Shadow leads the boy out the side of the building what what seemed like an entire castle upon the mountains summit,she signaled him to go in.
The boy walks slowly as he is still fatigued but now with a sense of caution slows down and enters the building.He look in front of him to try and see who or what might await him on the other side of the door,to his surprise it was nothing more than a simple room ,There was a simple bed in one corner and a small ,low table in the middle of the room.He touched the table to find not a single speck of dust.
Shadow began to speak "This will be your room,we will bring you meals and you will come out to train at first light,You will also be expected to keep this room the way you see it now.Do you understand?"
Ash looked at her,His eyes dark as if he was almost dead inside,"Yes" he muttered
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The following morning just before the sun had risen Ash was already awake ,maybe because if hunger,He wasnt sure what he felt anymore ,but he knew he didn't like it ....
Shadow knocked on the door and walks in,"Good morning ,Ash. I brought you breakfast " she greets him,she places 2 trays on the table in middle of the room "Come, eat ." She calls out to him ,He pulls himself down to the table and begins to eat not uttering a single word...
Ash begins to speak "I...I want to go home!"he cries
Shadow stands up angrily and says "This is your home now boy you must learn to accept that."
He looks at her with tears now forming in his eyes,he remembers his mother ,he remembers seeing her laying on the ground bleeding ,begging for his life ,begging that the horseman doesnt kill her son ,her only family...He remembers watching as the horseman took his mothers life....
Ash feels dread? Dread that he is ,was weak that he could not stop the horseman ,Dread that he had to watch his mother die in front of him ,Dread at how helpless he is...
Shadow sits next to puts his head on her lap and she looks into his eyes and puts her blade against his throat"I know the look in your eyes ,You wish to be strong don't you? stay...learn....fight...grow..."
she puts her blade down leaving a single thin scar on the side on his neck.
She gets up and walks to the door she looks back at ask and says"Come to me when you are ready..."
They continued to spend breakfast lunch and suppers like this for almost a month ,until one day Ash decided it was time he left the room ,He stopped her one morning as she was about to leave the room he said "Wait!Shadow...I..I think...I think I'm ready to come with you,but only you ,I dont wish to speak to anyone else!" She smiles and says okay ,she waits for him to make his bed and then ,he grabs her hand and she hold onto him firmly she takes him to a court yard just across from where his room is ,She calls out 3 other children who have been there longer no one of them older than 7....Who's rooms also led out to this same courtyard ,but none of them seemed to like or admire her like Ash seemed to...
She lined the 4 children up next to each other and called out their names "Trisha,Derrick,Samantha,Ash.....The 4 of you have been chosen to be the future of this place ,you 4 have been chosen by K ,for those of you who do not know K is our leader and we are the Shadow warriors...We live in the world of shadows ,and you 4 may not know it but you all have special powers ,they will awaken in your 17th lunar year...You 4 will form 'a cube' can anyone tell me what a cube is ?"
Samantha raises her hand "A cube is a 4 person unit ,they live, fight ,train and survive together "she says proudly.
Shadow gives her a smirk "correct,for the next 10 years you shall live, fight and train together !in 10 years you shall all leave this place and again experience in the real world."
K steps forward out of the shadows behind Shadow "Pick up your weapons ,training will now begin..."