CHAPTER 7
6 Years Ago
Today you will go on a field mission to test how effectively you've used the five years of training you've received. You trained for this for five years, and we expect you to complete the mission successfully. Don't forget our rules: do not kill anyone taking a life is irreversible; do not soil your soul we are the ones who stand against the already-corrupted, we capture them so they face our justice. Killing has consequences you can't undo; the person you were before will never return, no matter how much you want it.
Ivan, James, and Kira you are our best students; therefore I will ask you to take on the hardest field mission. Today you will capture the man we've hunted for years, the one who endangers this region and causes people constant suffering. Remember, we have questions for him: incapacitate him and obey the rule do not kill.
"At your command," they said in unison, their faces grave.
They don black immediately and head toward the place deep in the town where the old, massive castle stands. They scan the surroundings with their eyes and move to positions where they can observe. The place is so cold it numbs.
"Hey James, you've always been the best student; what was it you kept saying to me? Will you really become that person? Will you actually stop following the rules? Why are you still in training, then?" Ivan asks.
"Listen, Ivan, I've seen people's true faces, okay? Whether they want to or not, they never change, don't you get it? This keeps happening. Yes, I'm still training because I can't go back to my city and take my revenge without the skills. And yes, you see my goal as revenge I know that but I want to eliminate the evil in my city at its root. I know you want the same for our city, but that's the difference between us: I'm willing to do what's necessary. Still, thank you for hiding my plans from the masters," James replies.
"We hid it because we trust you'll use your training for good, and we believe you won't harm the innocent. If we thought you'd hurt the powerless or the innocent, don't worry you wouldn't be here now," Kira says.
"Don't worry, I won't hurt the innocent, and I won't kill anyone no matter how much filth I know exists until my training is finished. I won't put your training at risk. Now let's observe," James says.
They note possible entry points. Just as they're about to split up, Ivan and Kira suddenly feel dizzy and stagger.
"Hey…" they start, and Ivan faints. Kira realizes James has drugged their water. While they were talking, he stealthily swapped their drinks with a quick sleight of hand.
"Hey James, what did you do?"
"Hey Kira, I don't want you harmed, and I need to kill that man because the pain he's caused for so long is something no one should suffer. Don't worry, you'll wake up in a while. For now, goodnight," James says.
James rises quickly and moves silently toward the tower. He slips through the shadows and begins following the route he mapped in his head. "First one, then the other," he murmurs as he silently clears the tower. The time has come to confront his target.
He meets the man in the castle's great hall; the man begins to speak.
"Look who came. These clothes. You're one of them, aren't you? But are you alone? See you taking out my men alone shows how good you are compared to others. I congratulate you, clap for you even, but you can't take me down so easily. And I know you can't land a lethal blow because of your rules, don't you understand? Because of your rules I can do as I please to so many people. I've got one more planned, but hey, you know—" Before the man can finish, James quickly throws a shuriken at his head. The man is surprised; though he didn't expect the attack, he blocks the shuriken with his sword.
"So you want to play like this. So you're not like the others this will be more fun. Come on, hahahaha."
Now everything depends on their sword fight. One will win, one will lose; or rather, one will leave this place alive.
James suddenly runs, leaps, and brings his sword down, but Yamigami raises his sword in a swift stroke and blocks the incoming attack. James pulls his sword back quickly and begins to strike with a flurry of fast blows. Yamigami effortlessly parries them all, then swings his blade in a quick strike; James barely blocks, and the blow grazes his shoulder.
They strike at the same time; their swords clash and lock.
James pushes, Yamigami pushes back. James steps to the side with a sudden move and pulls his sword free.
They exchange a few more blows; James has begun to read Yamigami's fighting style.
As Yamigami launches his second, heavier strike, James plans to exploit the opening he noticed in the first attack. That opening is the tiny moment when Yamigami shifts his weight to plant his foot harder the brief adjustment before the final, deadlier blow. But it happens in an instant. If James misses, Yamigami can finish him in a flash. So he has only one chance.
At that single moment, as Yamigami begins to shift his balance, James uses all his speed to strike the opening. Yamigami staggers and falls onto one knee, but he's not completely down. Seeing Yamigami dazed, James lunges forward and says, "Now your end has come," then in a swift motion slides his sword along Yamigami's throat. The blade passes through the nape. James, with two quick movements, severs Yamigami's head.
Although James achieved what he wanted, he broke the rule his clan had followed for centuries.