Scroll 1: Suzu
Darkness.
All around me, darkness enveloped me, leaving no escape route.
Why does this keep happening to me?
There's a glimmer of light within the darkness, and I feel like I'm being squeezed and pulled on all sides. I can't breathe.
Then I wake up.
My name is Suzu Fujibayashi Wilder, and I'm 15 years old. I live in a small, secluded village named Mizuho. It's a village made up of ninjas. I'm proud to say that my mother is Chief Sheena Fujibayashi, which means I'm next in line to be chief. It's just about the title, either. I get to learn the iguriashi style of fighting, passed down from our ancestors. It's a big honor, and I can't wait until I'm 18! You might be wondering why my last name is "Wilder", instead of "Fujibayashi". My father's name is Zelos Wilder, the famed playboy and chosen. I also have a brother who's two years older than me. You see, we were both born in Mizuho, but after a while, my father left for Tethe'alla, the main city. Since my mother couldn't take care of us both and juggle her duties as chief at the same time, my father took my brother, Rinji, to Tethe'alla with him. That was twelve years ago. I haven't heard or seen my father or my brother since then. In the beginning, we got monthly correspondence from them, but it mainly consisted of rants on how boring life was in the castle. I also suspect there's more details about how they live their life, and the people they entertain (mother always says this word sarcastically), but she skips over those details, and I usually have to wait until she's asleep to obtain the letter and read it for myself. I've been stuck in Mizuho my entire life, so it's only through these letters that I learn about the outside world.
Then, one day, the letters just suddenly stopped. No explanation, no why or how, they just stopped coming. Of course, mother was frantic, and in turn, became very protective of me, demanding to know where I was going every time I went out.
I have preparing a lot recently, and I'm going out to see the world. But more importantly, I'm going to track down father and Rinji, to see if they're all right. Mother is still planning for a group of people (read: trained ninjas) to go search, and wouldn't let me go. So I'm sneaking out. But there's another thing that's been troubling mother recently- I learned about it when I was eavesdropping on the village meeting one time. Mizuho recently got word that Tethe'alla radicals are plotting to overthrow the government and the king. If that happens, there's a good chance Mizuho will be revealed, and our days of living in peace will be gone forever.
That's why it's so important for me to investigate. I'm just a child, after all, so no one will suspect me.
-End of Scroll I-