I walked into the old wooden building tucked away between two bigger buildings. The sliding door into the establishment was already open, and the smell of ash, iron, and old wood hit me in the face. It was one of my favorite smells. The workshop was dimly lit by a single oil lamp and the embers of a forge pit. Racks of tongs and other craftsman tools lined the walls.
The room looked to be disorganized with clothes, piles of charcoal, and strips of tatami lying scattered. I walked past Master Hideo Tanaka's anvil, his hammer lying on top of it. The workshop was familiar and I frequently visited with my father as a kid. The walls and floor showed so much character and history of blades being crafted. I walked around looking at the different blades sitting in a pile, their hilts wrapped to perfection.
"Master Tanaka!" I yelled out, but he did not answer. It was strange he was always here. I walked through the shop and back into Master Tanaka's living area. The living area was dark, but quickly my eyes adjusted. I'd sat here many times just to have a meal and chat with Master Tanaka. It was neat and tidy as if it were barely lived in. Master Tanaka was always working on new swords. He had a unique and innate ability very few were blessed with. He was able to craft swords on an elemental level. Swords of Wind, Fire, Ice, etc… The list went on. The unique swords did not spew out one of these elements but the elements helped the swords user in battle.
The elemental swords enhanced the users innate abilities:
Fire is the element of Increased strength and impact of hits. The user relies on their brutal strength to wear down their opponent.
Wind is the element of precision and control. The user relies on controlling the battlefield and attacking with cut throat precision.
Ice is the element of cool and calm. The user relies on stillness, patience, and calculation.
Earth is the element of immovability, and defense. The user relies on their defense to stay rooted and make an impenetrable defense.
Water is the element of unpredictability, and rhythm disruption. The user relies on using their flow to trick their opponent in battle and disrupting their rhythm.
Lightning is the element of instinct and reaction. The users of lightning rely on reflex over thought while also striking before seen.
Light is the element of awareness and perception. The users of light rely on their heightened awareness, clarity, and insight on the battle.
And lastly Shadow the element of Deception and unreadability. The users of shadow rely on their increased stealth, silent movement, and misdirection during battle.
Each one of these abilities comes with a cost however. For example if your blade was of the element fire you'd have increased strength in battle but at the cost of your stamina draining faster than someone else's. Maybe your blade was of the Earth element. This risks your mobility in battles as it is very limited.
My father Hayato Kazahara, The Heavenly Current, was one of the best swordsmans on Japan and the direct guard to Shōgun Lord Akihiro Kamatari, commander of Japan's military. As a kid I looked up to my father as he was one of the world's greatest swordsmen. At a young age he acquired his blade, Tenshō-maru.
The elemental blades were alive. They chose their partners they wanted to battle with and after their partner passed away their blades passed away with them no longer able to achieve their elemental powers and thus rendered useless. Usually upon a great elemental samurai death their blade was buried with them.
It was said that Tenshō-maru recognized my father as one and the same. My father as a child was never quick to anything, even speaking his first words or walking for the first time. He often went with the flow but was naturally gifted with a sword. The traveling swordmaster and smith Master Hideo Tanaka was much younger and traveling through my fathers home on the outskirts of the wind plains. Master Tanaka was able to recognize his talents and his alignment for wind almost instantly and convinced my fathers parents to let him accompany him back to the city of Hiyoshimura. There the two trained and at the age of 16 one of the rarest blade Master Tanaka ever crafted, Tenshō-maru chose my father.
Hayato Kazehara and Tenshō-maru were truly incredible. It was said that my father was able to best 10 to 20 regular men on his own and no other Elemental Samurai was able to best him in one on one combat. It wasn't until the year 1268 CE when I was seven years old my father was assassinated. Unable to even grab Tenshō-maru he had been brutally stabbed by an unknown assassin using the elemental power of Shadows. The year was now 1278 CE ten years after my fathers death. The world and those who wanted power knew they couldn't seize it and take over control of Japan without first taking out my father and Shōgun Lord Akihiro Kamatari. So instead of besting my father in one on one combat they decided to kill him where he slept and Tenshō-maru was never to be seen afterwards.
Walking through Master Tanaka's living area made me reminisce. My father always wanted me to be a swordsman no matter what element chose me. He raised me with structure but still cared and showed me the utmost love. He used to always take me with him to Master Tanaka's house. He would wake me early in the morning, shaking me gently, stating with a smile, "It's time to go see an old friend."
I look back on the memories we shared and feel nothing but anger when I do. My father didn't deserve to be killed by some coward. The day my father died was the day I promised I would avenge his death and find the person responsible for taking his life no matter the cost. The only problem was I was 17 years old and so far I had no luck in any sword choosing me.
The process of a sword choosing its partner was pretty simple. A sword was dormant and dull while partnerless. It had no unique colors or markings. Once the new owner or partner touched the blade if it had chosen you its unique markings and vibrant colors would come to life. My fathers sword was marked with green and black accents along its cold steel. I could only imagine how it felt when he watched the green and black colors grow on the blade as he gently pressed his hand against it. So far after touching each of Master Tanaka's blades he had made I was unable to have any luck. I thought maybe it would be a good idea to travel and try my chances with other swordsmiths but even doing so gave me no luck whatsoever.
That didn't matter to me though. I still trained with Master Tanaka. I rigorously trained hoping one day I would find my blade. I still needed to be proficient with a sword.
As I sat down in the dimly lit living area thinking back to my father I heard a Master Tanaka yelling out, "Rei! Are you here?"
I quickly stood up and walked out to the smithing area of Master Tanaka's home.
I bowed towards Master Tanaka and said, "Good morning sir." He was not wearing his normal short sleeve black linen robe with his apron over his robe. He was in a navy blue kosode and it seemed as if he put effort into making sure it was put together. He wore a black Haori over his Kosode. The smell of smoke and steel was gone and his hair was neatly tied back. He wore newly woven Waraji sandals.
He walked past me smacking me in the back of the head, "Stop being so formal. You are like my own kid," he said, coughing. His back hunched due to bending over while making swords.
He set down a large bag full of swords he was carrying on his shoulder.
"What are those for?" I asked.
He finished coughing before speaking, "They are some of the possible swords for the Emperor's children."
Inside I was full of hatred. The same emperor who orchestrated the murder of my father is now ordering Master Tanaka to bring swords to him.
"I guess you have to do what the emperor orders right?" I said.
Almost as if Master Tanaka didn't hear what I said he completely ignored my comment and said, "Look through those swords. See if they choose you, Rei. They are all new blades and four of them are Wind elements. The others are a mixture of fire, water, and earth; you can always test those as well, not just the Wind."
"Is it even worth it to test the others?" I asked.
He replied, "It is always worth it in my opinion. Just because you bleed the blood of Wind it doesn't mean only a Wind blade can choose you. You never know. You might not walk the path of your father."
I grabbed each blade softly rubbing my fingers across them feeling the cold steel and the possibilities they held for me. None of them chose me. I looked and felt absolutely frustrated.
Without looking at Master Tanaka I said disappointed, "One will never choose me."
Master Tanaka walked angrily towards me. He smacked me in the back of the head once again and said, "No swords are going to want you with that attitude. Would you choose yourself with that attitude?"
I stayed silent. It was hard to let go of my anger.
I brushed off my attitude and asked, "Can we train today?"
Chuckling Master Tanaka said, "After you do some chores around this place."
I didn't live with Master Tanaka but I frequently stayed there. I slept at Master Tanaka's home more than my own most times. I went into the storage closet inside of Master Tanaka's shop and noticed something I hadn't ever seen before. A blade was partially covered with a tattered cloth. The part revealed was the hilt and a little bit of the blade. All I was able to see was an eye etched into the steel of the blade close to the hilt. It looked as if the eye was crying, mourning something. It looked like the strangest thing Master Tanaka ever crafted and the fact it was hidden intrigued me. I approached it and a feeling of intensity overwhelmed me. It felt as if the blade was calling to me.
I stared into the eye and it stared back at me. The sword was feeling anguish and anger just as I did. The same anger I did. I knelt down and uncovered the cold blade brushing my fingers across its steel. The regular dull silver blade looked devoid of all color as if it lost it with its pain. As my fingers gently touched the blade its colors slowly began to change. Hues of black and purple swirled together, the eye becoming completely black with the tear bleeding into the blade becoming purple. The hilts' tight diamond pattern became completely black with the ray skin beneath becoming purple. I picked up the blade and felt an instant connection but not of joy. I felt its pain and sorrow. I felt its loss. The same loss I had felt.
Master Tanaka, now dressed in his usual dirty attire and apron, walked in the closet behind me.
He said softly, "So it seems the blade has chosen you."
I hadn't paid any attention to Master Tanaka yet. I felt as if I were one with the blade. I turned around gripping the hilt tightly.
Master Tanaka was very calm when he stated, "Your fathers blade weeps for him just as you. This is something I haven't seen in my entire lifetime: a blade not dying with its owner but instead transforming in anguish. It seems Tenshō-maru has chosen you as its Master.