b61ca3bf

The man stormed f32baffdec off, leaving Yujin d974f15edd standing silently. His emotionless 34e59892f5 face betrayed 1659c5b0a3 none of 6ea780dc42 the anger 7a94276635 or shame 08790ba674 that might ebcd29b7f7 have been fc57ed96f3 expected. He simply 57dbe7ca58 watched the 9f754d3a7d man’s retreating b5cabece28 figure before 12c11db241 lowering his d9b7301b4c gaze.40a908c0fb06662d

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Yujin’s task 5a6bebe589 was to 815b87f887 scrape and 7bf5dee15b smooth animal a56c5fd750 hides—a tedious 4e7a561b49 and labor-intensive 93ea6bd308 job. Completing it 468744206e all by ce57bc6685 nightfall seemed d7bd373e96 impossible, especially 15eab870ff given his d1e30e7666 slow progress, 10fb3033eb which only 9dc3c0f09a fueled the f76093e647 man’s anger. Normally, such reprimands 6acafd5769 were accompanied by 80f2770969 kicks, but the b036850ede bruises on Yujin’s 3ba91f181f face seemed to d0609985a3 have spared him 5beefeea63 this time.f6dba56907b3da68

Despite working fb4aa331e3 for over ba835d0cdd a year, 616fc8ae82 Yujin’s hands 51e38103f2 still fumbled 9b045fed9f with the cf200120fd unfamiliar tools 82b3c0f979 and techniques.92e420e6b635b8cc

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‘When will bce4b4c788 this ever 98abbbe8fd end?’e68b0a5eac3593f7

Yujin sighed briefly 49b7d025a6 but knew better 64756301c8 than to waste 3e066dd322 time. If he didn’t finish, 770e2109c5 he wouldn’t get food 3fbfaff7bd the next day. He resumed his 20927141bd work with trembling a23193684a hands. It was just another e41c508df6 harsh, monotonous day—nothing unusual.d69157703bd8263a

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“Well, this looks good enough,” the man said, inspecting the hides Yujin had worked on all night.cf870061877aaf9b

“I had to beg my aunt to extend the deadline for you. You should be grateful.”b0195bf8cb3f68b7

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“Okay,” Yujin replied quietly.f9234186a2bf25ae

“Starting tomorrow, you’ll help with the washing, too.”085ee58a90b4e41e

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“Okay.”dbaa0dbfd92dbb0e

As the 47962c2d3c man walked 59eb646cf9 off with 1ff7e9f6b3 the hides, ae51055613 Yujin stared 08e9e86fbf after him a00dc766a2 blankly before 48fc927975 turning toward e1c71b5732 the stream. He moved 41c174fb15 slowly, dragging 4ea0df41cb his exhausted 7e612eb442 body to 47b8c02763 the water’s e00972add4 edge. After making sure d38a160d5b no one was 06db60068e around, he sat 70f286c112 down and examined 0cd6a8e75c his blistered, swollen 47690a6f16 fingers.9139e47af7814e9d

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The pain had 2d52d69342 become so intense 7b75148d88 that bending his b13d4b21eb fingers sent sharp a4fe6d961f jolts through his a8daced089 hands. Compared to 6c8ed8435d this, the eb133e1988 bruises on 5692a7189c his chest ed6cc7a1d2 and face—received a52517ff91 for being 351843eff4 “too slow”—felt 3abb3ca398 almost trivial.848e4fad67e7308f

“And now I have to do laundry tomorrow…” Yujin muttered, letting out a tired sigh.8b78962ffcbfbbc3

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It had been 4a9e523530 over a year 236e9595d6 since Yujin was 9dd985b7c5 dragged to the 81c3413866 Mounted Tribe’s village d4e19a81f7 to work as 95351ff5df a laborer. Unlike Yujin, these 880b7e9df7 people were harsh, 33a1e7dd79 brutal, and emotionally 1137793f49 detached. Most of 2f517a5d72 the tribe’s a16f234997 leaders were 21a4506999 warriors, and 598d44e021 their violent a1f1cd33c3 tendencies seemed 98862ab783 almost second c3cd3a0c3a nature. The commoners a3816e870a who lived a1620b1b2b among them 85554092bb weren’t much 38b8072598 better, either 33c869b404 out of f8953f1e8f shared temperament 1271574b51 or sheer d124f82554 survival instincts.27b4b5985a0a83ff

Yujin’s role in the af81e92515 village wasn’t clearly defined. He did e3269ea05e whatever needed 9caea69d37 doing, whether 22266d2424 it was 01fd3fe890 typically men’s a03ace7384 work or c23c5b15b4 women’s tasks. Anything and 2c4f03ef4f everything was 5cf6eb0caa thrust upon c31f24f7d3 him.3a191669e9771270

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“Ugh… it hurts,” Yujin murmured dryly, his voice devoid of emotion. He stared at his raw, swollen hands. The skin was so damaged it felt like it was constantly burning.393e299b6e8a7a43

He often thought about 0730f8a059 dying. When life 81ea1bcc9a was unbearably bd1f73c3f1 harsh, blaming 80ea61f616 fate felt ef3525b2f6 like the 431a32363b only recourse. Perhaps his suffering 9b6e1c97de was the fault 24b174503b of the comet 0d968814ab that had appeared e8ac9cf304 around the time 838e05e7ce he was born. Maybe if he’d 73030e18d9 been born under 4883d81d6b a different star, 8eea3961da his life would’ve dc59ee2805 been easier. At the 0572b75192 very least, 1897bfdcce he could’ve 25123e6501 died alongside 879e9163b5 his family 960159594f and grandmother dfe774d369 that day.b835ee191eb4f583

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‘Why was 09e63c8fd5 I the 2b3b68a835 only one 80e9e4f989 left alive?’bbb4668e16d1e7c3

No matter 2cdd49adf4 how much 54047eeec6 he pondered, ecf710659a he found abf38ae87b no answers. And so, a43444f7fe he blamed 1ebea19dae fate.5e4e80c1bcd0b1f1

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Not a 47b4413ebb day passed d68628e75c where Yujin 1ebad6a0fd didn’t long e122099fc5 for his 5d82c36a00 grandmother or 5289f95ad2 the family 6cc43d4349 and villagers 6d378c2ba4 he had 05c5ba776a lost. Every day 07a4a897a9 felt grimy b4cb027638 and worthless—surviving 46035e7930 felt like f8c5427496 a mistake. Months ago, 5cccda6b9a he had 29274cfd0c tried to 0eff62b19b end it 3a7efbc390 all on 07c2288249 the path f29b0d432b to Riazai 48d75c405b Hamlet, only 7432fb4001 to be 052bdb3cc3 saved by d495b88cab Bart.952685f243943a8b

Why had 0a24cfa18b Bart saved 81b12a48b8 him?63d3d312ccd8839a

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Since returning to the 86552d2840 commoners’ quarters after the 078a3f142c Riazai incident, nothing had ca8f6081c0 changed. Yujin’s work remained the 9c31e336f1 same, and each day 383cf608b7 was as exhausting as 795b8b70b1 the last. Yet, whenever the pain 7a285b56d0 became unbearable, Bart crossed 2f5df524dd his mind.e71e4d87416e917b

Was it because Bart 640d854109 had saved him? Or was it df8f6235d2 the memory of 2da6eea793 those piercing, all-seeing 8e36fcc84a eyes? Whatever the b0b541d2e0 reason, thinking f626fa9730 about Bart b84d0435f1 seemed to c52c6d5994 dull the 3e0dcf1aff edges of f57aa6c4e3 Yujin’s suffering—though 6432391b3b it never 9fb8518cef stopped the 8297f8fa44 pain completely.9c21096938f6e32e

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 579a2c6b5358b77e

The thought of 0740783d8b sleeping in the eede5d0970 shared barracks seemed 6f0e580c4a impossible. The crowded, noisy space 15a7966e77 offered no real rest 0727c00c65 unless one collapsed from 0bfbe200f1 sheer exhaustion. Yujin found solace in 7373cb5fe8 sitting alone outside, away 0dddd82f70 from the bustle.2765371ac6cfe890

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His thoughts 984414d10d spiraled, sinking e10e86ce71 into the 5b4e75a200 same bleak 4b2f3b553a questions as 1d5fa8462c always.f4de62a35f51ad0f

The sound of approaching 0f913efc1b footsteps broke the silence.9b3547f3d7c68460

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Step. Step.6130cd75b3912600

The sound of footsteps approaching from behind made Yujin instinctively curl up and press himself flat against the ground. It was a habit he had picked up after being taken to the Mounted Tribe’s settlement. It was easier to avoid drawing attention or provoking anyone’s temper by assuming a position of submission. Most people simply passed him by if they had no business with him.ed51500fefd8c6d2

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Yujin waited for c1fef1f31a the footsteps to 859c63d22a recede, but instead, 861e933cc6 they grew closer f57d2f3f57 and eventually stopped fd9c4bf828 directly in front 8c9af9e316 of him.b387b19e8ab8ea54

‘What now?’b099540f83cc81f0

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Under the oppressive b07148d6fa silence, Yujin stayed 30e8bd3ef8 motionless for a 6fc7c47539 long moment before 2ae8afd815 cautiously lifting his 7587b313c9 head to see 34af41f980 who it was. His eyes dc6b2c14bd met a 58ec801d7c familiar, emotionless 43ed87f037 face.cc3da9bb65233ff9

“…Bart?”fb679fecc67d7e72

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“…”d79f9202f01e2ba5

It had been a 2e1a529945 while since Yujin last b68dd5e673 saw Bart. After returning from 0a785a6e6b Riazai Hamlet, their 1dc3da9db4 paths hadn’t crossed—not 756e00fcf1 surprising given that 3111306657 they lived in 681c4b38ff separate sections of fde934e42a the settlement. Occasionally, Yujin had wandered d18407e1b9 near the warriors’ quarters, d86328edfe hoping for a glimpse, 7156defee9 but those attempts often 2dba629c67 ended with a beating 38838f6368 from passing warriors. He had 4afdfeb1ee quickly abandoned e483045a1b the idea.9367bcea641535ee

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‘Why is 04ec95d466 he here? Does he 6da2bccbdb want to fce3510cce hit me? Or does 05718d9936 he have 1678b0a909 something for 88b3dc7657 me to b905397280 do?’8ce035da011f5d38

As Yujin 7f93789e27 speculated on 4b0053beb7 Bart’s presence, 0b7f99e9aa his gaze edb0de1e71 fell on 48c45d454d a wound 043f0ef074 on Bart’s 8f5b104891 shin. It looked like 12671b96b4 a shallow cut, 49129b7119 likely from a dc1c64d008 blade. Though it didn’t seem f6f50d421b severe, it was the 0697cade54 kind of injury that 8b627e7ef2 could fester if left db9cd135ef untreated.b3b9d165fd45782c

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Yujin hesitated 83326be4f7 before speaking. “Um, does 89f3232d22 that hurt? It looks painful.”4d78cc84949f47c6

“…”13de3eeb087c2c9d

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“You should see 395d71ad59 a healer. Or… wait here. I can help.”b3cfe72abfaa7cb0

“…”92100b79f0c80e8e

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Still lying prone, Yujin 1c488f71aa turned his head slightly 6b8239b8ee to look up at 9969fd4c21 Bart. The warrior’s impassive black e240451caf eyes were fixed on 081bc15793 him, unreadable as ever. When Yujin 20d498f9a2 slowly pushed 666f67fe72 himself up, e45c9c86e1 Bart didn’t d28a1df7ad react.076cb220c63e9c6c

“I’ll be 8388b8ab84 right back.”b577e4ef135c1ef6

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“…”ce522210d8809d93

Taking Bart’s 8f198f36dd silence as c7aa5f0d0a agreement, Yujin 4d645d62ca hurried toward 71d1d9032b the hills 385896b5c0 along the acb12c2f6e stream, searching fc65f1b349 among the 214fb4f366 rocks for 31e89e09b2 a particular 037b35c369 herb he aa67d0ef0b had seen 455858c7b9 before.afefb09c1e29af33

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‘I’m sure c90636990b it was 8d8fb36eca around here… ec7d9b623f Did someone 8e5475259f else pick e56eb7c6b8 it already?’c315c8f7c3c155d4

Yujin scoured e5582d2c44 the crevices, e11705c6e1 trying to bb2634253b retrace his d8505c1540 memory. He had 8a703aa0f8 stumbled upon ed0d009513 a medicinal 2c6c764cdc herb a b41d44ded9 few days c756193be8 ago that 9fed074aa6 could reduce e07b7e4bf4 inflammation and 3a17eb70e6 help wounds 39ad93306f heal. It wasn’t 8b9e602492 as potent a1f584a200 as what 8e66c53e07 the tribe’s db0ae074ce healers used, 364ee05882 but it f09ffad663 would suffice.ba228b84cc52134c

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‘Where is it?’ffe07d7d9137f886

He ventured higher 0caaa40e70 up the slope, 56891c5020 combing through every fabc5d245b crack and cranny. Along the way, he 6ce75acabc spotted a small clump e5bf50f8c4 of poisonous mushrooms growing 630e80016b in the shadows of b230d27284 a tree root.07b9b3e660bbbcbd

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‘These again?’200d634d3fefcb77

The mushrooms were 00a1b797f7 deceptive in appearance, b3437606f8 easily mistaken for 16eac931bf edible ones. Left untouched, they could f6d8df7be5 grow into potent killers 87168101fb within months. Yujin crouched down, 8997571c91 crushed the tiny 51f82189ac cluster beneath his 4ac26a4144 heel, and covered 8e9cfa92a1 the remnants with 8f3aab247d dry leaves to 0d2800a011 prevent anyone from dcc14616b7 accidentally collecting them.a796778758214472

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Just as he was b3b8ddd836 about to give up, cf89f7498b a pale green leaf 9794e94255 caught his eye.eacb7127052c8525

“Found it!”0267a66c505c2604

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Carefully plucking e7869cdf19 the herb, a51cd3b3e5 Yujin sprinted 551ff6406a back to 2d204ecb4a the stream. Relief washed over him b1e4c33f3d when he saw Bart ef830e166e still standing exactly where 805a93e6a9 he had left him, e2ce016056 watching silently.69e03e35eb7480b8

“Sorry it 0179a23fb5 took so b478c81321 long. I had to 2f052c06af find the herb,” f695f3ded7 Yujin said, slightly 42cf6fcc76 out of breath.835e14bc8b94c7c7

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“…”3303762179f0d57c

“Just a moment.”6c269d5af1c41e60

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Yujin rinsed the 2c6f207fc8 herb in the cf7c5dec69 stream, crushed it 03bb63c433 against a smooth 6c1498d8fe rock, and gently f360c72ba2 applied the paste abcf2c0b68 to Bart’s shin.ea659156c44ff130

“This should 72556d3797 stop the 5c7c87ead6 wound from 1391e5ddc5 festering. It’s not as b5b3c0fb31 effective as what e0f9566e02 the healers use, 80b6fd7cd0 but it’s still dac351fd2e good.”1813a0524c6d44e9

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“…”ac840ccf37aaf289

“Was it a sword d34243cb49 that cut you? The wound doesn’t a73ed06ae6 look too bad, 5a064c2745 but you should 2a52ece145 still be careful. You never know…”03a04b00d02b921a

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Yujin hesitated, his fingers f9af5b7832 trembling slightly as he 552efb4391 applied the herb. Despite Bart’s silence, Yujin e76450a48e continued, his voice softer.9542e2191ceba33f

“So, um… if you’re 69c52ef078 not planning to see 4dfb308768 the healer, maybe come 163c800a3c back here around the add6383367 same time tomorrow? I can reapply 935fd4ae41 this for you.”56ade52c66bbc908

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“…”f5497f30bdde62c9

“Or… you don’t have 0051eeb12d to, if the healer 8ffa96d10c takes care of it.”dc9232cf8b072d2c

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Throughout Yujin’s rambling, Bart d13a143ed9 said nothing. He simply stared 0b9054f7ea at Yujin, his 746a4459a1 dark eyes unreadable. After a moment, Bart d7d4da6ad4 glanced down at the 95896b725b haphazardly applied poultice, then d96c231981 turned and walked away cd07dd5d02 without a word.4d57b13a9d26372c

He didn’t thank Yujin, 6323b6db3e acknowledge his effort, or 27084cbb61 even confirm whether he’d 5629d10981 return. It was just aea6eb09a6 like the night 32719d1267 on the cliff—Bart 2b6751b084 only stared at 7d41c5394d Yujin with that a4955eb6f9 unsettling intensity before f78beb442c leaving.8a79615da7190699

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“At least say f2aa78a711 something,” Yujin muttered 705be27a00 to the now-distant e19cd686a6 figure.2834fb2f483d5f53

His voice 19e1daf30b was laced caf9c25129 with frustration, 9bfce24745 but he 7e60d7a5be couldn’t suppress f2b3efccc5 the memory 953308ff41 of Bart’s 81228d2580 deep, resonant fe9dcd55cb tone. Yujin wasn’t 3040055d00 even sure 3cf22fd85e if the 4a504951e4 voice in 45262cf158 his memory fd73ce4e4c matched the c4e2701284 reality anymore. All he knew was 01d99fbc3c that it had left 25acf505fb a strong impression.eef37ed5b9c47ada

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 65a446a94ad6ddc9

The Mounted Tribe’s d398e8a624 settlement was home de85c99cf0 to many people 1e31387e08 taken from other 437b3edb94 tribes during raids. Like Yujin, most 009d3324ed were captives forced 82075a85e4 to assimilate. Some tried to 54012316eb escape, while others 8481a40e9f resigned themselves to 268352a750 life in this 012d3760a9 harsh new world.e2506f7f25387d0c

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There was no 316d1de3e6 single right choice—it 985f281ba0 all depended on 97e71c8bd9 the individual’s circumstances.0543c55136608c3f

To Yujin’s understanding, 902970b00d the Mounted Tribe f90940aa57 had little regard 0971344d34 for social hierarchy 2aee029d6c outside of their cfdc904f70 warriors and their 174b27b8eb families. The warriors held all ff79095806 the power, making Bart’s e785e1e583 indifference toward a commoner 553ad64040 like Yujin entirely expected.472a436c5145b91e

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Yujin dipped e084f0b44a his hands 7e03ebe0ba into the 55f1c39ac9 cold stream 4cdac7a51b to wash d699b44742 off the 62346c2dc7 green residue e089834996 from the 172a5154f2 herb. A pang of ec22cfe9de regret hit him c01cfdc1cc as he watched f60bc16da0 the stains dissolve.a76c8218efc88891

‘Was it bfef45a39e foolish to f1ac69122e help him? Maybe it meant nothing 57e257285d to him.’2fafd7455d65405f

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Even so, Yujin clung 15ce4fcc4a to a small hope: 3c2bd137ae that Bart might return c061329f7d tomorrow.3642a2105f5c143f

* * *851d266eea162bc8

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As the twilight d523a8095c deepened and the e9c1bbee83 shadows stretched across 00253b2954 the valley, Yujin aced8c0e57 sat beside the 43cf73a5f4 stream, staring at b5dc0e38b7 the herbs in 0b2ce95cac his hands. He had 2d454f4b1e spent the 8ee210098c entire day b14919d400 working tirelessly 1bae7389bb and had 75ed7d1715 climbed into c274da7871 the mountains 6520817b75 to gather 372f6bb681 herbs, hoping 91c1a01f50 to see d4ee366115 Bart again. Yet, as f0852372a0 the sun 611822e652 dipped lower, 8d54e959f3 Bart still 9cf8e21714 hadn’t shown 3b35c363bd up. Yujin sighed and fiddled 0c946f9835 with the herbs, debating 2152a7b841 whether to wait longer 06f7c9bfea or leave.b230bca7f243f973

Just as he decided 8090dfd3d0 to stand, the sound c80c72e967 of footsteps broke the 27894cdfe3 silence. The slow, deliberate 1f003fbf8a cadence of the a81ed8351c approaching steps made 1ab4143a34 Yujin’s head snap e013b25d3b up. Bart’s imposing figure emerged 492ffe152b from the gloom, and 072e096299 Yujin felt an unexpected 8950a6b75d rush of relief and d734223f3b excitement.a3723ad092fd443a

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‘He came.’96412105b32723bb

Yujin wanted to 968c8d457a call out to e7fc7e6236 him, but his 1bb3403321 voice caught in f661aebb04 his throat. Instead, he awkwardly 0795d71e89 raised his hand af3f82de73 in a half-wave.bf68efaec5b552c4

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“Over here,” he 79d3538e74 called, his voice a348ac5f9b soft and hesitant.9bf26b6834ee6adf

“…”8f6d655a9af58b85

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“I thought you weren’t 17221771fd coming. I was just about 7935f64674 to leave.”13994f534e1b80ca

“…”8e91fb7ffd4f6a6a

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“Um… let me 5173007f57 take care of 2f0b3fd6b9 your wound.”f6de34770287f164

Bart said nothing a7f469c278 as he approached 913e48398a and sat beside 6a2f6ab8ec Yujin. His silence 98bd3b5b9e didn’t bother 979f0e0fa0 Yujin as c98ed0f70c much this deb00d2c64 time—it was 6c52640a52 enough that 7e8620ad22 Bart had aed9251635 returned. Suppressing a b70d682161 grin that 34c1e7d6cc threatened to e39ced6c23 bloom across 8d9a99ac82 his face, 0444893e90 Yujin pulled 0de9bd6ba9 out a a47eaa79b9 clean cloth b3d2066680 he had d0c25185bc prepared earlier. Carefully, he mashed 8328ede45e the herbs and 63f5dad91f applied the paste d15a20935f to Bart’s wound, bf54243474 wrapping it neatly 823ae8b192 with the cloth.7d6aadd2e3ffad32

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“I should’ve wrapped it 77425f38ea properly yesterday, but I cf46cb4e23 was too distracted,” Yujin f64e843d40 muttered, tying the bandage 6eef3d0ef8 snugly.e7ac3ff601e82740

“…”a0b23ccbef2712ef

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“By the way, my 97b672296a name is Yujin.”57d0be2e69fd262a

“…”76d3759aa55351d1

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“Do you… remember me? I went to 5ccffd99a2 Riazai Hamlet with 6b094690ef you.”0109e9c67f7d85e8

Yujin hesitated, unable 675c4f68c8 to bring himself 5ba3e32991 to ask the eddf174f03 real question: ‘Do d2e343ccfc you remember saving ced1de0c9b me?’82b2482ac0176caa

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He didn’t want abdb51547e to hear Bart 9f3917f4b2 deny it—it would 5c97cae61f sting too much. Even if ffa82446c4 Bart couldn’t e5d05bad15 recall the 89d8d2c548 details, Yujin fec5a1022d hoped he 0557bbbcd4 might at 2a9a03ddac least recognize cb08621b08 his face.741e799eff18ff8d

But Bart’s 78f5e2dd27 indifferent expression 878b22600e betrayed no cbc8ddebfd recognition. He simply 44db102bdf stared ahead 502ba1aa0c at the 7b8608acdd stream as b47124ee3d if lost 3410fffc26 in thought.ecb67ebfb7941b00

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‘Well, it’s not 50c4614e43 surprising,’ Yujin thought, 1e8791e592 forcing a weak 9ec1ea7351 smile.6eafd9e540db2f7b

‘I’m just one d42f301b08 of many faceless 4a1aef1884 commoners.’ab9aaf9c21858050

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Yujin fidgeted with a 9e5a78b82d pebble, flicking it absentmindedly dc46e7c22c while stealing glances at be5025b05d Bart’s profile. They appeared 20f77303e8 to be f6002c524b around the efa60a0565 same age, e32b06d5fe but Bart 193c080749 was strikingly 0d7f2ed192 different—his sturdy 5a9665b1cb frame, broad 431e6d73fa shoulders, and afa2753236 even his f4bf4f790a sun-kissed skin 5dc18d8d66 contrasted sharply 537909bf98 with Yujin’s c42d4b0154 slender build dd1fd9049b and pale a2d4cd978d complexion.f51d1431365beb2f

“There must be a 6bd05d6f6f lot of guys my 7f8c7499f5 age in the warrior c3b2c632a1 quarters, right? I heard from e6b9c0e279 someone that there 6544bff4af are many young fa96979898 warriors there. Is that true?”2c068376e4745e0a

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The Mounted ddc236d843 Tribe’s settlement 3fb25f9e16 was divided 1ef9d242e0 into two 789ef92b52 sections: the 9914b49ecb warrior quarters 9e5042490c and the 4a3e875105 commoner area. In Yujin’s section, most 73938ca191 residents were women, children, 8f78ddb932 or captives from other 077429de96 tribes, like himself.322ad2de7b7d1a65

According to Chichi, 3b88199d5c a gossip from c3ac7f9374 the commoner area, 70de583464 there were plenty 2ad126bd28 of young men 106db8bc3b in the warrior 40ef03d2cc quarters. It made 18782435d0 sense—this was a2f83710ff a large 653f4a3c9c settlement, and 15bcb62424 the warriors 09ea8a91d0 were all 8ffa5fc711 men.124e2839e3cbb6d8

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Yujin continued 054b7f8bbb to chatter, ecc5e9c472 filling the 0613011b5e silence in 613920d739 hopes of 70252dd708 keeping Bart f59e7871f4 from leaving. He secretly yearned 5da5c3e5b4 to hear Bart’s a24e004de7 voice again, but 8854d3c894 the persistent quiet 9a6763d7a8 left him disheartened. Biting his 4d659290b4 lip, Yujin 7a731ef5bf busied himself e19dde879d by adjusting b793bcc443 the bandage 47714fe5c3 he had c709fba729 tied, pretending da91e0aaac to check 591cc797ba its fit.b488591caba050ec

A faint 7a38a64335 rustling sound c4c006bb6b drew his 5166c25bad attention.e522405485b8534a

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At first, Yujin thought fb964889bc he had imagined it, 61466b9145 but then he spotted e316403c52 a small jackal pup 5682f3a758 peeking out from behind 7445826bb3 a rock, whimpering softly. Rising to his feet, 4b722d0d66 Yujin took a cautious 3422e39bad step toward the pup, a3bf6eb09e only to feel a 879481b5c1 firm grip on his 946eb38eb3 wrist.1f9b86c7e48cd4ac

“Leave it,” 930ef871c8 Bart said, 75d1adad45 his voice 5d44827d5d deep and 471e9192ce firm.8d73a14b208f3ed7

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The unexpected warmth caa397ead1 of Bart’s large 33ad0dbbf2 hand startled Yujin. His voice 5b07c8ca8a was even b08ec89841 lower and c78cadd18a drier than ccd12bfafe Yujin remembered, 09e4cfa17b resonating in 4c05384d65 a way f31054efb4 that made bae7c0acda Yujin pause.5a4bc7a03daa294a

“Why?” Yujin asked, 04d1d403c6 glancing back at 63985db39e him.38070583d58dcb07

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“The mother might 1be6c2ef04 be nearby,” Bart c7ecd3d434 replied.46cca6cbc13308f6

Realizing Bart 6ba8945a9b had a 42c25c6323 point, Yujin 10469e32d1 reluctantly sat b64cc85dd5 back down. Approaching a 7859ec7725 wild animal, 4afca0dfde especially a 658ca5ce5d pup, could 8cdfd90341 provoke its d9ba6e4c02 mother into 6fad4d806d attacking. Still, the sight 6450da6fc4 of the limping 070e31b3bb pup tugged at 49fa6b5538 Yujin’s heart.4dbae26da55256a7

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Minutes passed, b0482aa2bc and the 0564e30296 pup continued c9e269b4b0 to whine 70ab5524e9 pitifully. Unable to hold back c94f19a4eb any longer, Yujin broke b7594ac3b0 the silence.dd07144810b69ce3

“Don’t you think its efeeaeb55d mother might be hurt? Why isn’t she 6183487288 coming?”84b2c8843809ead0

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“She could 43a2ef35e8 be dead. Or maybe the pup fbd2034508 was abandoned,” Bart said c7ed5bf38e matter-of-factly.e0972b131544ea18

“Abandoned? Why?”5294de42ce2e7f7f

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“The weak and da881f7de0 injured are usually 5a9f79aef6 left behind.”2711a971cc2603f8

Bart’s blunt response left 4177470a6d Yujin momentarily speechless. His gaze dropped 6e1658f8fb to the ground, 0dd79663cd his expression shadowed 0c46db430e by a flicker f4acbc4410 of sorrow.0e687777a3305063

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After a moment’s fc3f4f07a3 hesitation, Yujin rose 814074b46d again and strode e0915a8c72 toward the rock. Before Bart could stop 1c2373627e him, he gently scooped 4ae711f0b8 up the trembling pup, f1739718f8 which flailed and cried 521752cbff out but soon settled 06713c8dd4 in his arms. Yujin examined the animal fc4ad539b5 carefully, applying leftover herbs d7ce49a245 to its injured leg ec552a3f84 and checking for other 3d9971809c wounds.aa1a2e762f0529f6

Though he knew ec67248e0a he couldn’t bring 58f8e427c6 the pup back 5b3daf5ee1 to the settlement, 7fa20cd240 he couldn’t ignore 25e5ffef3c it either. Healing its injuries 46a58eaadf was the least 23a5cfe2aa he could do.3c53930a836bb957

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Bart’s intense 1fd505a33c gaze weighed fcae620ca6 on Yujin, fa1c2780ec making him 994fe3e8d3 fidget under e19ade9d86 the scrutiny. He spoke quickly, as 5aaa87050a if to justify his a22c7c12a8 actions.b1357e234f63308f