( Old Akira Takahiro's POV)
Where am I? I wonder, what is this pleasant feeling embracing my body? Everything around me is so dark; my senses are unable to smell, see and touch but I feel uncomfortable. How long has it been since my death? I don't know. I remember in my high school class the teachers had talked about a dude named Albert Einstein who managed to prove that space and time are relative, which means I can't tell how long it has been if I do not have anything to compare to.
After 5 minutes, or maybe a few years or even 1000 years, I see light. I realize that I can move my body freely now. There is an urge from inside that keeps telling me to reach for the light, embracing it as if it's my pathway back to life. Slowly, I move my body. I'm floating; my legs are not on the floor; however, somehow, I feel like swimming when making my way to that light. When one of my fingers reaches the light, the light disappears.
The next moment, I realize I'm floating very high in the air. Looking down, I notice a city below me. It is a large one, maybe home to more nearly 50000 people. The snow is falling onto the city, covering the roads and roofs in a beautiful color of white. I start to fall down, which makes me scared; however, I can see the snowballs falling right through my body. So, my body is gone and what's left of me is just a soul.
The city's house designs are similar to Japanese ancient buildings, the things that stand out are the high stonewalls and watchtowers surrounding the city. There are a significant number of soldiers on the walls and watchtowers; their armors are similar to those from the Edo period, carrying the banner of a white lotus on their backs. In the sky, there are two moons shining, unleashing strange red and blue lights.
So I'm not on Earth. Is this some kind of reincarnation of the novels my son used to read when he was small? Speaking of him, I hope that my death does not affect his results in his graduation exam. I do not want him to get into the life of a Yakuza like me.
There are some forces that keep pulling me forward a location. I am pulled toward the highest tower of the castle. Inside the room, I notice a beautiful woman and a bunch of midwives surrounding her. She's in labor, she is screaming loudly while the midwives trying their best to help her. Also, there are some minor differences, I can notice that their clothes are similar to those of the Sengoku period.
After a while, a child is born. When I see that child, there is a strange feeling inside me that keeps telling me that I need to protect this child, that this child has something similar to me. Looking a bit closer, it has two beautiful blue eyes which are inherited from the beautiful woman. A man rushes into the room; I can feel from him the aura of someone who has been on the line of life and death many times. The couple has little time to celebrate the birth of their child as after seeing her son's face and giving him a name, the woman dies. I can deeply feel the pain of the man when he screams and calls out the name of his wife, but no amount of pain can resurrect people from their death.
The next few days I keep experimenting. The stage I'm in is quite abnormal, as no one can see or feel me. I cannot touch anything physically or do anything to prove my existence to the people of this world. I'm like a ghost in the fairy tale my friends told me about when I was still a little kid. After a few times trying, I realize that I'm limited by something: no matter how hard I try, I cannot get out of the 10-meter radius between me and the baby. Akira Takahiro is the name of that, oddly the same name I was given in my past life. A week after being born, the baby is taken to the medics to check its' health condition. What shocks me the most is the child is diagnosed that his legs are useless, and he won't be able to walk normally in the future.
I do not know how to describe the pain of the father when he sees his son and is informed about the news. From the conversations I heard, the father of the child is Akira Kenji, holding the title Lord of Iceland and this era is somewhat similar to ancient Japan. For him, it must be very important to have a capable heir that can protect his bloodline and the authority of the Clan in the future. At first, I think the baby was going to be abandoned by his father like I was by my parents. Surprisingly, the father declares that he is going to raise his son into a ruler capable of bearing his family name: Akira.
Time flows fast and soon the baby reaches 1 year old. At this point, I discover that the baby can see and hear me. Sometimes he tries to communicate with me in baby language, making the maids extremely worried because they think the baby's talking to thin air. In order to let the baby, have a peaceful life, I decide to avoid its' gaze and never let him see me again.
On Takahiro's 1st birthday, Akira Kenji, his father, hosts a festival in the castle and sends invitations to his vassals to have them recognize the next ruler of Iceland. On this occasion, I realize that the Lord does not have absolute control over his vassals. Akira Yuu, Lord Kenji's uncle, and vassal are obviously aiming for the position of Lord of Iceland, and he publicly shows discontent when knowing Akira Takahiro is a cripple, and claim that Lord Kenji should name Yuu's son, Akari Arata as the heir to the Lordship of Iceland.
Lord Kenji's loyal vassals shut the greedy Akari Yuu from his ambition. However, Akari Yuu is not a foolish man. He claims that the heir to the Akari Clan should be someone who's able to fight skillfully and lead the armies on the battlefield. " The spears and swords of the Akari Clan have held this land for 1000 years, I can't let it be ended in the hand of a cripple. " The old man speaks before getting out of the feast. Also not much, I can notice the slight hesitations on the faces of Akira Kenji's vassals. It seems like this child is not going to sit on the throne of Iceland easily in the future.
Akira Kenji is a man of his word. He doesn't marry anyone in the future and always comes to visit his son after he finishes his duty as Lord of Iceland. The father starts to teach his son how to read and write the moment young Takahiro reaches 3 years old. Despite his disability, Takahiro can be called a genius in terms of studying. It takes the child only a year to fully understand how to read and write. The medics from all over the kingdom or the Shogunate of Matsuzaki are summoned to the Castle of Nightingale and promised to be rewarded with an amount of gold equal to their body weight if they can cure Takahiro's legs. But no medics succeed and have to leave the castle after bearing the anger of the Akira Lord.
As the child grows up, I can see the opposition to Takahiro's right to be the heir of the Akira Clan become stronger. Even the servants speak ill of their master whenever they have time and do not attempt to help their young master but laugh at the young boy having to crawl moving around. Despite being a genius in geography, literature, and political philosophy, Takahiro cannot learn martial arts, which is a shame for the Akari Clan whose members are masters of fighting.
I notice that the child has a deep desire to walk like a normal person and acknowledges that his disability is a burden for his father. " That child does not deserve to be the son of his father " The servants do not even hold their tongues when speaking in front of him. When the child reaches 7 years old, he is sent to the Ice Temple in the cover of learning; however, from the conversations I hear, I can tell that it is for his safety. Akari Yuu has grown to be impatient and started to send assassins to assassinate Lord Kenji's loyal vassals and even himself.
The Ice Temple is home to the monks who spend their time in the snowy mountain not far from the city of Neverwinter studying and practicing martial arts. In the Shogunate's tradition, any bloodshed must be prohibited on the ground of the temple, and this tradition is largely respected by everyone.
One night, I notice the young boy, on his birthday, receiving the news that his father's heavily injured and many samurais are killed after an assault by the assassins, crawl to his own room and cry in silence. He looks at the mirror and starts murmuring:
-" Why does everyone have to suffer because of me? If only I could walk, everything would be better. Why am I so useless? "
Then, the child draws a sword, which is only a decoration for the walls, and raises it toward his neck. Realizing what's happening, I step out and speak:
- You would regret that, child.
At that moment, my fate of Akira Takahiro, the most dangerous Yakuza in the streets of Tokyo, and Akira Takahiro, the crippled heir of the Akira Clan is bound together.