The rogue leader looked towards the elder, who was barely conscious. "Hey old man, do you remember calling me a rogue? Well, now I'm going to show you what a true rogue is."
He looked towards his men, his voice booming with command. "Boys! It's time to show these villagers what a true rogue is. Bring every single person in this village to me."
The rogues followed their leader's command and started breaking into the villagers' houses one by one. They seized anyone they could find, grabbed children and women, and dragged them to the village center. The once peaceful village was now filled with chaos and terror.
In a small house on the outskirts of the village, two rogues broke in.
One of the rogues gave up quickly and sat on the villager's bed, but the other one desperately searched the entire house looking for villagers.
The first rogue interfered with the second rogue's search, telling him, "Stop wasting your energy; there's no one here."
The second rogue replied, "But we have not even searched the entire house. What if someone is hiding in here?" He questioned the first rogue.
"If we're late and the leader gets angry, you know what could happen," the first rogue cautioned the second rogue.
The second rogue agreed with his comrade, "Fine, let's go."
As both rogues were leaving the house, the second rogue asked, "What are we going to do with these people?"
"It's obvious they disrespected our leader. Now the leader is going to make them pay by executing these villagers," the first rogue answered.
As both rogues left the villager's house, a collective sigh of relief came from beneath the bed.
Underneath the bed was a six-month-old pregnant woman and her ten-year-old son. The child's name was Hiroshi. Both mother and son were hiding in the same bed where the rogue once sat.
"Hiroshi, did you hear what they said?" she spoke.
Hiroshi replied, "Yes, Mom, but what can we do?"
Hiroshi's mother's hands were sweating uncontrollably as she came to a conclusion about their situation. She gave a gentle pat on Hiroshi's head, "Hiroshi, you must stay here no matter what. I'll go out and get someone to help us."
As she spoke, she began to crawl out of bed. As she was making her way out, she felt the coldness of her hand increase. When she looked back, she saw Hiroshi tightly gripping her hand with his cold hands.
"You are not going anywhere," Hiroshi declared with a steady voice. "I promised Dad that I will take care of you." His eyes gleamed with determination.
Hiroshi's mother gave him a gentle smile, touched by his determination. "I understand, but this isn't just about me. We need to help others, and I'll..."
Hiroshi interrupted her, "I already told you; you are not going outside. I'll go and get someone to help us." He insisted, cutting his mother off.
Hiroshi's mother locked her eyes with him, "Then promise me you will save everyone. Not a single person will get hurt."
Hiroshi looked deeply into his mother's eyes, "I promise." Hiroshi made an unbreakable promise to his mother.
As Hiroshi crawled out of bed, he scanned the entire room with his eyes. Eventually, his eyes locked on his father's sword, which was hanging on the wall.
Hiroshi started to make his way towards his father's sword. He grabbed the hilt of the sword and pulled it out, but the sword's weight was overwhelming for his little hands. The sword fell to the ground as Hiroshi pulled it out.
But Hiroshi didn't give up; his will was unshakable. He grabbed the hilt of the sword again. This time, instead of lifting the sword, Hiroshi started to drag it across the floor. As the sword was being dragged, it made a noise of scraping metal and left a mark on the floor.
As Hiroshi dragged the sword towards the house entrance, his mother's murmured voice came from behind, "Be safe, Hiroshi."
With determination filling his heart, Hiroshi pushed the door open and stepped outside. As he stepped out, the loud cries of helpless villagers and the mocking laughter of the rogues pierced the air. In the distance, Hiroshi saw the corpse of the villager who had challenged the rogue. The voices and the chaos were too much for Hiroshi's young heart. He got scared and froze in place.
Hiroshi's legs shook in fear, stopping him from taking a single step. His mind went blank. All he could think about was the corpse of the villager in front of him. Hiroshi closed his eyes, unable to look at the corpse any longer. As he closed his eyes, Hiroshi saw himself promising his mother that he would save everyone in the village.
Hiroshi opened his eyes. His legs were no longer shaking. Somehow, seeing himself promising his mother gave him the courage he needed. Hiroshi started dragging his father's sword across the village streets, making his way towards the village center.
With each step he took, the chilling laughter and cries of villagers grew louder. As Hiroshi made his way towards the village center, he saw villagers being dragged like animals. It looked like the villagers had given up all hope; they simply accepted their fate.
Hiroshi also saw the rogue leader seated on a chair in the middle of the chaos. The rogue leader stood up, "Rogues, prepare your swords." He was going to order his men to execute the villagers.
All the rogues listened to their leader's command, pulled out their swords, and put the tips of their swords on the villagers' necks. They calmly waited for their leader's next command.
But before the rogue leader could order his men, Hiroshi cried out loud, "Stop!" grabbing the attention of the rogue leader and the villagers.