It was a fairly warm day for autumn, the wind swayed the leaves of the trees creating a comforting feeling in the place.
Beyond the huge garden of the Chasseur mansion was a dark forest where it was possible to reach the border of the Sovereign Pentad. As a result, the mansion was filled with guards escorting the outskirts of the grounds. Cermina's best guards guarded the entrance and exit of the forest. What separated the Chasseur mansion from the forest were only black wires nailed to the ground. Near this partition it was possible to see the BloodHound standing between two trees while staring at a wooden stake. In his hands was something unusual, a Katana sword. Von had never held a weapon like that, he barely knew how to handle it.
Norgard said it was a gift. Although grateful, Von was not happy to hear that he would be forced to learn how to use that weapon. The BloodHound loved blades, that was a fact, but learning to use a new weapon, having so many others in his arsenal, this was really confusing to him. To the General, there should be no loose ends in Von's abilities, if he had to learn to shoot rifles, he would have to. Norgard wanted the best pieces on the board to be his. However, Von was not dumb. He understood the General's intentions in giving that order, the intentions smelled of "war". Nothing had been discussed about this, not with Von, much less with Sophie. Curiosity is a cruel thing, as cruel as war.
Von looked at the sword, the base was black, with gold stripes, the subtly curved blade was very sharp. That weapon reflected his face. He wondered what the real motive of that particular weapon was. To kill? Other alternatives would be more efficient. Learning a new way of looking at fights? It was also possible. Despite the regrets, it wouldn't be so bad to add another new weapon to his vast arsenal, but beating wooden dolls was not much fun.
Deep down, the questioning was just laziness to learn something new. He sighed in defeat, and looked again at the wooden stake. There was a "scary" face carved with a knife. As he looked again at the blade, he saw reflected in it the red-haired girl sitting in one of the trees, watching him.
-Did you think that was cute? I did it eleven years ago on my first day of training. - Sophie spoke, still seated, her face showing a serenity that Von began to hate at that moment.
-I thought it was childish. - said Von as he lowered his sword.
-I thought you might think so. Well, if you think it's childish for a seven-year-old child to be trained to kill with blades, what is mature for you? - Von ignored her. She jumped out of the tree and came towards him, and approaching him, she touched with her index finger the "x" that was one of the eyes on the wooden stake. - I thought it was pretty dull in here, you know?- A subtle smile appeared on her lips, and Von noticed. - It wasn't so pretty to me, so I made a face on all the stakes to keep me company. See this "L" here? That's for Lian, and the "T" on that other stake is for Tilian, and it also has...-
-I don't want to know... -Von lowered Sophie's hand pointing at the stakes. - I didn't have an easy childhood either. At the age of nine there was an episode that changed the course of my life. -
-What happened? - Sophie took her hands out of the cold hands of the assassin and stared into the dark eyes that watched the leaves of the trees sway.
-I was playing with a little girl who was the same age as me. She showed me a necklace, I think it belonged to her late Mother. - Von looked at Sophie's green pupils. He was not ashamed of his story, but his discomfort at telling it to the redhead was evident. - I wasn't hungry, it was pure... greed. Days before I had witnessed a man being stabbed to death and it had been pounding in my head. So...- Von looked away. - I waited for her to turn her back to me, and with a large rock nearby, I hit her on the head a few times until she was unconscious.
-Is this how a murderer is born? - The redhead leaned her arm on the wooden stake and looked at Von.
-I should ask you. -
-My killer instinct has always been with me, Von. Don't ask me questions I won't answer. - With that said, the girl walked towards a cottage located at the back of the mansion's garden, and returned with a Katana similar to the BloodHound's, only changing the color of the base: blood red.
-What are you doing with that, Miss Chasseur? - Von spoke as he saw her standing beside him, pulling the sword from its sheath.
-Isn't it obvious that I'm going to teach you? Put the sword back in its sheath. - The BloodHound grumbled lowly and obeyed her. Sophie paced back and forth watching him as the assassin wrapped bandages around his hands. The support is at the side of the waist. What's the reason for that?
-I don't understand," Von was confused by Sophie's attitude.
-What don't you understand, stupid? - Sophie crossed her arms and raised her right eyebrow.
-I don't understand the reason for this. - Von did the same as her.
-Pay attention, dog. I'll teach you only once. - The redhead sighed and looked deep into her black pupils. - We will use the katana in the foreground with the support at the side of the waist, as the samurai do. When you remove the blade, be sure to hit the target and then return to the starting base. The blade of the Katana is very sharp, but because of its cutting power, it will also break easily if you execute your hits in an uncoordinated manner. -
-I mean, do I need to think and aim before attacking the unfortunate? -
-You're not that dumb. -Sophie turned away and walked towards the hut. - Keep practicing, Von.
Von pulled his sword from its sheath and attacked the wooden stakes repeatedly until he noticed the approach of what he thought was a maid. He found her attractive, her hair was light brown and tied back in a bun, and she was dressed like an ordinary maid: a white dress with long sleeves and a black apron. For a brief moment the assassin imagined what that woman's body must look like underneath the cloths, but at the same speed that his smile was born, he disappeared when he saw Sophie standing behind her. -Miss Sophie, Mister Von.- The maid bowed as she came close to the two of them, and turned to the redhead who was returning from the cottage. - General Norgard asked me to let you know that "she" had arrived this evening. -
-All right... - Von watched Sophie's expression carefully as she took the message.
The girl frowned, looking down, after which her eyes went blank. Von found this strange. Was Sophie insecure? She looked at the assassin, informing him that she was returning to the mansion. He watched the two of them walking back, side by side. He knew that something there affected Sophie negatively. She could not hide her feelings. Von thought this was funny.
BloodHound's mind was filled with questions, but the main one was: Who could make one of Cermina's best assassins insecure? He would know that night.