The Demon Within

Chapter One

The Empires swordsman marched through the small village of Irailia, making their rounds through the houses to collect the new born girls the village had. They appeared on time like clock-work, but this didn't change the sorrow and grief that filled the village. Mothers' desperate cries filled the streets as they tried to cling onto their child before they were ripped from their hands. The swordsman took the babies towards a wagon which would soon be making its way towards the capital. Some of the fathers tried to take back their child and was met with cruel retribution from the soldiers. Watching nearby was a young boy with his black hair hanging loosely in his face. Turning back down the line of houses, he made his way to a small house just on the edge of the village. He quietly opened and closed the door, making his way into the back room where his father, mother and younger brother sat. They sat hovered over an opening in the floor and a small basket at their side. Inside the neatly woven basket was a new born baby girl, who was clutching the forefinger of the younger brother. The boy went over and sat by his father, breathing heavily from his run.

"They are on their way here now, aren't they?" the mother whispered. The boy just nodded, too exhausted to get the words out of his mouth. The mother put her head in her hands and sobbed quietly. The two boys watched as the tears slid down their mothers' cheek.

"You knew this day would come," the father said quietly. He put his arms around her. "At this moment, there is nothing we can do. The safest thing is to get this over with."

"I won't turn her over to them," the mother said angrily as she shoved off his arm.

"Then you will be sending us to our graves! Think about the boys Rai! They need a life as well." The mother ignored him as she turned to the little boy.

"Go check the road, Hintani. Let me know when they are getting closer." The boy nodded and took off again. Rai faced her husband, tears still sliding down her face. "I won't let them take her. I swore I would protect her, with my life if it came to it. I won't let them touch my children, Marzul, you know that. We will hide all three of them." Marzul closed his eyes, knowing full well there was no arguing about this situation. The baby girl turned in the basket, shifting the blankets covering her. The younger brother gently covered her with another blanket. Hintani ran back in, his face beaded with sweat.

"They're here!" Marzul and Rai looked at each other and then proceeded in lowering the basket down into the underground basement. The younger brother didn't hesitate; he jumped down into the hole after the basket. At that moment, the front door was busted open, pieces of wood flying in every direction. Rai didn't have time to think. She quickly closed the basement door, without allowing Hintani in. Hintani stood by his father, legs shaking from the nerves as they blocked the trapdoor from view. The swordsman came in and looked around, breaking the furniture in the rooms. His sword was already stained with blood, and Hintani felt the sweat run down his back.

"Can we help you, captain?"

The captain turned, eyes narrowed, and stared at Marzul. "There's supposed to be a girl here," the captain said, his words piercing the air. Marzul swallowed nervously. 

"No sir, we were not blessed with a girl to offer the Emperor. All we have is our son, Hintani." Hintani felt his mother's hands grasp his robe. He calmly looked up at her and could see her shoulders trembling slightly. Her face, however, held composure. Her facial expressions were giving nothing away.

"Is that so?" the captain said icily. He drew his sword and pointed it at Marzul's face. Hintani's body stiffened, knowing the captain had probably seen through their lie. "The penalty for withholding information from us is death. I will not hesitate to remove your head from your shoulders. My sources tell me there is a girl in this house, so I will ask one more time." The captain walked forward and put his sword up against Marzul's neck, the edge of the blade pricking his skin, causing a small amount of blood to drip onto the blade. "Where is the girl?" Marzul just stared into the eyes of the captain, neither one of them moving an inch.

"My, my, my, what have we here?" The captain looked over his shoulder and saw a man standing the doorway, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. The captain turned and faced him completely, his men surrounding the stranger at the door. "Samurai thugs, using violence to get what they want," the stranger said as he walked forward and stopped a few feet away from the captain. The captain straightened his back, his sword at the ready.

"We are elites from the capital. Do not compare us to those samurai clans. If you get in our way, I will have to kill you. Move along."

A dangerous smile appeared on the strangers face, causing Hintani's stomach to tighten with fear. "Kill me, eh? I'll tell you what. If you can land a blow on me, I'll tell you where these humans hid the kid."

"Very well," the captain replied. His cocky attitude showed through as he signaled his men to draw their swords. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion for Hintani. The swordsman lunged at the stranger, who hadn't even drawn his blade. Hintani blinked and the head of one of the soldiers flew into the air, blood gushing from his shoulders. The stranger stood, sword suddenly drawn, with an evil smile on his face. The stranger turned and plunged his sword into another swordsmen's heart, causing blood to squirt onto his face. Shortly after, he swung his sword to where he sliced the remaining guards stomachs open, blood pouring onto the floor as the men fell. The stranger turned, smiling greedily over at the captain. Hintani saw the captain was shaking, his eyes wide with fear. He looked up at his parents and saw their eyes were also wide with fear.

"A demon," the captain whispered. The stranger lunged and plunged his sword through the captain's neck. Swinging the body, the stranger threw it up against the wall.

"Heh, elites or samurai, you won't land a scratch on me." The stranger turned towards Hintani and his parents. Hintani was immediately shoved behind his father. Hintani then took a good look at the man. Samurai robes clothed him, his eyes were wild and the smile looked like that of a devil, his brown hair pulled up to where it flowed around him. Fear took hold of Hintani; he had never seen someone like this before. "Fortunately for you humans, I don't need to draw further attention to myself. I'm waiting for a thank you. I didn't have to kill those men," the stranger said, his smile growing wider.

"Th-thank you," Marzul stuttered out, still shielding Hintani from this monster. The stranger smiled, revealing fang-like teeth. Everything happened so fast. One second the stranger was across the room and the next, Hintani was looking down, blood splattered on his face, as a sword pierced through his father's stomach. His mother screamed and caught his father as he fell to the ground, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as the life left him.

"I'll take that as payment for my services," the stranger snarled. The stranger turned to go, stepping over the bodies of the fallen soldiers. "By the way," he called over his shoulder, "The name is Ryou. I'm a demon, so don't be glaring at me like that boy. If you want revenge for your father, become a swordsman. I'll happily challenge you when you've become a man."

Hintani's hands balled into fists, tears streaming down his face. The demon looked over his shoulder and smiled at Hintani. Then he was gone, leaving a trail of blood behind him.

So I hope you guys enjoyed this part. The rest of this will be coming in a couple of weeks. Let me know your opinion on it please :)