Warriors of the Heavens
Chapter 1
The wind whipped and tore at the hem of her ripped dress and her blood-soaked hair. Her breathing was ragged and the two blades hung limply from her hands. The saber clattered to the cold stone as she lost her grip and collapsed against the ice-covered rocks. The light in her eyes began to dim and she knew that she was dying. This isn’t how it was supposed to end! She thought furiously. I was supposed to succeed; I’m not supposed to die like this! With those last thoughts she passed out and began remembering a time before the destruction of the present…
“Ayano! Get in here!” The deep voice boomed through the house and into the yard where she was sitting at the edge of a koi pond watching the fish swim. She pointedly ignored the calls of her father knowing that it was nothing good. “AYANO!” With a resigned sigh she dragged herself to her feet and slouched into the house facing her father.
“Yes, father.” Her voice was soft, almost lost on the wind and carried away.
“Your mother and I have decided.” Her eyes brightened as her father said this and a small smile began to make its way across her face. “Wipe that ridiculous smile off your face and wait behind the house.” Her father was irritated that she had won and she was enjoying it. The smile widened as she retreated to the back yard. She waited with her hands folded politely over her abdomen brushing the rough linen cloth of her dress smooth over herself.
Within minutes her father was back carrying two blades. He tossed one to her and she caught it with grace and tucked it into the thing belt she always had wrapped around her waist. Her father’s scowl deepened and he drew the blade and attacked his daughter. She leapt to the side and drew her own blade and parried him as he came at her again. Breathing heavily and beginning to sweat he stopped and sheathed his blade sitting on a bench attached to the rear wall of the house.
Ayano smiled sweetly and leaned on her blade with the point dug into the dry soil, “Is that all? That wasn’t even a warm up.” The smile turned into a grin and the sword point raised angling under her father’s throat. “Stand up and continue. You agreed and so far you haven’t kept to your agreement.”
Her father rose swiftly knocking the blade’s point away from his throat and sent his own blade whistling through the air slicing a narrow red line down her arm. She staggered away and laughed wildly, “I’m beginning to enjoy myself, old man.” Her respect for her father was increasing and as she leapt agilely towards them their blades clashed and the sound of metal upon metal grated on their eardrums. This continued for several hours before she fell to one knee clutching the sword hilt leaning on it heavily.
“That’s enough for today.” Her father sheathed his sword and started to walk away.
“I’m… n-not done yet. I c-can still f-fight!” She struggled to her feet using the blade as a crutch and stumbled towards him, “Get b-b-ba−“ She fell with a thump and a cloud of dust sprang up around her body. Her father scooped her up and carried her to her bedroom placing her on her bed. Going back outside, he picked up the two training blades and sheathed them propping them against the wall before heading back inside to collapse on the couch in the living room.
“How is she doing?” The concern in his wife’s voice was evident as it floated through the air from behind him. She moved around and sat carefully beside him folding her hands in her lap. “What do you think?”
His answer was gruff and his voice was emotionless, “She’s a killer. She nearly overpowered me today and this was the first formal bit of training she’s ever had. I don’t think we should continue with her training. She’s dangerous and she enjoyed it. Even the cut I gave her. She laughed and said she was enjoying herself.”
His wife’s eyes widened with every word and she spoke in a hushed tone, “Do you think she’s a−“
Her husband cut her off with a sharp slap to the face, “Don’t speak of it! If there is even the slightest possibility that our daughter was born to be a member of that accursed group I’ll take her head myself!” With that he retreated to their bedroom and lay down to sleep. Nightmares of the band of legendary warriors invading his home and taking his only child away plagued him.
“Ayano! Get in here!” The deep voice boomed through the house and into the yard where she was sitting at the edge of a koi pond watching the fish swim. She pointedly ignored the calls of her father knowing that it was nothing good. “AYANO!” With a resigned sigh she dragged herself to her feet and slouched into the house facing her father.
“Yes, father.” Her voice was soft, almost lost on the wind and carried away.
“Your mother and I have decided.” Her eyes brightened as her father said this and a small smile began to make its way across her face. “Wipe that ridiculous smile off your face and wait behind the house.” Her father was irritated that she had won and she was enjoying it. The smile widened as she retreated to the back yard. She waited with her hands folded politely over her abdomen brushing the rough linen cloth of her dress smooth over herself.
Within minutes her father was back carrying two blades. He tossed one to her and she caught it with grace and tucked it into the thing belt she always had wrapped around her waist. Her father’s scowl deepened and he drew the blade and attacked his daughter. She leapt to the side and drew her own blade and parried him as he came at her again. Breathing heavily and beginning to sweat he stopped and sheathed his blade sitting on a bench attached to the rear wall of the house.
Ayano smiled sweetly and leaned on her blade with the point dug into the dry soil, “Is that all? That wasn’t even a warm up.” The smile turned into a grin and the sword point raised angling under her father’s throat. “Stand up and continue. You agreed and so far you haven’t kept to your agreement.”
Her father rose swiftly knocking the blade’s point away from his throat and sent his own blade whistling through the air slicing a narrow red line down her arm. She staggered away and laughed wildly, “I’m beginning to enjoy myself, old man.” Her respect for her father was increasing and as she leapt agilely towards them their blades clashed and the sound of metal upon metal grated on their eardrums. This continued for several hours before she fell to one knee clutching the sword hilt leaning on it heavily.
“That’s enough for today.” Her father sheathed his sword and started to walk away.
“I’m… n-not done yet. I c-can still f-fight!” She struggled to her feet using the blade as a crutch and stumbled towards him, “Get b-b-ba−“ She fell with a thump and a cloud of dust sprang up around her body. Her father scooped her up and carried her to her bedroom placing her on her bed. Going back outside, he picked up the two training blades and sheathed them propping them against the wall before heading back inside to collapse on the couch in the living room.
“How is she doing?” The concern in his wife’s voice was evident as it floated through the air from behind him. She moved around and sat carefully beside him folding her hands in her lap. “What do you think?”
His answer was gruff and his voice was emotionless, “She’s a killer. She nearly overpowered me today and this was the first formal bit of training she’s ever had. I don’t think we should continue with her training. She’s dangerous and she enjoyed it. Even the cut I gave her. She laughed and said she was enjoying herself.”
His wife’s eyes widened with every word and she spoke in a hushed tone, “Do you think she’s a−“
Her husband cut her off with a sharp slap to the face, “Don’t speak of it! If there is even the slightest possibility that our daughter was born to be a member of that accursed group I’ll take her head myself!” With that he retreated to their bedroom and lay down to sleep. Nightmares of the band of legendary warriors invading his home and taking his only child away plagued him.