Sitting by the stairs of the inn, a man was gazing upon the sword in his hands. The reflection on the blade acted as an audience to the swordsman's thoughts at that very moment. The sword itself reminding him of a very recent event.
An old man walked over to the man outside the inn and called out to him with a friendly wave. "Hey Kazuki don't forget to check on the ingredients at the market!"
Kazuki looked up at the old man and smiled. Before he could even respond, the old man was approached by his grandchildren who insisted he followed them to the lake beside the village. The old man followed them down the trail, amazed by how his grandchildren had memorized the directions to the crystal-clear lake.
Putting aside the cloth in his hands, Kazuki got up and kept his sword. "I should take a walk to get my mind off of things." The man walked towards a narrow opening in the forest. The dirt trail leading to the other side where he saw the rest of the villagers carrying baskets of fruits and vegetables in the farm.
When Kazuki got to the farm, he was greeted by rays of sunshine shining down his path from the bright sky. The man squinted his eyes at the sun and grit his teeth because of its daunting state during this time of the day.
The villagers were busy tending to their crops and watering them. A few of them were plucking the fresh crops and storing them safely in their baskets to be brought home. Kazuki saw a variety of vegetables in their baskets, a good sign because that means the crops are growing well, there was enough food to go around during this season.
"Kazuki! There you are!" A bubbly voice exclaimed.
The man turned around and saw a girl holding a basket of potatoes, corn, carrots and some fruits. "Hey Miya. I see the farm is flourishing." Kazuki responded to the girl who beamed at his compliment. She was glad that someone acknowledged the village's efforts to keeping the balance of resources stable.
"Oh absolutely! Look what I have here! I'm gonna get the strawberries just wait here-"
"Relax Miya you're only gonna stress yourself out from all the rush. I'm not going anywhere." Kazuki interrupted her, his words eased the tension that Miya was feeling. She took a deep breath and smiled again.
"You're right, the crops aren't going anywhere either! If they start growing legs I'll freak out! This basket of my hardwork and energy means a lot to me." Miya continued, cradling the basket she was holding dearly.
Kazuki chuckled and watched Miya skip towards the shed.
"So you're just gonna stand there without fighting the master of Karate?!"
That voice, Kazuki turned around and saw Choru putting up a poker face. The boy got into a fighting stance once Kazuki faced him.
The man smiled slightly. Choru's antics were entertaining, he must be excited to show off his new skills to everyone.
"I'm not afraid of you! I'm not afraid of anyone!" Choru yelled at the top of his voice. "Watch me smash these wooden planks in half!" The boy scurried to a corner where he kept a pile of wooden planks for his mini trick and came back with three in his hands.
Kazuki lifted his eyebrow and watched Choru stack the wooden planks on the floor. This was getting interesting he was determined to mix things together just so he could prove his newfound strength.
Choru screamed and slammed his hand on the highest wooden plank of the triple stack. However he was met with an intense pain on his wrist that caused him to retract his hand from the wooden planks that were still stacked neatly on top of each other.
That cry of despair was an indication that Choru had not mastered this technique he was so proud of. It required patience and practice. Kazuki didn't say a word, he just watched Choru lift himself up from the ground in embarrassment.
"Uh that was-"
"You'll grasp it eventually." Kazuki told him.
Choru scratched his head awkwardly. "The truth is, I've never done this before. It's my first time trying to chop planks in half. I just really like martial arts."
An old woman strode towards them holding a pail. "Choru! Quit being a bum and help out for once! What's this mess of a show you're trying to do here? How empty-headed!"
The boy turned around, avoiding any form of eye contact with his grandma who snorted and walked away. "She's harsh." He said, pouting his lips as he glanced behind him to make sure she had gone back to the shed so he can continue talking with Kazuki.
"I'm back!" Miya ran over to them excitedly. "Let's check out the farm now shall we?"
Before Kazuki could respond, the three of them heard footsteps approaching from the forest.
"Sensei!" Miya and Choru yelped. The old man with his large hat and walking stick nodded and stepped closer to the group.
Kazuki knew he had something urgent to inform them and he waited for what Sensei was going to say, given the current events unfolding.
"Come with me. We have some important matters to discuss." Sensei told the group in a serious tone.
"Is this about the next upcoming battle? If so, I really don't know if we're prepared for the worst. Our village is thriving and doing well, I don't wanna see it crumble to pieces." Choru said, the hair behind his neck stood up at the thought of a possible raid by the opposing forces should they decide to get everyone else involved.
Sensei scratched his chin. "That's why I'm here to tell you what we need to do to make sure this is the very last battle we face. If the plan is settled it'll all be under control."
"Have you heard anything about the government's considerations regarding this major issue that will continue to take the lives of others? The reason why I'm asking this is because it seems Hayato's clan is planning on extending their rulings beyond their own territory. Many people have gone missing, some killed these aren't just speculations, they're truths. Even their rival clan is heavily concern about this, that's how big of a problem this battle is going to be." Kazuki waited for Sensei's answer, he had to address this.
Miya looked at Sensei who stood there in silence. She wondered if he was going to give Kazuki a direct answer or brush it off as something that can easily be solved, even though she knew that wasn't possible. They had every right to have these thoughts about their livelihood prior to this battle and after the victor is declared.
"Which is exactly why we need to discuss about this and cooperate with one another. Now you realize just how important the outcome of this battle is, we're going to be living in a calamity if things end up becoming a mess." Sensei replied, walking back into the forest. The other three exchanged glances with each other and followed after him.