"Akio, make sure the fire stays lit," Haruma commanded, pacing the length of the room with heavy, deliberate steps. Without a moment's hesitation, Akio obeyed his commander's order and left the room.
Haruma was a tall man, with a calm yet rugged face, a dignity that had captured the attention of many young women from neighboring clans. His war strategies had, for years, safeguarded the vast lands of their settlement from enemy raids.
In the most critical moments, he ruled with a quiet yet commanding presence-a presence that had earned him leadership over the greatest warriors of the East.
At the far end of the room, as he swept his black cloak aside, revealing the contours of his well-trained frame through the slit in his garment, he took his seat at the head of the warrior leaders.
Thirteen men, the youngest only twenty-three, sat in complete silence, awaiting Haruma's words. Motionless, they wagged like obedient hounds, involuntarily acknowledging the authority of their commander.
The heavy, lingering silence of Commander Haruma only heightened the tension among the warriors. Galen, uneasy from Haruma's anger, mustered every ounce of courage left within him and broke the silence.
"Commander, what happened to Lady Karin... it's my fault. I will accept full punishment," he confessed.
The other warriors, displeased by the turn of events, felt a deep discomfort at seeing one of their own-like a brother to them-shamefaced before their leader.
Silence once again settled over the room. Haruma took a long swallow of sake, and as the cup clenched tightly in his hand, he slammed it down on the table. His ever-present gaze, cold yet dignified, fell upon Galen.
"Keep your head up," he commanded.
Galen slowly straightened, but still lacked the courage to meet his commander's eyes.
"This is an order," Haruma added.
Galen, his breaths heavy and sweat streaming down his forehead, lifted his gaze and looked at Haruma.
Despite the commander's seemingly calm face, he suddenly seized Galen by the neck and pulled him forcefully toward himself.
"Next time, I won't let your head stay on your shoulders," he growled.
Without warning, he gripped the back of Galen's neck, slamming his head against the table. Over and over, the cup on the table rattled with each strike, and with every blow, the fear among the other warriors intensified, far more than the motion of the cups themselves.
Haruma was a calm commander-but only as long as his orders were carried out precisely and completely. Despite the deep respect the warriors held for their strict leader, a pervasive fear ruled over them, reminding them that no disobedience would ever be tolerated.
"My lord, your meal is ready. With your permission, we shall enter," the servant announced from behind the closed doors, gently pushing them open. The other attendants quietly set the food before the warriors at the table.
Galen, blinking to clear his vision, rose and bowed to his commander before staggering back to his seat.
The servants carefully tended to his wound, wiping away the blood that had spilled onto the table.
Haruma's punishments were brutal but brief. Soon the atmosphere of the room returned to its familiar state; the chastisement was over, and it was expected that Haruma would once again become the calm commander they all knew.
As the warriors ate, they spoke in low voices, the bonds between them rekindling like brothers bound by blood. All thirteen had grown up together, trained together, fought together-and now shared a devotion that was more like family than comradeship. That was why witnessing one of their own being punished felt so agonizing.
Each of them tried to comfort Galen, to lift his spirits and shift the mood of the room.
Ryoma, the youngest of the warriors, was also their most gifted. In a short time he had become one of the quickest among them, compensating for his lack of age and stature with raw talent. With his cheeks stuffed full of food and his words muffled, he said,
"Commander, you could entrust Lady Karin's protection to me. I'd do a far better job than that blockhead-"
His remark was cut short by a sharp slap to the back of his head from Hikaru.
"Oi... don't even start. Finish your food first," Hikaru scolded.
Ryoma swallowed the mouthful, shooting Hikaru a resentful glare. The warriors all laughed at his immaturity, while he simmered with irritation at not being taken seriously because of his age.
At the sound of Haruma's voice, their laughter ceased at once.
"Winter is setting in, and the mountain paths grow more treacherous," he said. "Make sure the supplies remain intact, and see that the people are kept safe."
All answered in unison:
"Yes, Commander."
"From tomorrow, your training will continue-stricter and harder than before," he added.
"Yes, Commander."
But only Hikaru's voice rang out in the room. He cast a puzzled glance at his brothers.
"Commander... would you allow Kenshin to return to training?" Jiro murmured softly.
Silence fell over them once more, broken only by the sound of Haruma swallowing another mouthful of sake. As he exhaled after drinking, his threatening gaze fixed on Jiro, delivering the answer without words.
"I... I'm sorry," Jiro muttered, lowering his head, his voice barely audible, and returned to his meal. The other warriors chastised him quietly for bringing the matter up at all.
While they were trying to change the subject, the sound of someone running toward them from beyond the doors began to echo through the hall, growing louder with every heartbeat-until at last the doors burst open.
"Commander..."
Akio's breathless voice called out, and all his brothers turned to him at once.
"There's a child out there... he was about to throw himself into the fire... I-"
His gasps stole the rest of his words.
"Akio, speak clearly," Haruma said, his tone firm and sharp, while every warrior waited to hear what had happened.
Catching his breath, Akio continued.
"I was circling the fire, making sure it stayed lit, when suddenly I saw a child-a stranger. He was struggling to reach the flames, as if to hurl himself into them, so I pulled him away."
"A-and... I brought him here now," Akio said as he stepped into the room, taking the child from the man who stood behind him.
The boy, dressed in tattered and ragged clothes, looked far too weak even to speak and lay limp in Akio's arms. Mud had caked his skin and hair with grime, and his foot was stained crimson with the blood seeping from his wounds.
He looked more like a wild creature than a human being.
Beneath the layers of mud and earth on his skin, a strange mark could be seen at his wrist-one that looked familiar yet unrecognizable.
"Tell the servants to wash him and give him food," Haruma ordered. "Once he's recovered, we'll decide what to do with him."
Akio called for a servant, and she hurried to the child, taking him gently from his arms and carrying him out of the room.
---
Steam from the hot bath made breathing a little difficult. Relena, the servant, had cared for the warriors since their boyhood, and tending to this wretched child stirred old memories within her. When she removed his clothes, surprise flickered across her eyes.
---
Hours later, the child was clean, his belly full, and-thanks to Relena's care-his wounds bandaged. She smoothed his hair and dressed him in fresh clothes.
"What's your name, little one?" Relena asked, her voice soft and maternal as always, hoping to draw him out. But the child only stared back at her in silence, saying nothing at all.
"Alright, it seems you don't want to speak. We should go see the others so they can decide what to do with you. I'll come with you, so there's nothing to be afraid of."
Relena gently stroked the child's head and took his hand, leading him toward the warriors' gathering room.
When she requested permission and opened the door, she felt his grip tighten around her hand.
Softly, she encouraged him to step inside. Every warrior was struck silent with astonishment-how could a child so disheveled, barely resembling a human, appear so strikingly beautiful now?
The child entered, holding tightly onto the hand of the woman who had become like a mother to him.
His gaze swept over each warrior in the room, examining them one by one. In the depths of his large black eyes, a childlike innocence was unmistakable.
"Hey, little one... what's your name?" Akio asked, pride swelling in his chest at having rescued the child. He stuffed food into his mouth hastily-arriving at the table later than the others-yet kept his eyes fixed on the boy as he ate.
The child studied Akio's face carefully. Akio's long black hair was tied at the back, and his white robe fit him neatly. The angle of his jaw was more noticeable as he tilted his head to see the boy while chewing, and the outline of his strong body could be imagined beneath his clothing.
The child remained silent.
"Hey... don't you want to speak?" Kazuma asked irritably, clearly impatient with the child's silence.
The rough, masculine tone frightened the boy. He ducked behind Relena's skirt and clutched her clothing tightly.
"Oi... you're scaring him, idiot," Kenzo snapped, his voice sharp and mocking toward Kazuma.
"Are you calling me scary?" Kazuma retorted. The two were nearly at each other's throats when Hikaru suddenly delivered a sharp backhand to both, ending the argument instantly.
"Blockheads," Hikaru said, his tone laced with humor.
Despite the frightened and curious look in his eyes, the child suddenly took a step toward the table, still clutching Relena's skirt tightly in his small hand and pulling it along.
As far as the tug on the fabric would allow, he moved closer to the table, refusing to let go. He stretched out his tiny hand, trying to reach something, but it seemed too short to grasp what he desired.
His fingers opened and closed in desperate effort, while the men watched, puzzled, wondering what he wanted.
He wanted to snatch the sweets from the table, but he clearly didn't want to let go of Relena's skirt, and so his hand fell short.
Akio, realizing the child's intent, smirked and nudged the dish slightly closer with his finger so that the child could reach it.
Like a cat snatching its prey, the child grabbed the sweet and quickly popped it into his mouth, lest anyone take it from him. Then he retreated once more behind Relena's skirt, chewing rapidly.
Tired of the child's silence and curious about his mysterious origins, Kenzo approached and examined the boy's wrist, where the strange mark was etched.
"Hey... do you recognize this mark?"
No one knew.
"Does it appear elsewhere on him? Let me see."
Before Kenzo could pull aside the child's clothing, Relena intervened, gently stepping between them and drawing the child close.
"M-m'lord... she's a girl... please, stop this at once."
Kenzo quickly withdrew his hand and took a step back, as if he had seen a ghost, his tongue suddenly stumbling.
"A... a girl?"
All the men stared in astonishment, but as the truth sank in, they laughed at Kenzo's embarrassment.
"What should we do with this child, Commander?" Akio asked, finally satisfied after filling his stomach.
"We can't send her away. She's just a child," Ryoma said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"There's no one in the village to raise her. Even now, the people are barely surviving," Takeshi muttered, swirling his sake cup and taking a quick sip.
"Anyway... she's just a child. Maybe she'll be useful when she grows up," Kenzo said quietly, his voice tinged with embarrassment.
"What... you like her or something?" Kazuma teased mockingly, causing everyone to burst into laughter.
Kenzo shot Kazuma an angry and flustered glare.
"We'll keep her. Prepare a proper bed and food for her," Haruma commanded Relena, and she obeyed without hesitation.
Relena gestured to the child that it was time to move. But as the girl's gaze flicked between Relena and the dish of sweets on the table, she suddenly let go of Relena's hand, dashed to the table, snatched the sweets, and ran from the room, leaving crumbs scattered in her wake.