The Oracle Saga: Assassin's Oath

Chapter 1 - Discovered

AYIA

When I opened the door, the first thing I saw was a battered old cloak covering the man’s upper body, like its only aim was for protection. Some protection it turned out to be, the man was drained from the heavy rain outside. His clothes were ripped and damaged to the point where it led me to wonder why he hadn’t simply thrown them out. Walking bare-skinned would have saved him the embarrassment that his clothes were doing to him.

His eyes followed up my mother’s kimono and slowly met my eyes. I swear I saw amazement in his gaze but it instantly died. His jet black hair was pulled out of his face and clung scruffily to his head. Through the wetness, I could tell his hair was usually in spikes due to the misplacement in several places. I then looked into his eyes that bore into mines.

Coals. That’s the first image that arose in my mind. His eyes resembled tiny coals trapped in an egg-white shell. The next thing I saw was utter confusion. It was strange seeing as his face held no expression, I felt as if his eyes spoke his every thought to me. His jaw line, perfectly lined to highlight the roughness and threat that radiated from his face. If he were to clean up a little and lose the frightening aura he released into the open for everyone to quiver underneath…he would actually look quite...

I shook my head to empty out the girlish thoughts and simply looked at him, feeling immensely bored as he hadn’t yet spoken.

I suppose he realized I was waiting as he quickly in a low and deep voice asked, “Sutoraiki Kenji?”

Quickly stepping aside, I let him in the small abode I called home.

“Follow me,” was all I said to him.  

I could hear his steps behind my own. I couldn’t believe this was the man papa had been anticipating for so long. I expected a rich noble man to come with some sort of a deal in order to expand papa’s business. Not a man that looked like he was a vagabond.

Money had been tight for the last few months—we could hardly afford Ichiro’s school expenses. I let out a sigh, low enough for him to undermine. It was futile to assume that this man could possibly help papa in his quest; whatever it was. How could this man pay papa for the months of dedication he put behind those two swords? It didn't seem as though he owned anything but the clothes on his back. 

Not now…I’m busy…Can we do this later? Those were the only things I heard come out of my father’s mouth in the past two months. All for…him?

We walked deeper into the house, down to the entrance of the workplace. Papa was sitting behind a large wooden table, waiting for our arrival. I quickly scanned the surroundings, hoping for some sort of a transformation. Everything was still in its place; it seemed as though nothing had changed in the past few days. But I wouldn't really know. I was forbidden from entering the workplace unless it was to bring a potential customer down.

Prized swords hung against the dark brown walls. The other metallic objects hung freely, making the workplace seem hazardous. It looked rather imperil to be down here. I didn't understand how papa did it. Though his vigorous dedication I completely understood.

 I directed my attention to my father and he nodded for us to enter. When my eyes adjusted to the dim light, I saw that papa was in fact holding something in his hands; two swords wrapped in black cloth.

I led the man inside but before I could ask him for his name in order to introduce him to my father, something I always did to any other sword seeker, papa greeted him.

“Kurogane Hasaki,” he warmly said, getting up to shake his hand. “I have long awaited for your arrival.”

The stranger named Hasaki shook papa’s hand and then they both walked to the table to sit down. I started to follow them to complete a usual ritual where papa would explain the importance of a sword and I would sit there and observe the stranger’s unconscious reaction to the given facts. It was how I would know whether the man was worthy or not of the given sword.