Samurai ↔ Nishimura Riki

fourteen

Note: mentions of war and blood first half of the chapter.

Hyewon dreamed of the war.

A sunset was painted across the sky above a wide valley that stretched to the horizon. Pink, yellow, orange hues blended the heavens into a warm ombre. It was a beautiful sight, yet what captivated her attention was what was happening on land.

Bodies lay still on the grass, uniforms so torn and discolored that it was impossible to tell which side the soldier fought on. Blood stained their attire and seeped into the ground, soaking the earth with the crimson liquid. Abandoned helmets, spears, arrows and swords were littered and scattered everywhere. Untamed fires roared, spreading rapidly, setting flame to all it touched.

She knew immediately that it was a vision. The war may have not been officially declared, but it was inevitable. War was coming. The tension between her kingdom and the West had been escalating for decades. There was no stopping it now, this was proof of it.

Hyewon passed the bodies, treading carefully. In the distance, she saw more men fighting below in small groups, sword against sword. Archers shot their sharp projectiles in the air. With each passing minute, the number of fallen soldiers only multiplied as the battle continued. On both sides, cannons launched their ammunition, leaving a trail of those unfortunate enough in its wake.

She was no stranger to these things, but nonetheless, when a loud boom resounded through the whole valley, she flinched.

Gazing down at the ground, a certain, battered soldier laid sprawled on the ground caught her eye. And from the looks of it, he looked like he had gone through torture.

Large gashes marked his lower body. His head was covered with blood, slashes made all over his now disfigured face. His facial features were marred so much that it was hard to distinguish where his nose and mouth were. Only his brown, fearful eyes were left untouched, a cruel mercy.

It was brutal. Hesitantly, Hyewon kneeled beside the man. She knew she couldn't help him. Even her healing abilities wouldn't work on him. She couldn't change the future. But that wasn't stopping her. No one could see her after all since she was technically not there.

Carefully, she placed two fingers on the soldier's neck to test his pulse. It beated, just barely. That itself was a miracle, considering how much pain he was going through.

The stranger was clearly on the brink of death. And no matter how far she could see into the future, she could not save him.

As she stayed there, watching over him silently, Hyewon realized that the man was not even a man. He was a young boy, even younger than she was. Perhaps he was one of the few that had faked their age to join the imperial army-

She almost jumped when she heard a groan heave from the boy's chest.

He spoke with a slight lisp. "Mother." His voice was raspy and almost unintelligible. His body shuddered as his eyes blankly stared at the sky.

Hyewon felt her heart wrench at the sight. He was merely a child. He shouldn't have been on the battlefield. He was too young to face the price of war. And now, he would never get to live his life. He would be remembered as one of the nameless, unknown soldiers that had died for their kingdom.

Stop getting so emotional, the rational part of her argued. It was his choice. This is the future. It's only one of the many paths it could take. He hasn't died yet.

But he would die. What she was seeing now was the most probable event that would happen in the near future.

"Mother." His whisper was quieter than the last. The boy paused, wincing in pain. "Mother, are you proud of me?"