The Crimson Demon

Over the years Shin trained with the sword in his spare time, barely surviving the wilderness due to his lack of training.

Because of this, Shin quickly learned that by fighting others and in the arenas he could earn money, which he could use to survive. He began to lose all his knowledge about the wilderness that all children of Raalte were taught, instead forced to follow the ways of the so-called ‘civilized’ people, but he rather liked it. He held no appreciation for the wildlife around him, only caring for his ability as a swordsman, after all.

And like that, Shin was ready to set out and become a legend among warriors.

Day after day he sought out powerful fighters, betting money on his victory, or taking it anyways if he won, which he always did.

He would visit villages and towns and seek out the local heroes and challenge them, even going as far as to threaten to attack the citizens they were supposed to protect.

The only real thing that made him infamous was that he always killed his opponents in battle, no matter who it was.

So as he went he left behind a trail of dead warriors, and this, caused villages and towns to be more vulnerable to bandit braids.

Shin didn’t know why there were more raids, but he saw it as a good thing. Bandits could fight, and they fought in groups. Perfect.

So when there was raid nearby? He would go and single-handedly massacre all the bandits in minutes, despite being often outnumbered by over a hundred.

In the end, Shin was a threat to everyone. He even raided villages by himself occasionally for money; this eventually caused him to become a feared and wanted man, although he claimed that it were the villagers who raised arms against him first. Many brave but foolish young men sought out to be the first to kill him for such a large reward, only to lose their lives in their attempt. Even the armies of many countries tried to avoid him after finding that even with the advantage of numbers they couldn’t win.

Such a man could not possibly exist, and yet Shin did. Wherever he went, chaos generally ensued, even if he generally only fought those who were armed.

Everything began to change, however, the day when Shin met someone different than the rest.

She looked young enough to be a child, despite her insistence that she was a young woman. And despite her looks, she was a proficient master of the sword as well.

Her name was Iris.

That day, Shin had been wandering through Raalte, making his way back to a certain village. This was no ordinary place for him, for there was one he considered someone that could be trusted. They were in agreement for mutual reasons, Shin and the one in the village. Shin would not kill the man, for he was close in skill to a real swordsmaster, but in exchange he would provide Shin of information about the strongest warriors of the land so that Shin could seek and kill them for a price, which the man was glad to pay.
It was because of this man that Shin did not have to raid villages anymore for money, thankfully. There was no honor in killing the weak, and it was not something to be proud of. However, when he got there, he was in for a surprise.

“Where’s Brixus?” Shin shouted when he found the man’s house empty.

One of the villagers who recognized Shin as the man who occasionally visited their elder spoke up.

“Brixus… appeared to have been killed by bandits nearly a year ago. We all thought he had been safe after some children helped us rescue him from being a hostage, but days later the bandits raided again, and Brixus’ body dragged off by the bandits.”

Shin, after realizing what he said, fell into a rage.

“That can’t be possible! Brixus was by far a better fighter than all of you combined, and yet many of you are still here, well and alive?” Shin yelled angrily. "What kind of lie is that? Next time you decide to lie to me, come up with a more convincing lie!"
Shin knew how good a swordsman Brixus was; he had fought the man himself, and although he won as always, the man was certainly good enough to take on a group of bandits without a sweat.
The villagers cowered back, trying to calm Shin down and save their own lives. One cried, “No! It seemed like they were targeting only the village elder—“
“Nonsense!” Shin shouted. “It’s a lie! You’re all lying to me, and you all deserve to die!”

It was over only minutes later. The last villager, screaming as he ran, fell by Shin’s hand. Shin stood there without a trace of emotion on his face.

“That is what you all deserve, weaklings. Be glad that I prefer to kill quickly than leave my enemies in pain.”

Shin always went for the killing blow. It was cleaner, more efficient, more honorable. Yes, he believed in honor, but these days no one fought him honorably. But recently he was frustrated because there was no one challenging to fight anymore, no one he could find, at least. And now Brixus was gone.

Where could he have gone?

Shin eventually walked off, unknowing of the fact that many hours of walking behind him was a small group of exceptional warriors. All but two, actually, since one could only heal and the other was… well, a pseudo tactician. But that’s not important.

The important thing was, Iris was traveling with that party.

At nightfall that same day Shin was sitting on the ground, leaning against a tree, and contemplating what to do. It was nearly midnight when a young girl appeared, who immediately drew her sword when she saw him. He only smirked in response.

“Are you the one called Shin?” she asked.
Shin nearly smiled. Here was a girl who wasn’t afraid of him; no, instead, she directly approached him. “And if I were? What would you do? Commit suicide? Run? Shake in fear?”
“It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that I recognize you, from many years ago, when you killed all my parents, my friends, and my neighbors.”
“Funny. I don’t remember leaving any of the people I fight alive, and the way you put it I massacred your entire village except you, and yet you were there. How unlikely; normally, I would have sensed you. Even so, I suppose you here for revenge.”
“That’s right. Stand and draw your sword. This will be a duel to your death.”
“My death? I’ve never lost a fight before, girl. And right now I’m still feeling rather angry. You might become the first person I torture to death.”
“I won’t lose to the likes of you. Now, stand! Draw your sword! I shall avenge my village!”

Shin just laughed. “At your ready, then.” He said, without even moving.

The girl stared in shock, realizing that he had given her the right to begin attacking, even as he sat there. Shin already knew the girl couldn't do it. His eye was that keen.

“What? Not ready to fight? Go away, then, before you begin to bother me too much.”
“S-Stand! Why aren’t you standing? I intend to honor the rules of a duel, and yet you do not stand? I will not strike you down if you start at a disadvantage.”
“In that case, I win, because I’m not following your orders. Besides, I probably didn’t kill your parents and friends honorably. I was probably outnumbered, after all. Of course it wasn’t a very honorable way to fight. Your parents were probably cowards, seeking safety in numbers.”

There was something interesting about this girl. Shin couldn’t place it, but she was… different. Shin hadn’t met one like this girl before. He also couldn’t help aggravating her. For some reason, it was fun, watching her get frustrated. And this was the first real conversation he’s ever had with anybody.

“My parents were not cowards! They—“
“Prove it. I have proof that they were, and it’s because they probably fought in numbers. Cowards, every one of them. You’re certainly much braver then they are, although that could be because you’re stupider than you think.”
“…Was that supposed to be an insult or a complement?”
“Both. Or neither. Whatever you wish to think. Do you know how to count?”
“What?”

Oh, the confusion etched on her face was hilarious.

“What, don’t tell me you don’t know how to count.”
“Count…? Why are you even asking such a silly question? Of course I know how to count.”
“Then, how many leaves are on the tree I’m leaning against?”

Silence as the girl looked up for a few seconds.

“How should know? There’s too many of them to count!”
“No there’s not. There’s two hundred, thirty one thousand, nine hundred and eighty-seven leaves on the tree I’m leaning against. See, you can't count. Bravery only counts when you know how to count.”

The expression on her face was priceless as she stood speechless for a few seconds.

“Wh-What? How were you able to count them all?”
“I didn’t. I lied.”

Silence.

“Wait, why are we even talking about this? Stand, Shin, and fight me! Or are you a coward? I bet you were just trying to avoid a duel with me!”

That bothered Shin just a little bit. Now he wasn’t able to toy with her any more, since she had issued a challenge he could not ignore. Him, a coward? Of course not.
He finally stood up and stretched. “Fine. But you better be worth it, because you certainly don’t look like it.”

And thus began a major changing point in Shin’s life, although he didn’t know it.