"Hey, you dumb bastard, talk!" the man
screamed at Ryju.
Forty-one seconds… forty-two seconds,
Ryju thought.
"Hurry up and talk so I can kill you!"
the man shouted again.
Then Ryju suddenly spoke.
"Give me one damn reason why I should
tell you who I am or where I'm from. You're just going to kill me anyway, so
what's the point of wasting my breath, huh?" Ryju said, his face pressed
against the ground beneath the man's boot.
"You've got some nerve talking back to
me, you weak bastard," the man growled, stomping on Ryju's head repeatedly.
Blood smeared into the dirt until another man rushed in, grabbing him and
pulling him back.
"What the hell is your problem?!" the
second man shouted.
"What's the issue? He wasn't going to
talk anyway!" the first man barked.
"Last I checked, that wasn't your
choice to make!" the second man shot back angrily.
Then a woman's trembling voice cut
through the argument.
"Y-you all… there's something I need
to tell you," she said, her face pale.
"What happened?" the second man asked,
spinning around.
"I… I think this kid is dead," the
woman whispered, shaken.
At Mara's house
"Hey Mara, can I ask you a question?"
Kaji said.
"Yeah, what is it?" Mara replied
curiously.
"I know Jinko used to have a
babysitter who watched over him."
"Yeah…" Mara answered, still confused.
"Is she still alive?" Kaji pressed.
"Yes, actually. She lives on the other
side of the kingdom," Mara explained, pointing.
"Well, if you don't mind, take us to
her," Kaji said with a small smile, his black cape swaying gently behind him.
On the other side of the Kingdom,
untouched by Jinko and his four generals
Mara knocked on the door.
"Is she here?" Rei asked.
"Yeah, she should be," Mara replied,
knocking again.
A woman dressed like a nun opened the
door.
"Mara? What are you doing here?" the
woman asked in surprise.
"Hello, Sister Shia," Mara said,
bowing.
Kaji stepped forward beside her.
"Actually, you should be bowing to
me," Kaji said smugly.
Sister Shia ignored him and lifted a
small cross in her hands, whispering a prayer.
"Hey, why are you praying?" Kaji
asked.
"What is your name?" Sister Shia asked
calmly.
"Oh, my name is Kaji Azura, the man
above SS-Rank Ninja in our village, and also part of The Justice," Kaji said
with a grin.
"She only asked for your name,"
Kenshiro muttered.
"Yeah, why are you bragging?" Rei
added.
"Maybe he's just stupid," Goro said
flatly.
"Hey! You know I can hear you,
right?!" Kaji snapped angrily.
"The Justice, huh? I've heard of it,"
Sister Shia said.
"Wait—really?" Kaji said, surprised.
"Let's not get off track. Can we
please come in?" Mara interrupted.
"Of course. Please, make yourselves at
home," Sister Shia said, stepping aside.
As they entered, crosses covered
nearly every wall.
"Man, way too many crosses," Kaji
muttered as they all sat down at a table.
Sister Shia sat across from them.
"So, what brings you all here?" she
asked.
"You were Jinko's babysitter. Tell me
everything you know about him—especially how he met this 'Boss' guy," Kaji
demanded seriously.
"Boss?!" Sister Shia gasped.
"What happened? Tell me," Kaji
pressed, now curious.
"Where do I even begin…" Sister Shia
murmured.
Years ago, when Jinko was a small boy
"Hey, Sister Shia, can we play tag in
the palace?" young Jinko asked sweetly.
"Of course," I answered.
We used to run around the palace,
playing games and laughing all the time.
One evening in his room, as Jinko lay
in bed, he asked, "Hey, Sister Shia, why do you always carry a cross everywhere
you go?"
"Because wherever I go, God will keep
me—and you—safe from any danger," I told him with a smile.
"So God keeps us safe from evil? Then
I want to become God one day, so I can make everyone happy!" Jinko giggled.
"Then I'll be there to see it happen,"
I said, patting his head.
"Can you tell me a bedtime story so I
can sleep?" Jinko asked eagerly.
"Alright, but just one," I replied
with a smile.
"Yay!" Jinko cheered, bouncing in bed.
"Shh, don't be loud. Papa and Mama are
sleeping," I reminded him.
"Okay, I promise I won't be loud
again," he whispered with a grin.
Jinko was always bright—reading books,
excelling in every class, doing homework with ease. His IQ was far above most
children his age. Being the prince of the kingdom, he made friends easily,
though he usually stuck close to two boys. Their names slip my mind now, but
one day, they did something they should never have done…
Outside the Palace
"Hey Jinko, we should sneak out of the
kingdom," said one of his friends, a chubby boy.
"Yeah, we've done everything here
already. Let's go explore a little," the skinny one added.
Jinko frowned. "No, I can't. That's
wrong. My father said no one is allowed past the kingdom walls. The outside
world is dangerous… besides, I have homework. I'll pass."
"C'mon, stop being scared," the skinny
boy teased.
"Yeah, aren't you the prince? You're
acting like a coward," the chubby one added.
"I'm not scared—I'm just following the
rules," Jinko insisted.
"Please, just one time. You won't even
get in trouble—you're the prince!" the skinny boy begged.
"Alright… just for ten minutes," Jinko
finally said.
"Yay!" both boys shouted in
excitement.
"But how are we supposed to get past
the gate?" the chubby boy asked.
"I made a smoke bomb," the skinny one
said proudly.
"Really?" Jinko asked in surprise.
"No time for questions—let's hurry!"
the chubby boy said eagerly.
The three boys ran, citizens smiling
as they passed. Near the gate, the skinny boy tossed a ball-like object into
the trees. It burst into thick smoke.
The guards, confused, rushed toward
the smoke to investigate. Seizing the chance, the boys slipped past the gate,
heading to the far side of the forest.
"Yes! We made it!" the skinny boy
laughed.
"Ten minutes, remember. Then we're
going home," Jinko reminded them firmly.
"I'm so tired already… but stop being
a party pooper," the chubby boy panted.
To Be Continued