Really hoping this one's the actual final draft, let's keep our fingers crossed. Feeling pretty good about how this came out!
Chapter One:
There's no harm in hoping for the best as long as you're prepared for the worst - Stephen King
They received outside news from time to time. It was never good.
Carter preferred to slash down the sparring dummies when not watching his ten-year-younger five-year-old sister play in the sand or discussing the pros and cons of the Mongol invasions. It was only natural, then, that he found himself now, making clean cuts through training dummies using a straight sword, oiled and thoroughly washed.
He found it a good time to reflect on himself. He knew he drew stares from the few that visited his town: it’s not everyday one sees a blond Korean with blue eyes. Like most people he’d see, he was tanned and muscular from a lifetime of hard work, as well as tall and lithe. Fifteen years hadn’t gone by lazily or easily in a world where over half the population closed their eyes one last time before the age of ten. Like most others, he’d trained thoroughly with weapons, mastering the art of self-defense.
On the other hand, not many others knew how to simultaneously wield a broadsword and a battle axe or take down assailants using nothing more than their bare hands. But they wouldn’t have denied the ability.
After all, it wasn’t like a lack of self-defense was anything good.
Rumors of recent had spoken of attacks on nearby cities, led by men and women, eyes flowing with smoke and looking as if miniature stars made up their irises. They were the ones who threw thunderbolts, who broke steel walls with light taps, who spoke without moving their mouths. They were the ones who held the real power, the real threats to watch out for.
Not in the least because those like them ruled the world with iron fists.
Or so they said. The village was secluded, and they heard all sorts of rumors: that the world was going to be obliterated in two weeks, (proven false) that the deities of old had risen up to kill the world (probably false) or that God had decided to take His wrath out on humankind. (Hopefully false)
He heard the light tapping of small, bare feet, and he let his arms fall to his sides as the door creaked open and his little sister held a doll to her side, her green dress fluttering as she exited the house and onto the lawn. “Carter? It’s dark outside.”
Carter smiled. He dropped the sword. “I know, Lily, I know. Is Guardian not there? Do you want a bedtime story?”
“No, aren’t you tired?”
He laughed and crouched, rustling her hair. “I’m fine, this is how I rest. You know that.”
The blond, green-eyed girl smiled up at him, revealing her empty front teeth. “Okay.” She turned and closed the door.
Carter sighed, standing up fully, grabbing the sword from the ground. “Love ya too, Tiger Lily.”
He glanced over at the small shed next to him, then down at his sweaty arms. His t-shirt was thoroughly soaked. The boy sighed. It was getting dark. The single flame in the lantern hanging by the doorway was beginning to feel dimmer as the sun’s radiance began to drop completely.
He grabbed the lantern, hooking it off its handle, and turned. Several twists of the lock clicked open the door, and he stepped forward, surveying the walls adorned with weapons for the single spot empty. His eyes alighted on hooks holding up nothing more than air, and he dropped the sword there. He turned to leave, then stopped.
Behind him, the lantern barely shimmered into the darkness of the shed, and he watched a dark, deadly purple ripple swirl across a long, delicate yet firm kodachi, hilt adorned with gold. Kusanagi, named after the fabled blade of Amaterasu. He watched another wave of power, then turned. The door shut behind him, and he clicked the lock into place.
He strode back to the house, fishing the key out of his pocket, then twisted it open in the keyhole. Carter entered quietly, hearing Guardian murmur somewhere down the hall, and a sleepy little voice yawning. Lily would have had her bedtime story told to her by now, and near sleeping. He wouldn’t want to wake his little sister.
He turned towards the bathroom. He and Guardian had collaborated on a working plumbing system. It was rare to see in a rural village, and he was proud of it. It had taken them three days to dig up the dirt, arrange the metal pipes correctly, and connect it to a nearby creek. A bit longer to carve out the necessary devices: toilet and bowl out of stone, as well as a bathtub and sink. He had strung up a little improvised curtain made from a couple shirts he’d grown too big for several years ago, which he grabbed now. Closing the door behind him, he ripped it to the side, and tossed his clothes onto the sink’s top. He swished the curtain closed and turned the faucet, feeling the warm water course over him for a couple seconds, before reluctantly grabbing a bar of soap, one of about twenty he’d traded for two glass windows. He didn’t see why people found it so precious; living near a beach as well as a river, it wasn’t hard for him to find food and water, and glass could be quickly made from gathering and heating sand.
He fully scrubbed himself down and let himself out. A mirror, also traded for, allowed him to make sure there weren’t any soap suds left on him before he wrapped a large, again, traded for, towel around his waist, grabbed his clothes, and walked to his room. He tossed the dirty clothes into a laundry basket, hand-carved by yours truly, and walked into his room.
His dresser, which had taken him about a week since it had been his first real project before he’d gotten the hang of things, was pulled open. He grabbed nightclothes and underwear, before slipping them off. He wasn’t tired at all.
It was fine.
The boy heard the door swinging shut gently, and he glanced out the door. Guardian stood there, slowly closing the door. The tall, handsome Asian man glanced over. “Hey, Carter.” The door swung shut fully, and Carter let out a small sigh of relief as he didn’t hear any shouting.
“I was thinking about making a new sword.” He had been meaning to make a new blade; his kodachi wasn’t much good for leverage. He’d made it with a short handle, which although did help balance, gave him less control over the edge. “I think a nagamaki should do it. That way I have the maximum control over my weapon.”
Guardian laughed quietly, making sure it wasn’t heard through the wooden walls of the house. “What is it with you and these phases? First that Scottish time when you only used claymores, then the Crusades incident with those longswords and broadswords, and now it’s katanas and wakizashis. What’s up with that?”
Carter shrugged. “I guess I’m just cycling through every possible weapon I might be able to use in the future.”
Guardian nodded. “Sounds good. Just holler tomorrow if you need help.”
“Will do.” Carter turned and walked towards his room. “By the way, the Mongol invasions weren’t just a waste of life.” He threw it as a closing remark to Guardian, a mere joke, but didn’t expect the man’s face to actually darken.
“You wouldn’t think that if you saw it yourself.”
Carter watched as Guardian turned and silently walked down the hallway, confused and unsure. What the heck? What did he mean?
He shrugged silently. Guardian was Guardian, and he had nothing to say to that.
The boy shut his door quietly, acutely aware of his sleeping sister in the room next to his, and blew out the candle. Muscle memory guided his head onto his pillow, and he drew up the blanket, shivering slightly at a sudden breeze.
Goodnight, world.
He was up with the sun. The birds chirped their melodies as he swung on his shirt, and he closed the door quietly.
He walked into the bathroom, pulling out a toothbrush and some toothpaste, swinging it over his teeth, and he spat out what was left in his mouth. A quick rinse and he stretched, ready for the challenges of the day.
Carter felt the breeze as he opened the door to a subterranean chamber. He walked down the familiar, moist stone steps, watching the candles flicker slightly.
The ceiling allowed enough light into the smithing workshop so he could coherently see and read. He picked up what he needed on his way to the anvil. A slim, three-foot-long rod of steel. Ribbons of silk. Wood for the handle. Of course, the essential hammer and bucket of water.
The flames began to burn, and he sat down to watch and think.
Observe the fire, tongues lashing the metal. Listen to the sizzle of burning blade on ice-cold water. Feel the sweat dripping down your back as you watch the hammer hit the blade, begin to intertwine metal and wood—
He froze.
There was a commotion upstairs. He didn’t think it was Lily having gone on a little adventure.
Maybe it was paranoia from rumors, maybe it was dumb luck, but he decided to run out and see what was happening.
The door slammed open onto the skull of a man clothed in black, wielding a sword, and the guy dropped to the ground. Carter glanced instinctively over, found his little sister crouching, eyes wide, watery. He realized he still had his hammer in his hands.
A weapon, then.
He read the situation in a second from the spear embedded in the wall
He knelt at Lily’s side, dropping the hammer, scooping her up in a hug. She wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and burst into tears in his shoulder.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. What happened?” Even as he spoke, Carter glanced around, watching for any sign of attack.
He grabbed the hammer from the ground. If he had to carry something with one hand, he probably wouldn’t be able to use any fancy sword techniques. Brute force would work much better.
But for the time being, he had to find Guardian.
He let go of his little sister, standing up. She whimpered a little and hugged his pant leg. “Lily, I’m going to go find Guardian. Stay down in the forge, and stay quiet. Don’t touch anything.” He hated to leave her alone like this, but he had to be sure of what was happening.
The little girl looked up, then nodded, tears streaking her face, then stumbled towards and down the stairs. Carter shut the door after her, then took out a key. A quick twist and turn locked the door, something he hadn’t done for a while. He heard the gears shift inside the walls as it was double, triple locked.
Satisfied it was secure, the boy turned, swinging the hammer.
He didn’t go three steps before a slight thud sounded from behind him. He ducked instinctively, watching as a shuriken whirled over his head. He spun as he whirled to his knees. He cocked his arm back, then threw the hammer as he ran forward. The heavy iron tool spun as it flew forward, smashing into a wide-eyed assailant’s face. Blood squirted, and the assassin went down. Carter was there not after, picking up the hammer, grimacing.
He had seen and given death before. Many, many times before. It didn’t mean he liked slaughtering bandits or raiders, no matter how evil they were.
He had to get to Guardian.
The door was unlocked to the master bedroom. No one was inside. Carter growled, smacking his hand. Dammit!
There weren’t many other possibilities. Guardian couldn’t possibly be in the forge, and he’d already checked the bedroom. The other rooms were too small, and he didn’t hear anything from the living room.
Guardian had to be outside, near the shed.
He pivoted and ran. The shed; of course. Guardian would have gone there for a weapon, most likely Kusanagi. And if he had gone there, the man probably wouldn’t have had enough time to get anywhere else.
His bare feet slapped the floor as he ran down the hallway, and he smashed the door open.
Guardian was surrounded by three swordsmen, and Kusanagi glowed in his hands. Amethyst thunder boomed with every strike, testimony to the fallen warriors beneath their feet.
But these final three were much more armored than their dead comrades; armor plates glowed with an ethereal, clear light, and Guardian’s quick slashes and stabbed bounced off their metallic protection.
Guardian froze for a second, and he stared right at Carter. The image cemented itself into the boy’s mind: raven bangs dropping all the way down to hard black eyes, mouth half open as he watched his young charge, forgetting his enemies.
No.
A blade flicked forward, slicing through black fabric and flesh. Guardian growled as he reeled to the ground, holding his stomach.
NO.
I REFUSE TO LET THIS HAPPEN.
Carter roared, throwing the hammer. The bulky metal head crushed steel and bone, impact unabsorbed by the armor, and one attacker fell. The others turned around, watching as Carter sprinted towards them. One belatedly raised his sword, but the boy batted it aside with his foot, feeling his fist hit the metal, solidly impacting the face behind. As the killer staggered, he raised the hammer and felt it smash down once more, hand stinging slightly.
The final assassin lunged at him, but he was going against a trained fighter way out of his league. Carter blocked the blow with his hammer, flicked the sword aside, and bashed the man in the kneecap. As the attacker keeled over in pain, the boy furiously swung the blacksmithing tool one last time.
He dropped the hammer, turning. “Guardian!”
The man had fallen to his knees, smiling weakly. Kusanagi was on the ground, faintly sizzling with power. Guardian raised a hand, and the boy saw the scarlet streaming down it. “I don’t have much time left, kiddo. We both know that.”
“No. No! I refuse to accept that! I WILL NOT ACCEPT THAT! I can’t protect Lily on my own!” His voice cracked as he knelt. “I’m not ready to be on my own.”
Guardian jerked his head up and stared directly into the boy’s eyes. “You won’t be.”
“Huh?”
“Listen closely, kid.” The man hacked, and red splattered on the ground. “I can’t say it twice, or maybe even finish my thought. This world isn’t what you think it is. Nothing is what you think.”
Carter stared. “Guardian, focus!”
Guardian smiled slightly. “I’m completely sane. Let me just summarize quickly.”
Carter just watched, unsure of what was coming.
“This isn’t Earth.”
It hit him harder than the hammer on the ground.
“We aren’t at the pinnacle of technology. On Earth, we had crossbows that could pierce the steel armor worn by these thugs. We had automatic lighting that could be indefinitely sustained by flipping a simple switch, carriages that operated without anyone pulling them, pictures that moved, buildings that pierced the sky itself, even birds of steel, larger than entire houses, that could seat hundreds and thousands of people, without even straining itself. Our accomplishments now are the same ones made hundreds and hundreds of years ago by our ancestors. And it’s for a very good reason.”
Carter shook his head. “I don’t believe this. I don’t believe any of these.”
“Then don’t. Just listen. There are superhumans in this world. It’s because of them that we fell back in evolution, that this world is oppressed, that you yourself are alive, that we even recovered this much, that we still have hope.
“I’m proof of that. I’m nine hundred years old, a former samurai taking care of his last living friend’s grandchildren for the sake of us all.”
“What?” The boy just watched, confused and scared, as Guardian retched up more blood. “What are you—”
“There’s no time! There must be an Inheritor, a superhuman, coming to finish you and Lily off. Don’t let them do that! Go, down to your forge. Take Kusanagi, take your sister, and escape into the golden portal I’m forming in the floor. Remember, Lily’s the Healer. Keep an eye on her.”
“But… Guardian… what about you?”
He watched, agonized, as the man slowly met his eyes, and smiled. “We both know I’m a dead man. Go to the seventy-seventh district and meet the leader, Yoshitsune Minamoto. He’ll tell you everything if you don’t find either of the other groups first. Just stay alive and find the others!”
“Guar—”
“RUN!” Guardian roared at Carter, and the boy found Kusanagi suddenly in his hand, flung back at the house, through the open door. He rolled to a stop in front of the forge door and shakily got to his feet.
Carter stared for a moment at his adopted father. He fished around in his pocket for the key.
Then a thunderbolt fell from the sky. A man brandished a glaring sword of scarlet, approaching Guardian.
The boy saw the man and knew he was out of time. The key turned, and he hurriedly pulled the door closed as he dropped inside the forge. A quick twist from the inside allowed him to lock it again, and he heard the gears clunking.
“Lily!” He called for his little sister as he rushed down the steps taking them two at a time. “Lily, we need to go!”
“Carter?” The little girl poked her head out of behind the anvil. “What—”
He grabbed her by the hand, pulling her along with him. “No time to explain!”
An explosion, and a whirlpool of gold. Carter found himself flung backwards, and he cushioned his sister with his body as he slammed into the wall. He grabbed her, and jumped forward.
Into the center of the newly formed portal.
First his feet, then his legs slid through as if there was nothing but air. He sailed through the ground, listening to the forge door shatter into a thousand pieces as the enemy Inheritor smashed it open, heard the cry of anger as he disappeared completely.
Then all was still as the portal slid close, and he dropped into a crouch on an unfamiliar stretch of grass. Lily was crying beside him, hugging his arm.
Kusanagi dropped from his hand onto the ground, and he held on tight to his little sister. The only thing he still had left. One last thing.
He glanced around, taking in the unfamiliar landscape. There was nothing, nothing he could place other than that there were trees, shrubs, grass. He heard a stream flowing nearby. There must have been rocks in it because he heard some crashing and splashing.
But other than that, all was silent.
Then it struck him. His head flicked up as he realized one essential fact.
The birds weren’t singing.
And now that he thought about it, there was a scent of ash in the air.
There’s something more?! Carter unwrapped his arms from around Lily and stood, getting a tight grip on the hilt as he did. I don’t know what it is, but I have to protect, if not myself, then my little sister.
If there’s smoke, there’s people. And if there’s people, there has to be at least one person who’d help us here. And if not us, then her. I don’t care about what might happen to myself if Lily stays safe. I’ve had plenty of years to live my life and work the hardest I could in isolation. She deserves more time; she’s the pure little angel here, not me. If I have to fight off an army to get her to safety, I’ll do it. Just as long as she lives the happiest life she can.
He shook his head grimly. Move forward, Carter. Stop philosophizing about being a meat shield and find out what it actually is over there.
The boy began walking forward. Lily whimpered and hugged his pant leg tighter. He leaned over and hoisted her up, giving her a piggyback ride. She clung tightly to his neck, and he started forward, although a little awkwardly.
They had landed in a small clearing, surrounded by forest and stream. The shrubs blocked his view, and he growled slightly. Kusanagi cut easily through bark and leaves and the boy advanced quickly, following the scent of smoke. He marveled at the smoothness it slashed through the natural obstacles in his path, and the perfect balance. With every swing, a glowing aura of purple whirled out and ran itself over the length over the blade.
But he also felt a little bit of hesitation every time he slashed, the bit of roughness around the edges, the lack of control. The blade was balanced, but he didn’t feel like the blade was made specifically for him, to him. There was no reason not to use the sword, but if he found another that fit him better, he wouldn’t hesitate to swap.
He didn’t really bother holding back in slashing down branches. He knew he was making a commotion. That was the point, anyways. If he made a noise, then someone would find him. Right?
He watched carefully, nodding slightly as he saw the silhouettes of buildings begin to appear. Then he blinked.
The smoke seemed to flow from the foundations of the building itself. The wood wasn’t complete charcoal, but close to it. The ash fluttered gently down to the ground as he glanced around warily. Lily, perhaps sensing that her brother had arrived at their destination, slipped off quietly, sitting down and staring at the ground. Shell-shocked.
The boy brandished his blade and advanced. He gazed around warily, taking in the full scene.
Carter had seen slaughters many times. First as a child at the age of ten, when he and Guardian had gone to a nearby town to trade, only to find invaders standing over fallen corpses. The boy had yelled in surprise, and drawn his own sword as the warriors turned murderously towards them. Together, he and Guardian had managed to incapacitate the entire squadron of killers, and turned them over to the furious survivors. After helping bury the dead and purposely overpay in gold for several towels and some meat, the two had returned home somberly.
The second had been two years later, when he had watched a small group of renegade soldiers attack a group of nomads. He and Guardian, who had been nearby, had managed to fend them off, but several innocents were killed in the fight. The boy could still remember the feeble groans of the dying, the motionlessness of the dead.
After that, as Guardian began to take him outside from the little house more, he had begun to witness the full horrors of life and death.
He thought he had gotten used to it.
The boy hadn’t.
He retched slightly as the stench of burning flesh reached his nose. Fanning a hand underneath, he slashed aside a final tree and found himself in…
What, exactly?
There were several stumps of wood, most of which were charred, and the grass was ashy. A house, not unlike that of his and Guardian’s, propped up with carefully carved wood. Now half gone with the wind. The roof had caved in, and inside, he could see several things inside. A stove, a kitchen area. Separators for rooms and closets. A door leading to a bathroom in the back. Four small mattresses.
The thing that snatched his attention, though, was the kill count.
Fifteen men and women in the same black armor, various wounds in fatal spots, lay around, fallen. Swords, spears, axes, all fell discarded on the ground.
In front of the doorway, Carter saw a woman, kneeling, limp hands gripping a purple bronze spear stabbed into the ground, flashing an adamant color. An arrow protruded from her chest, and Carter could see, plainly, that there was no point in trying to converse with her.
He whispered a curse and moved forward.
And his head snapped back.
He felt the impact of the blow, but didn’t comprehend what was going on. Hadn’t thought there would have been someone else inside.
Carter transformed the uppercut to his jaw into a backflip, and he landed, sword ready, watching his opponent.
What the–what in the name of…
A tall, blonde girl clenched her fist, and moved forward. Blood dripped along the length of her arm, and her slim physique gave no signs of power, yet Carter saw the muscles that had to be there to have thrown a blow. She was a few inches shorter than the boy himself, and obviously much less heavier than the well-muscled boy, and yet it wasn’t just fury that propelled her forward, it was…
Confidence?
Or fear?
He raised his sword and opened his mouth to speak, when a flash of gold whirled at the edge of his vision. He didn’t have time to respond, as blows instantly landed on his face, his chest, his stomach, his arms.
He thought of it as raindrops hitting with the force of a punch, each and every time.
The boy staggered back. Until he figured out what was going on, Carter assumed it’d be better to keep Kusanagi down, lest he skewer a potential ally.
He kept moving backwards, feeling the blows knocking him backwards, step by step. Even when he tried ducking, they continually rained down.
It was only when he managed to take a proper look that he was able to measure up his opponent once again.
She was well-muscled, and her blows rained down hard and fast. Golden eyes glared at him, but he couldn’t help but notice the small slashes across her face.
The only advantage he had was his weight advantage. Clearly, she either wasn’t trying to kill him or didn’t know how to; he could have been killed with every single hit. If he assumed it wouldn’t change, he had a chance. The girl didn’t seem very heavy, around a hundred pounds at most. He suspected he wouldn’t find an ounce of fat–much like himself. On the other hand, Carter’s build was much larger and broader than hers; though he didn’t have any weight to lose, he still found himself around 150 pounds. That meant he outweighed the girl by fifty pounds–at least.
He planted his feet into the ground, and glared back. The girl hesitated, and she slowed slightly in her attacks. What was it that lit her eyes–surprise, or fear?
A single step forward, and the girl stumbled back. If he didn’t think about it for too long, Carter found the attacks stung slightly, but not too much. Not for the first time, he silently thanked Guardian for the intense endurance and stamina training he had been forced to go through.
Kusanagi was kept down by his side, and he slowly advanced. The girl stumbled backwards, offense forgotten, and turned.
His hand lashed forward and grabbed the back of her shirt. Just in time, too, as she dashed forward. The collar yanked her back, and she yelped, slipping on thin air. She thudded onto the ground, and tried to twist out of his grip.
Carter refused to give up his hold, and pulled her back. She strained forward, and he let go. Like a slingshot, the girl raced forward towards a tree, but somehow, magically, she twisted and planted her feet against the bark.
The boy’s eyes widened, before his opponent leaped forward, and smacked him in the nose.
He fell to the ground, then rolled to his feet. The girl skidded to a stop, trying to regain her balance.
Neither of them, he realized, had a good approximation of the other’s skills.
The two stood there for a moment, sweating slightly, bruised maybe, each trying to get a good read on the other.
“Carter?”
The plaintive little voice jerked both of them out of their musings, and Carter glanced at Lily. Her eyes were red, and she was hugging herself, but she seemed okay for the time being.
I have to end this fight. Before she gets hurt.
The girl was busy staring at Lily, her mouth wide open, and so she didn’t see him through a quick uppercut, releasing Kusanagi as he did. It hit her in the ribs, and she gasped, tripping backwards. He raced behind her and whirled around, trapping his forearm against her throat, and his palm against her head.
“Who the hell are you?” He still wasn’t sure of what to make of this girl who could hit faster than sight, but on the other hand, he wasn’t sure why she would be scared. How do you punch so quickly, hit faster than I, a trained fighter, can react, and yet be fearful?
What could do that to such a strong fighter?
The girl pushed slightly at his forearm, as if testing him, and he tightened his grip. She froze, and he could almost see the gears spinning in her brain before she opened her mouth. “I should be asking you that. You aren’t a soldier, but you’re a combatant without powers. I feel like you’re a threat of some sort, but why would you have the girl?”
Carter raised both eyebrows; she obviously knew something he didn’t. “What the hell? Combatant without powers? What are you talking about?”
“Huh?” A note of legitimate surprise. “Do you not know anything about the world you live in, or what’s happening?”
The boy gritted his teeth, and shoved her forward, releasing his grip. The girl stumbled slightly and whirled to face him, but she didn’t attack. She just watched him warily, and at Lily in a confused manner. “Let’s just exchange names first. My name’s Carter, and that’s Lily.”
“My name’s Sophia.” She seemed to tremble on the edge of fighting again, or talking it out. “Do you know nothing about this world?”
He stared for a second. What was he supposed to say? Admit he was hopelessly lost in a labyrinth of protective lies cocooned so he’d never have to see the full truth of a strange new world he’d just seen?
“...No, I don’t.”