Skull & blade


The young man finally woke up after a long sleep. He was shocked when he found himself covered in bandages and was lying in a hut.

"Finally you wake up, boy" said an old man whose hair was gray. "Who are you, where am I?" asked the young man. "You're at my house, rest," he replied.

The young man held his head trying to remember what happened before. Not long after, someone ran towards the two of them. He looked innocently at the person who just woke up, while hugging the old man who was sitting beside him.

"Cira, my grandson found you on the edge of the forest. He's worried about you," said the grandfather. "Thank you Cira," said the young man who was still holding his head. "Cira, go there to play, grandfather wants to treat this brother first," said his grandfather with a slight smile. His grandson nodded and slowly walked out of the house.

"I know you're no ordinary person. You have something to hide, so be honest. Who the hell are you." this old man spoke with serious tone and eyes. "This wound of yours is not from a sword strike or a swordsman spell," he continued, "You weren't scratched by the sword at all. Your bandages covered an unusual wound.".

"I'm just a wanderer, grandfather." the young boy replied briefly. The grandfather seemed dissatisfied with the answer, "Well, you will never get your sword again." Hearing the gray grandfather say that, the young man got up forcing himself to rise in pain, "You have no right to do it, I will forcefully take my sword if you block my way!"

"You are willing to push yourself for the sake of the sword that has hurt you. The sword eats up your spiritual energy. There is a demon in that sword trying to take over your body. But I know that you are not an ordinary person, so you have come this far." explained the grandfather.

Hearing the words of the old man, the young man was shocked that he did not expect this old man to know secret of his sword. "How do you know this? Who are you?".

"When I was young I was a swordsman. I knew several things including demonic swords, one of which is yours. Some people call it a legendary sword or an heirloom. However, a sword like yours has a dangerous demon." Cira's grandfather continued, "That sword has taken many lives. The warriors fight over the demonic sword because it has extraordinary power. So it's time for you to be honest, who exactly are you?".

Confirming that grandfather's statement, the young man has no choice. He also introduced himself, "I am Lang, the last descendant of the Black Crow clan." Yet surprisingly, hearing Lang's answer the grandfather was flabbergasted. His whole body trembled, he then stepped out of the hut leaving a question.

Lang tried to catch up, but his legs were still weak enough to move. He could not describe the face of the grandfather, sad and angry. Until the night changed, he was still thinking about that grandfather's face full of questions.