With that being said I'll start with a short prologue detailing the status of the current setting of the story along with the first chapter. Give it a read at your leisure and I hope you find it to your liking.
And like I said, criticism is most welcome. Hell, tear it a new one if you have to. I'm kinda new at this, so bear with me.
Prologue
Spoiler: show
Our story begins in the southern region of Zipangu during the period known as the Tai era. During this time various Order parties were present in the country. This was originally so that peaceful negotiations between those of the Order and the Zipangunese government, which was friendly toward mamono, could take place. However, among the Orderites were foreigners who operated under their own agendas behind the scenes.
Some members of the Holy Order operated alongside these foreigners, paying them to support their activities which involved trafficking, murder, drug cartels, and other crimes; it was all in order to throw parts of the nation into chaos. The negotiations may have also been just a front to establish a harsher rule among the Zipangunese citizens by paying off government officials, thus strengthening the Order’s presence in the country. In many parts of the country criminal activity was overlook, causing citizens much grief and pain.
In response, the regional government grew divided, and soon rebel disputes broke out – resulting in many skirmishes among soldiers and local militia. Soon, many parts of the region were thrown into chaos. At this rate, it wouldn’t be long until an entire civil war engulfed the nation.
With all of this in mind we are taken to a scene detailing the life of a young boy, barely seven years old, attending a school for Onmyodo studies. The boy was of an average height for a child his age. He wore a traditional male kimono, as per the school dress code. He had messy black hair and had a somewhat tanned skin tone. His most notable feature were his deep azure eyes, uncommon for someone of Zipangunese descent.
Some members of the Holy Order operated alongside these foreigners, paying them to support their activities which involved trafficking, murder, drug cartels, and other crimes; it was all in order to throw parts of the nation into chaos. The negotiations may have also been just a front to establish a harsher rule among the Zipangunese citizens by paying off government officials, thus strengthening the Order’s presence in the country. In many parts of the country criminal activity was overlook, causing citizens much grief and pain.
In response, the regional government grew divided, and soon rebel disputes broke out – resulting in many skirmishes among soldiers and local militia. Soon, many parts of the region were thrown into chaos. At this rate, it wouldn’t be long until an entire civil war engulfed the nation.
With all of this in mind we are taken to a scene detailing the life of a young boy, barely seven years old, attending a school for Onmyodo studies. The boy was of an average height for a child his age. He wore a traditional male kimono, as per the school dress code. He had messy black hair and had a somewhat tanned skin tone. His most notable feature were his deep azure eyes, uncommon for someone of Zipangunese descent.
Spoiler: show
The boy was sitting at his desk, studying his book during the end of the school day as he often did. Sometimes he would stay there until the teacher told him it was time to leave. Indeed the boy was quite diligent, due to his strong desire to learn the arcane arts of Onmyodo.
However, while studying the boy was paid a visit by an unexpected guest. “Hellooooo Shizuka~” These were the words the boy heard before he was swung off his feet and engulfed by a large pair of breasts. Shizuka was only able to make a muffled groan before being hugged by an intelligent looking Inari. She wore an elegant furisode and had long emerald hair that she wore in a ponytail. “Look at you, always into your books, even after school’s let out. You have GOT to find yourself a girl, young man!”
After a little struggling, Shizuka was able to stumble his way out of his teacher’s grasp. He let out another groan before collecting his words. “What’s with you always sneaking up on me, Ms. Honoka?! Such behavior is unbecoming of a teacher, you know? Besides, I’m a little young to be messing around with girls, don’t you think?“
The Inari stared at the book her student was reading; rather intrigued at the chapter he was studying. “You know Shizuka, the class isn’t supposed to go over this chapter until next week. If you keep skipping ahead like this, it will make it harder for you to be raised uniformly with the class. Talented you may be, young man, but what’s the point of being the best if you’re all alone? Being the best…is not always best.”
Shizuka took the book off the desk, closing it and putting it in his arm. “I just want to hurry up and become a great Onmyodo mage and assist the country in any way I can. I can’t do that if I spend my time dawdling around. If you’ll excuse me, Teacher.” With that, the boy makes his way out of the classroom and out of the school. As Ms. Honoka locks up the classroom she watches her student walk down the hall. She smiles as she makes a small sigh. “What am I to do with that boy? Still, you have to admire that discipline at such a young age…”
Now walking down the city streets, Shizuka made his way through his village known as Midori. It was a small village that mainly specialized in agriculture and cosmology. Thankfully, some of the turmoil that was plaguing certain regions of the nation hadn’t reached this place. The streets were paved with various farming vendors, and filled with a nearly even number of human and mamono settlers. There were also various fortune tellers and arcane shops to be seen. Through the borough young Shizuka was walking to the orphan shelter he called home. He lived there as long as he could remember; having no recollection of his parents, he was brought there by Ms. Honoka at the infant age of two.
Life at the orphanage could have been better, but it was better than nothing. He was fed and clothed well, and his living quarters were decent enough. Although he didn’t get along with many of the other kids, most notably the male kids who made fun of him for his reserved nature and book-worm-ish disposition. Eventually, he arrived in front of the orphanage, where he was greeted by a pair of young men.
“Well, well, if it isn’t Shizu-chan. Stayed late at school again today, I presume?” Shizuka stopped in his tracks at the words of the older boy, growing defensive as he sensed trouble.
“What’s it to you, Ichi?” The brown-haired boy known as Ichi frowned at Shizuka’s snappy remark; along with his red-haired brother Jinn they were the main ones to pick on the little student.
“You’ve got some nerve talking back to my brother like that, you little shit. You think you’re better that us just ‘cause you go to some fancy magic school?”
Jinn walked down the steps to give Shizuka a sucker punch for his remark. Shizuka tried to resist but was overpowered by the older boy. He grabbed him by the collar of his shirt as he continued to punch him. Ichi taunted Shizuka as he was getting pummeled. “What’s wrong Shizu-chan? Fight back! I thought you practiced magic, what the hell are ya goin’ to school for?”
At those words Shizuka perked up and began using a basic spell he learned in his studies. Taking out a sutra he had tucked away in his kimono he starting to speak the incantation. “Sacred sutra I call upon the power of the raging seas to strike down my enemy. Aqua Shockwave!”
At the utterance of the incantation a torrent of water blasted from the sutra and sent Jinn flying into a nearby tree. The blast wasn’t very powerful, however, as the boy was still conscious after the impact; although he was injured from the spell. At the sight of his brother being sent flying, Ichi’s face flared with rage. “What the hell did you do to my brother you little bitch?! You damn mages are all the same!” Ichi ran down the steps and kicked Shizuka right in the gut, who was defenseless after being punched by Jinn and casting that spell.
Shizuka puked a little from the kick as tears started rolling down his eyes; Ichi continued his anger-fueled beatdown on the poor boy. “You think you’re so damn superior just because you have an innate talent for magic! And then you go and use it to attack my brother! I’m sick of that shit; a brat like you has no place here! Why don’t you go get adopted by some rich noble using your ‘precious talents’!” Shizuka could do nothing except writhe in pain at the beating he was receiving. As if things couldn’t get any worse, Jinn grabbed the student’s book, which had dropped on the ground earlier. “No worries bro, without this the bastard can’t cast anymore magic.”
Shizuka’s eyes lit up at the sight of his book in the hands of someone else. “No, give that back!” He tried to run toward Jinn, but Ichi pinned him to the ground. “I figure without your precious little book, you ain’t much of nothing. So, how ‘bout I toss it over this here cliff?” Tears continued to flow from the young student’s eyes. As he dedicated most of his time to studying, that book was all Shizuka had. “No, give it back, please!” Jinn ignored the crying student and chucked the book as hard as he could off the cliff, where it fell into the river below. “Too bad, brat. That’s what you get for stepping up to us!” Jinn had a triumphant look on his face, as he had crushed the boy’s spirit by throwing away his text. Ichi looks at the setting sun, realizing how late it’s getting. “Hey Jinn, it’s getting close to curfew. Whaddya say we call it a day; I think this little bitch has learned his lesson.”
Shizuka lies hunched over on the ground as the other two young men trek back to the orphanage, it was all he could do after the wallop he received. Collapsed in the dirt, Shizuka quietly whimpered to himself; having both his prized possession and self-respect taken from him dealt quite a blow. Without his text he would have to share with one of his classmates during lessons, however he wouldn’t be able to study on his own like he wanted. The school’s texts aren’t cheap, and due to the village’s low income the establishment was about to lose it’s funding and sponsorships.
Losing consciousness, Shizuka looked up to see a figure he recognized as the head mistress of the orphanage, Mother Tomoe, yelling at the two brothers. The figure wore traditional shrine maiden clothing, having a white top and blue bottom. She had silky, long. brown hair and held a poised air about her. The kind that was similar to Ms. Honoka, who the woman bore a striking resemblance to. Ms. Tomoe’s tail thrashed about furiously as she yelled at the pair of boys. “Now I know I raise you two better than that! Why do you insist on treating your foster siblings so poorly?! Have I not set a good example?”
Apparently, a little girl who also resided at the establishment had witnessed Shizuka’s teasing and went to tell Ms. Tomoe. The boys, caught off guard by the arrival of their foster mother, tried to defend themselves. “B..but Ms. Tomoe, you weren’t here to see everything! Shizuka – we just asked him if he stayed out late again at school. He got angry and started insulting us; he even went as far as to attack Jinn with water magic!”
Shortly after, the girl who witnessed the event stepped into the dispute. “Ms. Tomoe, they’re lying! They attacked Shizuka first! They teased him, beat him up, and even threw his textbook into the river! I saw everything! Shizuka only used magic in order to defend himself!”
Ichi began to get even more nervous. “Ms. Tomoe, she’s lying, I swear…” The Inari put her hand up to signal silence to the children. “I believe I’ve heard enough. Yui, go back inside. As for you two, you are confided to your rooms until I determine your punishment. Now go!” With heavily groans the two boys followed behind the little girl into the foster home. Not a second later, Ms. Tomoe bolted toward Shizuka and held him in her arms. “You poor thing, I’m only sorry that I couldn’t have come out sooner to avert this whole mess. Let’s get you patched up.” She soon made her into the home, where she would tend to the young student’s wounds and deal punishment to the two brothers.
After sometime had passed, Shizuka would find himself in his room with a plate of fresh food on the stand next to his bed. The boy noticed his wounds had been healed with magic, most likely from Mother Tomoe. Shortly thereafter, Shizuka began to frantically look around for his book, only to remember that it was thrown off the cliff and into the river. Well, it wasn’t like he actually forgot; it was more like he didn’t want to believe that it really happened. He still couldn’t believe it, his text was thrown away and there was nothing to be done about it. With a sigh and a single tear drop the boy began to eat his food, trying to cope with today’s events. During his meal Shizuka heard a knock at his door. “Come in.” he replied hesitantly.
The door was slowly opened, revealing both Tomoe and Honoka with concerned looks on their faces. Tomoe was the first to speak. “Hey there Shizu-kun, are you doing alright? Ichi and Jinn certainly didn’t pull any punches today, did they? I know you all don’t get along, but it’s never gotten this bad. Ichi even went as far as to break some of your ribs. Honestly, I don’t know what is wrong with those boys. Thankfully my sister here was able to help me fix up most of your wounds, although you may still feel sore for a little while.”
Honoka sat down beside Shizuka on his bed, placing a soothing hand on his shoulder to comfort him. “I feel like I’m to blame for this. I had a few things to lock up at the schoolhouse; I didn’t think walking home by yourself would have been an issue, since you often do so.”
Tomoe looked at her sister, “We should really keep more of an eye on him, Hono, especially with these current times.” Honoka slightly hung her head, “I know. Were just lucky that Yui saw what had happened. I know those boys have been through a lot, but they need better ways of coping with their pain.”
Honoka perked up and grabbed Shizuka’s shoulders when she remembered about the boy’s text. “I’m so sorry about your book Shizu-kun. I’m…I’m sorry to say that I don’t know if it can be replaced. Those books are expensive and the school, not to mention the entire town, isn’t doing too well financially. For now you’ll have to share with a classmate and learn as best you can.”
“Mother Tomoe, why are Ichi and Jinn always so mean to me? I always hear them talking about how they hate magic practitioners and they insult me for learning the art.”
Tomoe looked at Shizuka for a moment before looking to the side with sad eyes. “They…lost their parents in a civil skirmish not too long ago. It was a mage that killed them. Since then they’ve held people of such nature in low regard. They’ve also been picked on by magic students for not having a talent in the art.”
Honoka held her student tightly. “It’s all right Shizu-kun, I’m sure they’ll come around eventually. In the meantime, they will be disciplined accordingly…”
“Well it’s getting late, Honoka and I just wanted to checkup on you to see if you needed anything to see if you’re alright.” Tomoe said as she got up from her chair.
“I’m fine Mother Tomoe, Ms. Honoka, you don’t need to worry.” Despite all that’s happened Shizuka tried his best to smile, so as to ease the minds of his caretaker and teacher.
Honoka was still concerned, as she more than any knew how much that book meant to her pupil, “Are you sure you’re alright?” Shizuka smiled warmly at the Inari sisters, “Yes”.
The sisters smiled back at the young boy. “Very well then, we bid you good night, Shizuka. Come on Hono, let’s let him rest. Oh and I’ll take that plate if you’re done with it.” Shizuka nodded yes in response to Tomoe.
Honoka began leaving along with Tomoe, turning back to Shizuka one last time, “Sweet dreams. Things will get better, I promise. We’ll have lots of fun tomorrow!” With that the two left, gently closing the door behind them. The candle in the room went out and only the crescent moon in the night sky provided light. As Shizuka lay in his bed and prepared to sleep for the night he thought to himself.
“Hmph, they do it because they’re hurting on the inside huh? It’s still not fair; it’s not my fault that they had things taken from them by magic users. I guess I should be angry at the jerks that did it in the first place. Sometimes, I wish all the bad people in the world would just…disappear.”
And so the boy drifts quietly into sleep. He dreams filled with hope for a better future; he looked forward to what tomorrow would be with his teacher. However, little did the boy know that he would not be prepared for what lied on the morrow. His life would be drastically changed, and the experience would affect him for many years to come. ..
However, while studying the boy was paid a visit by an unexpected guest. “Hellooooo Shizuka~” These were the words the boy heard before he was swung off his feet and engulfed by a large pair of breasts. Shizuka was only able to make a muffled groan before being hugged by an intelligent looking Inari. She wore an elegant furisode and had long emerald hair that she wore in a ponytail. “Look at you, always into your books, even after school’s let out. You have GOT to find yourself a girl, young man!”
After a little struggling, Shizuka was able to stumble his way out of his teacher’s grasp. He let out another groan before collecting his words. “What’s with you always sneaking up on me, Ms. Honoka?! Such behavior is unbecoming of a teacher, you know? Besides, I’m a little young to be messing around with girls, don’t you think?“
The Inari stared at the book her student was reading; rather intrigued at the chapter he was studying. “You know Shizuka, the class isn’t supposed to go over this chapter until next week. If you keep skipping ahead like this, it will make it harder for you to be raised uniformly with the class. Talented you may be, young man, but what’s the point of being the best if you’re all alone? Being the best…is not always best.”
Shizuka took the book off the desk, closing it and putting it in his arm. “I just want to hurry up and become a great Onmyodo mage and assist the country in any way I can. I can’t do that if I spend my time dawdling around. If you’ll excuse me, Teacher.” With that, the boy makes his way out of the classroom and out of the school. As Ms. Honoka locks up the classroom she watches her student walk down the hall. She smiles as she makes a small sigh. “What am I to do with that boy? Still, you have to admire that discipline at such a young age…”
Now walking down the city streets, Shizuka made his way through his village known as Midori. It was a small village that mainly specialized in agriculture and cosmology. Thankfully, some of the turmoil that was plaguing certain regions of the nation hadn’t reached this place. The streets were paved with various farming vendors, and filled with a nearly even number of human and mamono settlers. There were also various fortune tellers and arcane shops to be seen. Through the borough young Shizuka was walking to the orphan shelter he called home. He lived there as long as he could remember; having no recollection of his parents, he was brought there by Ms. Honoka at the infant age of two.
Life at the orphanage could have been better, but it was better than nothing. He was fed and clothed well, and his living quarters were decent enough. Although he didn’t get along with many of the other kids, most notably the male kids who made fun of him for his reserved nature and book-worm-ish disposition. Eventually, he arrived in front of the orphanage, where he was greeted by a pair of young men.
“Well, well, if it isn’t Shizu-chan. Stayed late at school again today, I presume?” Shizuka stopped in his tracks at the words of the older boy, growing defensive as he sensed trouble.
“What’s it to you, Ichi?” The brown-haired boy known as Ichi frowned at Shizuka’s snappy remark; along with his red-haired brother Jinn they were the main ones to pick on the little student.
“You’ve got some nerve talking back to my brother like that, you little shit. You think you’re better that us just ‘cause you go to some fancy magic school?”
Jinn walked down the steps to give Shizuka a sucker punch for his remark. Shizuka tried to resist but was overpowered by the older boy. He grabbed him by the collar of his shirt as he continued to punch him. Ichi taunted Shizuka as he was getting pummeled. “What’s wrong Shizu-chan? Fight back! I thought you practiced magic, what the hell are ya goin’ to school for?”
At those words Shizuka perked up and began using a basic spell he learned in his studies. Taking out a sutra he had tucked away in his kimono he starting to speak the incantation. “Sacred sutra I call upon the power of the raging seas to strike down my enemy. Aqua Shockwave!”
At the utterance of the incantation a torrent of water blasted from the sutra and sent Jinn flying into a nearby tree. The blast wasn’t very powerful, however, as the boy was still conscious after the impact; although he was injured from the spell. At the sight of his brother being sent flying, Ichi’s face flared with rage. “What the hell did you do to my brother you little bitch?! You damn mages are all the same!” Ichi ran down the steps and kicked Shizuka right in the gut, who was defenseless after being punched by Jinn and casting that spell.
Shizuka puked a little from the kick as tears started rolling down his eyes; Ichi continued his anger-fueled beatdown on the poor boy. “You think you’re so damn superior just because you have an innate talent for magic! And then you go and use it to attack my brother! I’m sick of that shit; a brat like you has no place here! Why don’t you go get adopted by some rich noble using your ‘precious talents’!” Shizuka could do nothing except writhe in pain at the beating he was receiving. As if things couldn’t get any worse, Jinn grabbed the student’s book, which had dropped on the ground earlier. “No worries bro, without this the bastard can’t cast anymore magic.”
Shizuka’s eyes lit up at the sight of his book in the hands of someone else. “No, give that back!” He tried to run toward Jinn, but Ichi pinned him to the ground. “I figure without your precious little book, you ain’t much of nothing. So, how ‘bout I toss it over this here cliff?” Tears continued to flow from the young student’s eyes. As he dedicated most of his time to studying, that book was all Shizuka had. “No, give it back, please!” Jinn ignored the crying student and chucked the book as hard as he could off the cliff, where it fell into the river below. “Too bad, brat. That’s what you get for stepping up to us!” Jinn had a triumphant look on his face, as he had crushed the boy’s spirit by throwing away his text. Ichi looks at the setting sun, realizing how late it’s getting. “Hey Jinn, it’s getting close to curfew. Whaddya say we call it a day; I think this little bitch has learned his lesson.”
Shizuka lies hunched over on the ground as the other two young men trek back to the orphanage, it was all he could do after the wallop he received. Collapsed in the dirt, Shizuka quietly whimpered to himself; having both his prized possession and self-respect taken from him dealt quite a blow. Without his text he would have to share with one of his classmates during lessons, however he wouldn’t be able to study on his own like he wanted. The school’s texts aren’t cheap, and due to the village’s low income the establishment was about to lose it’s funding and sponsorships.
Losing consciousness, Shizuka looked up to see a figure he recognized as the head mistress of the orphanage, Mother Tomoe, yelling at the two brothers. The figure wore traditional shrine maiden clothing, having a white top and blue bottom. She had silky, long. brown hair and held a poised air about her. The kind that was similar to Ms. Honoka, who the woman bore a striking resemblance to. Ms. Tomoe’s tail thrashed about furiously as she yelled at the pair of boys. “Now I know I raise you two better than that! Why do you insist on treating your foster siblings so poorly?! Have I not set a good example?”
Apparently, a little girl who also resided at the establishment had witnessed Shizuka’s teasing and went to tell Ms. Tomoe. The boys, caught off guard by the arrival of their foster mother, tried to defend themselves. “B..but Ms. Tomoe, you weren’t here to see everything! Shizuka – we just asked him if he stayed out late again at school. He got angry and started insulting us; he even went as far as to attack Jinn with water magic!”
Shortly after, the girl who witnessed the event stepped into the dispute. “Ms. Tomoe, they’re lying! They attacked Shizuka first! They teased him, beat him up, and even threw his textbook into the river! I saw everything! Shizuka only used magic in order to defend himself!”
Ichi began to get even more nervous. “Ms. Tomoe, she’s lying, I swear…” The Inari put her hand up to signal silence to the children. “I believe I’ve heard enough. Yui, go back inside. As for you two, you are confided to your rooms until I determine your punishment. Now go!” With heavily groans the two boys followed behind the little girl into the foster home. Not a second later, Ms. Tomoe bolted toward Shizuka and held him in her arms. “You poor thing, I’m only sorry that I couldn’t have come out sooner to avert this whole mess. Let’s get you patched up.” She soon made her into the home, where she would tend to the young student’s wounds and deal punishment to the two brothers.
After sometime had passed, Shizuka would find himself in his room with a plate of fresh food on the stand next to his bed. The boy noticed his wounds had been healed with magic, most likely from Mother Tomoe. Shortly thereafter, Shizuka began to frantically look around for his book, only to remember that it was thrown off the cliff and into the river. Well, it wasn’t like he actually forgot; it was more like he didn’t want to believe that it really happened. He still couldn’t believe it, his text was thrown away and there was nothing to be done about it. With a sigh and a single tear drop the boy began to eat his food, trying to cope with today’s events. During his meal Shizuka heard a knock at his door. “Come in.” he replied hesitantly.
The door was slowly opened, revealing both Tomoe and Honoka with concerned looks on their faces. Tomoe was the first to speak. “Hey there Shizu-kun, are you doing alright? Ichi and Jinn certainly didn’t pull any punches today, did they? I know you all don’t get along, but it’s never gotten this bad. Ichi even went as far as to break some of your ribs. Honestly, I don’t know what is wrong with those boys. Thankfully my sister here was able to help me fix up most of your wounds, although you may still feel sore for a little while.”
Honoka sat down beside Shizuka on his bed, placing a soothing hand on his shoulder to comfort him. “I feel like I’m to blame for this. I had a few things to lock up at the schoolhouse; I didn’t think walking home by yourself would have been an issue, since you often do so.”
Tomoe looked at her sister, “We should really keep more of an eye on him, Hono, especially with these current times.” Honoka slightly hung her head, “I know. Were just lucky that Yui saw what had happened. I know those boys have been through a lot, but they need better ways of coping with their pain.”
Honoka perked up and grabbed Shizuka’s shoulders when she remembered about the boy’s text. “I’m so sorry about your book Shizu-kun. I’m…I’m sorry to say that I don’t know if it can be replaced. Those books are expensive and the school, not to mention the entire town, isn’t doing too well financially. For now you’ll have to share with a classmate and learn as best you can.”
“Mother Tomoe, why are Ichi and Jinn always so mean to me? I always hear them talking about how they hate magic practitioners and they insult me for learning the art.”
Tomoe looked at Shizuka for a moment before looking to the side with sad eyes. “They…lost their parents in a civil skirmish not too long ago. It was a mage that killed them. Since then they’ve held people of such nature in low regard. They’ve also been picked on by magic students for not having a talent in the art.”
Honoka held her student tightly. “It’s all right Shizu-kun, I’m sure they’ll come around eventually. In the meantime, they will be disciplined accordingly…”
“Well it’s getting late, Honoka and I just wanted to checkup on you to see if you needed anything to see if you’re alright.” Tomoe said as she got up from her chair.
“I’m fine Mother Tomoe, Ms. Honoka, you don’t need to worry.” Despite all that’s happened Shizuka tried his best to smile, so as to ease the minds of his caretaker and teacher.
Honoka was still concerned, as she more than any knew how much that book meant to her pupil, “Are you sure you’re alright?” Shizuka smiled warmly at the Inari sisters, “Yes”.
The sisters smiled back at the young boy. “Very well then, we bid you good night, Shizuka. Come on Hono, let’s let him rest. Oh and I’ll take that plate if you’re done with it.” Shizuka nodded yes in response to Tomoe.
Honoka began leaving along with Tomoe, turning back to Shizuka one last time, “Sweet dreams. Things will get better, I promise. We’ll have lots of fun tomorrow!” With that the two left, gently closing the door behind them. The candle in the room went out and only the crescent moon in the night sky provided light. As Shizuka lay in his bed and prepared to sleep for the night he thought to himself.
“Hmph, they do it because they’re hurting on the inside huh? It’s still not fair; it’s not my fault that they had things taken from them by magic users. I guess I should be angry at the jerks that did it in the first place. Sometimes, I wish all the bad people in the world would just…disappear.”
And so the boy drifts quietly into sleep. He dreams filled with hope for a better future; he looked forward to what tomorrow would be with his teacher. However, little did the boy know that he would not be prepared for what lied on the morrow. His life would be drastically changed, and the experience would affect him for many years to come. ..
Spoiler: show
The sun had risen in the sky as Shizuka slept beneath his worn blanket, signaling morning had come. As the sun’s rays beamed through the window, they shone on the young boy’s face, which had stuck out while he twisted around in his sleep. Shortly, the boy woke up with a groan, some of his wounds still aching from yesterday. As he sat up, the boy let out a large yawn while stretching his arms. Slowly he got out of bed, making it promptly after as his caretaker taught him to.
After he washed, Shizuka would head down to the dining room for breakfast – the daily routine for children at the orphanage. Shizuka noticed the two brothers from yesterday while he prepared for the day. The children glanced at each other, but Ichi and Jinn did nothing and turned away - probably out of fear of being further reprimanded. Shizuka was still upset at the loss of his text, but he did his best to put it behind him.
Regardless of all that happened yesterday, Shizuka looked forward to today. He decided that instead of moping over some lost object, it would be better to focus on today’s class. Whenever the young student felt down, Ms. Honoka would always find a way to lift his spirits. And, despite her silly antics, Shizuka truly did enjoy her lessons of natural sciences and arcane lore. After eating his meal, Shizuka began his trek to the school – until he remembered something rather important; he wanted to thank Yui for getting Mother Tomoe the other day.
He caught Yui just as she was about to leave for the school she was going to, calling out to her to speak briefly.
“Oh, hello Shizu-kun, is there something the matter?” She turned to face her foster brother, as she noticed some of the bruises still on Shizuka’s face. “Are you alright? Those jerks really did a number on you! I wish I could’ve gotten Ms. Tomoe sooner…”
“I’m fine, Yui, really. Actually, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” Shizuka blushed as he gathered his words. “I…I just wanted to thank you for the other day. I am very fortunate that you were there to get our foster mother. ”
Yui smiled warmly at the boy’s thanks, slightly blushing herself. “No problem! No way I was gonna let those jerks beat you down like that, especially when you’ve done nothing wrong! I’m just sorry your book was thrown away…”
“Oh, it’s alright. Ms. Honoka is always telling me to spend less time studying and have some fun once in a while. Besides, I can just share with someone else for the time being.” Shizuka said as he tried to dismiss the issue.
“But, it meant so much to you.” Yui replied, as her concern began to grow. “You know, Shizuka, you really don’t deserve all that bullying. You’re always so diligent and the adults in the village are so impressed by your knowledge. You even have an innate talent for magic! You know, you’re kind of amazing. At least in my book!“
After a brief pause, Yui realized she may have been a little to expressive in her praise. Her face grew red a little out of embarrassment. Shizuka also became rather self-conscious at Yui’s words.
“Uh…Thank you for the kind words, Yui. At any rate, we should head to our schools. No use in making each other late, right?” Shizuka smiled and chuckled a little bit, so as to lighten the mood, which had become somewhat awkward.
“Um…Yeah, sure thing. I, uh, hope you have a good day at school Shizu-kun! Sometimes I wish Ms. Honoka was my teacher, it sounds like her class is really fun! Tell me about it this evening, OK?” Yui waved back at Shizuka as she ran to her school, which was a normal educational facility. Only a small group of children in the village had magical talent, Shizuka being one of them.
“I will, Yui, see ya!” Shizuka bade his foster sister farewell as he made his way to Saeko Academy. As he trekked he thought more about Yui, as she was always nice to him. Whenever he was picked on, she stood up for him. Whenever he was about to get into a fight that would get him in trouble, she would be the one who stops him; and whenever he was being scolded by Tomoe or Honoka, she would take his side. “Maybe I’ll hang out around town with her after school. Who knows, it might actually be fun.”
Eventually he reached the academy, with a few minutes to spare. Passing by a couple of his students, he made his way to the classroom. Ms. Honoka was standing at the front, fiddling with some papers as she often did before class started. She noticed that Shizuka came in a little bit later than usual.
“My Shizu-kun, you usually get here earlier than this. I hope you didn’t have trouble getting out of bed this morning.” Ms. Honoka’s tone denoted her concern for her student.
“No, I’m fine Ms. Honoka. I was just talking with a friend.” Shizuka replied as he sat down at his desk.
Honoka looked at her pupil with curious eyes after hearing his statement. “Talking with a friend? Tell me, Shizu-kun, was it a girl~” Her ears perked up and twitched while she asked her question. She was curious, as she knew her student to be rather shy around the ladies.
“Does it…matter? I was just thanking Yui for yesterday is all. Sheesh, can we get on with the lesson?” Shizuka fidgeted in his seat, embarrassed of his instructor’s prying.
“Tee hee! Yes, with everyone here we may know begin class.” Now having her papers in order, Honoka began her lecture of today’s lesson – of which dealt with the basics of alchemy. Shizuka shared a book with the young boy sitting beside him to keep along. During the lecture, the instructor did hands-on demonstrations of beginner-level transmutation that involved various metals and liquids. She even let the students try their hands at it; Shizuka did very well by transmuting the sample lead into copper, but only because he studied a week in advance. It the closing moments of the class, Honoka told her students that the key to alchemy is proportions and having strong understanding of the elements. With that, class was dismissed for the day.
Honoka pulled Shizuka to the side after class, wanting to discuss something with him.
“Shizuka, I didn’t discuss this further with you this last night because I wanted you to get some rest. But I need to talk to you about this.” Honoka kneeled down to meet Shizuka at eye-level, her face quite serious. “It’s about how you attacked Jinn with magic the other day.”
Shizuka’s eyes widen at the statement, but he then held his head down, knowing that there was no point in glossing over it. “I only did it in self-defense, to little effect unfortunately. The spell was weak, so he wasn’t hurt that much.”
“I understand that you were only trying to defend yourself, but that doesn’t make it any less wrong. One of my first lessons was that magic shouldn’t be used for attacking other citizens. This school isn’t raising soldiers or militia members, it’s raising scholars who can use their talents to better the lives of the country’s citizens.” Honoka firmly grasped Shizuka’s shoulder as she gave him another lecture. “You could’ve hurt that boy more than you realize weak spell or no.”
“Tch. He was well enough to get up a throw my damn book off a cliff. Perhaps I should’ve made it hurt more…” The young student replied as he turned his anger-filled face to the side.
The boy then received a prompted smack to the face by his teacher. The sudden strike surprised him and the sting made his eye tear up a little. “Wha…What was that for?” He said.
“Neither I or my sister raised you to speak in such a matter, Shizuka. I will not have that kind of talk coming from one of my students. Why don’t you have a seat at your desk for a moment?” Honoka stood and pointed to Shizuka’s desk, which was in the front row of the classroom and closest to the door.
Holding his cheek, the boy reluctantly went to sit in his desk. He awaited his teacher to continue her monologue.
“Listen carefully, Shizuka. A wound inflicted by magic is quite different than a wound inflicted by physical means. Magic wounds not only the body, but the soul as well. A wounded soul is very painful, and can have very negative effects on a person. Do you see my point now?” Honoka leaned on her desk, arms folded, as she gave her speech to the student.
“I’m...I’m sorry, teacher. I just wanted them to leave me alone; I let my anger get the better of me. I didn’t mean to sound like that. I didn’t mean…to ignore your teachings.” Shizuka replied as he held his head down in shame.
Honoka walked over to her student and gently embraced him. She knew how Shizuka must have felt and only wanted to make sure wasn’t led astray by anger. “I know you didn’t. I told I understood that you only did it in self-defense, but I just don’t want your emotions to lead you down the wrong path. “
“Alright Shizu-kun, I’ve said enough for one day. You may now enjoy the rest of your day!” Honoka said in a cheerful tone.
“Thank you teacher, I will.” Shizuka replied softly.
As the boy made his way to the door, his teacher stopped him in order to express one last statement. “Remember Shizu-kun, magic should always be used to better the lives of others and help those in need.”
“I will Ms. Honoka, thank you. See you next week!” Shizuka said as he waved goodbye, walking out the door.
Soon after making his way out of school Shizuka wondered what he should do for the rest of the day. That’s when he remembered he promised to meet with Yui and tell her about what he learned in class today.
However, after walking around for only a few moments young Shizuka noticed quite a disturbing sight…
“Those…those buildings off in the distance, they’ve been set ablaze!” Shizuka said in surprise.
The boy also noticed many people starting to panic, running to their homes and out of the village. He began hearing people screaming for help and out of terror.
“Bandits! We’re being attacked by bandits!” One man shouted out while in a panic.
Just as he uttered out those words, a throwing knife had impaled him through the throat. He choked on his own blood for a moment before falling to the ground, where he laid silently with stillness.
At this point, Shizuka was running as fast as he could to Yui’s school. He didn’t even bother to see where the knife came from, as he had a pretty good idea of who threw it. “I’ve gotta find her! I made a promise to her and she helped me out of a jam once before.” The young student thought to himself.
Nearing her school, Shizuka quickly found a hiding spot behind a corner. He noticed a group of assailants had already arrived at the school. From the look of it they were rounding up attending students and teachers as prisoners. Most of the teachers captured were mamono; Shizuka overheard a couple of bandits conversing about something.
“Is that all of them? I think we got all the monster sluts but a few brats may have scurried away.” One brigand said.
“If a few of them get away it’s no big deal. Combined with the prisoners we got from the rest of the village, this should be more than enough to suffice.” Said the other bandit’s cohort.
Shizuka noticed the ran-sackers were wielding strange weapons while he searched for any sign of Yui. After a bit of looking, he couldn’t spot her out of the captured folk. “Maybe she got away?” Shizuka thought to himself. The student took one look at the bandits and immediately knew there was nothing he could do. The very thought tore him up inside as he trekked away from the scene, his heart pounding heavily.
“She may have made it to the foster home. Mother Tomoe should know what to do!” The foster home was the only other place Shizuka could think to look for her. Perhaps she along with Ms. Honoka rounded up the children who got away and took them to the home for a safe haven.
Lost in his thoughts, the young boy was caught by a falling beam from a destroyed house. Unable to move, the boy struggled to free himself from the debris. He was hesitant to call for help, as he was afraid he’d attract the wrong crowd. The boy’s options were very limited, as he had nothing he could use to conjure a spell with either. As the reality of his situation began to set in, he heard a familiar voice calling out to him.
“Shizuka?! Shizuka, where are you?!” Honoka yelled as she searched frantically for her student.
“Teacher?! I’m here! I’m trapped under this rubble, I need help!” Shizuka yelled out to his instructor.
“Oh God, Shizuka! Be still for a moment!” Honoka said as she began building up energy in her palm. Promptly after, she blasted the debris off of the boy, thereby freeing him from the rubble. She then grabbed the boy’s hand as they ran toward the foster home.
“Teacher, I have to find Yui! I think she managed to get away but I don’t know where she is!’ Shizuka said as they were running.
“It’s alright Shizuka, we were able to get her and a bunch of other kids to the shelter. Hurry, we have to get there quickly before we’re found!” Honoka said as she grasped her pupil’s hand tightly.
Eventually, after running about, the two had made their way to the foster home. However, what they stumbled upon was a horrific sight. The entire home was set ablaze, and on the ground laid a beaten and battered Tomoe.
“No…Oh God no…” Tears began to roll down Honoka’s eyes as she ran toward her injured sister.
“Tomoe, Tomoe please wake up! What happened?! Are the children OK?” Honoka asked her sister, whose eyes slowly opened.
Tomoe’s eyes were stoic and dim, as if all the life had drained from them. With a somber expression, she began to speak. “H..Hono… Th..The children were…inside. Oh Dear God, they were just infants. They were so young, so…innocent… Why couldn’t they have simply taken my life?” Little droplets of tears formed in Tomoe’s eyes as she retold the tragedy that had just took place.
Shizuka’s eyes widen at Mother Tomoe’s words. He refused to believe it at first, how could he? Everyone he knew and called family was burned alive in the foster home. Ichi, Jinn, and even Yui were all dead, just like that? The thought made Shizuka sick inside; he began to sniffle. “But, what about the promise I made to her? I promised we’d hang out and talk about my class. She helped me and I…I could do nothing…” The boy tried to grasp the situation in his mind as best he could.
“No…that can…be. This can’t be happening. Our village was so peaceful; we’ve…we’ve done nothing wrong! Even the children…weren’t spared… Were there no Order patrols in the area? No local police forces or milita?! Why?!” Tears flowed from Honoka’s eyes as she held her heart-broken sister. Many of the villagers have either been slain or taken as prisoners. Their once peaceful village had now been set ablaze by wayward brigands.
Their mourning was cut short, as two other bandits had been near the scene. One of them had knocked Honoka to the ground with a slash from his blade. A strange mark appeared on her wound as she let out a cry of pain.
“Well, well, it seems we missed a few stragglers, eh?” Said the brigand who slashed Honoka.
“Indeed we did. We didn’t have enough room for the bunch of brats in that orphanage, but I think we can accommodate just three more.” Another bandit said as he grabbed Shizuka by his collar.
Still in pain, Honoka mustered up the strength to speak. “What…are you all doing here? This is nothing more than a poor farming village, there’s nothing for you to gain from attacking it. Why are you doing this?”
The answer Honoka received was a kick to the gut, which caused her to cough up a little blood.
“Sorry fox-slut, but I’m afraid we don’t answer to you. We could give a shit less about this worthless village. Just know that you’re new home is going to be at our stronghold, for a while at least.” Said the bandit with the peculiar blade.
“Stop hurting them, let us go you bastards!” Shizuka yelled as he trashed about, trying to get free from his captor’s grasp. He ended up kicking the man in the face, much to the bandit’s irritation. The brigand punches Shizuka in the gut before throwing him to the ground. The force caused Shizuka to lose consciousness, as he lay motionless on the ground.
“Damn little wretch…” The bandit said as he rubbed he face
“Shizuka!!” Honoka yelled. “Leave him alone, you murderers!” Honoka held out her hand in an attempt to attack the men. However, she would find herself unable to conjure any type of spell. She had a perplexed and bewildered expression on her face at the realization.
“Aww, poor little bitch. Must be trying for a spell, huh? Sorry, but I’m afraid that thanks to these little weapons your magic is useless.” The brigand said as he walked over to the Inari. He then proceeded to kick her in the face, causing her to bleed further and knocking her out.
“Alright, Kou our job’s done here. Let’s head back to the stronghold; we gotta make sure all the prisoners are accounted for when our employers arrive.” Said the bandit with the blade, as he hoisted both Inari over his shoulders.
“Yeah, I gotcha. I’ll grab the brat.” Said the other one as he carried Shizuka’s limp body.
The two brigands made their way to the viilage’s front gate, toting Shizuka, Honoka, and Tomoe with them. At the foot of the village’s entrance their cohorts stood along with the rest of the prisoners, all of them terrified for whatever fate awaited them.
A bandit who had the look of a leader stepped in front of the rest as he began to speak. “Alright boys, nice work. I’d say we rounded up our fair share of cargo. Our bosses will be quite pleased. You even made sure to kill off any potential witnesses!”
“As for all of you!” He said as he turned to the captured villagers. “From this day forward, consider yourselves our property. Your humble days of living in your piss-poor village are over. You’ll belong to us until we trade you to our employers for a nice little penny. So, if you all wanna stay alive as long as possible, I suggest you shut the hell up and fall in line! Alright fellas, move out!”
At his command the brigand squadron along with their prisoners began the long march back to their stronghold, Shizuka along with his caretakers still passed out.
Just like that the village of Midori was no more, nothing more than a miserable pile of ashes. The schools, vendors, and homes were all torn to the ground in a single night. The only place Shizuka ever called home was destroyed by wayward assailants out on assignment. For the time being, his new home would be with a pack of murderous bandits who possessed ruthlessness in place of mercy or compassion.
After he washed, Shizuka would head down to the dining room for breakfast – the daily routine for children at the orphanage. Shizuka noticed the two brothers from yesterday while he prepared for the day. The children glanced at each other, but Ichi and Jinn did nothing and turned away - probably out of fear of being further reprimanded. Shizuka was still upset at the loss of his text, but he did his best to put it behind him.
Regardless of all that happened yesterday, Shizuka looked forward to today. He decided that instead of moping over some lost object, it would be better to focus on today’s class. Whenever the young student felt down, Ms. Honoka would always find a way to lift his spirits. And, despite her silly antics, Shizuka truly did enjoy her lessons of natural sciences and arcane lore. After eating his meal, Shizuka began his trek to the school – until he remembered something rather important; he wanted to thank Yui for getting Mother Tomoe the other day.
He caught Yui just as she was about to leave for the school she was going to, calling out to her to speak briefly.
“Oh, hello Shizu-kun, is there something the matter?” She turned to face her foster brother, as she noticed some of the bruises still on Shizuka’s face. “Are you alright? Those jerks really did a number on you! I wish I could’ve gotten Ms. Tomoe sooner…”
“I’m fine, Yui, really. Actually, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” Shizuka blushed as he gathered his words. “I…I just wanted to thank you for the other day. I am very fortunate that you were there to get our foster mother. ”
Yui smiled warmly at the boy’s thanks, slightly blushing herself. “No problem! No way I was gonna let those jerks beat you down like that, especially when you’ve done nothing wrong! I’m just sorry your book was thrown away…”
“Oh, it’s alright. Ms. Honoka is always telling me to spend less time studying and have some fun once in a while. Besides, I can just share with someone else for the time being.” Shizuka said as he tried to dismiss the issue.
“But, it meant so much to you.” Yui replied, as her concern began to grow. “You know, Shizuka, you really don’t deserve all that bullying. You’re always so diligent and the adults in the village are so impressed by your knowledge. You even have an innate talent for magic! You know, you’re kind of amazing. At least in my book!“
After a brief pause, Yui realized she may have been a little to expressive in her praise. Her face grew red a little out of embarrassment. Shizuka also became rather self-conscious at Yui’s words.
“Uh…Thank you for the kind words, Yui. At any rate, we should head to our schools. No use in making each other late, right?” Shizuka smiled and chuckled a little bit, so as to lighten the mood, which had become somewhat awkward.
“Um…Yeah, sure thing. I, uh, hope you have a good day at school Shizu-kun! Sometimes I wish Ms. Honoka was my teacher, it sounds like her class is really fun! Tell me about it this evening, OK?” Yui waved back at Shizuka as she ran to her school, which was a normal educational facility. Only a small group of children in the village had magical talent, Shizuka being one of them.
“I will, Yui, see ya!” Shizuka bade his foster sister farewell as he made his way to Saeko Academy. As he trekked he thought more about Yui, as she was always nice to him. Whenever he was picked on, she stood up for him. Whenever he was about to get into a fight that would get him in trouble, she would be the one who stops him; and whenever he was being scolded by Tomoe or Honoka, she would take his side. “Maybe I’ll hang out around town with her after school. Who knows, it might actually be fun.”
Eventually he reached the academy, with a few minutes to spare. Passing by a couple of his students, he made his way to the classroom. Ms. Honoka was standing at the front, fiddling with some papers as she often did before class started. She noticed that Shizuka came in a little bit later than usual.
“My Shizu-kun, you usually get here earlier than this. I hope you didn’t have trouble getting out of bed this morning.” Ms. Honoka’s tone denoted her concern for her student.
“No, I’m fine Ms. Honoka. I was just talking with a friend.” Shizuka replied as he sat down at his desk.
Honoka looked at her pupil with curious eyes after hearing his statement. “Talking with a friend? Tell me, Shizu-kun, was it a girl~” Her ears perked up and twitched while she asked her question. She was curious, as she knew her student to be rather shy around the ladies.
“Does it…matter? I was just thanking Yui for yesterday is all. Sheesh, can we get on with the lesson?” Shizuka fidgeted in his seat, embarrassed of his instructor’s prying.
“Tee hee! Yes, with everyone here we may know begin class.” Now having her papers in order, Honoka began her lecture of today’s lesson – of which dealt with the basics of alchemy. Shizuka shared a book with the young boy sitting beside him to keep along. During the lecture, the instructor did hands-on demonstrations of beginner-level transmutation that involved various metals and liquids. She even let the students try their hands at it; Shizuka did very well by transmuting the sample lead into copper, but only because he studied a week in advance. It the closing moments of the class, Honoka told her students that the key to alchemy is proportions and having strong understanding of the elements. With that, class was dismissed for the day.
Honoka pulled Shizuka to the side after class, wanting to discuss something with him.
“Shizuka, I didn’t discuss this further with you this last night because I wanted you to get some rest. But I need to talk to you about this.” Honoka kneeled down to meet Shizuka at eye-level, her face quite serious. “It’s about how you attacked Jinn with magic the other day.”
Shizuka’s eyes widen at the statement, but he then held his head down, knowing that there was no point in glossing over it. “I only did it in self-defense, to little effect unfortunately. The spell was weak, so he wasn’t hurt that much.”
“I understand that you were only trying to defend yourself, but that doesn’t make it any less wrong. One of my first lessons was that magic shouldn’t be used for attacking other citizens. This school isn’t raising soldiers or militia members, it’s raising scholars who can use their talents to better the lives of the country’s citizens.” Honoka firmly grasped Shizuka’s shoulder as she gave him another lecture. “You could’ve hurt that boy more than you realize weak spell or no.”
“Tch. He was well enough to get up a throw my damn book off a cliff. Perhaps I should’ve made it hurt more…” The young student replied as he turned his anger-filled face to the side.
The boy then received a prompted smack to the face by his teacher. The sudden strike surprised him and the sting made his eye tear up a little. “Wha…What was that for?” He said.
“Neither I or my sister raised you to speak in such a matter, Shizuka. I will not have that kind of talk coming from one of my students. Why don’t you have a seat at your desk for a moment?” Honoka stood and pointed to Shizuka’s desk, which was in the front row of the classroom and closest to the door.
Holding his cheek, the boy reluctantly went to sit in his desk. He awaited his teacher to continue her monologue.
“Listen carefully, Shizuka. A wound inflicted by magic is quite different than a wound inflicted by physical means. Magic wounds not only the body, but the soul as well. A wounded soul is very painful, and can have very negative effects on a person. Do you see my point now?” Honoka leaned on her desk, arms folded, as she gave her speech to the student.
“I’m...I’m sorry, teacher. I just wanted them to leave me alone; I let my anger get the better of me. I didn’t mean to sound like that. I didn’t mean…to ignore your teachings.” Shizuka replied as he held his head down in shame.
Honoka walked over to her student and gently embraced him. She knew how Shizuka must have felt and only wanted to make sure wasn’t led astray by anger. “I know you didn’t. I told I understood that you only did it in self-defense, but I just don’t want your emotions to lead you down the wrong path. “
“Alright Shizu-kun, I’ve said enough for one day. You may now enjoy the rest of your day!” Honoka said in a cheerful tone.
“Thank you teacher, I will.” Shizuka replied softly.
As the boy made his way to the door, his teacher stopped him in order to express one last statement. “Remember Shizu-kun, magic should always be used to better the lives of others and help those in need.”
“I will Ms. Honoka, thank you. See you next week!” Shizuka said as he waved goodbye, walking out the door.
Soon after making his way out of school Shizuka wondered what he should do for the rest of the day. That’s when he remembered he promised to meet with Yui and tell her about what he learned in class today.
However, after walking around for only a few moments young Shizuka noticed quite a disturbing sight…
“Those…those buildings off in the distance, they’ve been set ablaze!” Shizuka said in surprise.
The boy also noticed many people starting to panic, running to their homes and out of the village. He began hearing people screaming for help and out of terror.
“Bandits! We’re being attacked by bandits!” One man shouted out while in a panic.
Just as he uttered out those words, a throwing knife had impaled him through the throat. He choked on his own blood for a moment before falling to the ground, where he laid silently with stillness.
At this point, Shizuka was running as fast as he could to Yui’s school. He didn’t even bother to see where the knife came from, as he had a pretty good idea of who threw it. “I’ve gotta find her! I made a promise to her and she helped me out of a jam once before.” The young student thought to himself.
Nearing her school, Shizuka quickly found a hiding spot behind a corner. He noticed a group of assailants had already arrived at the school. From the look of it they were rounding up attending students and teachers as prisoners. Most of the teachers captured were mamono; Shizuka overheard a couple of bandits conversing about something.
“Is that all of them? I think we got all the monster sluts but a few brats may have scurried away.” One brigand said.
“If a few of them get away it’s no big deal. Combined with the prisoners we got from the rest of the village, this should be more than enough to suffice.” Said the other bandit’s cohort.
Shizuka noticed the ran-sackers were wielding strange weapons while he searched for any sign of Yui. After a bit of looking, he couldn’t spot her out of the captured folk. “Maybe she got away?” Shizuka thought to himself. The student took one look at the bandits and immediately knew there was nothing he could do. The very thought tore him up inside as he trekked away from the scene, his heart pounding heavily.
“She may have made it to the foster home. Mother Tomoe should know what to do!” The foster home was the only other place Shizuka could think to look for her. Perhaps she along with Ms. Honoka rounded up the children who got away and took them to the home for a safe haven.
Lost in his thoughts, the young boy was caught by a falling beam from a destroyed house. Unable to move, the boy struggled to free himself from the debris. He was hesitant to call for help, as he was afraid he’d attract the wrong crowd. The boy’s options were very limited, as he had nothing he could use to conjure a spell with either. As the reality of his situation began to set in, he heard a familiar voice calling out to him.
“Shizuka?! Shizuka, where are you?!” Honoka yelled as she searched frantically for her student.
“Teacher?! I’m here! I’m trapped under this rubble, I need help!” Shizuka yelled out to his instructor.
“Oh God, Shizuka! Be still for a moment!” Honoka said as she began building up energy in her palm. Promptly after, she blasted the debris off of the boy, thereby freeing him from the rubble. She then grabbed the boy’s hand as they ran toward the foster home.
“Teacher, I have to find Yui! I think she managed to get away but I don’t know where she is!’ Shizuka said as they were running.
“It’s alright Shizuka, we were able to get her and a bunch of other kids to the shelter. Hurry, we have to get there quickly before we’re found!” Honoka said as she grasped her pupil’s hand tightly.
Eventually, after running about, the two had made their way to the foster home. However, what they stumbled upon was a horrific sight. The entire home was set ablaze, and on the ground laid a beaten and battered Tomoe.
“No…Oh God no…” Tears began to roll down Honoka’s eyes as she ran toward her injured sister.
“Tomoe, Tomoe please wake up! What happened?! Are the children OK?” Honoka asked her sister, whose eyes slowly opened.
Tomoe’s eyes were stoic and dim, as if all the life had drained from them. With a somber expression, she began to speak. “H..Hono… Th..The children were…inside. Oh Dear God, they were just infants. They were so young, so…innocent… Why couldn’t they have simply taken my life?” Little droplets of tears formed in Tomoe’s eyes as she retold the tragedy that had just took place.
Shizuka’s eyes widen at Mother Tomoe’s words. He refused to believe it at first, how could he? Everyone he knew and called family was burned alive in the foster home. Ichi, Jinn, and even Yui were all dead, just like that? The thought made Shizuka sick inside; he began to sniffle. “But, what about the promise I made to her? I promised we’d hang out and talk about my class. She helped me and I…I could do nothing…” The boy tried to grasp the situation in his mind as best he could.
“No…that can…be. This can’t be happening. Our village was so peaceful; we’ve…we’ve done nothing wrong! Even the children…weren’t spared… Were there no Order patrols in the area? No local police forces or milita?! Why?!” Tears flowed from Honoka’s eyes as she held her heart-broken sister. Many of the villagers have either been slain or taken as prisoners. Their once peaceful village had now been set ablaze by wayward brigands.
Their mourning was cut short, as two other bandits had been near the scene. One of them had knocked Honoka to the ground with a slash from his blade. A strange mark appeared on her wound as she let out a cry of pain.
“Well, well, it seems we missed a few stragglers, eh?” Said the brigand who slashed Honoka.
“Indeed we did. We didn’t have enough room for the bunch of brats in that orphanage, but I think we can accommodate just three more.” Another bandit said as he grabbed Shizuka by his collar.
Still in pain, Honoka mustered up the strength to speak. “What…are you all doing here? This is nothing more than a poor farming village, there’s nothing for you to gain from attacking it. Why are you doing this?”
The answer Honoka received was a kick to the gut, which caused her to cough up a little blood.
“Sorry fox-slut, but I’m afraid we don’t answer to you. We could give a shit less about this worthless village. Just know that you’re new home is going to be at our stronghold, for a while at least.” Said the bandit with the peculiar blade.
“Stop hurting them, let us go you bastards!” Shizuka yelled as he trashed about, trying to get free from his captor’s grasp. He ended up kicking the man in the face, much to the bandit’s irritation. The brigand punches Shizuka in the gut before throwing him to the ground. The force caused Shizuka to lose consciousness, as he lay motionless on the ground.
“Damn little wretch…” The bandit said as he rubbed he face
“Shizuka!!” Honoka yelled. “Leave him alone, you murderers!” Honoka held out her hand in an attempt to attack the men. However, she would find herself unable to conjure any type of spell. She had a perplexed and bewildered expression on her face at the realization.
“Aww, poor little bitch. Must be trying for a spell, huh? Sorry, but I’m afraid that thanks to these little weapons your magic is useless.” The brigand said as he walked over to the Inari. He then proceeded to kick her in the face, causing her to bleed further and knocking her out.
“Alright, Kou our job’s done here. Let’s head back to the stronghold; we gotta make sure all the prisoners are accounted for when our employers arrive.” Said the bandit with the blade, as he hoisted both Inari over his shoulders.
“Yeah, I gotcha. I’ll grab the brat.” Said the other one as he carried Shizuka’s limp body.
The two brigands made their way to the viilage’s front gate, toting Shizuka, Honoka, and Tomoe with them. At the foot of the village’s entrance their cohorts stood along with the rest of the prisoners, all of them terrified for whatever fate awaited them.
A bandit who had the look of a leader stepped in front of the rest as he began to speak. “Alright boys, nice work. I’d say we rounded up our fair share of cargo. Our bosses will be quite pleased. You even made sure to kill off any potential witnesses!”
“As for all of you!” He said as he turned to the captured villagers. “From this day forward, consider yourselves our property. Your humble days of living in your piss-poor village are over. You’ll belong to us until we trade you to our employers for a nice little penny. So, if you all wanna stay alive as long as possible, I suggest you shut the hell up and fall in line! Alright fellas, move out!”
At his command the brigand squadron along with their prisoners began the long march back to their stronghold, Shizuka along with his caretakers still passed out.
Just like that the village of Midori was no more, nothing more than a miserable pile of ashes. The schools, vendors, and homes were all torn to the ground in a single night. The only place Shizuka ever called home was destroyed by wayward assailants out on assignment. For the time being, his new home would be with a pack of murderous bandits who possessed ruthlessness in place of mercy or compassion.
Spoiler: show
It had been two days since the bandit caravan set out for the stronghold. They had been heading west of the ruined village once known as Midori. The trip had been very rough for the prisoners especially. There was little food to go around, and the little they did get tasted stale and terrible. The captured villagers were tired and their spirits were very weak. Some tried to escape during the night, to little effect; they were hunted down and brought back to camp within little time. There was even one instance where a person tried to commit suicide, refusing to accept the current circumstances as their new life.
The living conditions were terrible and there was barely enough food and water to go around. The peddlers did put some effort into keeping the slaves alive, however, as they were the merchandise for whomever their client was. The slaves were given dry soap in order to clean themselves and medicine in order to prevent sickness.
The rough travel took its toll on the former student as well. Due to the poor traveling and feeding arrangements Shizuka was beginning to suffer from malnutrition and deliriousness, much to the dismay of Honoka. Shizuka would often mutter Yui’s name and speak of the promise he made her. Sometimes she would appear in his dreams, still smiling and laughing cheerfully. The young boy was slowly starting to lose touch with reality.
Tomoe was also suffering; she was still in shock after the foster home incident and she refused to eat. The screams of her foster children burning were still fresh in her mind, eating away at her each passing day. At times the traders had to forcibly shove food down her throat.
In essence, Honoka was taking care of both her pupil and older sister.
Some of the villagers also tried to help one another out as much as possible. It was hardest for the children and the elderly, their frailty made the journey that much harder. Some even assisted Honoka, as they appreciated all the work she and her sister had done for Midori, especially regarding the children. The bandits often chuckled at the prisoner’s attempts to comfort each other.
“Aww, ain’t that cute. Go right on ahead and baby each other, it’ll make our jobs that much easier.” Said one brigand.
--
After about another day, the caravan was taken to the entrance of a large ruined temple. It was this hollowed out structure that marked the bandits’ stronghold. Fear filled many of the prisoners’ faces, as they could only imagine what this could mean for their fate. Who would they be sold to, and what did their buyers have in store for them?
As they entered the stronghold, the leader motioned for the caravan to move the prisoners to the side amongst some rubble. He then stepped forward to address his force.
“Alright lads, seems like we made good time gettin’ here. Our buyers should be in town by now, so look alive and this time, at least act like you’re not mentally challenged!” The leader then points to one of the brigands. “You there, make sure to keep a close eyes on these little shits! See to it that none try to escape out into the wilderness; I won’t have any of the merchandise gettin’ loose, our clients was very specific about the amount of people they wanted. “
“Roger that, boss” The brigand said with a lazy salute.
“As for the rest of ya – guard the outside. You see any strange, let me know in a hurry; our freedom in this area should be assured if those bastards kept their end of the deal, but we can’t be takin’ any chances this close to payoff. Understood idiots?!” As his force gestured in agreement, the leader then made his way to a small entrance a little way to the side.
After a few minutes, some guards began to make their way to different points around the perimeter of the hideout. Some grumble and moan as they walked, wanting to rest rather than keep watch.
A brigand walks up the one keeping watch over the prisoners. “Hey, sure we can count on you to keep watch over these miserable sacks? We can take turns keeping watch if you want.” He noticed the expression on his cohort’s face didn’t exactly scream alertness.
“Uh, no that’s fine. I got this; you guys just keep watch out there. You know how paranoid the boss is, especially with all that’s been going on lately…” The said one keeping watch with a tired but cautious voice.
“Yeah, I guess anyone would be. Bandit gangs and entire mercenaries getting’ taken down left and right in certain areas. Even our methods are startin’ not to work anymore; I’m surprised we made it this far without issue, it’s sorta getting to me…” Said the brigand nervously. “I’m glad we found that village before that militia force was spotted in this area.”
“Look, don’t fret over that now, just make sure nothing goes wrong. Once all this is over, we won’t have to live like this anymore. We’ll be set brother.” The guard places a reassuring hand on his comrade’s back. With a nod, his comrade left for his post. After a large yawn, the guard perches atop a mound of rubble where he thinks it’d be best to keep watch.
Honoka, who was listening to the conversation, wakes Shizuka who was sleeping during this time. “Shizuka, please wake up!” She made sure to keep her voice as low as possible, so as to not alert the other bandits.
“Nngh…huh?” Shizuka was finally awoken after a few shakes. “Ms. Honoka? What’s going on; have we been sold yet?” Said the boy; his voice indicated fatigue and dizziness. Although he did recover somewhat since the trip to the stronghold.
Shizuka’s teacher leans in close, putting her hands on the boy’s shoulders. “Listen to me very carefully Shizu-chan. I was listening to a conversation between two bandits, and based on it I think you may have a chance.”
“A chance at…what?” Said the boy, growing concerned at his mentor’s words
“A chance at escaping. Based on what those bandits were saying there’s a town nearby. If you manage to escape from this place, you should be able to make your way to the nearby town and get help. Just follow the direction the leader went in, it looked like he was heading west.”
“But…I…can’t just leave you here! I want to stay by yours and Mother Tomoe’s side…” Of course the boy was hesitant to go along with the plan.
“Shizu-chan, I understand how you feel. But right now, it’s important that you get out of here and get help. If anyone can do this, you can. Most...most of the other village children were slain in the attack. It seems that only a third of Midori’s population was taken as prisoner. Goddess only knows what fate awaits the rest of us. Shizuka, if there is any chance that you can get out of this, I’m going to make you take it. I believe in you. You can get help. So please, do this one thing for me? I’ll distract the guard so that you can escape.
With his eyes tearing up and head full of doubt Shizuka, nodding, accepts what he hopes won’t be his teacher’s last request. Letting go of his shoulders, Honoka approaches the guard as she prepares to create an distraction to aid in her student’s escape.
“Brigand.” Said the green-haired Inari. “My sister’s health is deteriorating, she isn’t getting enough nutrients. Don’t you have any spare rations to give her?”
With an indignant snort, the bandit turns to fox girl. “We’ve given you all enough food to get by. It’s not our fault if your sibling bitch won’t eat enough to stay healthy.”
Honoka winced at the brigand’s statement, but she wouldn’t back down. At the same time, Shizuka began making his way toward a small crevice through which to make his escape.
“I doubt your customers would be pleased if we were of poor condition. If they’re dissatisfied with the merchandise, you will be the ones who have to answer for it!”
Shizuka had just made it to the opening and was about to make his escape, however, at this point the bandit’s anger had peaked. This was shown when he brusquely grabbed Honoka.
“We don’t need you telling us how to do our job you slut! You’re only lucky that our caravan was asked to keep you alive. You should be thankful that we bothered to feed you at all! Like I said, if your sister is too stupid to eat it’s not my problem.” After that the brigand throws her to the ground; she lets out a cry of pain as she hits the dirt.
Shizuka witnesses this and is hesitant to make his escape. For a brief moment, Honoka notices her student and glares at him. The young boy, though still wanting to stay with his caretakers, understands that he must honor the wish of his mentor and finally makes his escape. Honoka’s face is filled with relief for a moment, seeing that her planned worked. All she can do now is hope for the best.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On a winding path across the grassy plains, a small squadron of fighters could be seen walking. They had just completed a mission involving defectors of the Imperial government. They decided to take this path to stop in a nearby town to rest and talk business with the locals.
Leading them were two individuals. One was a man who had the look of an Order sect member. He wore traditional western armor and had a dignified appearance. He had short, dirty blond hair and a small thin beard outlining his chin and lower jaws. He had the look of one who was in his late twenties, but still carried an air of maturity and confidence. His green eyes were full of calmness and surety.
The other man was a native to the region. Standing over 6 feet, he towered over most of the members in his troop. Unlike his co-captain, he wore no armor to be seen. Instead he wore traditional eastern robes and carried a katana of decent length – fastened to his side by a sash with an elegant design. He had long, jet-black that was kept in a loose ponytail and had the look of one who was in his early mid thirties. His eyes were dark brown, and if one were to gaze into them, they would see quite a heft of experience and knowledge.
The squad was mainly comprised of Order soldiers and local militia. Though somewhat of a ragtag bunch, their record has been thus far stellar, mostly due in part to the peerless leadership and skill of the native eastern co-captain. One of the soldiers decides to break the silence.
“How much longer till we reach the town?” Said the young warrior. “I’m beat, and we haven’t even stopped to rest after we finished our last assignment.”
“Soon. We haven’t farther to go. Now stop your complaining and be glad you’re getting paid for this!” Snapped the Orderite co-captain. He then turns to his fellow leader, who has been silent since their trek began.
“Seijin, these new recruits are starting to get on my nerves. I know working with the locals is a way for our sides to gain an understanding and trust of one another, but I just don’t know about these rookies. Seems all they know how to do is whine.”
The eastern man didn’t face his co-leader while responding to his statement. “If you are so bothered by their lack of morale, instill them with more. It is the duty of a leader to help his subordinates grow and rally them. Also, I’d advise you to keep your complaining down to a minimum. A group’s values are a reflection of their leader’s values.”
As they spoke, a small town could be seen in the distance. Meanwhile, Shizuka was running through the forest on the outskirts of the same village.
The living conditions were terrible and there was barely enough food and water to go around. The peddlers did put some effort into keeping the slaves alive, however, as they were the merchandise for whomever their client was. The slaves were given dry soap in order to clean themselves and medicine in order to prevent sickness.
The rough travel took its toll on the former student as well. Due to the poor traveling and feeding arrangements Shizuka was beginning to suffer from malnutrition and deliriousness, much to the dismay of Honoka. Shizuka would often mutter Yui’s name and speak of the promise he made her. Sometimes she would appear in his dreams, still smiling and laughing cheerfully. The young boy was slowly starting to lose touch with reality.
Tomoe was also suffering; she was still in shock after the foster home incident and she refused to eat. The screams of her foster children burning were still fresh in her mind, eating away at her each passing day. At times the traders had to forcibly shove food down her throat.
In essence, Honoka was taking care of both her pupil and older sister.
Some of the villagers also tried to help one another out as much as possible. It was hardest for the children and the elderly, their frailty made the journey that much harder. Some even assisted Honoka, as they appreciated all the work she and her sister had done for Midori, especially regarding the children. The bandits often chuckled at the prisoner’s attempts to comfort each other.
“Aww, ain’t that cute. Go right on ahead and baby each other, it’ll make our jobs that much easier.” Said one brigand.
--
After about another day, the caravan was taken to the entrance of a large ruined temple. It was this hollowed out structure that marked the bandits’ stronghold. Fear filled many of the prisoners’ faces, as they could only imagine what this could mean for their fate. Who would they be sold to, and what did their buyers have in store for them?
As they entered the stronghold, the leader motioned for the caravan to move the prisoners to the side amongst some rubble. He then stepped forward to address his force.
“Alright lads, seems like we made good time gettin’ here. Our buyers should be in town by now, so look alive and this time, at least act like you’re not mentally challenged!” The leader then points to one of the brigands. “You there, make sure to keep a close eyes on these little shits! See to it that none try to escape out into the wilderness; I won’t have any of the merchandise gettin’ loose, our clients was very specific about the amount of people they wanted. “
“Roger that, boss” The brigand said with a lazy salute.
“As for the rest of ya – guard the outside. You see any strange, let me know in a hurry; our freedom in this area should be assured if those bastards kept their end of the deal, but we can’t be takin’ any chances this close to payoff. Understood idiots?!” As his force gestured in agreement, the leader then made his way to a small entrance a little way to the side.
After a few minutes, some guards began to make their way to different points around the perimeter of the hideout. Some grumble and moan as they walked, wanting to rest rather than keep watch.
A brigand walks up the one keeping watch over the prisoners. “Hey, sure we can count on you to keep watch over these miserable sacks? We can take turns keeping watch if you want.” He noticed the expression on his cohort’s face didn’t exactly scream alertness.
“Uh, no that’s fine. I got this; you guys just keep watch out there. You know how paranoid the boss is, especially with all that’s been going on lately…” The said one keeping watch with a tired but cautious voice.
“Yeah, I guess anyone would be. Bandit gangs and entire mercenaries getting’ taken down left and right in certain areas. Even our methods are startin’ not to work anymore; I’m surprised we made it this far without issue, it’s sorta getting to me…” Said the brigand nervously. “I’m glad we found that village before that militia force was spotted in this area.”
“Look, don’t fret over that now, just make sure nothing goes wrong. Once all this is over, we won’t have to live like this anymore. We’ll be set brother.” The guard places a reassuring hand on his comrade’s back. With a nod, his comrade left for his post. After a large yawn, the guard perches atop a mound of rubble where he thinks it’d be best to keep watch.
Honoka, who was listening to the conversation, wakes Shizuka who was sleeping during this time. “Shizuka, please wake up!” She made sure to keep her voice as low as possible, so as to not alert the other bandits.
“Nngh…huh?” Shizuka was finally awoken after a few shakes. “Ms. Honoka? What’s going on; have we been sold yet?” Said the boy; his voice indicated fatigue and dizziness. Although he did recover somewhat since the trip to the stronghold.
Shizuka’s teacher leans in close, putting her hands on the boy’s shoulders. “Listen to me very carefully Shizu-chan. I was listening to a conversation between two bandits, and based on it I think you may have a chance.”
“A chance at…what?” Said the boy, growing concerned at his mentor’s words
“A chance at escaping. Based on what those bandits were saying there’s a town nearby. If you manage to escape from this place, you should be able to make your way to the nearby town and get help. Just follow the direction the leader went in, it looked like he was heading west.”
“But…I…can’t just leave you here! I want to stay by yours and Mother Tomoe’s side…” Of course the boy was hesitant to go along with the plan.
“Shizu-chan, I understand how you feel. But right now, it’s important that you get out of here and get help. If anyone can do this, you can. Most...most of the other village children were slain in the attack. It seems that only a third of Midori’s population was taken as prisoner. Goddess only knows what fate awaits the rest of us. Shizuka, if there is any chance that you can get out of this, I’m going to make you take it. I believe in you. You can get help. So please, do this one thing for me? I’ll distract the guard so that you can escape.
With his eyes tearing up and head full of doubt Shizuka, nodding, accepts what he hopes won’t be his teacher’s last request. Letting go of his shoulders, Honoka approaches the guard as she prepares to create an distraction to aid in her student’s escape.
“Brigand.” Said the green-haired Inari. “My sister’s health is deteriorating, she isn’t getting enough nutrients. Don’t you have any spare rations to give her?”
With an indignant snort, the bandit turns to fox girl. “We’ve given you all enough food to get by. It’s not our fault if your sibling bitch won’t eat enough to stay healthy.”
Honoka winced at the brigand’s statement, but she wouldn’t back down. At the same time, Shizuka began making his way toward a small crevice through which to make his escape.
“I doubt your customers would be pleased if we were of poor condition. If they’re dissatisfied with the merchandise, you will be the ones who have to answer for it!”
Shizuka had just made it to the opening and was about to make his escape, however, at this point the bandit’s anger had peaked. This was shown when he brusquely grabbed Honoka.
“We don’t need you telling us how to do our job you slut! You’re only lucky that our caravan was asked to keep you alive. You should be thankful that we bothered to feed you at all! Like I said, if your sister is too stupid to eat it’s not my problem.” After that the brigand throws her to the ground; she lets out a cry of pain as she hits the dirt.
Shizuka witnesses this and is hesitant to make his escape. For a brief moment, Honoka notices her student and glares at him. The young boy, though still wanting to stay with his caretakers, understands that he must honor the wish of his mentor and finally makes his escape. Honoka’s face is filled with relief for a moment, seeing that her planned worked. All she can do now is hope for the best.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On a winding path across the grassy plains, a small squadron of fighters could be seen walking. They had just completed a mission involving defectors of the Imperial government. They decided to take this path to stop in a nearby town to rest and talk business with the locals.
Leading them were two individuals. One was a man who had the look of an Order sect member. He wore traditional western armor and had a dignified appearance. He had short, dirty blond hair and a small thin beard outlining his chin and lower jaws. He had the look of one who was in his late twenties, but still carried an air of maturity and confidence. His green eyes were full of calmness and surety.
The other man was a native to the region. Standing over 6 feet, he towered over most of the members in his troop. Unlike his co-captain, he wore no armor to be seen. Instead he wore traditional eastern robes and carried a katana of decent length – fastened to his side by a sash with an elegant design. He had long, jet-black that was kept in a loose ponytail and had the look of one who was in his early mid thirties. His eyes were dark brown, and if one were to gaze into them, they would see quite a heft of experience and knowledge.
The squad was mainly comprised of Order soldiers and local militia. Though somewhat of a ragtag bunch, their record has been thus far stellar, mostly due in part to the peerless leadership and skill of the native eastern co-captain. One of the soldiers decides to break the silence.
“How much longer till we reach the town?” Said the young warrior. “I’m beat, and we haven’t even stopped to rest after we finished our last assignment.”
“Soon. We haven’t farther to go. Now stop your complaining and be glad you’re getting paid for this!” Snapped the Orderite co-captain. He then turns to his fellow leader, who has been silent since their trek began.
“Seijin, these new recruits are starting to get on my nerves. I know working with the locals is a way for our sides to gain an understanding and trust of one another, but I just don’t know about these rookies. Seems all they know how to do is whine.”
The eastern man didn’t face his co-leader while responding to his statement. “If you are so bothered by their lack of morale, instill them with more. It is the duty of a leader to help his subordinates grow and rally them. Also, I’d advise you to keep your complaining down to a minimum. A group’s values are a reflection of their leader’s values.”
As they spoke, a small town could be seen in the distance. Meanwhile, Shizuka was running through the forest on the outskirts of the same village.
