Sand...

It's all I could ever see beyond the wall.

I wish to go out and see more, discover more, but my father will not let me. He says it is too dangerous for a kid like me, yet I don't even know why he cares.

He's never home.

He only lectures me and tries to get me to do my daily training even though I only want to read books.

He hasn't shown any signs of love since mother disappeared...

It's not like I care anyways, I just wish he would just go and di-

"Swift! Where are you!"

A commanding voice echoes throughout the area coming from a house that is particularly bigger than the surrounding houses.

A 12 year old boy sits ontop of a high wall with a book in his hand and sighs as he hears the voice. The boy's black hair flows in the wind as he ignores the voice yelling for him.

His bronze skin is laced with sweat and his eyes squinting to avoid the sand being blown in the boy's face.

A dust storm seems to be coming soon and everyone who is not a guard starts to head inside to drink the day away or to stay out of the annoyance of the dust storm. Swift on the other hand doesn't care.

He unwraps a piece of black cloth from around his narrow waist and wraps it around his head to give him some form of protection from the dust storm.

I don't really care father... You're lucky I don't kill you in your sleep.

"Swift! I swear on the emperor if you don't come into this house within my count to ten I will beat you like a bonedog when I find you!"

Swift sighs and stands up. He might not want to listen to his father, but he would rather not get beaten half to death today. Swift knows that when his father swears on the emperor that his father is being serious.

He has tried to hide from his father before but in the end his father has always found him, and an intense beating came afterwards.

Swift jumps off the 20 foot high wall and lands on the ground with a soft thud. He might not train his body and hone in his martial arts skills, but that doesn't mean that Swift is unfit.

Swift's father is known as a Samurai Captain, in fact the strongest Samurai Captain that has ever lived. With the blood of someone so legendary flowing through his veins, Swifts natural abilities are much higher than that of an average person.

The thing is though, he despises the thought of getting his hands dirty with the blood of someone else. He likes to stay in his room and read books, which is not to his father's liking unfortunately.

As his father begins to count up from one to ten Swift runs quicker and quicker towards his house, striving to make it back in time.

As the count gets closer and closer to ten, Swift starts wondering if he can truly make it back in time. His heart beats faster with each passing number.

As the 'T' in ten comes out of his father's mouth, Swift makes it inside. Though he only sweat a little, Swift still strained himself to make it home.

As Swift closes the door, he looks around to see his father on the other side of their open house, sitting at the dinner table. A dim light from the ceiling lamps illuminate the room and dust swirls through the house as the dust storm is now blowing intensely outside.

Flow, Swift's father, looks at his only son with eyes full of seriousness.

"You seem to be getting faster, I made sure to count quicker this time to try and get you to run faster. It seems to have worked."

Swift just glares at his father and begins to take off his shoes. His father simply huffs to the usual silent treatment and looks at the open windows.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"I opened the windows so I could yell for you, now there is dust everywhere. Close the windows and after dinner you get to sweep alongside the slaves tonight since you're the cause of this mess."

Flow finishes his sentence and begins to eat his food. Swift grinds his teeth in rage at the addition to a new chore. He quickly runs and closes every window in a hurry as to not let more dust in. Afterwards, he sits down at the table and looks at the bowl of food his father's slaves prepared.

Meatwraps as usual. Meatwraps are simply meat wrapped in bread but Swift's father likes to eat them so much that the two have it every night. Except for one night, which is the Day of Mourning for Swift's mother. That day, they eat Gohan, a food native to where his mother grew up.

Flow looks at the book that Swift put down on the table when he sat down and shakes his head in disapproval.

"That will get you nowhere in this world son."

"I know Father."

"The world is a scary place with scary people."

"I know father."

"Well if you truly knew, you'd be training your ass off to be able to survive."

"I'm sorry father."

A long sigh comes from with Flow. He looks at his son with sad eyes. Swift is only focusing on eating his food and doesn't notice his father's gaze.

If only you were still here Miu, you would know how to raise him. I try my best but it doesn't work... Flow says to himself as he thinks about his missing and/or deceased wife.

Swift continues to just eat his food and ignore his father, until the sounds of tens of footsteps and the clanking of metal armor echo from outside their house.

Flow gets up when hearing this and walks towards the door. As Flow gets about halfway to the door, the sound of the door bursting open echoes throughout the wood. The initial burst of the door and the wood hitting Flow in the face stuns him at first, but he quickly becomes calm and focused.

Samurai's run into the house with swords drawn at Flow and Swift has already fallen out of his seat because of the loud crash but is stunned to the core when he sees Samurai of the United Cities point their swords at one of their Captains.

One of the Samurai step forward and begins to shout towards Flow.

"Samurai Captain Flow! You're a wanted man by the Emperor for five accounts of high treason! Come with us peacefully or die!"

"Alright, you don't need to point your swords at me, I'll come peacefully."

Flow surrenders instantly and puts his hands in the air. Every single Samurai breathes a sigh of relief. Two of them start walking to Flow. Flow thinks that they are going to chain him, so he puts his hands forward but the two Samurai walk past him.

It doesn't take long for Flow to realize where they are going. Turning around, Flow can see a Samurai walk up to Swift and grab him by the hair. Swift screams in pain as he is yanked up from the floor by his hair.

Once the scream of his child pierces Flow's ears, his mind goes blank.

The Samurai who grabbed Swift turns around and looks at the rest of the Samurai. He says.

"I got the bastard's brat, let's go."

Flow stands there, motionless. The two Samurai go to once again walk past Flow with the kicking and screaming Swift, but as they get within 5 feet of Flow, they feel as if something is off.

When they look into Flow's eyes, they realize their mistake. By the time they realize their mistake however, it was too late.

Before the two could react, Flow rushes towards them and grabs the Katana of the one with Swift in their hand. Flow draws back the sword and with a swift and clean cut, chops of the head of his fellow Samurai.

Without even taking a second to think or take a break, Flow proceeds to stab the sword into the left rib cage of the other Samurai, piercing the man's lungs and heart.

The Samurai can't even get a scream out as his lungs are filled with blood and he drops to the floor, cold and dead.

As the sword escaped the second Samurai's body due to him falling, blood sprays all over both Flow and Swift.

The lives of two men had ended just like that, with the flowing of Flow's blade. The flowing sword style of Flow is a spectacle to behold by allies, and a disaster to anyone who is an enemy.

Flow looks at the other Samurai who stormed his house and can see all of their pale and stunned faces.

"You might think I'm a traitor but you mustn't forget who I am! I am the strongest Captain to ever grace this faction! I! Am! Flow!"

His father yells loudly and begins to run towards the Samurai. His fatherly rage bursts out and causes the Samurai to be frozen in place. Flow runs directly towards the one who had called him out originally, who is another Samurai Captain.

The Samurai Captain readies his sword but by the time he could recover from Flow's initial rage, Flow already has his katana pressed against his neck. The crazy thing is, Flow stops completely when the cold steel presses against the man's neck.

Flow seems to regain his composure after flying into the blind rage and managed to stop himself.

Flow stares the other Captain in the eyes.

"You can take me and do whatever with me, but if you touch my son while I am alive I will castrate you and put your head on a pike."

The Samurai Captain thinks about his options for less than a second and seems to come to terms with this offer.

"Fine. Men! Don't touch the boy! Grab your comrades, shackle Flow and let's get out of here!"

Swift is stunned from his father's actions and is frozen stiff. The Samurai take Flow's sword and he does not resist. They shackle Flow and Swift sees no shred of that previous outburst of rage.

The Samurai leave with their dead comrades and Swift is left on the floor, paralyzed in fear, sadness, and confusion.

Why?

Why would the faction that he worked so hard for take him?

Why would he kill his fellow men just for me?

Why did he not continue to fight back or be mad at the charges of being a traitor?

Why......

Why do I care so much?

Tears flow down Swift's face as he curls up into the fetal position. Full of emotions he hasn't felt since his mom disappeared, Swift falls into a deep sleep on the floor.