𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐖'𝐒 𝐃𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐑 | Jungwon

chapter 08

Chapter 08 : Building Strength
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Two weeks had gone by since Suyin committed to her destiny of becoming a true warrior. For every morning, she had taken extra time to train herself with Master Wonchul–10 hours a day or even more. Her sweat had joined the rain's purpose, and her body ached from her constant motion. She hadn't gotten the chance to use her powers during training like the others. Since they were ahead of her, they were able to practice their magical abilities on their own when she wasn't allowed yet.

The morning sun glittered through every window of the Aureum Palace. As the birds chirped their hearts away, the Eight Warriors, excluding Suyin since she had been practicing, had risen.

Yang Jungwon opened his bedroom doors, welcoming the outdoor sunlight to his face. His sleepy eyes squinted further, nearly blinded by the golden light. He scratched his head while dragging his feet down the outdoor hallways to the shared bathrooms. Arriving at one of the bathrooms, Jungwon stepped beside Jay. Jay was standing beside the door, tapping an impatient foot against the ground.

"Ready for another day of training?" Jay asked casually while turning his head.

Jungwon hummed, staring off into the distance.

"Think we'll finally start using our weapons?"

Jungwon hummed again but in a disagreeing tone.

"I just want to get started on using our weapons. I haven't gotten the chance to use my flail yet," Jay complained, and he turned his head to Jungwon. "At least you've used yours once–at the Sky Arena."

Jungwon nodded slowly, sinking into his memories of the Sky Arena. He remembered the urge that drove him off the edge of his seat, begging him to help. The visions flashed through his mind–his obsidian shielding Huening Kai from the uncontrolled dragon. However, another horrid vision invaded his mind. The moment he stood at the back of the dragon, a gust of wind brushed his skin. He witnessed shadows mustering up into a forbidden storm, swirling into an edged blade. And then a glimpse of her, Huang Suyin.

The bathroom door opened, shattering Jungwon's reverie. Jay walked into the bathroom after Sunghoon finished, but he walked back out almost immediately. "Yah!" Jay yelled, "What the hell? Quit leaving ice on the sink's countertop! You're doing it on purpose!"

Sunghoon spun around on his heels, seizing the irritated boy's glare. "How about you quit fussing over every little thing and get over it?" Sunghoon countered passively, and he went on his way.

Jungwon remained still, hearing Jay muttering something about hating Sunghoon's guts.

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A silent Jungwon sauntered behind the team as they traveled to the outdoor training area. The group talked amongst themselves, leisurely walking for their morning training session. Jungwon secretly remembered the missing member of their group, and his curious mind took off. Where is that Shadow Wielder– he stopped. He scolded himself and shook his mind off of it.

"So one time, there was this huge rumor going around at my castle," Sunoo started, luring everyone's attention, "they said that our castle steward had an affair with the chamberlain when he was married to someone else named Annette."

"Yeah, yeah. Affairs happen all the time," Jay said, sipping from his water bottle.

"No, but here's the thing. His wife knew the entire time," Sunoo added on, "she knew because she was actually in love with the chamberlain. The girls planned it out together so that they could kick the steward out of the picture."