Bloodstained Rose

Book 1

The Village Lost In Time

Chapter 1

Rei stared down at the fields below. It was another day of guard duty—her least favorite. She had been fixated on the workers in fields standing by the guard post. Each one had a place in the village, just like her. The system wasn’t complex. Some days it had been cruel, but everything in the end had meaning. Struggle was necessary for survival. Rei quickly scanned the patches of grass below once more. Nothing to report. She turned her attention towards the green in the distance. From the tower she stood upon, one could see for miles.

​The forest was quiet. On some days she would catch a deer or some wildlife in the distance; today was not one of them. She took a moment to brush a lock of her tangerine-colored hair from her green eyes. The helmet around her head had never been comfortable. She tried to readjust the headpiece which only managed to loosen the helmet further, causing it to droop over her eyes. Shugo had watched her fumble around from below. He was another villager around the same age as her. Though they had never been introduced, she was familiar with him. It was often she who found herself in his presence. Rei turned to look down towards Shugo, startling him as he dragged his till across the dirt.

​“Hey,” Shugo spoke aloud as he stood tall. The simple gesture was ignored. Rei continued to glance over the field, but had only provoked him to continue, “I’m Shugo. What’s your name?”

​It had been the first time somebody tried to speak to her on a post. Rei had not been sure what to do in this situation, so she looked back down and returned with, “Rei.”

​“Is that short for something?”

​“Yes,” Rei muttered. She gritted her teeth quickly before trying to correct herself. “No, it’s not.”

​“Oh, I see! Looks like you have some secrets there.” He said jokingly as he gave the till in his hands another pull.

Rei was silent. Usually, she would just ignore simple conversations. It wasn’t really her thing. Her whole life up until this point was an endless cycle—one day training, then another to rest, and another on guard.

Shugo wanted to hear more from her, so he asked, “I take it you don’t like your name? Do you have any hobbies?”

​“No.” Rei answered without hesitation.

​“Nothing? That sounds fun!” There was silence again. Shugo’s smile began to fade as his jokes had failed to land. He quickly chuckled and said, “I was expecting something from that.”

​Rei continued to shut him out. It was her job to stay focused, not talk. She was always committed to the task at hand. Shugo pulled against the instrument once more, causing the ground in front of him to slowly give way. As he pondered over something else to say, another one of the troops approached them.

​“Alright, my turn.” the man said aloud as he made his way up.

Rei’s chest suddenly felt lighter as she was relieved. Quickly, she took a deep breath before stepping over the edge of the post. As gravity took hold, she began to plummet towards the grass below. The wind felt as if it was tearing through her as the descent continued. With each foot, she began to focus on her center. This was always the scariest moment of falling. In her mind, she could see the void that was known only as the Deep—an otherworldly source of power binding the fabric of reality.

The warriors of the village had learned how to harness such through many years of discipline. Shugo took a step back and watched in awe as Rei’s fall became ever more stagnant. In the last moments, she began to float towards the ground as the power from the Deep began to decrease her speed. Being able to channel this force of power had been one of the many secrets of her home.

​“I don’t ever get tired of seeing that!” Shugo said to her. Neither Rei nor her replacement gave him any attention.

​“Don’t let this one bother you.” Rei quickly declared, turning away from Shugo.

She removed her helmet to reveal her matted, orange, but shiny locks of hair. Shugo followed her with his eyes before turning back to the guard.

​

“Don’t worry about me, I’m taking my break!” Shugo exclaimed. He hobbled his way out of the crops and over to Rei who had since begun to make her way back home. He spoke again, “I’m Shugo.”

“I’m aware.” Rei snapped back, starting to feel annoyed as Shugo slowed down to her pace.

​

“I just try to get to know everybody. We’re all in this together, you know?”

​

“That is true.” She made a sharp left turn, hoping he would let up. The scenery was pleasant. They had a small settlement, just a little over a hundred with several structures in place. Though it was able to thrive, the village elders tried to keep the other tribes out. It was an unspoken rule in this world, but not something the young questioned. Rei was very much unphased by this as she did not really interact with her tribe at all.

​“Do you know I’ve been wanting to try out your job?” Shugo asked her. Rei continued forwards with no reply. “It’s one of the few things I haven’t done yet. I’ve learned some techniques in my spare time.”

​“Listen,” Rei said to him as she came to a stop. “I’m not trying to be mean, but I really have to go.”

​“Alright then,” Shugo replied. He tried to keep a smile on his face as she turned away. “I’ll talk to you later!”

​The two parted ways. It felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Being able to speak to new people has always been a problem of hers. She had known a handful by name, but never felt right trying to converse. It was one of her many flaws to hopefully be corrected, but she was not worried now.

I can always talk to more people, Rei thought as she looked back to see Shugo was still standing in the same spot, watching her. Today is not that day.

An average break between shifts might have included a meal or a nap—although, she was not in the mood for either. After she had walked to the monastery, the coordinated shouts of the students started to call out in unison. In front of this class was one of the elders, Hideo-Jin-Ni.

​He was revered among most of the village as his grandfather was none other than the legendary Hideo-Jin-Ichi, the founder. There were many stories documenting his life. Nobody was sure what was real or just a myth, but one with a legendary status such his never had to worry about being questioned. Rei made her way towards one of the walls on the inside to watch the training session. She dropped her helmet down by a lone boulder before reaching towards the buckles on her side.

With minimal effort, they had come loose and allowed her to finally remove the mail keeping her torso covered. Finally, she pulled the armor over her head and was greeted by the wind, brushing over the binds across her chest—a very welcome sensation. She crossed her feet over one another and dropped down on the rock below.

​“That is enough for now.” Hideo said aloud to his class as he took notice of Rei.

The students postured up all once—each perfectly aligned. After a quick bow, each had released the tension of the stance and gone their way. Rei could not help but think of her days as one of the students in the crowd. As they all started to make their way out of the monastery, each separated into their little groups. Her thoughts began to harbor an almost nostalgic feeling; oddly one of something she never experienced—there never really was somebody there she talked to.

Hideo made his way through the crowd to greet her, finally saying, “I am glad you could join us.”

​“Oh,” Rei quickly snapped back, “I did not mean to interrupt.”

​Hideo laughed softly before quickly sitting down beside her and muttering, “You always cheer me up.”

​Rei’s face slowly started to become red, leaving her silent. Hideo very casually started to run his fingers through the dirt, enticed by the grainy texture as he began to carve out symbols. Out of instinct, Rei copied his movements.

Hideo brushed away the crumbles of dry soil and said, “I don’t get to have a lot of fun.”

​“Is what you do not fun?” Rei asked quickly while rubbing her hands on her shorts, leaving a smear in place.

​“Sometimes, but sometimes it is terrible,” Hideo rose to his feet. He looked back down at her, “Really terrible—but that is life.”

​With that, he began to make his way towards the center of the village. Rei continued scratching away at the dirt, brushing the surface clean before looking around once more. The entire floor had been clear. In solitude, she began to think about the canvas beneath her. It took some consideration, but she tried to write something; what that was would be decided. For now, she was just going to press her fingers to the dirt and see what came.

◆◆◆ ​

The night had consumed everything in sight. Not a single piece of ground could escape the glow of the stars this evening. Rei too had been consumed—she found it harder to keep focused with each passing moment. The afternoon should have been best spent resting, but it was too late by now. Before getting any further into her shift, she had started to feel as if there were eyes on her, watching every movement. Soon, she heard the faint sound of breathing.

​“Hey there,” Shugo whispered. He had managed to get to the top of the perch next to her undetected. Rei felt her heart jump as she turned to face him. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

​“What are you doing up here?” She asked him before finally adding, “how did you get up here?”

​“It was not that tough. I like to spend some nights practicing some of the moves. This one is nifty.”

​“I’m kind of impressed, but you need to get down.” Rei said only to have Shugo brush her orders off.

​“I thought we were having a moment here.” He interjected before starting to lower himself to the ground.

With a simple release, his body dropped off the side of the tower and back down. Rei quickly bent over the edge to see him start to plummet. As he neared the base of the tower below, his speed began to drop. Just as she did before, his momentum had completely stopped as he tapped into the Deep. The execution of such a swift landing had left Rei intrigued.

​“How long have you been practicing?” she asked just loud enough to get his attention again.

​“It’s been a while. I just like to spend my time learning stuff.” Shugo replied with his hands buried deep in his pockets.

​“Usually, it takes a long time to actually learn that one,” Rei said as she started to shift her focus towards the fields again. She began to recall her training. It was as if she was born into the grind. Hideo did his best to push her even when she reached her breaking point. “It wasn’t easy either. I still get a little scared of that fall.”

​“Scared? That’s new!” Shugo exclaimed as he started to pace around the foot of the structure. He finally called back, “I guess there really is somebody in there after all.”

​“What’s that supposed to mean?”

​“Nothing, I’ve just been watching you for a while and you seem really tense.”

​“I try to take this seriously. I’m not really supposed to be talking to you.”

​“That’s fine, I can go. I’m not going to sneak into the shrine and do more reading or anything like that.” Shugo said finally as he headed on his own way. Rei quickly turned towards the field and back to him.

​“You’re not supposed to be in there!” She shouted as he had disappeared into the distance. After shrugging it off, the field became her focus. She turned back before taking another deep breath and counting the stars overhead.

◆◆◆

Tetsu stared across the terrain, scanning for guards. He had been travelling this way for several days now. These types of trips were quite common in his line of work. Although still young, he was what most would consider a ninja. The mission at hand was to make his way deep into the village and find a collection of scrolls hidden inside of the shrine. There were plenty of stories about the contents of the scrolls; the legends of the Hideo-Jin-Ichi dynasty range from all different realms of plausibility to mythology.

His current employer had been one of the leaders of a group of renegades that had been travelling the valley recently. Whatever they planned to do with them was not his business. Tetsu did not have long to move. He had studied the guard shifts for the past few nights to plan the attack and knew that there was a change of shift happening soon. To his right was his companion, a Shiba Inu he had named Kona.

​“Stay.” Tetsu said as he locked eyes onto a parting in the tall grass ahead.

The dog had nested itself into the brush, remaining silent as her owner took off. The green brushed past his pitch black yoroi as he went in deeper into the grass. While nearing the village, he had started to channel into the Deep himself, causing his body slowly began to slowly transform. Within seconds, his shape slowly began to blend in with the shadows beneath the grass, causing his body to fade into a black mass. As the transformation ended, the only thing left was a lone shadow on the ground that had given him all the cover needed to make his way into the village.

◆◆◆

​Hideo-Jin-San—or Jin, as he is commonly known—was nearing the end of his watch. He was the youngest of the family lineage. Being the son of Hideo was not going to get him out of this shift. He had spent his entire life training for this job just as Rei did. In the village, he was Daimyo. It was a respected rank in the small defense they had assembled, putting him just below the elders. As his shift ended, he had acknowledged the night was already starting to do its damage.

He struggled keeping his eyes open as one of the warriors approached him, quickly saying, “Jin-San, my turn.”

“It’s about time.” Jin replied with a sigh.

Just above, Shugo watched the changeover occur from the top of the shrine. Neither Jin nor the other warrior were aware of his presence. His lack of combat training was made up for by his stealth and knowledge—something not needed in this place. When you had your job chosen, you were stuck there. The elders were not likely to train him at his age, but in his situation that would just be a hindrance—he had to do things at his own pace. Jin stepped away from the front door, leaving it exposed as his relief was not diligent enough to catch onto Shugo’s movements. As Jin continued away, he started to feel something was out of place.

​He could feel it, but only could not confirm it. The front of the shrine remained silent as the guard on post began his second round of the building. His shadow trailed across the wall behind him before splitting off into another. He had not noticed the silhouette moving on its own and over to the shrine. This was what set Tetsu apart from others in his field. As an expert in stealth, he could easily change his shape into this shadowy mass to avoid detection—in most situations at least. Once the guard turned the corner, Tetsu began to transmute to his normal form to try and conserve some stamina for the coming escape.

◆◆◆

The shelf had been illuminated by the moon’s cold glare. This was one of the best nights to read. A full moon was as good as the light from the sun at noon in Shugo’s mind—he had read most of the scrolls inside this same way for years. It was quite a feat, given that most of the villagers were illiterate. Before him, his father was a warrior and his mother a scribe, who had written many scrolls before he was born. It was one of the many paths Shugo would have chosen if given the chance. However, he never could pick one. The path of villagers was always something that was assigned by skills—another dilemma as he had many.

​Shugo would find a way to slip through the cracks and learn something different. His potential would never be squandered if he kept trying. Moments passed by. He was indecisive about what he wanted to read tonight. While fingering through the selection, something disturbed him. Without hesitation, he leapt towards the cover behind a collection of old pots. Across the other side and out of the shadows, Tetsu had started to creep through.

​“Who is this guy?” Shugo mouthed to himself, careful not to make any sudden movements.

The scrolls lay helpless as Tetsu loomed over. His mission was to find one of the most coveted of all—the Rising. It was an art that the rival clans knew of, and it could be a skill that Tetsu learned himself, but the mission was to deliver it to the client. He slowly began to search through. Meanwhile, Shugo began to plan out his next move. Fighting was out of the question as he could see his opponent was armed.

​“Hey, you.” Shugo whispered.

Tetsu froze in place, finally realizing his error. Shugo ceased up as well, wondering if he had made a mistake as Tetsu looked over to him. The two locked eyes calmly. Shugo knew he would regret this, but he had to act. He scrambled to try and stop Tetsu from making another move.

​“Stay out of this.” Tetsu spoke quickly.

He was able to quickly counter Shugo’s advance by swaying his body to the right with a simple step. Shugo had been blindsided by the evasive maneuver, unable to react as Tetsu brought his elbow down into the center of his back. A sharp pain quickly rushed through his upper body as the wind had knocked out of him. He had been struck before, but this blow was poles apart. He dropped to the ground. With him stunned, Tetsu glanced over the tops of each scroll, noticing a few that remained distinctive from the rest. There would not be much time to go through, so he pulled a few from the stand and cradled them in his arms. Before even being able to take another step, he felt Shugo clench onto one of his ankles.

​“You can’t have those!” He shouted while using what little strength he could muster to delay Tetsu’s escape.

​“It’s none of your business.” Tetsu hissed back.

With a few quick tugs he managed to pull his foot free and swing it into Shugo’s face. There was a bright flash in his eyes upon contact. Quickly, he pulled his hands back towards where he was struck while Tetsu faded from sight. Instinctively, Shugo rubbed his nose while trying to get to his feet. As bad as that went, he dreaded what could happen if he were caught. More importantly, the scrolls taken could spell trouble for the whole village if they landed in the wrong hands. He ran through the front door of the shrine, careful not to damage it.

​“He has the scrolls!” Shugo yelled at the top of his lungs.

The guards were in earshot. After screaming it again, he tried to make his way towards Rei. He could only hope that she already had the jump on the situation.

◆◆◆

Rei had found herself still intoxicated by the glimmer of stars piercing the velvet skies. The longer she stared on, the closer she found herself to the tipping point. As the urge to sleep had continued to linger, the village behind her began to come alive. Down below she had spotted Shugo running towards her in a frenzy.

​“Rei, the scrolls!” He shouted to her. She was suddenly alert.

​“The scrolls?” Rei muttered. Shugo stumbled forward, trying to stop himself from running into to base of the tower.

​“Somebody managed to get inside the shrine,” Shugo spoke as gasped for air. “They have some of the scrolls. I couldn’t stop him.”

​Without hesitation, Rei lunged over the edge of the post. She managed to collect herself and land cleanly below with no difficulty.

​“Where did he go?” Rei asked quickly. While still fighting for his breath, he scanned the field. While his eyes glanced ahead, he began to look inside himself.

​“I can sense him.” Shugo spoke as he started to dig deeper.

​“Where?”

​“He’s not far,” Shugo had started to reach a state of tranquility. The trees in the distance began to contort like a reflection in a pond. There was a ripple that had swept through the forest, washing it and stars away and leaving him alone in the endless black void of the Deep. The ambience of the night had been muzzled as he stepped forward. Just ahead, he could see Tetsu rising from the abyss. “Over there!”

​Rei looked deep towards the woods. Her heart jumped upon seeing Tetsu’s figure slowly fading from sight. The two quickly took off. It would take a lot to close the distance at this point. While in mid sprint, Rei began to tear away at the leather straps on her mail before slithering her way out of the metal shell. She would have to risk having no defense for speed. Anything to reduce weight would be useful. By the end of the field, Shugo had already tapped into his second wind, but it was not enough since Rei had already managed to cover nearly double the distance.

​“Get him!” Shugo yelled at her.

He stopped to catch his breath again. It had been a while since he had found himself running for his life. Rei had already disappeared from his sight during the short pause. Shugo knew he could not stop now. He tried desperately to keep his pace. The scrolls had been stolen right in front of his face; there would be no excusing this. If something happened to Rei, then he would have to live with it for the rest of his life—it would be a future he could not bear. After grabbing her helmet from the ground, he took off towards the forest as fast as his feet could carry him.