Shinku woke up with the noise of footsteps from random people who rushed here and there. Fifteen years had passed since the nightmare of his village's destruction transpired. Since then, the death of his family and friends had haunted his dreams without fail.
Gradually, he came to his senses, having been asleep in a sitting position with his back resting against a wooden wall. He saw a couple of coins scattered around him with some of them in an old can sitting beside him. He sat there, just exposed in public view yet seemingly invisible to the busy people around him. Kravien the city of seafarers, it had always been a bustling place full of people from a variety of origins. For years, Shinku moved a lot from town to town, surviving on his own and seeking for information. It's in this harbor town that he found himself staying most of the time. With several ships docking almost every month, the density of the city gave him more hope of catching information from different beings that sought temporarily shelter to the place. Since that day when he saw his mother murdered right in front of his eyes, the young man swore to find the marauders that razed their village and massacred everyone in it. It had been his oath to make the murderers pay for it with their lives. For a couple of years however, any word about the marauder's whereabouts seemed to be elusive to him.
In this town, Shinku was known as a beggar wearing simply an old tattered robe. The clothing was able to successfully conceal the short sword he had always brought with him, the only thing he was able to salvage from his ruined village and the only memory he had from his father who actually gifted him the sword. He sat there, just beside a small tavern where he could perfectly hear conversations mostly during the night. That time however, though the tavern still operated during the morning, only a few guests were around. With that, Shinku decided to gather the few coins scattered on the dirt around him and placed them on the old can. He grabbed the can and took a stroll around town. A few would look at him with disgust, some would try to sneak on the visible few coins he had but to most people, he was merely an invisible fellow passing through the crowd.
Everything didn't matter anyway. For now, as he wandered around the streets of Kravien, there were only two things on his mind - survive, and make those marauders pay with their lives.
"Breads! Get your fresh breads here!" Out of the thousand voices in the marketplace, Shinku heard this merchant's call first. To be able to continue on living, he needed food after all. Though most of the time, he would visit one of the forests around for food but often times, he chose to try some merchant made goods in town. Shinku approached the market stall that teemed with a variety of baked goods.
The merchant's face turned into an obvious disgust the moment Shinku got near the stall and stared at the goods displayed for consumption. Nevertheless, the merchant simply went on announcing his goods but checked on Shinku from time to time, suspicious of what he might do. The young man was able to notice the merchant's expression how ever, he simply brushed it off, being used to the same reaction from most of the town's inhabitants. He could even hear a few people around speak ill of him at the moment, but he chose not to be bothered. Oddly enough, though the people in this town were mostly of the middle class, and had gotten used to bandits and pirates wreaking havoc from time to time, discrimination among classes specially of those in the poverty section still existed.
"Anything I can buy with these?" Shinku got a few coins from the old can and showed them to the merchant in an open palm. "Errr...you can have two of those over there." Still with disgust in his face, the merchant pointed what looked like small rounded breads almost at the edge of the stall. "Just put the coins over there." Before Shinku could even get his bread, the merchant pointed to a small space in the stall for his payment. Nonetheless, Shinku placed the coins on the spot where the merchant told him to then gathered the two breads he purchased and quickly left.
Shinku made his way through one of the alleys then settled somewhere at the side of the alley. Though he could have quickly consumed the small breads even on his way, he deemed settling at a spot would be better. After all, he's accustomed to having a common place for meals rather than consuming them on the go. Before he could put one of the breads in his mouth however, he noticed a small boy, similarly dressed in tattered clothes staring at him from a distance. The darkness of the alley made the boy's features almost unrecognizable but by his height, he could be from 7-9 years of age.
Shinku extended his left hand offering the other bread he had to the child. He didn't say anything but the motion was enough to make the boy run towards him and quickly consume the bread. Instead of thanking him though, the boy quickly turned around and was about to run when Shinku decided to get the boy's attention. "Hey!" Even without him holding the boy, the latter was obliged to stop in fear. "You can have this one too." The boy turned around and was surprised that Shinku was already behind him to hand another bread. Without any hesitation, the boy grabbed the bread then continued running.
"Oh how sweet! How about giving us our share too mate! We haven't had our meal yet as well." Those words didn't come from the voice of someone begging but of mockery. Shinku quickly turned around to see four people standing a few meters from him. The man in front, who was more likely the one that caught his attention stood a few feet taller than him. The man's hair was spiked up and had some noticeable piercings on his lower lip, even visible in spite of the darkness. He held a long spiked bat, having its tip rest on the ground. The three other men behind him were a bit harder to recognize from Shinku's view, all being much farther away.
"Yer' the beggar that always slept near the tavern are ye'. Well so ye' know, every beggar in this town answers to us if ye' want to continue on living in here peacefully. And by answering, we mean part of the money ye' earn must go to us." Even before the man could finish speaking, Shinku poured the rest of the coins on his hand, then threw them in front of the one who seemed to be their boss then turned around.
"Oi! Now what kind of attitude is that mate! Ye' got no manners in 'ya!" The man's mockery suddenly turned into a furious voice. "Well we better teach 'im some manners boys!" Shinku now had his back towards the men and was on his way out, but he could hear a hard strike on the alley's wall which seemed to signal an attack.
Shinku could hear their loud footsteps approaching him rapidly, causing him to abruptly stop. He let off a deep sigh before vanishing right in front of the men. "Wh..where'd he went! Using cheap tricks are 'ye! Show yourself you coward! We will find you any...." Before the man could complete his speech, a strong thump in his head caused his vision to suddenly black out and then finally fall into unconsciousness. Shinku then pointed his short katana forward with it's tip just a few inches away from the throat of another man, who began to shiver in fear. Without uttering a single word, the three men scampered away leaving their boss lying unconscious on the ground.
Stepping over the pack's leader, Shinku went to the opposite end and left the alley. His stomach growled in hunger signalling him to get something to eat as soon as possible. With that, he decided to make his way out of town and into the nearby murky forest.
He had some personal coins with him which he earned from a couple of covert missions apart from those that he got from posing as a beggar however, he decided not to use any of his personal earnings while in this town and save them for better use. Besides, a beggar couldn't have anything more than his alms could he? Adding up to his unfortunate encounters so far, Shinku deemed it better to gather for food instead of purchasing any at the marketplace.
It took Shinku more than an hour of threading through the shallow part of the ocean to reach a dark, gloomy forest hidden by the mist that never seemed to disappear whatever season nor time of day it was. The air was freezing cold but Shinku's training had helped him to be tenacious enough to withstand it. As he panted due to the distant hike, Shinku decided to look up and stared at the freshness of the morning sky. He could still vividly remember that day.
It was a night of celebration for the year's successful harvest. Grains filled their granary, overflowing enough to feed the people for the rest of the year. Merry music filled the air along with songs from people who enjoyed themselves with ale and meat, cheering for the fruits of their hard work. Above the streets were beautiful lanterns of various shapes and designs hanging on threads above the town. Each lantern added to the beautiful colors of the night along with fireworks that were being shot from time to time with each glamorous display bursting at an hourly interval.
The streets were lined up with stalls, filled with food of various flavors. At every corner were people gathered to drink up to their heart's content. The harmony of their laughter, songs and music decorated the night with a jolly and vivacious ambiance.
Shinku was then at the village square, innocently playing with his friends who where all unaware of the disaster that was about to wipe their whole civilization clean.
"Do you think this will ever end?" A small girl suddenly spoke up, who sat just a few meters away from a group of children who took turns in battling with what seemed like wooden spinning tops along with a circling crowd that watched the players.
"What do you mean?" Shinku responded in a confused tone as he sat nearby the girl.
"Well, this happiness. Someday this has to end right?" The girl continued gathering a few interested peers around.
"Why would you want this to end? Don't you want everyone to be happy?" Another boy confused of the girl's speech, came and sat with them. Two other curious children joined in with their talk breaking away from the previous crowd.
"Yeah Yuki why would you want this to end? Or did you mean this feast? This will only be tonight right? Don't you like seeing everybody like this?" Shinku seconded the boy seemingly more confused as before.
"Uhmm...no it's just...nevermind." Yuki, as what she was referred to by Shinku suddenly stood up and ran towards the crowd of children who were watching the spinning top battle.
"What's up with her?" Another boy asked in confusion triggering a somewhat silent ambiance. They could only shrug in confusion and stared at each other for a while, until one of them decided to stand up and join the crowd as well, with the others following suit.
Snapping him out of the trance, Shinku's stomach growled bringing his consciousness back to the present. It had been years since then but his vivid memories showed that he refused to forget everything that happened that day in spite of it leaving a significant trauma in him. He walked forward, disappearing in the mist that covered the dark forest.
Shinku moved his way towards the murky forest, cutting through tall blades of grass with his katana. He carefully plodded through the forest, taking little steps as the natural darkness of the forest gave him some trouble in navigating. It was still early in the morning but the forest's dark environment made it seem like Shinku was hiking at the dead of night. After a few moments of hiking, he finally found some vines full of berries and helped himself with some.
He searched for a clearing in the forest and upon stumbling on one, he sat by an old tree with his back resting against its trunk then consumed the berries that he gathered earlier. He isn't much of a heavy eater especially in the morning making a handful of berries satisfy him for a while.
'If only I was stronger that day'. Shinku pulled his sword and raised it in front of him, simply staring at it's black steel blade. Gradually, his consciousness pulled him back to some fragments of his past.
"Is everything ok?" A young Shinku inquired as he walked along with Yuki on their way home. She had been a close friend since her house was just beside Shinku's, and their families would often bond on various occassions.
"Yes of course." Yuki showed an awry smile but refused to look at Shinku.
It was already deep in the night and most of their playmates had gone towards their homes. The melodies that filled the air just moments ago were now replaced with hustles of people packing up their things. Drunk men could be seen being carried along with their wives. All that remained were the beautiful lanterns that beautifully lit up the streets.
"You know I'm still thinking of what you said earlier. Well...about all these...coming to end. I..." Shinku asked in a mix of confusion and concern but was abruptly cut by Yuki.
"Something does not feel right. I don't know what it is but I...I'm afraid something terrible is about to happen." Yuki stopped walking, with her hand visibly shaking in terror.
"Don't be afraid I..." Shinku quickly stood in front of Yuki then held the girl's hand, in an attempt to calm her down. "...I promise not to let anything bad happen to you."
Slowly, Yuki started to calm down. Her hands gradually stopped from shaking as she felt the warmth of the boy's hands. "Thank you." A smile escaped her lips as Yuki raised her head to face the boy in front of him.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!" A loud scream suddenly resonated the village, startling the kids. Few men started to get out of their homes and in spite of drunkenness, ran their way towards where the scream came from.
"Shinku! Yuki! What was that?" A man shouted from a distance, approaching them with a hammer in his hand.
"I don't know father, I..." Shinku himself stuttered suddenly struck with fear as sounds of more screams tainted the peace of the night.
"Ah nevermind! Quick! Run to your mother at home! You too Yuki! Stay at home no matter what happens!" Before Shinku could even finish his speech, his father, as he called the man, cut him off commanding both of the children to run. The man himself joined the others rallying towards the town gates.
"Let's go." Shinku, who still held Yuki's hand started to run towards home however, his friend couldn't seem to come along.
"What's wrong?" Shinku, looked back at Yuki who's tears started to flow from her eyes and shivered frantically.
"It's happening! Everything in my dreams it's happening right now!" Yuki's body seemed to freeze and shook at the same time in panic. "We're all gonna die. We're all gonna die..." She continuously muttered in a low chant.
"Shinku! Oh thank goodness you are safe!" A woman quickly yelled from afar but Shinku could't avert his eyes away from Yuki who was then in a state of panic.
"Yuki! What's happening!" Another woman called their attention as the two children heard distinct footsteps approaching them.
"Let's head home!" One of the women grabbed Shinku by his hand.
"But mom Yuki..." Shinku was about to point out the girl beside him but stopped when another woman picked her up.
"Everything will be ok now. Let's go!" With Yuki now in the care of someone familiar, Shinku ran along with his mother.
A thick smoke started to rise up from the direction of the town gate. Shinku stopped running, as the sound of more screams, and then wailing suddenly gets louder and louder. "Father he..." Shinku turned around and saw flames seemingly rain from the sky. It wasn't that long when the boy froze upon the sight of a severed head flying towards him. The head was about to hit the boy but he was quickly grabbed by his mother. Shinku himself, started to shake frantically unable to make anything out of what he saw.
His mother quickly carried him, as he remained paralyzed and speechless along the way. He simply lay like a lifeless puppet with his eyes wide open still seeing the bloody skies above him.
Back at the present, Shinku swung his sword horizontally as if cutting something in the air. Those visions continued to haunt him or perhaps he simply let them remind him that he had something important to accomplish. A leaf that was cut in half fell at Shinku's right cheek with it's other half falling towards the ground. Droplets of rain started to fall towards the ground. It wasn't that long when the droplets turned to heavy rain however, Shinku remained sitting there by the old tree, letting himself be showered by the heaven's tears. Did the heaven somehow felt his agony, and sympathized with him in his sudden misery?
And his vision of the past continued. The pungent smell of burnt bodies made young Shinku vomit in disgust as he stared at a pile of corpses on what once was his playground. He wailed, staring at the lifeless, unrecognizable pile of who once were his towns mates. Agony begot hatred then hatred begot thirst for vengeance in the heart of a young child who was supposed to be living a carefree life. The once lively town was now a place of despair and ruins. All that remained intact were the outer walls, giving a reminder that the place was once a town.
"It was all my fault. I was weak, I couldn't protect them. I promised her that I'd protect her. I should have protected her and mom and dad. I should have...." Shinku muttered in a frantic low voice as his hands shook in fear and anger. His body shook along as rage started to build inside of him. He felt fury and helplessness at the same time.
"Why oh heavens! Why did you let this happen! Where are the spirits that's supposed to protect us! Were all that them simply lies! Why! Why! Why!" He muttered like a lunatic spitting out words in the air. His body continued to shake uncontrollably while fixed on one same spot as he were, before he broke out.
"Raaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!" As his fury exploded, Shinku let out a loud, resonating scream, his eyes shot towards the empty sky above him. He clenched his fist as tears continued to flow from his eyes. He fell, kneeling to the ground as the weight of his heart grew heavier with agony, despair and hatred.
He bit his thumb, making blood gush out from it, yet he seemed to ignore the pain. With his blood, he drew a line on the ground near the pile of burned corpses. "I swear by this blood. Whoever did this to us shall all pay with their lives! I will not rest until all of those wretched marauders are all brought down to the abyss!"
Shinku snapped out of the short vision upon the sudden feeling of strong malice near him. His consciousness gradually adjusted to the vision of the forest around him.
"So here ye' are mate! Did ye' think ye' can skaboosh after the humiliation ye' have got me through, ye' scurvy dog!" It came from the familiar voice of a man.
Shinku stared in front of him as he slowly stood up to prepare himself of whatever could transpire. Shadows emerged from the trees and thick bushes, of at least seven figures which were all hardly recognizable from Shinku's point of view.
"Ah it's a good thing 'ye decided to get out of town. It'll be easier to deal with 'ya here!" Shinku started to gradually recognize the arrogant voice, as the man whom he encountered earlier back at the town.
Without waiting for the man's next speech, Shinku decided to make himself vanish yet again. He bolted towards the man who's form he recognized as the boss of the group or as he assumed him earlier. Before Shinku could reach his target however, he had to turn around to clash his sword with someone else that suddenly attacked him from behind.
"Now now, did ye' really think ye'd fool me with the same trick twice. I brought someone here who could smell yer' dirty tricks." The man mocked Shinku who decided to retreat a few meters from his previous assailant.
"I swear by the Black Raven's code! Ye' be food for the fish! Blow that man down! Cleave 'im to the brisket!" The man's command was followed by a loud chorus of chants as two more figures rushed towards Shinku.
The sound of three pistols shooting made Shinku decide to enter into his shadows then quickly reemerged behind the one who was able attack him earlier while in concealment. Without thinking twice, he swung his sword to behead the enemy in front of him.
"Shiver me timbers! he's fast!" One of Shinku's assailants spouted in amazement seeing how quickly one of their mate was brought down.
"Well don't just stand there! Get 'im! Saw his body into pieces!" The man commanding then yelled in fury as his crew started to shake in fear.
Another round of shots were all aimed at Shinku but of no avail. Shinku simply disappeared into his shadows again yet this time, he did not emerge for quite some time. With no one else being able to detect him, the rest of the crew was put into a state of panic.
"Ye' double crossing son of a biscuit eater. Show yer' self! Ye' filthy coward!" Seemingly helpless, the leader could only spout insults towards who seemed to them as quite a formidable enemy.
After a few moments of silence, Shinku reappeared behind the three shooters who were all standing just behind the crew's leader. Shinku quickly stabbed the one in the middle through his heart and before the other two could react, he quickly swung his sword to cut the others as well. And yet again, he vanished even before his victims could fall to the ground.
The sound of thunder roared across the rainy skies but silence seemed to fill the current battlefield. If not for the sound of heavy rain, the silence could have made even the soft beating of a heart echo around the murky forest.
"Er boss. I think we be..." Before one of the men was able to finish his sentence, a black steel sword was stabbed from behind him through his heart, making blood gush out of his chest.
The other man impulsively ran towards him but Shinku quickly vanished again but this time, as if being consumed by the earth. He reemerged behind the last man standing other than the group's leader whom he struck through the heart similar to how he dealt with the previous one.
Another shot made Shinku decide to enter the shadow realm again and seemingly for the last time.
"Yer' no human, yer a de...." Before the boss of a now man less crew could complete his speech, his head rolled down towards the ground as Shinku stood right behind him.
Shinku focused for a while, trying to detect any more enemies that might be lurking around. Figures of a couple of beings appeared in his otherworldly sense however, they all appeared to be simple creatures of the forest. Satisfied, Shinku sheathed his sword and then walked out of the forest.
The rain continued to fall heavily, cleansing the forest of the blood that flooded the makeshift battlefield.