A single tear rolled down her face, fear glistened in her eyes. Screams of terror rolled off of the town as men, women, and children were killed without mercy. I raised my sword to her throat, she did now move; knowing that there was no escape. In one swift quick moment I slit her throat, blood spurted out of the wound; covering my blade and hand. Her body fell to the ground. Her open eyes starred at my feet, I looked down at her, no a single emotion running through my body. I stood their a moment before I leaned down, and closed her eyelids. The horrors of her life had passed; she did not need to see the destruction of her town. I stood up, blade in hand as I scanned the town. Homes engulfed in flames, bodies everywhere, some unidentifiable, most of them had been killed by me and my comrades.
Behind me, a young man stood about twenty feet from me, I turned around. I could feel pain, sorrow, helplessness, radiating off of him. I looked into his eyes; I knew he wanted to kill me. A sword in his right hand, his breath ragged and uneven, we both starred at each other, and then he charged at recklessly. Just by seeing the way he held the blade, I knew he had never been trained in the way of the sword. His intent to kill me was well earned, but I was far out from his league. I stepped aside from his sword, the blade scrapped against my skin; just barely enough to create a small trickle of blood. He aimed for my heart as he came back around, but he stumbled over his own feet and fell to the ground. His blade only inches from his hand, he was frozen in fear, but as I approached him he reached for his blade. I kicked it away, he glared up at me, the intent to kill me still shone through his eyes, along with fear. I stared back at him; my eyes dull and emotionless. A twig snapped from behind me, but I did not react. He might have been a young man, but to me he was a boy. Weak, fragile, and clueless eyes drifted behind me, where a woman was standing. Her hair flowed behind her shoulders, a golden brown hue glistening in the light of the flames; she wore all black, tight and form fitting. Blood ran down her forearm; and a sword in her right hand, blood dripped from the sword onto the ground.
The boy's eyes widened, he knew that his odds of living were slimming as panic began to overcome him, for he did not want to die. For a moment nothing was said, the screams of terror had faded; the crackling of the burning houses could only be heard. Ash rained from the black sky overhead, no moon shone through the mass of clouds. A flas of lightning lit up the sky; soon after a loud crack of thunder echoed off the moutains surrounding the town. Sheets of rain poured down from the blackened sky, dousing the fires in the town.
The rain soaked my black hair, sticking it to my face, as my clothes clung to my body. My gaze shifted from the boy to my comrade, no words were exchanged, we both knew that he was the last one left. I heard the boys weight shift and I quickly turned back, his eyes locked onto mine, fear shinging through them strongly still. Something sparked my interest in him though. Not the fact that he was scared of me, but because the intent to kill me was still there. After a couple of moments I sheathed my sword and grabbed his arm, standing him up. At first he was confused, but still scared; it took a moment to steady his feet. I let his arm go, I turned around, looking at my comrade for a moment, we locked eyes, she knew that I was going to let the boy live. He would have to learn the way of the sword before he would succeed in his noble quest, to kill me. My eyes bored into his, I was silent a moment before I spoke, another crack of lightning light up the sky, showing my pale skin that was no longer covered in blood; for the rain had washed it away.
"If you wish to kill me than hang onto the anger you feel and dispose of everything else. Train your body till you bleed and then come after me, I will be waiting." I said blankly. His eyes widened as I spoke; he clenched his fists tightly. He was determined to get revenge on me; it made me smirk a little. He tried to speak, but I cut him off.
"Do not speak now, only when you become a man can you return to challenge me, I will then want to know your name." I said before turning away from him. My comrade looked at the boy for a moment before we turned and walked away.
The rain stopped and the clouds cleared, a red moon lit up the sky. A torn shred of parchment fluttered to the ground; a wanted poster. In bold letters: WANTED DEAD or ALIVE; REWARD. Beneath it two smudged sketches; two young women. There were no names though; for they were no known to anyone but us. A name had been scribbled in blood, under one of the sketches, DARK.
The boy picked it up, clenching his free fist. Determination glimmered in his eyes; as he watched us disappear into the darkness.
