The Road Ahead

PROLOGUE

He was a body engulfed in darkness, an empty void, unfeeling, and uncaring. The silence of the room was deafening, its plain walls surrounded him, trapped him, and dark spots on the ceiling was the only decoration of the confining room.

Suddenly pain erupted in my head and I screamed with pain and defiance. No! Not again! The image of two dark shapes loomed over him, condemning him, and I clawed furtively at them. The darkness of the room seemed to add to the paranoia and panic and I screamed until my lungs burned for a breath of air and continued to scream.

"No!" I told the darkness. I will walk this path! I will get my revenge. They will swim in an ocean of their own blood, I will accept nothing less. Vengeance! Vengeance! My creatures will commit good acts. I must purify the world of all people! They are evil, ambitious, devious, and manipulative. By the will of all the good and evil, they will perish! The screams were the most terrifying and for some reason, the nightmare would not end.

Chapter 1: A path to follow

Pain shot up my body and I couldn't feel my limbs. Something heavy was crushing my body to the bloodstained ground. Jab. Jab. Let me sleep, I thought. Horrible images of scythes and bandits flashed through my mind and the reminder of death made tears swell up again. Jab. What is prodding me? Then a rough hand shook me rudely and I opened my eyes only to be glared at by the bright sun. The sudden light was agonizing and my eyes did not seem to want to co-operate with me.

"AISHOU!"

This was the end of the line and I prepared to propel myself forward to silence the deafening sound. I found myself half crushed by a beam of cement and my sister Ketsurui looking worriedly at me. I thought that was the end of my shock but as usual, my horrible eyesight was refusing to let me see the whole picture. Smoke darkened the clear sky obscuring the bountiful clouds and putting my sister and I in its shadow. The meadow was eerily silent and there were no cries of children and no noise around. I looked around and felt the blood drain away from my face.

"Aishou, you should not be trying to sit up so quickly." Ketsurui reprimanded immediately.

Nothing could shake Ketsurui's unwavering nature and I had to push the notion of taking the woman by the shoulders and shaking her until her teeth rattled aside. I focused upon the devastation of what was once my home and now charred wood, and an empty village greeted me.

"Don't worry Ketsurui," I rushed to say, "the others probably evacuvated already."

I had wanted it to sound bright but it came out as a gasp and a frown marred Ketsurui's features. It was becoming hard to breath now and I had no notion of passing out again especially now of all times. For some reason, Ketsurui sounded sad, "They're all gone," she whispered. The wind around them roared across the still clearing and carried the larks above to the east.

The day was bright and beautiful. A glorious day and one that should be celebrated with food, and even more food! I rushed by the small town I entered and immediately scanned the area for a place to eat. The prospect of fresh and oh delightful food made me quicken my pace and I spotted a noodle stand. Wonderful! I quickly settled down and ordered, taking off my hat and shaking my hair out. The smells of a new morning made the noodle even more scrumptious and I finished the meal in record time.

It was an uneventful day until there was a commotion near the gates of the town. I rushed out to see the scene accompanied by other curious people. A well muscled man that was much taller than any I have met was towering over a poor man. There seemed to be an argument and I listened attentively.

"Aoi, you conniving man! I think that you have something of mine!"

The bigger man sneered at the smaller one and smirked. "So?"

"You cannot do this! I demand-"
A loud crack captures everyone's attention and the group looked to the east. Riders entered the town and rode over food and fruit stands, driving people away. Madness descended and everyone scattered trying to save their lives or hide themselves from the bandits as they ripped through the town. Before I could move though, strong arms grabbed me and held me in place; I tried to flee but was dragged away. A lark above seemed to laugh at me and I groaned; now I'm in trouble.

Heavy foot falls announced the arrival of someone and I ducked quickly into the near forest for protection. Beside me Ketsurui stared intently at the new visitor. My breathing sounded loud to my own ears and my ribs screeched in protest of being moved after enduring hard abuse. I gritted my teeth but the groan of pain somehow escaped. The visitor snapped around and looked directly at out hiding place. Stupid! I thought to myself and resisted the urge to run.

I calmly drew myself up and pulled Ketsurui up with me despite bitter protests from my sister. The new visitor was slight with a small frame and I idly thought whether Ketsurui and myself could overpower the girl.

"Hello." The stranger said and it surprised me that the voice was rough instead of pretty.

"Nice to meet you!" exclaimed Ketsurui.

Really, I thought, Ketsurui is too carefree. I looked the stranger up and down trying to look scrutinizing but the other girl gave no sign of being scrutinized.

"Who are you?" I blurted out. What a stupid question, but I seriously wanted to know.

"Jocelyn," was the curt reply.

"We are Ketsurui and Aishou!" introduced Ketsurui.

Jocelyn nodded and briefly looked around the clearing clearly shocked at the horrible scene. Ketsurui looked sadly at the wreckage and Jocelyn turned to look at the two of them.

"I suspect this was your home." There was hint of a question in her voice and we nodded silently. Jocelyn looked thoughtful and said "Well, so where are you guys headed?" Ketsurui and I exchanged glances and shrugged.

"Then we should travel together!" Jocelyn suggested, "I'm headed to a small town near here."

There was no time to decide, and I nodded, eager to be away from the horrid nightmares that was once my home. The three of us started out east with the past behind us.

&&&&&&&&&

The small town that was our destination appeared soon after we started to travel. Silence had descended upon them and their travel had been quiet. The scenery near the town was spectacular but brought back painful memories of the past.

Flashback

"Aishou! Welcome home!" mother exclaimed. Mother always had a ready smile and friendly words. I looked at the beautiful garden, a mixture of flowers, trees, and mother's unconditional love. The scent of the garden was comforting and I smiled back easily.

End Flashback

Our group walked towards the entrance of the town but shockingly, no one was there to greet us. The once loud and prosperous town was silent and there was no sign of life. We exchanged worried glances and quickened our pace, intent and anxious to get to the town. As we neared, two guards on horses rode out and barred the entrance.

"Why are you blocking our way?" asked Ketsurui, curious as always.

"You are not allowed to pass" was the stony response.

It was clear that something unsettling had happened and we left somewhat disappointed. As soon as we were out of ear shot, Jocelyn piped up, "Let's investigate!" Amazing, I thought, and I thought Ketsurui was the only hyper one. That starry night, our group began to approach the town from the west, hoping not to attract attention. We managed to get pass the first buildings when we heard screams. I squeaked much to my own disbelief and Ketsurui immediately put a hand over my mouth while Jocelyn gave me a glare. How ironic, I thought, and I thought they were the louder ones.

We approached an worn looking house where some of the guards were standing. Their stoic and stony faces could knock down a bull at twenty paces. Caution was called for and we each tiptoed silently through the night to enter the building to the side door. Fortunately, there were no guards posted there. Why no guards? I wondered briefly.

There was a small light coming from the opposite hallway and we cautiously went to investigate. Ketsurui peaked into the room first and gasped while Jocelyn and I continued to stare. Despaired prisoners were there, huddled together and looked hopefully at us. We took the situation in stride and tried to sneak them all out. Tried was the operative word here because smuggling the whole town out was not an easy task. Over the sky, the stars shone bright.