"I do not have much time to spare today. What I do have, however, is plenty of strength to train with you until you cannot even stand up."
He shifted his white horsehair whisk to his other hand, his dark eyes looking at the young master sitting on the rock. "Tell me the truth. Were you really abandoned by your female so quickly? I have yet to even meet her, and you are already up here wailing like a lost cub."
Silence fell over the hilltop once more. Long Zhan did not answer. He just stared at his own boots, his jaw locked tight as he held the leather map tightly in his hand.
Mikal watched him closely, noticing the deep, stubborn quiet. Slowly, his flat expression changed into one of genuine surprise. "Wait... did you really get abandoned by her?" Mikal shouted, his voice actually rising a bit in pitch.
