The fire rose among the forest, yet the burning sensation that I could feel was from my mother.

"Liang, my son. Promise me you'll become a great swordsman. Just like your father." were my mother's words as I was placed in the back of the cart.

It soon drove, leaving my mom crying as she waved her goodbye.

The memories still feel like it happened today, that incident kept haunting me for years. The thought of not being able to do anything was heart breaking.

This exact memory, that scene was haunting me for sixteen years.

"Liang, rise up. The food is ready." a voice comes behind the door.

I wiped the sweat in my forehead and the door. Outside was a family of three, two elderly couples and a kid.

"Liang, come sit down with us." I was greeted with a warm smile from an elderly woman.

I sat beside her, looking at the food presented on the table. I couldn't help but to salivate.

The old man in front of me grabs a plate and gives it to me.

"You should eat before the food gets cold." He said.

As soon as I got everything on my plate, I started savoring my hunger.

The family that adopted me was a distant relative of my mother, despite living in a small shack it's still a nice place to be in.

"Liang, what do you think about applying for Wei Yang? His management in the farm has been good lately, and he's in need of workers, good young ones."

Wei Yang? Though it's not a bad offer, considering the pay is good. I'd rather stay in the house and help granny with chores.

However, as I was deciding about this. I noticed this kid staring at me.

He was gazing at me a long stare, it was starting to become annoying.

"What?" I asked but he simply looked away. Though, I could see that he's annoyed.

What's the deal with this brat?

After giving it a long pause.

"Gramps, I'm gonna find them." I said to him which surprised everyone, even causing gramps to drop his spoon.

"Are you hearing yourself? Have you not remembered what happened back then?!" He screamed at me. I could see him shaking, sweat falling in his face.

The fear in his eyes was the same as mine.

Suddenly, he was tearing up.

"We already lost your mother..." He was sobbing. Looking down at the table.

He was immediately comforted by the kid who shouted at me.

"Don't you have any respect?!" says the kid.

I can't help but to feel bad about it but I took a deep breath and held my grandpa's hand.

However, this isn't enough to keep me staying here and let the nightmares hunt me. That's why...

"I have to. It's been haunting me for years... I... I have to know what really happened."

There's no turning back to this and I have to know the truth, I deserve to know the truth. Nothing will stop me from doing so.

"Fine." The old man calmed down and his voice became softer.

I can't help but to sigh heavily, not only there would be danger ahead but there's also more people I didn't know were out there.

"I know this is selfish, but let me prepare myself here before I go, that way. I won't have any regrets."

The words made the old man smile for a bit and simply nodded his head.

During that afternoon, I headed to the mountain. I began to reminisce about the past.

Why are there flames? Why can't my mother go with us? Why? Just why?

Those questions are one of the many.

Meditating at the peak calmed my mind even for a while, thinking of where I should head to. A sudden rustling in the bushes caught my attention.

I quickly stood up to try and see what was inside the bushes but it only began to shake even more.

As I approached it, the rustling stopped.

As I put my hand around the bushes, I touched something soft.

That's when the culprit hiding in the bushes came out and tackled me.

I let out a groan as this was a bulky boar.

The force it puts out while pushing me is enough to send me rolling back.

"This bastard!" I said as I struggled to stand up.

The boar was grunting while keeping its eyes at me.

Soon enough, the boar rushes at me again at the same speed however there's a momentum now and receiving a hit from this again might leave me with broken bones.

Panicking, I quickly jumped on the right dodging its rush.

The boar quickly turned back and started to head again in my direction.

Laying on the ground, I found a stick beside me. A sharp one at that so my instinct told me to grab it and stab it at the boar's head. Aimed directly at its skull.

"Take that!" I said as the boar screamed in pain, the squeal was so loud it scared most of the bird out of the forest.

The blood slowly spills in the boar and the sight of it makes my heart race. My heart also tightens and makes me weak. Even making me almost puke.

But this was the right move. Is it though? That's what I asked myself as I slowly sit up, beside the dead boar.

"What a scene!" I looked up to see a guy who walks toward the boar and pokes it.

"If you can't even handle a boar, then you might as well forget leaving this place, no?" He looked at me with a grin on his face.

"Jian Liu, give me a break." I said as Jian laughed at me before helping me get up.

"Have you ever dream of becoming the strongest?" I looked at Jian with a clear confusion on my face. I even looked at him like he's a weird guy and sighed.

"Being the strongest? Not really, I just want to find the truth about my past." Jian Liu looked at my response with the most boring face.

"You're no fun. I wanted to be the greatest!" Jian Liu proudly said while holding his sword handle and bumping that fist in my chest.

"The greatest? The greatest of what?" I really wasn't impressed by his answer and became even more confused by his real intention.

"Get to the point."

"A swordsman! Having to wield the sword is the coolest! You see, in heroes. Swords are their very best friend. It also signifies the mighty power." He said it proudly in my face.

"Greatest swordsman?" a sudden headache filled my head as I suddenly lost balance and groaned in pain.

Jian Liu saw me fall and immediately checked on me. But the pain was severe, it's a flashback.

"Liang! Are you okay?" he was touching my forehead to see if I was sick but the headache stopped soon after.

For my nightmare to even haunt even when i'm wide awake. It's becoming alarming at this point. I should act quick.

I grab on Jian's hands to stand up, still wobbling.

"Greatest swordsmanship." those words started to imprint on my mind even more. The word that my mom left me behind. Those words.

As the wind brushes in my face, I look at Jian with a clear set of goals in my eyes.

"Then let's aim for it." I put my fist forward, asking for him to bump in return.

His eyes lit up, he couldn't contain his excitement and bumped my fist back.

"You betcha!"

Having the goal to fulfil my mother's last wish. I look at Jian Liu who was whistling while tapping his wooden sword in his shoulder.

"Jian Liu, do you know how to wield a blade?" Jian's tapping stopped and looked at Liang.

"Of course, I'm a disciple of Tang. Swords are our specialty." He said.

The Tang family is a famous family in this place, Jian is one of Tang's illegitimate son. Thankfully, power hasn't corrupted his mind and only focused on swords.

"Can you teach me then?" I said while looking at his sword. He faced me and gripped his sword.

"Alright then." He slowly lowered himself looking at me.

The way his hand tightened at the sword and how his stance was solid. I could predict what was going to happen.

I smirked. Come at me! I said in my mind because I know well that this man is the type of person to go for a slash!

"Take this!" Jian dashed towards me while holding his sword for the side. I could see it, it's sliding upward! Easy!

Thwack! That was the sound we both heard as the sword's handle bonked me in the head.

"Ouch! You-" I scratched my head trying not to tear up.

"Yup, you're not cut for this." Jian somehow has a sense of relief in his face as he shakes his head.

"What?! I can do it. Again!" I looked at every movement of Jian Liu as he does his stance again.

"Here I come, don't get hit again!" He said with a proud look in his face while dashing.

All I did was put all of my intention to Jian and ignore my surroundings. And so, Jian's sword movements were focused on my eyes.

It's moving... Slowly.

"Take this!" He announced himself while doing the same attack.

An upward slash that fakes you into blocking to get you open, if you fall for it. You can get bonked.

I took a step back that surprised Jian but he quickly recomposes himself and closes the distance between us.

His sword attack changed and this time, it was a plunge.

He didn't say anything while striking while I had to act quickly. As the sword's end was getting closer to my chest. I clapped my hand locking the sword in the middle.

The sword was shaking as we both used our strength as he's pushing while I'm holding.

I gritted my teeth as I could see how much Jian was struggling.

Now's my chance!

I mustered all my remaining strength onto my right foot and tried to get him off balance using a sweep.

"Got you." He said which confuses me because I clearly have this situation in control... Or was I?

He pulled the sword which pulled me as well and slammed me onto the ground.

I could feel my back hitting the ground hard as I passed out.

"Hey, are you okay? I'm sorry about that. I got too worked up." He said but that's all I could hear because I was passed out.

I woke up beside Jian who was setting up a campfire.

"You're finally awake." he smiled at me while trying to start a fire with stones.

"I'm sorry, what happened?"

"You were knocked out because of our spar, that was my fault. I'm sorry."

The two proceeded to walk two miles to reach the place Jian Liu was so proud of.

The day is still on the top of their head, and they still have a lot of time.

"Here it is." The two stand before a gate, a rusty one.

The silence was dreading as the two continued to stand on the same gate for five minutes.

"So are we going to come in or what?" Liang Sun breaks the ice as he looks at Jian Liu's awkward face.

Jian Liu took a deep breath and gently knocked on the gate.

"Master? Are you there?" He nervously placed his face on the cold gate.

The awkward silence was suddenly cut off when a footstep was heard beyond the gate.

The pace was slow, it's like that person is taking his time.

Jian Liu flinched and backed away at the gate.

He then quickly looked at Liang Sun and gave him an ugly smile.

"Listen, when we go inside. You have to be quiet, okay?" Liang Sun simply nodded at Jian Liu's strange request.

The gate slowly opens up revealing an old man with ragged clothes.

He's also using a cane to assist his walking.

"Jian Liu, you again? What do you need? I already told you to scram." The old man was grumpy.

Liang Sun took a long gaze at the old man and looked at his features.

A long beard and guan, from his posture of holding a cane upfront and the other at the back, Liang Sun is slowly figuring who's the old man.

Jian Liu puts a prayer on his hand and closes his eyes while facing his master.

"Please, master. Teach me your ways, no. Teach us!" He begged.

But looking at the old man, his face isn't wavering at Jian Liu's pathetic plea.

"I already told you, I'm too old to teach you. And who's this new fella you've brought?" The old man now turns his attention to Liang Sun.

"I'm Liang Sun, I greet you for this wonderful afternoon." He lowered his head.

"This young man has manners, you should aspire to be like him, Jian." The old man laughed and asked for Liang Sun to raise his head.

"Like every other lesson, if you want to learn. Respect is the bare minimum. I've seen enough, come inside." The hopeless situation for Jian Liu turned into a golden opportunity.

His face couldn't contain his happiness as he looked at Liang Sun and hugged him tightly.

"I knew it wasn't a bad thing that I've brought you here with me!" He exclaimed as he rushed inside.

Liang Sun couldn't help but to smile.

Even though it was indirect help, he couldn't help but to feel proud for helping someone, especially his friend.

Liang Sun didn't waste any more time and entered the gate.

Once he went inside, he was entranced by the small hut and the bamboo all lined together on the left side of the hut.

The ground was filled with rocks designed as a road and there's also a small pond on the other.

He looked ahead to see Jian Liu facing his master who was sitting at the wooden edge.

Liang Sun rejoined his friend who was listening to the old man.

"The sword I gave you, where was it?" The old man looked at Jian Liu in which Jian draws out and carefully gives it to the old man.

"What's your name, young man?" He now looks at Liang Sun who's focused on their conversation.

"Why do you want to learn swordsmanship?" He strikes up a question that led Liang Sun to have a deep thought.

"I want to banish the nightmares." The old man rubs his beard after hearing this.

"Nightmares? Like a ghost?" Jian Liu cracks up a joke, but the old man hits his shin.

"Hold this blade and tell me what it reminds you of?" Liang Sun carefully grabs the knife from the old man and turns it to see his reflection in the blade.

He gave it a long stare, until a single word came out of his mouth.

"Moonlit." He said. The old man's eyes widened, but he covered it with a cough.

"Old man Zhu, are you okay?" Jian Liu checks up on the old man who stops him and says he's fine.

However, Liang Sun knew something was off.

"Why Moonlit?" He asked.

"Because it's beautiful, it's when the moon shines brightly in the cloudless clear sky." Liang Sun said, though he's at the old man's house.

His mind is somewhere else, which is the past.

The night where he was separated from his mother, the night where the engulfing flames were destroying everything at sight.

It all occurred under the bright moon, a moonlit.

The past disappeared from his eyes and he went back into the present.

"That's deep." Jian Liu said, only to receive another hit in the shin.

"I'm moved by your words, I might be old, but I can teach a move or two." He stood up, slowly to avoid hurting his back.

He takes the sword and walks towards a single placed bamboo.

By the looks of it, it's a training dummy.

He raised the sword up, leveling it on his shoulder.

There he unleashes a slash causing the bamboo to get sliced in half.

Before the two could even react he proceeds to slash the upper bamboo two more times cutting it into thinner pieces.

Their jaw dropped when a frail old man managed to do a precise cut in a hard bamboo.

Nonetheless, it was so clean it didn't even make a sound.

"So he really wasn't a bust." Liang Sun looked as Jian Liu said.

"What?" The confused Liang Sun raised his eyebrows.

"He really is the proficient sword master, Zhuyun Xuanwei." Jian Liu added as the old man looked back, smiling.

Zhuyun Xuanwei immediately felt pain after excessing too much force on the sword play.

"My back!" He groaned as he dropped the sword and held on his cane dearly.

Jian Liu rushed to aid the old man as he went back to sitting on the edge.

"If you're that great, why are you hiding in such a compressed home?" Liang Sun asked.

"It's a choice. Most masters would want people to worship them but I'm not like the rest. I just want to have a peaceful life." He looked at Jian Liu while saying this.

"Are you two really just master and disciples?" Liang Sun asked another question.

In his mind, the way the two acts can only be seen if they're your relative.

"Wait. You didn't know?" Jian Liu looked at Liang Sun, shocked.

"How am I supposed to know? All you talk about is being great!"

"Well, you do have a point." Jian Liu said.

All this time, Liang Sun had no idea that Jian Liu comes from the blood of a great swordsman.

"Now you know, I'm the great Jian Liu!" Jian Liu chortle.

As soon as he said that, the cane struck his shin.

"I'm sorry, okay? I won't brag anymore. Jeez." He rubbed his aching shin.

"Young man, are you sure you want to take this arduous path?" The old man looked at Liang Sun, eye to eye.

"Yes, master." He said with full resolve.

The old man couldn't help but to laugh.

"You really remind me of him."

"Oh, him? You mean Yu Feng?" Jian Liu tilted his head, racking up possible names.

"We don't talk about Yu Feng, it gets my blood boiling." The old man's mood sours after hearing that name.

Because of that, Liang Sun curiosity peeked.

He wanted to meet Yu Feng.

"Grab some swords at the back and get changed." Zhuyun heads inside the house, followed by the two.

Liang Sun and Jian Liu enter the tiny home of Zhuyun in which they see a box full of sharp blades.

As they roam their eyes on the sword, Liang Sun was captivated by one sword.

He immediately grabbed it and observed its features.

A clean, sharp blade. Along with white tassel on it. The sword is also thin.

"That's a katana but not a normal one. The real name of this one is called Xianfeng." Jian Liu said.

Xianfeng is translated to Vanguard.

The distinguishing features are like an eye candy to Liang Sun.

He couldn't help but to feel a connection with the sword.

"Gramps said that one day this sword will choose its owner. We thought Yu Feng was chosen but surprisingly not." Jian Liu added.

The old man goes to check on them, but he suddenly stops on his tracks as he sees Liang Sun holding the Xianfeng.

"Boy, that's dangerous. You might get cursed." The old man immediately grabbed the sword away from Liang Sun.

"The more you hold onto this sword, the more you'll get addicted to it." He warned.

"Do you feel anything bad when you touch the sword?"

"Nothing. Somehow, I feel like the sword is telling me something." Liang Sun said while holding his chin, trying to think of anything else he could add.

"Nothing? Are you sure?" The old man asked once again.

"Yu Feng started going berserk when he touched that sword. Going mad like saying he's not worthy. Something like that." Jian Liu said.

"But Liang Sun was completely fine after holding the sword." Jian Liu started to doubt the sword that's why he tried to touch it.

But the moment he made contact with the blade, He started to feel a headache.

"That sword really is cursed!" Jian Liu rubs his forehead, trying to ease the pain.

"Why aren't you feeling anything bad then?" Liang Sun looked at Zhuyun.

"That's because if you're a sword master, you're not easily cursed by these weapons. Though, we cannot wield weapons like this despite the title." Zhuyun said while holding the sword in both of his hands.

"By looking at it. The sword has chosen you." Zhuyun said which surprised the two disciples.

"However, you're still not worthy to wield it." Which breaks the momentary joy of Liang Sun.

"Being worthy doesn't mean you have the power to wield it completely. You have to show it. Why–you're worthy." Those cold lines send shivers in Liang Sun's spine.

Thus, the training began, the two started on fortifying their mind before wielding the sword.

"Your mind is one of the most important factors in battle, being mentally prepared can help you a lot because it can defeat things such as fear." He walks in a circle as the two meditate.

The two proceed to do some workouts to strengthen their body.

"Having your body in perfect condition is also an important factor. You can't simply wield a sword if you're a limp. This is reality, throw your fantasies away." He said.

 This rigorous activity proceeded up until dawn, the two didn't even realize it as they rest on the ground, gasping.

"Good, this is just the start. Have a break before changing clothes." The old man heads inside the house first, leaving the two lying on the ground outside.

"Jian, who really is your grandpa?" Liang Sun said while placing his hand on his chest, gasping.

"Zhuyun Xuanwei, the Divine Wind." Jian Liu turned his head to look at Liang Sun.

"I wanted to become the greatest swordsman because of who grandpa is. Even though he couldn't be the best. I will be, for him." He turns to face the starry night and puts his arm in the air, closing it as if grabbing the stars.

"Let's aim for it then." Liang Sun said.

"What?"

"Being the strongest in Murim." Liang Sun smiles while saying it.

"Yeah, let's do that." Jian Liu smiles back as the Liang Sun raises his hand in the air and the twi fist bump.