Junseo waited until the others left before sneaking back to the dorm room and making his preparations. His hands shook as he opened the ebony box where all his crystals were being stored. He sat on the floor within an improvised isolation field. In-Yeon's copper bracelet was still within reach beside one of the jade posts but far enough away not to amplify any stray energy. Junseo took a steadying breath and lifted out each silk-lined tray. His stones were sorted into separate compartments for clear, dark, and aligned spectrums. The cracks in many of the clear-quartz beads were obvious and he quickly stowed them away.

Among the whole collection, only one stone held any kind of resonance for him. A small tiger's eye glinted with more than the ambient light. Junseo picked up the stone to better see its golden hues and felt a solid jolt of energy. It was a familiar spark. A mixture of his own resonance and the firm support his first mentor. "Thank you," he whispered as tears startled to flow. "Thank you for keeping this much of me safe." He added the tiger's eye to a string of wooden prayer beads and tucked it away under his shirt. Then he re-stowed the rest of his stones.

He knew with certainty where he needed to go on the next step of his healing journey. There was no reason to delay now the riverboats were running again. The hard part would be explaining it to the team. He was confident Knight-Master Lie would understand but unsure how the other boys might react.

Junseo's announcement at dinner silenced the table for an uncomfortably long moment. In-Yeon's quiet voice provided the first reaction saying, "I am very sad you need to leave us for a time but if going back home will help you heal faster then you should not delay. Sooner there, sooner returned."

San Jin stood, tapped head and heart, and said "Truth." The other boys repeated this motion and repeated "sooner return." Junseo bowed his head to hide his tears. Song-hee leaned over and bumped shoulders with Junseo before announcing, "Just don't take too long or we will have to come find you."

This promise reduced the remaining tensions but Hae-sung still looked worried. It was not until after San Jin left with In-Yeon that Junseo could take Hae-sung aside. "Don't feel like you need to stay just because I am going on leave. Knight-Master Lie always reminds us, the team is more than just one person."

"No. It is not that. It is just, well, I don't mind being the go-to with the horses but I am not ready to be a team leader." Hae-sung blushed when he realized how this might sound so explained, "Even though he is older San Jin says he backs me. Says his hands are full of other matters and Song-hee made it pretty clear he is not interested, not even temporarily."

"I am not sure anyone is fully ready but honestly the team makes the choice and once they decide to back you..." Junseo shrugged. "It isn't always easy but if you listen closely then remind them of what we agreed to, most things work out. If not, well, Manager Doak and Scout Jia give pretty good advice and tell you when to take something to Knight-Master Lie."

Hae-sung swallowed hard. He was comfortable enough with the Knight-Master in the forge but could not imagine what it might be like to take a concern about another member to the head of their little training league. "Okay but this will only be temporary."

"Good. I am sure the other guys will be relieved. I hope you will also keep an eye out for In-Yeon at the Temple when you can. It would be better if he could move into the dorms but I understand waiting until the semester end to get him fully enrolled." Junseo then talked about each of the core team members in turn. "Go San Jin has a lot coming at him being eldest and heir to two major estates. Of course, there is the whole fourth kingdom and the conspiracies it brings. He won't share his worries easily so just be there to listen. Ask him to help you with not letting In Song-hee brood. They are both very hard on themselves. Oh, and watch out for the gang members getting too cozy they say the truce is good but there is always an angle."

Hae-sung swallowed hard and nodded.

"Right, well you know Park Chenhui well enough just don't let him think you and the horses are his only friends. If he looks homesick help him write a letter to his grandparents. He and Bon Xuiyang seem to be getting along well enough but be ready for when they fight. I have never met a more stubborn pair. There are bound to be other trainees coming in while I am away so take the time to get to know them. I know it can feel sort of weird since we are competing for spots but at the same time need to work together."

"Thanks. Now you just concentrate on getting you and your collection of stones sorted. I hope the Moon Temple has the answers you are looking for."

"I didn't say where I was going."

"No. But we both know it is part of what you need. That and time." Hae-sung smiled warmly then went to help the servant with Junseo's trunks. "Let us know if we need to pull anything out of storage and send it along."

"I'm pretty sure my mother will have filled up my wardrobe by the time I get back home. She loves any excuse to refurbish robes."

"Not shop for new ones?" Song-hee who had just joined them in the dorm sounded surprised.

"Oh, that too I suppose, but she prefers seeing old things get new life. It can get a bit quirky at time." Junseo then described a questionable combination he and his father had to wear before his Grandmother Min intervened.

"I thought your family was pretty well off. I mean your Dad is a healer and your uncle runs his own school."

"Compared to many of our neighbours our family is doing okay. Nothing like what you see here in the capital, of course. I always had to come up with ways to earn any extra pocket money I wanted. It's how I got into the courier business. It didn't need an upfront investment." Junseo blushed when he remembered just how much pocket-money he earned compared with how tight things must be for Song-hee's family.