"Dear Diary,
The first few words I heard the moment I woke up... "Happy 11th Birthday, Shellyne!"
It seems the 11th birthday of a Wyrn is quite a big deal. The grandmother is attending it. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if half the Wyrns were there. I never bothered to count.
"She" said that the grandmother seldomly comes out, so this is quite the honour for me. Though, I never even felt her presence my whole life. So, why would I feel honoured for a one time thing?
....
My gift... was a sword. My own. The Tatsusute... was what they called it, and to be honest, I don't like where I'm going with this. It kills my mind, but I'm still alive, even though I don't wish to be. Though I suppose I need to stay strong...
Here she comes.
Yours,
Shellyne"
----------
I stand up from my chair, and face towards the door, which was when a woman entered.
"Shellyne. You're eleven now. You must learn to be independent." she says
...
I stay silent.
" You... must learn to fight, to survive."
Again, I stay silent.
"Won't... Won't you say something...?"
...
She looks up at me.
"Do you... hate me, Shellyne?"
"You know you can refuse-" she says trying to convince me, but I cut her off, not wanting to hear anymore
"I'll accept it."
...
"You depart tomorrow morning. We've already hired a trained assassin to come guide you." she says, before leaving the room.
How bothersome. I'm guessing the one day time gap she gave is for me to say my goodbyes...?
...
Should I even bother...?
I find myself in an office, it was white.
It's so white it reminded me of that moment. The moment that had started my visions, that had dug a deeper hell for me. How many times have I seen this sight, even, this moment alone, it feels like a routine.
There she was, the person that I was trying to find, in her usual lab coat, again, white. I'm starting to get sick of seeing white, but her raid hair calmed me down.
She's trying her best to hold in her tears. I can recall 343 other moments where she's already bawled out, but this one... isn't anything I haven't expected.
"It's been nice, Shellyne..."
"You've heard of the news?"
"Not *sniff* heard, but more so... um... known... Your mother... has planned it from the start."
"Though she seemed reluctant earlier..."
"... Well, a mother losing their child will forever be tough..."
She says that, but she is crying more than that mother of mine.
She looks down to the ground, and wipes her tears, before coming in to hug me, before being unable to keep all those tears vented in, and bawling out.
I stare at the wall with indifference. I hate it... I've felt this so much. Why? Why won't I cry anymore?
Trying to show what emotions I can, I pat her back twice...
"Don't... Don't die on me... Kay...?" she says, before pulling away from the embrace while keeping her hand on my shoulders, looking straight at my face...
"Promise me... That no matter what... You'll struggle... Even if you go through torment, live on while holding hopes... hopes for a better future... Never give up on your life... That'll only make you weak..." She says, pausing to sniffle a bit.
"Even if your life isn't the happiest, Shellyne... Let people be happy when they think of you. That is what I as your caretaker and doctor ask of you, Kay?"
I nod.
Before long, next morning comes.
With me, I have a backpack for mountaineering, and of course, my katana.
"So, you're the new kid, eh?" Says a man somewhere.
Then I saw him. He was skinny. Very skinny. It was clear that he isn't supposed to be an assassin, but I suppose they say looks can be deceiving...
"Nice to meet you. My name is Shellyne... Shellyne Wyrn."
"I know, kid. Your mother hired me. If I didn't know what kind of a man would I be."
I suppose he's right. People with jobs take it seriously, which I don't get. Then again, I suppose I'm not supposed to think about that, especially at such a young age.
"Not much of the talkative type?"
"..."
"Alright, let's get moving."
We move. His footsteps are silent, eerily silent. If I didn't know that he was coming earlier, I have no doubts I would've jumped in surprise. I look around as we walk, to the familiar gardens of the Wyrn residence. It's a sight I've seen millions of times but, every time I get to see it, it always is a spectacle. Pagodas and shrines scattered all around the place, with a stone path down the middle. It always overwhelms me, the size of this place, but from the classes, the teacher said that people build around here is because the as the name suggests, the Wyrns reside here, and they're the main family, while other branching families follow their footsteps, and generally, The Wyrns are more powerful than the branching families.
"Look at that, Shellyne, the cherry blossoms are blossoming"
"Yes... They're in season after all."
"I suppose it's about time. Lesson 1 of being an assassin, figure out what you get, and what you lose sufficiently, in a logical manner before you do anything. Even when you're surrounded by such natural beauty, keep your mind running sharp."
"I don't see how that'll help me becoming an assassin."
"Hm? So you don't think being able to figure out whether or not jumping in for a kill that risky is gonna benefit you more than it does harm useful?"
"... Then why won't you show me some examples, then?"
"Perfect timing." He says, as a rock mysteriously just appear out of his hand.
"Look at that bottle there. Do you think now is a good time for me to throw it."
"..."
"So, what is it, Shellyne?"
"No."
"And why is that?"
"The wind will blow it off course."
"That's right"
"But how does that prove that doing that will benefit me as an assassin?"
"Assassination is just another profession, Shellyne, and to first be able to master it, one must learn to paint a picture."
"And...?"
...!
I jerk back, as I see them. Future Premonitions.
"Haha. I assume you saw what'd happen, eh?"
He throws the rock, as a man runs with a bag of sorts. The rock then hits the vase with a high speed, before it ricochets to hit the man, knocking him onto the ground, before he gets apprehended by some police.
"You calculated all that just from observing the surroundings?"
"Well, there's a bit of luck involved, but in this world, what isn't involving luck?"
"..."
"I suppose I change my mind about you. It seems I can end up learning a thing or two with you."
"Heh. I'm honoured, Shellyne. My name is Harumasa Sakae. Nice to meet ya too, young lass."