Shadows of The Ghost

The Trials Begin

It took the scroll three days to reach his home. It was late, it should have reached by yesterday. That could mean that his students were in trouble or had forgotten. With those three, Genso never knew.

He walked back to his house, and sat down on his porch, unrolling the scroll. His eyes widened as he read, and within moments, he was dashing through his house, grabbing his katana and wakizashi, gauntlets, and some throwing knives, before putting on his armour, attaching the katanas so that both hilts were behind his left shoulder, and heading out. The scroll told him to be at the next village by sundown tomorrow. He'd have to be fast if he wanted to be there on time.

What are you planning, old friend?

He arrived at the village with about an hour to spare, so he headed for the nearest rest house and prepared. Checking his equipment, he was about to head out when there was a knock on the door. He peeked out only to find a single scroll lying on the floor of the hallway. He quickly swiped it and brought it inside.

His eyes grew wider as he read; the scroll revealed the location of a friend-turned-foe – Audun – from his war days. This man had stolen most of their supplies and delivered them to the enemy in return for freedom and immunity. He had almost singlehandedly turned the tide of the war; thankfully, they kept spies just for this. The resources were retrieved soon, but the man himself had been lost.

To think he was this close the whole time...

Genso went over to the location, a small shack next to the forest. He quickly scaled a tree and peered into the house. He saw only one man inside, reading a book on the table, a glass of water in front of him. There was a bed to the side and a wardrobe next to the window opposite him. There is only one door in the front, with the bed next to it, and the kitchen opposite it. There was also a fireplace. The sunlight was still good for a few hours before sunset. Enough time to keep watch.

Another two hours passed without either of them moving from their places. Finally, Audun moved to the door, walking out and closing it behind him before heading over to the market. Genso used that opportunity to slip inside from the window. He walked around inside, finding nothing in particular that stood out. Well-stocked kitchen, enough space for two, no pictures. He went over to the fireplace to find remnants of letter scraps, charred, but not completely burned. He picked one up and began reading.

Didn't know you still remembered her, Audun. Not after what happened.

It was a while before Audun came home. He walked in and closed the door behind him. But before he could take another step, a knife lodged itself into the woodwork a few inches from his face, thrown with enough force to sink deep within, yet with enough precision to intimidate. Audun looked over to see a dark figure seated on his chair but knew who it was the moment he saw the katanas over his left shoulder.

"So, you have finally come to kill me, is that it?" Audun asked, not trying to act scared because he wasn't. He knew what he did and why he had done it, he wasn't going to ask for forgiveness for something so trivial. He walked past the knife and went straight for the kitchen, unloading the contents of his bag into the cabinets. He returned to the living room and sat down across from Genso; the latter hadn't moved from his position.

"If you are going to kill me, at least let me tell you my part of the story. Why I stole those supplies, and why you never found me." He didn't wait for Genso's approval before continuing. "We were losing the war, we all knew that, even you. I just couldn't watch more of my... comrades die. I know it was selfish of me, but I had people of my own to protect. That's why I made the deal.

"However, before they could take me and my family to wherever they were going to take us, I slipped away distracting the guards long enough for the others to escape before vanishing myself. I knew that you all would have to take back those supplies soon, so there was no point in me hanging around when that happened, waiting for the enemy to take off my head.

"I went back to them and we ran, came a long way before we finally decided to stop. I spent a long time wishing I hadn't done what I did and still do. I tried reaching out to her, but I never found the right words. Maybe in another life, things could have been different."

They sat in silence for a few minutes.

"I'm not going to kill you," Genso started, much to Audun's surprise. "I am being forced to hunt down past friends and enemies to save my students. I don't know how long it will take me, or who I will have to kill, but I can promise you this: I will rebel at every step, at every chance I get. Now, listen..."

Genso walked outside as the flames started to grow, consuming the house within minutes. He didn't look back as he walked to his room. He went back inside and changed into more comfortable wear, not surprised when there was another knock on his door.