The Burnt Village

Prologue

In the depths of Moeru-mura, a farming village in the mountains, a young boy by the name of Tsushiro speaks to his lone parent.

“Mother, what does it mean to be a samurai?” Tsushiro asks to a woman with long hair wearing a blue kimono.“Many believe that a samurai protects their honor, and fights no matter the circumstance. But that’s wrong. A true samurai knows when to fight, and when to....”

“Run!” A horseman screams to Tsushiro, the village aflame tens years later. Piles of ash flow through the scorched wind as men, women, and children alike scatter away from their families. Although many ran, more died to the flying serpents flames.

“Kami-Sama, please save us from this fate. Save us from the dragon before us. Save us!” A woman screeches raspy, the remains of her family crumbled up into a ball within her clenched fists.

“What are you doing, we need to go!” The horseman says.

Tsushiro stares blank into the red sky.

“Go on, Hiroa.” “What?!” “I said go on! I’m ready to die, Hiroa. Take me, great demon!” Tsushiro throws his hands to his sides.

“Damn it all, Tsushiro.” Hiroa grumbles, whipping his reigns. The horse neighs as it hurdles over bodies.

A serpent dragon, with the face of a lion, the whiskers of a carp, silver scales stained red in blood, and a body stretching out for what seemed to be a mile pops out from the side of a building, grabs Hiroa’s horse, picks the two up and roars. The flesh seared to the bone before the horse and Hiroa were swallowed whole.

Tsushiro’s arms drop. Before he could think, he found himself running. The dragon tailed closely behind, preparing a blast of fire. Although within his heart, he was ready to die-- deep within his mind he was not.

Tsushiro’s feet slip off of the edge of a cliff. The dragon smiles as Tsushiro struggles to grip onto the mountainside, fails and continues to fall. He goes unconscious once his head hits a large stone, his body flopping down to the bottom.