Chapter 2; Mirae

“I’m not the only one who’s happy about her leaving, right?” one of the students asks. They all nod in agreement. None of them are fans of Su Min, as her attitude isn’t the most favorable. She’s cocky and bossy, and probably the least favorable of all the trainers. “Maybe Lieutenant Lee will be our new trainer while she’s gone.”

Su Min leans back against the wall, her jaw clenched as she listens to her students bad mouth her. Finally, she walks out from her hiding spot and stares at the group of them. “What are you doing, get your asses back to work!” she yells as she s her arm towards the courtyard. Their eyes go wide and they quickly run off, scared about what she might do. “Scum.” she spits.

She’s set to leave tonight, and the clan is alive with buzz about her departure. Of course, she knows very well that she won’t be missed. Everyone here hates her, not that she cares, they’re all just jealous anyways. Her eyes remain hard as she paces about the camp, part of her dreads the mission, the other half of her can’t wait to get away from this hell.

Lieutenant Lee appears practically out of nowhere, that familiar smug smile planted on his face. “Oh, you’re still here?” he says nonchalantly as he twirls his pocket knife around. Su Min looks away, annoyance building in her heart. The last thing she needed was to see this jerk. “Tell you what, Su Min, if you come back in one piece...I’ll consider making you my wife.” he bargains.

In a single motion she knocks him off his feet and places her foot on his sternum. “Listen here, I will never marry you. So don’t even bother dreaming, Mr.” she growls. Su Min digs her heel in a little before removing her foot and walking off. People like him, people who think they can push her around just because she’s a girl. Su Min detests those people.

Thirty minutes later she finds herself standing in front of her father’s office. She presses her head against the door, listening for any movement. Much to her surprise, the sound of two voices comes from inside the room. The General and her father are inside, and judging from the tone of their voices, the conversation is rather serious. “He’s going to go full force, you know that.” the General discusses. He sounds stressed, tired, even.

“I’m aware,”

A sigh is emitted from the General. “Do you really think Su Min can do this? You know she has quite the record...” he explains. A frown falls onto her face. As usual, no one ever gives her the benefit of the doubt. Yes, she has messed up a few times and let her temper get the best of her. And yes, she has jeopardized countless other missions, but she’s still one of the best warriors here.

“I trust her. And something tells me that she’ll be the only one who can possibly rally the Divine Forces.”` her father says, an astounding amount of trust and sureness in his voice. With that, Su Min backs away from the door. It hadn’t occurred to her before, just how immensely important this mission actually is. The weight of the world is on her shoulders, and slowly but surely, she can feel her confidence draining.

Shaking her head, she walks off, towards the armory. There, her only friend waits. “Su Min!” Donghae calls. She nods so as to acknowledge his presence, and then proceeds to rifle through the weapons. Donghae disappears into a separate room and returns seconds later with a bundle of cloth in his grasp. Su Min watches with growing interest as he approaches. “This is a special import. It was seized from a bandit fort, and your father told me to save it. Just for you.”

She reaches out tentatively and grabs hold of the object. Her hands shake as she unfolds the satin cloth, a surge of emotion comes over her as she reaches to unfold the last part of the cloth. Electricity. The tips of her fingers sizzle with energy as she stares down at the object before her. Her heart beats faster, her hands become clammy and her head pounds. I’ve seen this before.

A dagger. A beautiful one, at that. The sheath is made of glass, and intricate iron tip is placed on the point. The hilt is encompassed in iron as well, and intricate textures are carved into it. The precise edges of every pattern let the time and age of the instrument show through. The round end of it is covered with small flower like patterns and just below that is an image of an angel in distress. Her hands graze over it and it feels cool to the touch, as if the dagger had been bathed in ice water.

Her hand clasps the sheath and she pulls it off, revealing a blade sharper than anything she has ever seen before. Above that, it is completely clear, and made of the finest crystal. In town, this kind of blade would sell for an exorbitant amount of money. Su Min’s breath catches in as she looks back up at Donghae, who is smiling brightly. “She’s a beauty, isn’t she?”

“Yes.”

Smiling, he watches as Su Min runs her hands along it, completely entranced. “Mirae, that’s its name.” he recalls. She looks up at him. Mirae. Future. A smile forces its way onto her face and she pats his shoulder. “Now, we have to outfit you with some other stuff, huh?” he proposes as he pushes her around the room, grabbing things as he goes.

- - -

Inside her room, she stares at her reflection in the dirty and rusted mirror that lies in the corner of her room. Her long hair lies over her shoulders, a rare occurrence as Su Min almost always wears her hair up. Outfitted in plum colored warrior gear, she begins to realize that this mission is real. The gear is light, made of fine cloth. The white trim is further lined with an evergreen colored silk and her hands and feet are bound tightly with black wrappings.

Taking her hair in one hand, she quickly ties it up and then continues to slip on her boots. Afterwards, she begins to hide weapons within her clothes. Some tiny blades are placed within a pouch in her boot. A long sword is attached to her waist. And Mirae is placed within her clothes, hidden from view. With that, she grabs her knapsack and exits her room, not bothering to look back. I’ll be back.

- - -

“Are you ready?”

No. Su Min nods and stares at the ground. The whole clan has gathered around and her father looks back at them, an inch of annoyance crossing his face. “Leave me alone with my daughter for a second, please.” he requests. In less than a minute, the whole crowd has dispersed. “Su Min, are you scared?” he asks. Her gaze becomes hard and she looks up at him.

“No.”

A chuckle escapes his throat and he pats her head. “You don’t have to act tough in front of me, child.” he utters. His weathered face is full of wrinkles and a white scar crawls up his face. To anyone else, he may seem brooding, threatening. But, to her, he is comfortable and safe. His hand, covered with calluses and blisters reaches into his robes and clasps onto something.

He withdraws a small silver medallion. The symbol of an eye is inset the middle, and it hangs on a thin rope. “When I found you all those years ago, this was lying behind you. And now, it’s time for me to return it to you, the rightful owner.” he gushes. Her father isn’t soft, although he is forgiving, he is tough and strong. To hear his voice crack, to hear emotion coming from it, is something Su Min never expected. He lifts his hands over head and hangs the medallion around her neck. “Be safe.” he chokes before turning away.

“I’ll complete this mission, father. And I’ll be back!” she calls.

Mirae; Su Min's Dagger

Author's Note;

► Yay, second chapter! I think I'll update again since I'm so excited for this story. Her dagger is so cool, I found the picture and I was like: OOOOOOOOHHHH. Yeah. Anyways, remember to comment, subscribe, and upvote as well!

► Peyton