Beneath the emotionless mask

As Rider followed Bianca from behind, he felt confused about where they were going—but he continued to follow her regardless. After a while of running, Bianca arrived at her place first and waited on the doorstep, calling out for Rider to hurry. When Rider finally arrived, short on breath and clearly tired, he muttered, "I'm coming," barely audible.

Bianca looked at Rider in confusion and asked, "Why are you breathing so heavily?"

Rider, catching his breath, retorted, " why don't you look tired? We just ran a mile to get here."

Bianca smiled and replied, "I run to my house every day, so I've mastered it. But even though you're more tired than when I first ran from the grand hall to my place, you waste too much energy."

Rider frowned slightly, countering, "Anyone would be tired if they ran a mile with no break."

After catching his breath, Rider stood up straight without needing to lean on his knee and then asked Bianca, "Why did you bring me here anyways?"

Bianca explained, "The training place I was talking about is in my house."

Rider looked confused. "What's wrong with training in the grand hall? It has better equipment and obstacles for different challenges."

Bianca shook her head. "If we trained in the grand hall, the competitors might spot how we fight and use that against us. Besides, my father is out and my mom is at the market now, so we could train peacefully here."

Rider agreed, and Bianca led him into her house, where the training arena was set up.

Meanwhile, Zack arrived at his home with his three guards trailing behind him. As usual, he wore an emotionless expression—until he saw Bell, his father, waiting inside his house. At that moment, Zack's face transformed; his usual impassive look gave way to fear.

"Dad, um… I didn't know you'd be coming to Xiphosia," Zack managed to say as his voice wavered.

Bell quietly walked toward Zack, stretching out his hand and placing it gently on Zack's shoulders. Each time Bell touched him, Zack trembled and flinched slightly. Bell then looked closely into Zack's eyes and asked in a calm but firm voice, "What's taking you so long, son? You promised you'd be back with the Red Katana for your dad, right? And I'll rule over Xiphosia with you as the Sword Master because daddy is too old to fight anymore. So tell me—what's taking you so long? ANSWER ME!"

Bell's raised voice frightened Zack. Forcing himself to speak, Zack stammered, "There is a tournament tomorrow to decide the Sword Master, and the winner gets the Red Katana. Just wait a little longer until the tournament is over. I—I will be the Sword Master, I promise…"

Before Zack could finish, Bell's anger exploded. Bell punched Zack, sending him tumbling to the ground. Bell began stomping on him furiously. "Don't give me that crap, you worthless shit! You had one thing to do—one thing! I wasted my time training you ever since you were six because I thought you'd be reasonable, but you're as pathetic as your mom!"

Too scared to fight back, Zack shielded his head as his father continued stomping on him. After a few moments, Zack suddenly apologized softly. Then, before things could get any worse, one of Zack's bodyguards, Leo, stepped in and stopped Bell in his tracks. Leo said, "You're taking it too far. Remember, you're the one who signed him up for the tournament, so don't go turning psycho on him. If you injure him, you'll reduce his chances of winning—and I know you don't want that."

Bell frowned at Leo before brushing him off and leaving without saying another word. Leo offered Zack a hand to help him up, but Zack pushed his hand away, insisting that he didn't need help. He tried to stand up on his own but immediately lost his balance. Quick to react, Leo used his shoulder to steady Zack, saying, "Take it easy; you're only nineteen."

A heavy silence fell over the room as Zack leaned against Leo, almost like a hug, both of them trying to catch their breath. Then, Zack pushed Leo away, saying he didn't need anyone's help and that they should go. Leo could see the pain etched on Zack's face as he quietly stared at him. One by one, Zack's other guards left, except for Leo. Frustrated, Zack shouted at Leo to leave, but Leo quietly stayed and then asked softly, "What happened?"

Zack was shocked by the question for a long moment before maintaining a frown and asking, "What do you mean?"

Leo slowly stepped closer to Zack and said, "I'm sorry—I never noticed. For the past two years, I've stuck with you, and I couldn't have known the depth of your pain or let you express yourself more."

"SHUT UP!" Zack interrupted furiously, pointing his sword at Leo's throat.

Leo continued calmly, "Let me help you. That's my real duty—to make sure you're okay, not just to guide you. Let me carry your burden with you. Please, tell me, Zack…"

Zack stared at Leo silently, gritting his teeth until he finally lowered his sword back into its sheath. He sat down on a nearby boulder, silent for a long while before he began speaking.

"My mom loved traveling. She moved around the world a lot—it was her way of escaping dad's anger. That's what my elder brother used to say. I wasn't even born back then. Her favorite mode of travel was by sea. One day, just two weeks after giving birth to me, Mom had an argument with Dad, as usual, and after Dad beat her again, Mom just disappeared with me and my older brother. At that time, my brother was twelve. Nobody knew where she went, but she left to explore the sea. It was the only thing that could calm her down; she regretted marrying a man like my dad. Our boat eventually came to this island, Xiphosia. The villagers saw her as a threat at first, but the more they talked to her, the more they loved her. She decided to spend her life in Xiphosia, and my dad didn't even care if we were missing or not—he didn't even care."

He paused, his voice heavy with memory. "A few days after arriving in Xiphosia, the unexpected happened. Yes—the Red Katana chose my mom, and like the others, she fell into Dextin's hands. He killed my mom messlessly right in front of my brother as he ran for help. But the only thing the citizens could do after witnessing my mom's dead body was send us back to our town because they couldn't afford taking care of more kids until they figured out what was causing all these deaths. They left my brother with Mom's sword, which was made here in Xiphosia, as we sailed back home on our boat."

Zack's voice trembled as he continued, "My brother told Dad everything that happened, but he wasn't even listening. The only thing that caught his interest was the name my brother mentioned—Red Katana. He understood everything about it, about how one of the katanas made this Dextin guy so powerful, but he knew he couldn't do it on his own as he is now old. So he forced my brother into messless training for over four years. By the time my brother was sixteen, I was four—but that didn't stop our father from hitting us to stop us from joking around. He wanted my brother to train every day so he could be strong enough to wield the Red Katana. The way my brother described Dextin and his character—he was definitely a reflection of our father, almost as if they were the same person. Then, when my brother turned eighteen…"

Zack hesitated for a long moment before continuing in a hushed, broken tone, "My brother died. He went to sleep the next day and couldn't stop having nightmares about the brutal training he had to endure every day. So he killed himself. But he left me a note that said, 'I know you can do it, Zack. You're already turning six this year, and you're looking as tough as I ever will. I'm sorry to leave Dad to you alone, but I can't take it. Take over the training for me—not for Dad, but to avenge Mom's death. I left her sword for you.' The sword was too heavy to carry back then because I was six, but that wasn't an excuse for my dad. He just kicked my brother's body aside, calling him worthless, and then turned his attention to me—training me from the age of six until I reached his expectations, so that I could go and claim the Red Katana. Then he heard about the tournament and signed me up. That's why I have to win and hide what I'm feeling—not for my dad, but for my mom. Even after becoming strong, I'm still so scared of my dad, and I hate it. I could beat him if I wanted to, but I'm just so scared."

Leo gripped his sword firmly as he listened to Zack's emotional story. Leo, who had been silently observing, spoke up quietly, "I get it now. Well then, you fight your battle, and I'll protect you from your dad. Is that a promise, friend?" Leo extended his hand for a shake. Zack looked at it, and after a moment, he slapped his hand away, saying, "Sure, whatever." Standing up, he added with a slight edge, "Friend," as Leo managed a small smile.

Meanwhile, in the palace…

Aingo arrived to find King Neon sitting on his throne. Aingo said, "What is it now?"