halc25

The tired samurai walked back from his lord’s estate towards his small wooden cabin located in the woods. Years of serving Lord Akashi were fulfilling to the veteran and allowed him to send money to his poor farming family while living a simple life himself. Sure, he had seen much conflict, as the Lord’s desire for land and wealth was insatiable. Resultantly, he had lost many friends and good soldiers on the frontlines of clan clashes and brushed up against death a couple of times himself. Over the years, he rose to high status amongst the Akashi clan as the Lord’s most trusted soldier as well as the most sought out target if other clans were going to weaken the Akashi. Sure, the samurai did not enjoy killing, nor did he care for wealth or honor, but over the years he became numb to it. He was skilled and was able to provide for his family, and that is all he cared about. A slight breeze felt nice on the old man’s skin, whipping both his white hair and the fabric of his robe around

I now sat alone in the white room, the anxiety of the exam still wearing off. I mindlessly stare off at the wall, reassuring myself that I passed the exam and would easily qualify to be an “Inventor” since I was one of the top students in my class and possessed one of the most creative minds out of all sixteen year-olds. Without warning, I heard the monotone voice state that I stand up and come to the center of the room. I thought the voice would sound louder in the center of the room, but there were no speakers anywhere; weirder still the voice sounded like it came from within my head. The voice announced that I did indeed pass the written portion of the exam, though there was no trace of congratulations in the words. The voice then explained that an applied exam would follow next, I would have four days to create something new, preferably an invention or creature, but a discovery would work too. It asked if I understood the exam and I nodded. The word begin was heard from all around

Clutching my wounded chest, I stumble a few steps on the ice before bracing my fall by grabbing the snow-kissed mountainside for support. The wind is beginning to pick up and night will set soon I grumble to myself as I shuffle along the narrow pass. If I were to look back, I could almost see the ashen cemetery with the billowing white tree where I was a few days before. But I don’t, so I don’t. A few more hours of near misses and bitter cold land me into a narrow opening in the mountainside, which I eagerly press myself into. The separation of rocks opens slightly as I shimmy deeper until I’m met with a small, twenty-foot-wide cavern. Using a blade, some rock, and old cloth as tinder, I start the weakest of fires. The slight illumination allows me to make out the shape of a being pressed against the back wall of the cave with a dull orange glow pulsing. Cautiously, I approach the figure, blade drawn. I squint at the being and see a very faint, blue aura surrounding it’s whole being;