Chapter 5 — The Promise
The next morning, Kil Ful woke up earlier than usual. The annual examination was getting closer, and he knew that he could not afford to waste any more time. He quickly prepared himself and headed toward the training ground. The streets were already beginning to fill with people, and everywhere he looked, he could hear conversations about the upcoming examination.
When Kil Ful reached the training ground, Morry was already waiting for him. He stood with his arms crossed, looking at Kil Ful with an impatient expression. "You’re late," Morry said. Kil Ful looked at him calmly and smiled. "I’m not late. You’re just too early." Morry shook his head and laughed. "You always have an excuse."
The two friends began their training together. They had been doing this for years, so neither of them needed to explain what they were doing. They practiced their movements, tested their strength, and challenged each other whenever they got the chance. Sometimes Morry won, sometimes Kil Ful won, but neither of them cared about losing. For them, training was just another way to spend time together.
After several hours, both of them sat down to rest. Morry looked toward the training ground and became quiet for a moment. "What rank do you think you’ll get?" he asked. Kil Ful thought about it for a few seconds before shrugging. "I don’t know." He smiled and added, "Maybe I’ll surprise everyone."
Morry laughed. "You? Surprise everyone? Don’t get too confident." Kil Ful smiled back. "I’m not confident. I’m just hoping I don’t embarrass myself." The two friends laughed together, but beneath their jokes, both of them understood how important the examination was.
The examination was getting closer with every passing day. Soon, Kil Ful would finally discover his rank, and Morry would discover his as well. Until then, there was only one thing they could do.
Train harder.
Morry looked at Kil Ful and smiled. "No matter what rank we get, we’ll keep training together, right?"
Kil Ful smiled and held out his hand. "Of course. We’ll become stronger together."
Morry grabbed his hand firmly. "Promise?"
Kil Ful nodded. "Promise."