Kaen Suro trudged down the dirt path leading to the town gates, his cloak draped lazily over one shoulder. The air was quiet, save for the sound of cicadas buzzing in the distant fields.
Then—
"Kyaaaah! Pervert!!"
SMACK!
A figure in tattered, fla-colored robes went flying across the street, rolling into the dirt with a puff of dust. His hair—wild, gray, and untad—sputtered like a candle's dying fla. He lay there, twitching dramatically, a red handprint stamped across his cheek.
Kaen stopped. His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…What a perverted old man."
The figure suddenly froze, then jerked upright as if lightning had struck him. His face twisted into an offended scowl.
"Perverted?! How dare you! I'll have you know, boy—perverts don't reach my level of enlightennt!"
He puffed out his chest, standing tall despite his ragged robes.
"I am Fire-Worn Monk… GENZU!"
He struck a mighty pose, backlit by the setting sun. His silhouette might have been intimidating, if not for the dirt clinging to his beard and the comical tears streaming from his eyes.
Kaen tilted his head, unimpressed.
"…What a weird old man."
Before Genzu could reply, a shrill voice rang out from the crowd.
"Help! Soone stole my money!"
Instantly, Genzu's deanor flipped. His eyes sharpened, his back straightened. He slamd his staff into the ground, the impact sending sparks skittering across the stones.
"A woman in need?" he declared, his voice booming.
"Not on my watch!"
Without hesitation, the old monk dashed into the crowd with surprising speed, his tattered robes fluttering like burning banners.
Kaen blinked, watching him vanish. His lips tightened.
"…What the hell was that?"
What Kaen did not yet know was that the ridiculous man who had just been slapped to the dirt was no ordinary wanderer.
Once, he had been Lunar Sage Genzu of the Ignisoul Nation—a master of fla Affinity and ruler of one of the Twelve Lunar Realms.
Now, the world only rembered him as the Fire-Worn Monk.
Kaen darted after the old man, his eyes narrowing as the ragged figure vanished into the crowd with startling speed.
When Kaen finally caught up, he froze.
The thief was already sprawled flat on the ground, groaning in pain, his weapon shattered into pieces. Standing over him, Genzu twirled his staff lazily, not even breathing hard.
"Who… is this old man?" Kaen murmured.
With a casual grin, Genzu scooped up the stolen purse and handed it back to the trembling young woman.
"There, there, nothing to worry about, miss… It's nothing, nothing… I only did what any enlightened monk would do for a beauty such as—"
His eyes slid downward.
"…for a beauty with such divine peaks—"
SLAP!!
The girl's palm cracked against his cheek with rciless force.
WHAM!
The Fire-Worn Monk flipped backward and landed flat on the stone street, arms splayed, tongue lolling codically.
Kaen facepald.
"…This old man is really a pervert."
But as his eyes lingered, Kaen's expression sobered. His sharp gaze caught the faint scorch marks etched into the ground where the thief's weapon had shattered. The flow of power, the rhythm of movent—those were not the fumblings of so ragged hermit.
Kaen thought, his heart tightening:
"(That technique he used… that control of Shinrei… It was no ordinary strike. This isn't just so wandering fool.)"
He pulled his cloak tighter around his shoulders, his footsteps quiet as he began trailing the monk through the alleys.
"(Pervert or not… my instincts are screaming at . This old man is dangerous. I need to know who he really is.)"
As Kaen moved like a shadow, weaving through the narrow alleys of the town, his sharp eyes fixed on the shambling figure ahead. The old monk walked with a lazy, drunken gait… but sohow, Kaen could never quite close the distance.
What Kaen didn't know was that Genzu's ears twitched at every footstep behind him.
The old man smirked, scratching his ssy grey hair.
"(What a cute kid… he thinks he can tail , the mighty Fire-Worn Monk? Hah! Let's play a little ga.)"
Without warning, Genzu broke into a sudden sprint. His ragged robes flapped like banners, his sandals slapping the cobblestone in erratic rhythm.
Kaen's eyes widened.
"…Fast!"
He darted after him, his own steps light, honed by endless training. Yet no matter how fast Kaen pushed himself, the distance remained the sa. The monk's body swayed side to side like a drunkard, but his feet barely touched the ground, his speed effortless.
"(What… kind of footwork is that? It looks sloppy, but every step flows perfectly with the earth. It's like he's dancing with the ground itself.)" Kaen thought, his breath tightening.
Genzu glanced back with a mischievous grin, sticking out his tongue.
"Too slow, brat!" he shouted playfully, before leaping onto a barrel, then a rooftop, vanishing into the maze of tiles and chimneys.
Kaen clenched his jaw, his Shinrei stirring.
"Tch. No way I'm losing him now."
With a burst of speed, Kaen vaulted after him, boots scraping across shingles as the chase carried into the rooftops—
the town below filled with startled gasps and shouts as two figures blurred across the skyline.
As The rooftops echoed with their clattering chase, tiles shifting underfoot as night wind whipped through their hair.
Finally, Genzu skidded to a halt atop a wide beam, turning with his ragged robe flapping. His wrinkled face twisted in irritation.
"Brat, stop following —it's getting annoying."
Kaen landed a few paces away, his chest rising steadily, not winded in the slightest. His eyes narrowed.
"…You noticed?"
Genzu snorted, scratching his wild grey hair.
"Of course I noticed, dumb brat. I could sll your stubborn footsteps from a mile away."
Kaen shot back instantly, pointing at him.
"Hey! I'm not dumb—you pervert!"
Genzu staggered theatrically, hand clutching his chest as though stabbed.
"Pervert?! Hey, hey, listen here—I'm not a pervert!! Everything I do is for the sake of… experint, you idiot!"
Kaen scoffed, his sharp eyes flashing with scorn.
"What kind of 'experint' involves staring at girls' boobs, you ecchi old man! You filthy pervert! Pedophile!!"
The words hit like arrows. Genzu froze, eyes bulging, then exploded forward in comical fury. In one swift motion, he slapped his palm over Kaen's mouth, silencing him.
"You brat… so mouthful!" Genzu growled, veins twitching in his forehead. "Do you want executed in public?! Don't shout that kind of thing so loud!"
Kaen's muffled voice still ca out beneath his hand, "Mmphh—'cause it's true—mphhh—!"
The old monk's eyebrow twitched harder, his comical annoyance hiding the subtle pressure that radiated off him—an undercurrent of power Kaen hadn't missed.
"(This geezer… his presence is completely different when he gets serious. He's not just so perverted old fool… no, this aura is sharp—controlled. Who exactly is he?)" Kaen thought, his eyes narrowing even while Genzu held him by the face.
Kaen twisted violently, shoving against Genzu's grip. Shinrei sparked faintly around his arms as he hissed:
"Let go, old man—!"
But instead of resisting, Genzu suddenly released him, skipping backwards with surprising agility. He waved his arms dramatically as a group of passing townsfolk—mostly young won—paused nearby, curious at the rooftop commotion.
"NOW look what you've done, brat!" Genzu shouted, pointing at Kaen like he was the guilty one. "Those cutie girls just heard everything you scread about !! You idiot!!"
The girls below blinked, whispering. Kaen's face heated red in embarrassnt, his jaw tightening.
"Don't twist this, you disgusting geezer! I'm gonna follow you until the end, no matter what!"
Genzu wagged his finger like a disappointed teacher.
"Tch! Just so you know, my type is girls, not boys!!"
Kaen's temper snapped, his voice cracking across the rooftops:
"PERVERT!!!"
The townsfolk gasped, so stifling laughter, others glaring at Genzu suspiciously. The old monk's face flushed red as he flailed his robes like a man trying to shoo chickens.
"Don't listen to this brat's slander! I'm a respectable monk!"
Then, without warning, Genzu vanished. One blink and he was gone, his steps carrying him effortlessly beyond the rooftops and into the tree line.
Kaen cursed under his breath, Shinrei surging into his legs as he gave chase. The rooftops ended, and the pursuit plunged into the shadowed woods, branches whipping at his shoulders.
The forest was quiet except for the faint crunch of leaves ahead. Kaen gritted his teeth, his pulse quickening.
"(This old man… he keeps running, but his steps don't falter. His movent is refined—perfectly refined. He's no fool… he's leading sowhere.)"
Up ahead, Genzu's laughter echoed between the trees, wild and mocking.
"Co on then, brat! If you think you can keep up with the Fire-Worn Monk… try it!!"
Kaen's eyes sharpened, determination flaring.
"I'll chase you to the very end… old man."
The forest swallowed them both, the air tense with the feeling that sothing far more dangerous than a codic chase was about to unfold.
To be continue
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