"Fire! Fire!"
The tranquil night was shattered by a piercing shout. Soon, the quiet courtyard was filled with noise and panicked voices. Footsteps sounded dully against the wooden floorboards as men dressed in black hakamas hurridely went about trying to quell the panicked masses.
Another group swiftly departed to find the source of fire, bowing towards a stern looking man as they were dismissed. The red forehead ribbons trailed behind them in the wind, like streaking embers.
This was the Akagami domain. Home to hundred of thousands of clansmen from all around the world, all sharing one common trait. The power of the Fire-series.
It had been six years after the war, and the clan was still getting used to peaceful times, not used to spending their times without a sudden call-to-arms. So even a smallest disturbance was enough to rally the clansmen as if these were still the times of war and they were always prepared for an enemy attack.
But as they say, change takes time. And post-war settlings require the most time of all. And these were all battle-hardened warriors. From the smallest child to the oldest member, none of them hadn't had their fair share of battles, and even a kid barely out of his early years knew how to fight and kill. Their title of No.1 Fire-series clan in the world was not just for show after all. To earn such a title, the means had to be just as ruthless.
Akagami Toshiro, who had just dismissed his patrol squadron, heaved a weary sigh. His usually stern features were highlighted due to the whitened scar that ran across his face, and his unruly red hair that spoke of his Fire-series inheritance was swept back into a long tail, which was draped over his shoulder. His forehead ribbon unlike the normal members of the clan sported a golden dragon with four claws.
In the Akagami clan, the hierarchical order went as thus: Clan leader- Five commanders- Five Deputy commanders-soldiers.
The clan leader, like those in ancient Chinese dynasties, where the emperor wore golden dragon robes with dragons sporting five claws or so, had a custom of the leader wearing a forehead ribbon with a golden dragon with five claws. This represented the highest order of the clan. Akagami clan took the dragon as its representative symbol because they all believe that the dragon represents glory, bravery and might. And the Akagami clan followed only one motto.
Glory for all, or Glory for none.
It meant that the Akagami clan do not condone failure in any way. If you defeated the enemy then that'll be your glory. If the enemy defeated you, then that'll be your failure. A stain that will follow you for the rest of your life.
The fire-series clan only held one belief. Like a fire, either you burn your enemies or you burn with them. If you don't have any means of defeating your enemies then rather than coming home with a failure then take down as many enemies as you can with you.
Although, it is harsh, but such harshness also bred unequaled warriors on the battlefield. There's a reason why people call the Fire-series Mana-artist as lunatics. They are the perfect suicide soldiers. They have no qualms in burning down the entire battlefield, taking down both their allies and enemies alike with them, if it guaranteed their victory over their enemies.
In the war, people ran in the other direction when they saw a fire-series mana-artist take to the field. There was no exception between friend or foe. All of them were equally wary of the Fire-series Mana-artists.
Maybe it was because of the violent nature of the fire element itself, but in a battle, The fire-series Mana-artists are all, without exception, violent and bloodthirsty. Like a raging fire they burnt everything in their wake, without distinction for friend or foe. The perfect war-machines.
Apart from the clan leader, he has five commanders under him. To emphasize their status, they sported red forehead ribbon with golden dragons sporting four claws. These positions of clan leader and commanders are not hereditary. Only the strongest in the clan could shoulder the responsibilities that came along with such high status. And all the commanders and the vice commanders all had their fair share of battles and tribulations when they had first started off in their posts.
And Akagami Toshiro was one such commander. With ten years of battles and bloodshed under his belt, he had climbed a mountain of corpses to get to where he was today as the first divisional commander.
In the Akagami clan, the five commander all head five divisions. To manage all the thousand and thousands of clan members, the establishment of these divisions was an efficient way of managing human resources and placing the talents.
The first division was one such establishment, headed by Akagami Toshiro who inherited the position from his predecessor and master Akagami Hisui. It had been a fierce battle for the position of the first commander, both on the surface and hidden under the table. But Toshiro had come out on top, finally taking the mantle of the first commander.
Why did everyone vie for this position? It was because, the first commander was the right hand of the clan leader and the van-guard of the clan.
With more power comes more prestige. Apart from the clan leader and the other four divisional commanders, the first commander holds more than 50% of the clan's total military power. So to gain this position means to stand on equal footing with the clan leader regarding military might. Therefore, those who inherit this position had to be completely trustworthy to both the clan leader and the four divisional commanders.
With his subordinates now on crowd control, Toshiro had more time to ponder on the situation. An enemy attack? he shook his head. With more than half a decade gone after the third world war, there were none who would be stupid enough to cause a rebellion. Although both the Union and the clans had come to an uneasy peace-treaty, with the Auditors watching over them, there was no time to worry about starting another war, as both factions concentrated on licking their wounds and consolidating their own powers.
Because of this small scuffles could break out from time to time, but nothing too major that it would involve the main forces of the factions. And even if they did, they would have to endure and settle things peacefully.
But this doesn't mean everyone was happy with the status quo. Six years ago, the war that was on the brink of victory suddenly came to a stop as both sides declared a ceasefire. It took both sides by surprises, but this was the decision of all the clan leaders of the five main families, and the higher-ups of the Union, so the underlings couldn't oppose them.
With the Auditors supporting their decision, it was a wonder if no one suspected them at all. At one time Toshiro had asked his leader if they were threatened. He said, "It would've been better if we were threatened," this left Toshiro, who was more of a military man than a politician, with more questions than answers.
He became alert when he felt a presence beside him. Looking down, he was met with the expressionless face of Akagami Rikuou. At eleven years of age, Akagami was more experienced in bloodshed and battles than Toshiro was at his age.It had always unsettled him-taking a child into the battlefield, but from start to finish, Rikuou hand't shown the slightest fluctuation of emotions as he reaped lives across the battlefield.
He wondered if the child even smiled, because for as long as he had been in the clan, Toshiro had never seen the child cry or smile. But that didn't stop him from trying. Toshiro maybe regarded as a cold man, but even he felt something akin to fatherly love towards the orphan.
He put a hand on top of his head. He smiled. Once upon a time, the kid had been so small he didn't even reach his waist, but now- he stroked his head, smiling- the kid was growing up. Rikuou blinked as he looked up at him. He sighed as he looked up towards the crescent moon, the noise and the disturbances fading into the background. The world is changing he thought. and we are changing along with it...