Origin of the 9th

Chapter 1: Neiko the Nobody

"A long time ago, two great civilizations were born unto this land; the Ninja and the Samurai. Now the Great Spirit was pleased with the two, who faithfully followed its ways. So it chose to grant the gift of magic to the head clans of the Ninja and the Samurai. In their gratitude, the two civilizations built an article of worship. The Samurai created an altar to offer sacrifices to the Spirit. But the Ninja raised up a beautiful temple of the likes never seen before. The Spirit blessed the Ninja and their land was made abundant and plentiful.

However this act of kindness was envied by the Samurai. So they drew their blades and took them to the Ninja. The preemptive strike resulted in huge loss of life and the temple was lost to the wilderness. The Spirit was overcome with fury and withdrew into the unknown. This was the start of the Ninja Samurai War." Grandma finished reading as she closed the book. "So how do you like it Moeiw?"

"Wow." I said in awe. The Ninja Samurai War had been going on for 992 years, so it was really amazing to hear of the time before it started. "When do you think it will end Grandma?"

"When one side wins." she said sadly. "Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be happening any time soon. Maybe when your big sister takes over, we'll have a chance."

"Chiko is only two years older than me." I said sourly. I hated whenever people mentioned Chiko. It wasn't that I hated her; on the contrary, I loved my older sister and she was always so kind to me and Pon. But it was because Chiko Templar was hailed as a prodigy unlike any the Ninja had ever seen, and compared to her, I was nothing. "And for her to take over, you would have to die." I added, trying to bring the topic away from my inferiority complex.

"My death may be coming sooner than you think. I am getting quite old." She chuckled, stroking the 9 birthmark engrained in my left cheek. "Sometimes, life is taken away suddenly and without warning. It happens all the time, and it could happen to anyone. But there are three children of the Templar clan this time, and we've never had more than one."

"Pon's magic is useless, so he doesn't count." I muttered, referring to my little brother. Pon, my six year old brother, was a buffoon. Although a Templar like Chiko and myself, his magic served no purpose in combat and he was constantly last in his year.

"All magic is valuable, no matter how worthless it may seem. Only the Templar clan and the Shogun order have been blessed with it. Anyways you should get to class soon." Grandma suggested, closing her eyes and falling asleep. She seemed to be sleeping more often every month, with the strain of leading the Ninja through this time of war draining her energy.

"Alright, see you later!" I chanted even though she couldn't hear me as I clambered out of the room and out into the open world. The forest glistened with the beams of light that shone through the canopy overhead.

"Captain, you are very late." Leah said, rolling her eyes as I arrived at the Academy entrance. Leah was my best friend and had brown hair tied up in a ponytail. She only used my title within the team because it was tradition that squad members used formalities with their leader unless instructed otherwise. I knew that if I weren't a member of the Templar clan, then Leah would have certainly been the leader of the squad.

"Thank you sir! We almost missed the sparring exams." Ryan saluted obediently. Ryan was very sturdily built for an eight year old with a thick face. He had been overjoyed when he learned who his teammates were and had vowed to do his best to make it a squad that could rival the older age group. Despite being a year younger than either myself or Leah, he was much more mature for the sake of being a soldier.

"Captain, you are so awesome! Even your tardiness is inspiring!" Katie squealed excitedly. She was a short girl of five years with large amber eyes filled with admiration. Katie was the only one who believed that I had the potential to be greater than Chiko, and always supported me. Despite being even younger than Pon, she was much more reliable than my younger brother and had a bright future ahead of her.