"Ha, wow, that's impressive! Wouldn't you agree, Ushi?" Renji said while punching the boy's gargantuan shoulder.
"The guy got lucky, simple as that." Ushi responded.
"Ah, I guess you're right. I heard that the demon got stuck in the foundation of the shed. Isn't that right, Haruko?"
"Yeah," the girl replied unenthusiastically as she cleaned her sword on her yellow haori, clearly unamused.
"I mean, what type of demon gets beat by a building!" Renji laughed while throwing his hands in the air, his haori flapping wildly.
"Either way, the guy killed a demon. I have to give him some respect for that—he might just earn the family name," Ushi said while looking out over the ever-pristine gardens.
"Hey, he might earn it faster than you did! What, didn't it take you two months to get the master's praise?"
"You know that's a trivial concept. That doesn't mean anything," the boy responded, a slight twinge of anger slipping out.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Ushi. Now, you ready to get to work?"
"I thought you'd never stop talking," Haruko replied from the corner of the dojo, cutting off Renji's sentence.
"Well, excuse me, princess, for having interest in our new family member!"
"Shut up, Renji!" Ushi roared.
"Ah, finally got you mad! This should make today's practice more interesting," Renji said, a boisterous smile etched across his face.
"Just ready your stance. Haruko, you call the start."
"Very well," the girl replied as she lackadaisically moved into the center of the dojo.
With that, the two boys stood four yards away from each other, each one intently holding their bokkens.
As the seconds passed in anticipation of the duel, each boy took in a deep and controlled breath—a rush of oxygen engulfing both their bodies, ready to be used in battle.
"Begin!" Haruko roared while throwing her hand down in a motion to start the battle.
————————————————
Tatsuki sat still in a cross-legged position, taking in the evening sun as Mono patched up his burn wounds.
"So, I-I heard you killed a demon?"
"Yeah, the fat bastard basically killed himself."
"Well, even so, it's still impressive."
"Is it now?" Tatsuki asked curiously, intrigued by Mono's words.
"I mean, only Ushi and, well, of course the Master have ever killed a demon before."
"Interesting."
"Well, yeah. I've been a part of the family for a year now, and I haven't even seen a demon yet during my training," Mono replied, her light blue eyes looking longingly at the ground.
"So have you ever seen a demon, Mono?" Tatsuki asked softly, picking up on the girl's sadness.
"Um, um, well… other than when I found you in the courtyard, it was when my…"
"When my…"
"My parents… passed a-away," Mono said, sharply looking away to hide her face.
The girl's arms slightly pulled back, as she spoke of the memorie.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up a bad memory," Tatsuki said apologetically, a forged comforting smile on his face.
"No-no, it's okay," Mono replied in a rushed but hushed tone.
Tatsuki and Mono continued to talk for some time as the girl methodically bandaged his wounds.
Tatsuki tried to subtly poke and prod for details about the other family members, to minimal success—Mono's mood stayed rather standoffish after the topic of her parents came up.
Their conversation turning into a rather plain and awkward affair.
————————————————
Days passed as Tatsuki had finally started his swordsmanship training, though he was still isolated from the other students, as he was far behind them in knowledge and skill.
His first two weeks of training after coming back from the forest were purely strength-based, as he was once again isolated from the other students.
Tatsuki worked endlessly on endurance—running through the forest and doing bodyweight exercises from sunrise to sunset.
After a long and grueling two weeks of training, Master Sachio accompanied him one afternoon to the top of the mountain.
"You've done well for yourself, child. Maybe even better than young Ushi when he first arrived at my compound," the old man said, every wrinkle on his face telling a story of a thousand battles.
"Thank you, Master," Tatsuki replied, his breathing steady and concise.
"To kill a demon without training—even if it's only one of primal instinct—is an accomplishment very few can boast."
"Tell me, Tatsuki, what does it mean to kill a demon?" the master said while looking back at his student.
"It is to rid the world of a prime evil, Master," Tatsuki replied swiftly.
"Don't lie to me, child. Even though our lives have only recently been connected, I can sense your deception."
Tatsuki, in shock, began to panic silently—no words coming out of his mouth.
A thousand questions rushed through his mind at once.
Do I run away?
Can I kill him?
Can I get out of this?
The questions overflowed in Tatsuki's mind like a tsunami, his body going into fight-or-flight mode.
"Calm yourself. I need only hear the answer to my question," the master said firmly, snapping Tatsuki back to reality.
"How did you… know?"
"Child, these eyes cannot be deceived by such youth as yourself. I have seen things far beyond your scope of this world."
"Now I command you, as the head of the Sachio family, answer my request," the master said firmly, the tone of his withered voice changing.
What does it mean to kill a demon? Tatsuki thought to himself in a panic. And for the first time during his stay, he answered from his heart without hesitation.
"To kill a demon is to destroy something that looks down upon you—to rise above it and prove yourself greater!" Tatsuki responded swiftly, yelling his answer in fear.
Master Sachio hesitated for a minute, contemplating the boy's answer as the wind blew his kimono around him before nodding in acceptance and stepping toward the boy.
"Allow me to give you this, as a member of the Sachio estate," the old man said, while sliding an old sheathed sword out of his obi belt.
As the man's calloused hand gave it to Tatsuki, he could feel the weight and age of the sheath—from its chipped honoki wood to its polish, which had rotted with its time in the light.
"This sword is made from the sun itself. Cherish it like it was one of your own appendages."
"Made from the sun?" Tatsuki replied hesitantly, still shaken up from the master's earlier question.
"Indeed. The material it was crafted from absorbs the sun itself, allowing the wielder to even slay a demon with a decapitation."
"That is what you hold in your hands, child—a Nichirin blade. One I once used to slay many a demon in my time."
Tatsuki, in reverence, slightly unsheathed the blade—the golden edge emitting a bright spark upon its release.
"I… I will treasure it, Master, with my life," Tatsuki responded as he kneeled on the ground.
The trees rustled with reverence as the great animals of the endless forest echoed through the incoming dusk.
Though for all its splendor, the most remarkable thing in that forest was the master and student whose bond had just begun.
"Now, child, I shall teach you the ways of the swordsman," Master Sachio said, his stoic expression on full display.
With that, Tatsuki attached his new blade to his obi and was also handed a thin cloth blindfold that was charcoal black in color.
"You have survived and trained on this mountain for many days, Tatsuki. Yet do you truly know its surroundings?"
"Yes, Master," Tatsuki responded immediately.
"We shall see. You will make your way back to the estate with that blindfold on."
"For to truly understand breathing, one must first master their own mind and body—to enhance one's senses to the fullest."
"That is how we slayers can go out at night and fight the inhuman demons with ferocity and conciseness," the master remarked, his eyes gleaming as the setting sun reflected through the trees.
"I expect great success out of you, Tatsuki. Do not disappoint me."
"Yes, Master!"
And with that, the master left like the crackling wind—his presence completely disappearing from Tatsuki's senses.
Swish
Tatsuki tightly tied the cloth blindfold around his head, the pitch-black void overtaking his sight.
I will become more. I will become immortalized, Tatsuki thought to himself as he started his journey down the mountain.
The sound of his new sword clinking like a melody as he moved through the trees.
————————————————
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
John 3:16
If you're enjoying the story, please consider leaving a review or comment—I'd love to hear your thoughts! ❤️