Wandering through the cobblestone streets of a small medieval village, a young man with dark eyes and black hair walked aimlessly. He had spent days struggling to survive, keeping his distance from others, with no one knowing his name or his story. Homeless and jobless, he was forced to steal from shops and sleep under the open sky, hunting small animals in the forest and seeking water in the river.
Lonely and lost, he found himself trapped in a cycle of cold and hardship as the days grew long and bleak. He had lost everything: the dreams, people, and places he once cared about. Now, all that remained was a strange world in which he didn't belong.
『Neizan: «What purpose does my life serve?» 』
He wondered with frustration and sorrow.
『Neizan: «Why am I still here?» 』
But there was no one to answer him. He found solace only in his solitude, which wrapped around him like an old friend, his most constant companion.
Unsure of how to escape this dark reality or which direction to take, he searched for some answer within himself, something that could help him understand the purpose of so much suffering.
The only thing that surfaced was a simmering rage, a thirst for revenge that filled the shattered pieces of his heart, barely held together by a fragile hope for redemption.
Exhausted and on the verge of giving up, he decided he couldn't stop now. If fate had led him here, there must be a reason for it. With that thought, he made a silent promise: he would seize this second chance, no matter how difficult, to achieve his goals and find the purpose he so desperately sought.
Everything began to change one day as Neizan was on his way back to the forest. On the path, he encountered a man traveling in a horse-drawn carriage. He was a humble merchant, another man trying to make a living in his own way.
The only difference was that the merchant did so honestly, while Neizan, living outside the law, survived through theft, and that day he would once again become a killer. He was about to repeat the same mistakes his mother had once taught him to avoid. But she was no longer there.
There was no one left to advise him or scold him for his wrongdoings. However, everything he did seemed necessary to keep himself alive.
When he saw the carriage approaching along the dusty path, Neizan hid among the bushes of the forest, waiting for it to be right in front of him. His stomach growled with hunger; he needed food, he needed money.
The thought of attacking the merchant with his sword crossed his mind several times. He hesitated, wondering if it was truly the right thing to do, even though he knew it would be unjust for that man. But before he could decide, someone else seized the idea.
Two armed men with swords blocked the carriage's path. Their dark faces and worn clothing gave them an intimidating appearance. The merchant had no choice but to stop his cart. In an instant, he found himself cornered as the men forced him to step down. One of them headed toward the carriage and began searching through the goods. Finding food and wine, he smiled in satisfaction, but his expression changed when he saw there was nothing of real value.
Meanwhile, the other bandit forced the merchant to kneel, warning him they would take everything he had. Then, with a sinister smile, he looked at his partner and suggested they should "get rid of him." Hearing those words, the merchant's face changed immediately. His skin turned pale, and his eyes started filling with tears. He looked down at the ground and murmured softly.
『Merchant: No, please… 』
The men laughed cruelly. One of them kicked him to the ground while the other drew his sword and raised his arm, ready to take his life. The merchant, paralyzed with fear, shook uncontrollably, unable to move as the cold steel blade sliced through the air with a terrifying sound.
As the blade was about to reach him, it stopped.
Another blade of steel had stopped the impact: it was Neizan's sword, who had intervened just in time to save the merchant's life. With a fixed and serious gaze, he faced the two men. One of them, surprised by Neizan's unexpected appearance, loosened his grip on his sword.
Sensing the decrease in strength, Neizan seized the moment, shoving the man's weapon aside with a violent push—nearly snatching a life from his clutches. In a precise movement, he brought his blade down in a vertical slash, amputating the fingers of the assailant's hand.
The man let out an agonizing scream as blood spurted from his wounded hand, his mutilated fingers dripping on the ground. His companion, upon seeing this, drew his sword and jumped down from the carriage to confront Neizan.
Although it was Neizan's first time fighting seriously with a sword, he felt oddly comfortable. Despite his blade being old, rusty, and blunt, the sword gave him an unexpected confidence. Risk was nothing new to him; he had put his life on the line many times, and that helped him stay calm now.
Neizan held his ground, moving his sword with precision. In a critical moment, he saw an opening and seized it, driving his blade into his opponent's chest.
The sword pierced the bandit, who dropped his weapon and fell to his knees before collapsing to the ground in a single decisive strike. As Neizan withdrew his sword and stepped back, the man's lifeless body hit the ground.
He turned his gaze to the merchant, who was still lying on the ground, paralyzed with shock. The other bandit had disappeared, having fled cowardly, abandoning his dead comrade. Neizan sheathed his sword and approached the merchant, extending a hand as a gesture of help. In a calm voice, he asked,
『Neizan: Are you alright? 』
The simple question seemed to bring the merchant back to life, his body still trembling as he managed a faint.
『Merchant: Yes… Thank you so much. 』
The merchant took Neizan's hand, and he helped him to his feet. Slowly, color began to return to the pale man's face as he staggered over to his carriage and collapsed onto the seat, catching his breath.