The Hunt for Peace

Chapter 3

Dawn arrived at Nalae once more, the first light of the sun once again piercing through the clouds to warm the earth with its warm rays. The flowers were alive and in bloom as the spring season continued onward. The winds were calm yet unceasing, the waters cold yet clear. Hiroka stood on a small stone in the middle of the river, she did so on one leg, balancing herself as she felt the wind try to knock her over. Her eyes remained closed as she listened to the birds that were either waking up from their own slumber or were already flying off. She could sense the fish that swam below, some of them fighting against the steady current. The waterfall continued to roar in the distance, Hiroka found it a tad relaxing to listen too, it reminded her of home.

In her mind, Hiroka pictures home. She recalls being a lass of twelve years, trying to balance on one foot, both of her arms dangling in the wind trying to get her to keep balance. Beneath her was a pond of swimming koi. She recalls the summer sun threatening to roast her alive, the sweat dripping down her face. More peaceful days, they were.

"Balance is an important part in the art of the blade, tripping over your own swing leads to an opening your opponent can use." says the voice of a mature woman who stood at the edge of the pond, "calm your shoulders and switch legs. You're going to use your left leg this time."

Fights on muddy soil, on rocky earth, on unstable boats rocking in the waves. Hiroka remembers them all. How her ankles would twist, confused by her own movements, forcing her to nearly roll over and fall, only for her hands to reach the earth and allow her to cartwheel back into form.

Hiroka swings her makeshift blade gracefully in the air, as if she was using a brush and painting on an empty canvas.

"This sword is the sword sought by many but to be used only by one. Made in war by those who seek to end war, and to be used for none else. One day this will be entrusted to you, until then, you must prove yourself worthy of the destiny brought before you."

The blade, the red blade that shone under the sun, cutting down scores of enemies. It has exchanged hands since the days of the spirits, and has been used to both create and destroy nations. The katana used to call upon a great typhoon and wipe out all sorts of invaders from the west. Be it a powerful emperor who styled himself a dragon, and amassed an army befitting of the heaven they cherished, or a ferocious warlord who sought to bring his reign to the lands beyond the continent. Time and time again, her home has been reminded that it's but a collection of small islands, and that the world is much larger than they thought it to be. Yet time and time again, this sword, and the warriors that followed it and those like it, have always risen to the challenge. The saber of destinies, with its fine red glow.

She lost it, once again.

Hiroka finds herself losing balance and falling into the river. The memories flash away as the cold water brings her back to reality. Hiroka surfaces, coughing out some water.

Rakni's eyes open at the sound of the girl crashing into the water. He gets up from the fur mat, rubbing his head, looking at the chosen one who now swam towards the riverbank. He walks towards her, lending her a hand. Hiroka takes his hand to help herself out of the water. "A little too early to be excited for a swim, don't you think?"

Hiroka doesn't respond, instead planting her soaked blade right in the ground as she stands up, her clothes were all soaked and combined with the wind it sends a shiver up her spine. The chill once again reminds her of home. Of hot springs in a cold landscape. Monkeys gather to warm themselves. She recalls fighting a few sword-wielding monkeys for rights to the hot spring. Clashing steel as the cold winds howled. Fighting one that fought for their own survival was much different from one that fought with a purpose in their heart.