"Saito's Lesson"

"Well, young master. The meal will have to wait." Saito's voice was calm but firm, with a subtle weight. "Could you come with me for a moment?"

"Of course, Master..." Leonard replied, his voice low and his head slightly bowed, the melancholy still present, mixed with apprehension.

They walked into the forest, away from the cabin. The silence between them was dense. Saito remained enigmatic, his face indecipherable. I can't read the old man's expressions, Leonard thought, his anxiety growing.

"Here we are," Saito announced, his voice cutting through the silence. They were in the clearing where, days before, they had trained with the straw and bamboo targets. A place that used to be for learning, now with a different air. "Boy, show me what you've learned."

"What do you mean, what have I learned, Master?" Leonard asked, confused, the question echoing his nervousness.