"How come you are catching all the fish? Leave some for me too."

"Stop sucking at it then! Look at all these fish I caught! These will make dinner grand!"

Two young black haired boys wearing ragged brown robes sat on a cliff alongside a shallow clear river filled with black freshwater fishes. They swung the strings of their wooden fishing rods attached with cheap synthetic bait in anticipation of catching themselves a big haul. It was around the middle of the day, so an adequate amount of sunlight shone through the clover shaped leaves of the short trees around them to reveal the individual fishes in the river.

The boy with slightly longer height and messed up hair had his bucket practically full while the shorter boy with long but combed hair had none.

"You promised that we will release them once we are done with this competition!" The boy with the empty bucket got up and raised his voice.

"Fine. It's almost over anyways and you got your rear beaten badly!" The other boy laughed cockily.

"It's not over yet. I haven't lost yet." The shorter boy stepped back without calculating the extent of the cliff's edge and lost his footing.

"Be careful Tamura!" The second boy reacted quickly and grabbed the falling boy's hand only to pull him back.

"That was close. Are you alright?"

"Yes, thank you brother."

"You should be more careful! Don't think you can win by trying to subdue the fishes by falling on them!"

"Shut up you dummy."

The young brothers laughed and decided to free the fishes from the bucket before heading back home.

"(I was always there, right next to you. Not only to pull you out of any trouble but also be your one reason to laugh.)"

"Tamura? What happened?" Young Erashi came running towards his brother.

The younger boy was sobbing heavily in the middle of an empty ground while his brown robes were stained with murky blood. There were masses of gore around him, concealed by the darkness of the night.

"They were beating me with all kinds of random stuff and even brought a few lethal weapons to test on me. I kept crying for help but no one came. Suddenly I blacked out and when I woke up, they were reduced to these collections of limbs, guts and bones," young Tamura hysterically explained while revealing a huge number of bruises and cuts on many different parts of his body.

Erashi surveyed the area and became astonished at the sight of the remains of his brother's bullies.

"Hey brother, do you think I am a monster?" asked Tamura, weeping.

"No, not at all! You weren't the one who did this. Come on, it's getting late. let's go back home." Young Erashi smiled to soothe his disheartened brother.

A few days later…...

"Is anyone home!?" A loud deep voice shook everyone inside a small wooden house.

The house had minimal furniture and only two bedrooms. There was no lounge or dining room, only a compact kitchen with a single fireplace and an oven. A few paintings and lanterns were the only ornaments found in the interior of the rooms. There was a single bathroom with just a circular wooden bathtub.

"Coming!" A middle aged woman with long brown hair rushed to the paper sliding door right beside the kitchen.

There were nothing but long leafy trees and a few inari statues visible under the bright sun outside. In Front of the calm scenery there was a tall man wearing red and white armor standing with pride.

"Greetings royal guard, is there anything you need?" asked the woman, politely.

"I am here to investigate your property," the guard stated.

"May I ask why?"

"I am told that one of your son is a killer who brutally murdered a few children. That's why I am assigned to check your house and take him into custody."

The woman was shocked to hear this but allowed the guard to thoroughly search her house as she wasn't given any other choice. After the guard's unsuccessful attempt to fish out any lethal weaponry from the residence, he lined up both young boys next to one another and took a long look at them.

"You on the right, you match some of the description I was given." The guard pointed at young Tamura.

"Shut up! My brother is not a killer! You idiot!" snapped Erashi.

"Erashi! Apologise right now!" the woman scolded.

"No! He shouldn't even think of accusing my brother! Someone who is so kind that he would never even kill an insect passing by can never do something like this!" Erashi stood in front of his brother firmly and reasoned.

"Brother," Tamura mouthed.

"Would you mind if I asked him some questions?" the guard asked.

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"I guess so, but you would be wasting your time. Nothing else." Erashi moved out of the way.

The guard couldn't find anything suspicious about Tamura and ultimately left. "Looks like I was informed wrong. I will be returning here from time to time just to be sure. Thank you and have a nice day."

"(I never doubted you once. I always adored that tender and pitying nature of yours, but my views changed when our mother left this world.)"

"I'm back! Here mother! I brought all the things you mentioned on the list." Tamura, now slightly older, barged in the smaller bedroom.

Finding his older brother sobbing while sitting besides their mother and holding her hands tightly disturbed him to a great deal.

"Brother? Why are you crying? Mother!? What happened to her!?"

"She is. She is..."

Erashi suddenly got up and rushed outside the house, leaving Tamura and their pale deceased mother who had a faint smile on her face with shut eyes behind.

"Brother, come back!" yelled Tamura before he cried, hysterically.

"(After her death, I began to despise his weaknesses and decided to change him.)"

"Get up!" Erashi ordered Tamura who was knocked to the ground by him. Both were wielding wooden kendo sticks and wearing loose white gis.

Tamura was quite beat up, with bruises and dirt marks all over his body. Both were training in the forest besides their house.

"Please brother, it's enough for today." Tamura raised his upper body to reach a sitting position on the mildly moist grass.

"Shut up! Mother wouldn't have died if you weren't so weak and pathetic!" fumed Erashi.

"You are saying it's all my fault?"

"She overworked herself to death all because you were too busy getting your ass pummeled rather than helping her!" shot Erashi.

"Brother I-"

"I said shut up! From now on you will take full responsibility! I have joined this dojo where we will learn actual swordplay and then when we will be older, we will both join The Warriors!" interjected Erashi.

"Are you serious? Fighting has never been my thing!" Tamura stood up while raising his voice.

"If you want to survive in this world then that's the only way! Also our new master there has offered us a job to maintain the dojo and do all the cleaning. In return he will give us food and train us to death." Erashi turned around and spoke.

"Why didn't you ask me before joining?"

"I am doing this for your own sake! Become stronger or die alone. Now let us continue." Erashi turned back to face his brother only to land another blow straight at his face.

"(I forced him into fighting and made him go through all those hardships he didn't want to face. Still, he endured all of them for me and our mother's sake. Just like that, we grew up to our late teenage years. We became skilled enough to pass the warrior's entrance exam and fulfill my first goal. Then came our first assignment, we were ordered to kill a few lesser demons which invaded one of our smaller camps around the distal part of Grand Murasakino river.)"

"What the hell are you doing Tamura!? You are going to get yourself killed!" scolded Erashi after slaying a lesser demon which was about to slash Tamura.

"Sorry I flinched."

"Don't tell me you feel for these monsters as well!" yelled Erashi.

"Even if they are demons, taking something's life that easily is difficult for me," confessed Tamura.

"It's kill or be killed in this world, why can't you understand!? Don't feel for these heartless creatures who killed dozens of innocent people!" emphasized Erashi.

"(I tried countless times to make him understand but it never changed that part of him. As our teenage years ended and we became full adults I realised what I did was erroneous and selfish. So I planned to get him out of The Warriors soon and give him the opportunity of a new life. One of those days that incident happened and he killed all those warriors in cold blood. My logical thinking screamed at me to end him right there for his traitorous act but instead, I chose to send him away.)"

"(It was all my fault, I wasn't there when you needed me the most, I couldn't understand how you really felt and how much you were suffering before I shattered all your hopes and dreams. I not only failed as an elder brother but also as the older son. I am sorry mother, I couldn't keep our promise. I am coming soon to apologise to the both of you. You don't have to forgive me but at least let me see your kind and gentle faces once more.)"

"Please, I want this."

There was no end to the fallen commander's bleeding but he still tried to lift his upper body and converse with the three elite warriors.

"Why? Commander?" stressed Kieri.

"Kieri, the strongest female warrior to date, you are the one who possesses all the qualities a leader requires. Please, look after the warriors in my absence."

Once these words escaped from Erashi's lips, heavy tears from the addressed woman's eyes forced out as she clenched her right fist against her chest.

"Commander, don't you dare give up! You have been through worse but you have always survived! You will pull through, don't worry!" Subaru said, loudly.

"Subaru, I hope you finally find someone who will actually marry you. I will always be rooting for you but don't forget me when that day finally comes."

These words loosened up the solemn warrior's face as he chuckled for a moment before his eyes filled with tears.

"And Hirishima, the warrior with the most will power. You better be right about the outsider, about Hoshi. I am counting on you to bring an end to this long war and bring all of our fallen comrades to rest," Erashi uttered before resting his head on the ground once again.

"Yes sir," Hirishima responded, suppressing his deep sorrow.

"It has been an honor to fight alongside all of you. Even you!" Erashi tilted his head towards Xiang and called out.

The addressed man who was standing nearby got alerted and listened closely.

"losing once doesn't mean there is no room left to retry. You may have thought of giving up many times, but the fact you are standing here now proves that those who don't will eventually have their way in the end. Isn't that right? The king of Pandara?"

"Shut up, I have long given up on that childish dream. But you all have taught me that status doesn't bring anyone happiness but it's the actions of that person. Thank you, commander. I have never met someone like you in my life, makes me even want to join The Warriors now," Xiang replied, showing his utmost respect.

"You know what? You already are...." Erashi closed his eyes while his voice faded away, leaving a faint smile behind.

"Commander! Hey! Open your damn eyes!" yelled Subaru.

"Save your energy Subaru, he is already gone (damn it Erashi. You stripped everyone's chance of becoming the greatest warrior for yourself. At least now go ahead and rest my old friend)." Hirishima placed his hand on his friend's shoulder as both of them lamented this loss.

"Commander, I know you had regrets about how it went with your brother but know this, you did your best and in the end were the one who relieved him of his internal torment. I hope you both will finally be able to laugh again together." Prayed Kieri.

"Where am I? What? I am a little boy again?" The ascended one opened his eyes only to catch a faint glimpse of his younger body.

"This door… Why is it so familiar?"

After walking for some time, he reached at a wooden door glistening between an empty realm of endless mist.

He reached out his hand to grab at the handle only to twist it while shaking all over.

"Welcome home, Erashi."

"Brother! You took your time didn't you?"

Tears flew through the boy's perplexed face as his tremors calmed down.

"(So many people may overlook this when they embark on their search for happiness. Being totally unaware that it was with them that entire time. We are too concerned with what will be and what was that we fail to accept what is. That is life.)"

The boy ran towards a smiling woman and a younger, calmer boy both sitting on the edge of a hay bed waiting for him.

End of Chapter twenty-seven.