Foreboding

There I woke up. In a place that's not where we spar, nor at home. At this moment I'm standing, no, floating, in a dark void. I try screaming but no noise appears to even escape my mouth.

It was then I realized I had no mouth.

Though I find myself in this bizarre situation, I still feel an odd calm as I try to swim forward for any chance of escape.

Then it all shook.

This shaking was felt through my core as I tried holding on to any tangible object, but there was nothing, everywhere. So all I did was brace myself, waiting for it to all end.

"I smell new blood in my domain. State your name and purpose." A voice with certainty and dominance shook me through my core.

Fear. Hearing the voice, I felt fear. I tried rushing for a response surpassing the realization that I had no mouth, and in pure instinct it seemed I responded with my head.

"My name is Katsushima Yoshitaro and... I-I'm not really sure why I'm here."

"Your scent. You must be the vessel." The voice rang, responding to his thoughts.

"Vessel...? A vessel for what?"

"A tragic fate entails you, vessel. That of pain and suffering to break you and succumb to me." The voice states.

"Wh-what are you even talking about?! Who are you?!"

"Hah. You will know in due time, vessel." The voice laughs before continuing.

"But remember this everytime you grab hold of this power that, for the moment, you can still grab:"

"W-what's even happening...?!"

"Enough. Know your place." The voice exclaimed.

And as a flash of darkness swept Yoshitaro, he woke up.

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

Yoshitaro stood up slightly disoriented, and his now bandaged head was hurting from the hit Suejiro did on him.

He looked around and realized he was back home and immediately ran out of his room in hopes that Kichiji is there outside well and good.

But instead reality sank in and all that there was was Sensei Tosaku and Suejiro talking on the table in the middle of the night, only illuminated by the lamp that's placed between them.

"You've woken up at the perfect time Yoshitaro. Sit down and let me explain our plan of attack." His sensei commanded.

Yoshitaro sat down and listened to his Sensei's commands.

"From what Suejiro has told me, Kichiji has been taken by bandits, no?" Sensei Tosaku asked Yoshitaro.

"Yeah, that's what happened." Yoshitaro said in a somber tone.

"Do not put yourself down. In that moment, charging in recklessly would've just ended both your lives." Sensei said in an attempt to calm Yoshitaro down.

Yoshitaro nodded, his eyes glimmering with a newfound sense of determination.

"Now it seems that everyone is ready." Sensei said while smoking from a pipe. Both brothers never knew this and were visibly shocked at this revelation.

"Oh, quiet down. If I don't do this from time to time I would go insane." Sensei said after blowing another one.

Suejiro simply nodded.

"Be ready, for we are about to pay them back, tenfold." Sensei said, grinning with eyes burning with a type of malice the brothers have never seen before.

A few minutes passed as Sensei began relaying the plan to the two brothers. Afterwards, he began giving the brothers their respective weapons before sending them off.

"It is obvious that our training is cut short therefore, putting you at an inherent disadvantage." Sensei remarked as he was looking through a cabinet outside.

"But for now, all I can offer you in my feeble body are these two blades and my prayers." Sensei handed us both sheathed blades.

As we were getting accustomed to the steel blades, Sensei Tosaku called for Yoshitaro as he sat back down on the house's porch, taking a puff on his cigar.

"That blade you are using... Give it to Kichiji once you find him and he is in good condition." The sensei ordered.

"E-eh...? Then what am I supposed to use?" Yoshitaro said confusingly.

"Underneath the table, open the loose plank. That one... is yours" Sensei said in a rather melancholic tone.

Yoshitaro, not noticing this and was rather excited at the prospect of his own sword immediately rushed towards the aforementioned table and opened the loose floorboard underneath. Tucked in this hidden compartment, a handle could be visible with the rest of the sword being underneath the floor itself. Carefully, Yoshitaro moved the blade out until he saw the true size of his "sword".

It was far larger than the swords Sensei gave to Yoshitaro and Suejiro, in all dimensions. Yet the blade itself appeared more like a slab of steel than actual sword. The sword made Yoshitaro queasy.

"Save Kichiji, and... please don't lose..." Sensei appeared to have wanted to say something more but was stopped in his tracks for some reason.

"I will save Kichiji." Yoshitaro said in a newfound sense of confidence as that stems from his visibly nervous master.

"You mean WE will save him right?" Suejiro suddenly interjects Yoshitaro.

"Haha! That's right." Yoshitaro smiled.

Yoshitaro then proceeded to tighten the wrap of his headband as he began walking out of their home, with Suejiro on his side.

"Sensei... I'll pay them back ten... No, a hundred times over for what they did to Kichiji." Yoshitaro thought to himself.

As the boys stepped out of the home and into the woods Sensei's thoughts were suddenly unraveled in the smoke.

"Suejiro, I hope you save Yoshitaro from losing... himself." He muttered as he took a puff from his pipe.