Yuna curled her fingers around the handle of her blade as she held it tightly next to her chest that was calmly rising up and down

Her blue eyes narrowed as she looked at the challenger that was in front of her dressed in a plated armor befitting of a knight while a two-hander was in his hands, around her were her troops that formed half a circle while the other half was formed by Aralian soldiers

Planting one foot forward in the mud, Yuna slowly approached the Knight who had both hands around the handle of his longsword with the tip of the blade pointed at Yuna

And then in the blink of a flash, he stepped forward and tried to slash Yuna with a rising diagonal slash that she evaded by dodging to the right

Letting out a sharp exhale Yuna immediately bashed against the Aralian with her shoulder to then suddenly thrust right at his chest with her blade that unfortunately for her was deflected by the knight grabbing the blade of his sword with one hand and guarding against the strike as he would with a spear

Locking eyes with each other, it only took a single second of peace before Yuna initiated another blow in the form of a slash from above that the Knight's longsword caught in a high guard

But that was exactly what she wanted as she then suddenly lowered her body to deliver a sideway kick right into his chest and before he could even think of retaliating Yuna dashed to drive her blade across his throat

And yet she gritted her teeth as the space between the helmet and the chest was covered by mail, completely deflecting the blow she delivered

With a grunt, the knight counterattacked her failure with a downward strike that Yuna blocked by grabbing the tip of her blade and covering her head with her sword, and even then she felt the entirety of the blown on her weary hands

But as soon as that blow touched the surface of her curved sword, she flipped her blade to the side making it throw the knight's balance before she quickly swept the feet of the knight as he immediately fell on his back

His helmet fell off, revealing a silver-haired man while his red eyes, eyeing the Yuna that was standing over him, in one hand she had her own sword while in the other she held his from the blade

He couldn't even take a good look at her face that was hidden behind a face mask that resembled one of an Asian demon

And as he thought he was going to get killed by a masked warrior, Yuna tossed his blade at his side

"Go home Aralian" She said, her sharp and fearsome eyes locked with the beaten officer

"This is not worth it" And with those final words, Yuna walked back to her side as she sheathed her blade back into its scabbard, single-handedly winning the duel, and in turn, winning her side some time to prepare until the next attack

....

In a barely lit tent in the middle of a military encampment was a lonely Yuna that let out a sigh, she was sitting down on her bed with a sword laid down on her lap, sheathed in its blood-red scabbard

With a cautious gaze, she lifted the sword to eye level, grabbing the handle and the sheath with her other hand before slowly pulling the blade out of it, barely able to see her reflection on its surface from how void black the color of the blade was

Her eyes could then see the cloth that was hanged to cover the entrance of her tent move slightly, and it sure wasn't the wind

With a singular motion, she sheathed the sword back inside its scabbard as her eyes looked past the sword in her hand

"You look depressed" A male voice said, prompting her to look at the man that appeared inside her tent, his hands were on the edge of the table that was in the middle as he examined the map that was laid down on it

Yuna smiled and put the sword on her bed as she got up and walked over to him

"How can I not be" She told him, attracting his blue eyes that looked up the table to make contact with her own

"When my brother was not even worried about me dueling an Aralian commander" She had a small smile on her face as she stood to his side

Her words prompted the man to laugh

"Being worried would mean that I doubted you" He said with such a small yet comforting smile

"And I never did" Yune added on, bringing the same warm smile out of the face of his sister

"But right, I was busy defending our flanks with my own Ayashi if your highness so desires to know" He added on with narrowed eyes while Yuna could but chuckle

"Alright alright, forget I said anything" Both laughed as they examined the map in front of them, a couple of seconds passed in deafening silence

And then that silence was cut by Yuna taking in a deep breath

"This war seems so pointless" She said, both her and Yune's eyes glued to the battlefield map that was on the surface of the wooden table

"If I understand correctly" Yune spoke, attracting his sister's attention as she gave him a side look

"Aralia's food output has suffered tremendously in the past years, and so they have to use their only card to fix their problem" He added

"Their military" Yuna continuing her brother's thought pushed a smile to surface on his face

"Yes, though attacking the elves north would be unwise since they would have to fight in forests that they cannot execute scorch earth tactics against since they'll need the fertile land" Yune told her, pointing at the famous border of giant trees that separated the domain of elves from the human's

"And in the south, they would have to cross the Vael desert, a very different climate that'll give the Aralian soldiers trouble adjusting to" He then smiled one of sorrow as he finally pointed at Yokohama on the map, the only blade colony that was on this continent

"And that leaves us" Taking in a deep breath, Yune looked at his sister

"A nation that had its ruler assassinated and is only recovering from the change in ownership that would eventually fall on one out of the two siblings" He said, Yuna scoffed

"They thought we would fight over the crown" She said before putting one of the two hands that were on the table on her waist

Yune chuckled

"Fortunately for us, they underestimate our bond" He gave her a slow nod that accompanied those words before he looked back at the map

"But maybe, and just maybe..." He sucked in a deep breath through his lips and then spoke softly

"I can put an end to this before it reaches our home" His words made Yuna arch an eyebrow in curiosity

"What do you mean 'I'?" She asked with the slight trace of threat in her tone, prompting Yune to chuckle as he inhaled deeply to push himself to tell her about what he had on his mind

"After your duel with the Aralian officer, a messenger came to our gates" He then looked at her

"They want me to go to their fort to negotiate" Yuna's eyes suddenly widened at the words his brothers said

"How can you ever think that's a good idea?!" She yelled with furrowed eyebrows yet Yune couldn't but smile

"With the thought of our people suffering, Yuna" He replied to her, his eyes filled with empathy while his words were soft, just as always

"That's why I'm willing to take the risks" But his words only made his sister grew more restless

"Do you remember when we were little" He smiled and looked down at the table again

"When we were in the palace and we saw children play in the streets while we had nothing but training and lessons about history, etiquette, and what not?" His eyes then looked at his sister that had no words to reply with

"I never had an answer for you back then when you asked me why we couldn't play too, but now I get it" His smile grew warmer and his eyes narrowed

"We were getting raised to protect that very same scene we saw" Yune said each word as sharply and slowly as he could while Yuna pursed her lips and looked to the side

"And if there's a sliver of truth behind their words" He said, resting a hand on his chest plate

"I'm willing to risk my blade, bow, body, and soul for them" Yune added while his sister had no reply to his determination, her eyes slowly drifting to look down at her feet

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"Do you think anything you will do will be remembered?" She told him

"No matter how good, nothing will matter" Turning her lips into a thin line as she ended her words, only for Yune to reply with the warmest of smiles

"That's where you're wrong, sister" Yune answered her, attracting her furrowed eyebrows and her worried eyes

"People might not remember your face nor your voice" He then smiled

"But they will always remember how you made them feel" Yune told her

"And if we pass them the torch and show them that no matter how dark the ages can turn or how grim the times can get, that even here" He gestured around him

"In the battlefield of despair, will always be hope" His small yet comforting smile still on his face

"They will keep the flame of the torch burning with that very same hope we gave them" Putting a hand on his chest

"That, I believe in our people" Yune seemingly had no more words to say afterward

For a second, Yuna lifted her arms in a confused manner to only let them fall to her sides again

"I don't know what to say" Slowly shaking her head, unknowing of what to do

"You are your own man, Yune" She told him with a forced smile

"Do as you see fit" She finished her words while he wore a comforting smile as he put a hand on her shoulder

"That doesn't mean I won't do my best to come back, our people need the both of us after all" Yuna couldn't but give him a weak smile

"I'll take my soldiers with me, and we'll see how it goes" He said, giving her a slow nod and removing his hand off her shoulder

"I just want to do something right, something I can be proud of" He told her as Yuna herself let out a sigh before spreading her arms to give him a hug

"There's no need to prove yourself, you're already the best brother I could have" Her words prompted Yune to laugh as he returned her hug with his arms wrapped around her

A couple of silent seconds before the pair disbanded their hug, a warm smile on each of their faces

"Thank you, I'm glad that you're my sister as well" His words only made her smile warmer

"I have to gather my men now, we'll get going as soon as possible" He added on, received a slow nod from Yuna

"And..." His expression suddenly turned sour

"If, God forbids something happen to me-" Yuna dismissed it with a swipe of her hand

"Don't" She cut him

"I have no need for a 'blood-sibling' " She continued, yet he said it anyway

"You didn't because you've always had me" He told her, bringing her to narrow her eyes and furrow her eyebrows

"I know it won't be easy to find somebody to be proud of fighting alongside let alone trust your life to, but life can be quite surprising sister" He told her with a comforting smile

"I'm sure you of all people would love having somebody to call a blood-sibling" He added on until he made Yuna cross her arms sternly

"Will you get going?" She said with narrowed eyes and a monotone voice, pushing Yune to laugh as he headed for the exit

"Fine fine, we'll talk about it when I'm back" As he walked away and waved goodbye to Yuna, she smiled

"That's the spirit" She said under her breath but her brother didn't seem to have heard her, she sighed and leaned against the table

....

Some hours passed after Yune went on to the meeting with the Aralians, leaving behind a lonely Yuna that helped transport medical supplies into the makeshift infirmary they have made, yet her brisk walk was cut with the yell of one of the guards that were on the stone wall

"Open the gates! we have an injured brother outside!" They screamed

And that same scream made Yuna tense as she dropped the box she was carrying down on the ground to make a full run towards the front gates of the fort

And as the wooden gate opened, it showed a lone soldier that fell on his knees, unable to muster the little strength that took to stand up

Sprinting through the gates, Yuna reached the soldier as she put one of his arm around the back of her neck as she helped him walk back, she recognized who it was, one of the bodyguards of her brother and the one Yune was the closest to

"What happened?" She asked him, noticing blood all over his face and even more that stained his stomach area

His breathing was shallow and wheezing and looked as if they slowly lost the life inside of them, but Yuna still helped him walk back, soldiers all gathered to see what was happening

"My lady, here!" One of them pointed at a wooden table set in the middle of the courtyard as everything that was on it was swept on the ground to make space for their brother in arms

And so they laid the wheezing man on the table as Yuna put as much pressure as she could on his wound that gushed blood with each heartbeat of his

"Yurashi..." He spoke softly to her, his dimly lit eyes locked with her own as the other soldiers formed around

"It's okay, you'll be alright" Yuna said softly, pressuring further on his bleeding wound

"They betrayed us..." He told her, taking a long and wheezing breath through his pale lips

"They murdered him... they killed my lord..." His words suddenly made all the strength Yuna put into blocking the blood from coming out his body, vanish

For a couple of seconds all the muscles in her body relaxed, her eyes widened and her mouth opened in shock before she snapped back to normal again and put all her strength into stopping the bleeding

But it didn't matter anymore, the man laid down on the table had passed away after those final words

And with what he said, it seemed that Yune too, passed away, murderer and betrayed by the kin he sought to protect

And with his death, nothing mattered anymore

Without daring to lift her eyes to face the expressions her men had, Yuna gripped the bloodied cloth of the dead soldier as hard as she could, anger and rage was slowly bubbling like hot water inside her very soul, yet it only purified it out of her mercy and kindness

"They want war" She said, taking in a deep breath

"They will get war" While her eyes were locked with the blood she had in her hands, it wasn't her own yet she wished it was

"Do you hear me?!" She yelled for all ears to hear, lifting her head and taking a good look at the faces her men had, grief

"My brother turned the other cheek for the Aralians! yet they sliced it!" She added on, furrowing her eyebrows as she spoke

"They turned our brothers against us! and those who stayed loyal were murdered just like your lord!" She had to be strong, for both her and the moral of her weary men

"And they're coming for us next!" She said, looking from face to face

"And after they're done with us, they'll go for your families!" Her voice screamed for war as she looked at the faces of the soldiers around her

"Your children! your wives and parents!" She told them

"But I won't let them!" She yelled, smashing a closed fist on her iron chest plate that resonated like the drums of war

"I'll fight until the blood takes my sword out of my hand! until I can only crawl!" Her eyes had started to glint from the tears

"And even then they won't defeat me! even then I'll spit on their faces!" She yelled, taking a deep breath in as her brain had to yet processed the despair that was laid down on her

"We cried to the heavens..." She muttered loud enough for the soldiers around her to hear, lowering her head to look down at her feet as it was the only place where eyes weren't fixated on her, waiting for hope that she didn't have

"But the gods answered in naught but pain and kindred blood!" She then lifted her head again, raising her arms and calling out to that little hope they still had

"Brothers to warriors resting beneath fields of wheat!" She called to her men

"Sons of battles a thousand times lost!" And they could only look at her

"I know who I am!" She exclaimed with furrowed eyebrows, resting her hand on her chest

"And today I will show the gods what I can become!" Yuna aimed her words to both her men, and the gods that forsaken her

"If you wish not to join me then leave with the evacuating ships!" She said, turning around as she looked at the faces of her men that had all their eyes locked on her

"Leave now! to fight for another day!" But even with her permission, none stepped back

Not a single soldier, Ayashi or otherwise moved away, they all stood fast knowing very well this will be their very last fight

And those were the kind of people that died today, and as Yuna looked down at her hands with pursed lips, those were the kind of people that had their blood on her hands

"Thank you" Her voice couldn't be higher than a whisper

"Today we will not fight as Yurashi and Ayashi!" She screamed

"For today we are all equal!" Yuna then lifted her blood-stained hand, stained with the blood of one of many soldiers that died for her, for both her and her country

"Today we will fight as brothers and sisters!" She yelled, wiping the blood that was on her hand all over her face

"For each drop of our kin's blood, we will spill an ocean of theirs!" She exclaimed with furrowed eyebrows

"For our people! and our kingdom!" She screamed, and her men yelled after her

"Cry war! cry louder!" And they all did, they screamed at the top of their lungs for revenge

"We will leave at sunset! ready yourselves for this is the last time we will unsheathe our swords!" And with one final collective cheer, the men went on to prepare themselves, leaving Yuna to stare at the corpse laid on the table, one of the few loyal men left in Yokohama

Should she bury the body? she thought

"My lady?" Yuna slowly turned around to face one of her men, she then channeled the very few emotional strength she had to muster a smile

"I'll be dead before the sun rises tomorrow, just call me Yuna" She told the soldier who was very reluctant to do so

"I can bury the body if you so desire" He told her, Yuna smiled weakly to then look at the corpse

"No, his body will be sent back home aboard the ship leaving with the injured" She then looked at the man

"It is what he would have wanted" The soldier's face beamed with warmth at her caring words

"Understood" He bowed, but as he wanted to leave Yuna narrowed her eyes to look at his face in a way that piqued his curiosity

"Would you happen to be 17 years old?" The young soldier nodded quickly, even with his age he was still as tall as Yuna

"I did hear word of a certain man joining the Ayashi at a mere 17 years of age, I congratulate you on such a feat" She said with a small smile that made him tense up, he didn't think he would be praised by one of the rulers of his country, let alone now of all times

"Thank you my lady" His words suddenly made Yuna's smile warmer

"If you so insist on calling me your lady" She said

"Would you mind doing your lady one last favor?" She asked him, he immediately nodded

"Then go back home" She told him with narrowed eyes and a forced smile

"Go back home and tell them of what happened here" The soldier looked down at his feet, unable to look into the eyes of his lady

"But I don't want to go, Yurashi" He said softly, raising his eyebrows meekly

"I want to stay here and fight, to avenge our brothers" He added on while his eyes looked up to finally lock with Yuna's

"What's your name, young man?" She asked him with narrowed eyes and a smile on her bloodied face

"Aoki, Ichikawa Aoki" He replied to her with a soft tone

"Aoki, it's a strong name" Yuna answered him

"Do you love your parents, Aoki?" Her words made him put a hand on his chest

"I wouldn't change them for the world, my lady" His words made her smile even softer

"Did you say your goodbyes to them?" For a second Aoki looked as if he had no answers, until a slow nod came from hismthat prompted a chuckle out of Yuna

"My brother said his goodbyes to me too, before he went away" Her eyes slowly looked down at the mud

"Yet he still won't come back" She lifted those same eyes to land them on Aoki's eyes that were filled with empathy

"He never will" She added, pursing her lips for a second

"All the pain that I've felt until this day is but a mere prick in my skin compared to them snatching my brother away from my life" Yuna told Aoki, both pairs of eyes not being able to divert their gaze away

"And I wouldn't dare to imagine how I'd feel if it was my very own son" She rested a hand on her chest while her eyes started to glint, Aoki could but look down

"Go back home, carry our hopes and give it back to the people" From each eye fell a pure tear that was corrupted by the mixture of blood and dust that was on Yuna's snow-white face

He felt her hand on his shoulder, and as he lifted his head to look at his lady, he could but see despair

"That is my final order to you" Aoki felt his chin shiver as he bit his lower lip hard to compose himself, wiping his eyes with his forearm while his head quickly nodded

"I will my lady" He spoke to then look at Yuna's thankful eyes again

"You can count on me" She smiled

"Thank you" And then removed her hand from his shoulder

"You have a bright future in front of you Aoki" Yuna added to him, seeing him nod as he was wiping his tearful eyes

"I and your friends will always be smiling down on you, stay strong" She then patted his arm in a friendly way before she turned back and walked away, fist clenched as hard as she could

Her heart was embraced by the rage that she kept repressing, the scorching desire to bring hurt and to take human life away, she was ready for it

No, she wanted it