Blue eyes

Chapter 22: Empathy and new Freindship

Still air. Silence. Not even the slightest creak of the wood boards below. Every exhale is steady and paced while you meditate alone. So far no flashes of red have disturbed your peace as you practiced your breathing. Your mind wasn't clear, however. It was thinking back to the past of your training in Japan.

"Sensei, I'm tired, please I need a break." You panted stabbing the sword in the ground to support yourself, glancing at the man sitting down on the wooden porch.

"A break? You're an Ashura there is no time for breaks when our clan's prosperity depends on you. Do it again."

"But I haven't been improving at all!" You whined.

"Your results will show in time. You will get nowhere unless you shed sweat and blood. Now again." You grunted, pushing yourself up again. As you raised the katana facing the wooden dummy, you slashed it weakly then fell on your knees again. Your hand clasped your mouth as your stomach swirled. You vomited your meal from earlier. 

Your body ached from the vigorous training. All you wanted was to be home, having a meal without being sweaty for once. "Stand up. You still have 20 more reps to go. You will not rest till you complete them."

You gritted your teeth. "Godammit old man! Iv had it! All you do is lecture and tell me what to do! I haven't even been able to perform well with the weapons you've given me."  Your eyes widen in shock from what you said to the elder. 'Shit' you rambled an apology.

The man stood up with his wooden cane. He slammed it on the wooden platforms stopping you from speaking.

He peered at the vomit on the floor. "Come with me." Confused and intimidated by his calm response you did as told, wiping your mouth. Following him to another part of the training center. He pulled out a tattered book with a leather cover on it from a nearby bookshelf, one he specifically told you not to look through. "Sit down." You sat on the mats placing the sword at your side. Your stomach gurgled from its missing food. The man sat down across from you, placing the book in front of you. He flipped to a page, the paper looked old and delicate with each turn. When he got to his desired page he turned the book around for you to see. "This is a scene from centuries ago when our clan first left the mountains." He flipped to another page. "War. The first thing that welcomed our ancestors."

"War? Who started it?" He grazed his fingers over the colorful paper. "People call them Yokai."

"But aren't yokai myths?" you ask visibly intrigued. This was the most he's shared about your clan.

"Not in that time. The yokai would desecrate humans that stood against them. When the late ancestors tried to find peace within the chaos the very same people they tried to work with attacked our clan."

"The people attacked you? Why our clan was just trying to find peace?"

"Humans are delicate creatures. When fear is instilled into them they fear everybody and trust no one."

"What happened after?" He flipped to another page.

"We exterminated the yokai that attacked the humans and us." The page had a warrior in armor with a variety of weapons on their waist and back, fending off yokai. They looked similar to ogres but their skin was red and wielded blunt weapons. The bloodstains were realistic in the art like a brush soaked up the very blood from that scene and was used to paint it. "Once they did so, we went on a different path. Advancing ourselves in trade and weapon engineering, we became one of the noblest clans and allied ourselves with Hamato, helping others with our gift, thus bringing us here today." He closed the book. "Although most of us are weak and old there is hope that the tradition will continue after what Oruki Saki did to us. That is where you come in." You stayed silent as a weight was put on your shoulders. "Do you see the importance that you learn now?"