The feeling of returning to the village became something Gensu dreaded. When he entered the gates of the quiet mountain village he called home, an account of all the work he had put in for the day flooded back to him. However, as time went on, less and less could be counted as good work, and more as near-death experience. Life as a hired sword was easy and fulfilling for Gensu. Bodyguard work, eliminating goblins or bandits, nothing was ever too much for the young man so long as it involved his blade in hand. However, after the passing of his mother and father to an unknown illness, it felt as if he were cursed with a parasite that was slowly draining his once prodigal skills with the sword into a former husk of itself.
It felt as if a malaise was constantly plaguing him, growing stronger and stronger every day, while only growing weaker and weaker, Yet, he never had the time to acknowledge it. Gensu needed to work. Without it, he wouldn't be able to afford the daily necessities. That was Gensu’s excuse at least…that he was too busy with work to dedicate time to whatever the problem was. When really it was the fact that Gensu was all out of ideas. He had spent nearly a year now, racking his head with solutions to fix his ever-decreasing proficiency, yet nothing worked. Despite being a young swordsman in his twenties, it felt as if he was careening head first towards where his father was left in his career.
Two Years Ago
It was one of those days when Gensu left the house when the sun started in the east and returned when it sank in the west. He always enjoyed returning to the quiet village at night, when the fireflies came out and the paths were empty, save for the two guards they only ever needed in the village. Crime was bereft in his home but that went for most old style villages that were hidden within the mountains. They were viewed almost like clans to outsiders who lived in the big towns and cities of the land. Gensu didn't mind this however, it made him feel more respected when he ventured out for work, his niche wakizashi and robed apparel definitely gave him looks when he walked through a modern town filled with folk who used straight swords and wore tunics, the males preferring to keep their hair short in contrast to Gensu’s long tied up hair.
He took in the ambiance of the small lake that ran through the village, the small frogs croaking calmly in the early night. Gensu approached the hut-styled family home and opened the wooden door slowly so as to not wake his mother or father who may have gone to sleep. In the large ground-floor room, he found his mother and father chatting casually with a dim candlelight struggling to fill the room. His father sat in their old chair holding a book he was struggling to read without the aid of his wife, and his mother, who was idly cleaning the wooden counters of the small kitchen. Their gaze turned towards Gensu as he closed the door with an unintended squeak alerting them to his presence.
“Still haven’t come home with a girl yet huh?” started Gensu’s father with the same tired joke. Gensu shook his head and walked silently, unfastening the belt that held his blade and scabbard.
“Dorian! Leave the boy be, he’s going to be tired,” Dorian gave out an old man’s laugh before rising from his chair.
“Y’know I'm only teasing the boy, Nabiri,” he replied in a jovial fashion, he turned back to Gensu “How did it go today? Are you still dealing with those outlaws?”
“Yeah, spent the whole day with another city’s guard, they hired me out for extra manpower. They said they’ve been having more and more trouble with bandits and goblins.” Gensu answered with an exhausted reply.
“Ah, yes I've heard about that,” Dorian said tapping his chin ”Seems they're getting bolder about where they do their business now,”
“Pretty much, but I didn’t hear any gossip that they were near our village,” Gensu added quickly as he saw worry on his mother’s face.
“You should still be careful honey, just because they might pay well doesn't mean you should be hired out for part-time work in the army. Let them fight their own wars.”
“A job is a job sweetheart, the boy’s just trying to make a living for us,” Dorian said in an upbeat way.
“Yeah pretty much,” Gensu replied in agreement
“Even still, I don’t like when you stray too far from home,” she said curtly before placing the dish towel on a rack and walking over to Gensu, her brown ponytail swaying behind her. “Leftovers are sitting on the counter for you so eat up and don’t stay up all night thinking about how you can get your next dangerous job,” she finished by grabbing his head and kissing him on the forehead, Gensu returned a small warm smile with his lips drawn to a line, he didn’t resist nor protest against her word as Gensu had been proven time and time again, her word was law in the house. Both Gensu and Dorian remained quiet as Nabiri retreated upstairs, with Gensu sighing with satisfaction as strode over to the kitchen to get his supper.
“She just worried about you, that’s all,” Dorian spoke suddenly.
“She seems to be good at that,” replied Gensu flatly, as he took his steamed vegetable soup off the counter and to the dining table.
“Eh, that’s just how mothers are, they do have a lot to worry about,” Gensu nodded and he tucked into his supper. It felt like the vegetables melted in his mouth from how tender they had become, not to mention the complex flavor resting in the soup itself, he never got sick of his mother’s soup no matter how many times he had it. It was as if he were a pet coming back for the same meal every day, yet not complaining one bit. Gensu’s shoulder was met with a firm and heavy palm, looking up he found it to be the hand of his father.
“We don’t say this enough son, but thank you for taking care of us in our old age,” Gensu turned up to his father with a queer look
“You guys aren’t that old,” His father gave another of his jovial laughs.
“That’s a lovely complement son, but I’m afraid we are a bit too old to work, or, I am at least,” he removed his hand from Gensu’s shoulder and leaned against the kitchen counter as he faced his son and continued to talk in the quiet night, “Feels like it’s been years since I used that sword you’ve got, did the same line of work too,” he added.
“I never asked but what made you stop doing mercenary work, it can't have just been old age,” he said in between bites and slurps of his soup.
“Well, that’s just it, it was old age, things just creep up on you, a creak in your neck here, a pain in your back there, next thing you know and…boof! Earning a living with the sword just wasn’t possible for me,” he said gesturing with his hands before returning them to fold under his old but strong chest. Gensu put his spoon down abruptly.
“That…That’s not gonna happen to me is it?” he said with anxiety in his voice. Realising he had gone too far, placed his hand back on his son’s shoulder.
“Not at all son, I left out a lot of bad life choices I made in my youth. You’re a lot better off than I was when I was your age,” Gensu still felt a bit solemn despite his father’s reassurance he would be fine. Dorian lifted his hand from Gensu’s shoulder and gave him a firm pat on the back. “Don’t look so glum, eat up and I’ll see if I can convince your mother to go with us on a day out, hm?” his tone made Gensu crack a smile into a small laugh he couldn’t hold back.
“Sure thing,” he said bashfully as he returned to his food. His father returned him another pat on the back in response.
“Good lad,” then left to go upstairs to join his wife, with Gensu left with his food and thoughts. The idea that he may cease to work due to growing old bothered him some, but decided to place it in the back of his mind. The promise he may get to enjoy a day out with his parents was one he was most looking forward to, even if he didn't show it verbally or physically to his parents.
Two Years Later
It almost felt like the weather matched Gensu’s mood almost every day now. Grey and muggy, with a horrible malaise plastering the sky.
“Oi, Gensu! Are you bringing that coin to me or what?! You’re a month behind on your house payments!” shouted a voice from Gensu’s side, most likely his landlord, though for Gensu, his voice was only a muffled tone in the back of his head. He paid the aged, portly man no mind as he entered through the village gates and made for the other side of the village with a slow, uninspired walk. Gensu’s appearance was in sharp contrast to what it had been when he returned from work a few months ago. His hair was now worn down and disheveled, no longer tied up like most other men in the village. Gensu omitted using a straight razor as he found it to be too much of a hassle, leading to an uneven and patchy display of facial hair. Dark bags hung under his eyes, his blade was getting duller, and his clothes hadn’t seen a good bath in months. All these things Gensu found to be too much effort to deal with and failed to convince his mind to go through the effort of fixing them, if they even crossed his mind in the first place.
The dull man plodded along through the small village until he reached the other side, a graveyard, far away from the homes and set in large plains that were painted against the backdrop of large mossy mountains. The graveyard was mostly a pale, yet beautiful plain of grass, with all deaths and burials only being hosted for people who lived within their village, thus the graves and obelisks were spread far and between. The gentle breeze of the day blew Gensu’s long brown hair in the wind as he finally reached the graves he came to see, belonging to his mother and father. The graves were slightly mossy and had wilted flowers lying in front of them. Gensu made sure to clean them off whenever he could and replace the flowers, but even this act of care for his last physical reminder of his parents was becoming a heavier and heavier task for his mind to bear.
Gensu kneeled down on the soft grass and looked closer upon the pair of graves - the engravings within the stone becoming easier to read as he did so - and gave a moment of silence as he closed his eyes, with thoughts and prayers given towards their graves and souls. A tear fell down from his eye and fell onto the grass as he closed his eyes. Despite doing his best to hold his emotions back, the bottled-up feelings and thoughts came pouring out on this very day.
“Mom, Dad I…I don’t know what to do!” he cried out as he brought his face to the earth and sobbed uncontrollably. “I don’t know what’s happening to me! I feel like I’m losing control of myself and my thoughts. Things I once cared about don’t even register in my mind anymore. I’m getting worse and worse with my blade and it was the only thing I’m good at! Remember!?” Gensu’s breathing became erratic as he sniffled through his nose. “Am I becoming just like you Dad?! Am I slowly falling apart until I’m out of a job…or even die on the field? I don't have anyone to fall back on, I don’t know any other trade! I…I won’t be able to provide for myself…I…I…Please! Help me! I don’t know what to do!” cried Gensu as he fell fully to both knees and buried his head into the pair's grave, miserably releasing all of his worries, yet for no one to listen or take them from him. His mind was filled with so many emotions, so much anxiety and it felt like he couldn't hear anything around him, only the raw emotions that were running through his brain. However, these were abruptly interrupted by a long, loud explosion that broke through his emotions like a battering ram, as it rang from behind him.
Gensu eyes opened wide and his head snapped back horizon which contained the village against the plains he stood on. The once familiar view of the village was now engulfed by smoke. The smell of fiery smoke reached his nose and his moment of distress was halted abruptly. What the fuck!? What happened?! Is this…an attack?! Despite his stressed and upset expression, Gensu’s line of work came to his aid and his instincts commanded him to jump to his feet and sprint towards the village.
Please be ok, please be ok, please be ok, Gensu was fast but the vast plains were large and through his hurry back, these were the only words that played in his head when there was nothing else he could do but run. Soon, Gensu reached his village, flames scattered around the paths and alleyways, even reaching homes, while the smoke rose from the inferno and trapped the village in a domain of fog. Gensu stood at the gate to his village in horror as he took in the sight of everything he knew slowly burning away. His suspicions however were confirmed true, The young man ducked behind a thick wooden post at the sight of a few vulgar bandits, his hair and cloak trailing behind him a moment later from his quick movement.
Why bandits? Why would they come up all the way here? Gensu breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly. Never mind, relax Gensu. Think about how many jobs you've done, just think of this as one more.
Gensu remained low to the ground and snuck into the village with his wakizashi held firmly in his left hand, contained within its rusted old scabbard. The burning of fire and crackling of wood made it difficult for him to access where potential threats could be, thankfully his well-honed instincts helped him thoroughly to navigate the village and avoid detection. Gensu made sure the coast was clear before quickly ascending atop a home that was omitted from the flames of the attack and using the wooden supports as footholds. Gensu did his best to keep low to avoid being spotted and keep the smoke from his lungs.
It's likely only a small group that came to attack, I could only see around ten or so men attacking our village…any more would be overdoing it. Gensu thought to himself as he surveyed his home burning before his eyes. Gensu did his best to place his emotions surrounding the situation in the back of his head, only focusing on trying to eliminate the threat and find any survivors, but, Gensu would be lying to himself if he said were not filled with anger and a feeling of helplessness.
Below him, Gensu spotted a lone bandit. He was scrawny, wearing barely anything except brutish garbs to appear menacing, and crude axes held in both of his hands. He had the look of a man looking for something to do, despite standing within an inferno which he had aided, Gensu saw his chance. Gensu broke into a sprint on the remaining length of the roof he stood on, drawing his dull blade from his scabbard and leaping off the edge of the building. Gensu loomed over the bandit for a short moment before descending upon him quickly, grabbing his shoulder as he landed and twisting him into his blade. The sword burst through the back of the bandit’s back and out from his chest, not by its sharpness, but by Gensu’s technique. Blood splayed out of the man’s chest before Gensu dislodged the blade swiftly and flicked off the blood that coated his sword. As Gensu recovered from his kill, the man fell to the ground and Gensu flicked his long unkempt hair out of his face.
“That went better than I thought,” Gensu said quietly to himself as he sheathed his blade once again, but kept his stance ready to draw. “I don’t recognize these guys, they can’t be amateurs though, this feels too coordinated,”
“Hey! We’ve got a live one here!” Gensu spun around to a burly voice down one of the alleyways. He was met with a stronger, more well-built bandit. Then like magic, another bandit came running around the corner to the sound of the command, resembling the same build as the one Gensu had just slain.
“You went and got Zack did you?” said the smaller, more nasally one who held a crude sort of pincer blade in his right hand.
“Big deal, he was wet wipe anyway,” said the other one, as the two of them both shared a laugh. Shit, I was standing around too much and got caught. One battle-axe user, another with some sort of knife weapon. Gensu looked over the brutes as he held on to his handle and scabbard, holding his ground and ready to draw at a moment's notice. Both are completely different builds too…fuck…just calm down, one at a time Gensu, The young man drew his blade quickly, holding it with both hands and keeping the tsuba close to the left of his waist, with the length of the blade traveling past his right shoulder in a defensive position.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Ooh fancy,” said the shorter one in a mocking tone. Gensu kept his nerves intact amidst the distractions and flames around him. The three slowly approached one another with their weapons drawn, with the pincer-welder looking the most on edge and ready to attack. As expected, the smaller man led with a pre-emptive slash with his blades, striking upwards at an angle.
Gensu’s foresight was rewarded, as the unkempt man spun his blade behind him with one hand, twisting the blade and spinning it in front of him to catch it with both hands again. This drew momentum in the blade and as Gensu caught his sword in the hand, he struck it down the crude pincer-wielders weapon, parrying the strike and slicing off a few of the man’s fingers. Before the screams of the man left his lungs, Gensu was ready to return the blade to his other side and deliver another diagonal slash to finish off the fiend, but instead, he was met with a boot to his side. The front kick knocked him completely off balance and down to the ground, tumbling on the ashy ground. Once Gensu lifted his head, he was met with a larger soldier being the culprit of the attack, with the smaller man clutching his hand in pain and a third bandit joining the fray, things had turned far worse. Three men approached Gensu with menace in their eyes as they readied their weapons, with the smaller man hanging back slightly as he clutched onto his missing fingers, with blood spurting at the pace of his heart from the holes. Gensu laid on his behind and slowly backed away from the men, unable to reach for his blade, having been thrown and lost as he was brought to the ground amidst a fury of fire.
I…is this it? No…no, no not like this, I can’t just die while my home burns away. Gensu thought with the fear of death displayed in his eyes and strewn across his face. He then lowered his head to the ground, resisting from backing away as he slowly accepted his fate.
Would I have been able to win this fight years ago? Is what my dad told me coming true? That my body slowly declines until I become useless in battle? Gensu sighed and threw his head up in the air, the sky obscured by a thick level of smoke. “I’m sorry Mom, Dad…you deserved a better son, not this good-for-nothing swordsman,”
As Gensu monologues to himself to keep his thoughts away from imminent death, his focus is taken from his three soon-to-be killers. So much so he did not realize a cloaked man had intervened and slaughtered all three of them right before his eyes, wielding a similar wakizashi to Gensu. The man quickly dislodged his blade from his final victim, expunging blood everywhere, as it quickly spread and leaked into the grass from the three bodies. The mysterious man stood silently with his blood-coated blade, he was tall and wore a black uniform with a tan cloak thrown over the top with a hood that his covered face. Vaguely, Gensu was able to make out the man’s features, such as shoulder-length white hair, but nothing more due to the smoke. Gensu still sat on the ground defenseless, breathing quickly and shallowly from the adrenaline and uncertainty of the new arrival. The mysterious warrior turned to Gensu and walked towards him.
“Can you stand,” he said, kneeling down and offering a hand, in a voice that sounded like it had been through thousands of wars. Gensu, still confused and filled with anxiety didn’t take his hand immediately, instead taking in more of the shrouded man’s facial features now that he was closer and he could get a better look. He had an angular face and amber eyes that pierced through the thin veil of smoke that separated them.Additionally, a much larger scabbard was placed across his back, most likely to house an odachi.
“I uh…yeah, I can,” stammered Gensu as he took the mysterious man’s gloved hand. The savior grabbed his hand with a firm grip and stood back up, pulling up Gensu forcefully to his feet.
“You can fight, can’t you?” asked the mysterious warrior in a way that indicated he was being rhetorical, with Gensu having to lean in close to hear him among the inferno.
“I…think so,” Gensu said, having become more insecure of his skills in the presence of the unknown warrior.
“You think? There’s no time for that, pick up your blade,” Commanded the shrouded man calmly as he nodded his head behind Gensu. The disheveled man looked behind him in response and was barely able to make out his blade’s shine within the short grass, reflecting the inferno on the thin edge of the sword.
Gensu turned to pick it up but as he turned on one foot, he was startled by a loud crash. Both he and the white-haired man turned towards the noise, with the catalyst revealed to be a much, much larger bandit. He looked to be twice the size of a regular man, with his torso as large as a giant barrel of ale. The monster of a man held an executioner axe in both hands, with the large blade pointed to the ground after it smashed right through the carriage he broke. The axe was quickly slung on his shoulder as he held it in one hand, shooting the two with a maniacal, merciless grin.
With each step he took in his oversized boots, it felt as if the firm soil was shaking under his very weight as he approached the pair.
“Think you can kill my pals and get away with it do you?” he said in a deep but sinister voice, highlighting his diaphragm size and thus his large organs, which would be far more difficult to properly pierce, not to mention his muscle and bone.
“What is he…m-my sword won’t be able to cut through him!” Gensu said to himself and the hooded man as he stepped back in fear subconsciously. The white-haired man gave him a quick glance before shifting his focus back to the behemoth of a man.
“Then stay back kid,” he said firmly before stepping forward into the arena of fire with the humongous axe wielder, drawing his blade calmly, but with purpose.
“Haha, a little blade for such a little man!” taunted the giant. Gensu watched from behind his savior, his legs still shaking in fear, his mind still berating himself for not aiding him.
What am I doing?! He’s going to die! Then me! Then the village will be gone…all because I can’t move…NO! I can’t just lie down and die! I won't give myself the easy way out…cmon body…MOVE DAMNIT! Gensu quarreled with his body and his mind as he stood completely still.
The mysterious warrior said nothing in response to the brutes' taunts and instead held his ground, holding his sword close to his shoulder facing horizontally. The brute swung left to right with one hand on his weapon, swinging the blade like a child would swing a light stick. The smaller man remained vigilant and evaded with quick and efficient backsteps to keep out of the blade's range, expertly returning to his previous stance between each repetition. The mass of muscle changed his attack on a whim, swinging the blade to the left and catching it with both hands to raise the axe high in the air, before plummeting the head all the way to the ground.
His opponent gracefully leaped back with more distance to avoid its impact and the tremors it caused from throwing up the earth around it. He then followed up by hopping onto the length of the weapon to act as a foothold, using the dust caused by the impact as an ambush and taking advantage of the fact the blade had been embedded within the earth, due to the recklessness of his opponent. The bandit looked confused by the wakashi user, and frustrated by his weapon lodged within the earth that he now had to wrestle with.
The shrouded man wasted no time and traveled up the length of the blade, leaping off at the apex of his foothold into a mid-air flip, one where he incorporated a slash into his maneuver. The slash of his short sword sliced through the brute's rough flesh deeply, passing through the top of his left trapezius, spurting blood in an arc shape from the man’s shoulder. As he flips over to the man's wide back, he delivers another slash on the way down, though not significantly deep, more blood spurts from the gash made in the brute's thick back. Finally, the swift man lands on both his feet perfectly, immediately following up by thrusting his blade into the man’s lower back with both hands. The blade pierces right through the flesh and into the vertebrae before the victim can even react. The victor finally pulls his blade out from the slab of meat, sliding it out slowly as it grinds against the bone of the spine. The bandit falls to his knees with a painful groan, with the white-haired mind not paying any mind to his movements, treating him like any common foe, and returning his weapon back to his scabbard with grace, and eloquence.
The man clad in black looked amongst the village with blood splattered across his garbs, the fires were beginning to die down but there was still a very real danger of dying to the blaze, or more likely, the smoke. Any survivors would have to be helped now. Despite this, the man stood confident and calm within the inferno, as if he had lived this day a hundred times. He considered going back to aid the young, disheveled man whom he saved, but decided against it, seeing as he eliminated the last of the humanoid threats to the village. The boy may have been a coward, but he wasn’t foolish, he would find a way out. The hooded man tried to scout any survivors, but the smoke was proving to be a large adversary, he would need to move out from his current position if he wanted any hope of spotting anyone, residing in one place would be foolish.
The rogue broke into a low jog but as he did, the side of his skull was met with a gigantic fist, the impact of which, sent him flying, then tumbling to a nearby building where he slammed against harshly. The impact winded him, and knocked down his hood, revealing his exotic white hair that fell to his shoulders, coupled with his angular features. His vision was blurred and he barely felt conscious as he sat against a piece of burnt, charcoal wood. Blood ran down his forehead and his mouth, and his body struggled to get back up despite his body telling him to do so. His vision began to focus and as it did, so too did his hearing turn from a ringing sound into one that captured the sound of the low inferno and stomping in the ground. His vision assisted this assessment by revealing the large bandit who had caused his current condition, thought dead, but no longer.
“A dirty backstabber huh?!” he said with anger as he lumbered his gigantic body towards the man slumped against the building. Despite his injuries, the axe wielder was still capable of fighting to his opponent's dismay. Damn, I messed up, did I not sever the spine deep enough?. Try as he may, the white-haired man could not get back to his feet in time, his head still ringing slightly from the impact, his nervous system still in shock from the harsh jolt of pain through his body, and his breath refusing to return to his lungs.
The muscular man, against all odds, raised his axe above his head, ready to strike down upon the shrouded man who could not recover quick enough. Gensu lept behind the beast from a nearby building, his eyes looking hollow and only the whites remained as he looked hellbent on slaughtering his foe through his furrowed brow. He sliced into the man's tree trunk neck by about two inches, though it did not travel farther. The giant swung his arm as his body felt the pain, throwing off Gensu who fell and tumbled to the ground, as his blade was his only grip from such a reckless maneuver. The beast turns towards Gensu, once again unphased by what would usually be a life-threatening injury to a normal person, as blood seeps from the incision in his neck. The muscular threat turns his back on the shrouded man, instead, raising his axe to slam into Gensu, who had still not recovered from his fall.
“Both of you are just nasty backstabbers, I’ve had enough of this!” The axe reached the apex of its arc, moments away from being dropped on the young man.
The hooded man finally staggered to his feet, his wakizashi had been thrown elsewhere from the initial impact, but he wouldn’t need it, the situation had escalated now. He stood just behind the large bandit, with his large body obscuring Gensu from his view. The shrouded figure took a deep breath as blood ran down his head, and gripped the handle of the odachi that lay within the scabbard on his back. He pulled it swiftly with one hand, revealing the blade had shattered to the length of a dagger, with the end of the blade almost looking like it had been melted down to an uneven, unusable edge. He took the blade in his right hand and crouched slightly, turning his body to the side of the brute and his broken blade to his other side. As he did, wisps of purple energy drew from his gloved hand and traveled into the blade, forming a purple light that became more vibrant as it found its way to the end. Once it reached the apex of its physical form, the purple wisps transcended the blade and flew out from its broken form to create the rest of the blade in its own image. The blade now was extended to re-create the length of a traditional odachi, but with the remaining three-fourths of the blade now comprised of a solid purple energy that formed lines and runes, while still keeping to shape of an odachi, all the while it emitted calm purple wisps.
As the energy fully formed its unruly replacement, and with unwavering focus, the hooded man took the blade with both hands and swung the blade out, angling it from the bottom-left all the way top-right of his view. The blade's new length created by the purple energy was long enough to reach the brute, cleaving through the man with the flick of the sword wielder's wrists, with a brush stroke of purple energy lingering in the arc he swung for a moment before soon dissipating in wisps. The magical blade had been swung straight through the man’s hip and up his torso, a fact brought to both of the men’s attention as the top half of the body slid off slowly, before the top half of the bandit toppled over from the uneven weight. Vast amounts of blood spilled everywhere, and the man’s overly large internal organs spilled out like a wave in the ocean reaching the shore.
Gensu looked at both the horror from the sight of the man split apart, and the beauty of the unknown force that relegated itself to wisps of gorgeous purple lights, before slowly fading away in the air. The victor of the battle stood back up straight, but not before he grasped his right arm in pain, as if a sharp twinge had entered him, or a strain had been placed on him from that specific technique. The ethereal extension of his blade quickly receded and returned the blade to its former, broken state, before he sheathed the blade within the scabbard on his back. The white-haired man stood for a moment in silence, raising his head to the sky and exhaling deeply, followed by the flip of his hood now placed back over his head.
An hour had passed from the initial attack, and any fire that had been started had now been quelled. Unfortunately, some of this was at the expense of burning away some of the homes within the village, but not all was lost. Some homes stayed standing, many lives were fortunately saved, and Gensu was named a hero in his village, as well as the mysterious man.
Gensu had checked in on the last person he needed to, it was late at night and after the chaotic events, many just wished to fall asleep and put an end to the day, including Gensu. Instead, however, intended to make sure everyone and their homes were ok. It was a drastic change of attitude for him, but he attributed it to the chaotic night and the blood loss making him act like someone else. Before he took care of his own needs, a thought occurred to him, there was one more person he needed to see. The mysterious warrior was still in the village, doing his part to help where needed. Gensu had yet to thank him like everyone else did, but he had another reason to be his next acquaintance.
Gensu rushed as fast as he could down to the town entrance gate. He’s still here, I can make it if I hurry! His long hair trailed behind and jerked aggressively with his erratic movement, along with his grabs. He caught sight of the man, standing at the gate of the village, nestled between two of the tight cliff faces. The man had no followers as he did previously however, no one sang his praise or thanked him for his service. He was turned and ready to leave, Gensu would have to act now.
“Hey! Wait!” The man stopped in his tracks, his tan hood placed back over his white hair, as he turned his head back to give Gensu a glance. Gensu came to a stop in front of the warrior abruptly, panting slightly, with the taller man looking down upon him with his advantageous height.
“You don’t need to yell, the people here have been through enough, let them sleep,” He told Gensu, still not fully facing him.
“S-sorry,” apologized Gensu between breaths. “Please, let me work under you,” begged Gensu abruptly, his face barely visible thanks to his unkempt locks splayed over him.
“Excuse me?” The confused warrior turned fully to face Gensu now. Only subtle cricket chirps could be heard in the dead of the night.
“I-I want to work under you. I used to be a warrior like you, but since my parents died I…well…I haven’t been myself. It feels as if my skills have been declining slowly and I can’t stop it.” The shrouded man said nothing as he looked down with keen eyes as he spoke. “Your skills were unmatched and the power you used was incredible. If it’s not too much to ask I…well I need to work under you to gain my lost skill again!”
The man didn’t change his facial expression as he looked down upon the younger man, remaining neutral with narrow eyes.
“I’m afraid I need to decline,” he said flatly. Gensu felt destroyed inside but did his best to keep this inside while he debated if he should bring himself down lower and continue to beg.
“But, perhaps in the future I may let you fight alongside my group,” added the man.
“Y-you're group, what do you mean?” asked Gensu as whiplashed emotions hit him.
“There’s a lot that is going on within these lands. The group I lead is working to resolve this, that’s all I can really say,”
“But why can’t I join? I-I can fight!” Gensu protested.
“Because you have your own journey to go on before aiding my own,” He placed a hand on his shoulder. “I don’t know who you are, and I can only imagine what’s happened in your life, but you still came to my aid despite the risk, and for that, I am grateful. But if you still wish to fight with a blade, then you may find you need to do the opposite and take a break,” Gensu only looked confused at his words.
“I won't claim to know the solution to your problem, but it sounds like a lot has happened to you. You may need a break from it all, consider leaving these lands and see the world from outside the small life you’ve made for yourself.” The shrouded man then turned and began to leave the village, his cloak billowing behind him in the gentle night wind, and leaving Gensu with his thoughts ruminating in his head.
The morning broke and the sun began to rise, as did the birds and surrounding wildlife. A week had passed since the attack on Gensu's village, and he had made his decision. The shrouded hero left Gensu with a lot to think about, he had said so little, yet he had shifted a lot of Gensu had thought. Whether he should remain in his home village for the rest of his life, how he was going to recuperate his skill on his own, the idea that he may never recover his skill. Gensu, however, decided to start anew. He didn't quite understand what the twin sword wielder was telling him the night he declined his admission, but in a way, he did.
It was his way of giving Gensu a wake-up call to his life, a recall of the fact that repeating the same cycle of life while his skill continued to decline and his chances of dying in battle increased, was simply a boneheaded idea. Yet, he did not know where to start, he had never known any other life than the one he lived. So he simply decided to start life anew, anew with an awakened purpose. Gensu knew the attack on the village was something orchestrated, there was no chance of it not being with the circumstances surrounding it. He would dedicate his life to finding the culprit for this attack, whether his skill returned to him or not he would care, it wasn't a concern, he was confident enough to find the answers, and one day he could find that hero again, one he had achieved his own goal, and replay him back by helping with his own.
With one last farewell to his parents' graves, a trim to his face, and a knot to hold up his hair. Gensu left his home and made for the nearest city, not paying anything or anyone mind but his new goal, as he walked tall and confidently through the narrow mountains.
END