A reality check

“ Hello, old man. ” said Ken, trying to hide his rapid breathing as he quickly hid his bloody hands behind his back.

Saito moved slowly, accompanied only by the sound of his cane. He didn't seem surprised or angry. Just tired. “ You don't need to hide them, kid. I've been hearing you banging on that wall for months. Do you think I've gone deaf as well as old? ”

Saito sat down with difficulty on an old wooden box. Ken, for his part, sat down next to him.

Without asking permission or saying a word, the old man took Ken's hands. Those hands looked battered. The knuckles were swollen and red, with traces of concrete dust embedded in the skin.

“ You really are an idiot. ” Saito muttered, pulling a small bottle of alcohol and some bandages out of his pocket. “ This is going to sting.”

Saito poured the alcohol onto Ken's fists. Ken gritted his teeth in pain, but did not pull his hands away.

As the old man began to bandage him, silence fell between them once more, but this time it was a silence they both shared.

“ It's good that you want to push yourself. ” Saito said as he finished bandaging his hand. “ But there's a fine line between training and punishing your body. ”

Ken deflected, pretending not to understand the concern in the old man's voice. “ They'll heal. They always do. ”

Saito sighed, releasing the boy's hands, now wrapped in white bandages. “ I don't want you to join the Kijin, Ken. ”

Ken tensed. “ We've already talked about this... ”

“ Listen to me. ” Saito interrupted. “ I've seen too many young men like you, full of courage and determination, but when they walk out that door... I see them come back in body bags, or worse... not come back at all. You're not a soldier, Ken. You're a survivor. You have a gift for cheering people up around here. That's worth more than killing monsters. ”

Ken jumped to his feet, frustration visible once again. “ I don't care what you or anyone else says!” he exclaimed, his voice echoing in the alleyway. " They took my brother. He's out there somewhere in this hell. I'm joining the squad, I'm getting my sword, and I'm bringing him back. Whatever it takes. "

Saito looked up at him from below. In his ken eyes, he saw the determination that emanated from him. It was not a whim; rather, it was a life mission... or perhaps, family destiny.

The old man sighed, resigned. He knew he could not cage him.

“ All right. ” Saito finally said, leaning on his cane to get up. “ You're as stubborn as your brother. But promise me one thing: if something goes wrong, if the outside world hurts you... remember that you will always have a place here. This is your home. ”

Ken's face softened. He was going to respond, he was going to say thank you, but fate had other plans.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake. A column of fire and black smoke rose not far away, near the eastern section of the wall.

“ What the hell!? ” Ken shouted.

They both ran toward the main street. What they saw made their blood run cold. The alarms hadn't sounded in time. Smoke was rising from the eastern wall. And through the smoke, misshapen silhouettes were entering.

“ They're in! ” someone shouted. “ He's broken through! The Onis are inside! ”

It was impossible. The Citadel was supposed to be secure. They had never gotten this close before. Panic spread through the Citadel.

Ken didn't think twice. He ran toward the scene. “ Ken, wait! ” Saito shouted, reaching out his hand, but it was too late. “ Stop, you idiot! You have no weapons! ”

Ken didn't listen. Adrenaline had erased his fear and reason. This is my chance, he thought. I can prove my worth. I can protect them.

It didn't take Ken long to reach the area. But reality hit him before any fist did. There were several bodies on the ground. Civilians who hadn't been quick enough. 

In front of him, a group of three Onis were destroying buildings. They were of the Gray Infantry class: two-meter-tall humanoids with grayish skin and muscular builds, armed with rusty metal clubs.

The Kijin were far away, on the other side of the citadel or in the infirmary. There was no one else. Just him.

“ Hey, freaks! ” Ken shouted.

The three Onis slowly turned around. Seeing them up close, Ken's legs trembled. They were enormous. Much bigger and scarier than in the stories he had heard at school. Instinctive fear threatened to paralyze him.

But one of the Onis didn't wait. Instead, he lunged at him, raising a steel pipe.

Ken reacted purely on instinct. His months of solitary training kicked in. Ken ducked, letting the pipe pass over his head, cutting through the air where he had been a second before.

“I dodged it!” he thought, surprised.

The Oni roared and threw a backhand punch. Ken jumped back. “I can see his movements!”

Confidence flooded his brain. "They're not that great! They're slow! " Ken saw an opening. The Oni left his side exposed.

Ken lunged forward and landed a direct punch to the monster's ribs with his bandaged hand.

Thanks to that, the Oni took a step back from the impact. Ken smiled. “Take that-”

His smile vanished instantly. The Oni wasn't hurt, but furious. Ken's blow had barely made a dent. The creature's skin was tough. The monster roared, and this time, its movements changed. It was no longer a clumsy attack. Something in the Onis had changed.

The other two Onis joined in. Suddenly, Ken was no longer the hunter. He was surrounded. He tried to dodge their attacks, but they were too fast. A gray fist grazed his shoulder, causing him to spin. Another blow hit him in the back. Ken threw desperate punches, but it was like hitting a wall of tires. They either took the blows or simply blocked them.

“ Agh! ” Ken screamed, backing away, feeling cornered.

The leader Oni, tired of playing games, lunged forward with speed. Ken raised his arms to protect himself, but it was useless. The club struck him in the side.

Ken was thrown violently against the wall of a building. He fell to the ground, spitting blood, unable to breathe. The pain was excruciating. His whole body screamed in agony.

The three Onis slowly approached to finish off the little nuisance. The leader raised his club to crush his skull. Ken tried to move, but his legs wouldn't respond. He closed his eyes, waiting for the end... Remembering his brother.

Ken, his vision blurred, saw the Kijin sheathe his sword. The soldier turned toward him, but did not extend his hand. He looked at him with contempt. “ You're Kurosu's brother, aren't you? ” said the Kijin, lifting him roughly off the ground, ignoring his moans of pain. I thought Grandfather told you not to confront them.

 Ken felt humiliated. He wanted to yell at him, he wanted to hit him, but he couldn't move. He knew there was a terrible truth in those words. Today, he hadn't been a warrior. He had been a victim. I'm not a Kijin... not yet.

The invasion was quickly contained. Apparently, it had only been a reconnaissance advance that had gotten lucky with a weak wall. Casualties were minimal this time.

Ken was taken to the infirmary. He stared at the ceiling, his fists clenched, vowing that this would be the last time anyone would have to save him.

But Ken didn't know that he hadn't gone unnoticed.

Far away, on a dark rooftop overlooking the square, a hooded figure lowered a pair of tactical binoculars. He had seen the fight.