Ra ‘’The immortal’’ [ 第六章 ]. ( PART 2)

At the carriage, Rolo was holding his tears as he drives the carriage away. Everyone was awfully quiet. No one could have said anything to cheer up since they know nothing can change this tragedy. Jin kept thinking as they drive away about what Ra told him.

‘’In this world, it’s either kill or be killed. There is no in-between!’’

The group continued driving away till Emily screamed. Her scream got Rolo to stop.

‘’Emily...’’ Edward said as he was worried. Emily got out of the carriage and stood there looking at the gloomy clouds.

‘’I hate this...I never wanted to feel this feeling ever again...But, now it came back...’’ Emily said as the tears run down her dusty cheeks.

Edward got out as well as Jin and sat next to her. Emily kept crying and crying. Jin couldn’t hold it anymore and started to cry as well. Edward as much as he could bit his lip and clenched his fist, he couldn’t help but cry. Rolo stood behind them as he sees them grieving for people who shared just a few hours with them, yet they grieve as if they were lifetime friends. He couldn’t help but cry as well for Abram and Elena.

Back at the battle place, Ra was sitting looking at the gloomy clouds from afar.

‘’Rain is coming huh?’’ He spoke.

‘’I lost too much blood from those cuts of the Samurai. I didn’t expect those two to fully be prepared to die here as well. They are one hell of soldiers.’’ Ra thought to himself. ‘’I must bandage and continue my mission. It's either kill or be killed. Right? Brother?’’

As the night falls, Jin and the group were resting around a bonfire in silence. Till Edward spoke.

‘’So, what will we do now?’’

‘’There is nothing we can do. We must head back to the capital and somehow find a way for me to contact King Zolten.’’ Rolo said as he looks at the fire.

‘’He is too strong... We have no choice I think...’’ Emily said as her hands fidget nonstop.

Jin was quiet the whole time as he was thinking about a specific day.

When Jin was 4 years old, he was spying on his mentor who was in the forest. He usually goes in the mornings. Every time he goes, he brings his katana with him. Jin was sneak peeking behind a tree. He sees his mentor in a field swinging his katana around. His movements were beautiful but deadly. Jin’s eyes glow as he sees the sweat flying in the air with each body movement. He could feel a tremendous amount of strength coming from each swing.

His mentor notices the presence of little Jin and stops. Jin immediately hides. His mentor shows up in front of him. He held his hand and got him to come with him to the field. Musashi grabs a stick a bit shorter than his katana and gave it to Jin. He held it and started looking at his mentor to figure out what is the reason for it. Musashi stepped forward and swings his blade. He then looks at Jin to do the same. Jin then tried to swing like his mentor. Musashi grabs his hands and slowly swings to show him how to properly swing. He then fixes his posture, and footwork and the two started to swing. Musashi swings and looks back to Jin who swings after he swings. The two continued till the sun was at its highest. Later on, Jin got a better wooden stick carved to look like a sword. Jin fell in love with it. Like every time he was about to sleep, he knows tomorrow morning he will start to swing his wooden sword with his mentor. It was his happiest time of the day.

The years have passed, and now Jin started to spar with his mentor with wooden swords. As they finished their sparring, Jin made tea and they sat down next to the entrance of their cottage. Jin got curious and asked his mentor.

‘’Mentor, have you ever killed someone?’’ His mentor took the wooden sword and started to write on the ground.

‘’You have!’’ Jin said as he was surprised.

‘’Is it wrong to kill someone?’’ Jin said as he was about to drink his tea. His mentor strikes him in the head with the wooden sword. Jin spills the tea all over his clothes.

‘’M-Mentor?’’ Confused Jin said as he holds where he was hit ‘’I-I know. Killing is an unforgivable sin.’’ as he scratches where he was hit,

his mentor then started to write again.

‘’Killing for others is a sin. But killing for yourself is an unforgivable sin.’’ Jin didn’t understand what that means at that time.

‘’Jin! Jin!’’ Emily said as she waves her hand in front of him.

‘’Yes. Sorry, I spaced out.’’ Jin replied.

‘’What do you think we should do Jin?’’ Edward asked.

‘’It is settled! We should get back to the capital! He will come after us. All of Abram and Elena’s efforts will go to waste.’’ Rolo said as he stood up.

‘’No... We will go to Hogios.’’

‘’What? Are you out of your mind? We can’t defeat that guy. Even if you three all fight him at once, he will still win.’’ Rolo shouted with a worrying tone at Jin.

‘’I have a plan. This is the only way I can think of to get Rolo to Hogios safe.’’ Jin said as Edward and Emily see his determination.

‘’We are listening,’’ Emily said.

‘’What’s the plan, Jin?’’ Edward asked.

‘’Why you insist on going? I will pay you whether we go or not’’ Rolo asked.

‘’We don’t want your money!’’ Emily angrily said as she stood up. ‘’Don’t you get it? It’s because we want to!’’

‘’You said we, ‘’adventurers’’ are just a bunch of greedy human beings,’’ Edward said as he stood up as well.

‘’That’s not what being an adventurer is all about,’’ Jin said as he stood up.

Emily grabs Rolo from his collar and pushed him over her till both of their foreheads hit each other. As Rolo sees the burning flames inside of Emily’s eyes. She said with a loud voice that birds started to fly away from the nearby trees.

‘’IT’S BECAUSE WE ARE FREE!’’ Rolo was shocked and got down on his knees.

‘’An adventurer is a person who is not bound to anything. An adventurer is a person who makes a change by themselves and does not wait on others. An adventurer is a free person!’’ As those words come out of Emily’s mouth, Rolo couldn’t help but look down defeated.

‘’Now, Jin! What's the plan?’’ Emily asked as she scratches her forehead.

A few hours later, Ra has bandaged himself and took a small break before he continues his pursuit. As he jumps from tree to tree, he sees the carriage driving ahead.

‘’So, in the end, they intend to go back to the capital. As predicted.’’

Ra follows the carriage till he catches up and jumps in front of it. The one driving the carriage stopped. It was Jin.

‘’You! Where is the oth-’’ Before he continues his sentence, he realized their plan and smiles.

‘’Well done! You knew that I know you will go back to the capital. Impressive Samurai!’’

‘’I learned from the best on how to lead people,’’ Jin replied as he got out of the carriage.

‘’So, Your friends. Where are they?’’

‘’You don’t have to know. Me and you will end this.’’ Jin said as he wields his katana, ready for battle.

‘’I see, you’ve changed in just a short time! You’re more determined now! Show me what you got Samurai!’’ Ra said with his frightening voice as he brings out his daggers.

Emily, Edward, and Rolo were headed on foot to the Hogios Kingdom when Rolo asked them.

‘’Are you two sure to leave Jin to fight him alone?’’

‘’Sure? No. I rather fight with him and die than for him to be the only one dead.’’ Emily replied. ‘’But both of us, trust Jin 100 percent. If he says he will come back, he will.’’

‘’Yep!’’ Edward said.

‘’Mind if I ask you a question?’’ Jin said to Ra.

‘’if your question is why am I doing this or who sent me, then forget about it. I won’t answer.’’

‘’Mine was how did it feel when you killed for the first time?’’ Ra took a moment of silence before he answered back.

‘’It felt amazing!’’

‘’I see.’’ Jin wasn’t convinced by his answer.

‘’Are we going to fight or what? I still have a guy to capture and two more to kill.’’

‘’You won’t go anywhere,’’ Jin said as he speeds dashed at Ra.

Ra speeds dash as well. The two closed the gap between them in a second and both swung at the same time. As Jin’s katana and Ra’s daggers clang, a small spark sparkled and unveils through the night the burning black eyes of Jin and the red murderous eyes of Ra. The two step back away from each other. Ra throws one of his daggers at Jin as he runs at him. Jin blocks it. That moment allowed Ra to close the gap and swings his other dagger at Jin from below. He barely dodges it as the attack scratched Jin’s cheek. Ra followed it with more swings. Jin kept defending by blocking his attacks.

‘’What’s the matter Samurai? Where is that determination you had earlier? Huh?’’ Ra said as he laughs and swings his dagger at him nonstop. Jin couldn’t respond as he was too focused on the attacks and getting away from them.

Jin finally swings back; Ra spins and jumps away, back to his other dagger.

Out of nowhere, the rain started to fall. As the two look up to the rainy sky, Ra spoke.

‘’What a marvelous night Samurai! The sky is eager to see a battle.’’ he raised his arms high and wide as he enjoys the rain falling on his face.

Back at the place of the first battle, Emily, Edward and Rolo arrived and see Abram and Elena’s dead bodies. Rolo and Emily started crying. Rolo then took Abram’s longsword and Elena’s necklace with him. He puts them next to each other with the help of Edward. He closes their eyes and continued their journey toward Hogios.

Under the rain, Jin and Ra continued their fierce battle as they head to an empty field inside a forest.

‘’Samurai! You still didn’t show me what makes your race, a warrior race.’’ Jin didn’t respond.

‘’Something doesn’t feel right, he kept blocking and he attacks the least. Is he stalling for time or is he preparing to do something?’’ Ra thought to himself.

The two stopped attacking each other for a moment. As they look at each other within a distance, Ra spoke.

‘’Time to end this. Samurai!’’

‘’I agree,’’ Jin replied.

Ra puts both of his daggers away. He holds his hands together. Jin knew what was coming.

‘’Water Magic: Twin Star Sharks’’

Water started to appear and create two giant sharks behind Ra.

‘’Remember them? Of course, you do! One of them almost killed you.’’ Ra said.

Jin looks at the terrifying two sharks and Ra as they face him. He took a deep inhale and exhales slowly. Ra notices and thought of the technique he used at their first encounter.

‘’That technique won’t help you!’’

‘’Did you know, Samurais have their techniques passed down from one generation to another? Not just by learning, but by the katana itself as well.’’

‘’What do you mean?’’ Ra asked as he was confused.

‘’The technique I will show you now is passed down to me by my mentor. Prepare yourself.’’ The last two words got Ra excited.

‘’Show me, Samurai! The might of your mentor!’’ Ra screams those words as his sharks were ready to go after Jin.

Jin closes his eyes and held his blade vertically with two hands. He puts his dominant foot ahead, and the other behind. He took a deep inhale and held it. Ra started to see a dark aura surrounding Jin and his sword, getting bigger and bigger till it covered the whole background. From that darkness, two red eyes appeared. Ra got goosebumps all over his body.

‘’This... This is... Death?’’ Ra couldn’t express what he is seeing. Is it a god or a demon?

Jin opens his eyes; Ra felt an immense strength gathered. He immediately orders his two giant sharks to attack.

‘’Shinigami Style: Death.’’

The moment Jin strikes with his blade, the moment he exhaled. As if time stopped, Neither Ra nor his two sharks could move. He could only see Jin strike in slow motion, while everything around was covered in black. That strike’s air alone dispersed the two sharks to nothingness. Ra sees the attack coming but can’t move.

Ra opens his eyes to see the sky stopped raining, as he was on the ground. Jin comes closer to his vision.

‘’T-That attack... You beat me...’’ Ra said slowly as he struggles to say each word.

‘’No... My mentor who beat you. I used his technique against you. Even though I missed.’’ Ra looks at his body and saw one deep slash from his navel to his right shoulder. As blood kept coming out, Ra chuckled.

‘’You call this a miss? Nevertheless, the scar which this slash will leave will forever be in my body.’’ He said joyfully ‘’This was a battle that will be written in history as a legendary duel!’’

‘’Yes,’’ Jin said with a sad tone.

‘’Go to your friends, you don’t have to stay with me in my dying minute.’’

‘’I see.’’ Jin then took off.

‘’In Edril, there is an abandoned village in the northeast. One of the houses has a lot of money stashed under the floor. Use it for something noble. ‘’

‘’Okay,’’ Jin said.

’’ I will forever hold the sin of killing you deep inside my heart.’’ Those were Jin’s last words to Ra.

‘’What a wonderful ending to this curse of ‘’Immortality’’. I’ll soon join you brother.’’ Ra’s last spoken words as the bright new sunrise shine on his smiley face.