《Killing》 -1 Killing Prologue Prologue Japan, 1102 A.D. I watched the demon closely as I sat there curled up. I was in such pain, so much pain that I couldn''t stand it. It was unbearable, and I had never known such a pain. This felt so much more than the small twinges of pain my handmaidens had foretold to me with my marriage coming the next day. I sat there crying softly, waiting to see what he would do next. I had given myself to him, knowing that he would kill me and destroy my village just like he had destroyed so many others. He dressed himself and he looked...almost dissatisfied, irritated even. He glanced at me. "What is your name, girl?" He asked. I was almost startled. I couldn''t imagine why he would care. "I am Saya," I said softly. He paused a moment. "Call me ''Katana''," he told me. "Katana..." I whispered. He gave a tight nod. "It is Lord Katana to you," he said. Then his tongue began to steam, and I startled and moved slugishly to my feet as I watched him shout out, and a winged creature came from the distance. What was I to do, now that he had used me so? And I wasn''t even sure I wanted to marry the young war lord the next day, so... Where did that leave me? "Lord Katana!" I cried out as they flew away, and I fell to my knees. I watched as they faded into the night sky, and then I turned my attention to my battered body. I slumped forward, my hand covering my abdomen as I felt a burn in the pit of my belly. I had conceived, I just knew it. His seed had burned, and it was only natural that I would feel it root itself into place in my womb. I sobbed as I thought of it. Takeshi would be so angry... As the sun began to rise, I heard my hand maidens shouting my name, searching for me. When they found me, along with the guards, they were all startled to find me in my used state. They carried me to my chambers, my hand maidens dressing me in a new kimono and burning the old one out in the courtyard. "What are we to do?" I heard my father shout outside. "She has quite obviously lost her virtue, what are we to make of this? We were depending on the alliance that her marriage to Lord Takeshi would secure! Blast that girl!" "My lord, she was taken by force. If you saw her, you would see that she was certainly not a willing participant. Surely, we can ask her what happened and try to make her a hero?" He huffed. I heard the footsteps on the wood outside of my chambers, and he slid the door open. His eyes widened when he saw me. "Saya," he whispered, coming to kneel before me. "Is it true?" I gave a small, tight nod. "It is, father," my voice was hoarse. "Who was it? I will slaughter the man who would dare to lay a hand on my daughter!" I hesitated. "He was no man," I said. He startled. "It was the demon that we have heard so much about?" He asked. I nodded. "Why would he take you?" He asked. "He said that he liked that I was above the ''average humans''. I offered him riches in exchange for our lives, but...but he said that he was the prince of his people, and that he was much wealthier than we are. He then took me, and told me that if I didn''t fight him, he would spare us." "Then..." A hand maiden stood up. "Then you truly are a hero, and we are all in your debt!" She cried, flinging herself to bow low to the ground in front of me. "But what are we to do about Lord Takeshi?" My father asked. "Surely he is not a fool and will clearly be able to tell you have lost your purity," my father spat. "Surely he will be most displeased." "We will have to postpone the wedding," I said. "Tell him that I have injured myself during a horseback ride, that I need time to recover. Give him a month." My father hesitated, before giving a nod. "I will inform him." He patted my head lightly before he stood and made his way out of my chambers... Before I started crying all over again. * It was a month later that Lord Takeshi returned. He had been displeased when my father had told him I had been injured, but he had taken his leave and went back to his home. Now, he had returned and, ready or not, it was time to marry him. My maidens dressed me in the finest white wedding kimono, and put my hair into an elaborate hairstyle before they escorted me out to the courtyard. Everyone was watching, and as I looked upon my fiance, I couldn''t help but think of the dark, gray skinned demon with the sad, stricken blood-red gaze. Takeshi was a good looking man, absolutely. He stood tall, his stance proud and his brown eyes were hard but kind. After the ceremony, he took me to the carriage that was already packed with all of my things and we rode off to his territories. It was a long ride, and we didn''t really speak to one another. We finally reached his castle, and he escorted me to our chambers. "You are welcome to explore as you wish," he told me. He looked at me. "Are you still hurting from your injuries a few weeks ago?" I nodded. "Not badly, my lord, but a little bit." He gave a tight nod. "I will give you a few days to settle in and grow accustomed to me before we consummate our marriage. I want you to be comfortable." I smiled, giving a nod. "Thank you, my lord." He gave me another tight nod, before he was out of the room and three women came in. "We are your new handmaidens, miss, if it pleases you." I smiled at them. "It is nice to meet you." "So," one said as she came over to help me undress. "Are the rumors true?" She asked. "Rumors?" I asked. Another girl nodded. "That you lay with a demon!" She whispered. I startled. How had the information gotten out here? I had thought that it had been kept strictly confidential! "It must be!" The third girl said softly. "Look at her face," she sneered. "No," I said. "I am just surprised that such a disgusting rumor would be floating around about me." "I don''t know if its just a rumor," the first girl said. "One of your former hand maidens confirmed the tale, saying that you were a hero because the demon raped you in exchange for the safety of your village." Fear ran its way up my spine. Another girl brought a brush up to my long hair, brushing out the tangles. The other sat with a nail file, filing my nails. "Does everyone here know about the rumor?" I asked darkly. "Oh yes," the youngest said. "Lord Takeshi said that he was sure that was why your father had insisted that you have time to recover, and that you didn''t really have a random horse riding accident!" "The only horse you were riding was a murdering, rampaging demon," the oldest said. Tears filled my eyes at their cruelty. "Why would Takeshi marry me if he believed that?" "Well," the middle girl asked. "When your father dies, Lord Takeshi will take your inheritence and your lands for his own, and your army will help to solidify our own. It is an alliance that both sides needed in order to further one another." Anger rushed through me, and my cheeks flushed. I was just a golden dragon to make some war lord richer and more powerful, it seemed. But, such was the life of a princess in feudal Japan. "Leave me," I told them. "Mistress-" "I am Lady Saya to you," I glared at them. "And you do not speak to me that way again or I will see to it that Lord Takeshi knows how thoroughly displeased you have made me." They bowed, leaving me alone. Tears ran down my face as I felt the flutters in my belly. I disrobed, and looked at myself in the mirror in the corner. I knew that my belly was growing, already bigger than I had once been as the baby grew inside of me. I would push for intimacy with Takeshi right away. If he didn''t believe this child was his, then we could both face horrid consequences. That night, when Takeshi came into the chambers we shared... I went to him, and I bowed low before I started to disrobe him. "This isn''t necessary," he told me. His eyes were hard, calculative. "You are my honored husband," I said softly. "I must perform my duties for you." "I know the truth, Saya." I startled, my eyes meeting his. "The truth...?" I asked. "I know that you were raped in order to exchange your safety and the safety of your village. I have very reliable sources inside of your old manor, and I have heard from a physician who confirmed how badly injured you were in the process. I know, also, that you are obviously with child from that demon because your abdomen is starting to take shape." Tears filled my eyes. "What....what are you going to do?" I asked. "I will not lay with you until you have had the child," he told me, taking my arms in his hands and backing me off to the side so that he could go to sit at his desk, getting out his brush and going to work on reports. "And....and the child?" I asked. "I will spare the child," he told me. "You are, afterall, the hero of your village. And your child is not at fault. Your child can be utilized for the good of my city if they can prove themselves." Angry relief rushed through me. He would spare my child, but my child would only be a tool for him and his city. But that was the best that I could hope for my child, conceived from a demon. 1 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 I looked upon my child. Takeshi came into the room, the physicians leaving the room. He came to kneel beside of me, looking at my son. "It was a boy, then?" He asked. I nodded. "Yes, a son." "What a strange coloring," he commented. "Did the demon have white hair?" He asked. "Yes," I said. "But the demon had dark gray skin, and a scarlet gaze. This child thankfully favors me more so than his father." He looked at me. "I will name the child," he told me. "Since I am allowing him to live, and I am allowing you to remain my wife and keep the child, I will name him." Hurt flashed in my mind as I looked at my son...but I gave a tight nod. "Name him," I said. "''Koroshi''", he told me. My son''s eyes opened, and he met my gaze with his bright teal gaze, before he glared at my husband. Takeshi laughed. "Oh yes, that suits you, or else you wouldn''t have responded to it." Koroshi... I supposed that was fitting. His father had been Katana, or sword. I was Saya, a word that meant sheath. It was only suiting that our child''s name would mean "Killing." Takeshi stood, and went to leave. He looked back over his shoulder at me. "I will give you time to rest." I nodded, and as he left, I lay down with my child lying beside of me, and I latched him onto my breast as he ate greedily from me. I drifted into a fitful sleep, thinking about what his future might hold. **Koroshi** "Get up, boy!" My step-father shouted at me. "You never let your sorry hide stay down when you are knocked down in battle. Get up." I shakily brought myself to my feet. I only came up to his chest, a child warrior that he trained as his personal body-guard. My step-father was a wealthy War Lord, and now that he had won many battles and started expanding his territories, he needed reliable body guards. This was my job to learn, I had to be there to protect him at all times because he had spared my life. I had been born only a year ago...the spawn of a dark, demented demonic creature that had raped my mother and forced me upon her. In exchange for her safety and her village''s safety, she had not fought him as he took her. Or so, she told me. The servants and warriors around the castle were not so kind in their description of my mother, but they showed respect to her anyway lest they invoke my step-father''s wrath. My step-father had originally been fearful of me, my rapid aging and my vast intelligence. But he only saw to use this to his advantage. I was already on the level of many of his lower class warriors, and I was but a child. Yes, I had been appropriately name "Koroshi," or "killing. He boasted that he was going to make me into a killer, his own personal assassin. That was the least that I could do to repay his kindness for allowing my mother and I to live. In most cases, my mother and I would have been murdered as soon as the truth had been discovered. But my step-father had seen this as an opportunity, a benefit for himself. There was nothing else to really say about it. I was fed, and clothed, at least. The guards were disapproving, and the members of the court refused to look upon me. I was a hanyou, a half-demon, and they couldn''t disgrace themselves by letting their eyes rest on me any longer than was absolutely necessary. I would never be a member of the court. I would never have a lush title. I would never inherit lands or wealth. But I would be allowed to live, live for the sole purpose of service. I was already hearing the guards talk about how my step-father wanted to breed me with his servants, making more fast-growing, smart warriors to serve him in battle. I didn''t want to be bred like a stallion with a bunch of brood mares. My mother was kind to me, looking at me with sad eyes but a brilliant smile on her beautiful face. She was the only reason that I had not run away yet. I wiped away the drops of blood on my chin from my busted lip, and my step-father huffed. "Go on to your mother, boy. We are finished for now. I cannot injure you too much or your body will not recover." He turned his back to me, and his guards followed him as he left the courtyard. I wiped the sweat from my brow before I ran off to meet my mother in the gardens. Such was our routine. It was one of the only places that I could spend time with my mother away from scolding eyes. She saw me as I approached, and she opened her arms wide for me as I lightly came to embrace her, being mindful of her pregnant belly. I would be receiving a baby brother soon, if the physicians were right. They told her that from the way she was carrying, she would have a son. My step-father was proud, boasting that it was his powerful seed that would allow his line to continue by producing a son on the first try. I knew that my siblings would be highly favored over me, and I tried not to let this hurt my feelings. It was enough that I could survive, and be around my mother. It had to be enough. "How was your training today?" My mother asked. "It is getting easier," I told her. She brought my chin up to where I was looking her in the eye, and I hated the sadness that I saw there. "You are such a strong, good boy," she said, smiling. I reached up and wiped her tears away. "Don''t cry, mother," I said. She smiled. "My sweet child," She said. She kissed my forehead. "Your conception may have not happened in such a pleasant way...but you''ve always been loved," she told me. "What was my father like?" I asked. "What was his name?" She sighed. "These questions again," she muttered softly, laughing. "Well, you never answer me," I pouted. She thought for a moment, finally giving a lighthearted sigh. "He had dark gray skin, and white hair. His eyes were the color of fresh-spilled blood and he was very tall and very muscular. He was arrogant, regal almost. He held himself with power. His energy was dark. He told me to call him ''Katana'', but I am unsure exactly what his real name is. I doubt that it was the name he gave me." "Do you hate him?" I asked. She smiled, looking to the sky. "In a way, for forcing me into something that I didn''t want. But then again, I don''t hate him. Because he gave me you, even if that wasn''t his intention." I nodded against her chest. "You have nothing to feel bad about, my son. None of this is your fault. Neither is it my own. All things work out the way that they are supposed to. You have to believe that." I smiled, nuzzling into her. "Well, you must get washed up and prepared for your meal before your evening training," she said, pulling away from me and wiping away her tears. "I must get busy with the members of the court. There are some lords and ladies coming today to discuss peace treaty terms with Lord Takeshi, and I must look presentable and be brushed up on the terms before they arrive." She turned, walking swiftly away from me, sniffles leaving her as she left me standing in the garden. I sighed, looking down at my filthy body, my raggedy clothing. I knew that my mother had a hard time looking at me, spending time with me. As much as she loved me, she felt guilty for the mistreatment. She knew that I was given the minimum food, the most ragged of clothing, and I had to sleep outside in a shed in the courtyard like I was an animal, with the door locked. But at least I had food. At least I had somewhere to sleep, clothing on my back. My mother looking at me with her heart broken eyes, knowing that I had the least that I could survive with. I knew that her heart broke for me. * A few months came and went, and I heard my mother one night crying as she labored to deliver my sibling. My step-father held a hearty feast in preparation for the baby''s arrival and I had a single serving of rice and one small, thin fish. My step-father had decided to allow me a bowl of soup to go with it this time, since it was a special occasion, and I could feel my belly stretching with the effort it took to hold the extra food. Finally, a roaring cry pierced through the night air, and my step-father and his men cheered as he went into the birthing room. A few minutes later, he came out with a fist pumped into the air. "It is a son!" He shouted, and his men erupted into shouts of praise. "His name shall be Ichiro!" Cheering and whooping rushed through the night, and he and his men partied all night long in celebration of his son''s arrival. I had a brother. A half-brother, but a brother all the same. I would protect this child, I was sure. His life would depend on me. It was early the next morning, as everyone was asleep from their alcohol and too drunk to notice, that my mother stumbled and limped her way out to my shed, sitting down beside of my futon with a bundle in her arms. "Koroshi," She said softly, looking at me. "Would you like to meet your baby brother?" She asked. I nodded, sitting up and looking around her arm to look at the child. He looked like his father. He had dark black hair, and light brown eyes with hazel mixed in. His skin was red-tinted from only being born the night before, but he looked healthy. "Ichiro," I said softly. "Yes," my mother whispered. "That is what the name was decided to be." Ichiro was an honorary name, meaning "first son". Clearly stating that Ichiro was my step-father''s first son, of course. "Do not be sad," my mother pleaded. "You will not be loved any less." "I know," I told her. "But your time will be taken even more than it usually is," I said, already thinking about how much lonelier it would be. She sighed, kissing my head. "I know," she told me. "But I love you very much, and you are still very important to me. I will make time for you, too, I promise." I nodded, and she stood up shakily. "I need to get back to rest," she said. "But I just wanted to introduce the two of you." "I love you," I told her. She smiled. "I love you," she smiled at me. Then she left, and I felt the loneliness seep back in. I knew that my mother wanted to spend more time with me, but it just seemed as if she was afraid to be so openly affectionate of me. Days continued to come and go, and even as my step-father continued to train me, I would occasionally see my mother and baby brother out and about on the grounds. My step-father didn''t seem to like my taking notice of his son...or my looking at him, in general. He always smacked me with the wooden sword, gaining my focus back to the tasks at hand. It was only a few months later that my mother was revealed to be pregnant once again, and I watched as she struggled to get around for the months that she was carrying this child. Jealously once again creeped up as I watched her and my step-father teaching my baby brother how to walk and speak, sitting and working with him in the floor while her belly continued to swell. I still did not know how to read, or write. I had never been allowed to learn such skills. I was not fit for it, as I was only fit for battle. During this time, I continued to grow, and I was now up to my step-father''s chin. Several months later, my mother bore another son for my step-father. This son''s name was Akihiko, which meant "bright prince." More lessons. More beatings. Finally, I was old enough to take out on the field. I was mature enough, and as my step-father dressed in his battle armor, he left me in a normal yukata and hakama. He gave me a katana, and told me that he would give me a subtle nod when he wanted me to attack. We met the enemy on a hill that overlooked a nice town, obviously a town that my step-father wanted to conquer, and when the leader of this village refused to bow to my step-father...well, I received the nod. This was it. This was everything that I had been trained for. I shot forward with an inhuman speed, my katana finding its target rather quickly, and the soldiers fled as I cut off their leader''s head, the corpse falling at my feet as the head rolled away from us. I wiped my blade before I sheathed it. "That was a good kill," my step-father said. "You are a natural-born killer. You have performed well, and your name suits you." He turned, walking into the village. People bowed in reverence to him. One of the people, I noticed....was a beautiful girl. She had black hair, a pure and sleek black that nearly shown blue...like my mother''s. I paused in front of her, and she glanced up at me from her bow on the ground. Her eyes were a startlingly beautiful jade color. Her frame was small, and she looked young. She looked younger than myself, though I knew that I was only a couple of years old. She was certainly older than I was. My step-father paused, looking back to see what was keeping my attention. He glanced at the girl. "Koroshi," he said. "Do you wish to take her?" "Take her?" I asked. "As a prize," he clarified. The girl startled, her hand jerking out to grab hold of a woman''s hand next to her...her mother, by the looks of it. They looked almost exactly alike. "No," I said. "I was simply admiring her beauty," I said. I turned, walking after my step-father. He gave a tight nod. "We are going," he said. And he mounted his horse after he stuck his banners in the ground at the entrance to the village, and we were on our way back home. * 1104 A.D. Another year passed by, and my mother had just given birth to a daughter. My step-father was taking me with him on almost all of his trips, now. And as it happened, we were going back to a village today that I had not seen in quite some time. A village with a young girl who was beautiful, and who I would like nothing more than to speak to. We were going to make sure that everything was in order, as my step-father had to keep everyone in line and make sure that his new cities were under his control. There were rumors going around about an uprising, a revolt against my step-father. And the rumors were that this village was the one perpetuating it. While my step-father sat with the person in charge of keeping this village taken care of, my attention was caught when the girl that I had come to fancy came in with a small tray of dishes, laying them out before us and bowing. My step-father glanced my way, but I didn''t see him. All I saw was the girl. "Koroshi," he said. "Your gawking is shameful. Remove yourself from the room so that you do not bring further shame to yourself in my presence," he commanded. I glanced at him, and I saw a neutral expression on his face. He wasn''t angry. He was giving me leave to go outside and talk to the girl, if that was what I wished. I bowed, standing and leaving the room. I rushed out of the building, looking around for the girl. I saw her, scurrying away quickly. "Hey!" I called softly. I knew it was night, and that most people were going to sleep by this time. I didn''t want to bring attention to us. "Please," she whispered. "I do not wish to get into any trouble! You did enough for me by refusing to take me last time, I don''t wish to cause any more aggravation." I paused. "You are beautiful," I said. She paused for a moment before turning to face me. "Thank you, my lord," she said, bowing. "I am not a lord," I informed. "I am a slave." She startled. "I''m sorry-" "What is your name?" I asked her. She hesitated, before she gave a quick glance around, looking to make sure that she wouldn''t get caught. "I am Shizuko," she said. Her name meant "Quiet Child," and I could certainly see why. She had a very shy mannerism. "I am Koroshi," I told her. She nodded. "I know," she said. "I heard him call you that." She looked away. "I need to get going." "Can I see you again?" I asked. She looked at me again. "I do not think that is wise," she said. "If you are a slave, I do not wish to get you in trouble with your master." I smiled. "Maybe, perhaps we can meet again someday." * It was in the night, late one night, that my mother rushed out to my shed, and pulled a key out of her long, flowing kimono sleeve. She rushed to unlock the door. "Koroshi! Koroshi, quick! You have to get out of here!" "Mother?" I rubbed my eyes, sitting up on the ground. "What''s going on?" "The castle is under siege. Now is your perfect opportunity to escape!" She shouted in a whisper. She got me up and gave me a hug, pressing a kiss to my cheek. "Pleaseˇ­ please do not return here." And I didn''t. As I watched the castle burning, I ran. I ran, and I didn''t turn back. 2 Chapter 2 Chapter 2 I made my way into the forest, running. I could only think of one place that I wanted to go, and I knew that she would be just as happy to see me as I would be to see her. I was going to see Shizuko, and ask her to run away with me. When I reached her village, I took a deep breath and I searched out her scent. I followed it to her hut, and I knocked on the window. I heard a sharp gasp, and I heard rustling and she pulled aside the shade to look at me. She was surprised to see me. "Koroshiˇ­? What-" "My castle came under siege, and so I used it as an opportunity to escape. But I know that if my step-father survives, he will come after me. Iˇ­ I wanted for you to run away with me. I know that must seem very forward, butˇ­ I feel a connection, between the two of us." She was stunned, standing there in thought for a moment. I knew that she was more than likely a rice farmer, or something very taxing, and that she was probably worked fairly hard. She looked over shoulder, at her closed shoji door. Then, she looked at me and gave a small nod. "I''ll come with you," she said. She quickly got a blanket, and started putting some things in it before she wrapped it up, tied it, and I took it and threw it over my shoulder as I used me other hand to take hers, and helped her climb out of her window before we ran, hand in hand, out into the night. * Days passed, and I was already well into building us a small hut, way out in the forest, away from my old home and away from her village. She helped me gather supplies and put the hut together, and in the evenings, we rested together. Within a few more days, our hut was finished, and I was busy building the furnishings and hunting food while Shizuko worked at home. I had gone and stolen blankets and other supplies, and she was busy using those supplies to stock and work around our new home. * We had been together for a few months, now. This had been a bit awkward. I slept on a bed roll on one side of the bedroom, and she slept on a bed roll on the other side. We continued sharing small, shy glances with one another. We were flirting with each other often, teasing and picking on one another. We talked to one another about our problems. We cried with one another. And then one day, it happened. We were sitting on a dock, while I was fishing, and she pressed a gentle kiss to my cheek. I smiled. "You missed," I told her. I turned my face to look at her. "Try again." She blushed prettily, but she smiled and pressed a kiss to my lips. My fishing pole was pulled onto the bank with us, and then left forgotten, as was our possibility of supperˇ­ Because we were too busy making love on the bank. We continued making love, often, over the next few weeks. It was blissful, glorious compared to my old life. I couldn''t get enough of her, enough of love, enough of feeling wanted. And it wasn''t very long before Shizuko was telling me that I would soon be a father, and I had never been more frightened or more excited. * Months passed by as some of the happiest I''d ever had, before strangers arrived with shocking news. I was the son of a King, who had been a prince when he had forced my mother against her will. They arrived on the back of a terrifying winged creature, but he felt familiar to me somehow. I didn''t know why. The girl was my half sister, and looked shockingly like me, even up to her white hair. We got onto the back of this winged monster, and we flew for day across the seas and lands I had never imagined that I would ever see. We arrived to a desolate wasteland, before we were taken to a castle. It was shocking, to say the least. We were treated well, and my supposed father, Mafrien, had began teaching me and grooming me for the throne. My half sister disappeared, with her husband. Things went well, and I was soon the father to a son, Kai. It wasn''t but another year, that Shizuko bore me yet another son, Shinka. We were happy. I was having a good, nice relationship with my father. Our future seemed bright. That is, until a few years laterˇ­ 3 Chapter 3 Chapter 3 October, 1110 A.D. I heard shrieks in the night, and I was leaping out of bed and rushing to the scene, armed with my katana, when I found a horrific sight. My sons, deadˇ­ hanging from ropes in the middle of the hallway. Shizuko was gasping for air, dragging herself along the stone floor toward me. "Darlingˇ­!" She croaked. "Your father, he''s out in battle. Iˇ­ an assassin got in, and Iˇ­ I just couldn''t stop them." I lifted her, and rushed her to our chambers, calling out the physician to our chambers even as I went. He followed us to the room, and I had him to watch after her as I rushed outside, out to the battlefield. My father was fighting, his mother and he out there using spells that he had only recently began to show me. I slashed and dashed, slaughtering enemies as I went. "Father!" I cried as an enemy almost struck him down. My grandmother rushed to have a couple of soldiers carry him off the battlefield, and she practically flew to a hidden entrance near the back of the castle, and we rushed into a hidden door and down the stairs, underneath the city. "We have to get him healed, quickly, and then we have to get him sealed! We have to do it quickly!" I didn''t know what she was talking about, but I was shocked and appalled, outright upset and blindsided, when she and the others strapped him down, and chanted. His body changed, looking more and more human, before his body started to freeze. I could only sit there, stunned in shocked horror, before I rushed out. I ran. I ran to my chambers in the castle, and I got Shizuko curled up in my arms, wrapped in blankets, before I ran. We managed to make it out into the forest before someone found us. The shot arrows at us, and I was tiredˇ­ but I still dodged them. I tripped over a large root in the ground, when a woman came up and slit my wife''s throat. I sat there, stunned and horrified. Dazed. In one day, I had lost my wife, both of my sons, and even my father. "Well, well, well. You look like you could use a witch," I heard a sultry voice say. I looked up, and I saw a Darkelf woman, with two large, burly men on either side of her. They looked too similar to be mistaken for strangers. They looked like siblings. "Witchˇ­" I murmured. Her hair was shaved on the side, and short on the back but came down asymmetrically to fall to her chin on the other side. It was red on the long bit, but the shaved part was black. Her skin was dark gray, however, and her eyes were just as scarlet as the red in her hair. "I can bring your family back to you, boy. Stronger than you ever thought possible. Unable to be killed. You would never have to leave them again." She bent over me to look at me, her body hovering over my own, and I looked up to meet her sneer. "What do I have to do?" The men next to her chuckled darkly. Their hair was white, and their skin was even darker gray than her own. Her red lips smiled all too happily at me. "All you have to doˇ­ is sell your soul to me, and my brothers, here. Serve us in all of our desires, and I will bring your family back to you," she grinned. I looked at my wife''s corpse, and I thought of my sons and my father. I met her eyes, defiant and determined. "I''ll do it." 4 Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Her grin was victorious. "What is your name, boy?" "Koroshi," I told her. "I am Aneka, these are my brothers; Santros and Sundaje." She stepped up to me, and held out a spiked collar. "Lean forward." I didn''t know what her thought was, but I did as I was told. I was a slave, after all. I knew that I was supposed to do what I was told to do. The instant that the collar was put on me, pain shocked and burned into me, and I could see steam as the flesh of my skin under the collar was seared. I cried out, my body falling to the ground, and they used the opportunity to shackle my wrists and ankles with similar leather, spiked bands that shocked and burned. I shook on the ground, my body shocked from the trauma, and I whirled my eyes to look at the woman. "Slave," she addressed me. "Come here, and fuck me," She sneered. And she had the audacity to lay back on the corpse of my wife, and spread her legs for me. I shook my head. But the second that I went to vocalize the word, "No", my tongue was seized by a burning pain and the collar and wrist and ankle restraints shocked and burned me, and even as I cried out in surprised pain, I could see blood pooling around the bands. My body immediately reacted. Against my will, my body stood and even as her brothers simply turned around, facing the other way, I took Aneka right there on the groundˇ­ on top of my dead spouse. I vomited afterward. * September, 1719 A.D. It wasn''t very long before word was reaching my ears of Kindlyn Aaron, married and name changed to Kindlyn James. I knew that Lord Dragon was involved, and I could only assume that this Kindlyn was actually Kysael. I had heard that she was frozen in time, that she was waiting to be released. Is that what had happened to my fatherˇ­? Had he simply been frozen in sealing? Was he actually alright? I sighed, leaning back as I waited for my masters to arrive. They had summoned me to this location. They had me to do the most atrocious things, and I hated them. I hated everything. They let me roam, mostly. I could never escape them. When they wanted me, they simply called me through my slavery bands, and they gave me a slight tingle, up to a horrid burn, the further away from them that I got. So the more the pain eased, the closer I knew that I was getting to them. This is where the pain had stopped, so I knew that this was where they wanted me. I couldn''t recognize the location, in particular. I sighed. I had thankfully gotten a letter sent out to Dragon, explaining my situation. And I got a reply, telling me all of the current happenings with Kysael. She was currently my last living relative, through my half sister. I knew that if anyone could help me, she could. I simply had to wait for her to be awakened yet again. Dragon told me that it shouldn''t be too long. I shouldn''t have to wait too much longer. And hopefully, then, Kysael could free me. All I knew was that I could only dream of the day that I would have my freedom, and I continued to dream about a girl who had Shizuko''s green eyes, her face shape, her mannerismsˇ­ but with golden hair. And she stood alongside Kysael in another time. I could hardly wait to be free.