BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Massive explosions echoed through the trees of the forest surrounding the village, sending enormous clouds of dust rising high enough to be seen from far away. The shockwaves rippled across the ground with enough force to shake the earth even where the group was waiting at a safe distance.
Thorn lowered his black bow after completing his attack. The weapon vanished as suddenly as it had appeared. He then descended smoothly from the top of the enormous tree where he had been standing, his feet touching the ground without making the slightest sound.
Turning toward the people waiting behind him . everyone he had ordered to retreat to safety . he saw the fear and anxiety plainly written across their faces.
In his usual calm voice, he said,
"It's over. I've eliminated the puppet army that was about to attack the village."
He watched relief immediately spread across their faces, as though an enormous weight had been lifted from all of them at once. Especially the blonde young woman, Shinji Hinako, who quickly bowed deeply in respect, with everyone else following her almost simultaneously.
"Thank you, Master . You've saved our village once again."
Thorn raised a hand toward her and replied in a tone that left no room for argument,
"There's no need to bow. I simply did what I wanted to do."
After a brief silence, he turned and began walking toward the village through the forest.
"Come. Today's training still isn't over."
Everyone hurried after him to catch up.
"Yes, Master ."
Without even looking back, Thorn replied while continuing to walk,
"I've already told you that I'm not your teacher. I'm only passing on a little knowledge so that you can solve the problem one of your own villagers has brought upon the world."
Shinji immediately answered, unable to hide her determination.
"But you—"
Thorn interrupted her before she could continue, still without turning around.
"I'm not much older than you. I haven't even reached twenty years of age yet. I don't want a group of grown men calling me 'Master.'"
Several of the men laughed awkwardly. Quite a few of them were older than he was.
Then Shinji suddenly brightened, as though a new idea had just occurred to her.
"Then that means it's fine if I'm the only one who calls you Master."
Before Thorn could reply, she immediately turned toward the men walking behind them and addressed them with the firm tone of someone giving orders.
"You all heard what Master said, uncles. From now on, none of you are to call him 'Master' except..."
She paused for a moment before smiling mischievously.
"Except me."
Thorn looked at the enthusiastic young woman walking beside him and sighed, a faint smile forming beneath the black cloth covering his face despite his best efforts to suppress it.
"Do whatever you want."
His voice carried the resignation of someone who already knew there was no possible way to win this argument.
He turned his attention back to the path ahead, continuing to walk at the same steady pace.
Shinji quickly caught up beside him and immediately began bombarding him with one question after another, driven by a curiosity she simply could not suppress. She asked about the technique he had used, about the next stage of training, and about what they would be learning that day. The questions flowed endlessly while Thorn continued walking calmly, answering a few with brief replies while choosing to remain silent for others.
The rest of the group followed several steps behind, watching the scene with quiet smiles upon their faces. It was a striking contrast to the solemn atmosphere that had existed when they first met, and to the awe every one of them had felt the first time they witnessed Thorn erase an entire army of stone puppets.
At that very same moment, Dan lifted his eyes from the large scroll spread open before him in his laboratory, its pages covered with detailed diagrams and complex equations related to the construction of his new inner world. A gentle smile appeared on his face.
"That certainly is an interesting development, my son."
He murmured to himself before lowering his gaze once again to the scroll and placing his pen back upon the very line where he had stopped writing.
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