A frail young man lay on his stomach in his hand, a cold short blade, clean silver. The boy clenched his hand tight as if the crude dagger would crawl out of his hand if the grip loosened.

The boy struggled to stand up, his body weak and trembling from the effort of pushing himself from underneath a pile of corpses the feeling of fingers hands and arms holding his back in a disgusting hug.

His shirt, wet with blood and rain, decided to give it one last push and stood up with a groan.

"This is how it ends."

Kuro's face was complex; this was how it had to be. There was no other way to get what he wanted, no to do what he needed.

Kuro stared down at the knife in his hands, seeing his own bloodied hair and eyes that shone with a gray mistiness. But there, underneath his chin ran a large scar, a white line that traveled down his chest like a silent road. His fingers traced bringing a feeling to the front of his mind, the feeling of hatred.

Then the boy turned, staring at the bloodbath in front of him. Corpses decorated the ground like red roses of a flower bed with pure beauty that kuro was absorbed in, the day had gone far worse than he had planned, but he was alive.

He then walked towards a particular man, the man on his knees with a oozing wound in his chest, the taste of iron mingled with the hot dry air making kuro want to gag.

What was laid by the man, was those disemboweled  corpses of unfortunate souls that crossed the fury of the man's blade, their faces to most would seem unrecognizable, but kuro did recognize them, how could he not? They were the very friends that sacrifice themselves for him.

"When I look back I'd imagine myself in your place , Adam." He said while wiping blood off his thin eyelids, the red was starting to sleep into his eyelashes Turning them into dark red long whips.

The man coughed up a putrid black fluid

"Was it worth it, Kuro?" The man looked across with a penetrating gaze kuro wondered if he felt scared at this moment, Adam voice made the hairs on the boy's neck stand.

Kuro turned away from the man to his left as if he was searching for something. "Was it worth it? did you think this was going to last?" The pit of his stomach twisted violently as if trying to escape the situation.

But his gaze never faltered during his words.

Blood dripped down the man's lip hitting the ground with a sickening splatter "You're eyes remind me of my own, when you looked at me it was that moment I decided to take you as my own."

The view of his face shone against the sunlight cold green eyes it almost made kuro disgusted looking at the emotionlessness as if Adam had nothing, that must be what people saw when they looked at kuro's eyes.

A smile crept onto Adam's mouth the yellow teeth peaked behind his thin lips as if wanting to look at kuro.

"We're the same kuro, I could tell from the start." Adam said with a gurgle "gaze of madness, my only mistake in life was not snuffing out your life that day."

Kuro's face twitched.

Kuro's expression turned sour as his old leader continued, It was as if he had no regret for the decisions that led him here.

"I'm not even slightly similar to you bastard!" he spat, his grip on the knife tightening. "How many times do you think I wanted to kill you?" Kuro didn't even blink as a salty droplet of sweat and blood, kissed spots of red on the white of his eye.

The leader chuckled mockingly, his eyes glinting with a cold light. "Oh, my memory is quite good child" The yellow teeth that endured the man's jaw was now completely exposed to kuro in a toothy smile. "was it when I snapped that boy-"

Kuro clenched his jaw. "Don't you dare say his name!" he growled.

The man ignored kuro's outburst with a smile

then pointed at the clean silver dagger in Kuro's hand and sneered, " you sent your poor friends to face me in death, while you hide with a dagger that has never tasted blood."

A thick, bloody laugh followed. "Pathetic."

A long silence continued as if an eternity had passed.

The only word Kuro could muster was "Goodbye" a single tear festered on his pale olive skin, this time, there was no response.

Kuro made his way to a wagon the blood on his clothes were dry now from the heat making each move he made leave small flakes of blood. He opened the wagon curtains and was greeted by a small sweaty face.

"Kuro! Are you okay? Thank the gods your back... I. I.. thought you weren't coming back."  Her face was in complete distress; her stunning dark red hair was wet and knotted in sweat from the heat inside of the wagon.

Kuro smiled at his worried little sister, feeling at peace after surviving a blood-soaked hell.

He hurriedly got the bags squeezing the thin fabric they were bulging as if all the contents would combust like dynamite if he wasn't careful, not stopping a moment he addressed her "Everything will be okay Akio, but we gotta leave right now, uh, I heard there's a path to the capital nearby."

With a sudden movement he hugged his sister, smearing crimson liquid on her head, that almost blended with her beautiful long red hair like peppers to a flame.

Just as quickly kuro left the hug bending down to remove the wooden blocks holding back the wagon wheels, Akio chased behind kuro around the wagon desperately.

"Where are the others?!" Akio asked, worry evident on her face the words almost became a yell as she tried diligently to get his attention "kuro! Answer me!" She grabbed kuro's shoulder while he grabbed a wooden grate full of persevered vegetables.

Her brother had told her of his plans to lead a revolt against Adam. She knew the dark possibility of fighting that horrid of a man.

Kuro finally stopped moving taking in a big breath of bloody dirty air that glided into his nose, "ummm.." kuro closed his eyes trying to find the words "the battle was far beyond my expectations.. I. Mhm" kuro walked past Akio and went back to packing tightly the supplies in the belly of the wagon.

Akio's face crumpled inside itself like a turtle retreating into its shell "ah, I see.. did you bury them ?"

Kuro was stunned by Akio question, he never believed in the afterlife but he always buried those who unfortunately perished for Akio since she sincerely believed in God's and afterlife.

He finally finished packing then turned to Akio placing a hand on her hand "I had to come to you first, you're my only priority I don't have time for the dead men." He hated talking to her like this but he must, for she must understand why he did his actions.

Akio has always cared deeply for others, like a tender heart, far too gentle and sweet for this harsh world. Her soul a pure white tulip blossoming in a desolate desert. A precious and fragile being surrounded by barrenness.

Her face quickly turned angry "don't talk about our friends like that again!" she leaned her head against kuro shoulder "they were more than just men, they were family, you know that kuro." Akio took the silver dagger out of kuro's rough dirty hands.

With the dagger she turned to a tree next to the wagon as she placed her soft hands against the rough texture of the tree, she cracked and carved letters on the base of it.

When she slowly grabbed the dagger from kuro he didn't even think about wondering what she would use it for the words echoed inside his mind like a ball bouncing in a box, he was sounding like Adam. "what are you doing?" He whispered not wanting to break her concentration.

"Shh! I'm almost done" Akio said and with one last stab at the tree she stopped "we might not have time to bury them, but they'll be remembered"

Kuro looked at the tree

"The family of sea wolves." In rough scratches was written.

Before kuro could let the tears overflow past his eyes with a movement as slick as the wind he grabbed the lines for his horses.

"the capital is a twelve-night ride from here they'll we can start over there." Kuro's gaze looked forward with the intensity of a fire.

Akio's beautiful face was illuminated by a soft smile that seemed to flow over her features like a gentle wave upon a beach.

"To our new life!"

She bent her finger in the shape of a wolf; this was a tradition the siblings have been following ever since that day so long ago.

Kuro did the same, bending his thin rough fingers into a wolf.

"To our new life."