Chapter 1: Swords from the past
The sound of birds chirping could be heard from outside. It was dim with little light to see around. I squinted when the window brought a rush of light into my eyes. It was morning already. I had stayed up late that night practicing for the annual hunt that went on in our town. It was a tradition that had been kept up for almost 20 years now, since the town had been built on the old ruins. I sat up and looked around a bit. I still felt tired and winded from last nights hunt, but I knew I had to get up soon or I would have missed breakfast. I slowly got up out of bed and looked for a quick dress of cloths I could put on. I found a undershirt and a pair of shorts and rushed to the kitchen. Dad was up bright and early as usual. The smell of fried eggs and bacon grease was strong and delicious. I couldn't wait to have a bit after I had been hunting all night.
"So dad, when is Breakfast gonna be ready?", I asked.
"Oh in about a couple of minutes. Oh and by the way Kanetoshi, are you going to come and listen to me tell the story of how the brave warrior saved the world? You know I tell it every annual hunt that Bekinal has," he asked me again. It was probably the 100th time he asked me this week and my answer was always going to be the same.
"No way pop, there is no way I'm gonna listen to tell you fairy tales that never even happened. You think I am gonna spend my time in the clouds? No way!", I replied. It was getting upsetting that he never seemed to take my answer the first time.
"Well too bad son, I am making you this time. Besides, Mai is going to be there as well. You wouldn't want to miss her would you?" he asked. He was trying to taunt me. He knew that no matter where Mai went, I followed. We had been going out for as long as I could remember, ever since that one night when we had the town festival, we had been happy ever since. Dad came back over and set the plate down on the table. It was loaded with tons of bacon and eggs. My mouth watered and I started to stuff my face. It didn't bother me that dad had burnt the bacon a bit, I was too hungry to care.
"Well I'll be waiting for you at the town square in about an hour. Don't be late and make sure you show up," he warned me. I was smarter than that to be late. Especially since Mai would be there too. I hadn't seen her in at least a week, and already I felt I would die from missing her. I finished eating and took my plate to the sink. I rinsed it a bit and walked upstairs. I was smelly from last night so I decided to take a quick shower.
As I let the warm water hit against my chest, I began to think about the day I was about to have. Today was going to be the day that I would be old enough to leave the town and get married. Mai and I had been waiting for this day a long time. But I started to wonder what it would be like and how different it would be. But I also thought of how cool it was going to be as well. We finally where going to get our wish, to spend the rest of our lives together, It was going to be great. I smiled with joy at the very thought of it.
The water started to get cold. I shut the water off and stepped out of the shower. I reached for the towel to dry myself off and walked over to the cloths I laid out. I quickly put them on and rushed out the door. I had about thirty minutes left till Dad and his stupid story. I figured I would go down to the gift shop and get Mai something since I hadn't seen her in so long. She always liked getting little presents. There was this little stuffed bunny she had her eye on for a while, so I figured I would get that for her today.
I ran to the town square after I got her bunny. I looked around frantically, trying to find Mai. She raised her hand and waved at me.
"Hey Kanetoshi, over here sweetie," she shouted to me. I grinned and ran over to her as fast as I could. I sat next to her and we hugged.
"Hiya Mai, I missed you so much. How have you been?", I asked.
"Mm... ok, but not very good without you. I missed you a ton," she said, then proceeded to kiss me.
"Heh, I missed those awesome lips of yours. The soft sweet taste of 'em. I could kiss them all day," I said with a loving look.
"Then how bout another one?" she asked quickly, rushing to kiss me again.
"Knock it off you two, I'm about to tell the part about the man in the black cloak, so pay attention," dad said after tapping us on the head. He wanted us to pay attention to this part.
"Now where was I, oh yes. The man stepped out of the fire. He had long Silvery hair, all the way down to his knees. He had a long curved sword, much like the samurai in the books you all have read. He wore a Long black cape and black cloths with two silver shoulder guards. He walked into the fire and disappeared...," dad said with dramatic effect. I continued to tell the story but I didn't pay any more attention. My eyes went straight back to Mai. We stared at each other till the story had ended.
Once he was finished it was time for the hunters to hunt. The goal was to be the first one to catch 5 wolves and bring them back, the one with the best wolves was the winner. I started out of the town when Mai caught back up to me.
"Be careful, Kanetoshi. I don't want you getting hurt, especially not for when you get back," she said with a wink. Of course I knew what she was talking about. When I got back, we where going to have our wedding. I hoped that I would be able to focus more on hunting instead of when I got back.
When I got out to the forest, all was silent. I could hear the wolves stirring about. I found a nice spot to camp out by and wait for the wolves to show their selves. One by one I caught them as they came, luckily they where very well built ones too. As I caught all 5 I figured I would take a rest. I had worked hard to get them and now that I got the best I could find I mind as well take a break.
I awoke hours later. I stood up and brushed myself off a bit. I went to pick up the wolves I had caught when I noticed the smell of burning wood. At first I figured someone was just making camp when I saw a huge cloud of smoke.
"No little fire could make that much smoke," I said. Then to my shock I noticed it was coming directly from th direction of Bekinal. I imedietly rushed back to town. When I got there all the houses had been set to flame. Bodies littered the ground and I could smell the strong stench of blood.
"What the hell...," I questioned. I looked around looking for maybe a clue to help answer my question.
"Kane...toshi...," said a voice. I rushed over to see who it was.
"Dad!?" I said in shock.
"What happened here?!" I questioned him. I looked down and noticed he was bleeding bad.
"The man...In black...from the old mansion...," he coughed to say.
"Dad, don't speak. Save your energy," I said. I could tell I was about to cry.
"Go back to our house....go into the basement and open the big chest. That is the only sword...you can use to save us with," he said as I felt the life slipping even further away from him. I knew he was going to die. But was Mai alright?
"Dad, where is Mai?" I asked desperately.
"She got away, with the other women and children to Vandel," he said with his last breath. He died right after. I tried to hold the tears in, I had to worry about saving myself first. I ran back to the house and went into the basement. I found the chest he was talking about befor, it was huge, taller than I was. I looked at it and realized it was locked. I tried opening it to no avail. Then I saw the hatchet on the wall. I reached over and got it. I swung at the chest and tried to get it open. At last it came open and swung up. I looked at the sword inside. Was this it? Was this the sword my dad had talked about in his stories? It was huge, as tall as I was and just about as wide. I grabbed it and tried lifting it up. To my surprise, it wasn't that heavy. I ran back upstairs and covered my mouth from the smoke, but before I could step out of the door I realized there was someone there, outside the door looking in. He stepped out of the flames and looked at me.
"Is that you Cloud? Have you come to try and stop me again?" the man asked. Who was he talking about? My name was not Cloud. Could he have been talking to me?
"That is you isn't it Cloud? Who else would carry a sword like that around?" he asked. What was he talking about. I had no idea what was going on until I looked at his sword. IT was much like a katana, the ones the samurai used. Then it struck me. Dad had mentioned this earlier today. He had long Silvery hair, all the way down to his knees. He had a long curved sword, much like the samurai in the books you all have read. He wore a Long black cape and black cloths with two silver shoulder guards. He matched the description perfectly. Long silver hair, black cloths and cape. This was the guy from the story. But how could that be, it happened a long time ago?
"Finally recognize me now don't you Cloud?" The man said as I gazed into his cold dark eyes with shock. His eyes where not of this world. They looked almost beautiful and jewel like. I never had seen any eyes like his before.
"Well are you going to come at me or not Cloud?" he questioned me. I grabbed the sword, pulled it up, griped it hard, and then charged at him with a yell.
The sound of birds chirping could be heard from outside. It was dim with little light to see around. I squinted when the window brought a rush of light into my eyes. It was morning already. I had stayed up late that night practicing for the annual hunt that went on in our town. It was a tradition that had been kept up for almost 20 years now, since the town had been built on the old ruins. I sat up and looked around a bit. I still felt tired and winded from last nights hunt, but I knew I had to get up soon or I would have missed breakfast. I slowly got up out of bed and looked for a quick dress of cloths I could put on. I found a undershirt and a pair of shorts and rushed to the kitchen. Dad was up bright and early as usual. The smell of fried eggs and bacon grease was strong and delicious. I couldn't wait to have a bit after I had been hunting all night.
"So dad, when is Breakfast gonna be ready?", I asked.
"Oh in about a couple of minutes. Oh and by the way Kanetoshi, are you going to come and listen to me tell the story of how the brave warrior saved the world? You know I tell it every annual hunt that Bekinal has," he asked me again. It was probably the 100th time he asked me this week and my answer was always going to be the same.
"No way pop, there is no way I'm gonna listen to tell you fairy tales that never even happened. You think I am gonna spend my time in the clouds? No way!", I replied. It was getting upsetting that he never seemed to take my answer the first time.
"Well too bad son, I am making you this time. Besides, Mai is going to be there as well. You wouldn't want to miss her would you?" he asked. He was trying to taunt me. He knew that no matter where Mai went, I followed. We had been going out for as long as I could remember, ever since that one night when we had the town festival, we had been happy ever since. Dad came back over and set the plate down on the table. It was loaded with tons of bacon and eggs. My mouth watered and I started to stuff my face. It didn't bother me that dad had burnt the bacon a bit, I was too hungry to care.
"Well I'll be waiting for you at the town square in about an hour. Don't be late and make sure you show up," he warned me. I was smarter than that to be late. Especially since Mai would be there too. I hadn't seen her in at least a week, and already I felt I would die from missing her. I finished eating and took my plate to the sink. I rinsed it a bit and walked upstairs. I was smelly from last night so I decided to take a quick shower.
As I let the warm water hit against my chest, I began to think about the day I was about to have. Today was going to be the day that I would be old enough to leave the town and get married. Mai and I had been waiting for this day a long time. But I started to wonder what it would be like and how different it would be. But I also thought of how cool it was going to be as well. We finally where going to get our wish, to spend the rest of our lives together, It was going to be great. I smiled with joy at the very thought of it.
The water started to get cold. I shut the water off and stepped out of the shower. I reached for the towel to dry myself off and walked over to the cloths I laid out. I quickly put them on and rushed out the door. I had about thirty minutes left till Dad and his stupid story. I figured I would go down to the gift shop and get Mai something since I hadn't seen her in so long. She always liked getting little presents. There was this little stuffed bunny she had her eye on for a while, so I figured I would get that for her today.
I ran to the town square after I got her bunny. I looked around frantically, trying to find Mai. She raised her hand and waved at me.
"Hey Kanetoshi, over here sweetie," she shouted to me. I grinned and ran over to her as fast as I could. I sat next to her and we hugged.
"Hiya Mai, I missed you so much. How have you been?", I asked.
"Mm... ok, but not very good without you. I missed you a ton," she said, then proceeded to kiss me.
"Heh, I missed those awesome lips of yours. The soft sweet taste of 'em. I could kiss them all day," I said with a loving look.
"Then how bout another one?" she asked quickly, rushing to kiss me again.
"Knock it off you two, I'm about to tell the part about the man in the black cloak, so pay attention," dad said after tapping us on the head. He wanted us to pay attention to this part.
"Now where was I, oh yes. The man stepped out of the fire. He had long Silvery hair, all the way down to his knees. He had a long curved sword, much like the samurai in the books you all have read. He wore a Long black cape and black cloths with two silver shoulder guards. He walked into the fire and disappeared...," dad said with dramatic effect. I continued to tell the story but I didn't pay any more attention. My eyes went straight back to Mai. We stared at each other till the story had ended.
Once he was finished it was time for the hunters to hunt. The goal was to be the first one to catch 5 wolves and bring them back, the one with the best wolves was the winner. I started out of the town when Mai caught back up to me.
"Be careful, Kanetoshi. I don't want you getting hurt, especially not for when you get back," she said with a wink. Of course I knew what she was talking about. When I got back, we where going to have our wedding. I hoped that I would be able to focus more on hunting instead of when I got back.
When I got out to the forest, all was silent. I could hear the wolves stirring about. I found a nice spot to camp out by and wait for the wolves to show their selves. One by one I caught them as they came, luckily they where very well built ones too. As I caught all 5 I figured I would take a rest. I had worked hard to get them and now that I got the best I could find I mind as well take a break.
I awoke hours later. I stood up and brushed myself off a bit. I went to pick up the wolves I had caught when I noticed the smell of burning wood. At first I figured someone was just making camp when I saw a huge cloud of smoke.
"No little fire could make that much smoke," I said. Then to my shock I noticed it was coming directly from th direction of Bekinal. I imedietly rushed back to town. When I got there all the houses had been set to flame. Bodies littered the ground and I could smell the strong stench of blood.
"What the hell...," I questioned. I looked around looking for maybe a clue to help answer my question.
"Kane...toshi...," said a voice. I rushed over to see who it was.
"Dad!?" I said in shock.
"What happened here?!" I questioned him. I looked down and noticed he was bleeding bad.
"The man...In black...from the old mansion...," he coughed to say.
"Dad, don't speak. Save your energy," I said. I could tell I was about to cry.
"Go back to our house....go into the basement and open the big chest. That is the only sword...you can use to save us with," he said as I felt the life slipping even further away from him. I knew he was going to die. But was Mai alright?
"Dad, where is Mai?" I asked desperately.
"She got away, with the other women and children to Vandel," he said with his last breath. He died right after. I tried to hold the tears in, I had to worry about saving myself first. I ran back to the house and went into the basement. I found the chest he was talking about befor, it was huge, taller than I was. I looked at it and realized it was locked. I tried opening it to no avail. Then I saw the hatchet on the wall. I reached over and got it. I swung at the chest and tried to get it open. At last it came open and swung up. I looked at the sword inside. Was this it? Was this the sword my dad had talked about in his stories? It was huge, as tall as I was and just about as wide. I grabbed it and tried lifting it up. To my surprise, it wasn't that heavy. I ran back upstairs and covered my mouth from the smoke, but before I could step out of the door I realized there was someone there, outside the door looking in. He stepped out of the flames and looked at me.
"Is that you Cloud? Have you come to try and stop me again?" the man asked. Who was he talking about? My name was not Cloud. Could he have been talking to me?
"That is you isn't it Cloud? Who else would carry a sword like that around?" he asked. What was he talking about. I had no idea what was going on until I looked at his sword. IT was much like a katana, the ones the samurai used. Then it struck me. Dad had mentioned this earlier today. He had long Silvery hair, all the way down to his knees. He had a long curved sword, much like the samurai in the books you all have read. He wore a Long black cape and black cloths with two silver shoulder guards. He matched the description perfectly. Long silver hair, black cloths and cape. This was the guy from the story. But how could that be, it happened a long time ago?
"Finally recognize me now don't you Cloud?" The man said as I gazed into his cold dark eyes with shock. His eyes where not of this world. They looked almost beautiful and jewel like. I never had seen any eyes like his before.
"Well are you going to come at me or not Cloud?" he questioned me. I grabbed the sword, pulled it up, griped it hard, and then charged at him with a yell.