Chapter 1 - The Past

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It was dark in the city of Yomika. It was early in the morning and there was nobody on the streets except one dark figure. Atsuko couldn't sleep and decided to take a walk across town. It was his 18th birthday today but he had nobody to celebrate it with so he'd rather not celebrate at all. 1 year ago, he lost them all, his father Toyama, his mother Shiraishi, and his little sister Ohashi. The tattoo on Atsuko's right shoulder and the scar, the man left on his face, reminded him of the person that took them from him. The tattoo was a snake, nailed to a cross. Atsuko later learned that the man that killed his family was also known as "Hebi", Japanese for "the snake". The man had yellow eyes like a snake, and he fought like a snake: fast and unfair. 

That day, Atsuko's family was at home and he was getting water from a well nearby. On the walk back, Atsuko saw in the distance a man with a katana in his hand, entering his home. Immediately he dropped the water, grabbed his wooden training katana, and ran to his home. As he jumped through the open door, he heard the scream of his mother and sister. Carefully walking across the room, he saw his father, laying on the ground, in a puddle of his blood, his katana next to him, with a streak of blood on the blade. Toyama was barely alive and Atsuko quickly kneeled next to him. his father whispered: "my time has come. take care Atsuko."  after he closed his eyes, Atsuko ran to his sister's room. As he entered the room, he saw his mother, laying on top of Ohashi, but blood came out of a deep wound in her back. He also noticed the man, in the window. He had black hair, and a face he would never forget. Almond, almost yellow eyes, a cut across his left cheek, and his left arm was bleeding. The man quickly jumped out of the window as Atsuko ran to his mother and sister. After lifting his mother and putting her next to Ohashi, he saw that he was too late. The katana went straight through his mother and sister and they both bled out.

Filled with anger, he jumped out of the window and ran after the man. The man saw Atsuko following him and stopped running. When Atsuko came closer, the man yelled: "Go home, child. You can't stop me." But Atsuko didn't. He screamed in anger and he attacked the man, dealing blow after blow, left, right, and from above, with his wooden training katana. But the man managed to block all his attacks with ease. after 2 minutes of attacking, Atsuko noticed that he was getting tired. The man seemed to notice it too because he started to attack between the blocks. Sudden hits with the flat side of his sword, against Atsuko's knees and sides. the man suddenly kicked some sand onto Atsuko's eyes, and while Atsuko couldn't see, he slashed his katana across Atsuko's face, leaving a cut from chin to ear as Atsuko fell back. As Atsuko stood up, he fell something wet on his cheek. He checked with his hand and it was blood. Angrier than ever, Atsuko charged at the man, but he missed, and the man hit Atsuko's head with a pommel strike. A sting of pain went through his head and he fell to the ground. He could just hear the man say: "you need to learn a lot, Atsuko before you can beat someone like me." Before everything went black.

Since that day, Atsuko trained, and trained, and trained. He found Nakao, a Kendoka that learned him the ways of the katana. He trained for more than a year, and today, on his birthday, he would get an official katana because Nakao decided that he was good enough. But dreams about the death of his family kept him up this night. Every time, they end with Atsuko staring in the Yellow eyes of Hebi, as Atsuko later learned. But knowing he would get a katana today cheered him up a little. as he walked home, he saw a man standing in a dark alley. Atsuko looked at the man and noticed the yellow eyes but after looking away for a second, he disappeared. Atsuko knew what he saw and quickly walked home.

At home, Atsuko grabbed some breakfast and walked to his room. He needed to choose appropriate clothing. He grabbed black pants of a kimono and a black shirt. He took a quick look at the mirror. Looking at the scar that never went away. The fight with Hebi flashed through his memory as he felt the scar. He grabbed a black cap from his closet and put it on. Just before walking out of the door, he pulled the cap over his eyes and stepped out of the door.

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