KENSHI
"A good swordsman never takes their eyes off of their opponents," lectured my Father before striking me on my shoulder using his wooden sword. Although it was not a real sword, its hardness and sturdiness were enough to send a jabbing pain through my entire system. I lost my balance and fell on my butt. "I told you so many times that getting distracted in the middle of a fight is a death sentence. Focus, son!"
***
"A good swordsman is also a good citizen. Don't forget to help those who are in need," Father said.
"But other nobles don't help other people, Father."
"We are indeed nobles, but it doesn't mean we have to be like the others as well. If being mean and unfair makes a noble, then I don't want to be a noble anymore." Father walked to the nearest family whose house was destroyed when a corrupted creature attacked and gave them blankets and clothes.
***
"You look scared, Father," I pointed out.
"Of course, I am! Your mother is going to give birth to your younger sister! She must be in so much pain right now. Oh, my poor wife. I should've gone inside and stayed by her side!"
"You told me a good swordsman has no fear."
My Father looked at me after frantically worrying about my laboring mother and beamed a reassuring smile. He pulled me close to him and looked me in the eye. "A good swordsman can be scared sometimes. It's what makes the swordsman...man. Fear is a good thing. Fear keeps everyone alive. But do not forget that fear is a double-edged sword. It can either benefit you or harm you."
***
"Father, where will Duke go?" I asked as I watched my pet dog's body being cremated. He died protecting me when someone broke into my house. The culprit was still on the loose. "This is unfair. Duke doesn't deserve this. The one that should've died is the one who killed him."
"Listen to me, son. It's normal to feel angry or to think badly about him, but you have to remember that revenge is a poison. It may give you pleasure avenging Duke, but the regret and guilt will forever haunt you." Father placed his hand on my shoulder as my tears started to pour once again for the nth time today. "Anyway, I think Duke will like his new home. Great dogs like him have a special place in paradise."
***
"I do not own a cursed son!" my Father furiously exclaimed as he shoved me out of the house. I just got awakened as a swordsman, but it revealed that I was cursed as well. "A disgrace such as yourself must be e..." Father cleared his throat after losing his resolve. He was hesitant. "...must be exiled from this family."
Those words struck me like swords and pierced through my heart all at the same time. It dug deep into my mind, telling me that I would never forget it, no matter how much I tried not to remember it.
But those words were just the product of a rational mind. I could feel it. His eyes told me that he never wanted to do it. If only he could find a way to make a difference, he would. But he had no other choice. He did it for the safety of my younger brother, who was still in the womb of my mother.
Having a cursed member in the family could affect the growth and development of the child inside the womb. That was why Father kicked me out of the house. Not because he despised me for being cursed, but for the wellness of my soon-to-be-born younger brother.
That was why, until now, I couldn't bring myself to fully hate him. Yes, I hated him, but not to the extent that I disown him as my father. I hated him because, after the night of my exile, he never bothered to see me again. And whenever we crossed paths, he would just look at me for a second without any hint of joy at seeing his son again.
***
"FATHER!" I screamed from the top of my lungs when one of the tentacle-like arms caught his neck.
My Father winced from the strength of the grip while trying his best to escape from it. But he suddenly stopped, and his eyes gaped. The other three who were captured along with him started screaming as if they were feeling intense pain. But Father remained silent and looked at me instead. Using his remaining energy, he pulled the corners of his mouth in the opposite direction.
He just smiled.
But that was not just any smile. It was a message. A message that said he was happy to see me again. A message that said he was glad that he got to fight with me for the last time. A message that said he regretted his decision before, and he was sorry, and he hoped I could forgive him.
I watched him as his flesh began to rot. It started where the tentacle-like arm was and spread throughout his body. My mind was screaming to help him, but my body failed to listen. I just stood in my spot, frozen in place, while the scene unfolded right before my eyes.
Stupid, old man. How could I bring myself to forgive him when I never hated him in the first place?
I never loathed him. For me, he was still the best father I could ever have.
But that father right now could no longer be seen. The pain I felt during my exile was nothing compared to the pain I was feeling right now. It was as if my world just ended, and time had stopped ticking. It took me a few seconds before realizing what I should do next.
When my eyes landed on Hirako, the grief that was welling up inside was mixed with rage. My vision locked on Hirako and nothing else.
"How dare yo-"
"Stop!" Daku shouted, halting me from doing what I had intended to do. He never bothered to look at me, but he spoke, "Stay out of this, Kenshi."
My brows furrowed more, and my grip on the hilt tightened. "Don't tell me what to do, Daku! He just killed my father!"
"I saw that!"
"You can't expect me to just stand here and do nothing!" Telling someone to stay out of the fight that killed his father was the stupidest and dumbest thing to say.
"I'll fight for you!" Daku protested. "You are filled with rage right now. What do you think will happen if you fight in a state like that? You told me yourself before that engaging in a fight clouded by an intense emotion would be the death of me, and you almost witnessed that back at the Geiya Village."
"But-"
"And have you forgotten about your curse? One touch of those arms could kill you in an instant, and I can't afford to see you dying in front of me. You can't die, take note of that. I haven't fulfilled my promise to you yet."
Daku tightened his grip on the dagger and faced Hirako. The tendril-like arms behind the enemy danced as it waited for Hirako's next command. Daku removed his healing magic from everyone, leaving only himself. His body glowed even greener, a sign that all the healing magic was focused on him.
"Do you think you have a chance against me?"
"You finally talked. I thought you lost your voice after devouring such a huge object."
"Funny. Let's see if you can still make jokes once I kill you."
Hirako sent all four of his arms to Daku. The arms slithered and chased after him like hungry snakes chasing their prey. With Haste in active, Daku evaded all of them while deflecting those he couldn't avoid. The scene remained like this, and as the fight unfolded before me, I just watched helplessly.
Daku was right. With my curse, engaging in this kind of fight was suicide. Even if Daku bathed me with his healing magic, it could overwhelm the magic and make it ineffective. It would be an endless cycle. Aside from that, it would be burdensome for Daku to divide his attention between me and the enemy. I wouldn't forgive myself if Daku got hurt because of me.
But still, I had to do something.
"Argh!" Daku cursed.
Two arms wrapped their fingers around Daku's neck and slowly melted it, but Daku's healing magic antagonized it. Daku placed both his hands on the arms holding his neck and tried to remove them, but the remaining two arms held both his forearms, and a loud crackling noise of broken bones ricocheted throughout the entire arena.
"ARGH!" Daku fell to his knees while wincing in intense pain. His healing magic couldn't keep up with the damage he was receiving. If this continues, he might die. I had to help him. I had to fucking do something!
"Focus, son." I must have been hallucinating when I heard my father's voice. Did I really hear it, or was it just my subconscious using my memory to convey a message to my head? Whatever it was, I received and understood the message.
I closed my eyes and focused on clearing my mind. I had to get rid of any distractions. I had to remove any hint of emotions inside so I could focus on the fight.
"You don't have to be like me just to become a better swordsman, son. Just be true to yourself and you will become the best." Another memory. Another message.
The reason why I couldn't win against my father was that I was too blinded by the thought of becoming like him. I copied how he fought and how he moved. As the origin of the technique, he could predict my every move, hence I always lost. There was only one instance where I was hailed the victor, and that was when I finally did what he told me to. To be true to myself.
I couldn't believe that time that I won against him, and so was he. I was so happy and so proud of myself that I even teased my father that I was one step closer to surpassing him. However, I never got the chance to spar with him again and apply the same technique, as I was exiled the day after that fight. And that technique got somehow masked by my emotions and was buried deep in my memory.
But that memory was starting to resurface until I had the full recollection of it. I put Haste on myself and held the sword with both hands. The moment I opened my eyes, I dashed toward the arms holding Daku and sliced through them with ease.
The arms retreated and returned to their owner, and with Hirako's healing magic, they slowly grew a new set of hands and fingers. While it was busy regenerating, I turned to look at Daku, who was now silent. His head was down, but I could say he was conscious because of the healing magic still active. But I could tell he had been weakened. I bet he was recovering himself at the moment because I couldn't do this alone. I needed his help.
"Watch out, Mister Kenshi!" Kana announced, and four tendrils of arms were on their way toward me. Suddenly, an arrow flew and intercepted one of them, exploding upon impact. The hands got destroyed again but were regenerated back to their original state.
Then, my body suddenly glowed red. "We'll try to back you up!" Shino offered while pointing her glowing staff at me, implying that she was the one who cast Vigor on me.
"Thanks, you two!" I faced Hirako, who was ready to send another wave of attack. "Focus, Kenshi," I thought, and locked my eyes on the arms.