by Bryce Allen
Kenji had to remind himself on a daily basis that he wasn’t dreaming and this was really happening. It wasn’t easy. He’d imagined fighting for the Zettai blade since he could remember. He would be able to take care of his mother, Ebusu, and all of Gawa.
All of the pleasant daydreams ended one night on the sixth day of their journey. Fires were sparked, and the meal was prepared. Only traces of the sun’s light were left on the horizon, and now it was the fires alone that provided warmth.
Ebusu and Kenji created a small fire of their own. They prepared their food quietly, and Kenji served it to Ebusu as he normally did. After that he served himself and ate until he was full.
The warm haze of contentment started to drift over Kenji. The fresh air and good food was a powerful sedative. Before he fell asleep, he pushed himself up, yawned, and made his way to the cart that carried their barrel of water.
It was towards the back of the caravan, near the soldiers’ fire pit. Kenji was accustomed to the large fire and rowdy voices surrounding it, but tonight they were quiet. They only spoke in hushed, agitated tones. They huddled together, speaking of something.
It was odd enough to make Kenji curious. He held his flask below the spigot. He made motions of drawing the water, but he didn’t. He wanted to linger a while and not look awkward. Kenji focused on the soldiers and tried to hear what they were speaking of.
“I heard he ripped a man in half at their tournament.” The words came softly to Kenji’s ear.
Another man scoffed, but then a different voice chimed in, “I heard that same thing!”
“Now that is a champion,” someone spoke.
A low chuckle rolled over the group. Despite the warmth from the fire and the good meal in his stomach, Kenji felt sick. His skin felt hot and his breath quickened. He leaned towards the soldiers, trying to hear more.
“I don’t know what Sagura was thinking, letting a boy become champion.”
“It seems cruel to let him fight men that were hardened by the war.”
A chorus of agreement spread over the group. Kenji held his position for another minute or two, but he didn’t hear anything else. He couldn’t. All he heard was the soft patter of water falling to the ground and the beating of his own heart.
He was the underdog in Gawa, that much was sure. The officials had almost refused him entry. They didn’t want the death of a child to stain their champion’s reputation in Tenno. If Ebusu hadn’t insisted, Kenji would have been a spectator.
Since his victory in Gawa, all he’d heard was encouragement and praise. He believed all of it, too. He never even gave a thought to what kind of opponents he would be facing in Tenno. The soldiers were right, these men were well trained and familiar with the chaos of war.
Kenji’s hot skin suddenly went cold. His steady breaths became choppy. Did another champion really tear a man in half? It seemed ridiculous, but as insecurity crept into Kenji’s thoughts, it became possible.
Kenji was good, but was he good enough? He didn’t know anymore.
The second half of the trip seemed slower than the first half. A nervous, churning pit began forming in Kenji’s stomach the night he heard the soldiers talk about him. It only faded during his early morning trainings with Ebusu. After that, it returned, each day stronger than the time before.
On the tenth day of their journey, Kenji found himself wondering what a man would look like torn in half. He took to the task like an artist, deciding every detail. What would the man’s expression be? Horrified, no doubt. How much blood would there be?
His dark musings were interrupted by the hoots and hollers of celebration. They were coming from the very front of the caravan. He leaped from the cart, landed on his feet, and sprinted to see what was causing such commotion. He appreciated anything that might distract him from himself.
Kenji’s breath was taken away by the sight that met his eyes. They had reached the crest of a huge, sloping hill, and laid out before them was Tenno, capital of the empire. The path they traveled swooped back and forth down the hill before entering the maze-like city.
Kenji had never been to the capital before. It was fascinating, especially from a bird’s-eye view. The caravan still had half a day before they reached the walled portion of the city, but they would be in the outskirts in less than an hour.
Clay-tiled roofs dominated the landscape. Thin trails of smoke rose from chimneys at almost every corner. A perfect square of fortified walls made up the heart of the city. Kenji thought he saw tiny guards strolling back and forth on the ramparts.
Inside the walls, the buildings were larger and more ornate, but nothing compared to the palace at the heart of Tenno.
The stone structure loomed over the city. Spires shot up towards the sky, almost at random. Even from their vantage point on the hill, Kenji could see how it dwarfed everything around it, even the fortifications.
“In formation, men. We are about to enter Tenno!” Sagura said, appearing beside Kenji. “Well champion, are you ready?”
“Yes, governor.”
Sagura slapped Kenji’s back and chuckled. The soldiers around him started busying themselves with preparing the caravan. They displayed the Gawan banner on every cart, fixed their uniforms, and stowed all the cargo that was visible.
The Gawan banner was a beautiful blue-and-green design. It showed a calm sea washing onto shore. On that shore was a single, massive tree. The banner represented Gawa’s two defining features, the ocean and the forests.
Once the caravan met Sagura’s standards, they started the march down the hill and into the city. They passed through a rice paddy and the workers stopped to stare at the caravan. Kenji realized how obvious it must be that the caravan was carrying a champion for the Tenno Tournament.
They passed several homes and an inn. All the locals responded the same way. They craned their necks and searched for the champion. Kenji was surprised to find that the people of Tenno weren’t different from those in Gawa.
“I almost forgot.” Sagura, once again, came up behind Kenji. For a rotund old politician, he certainly had quiet steps. Kenji detected a hint of pride in the governor; Sagura knew he had startled him.
This time he had a finely crafted cloak in his hands. It bore the symbol for Gawa in several places. The colors were brighter than most fabric in Gawa. The dyes weren’t readily available in the region.
“Wear this. It is tradition.” Sagura didn’t leave room for question. He shoved the cloak into Kenji’s hands and started to walk away.
“Is that really necessary, Sagura?” Ebusu called down from his usual spot on top of the cart.
“Yes, Ebusu. We don’t want the people of Tenno to think that Gawa is a backwards, foreign land, do we?”
Ebusu narrowed his eyes and frowned at Sagura. His gaze shifted to Kenji, and for a moment, it seemed like Ebusu was going to order Kenji to toss the cloak away. Kenji waited, the awkwardness building between the two men.
What was the problem with wearing a cloak? He was the champion, after all. Kenji couldn’t see why they shouldn’t let people know. He was embarrassed to admit it to Ebusu, but he was proud to represent Gawa, even with the dangers ahead of him.
After a deep breath, Ebusu relaxed. He gave a reluctant nod to Kenji and turned his attention elsewhere. Kenji swung the cloak, fastening the golden clip around his neck. The fabric was a fine, silky material. Kenji couldn’t remember wearing such a nice garment in his life.
“Now you look like a champion! Get up on a horse, Kenji.”
Kenji blushed a little, and a soldier brought a horse up beside him. Ebusu had taught him how to ride, saying that it was a skill all men must know. Generally, Kenji preferred staying on his feet, but Sagura had the authority of a governor on his side.
Kenji vaulted onto the horse and his cloak caught the wind in all the right places. It felt good to look like a champion.
They continued their parade into Tenno, but the citizens looked at Kenji differently now. Their eyes widened
and their children waved, giggling at the chance to see a champion up close. Kenji waved back at every one, until he caught a stern glare from Sagura.
They came up to a guard house on the city line. Two Tenno soldiers stepped out and greeted Sagura.
“Gawa’s emissary, right?”
The soldier looked up and down the caravan with dull interest.
“You’re later than expected.”
Sagura nodded. “The roads were difficult, yes.”
Kenji frowned at the excuse. He hadn’t known they were on a strict schedule, especially given the laziness of the caravan in the mornings.
The guard didn’t seem to care much. “Mhmm. I’ll get your ambassador.”
Sagura gave a curt nod and one of the soldiers strolled into the city. The governor looked impatient.
While they waited, Kenji absorbed the city ahead of them. The buildings became much denser after the guard house. Before that they’d only seen small groupings of buildings at intersections. That part wasn’t that different from Gawa, mostly farmland and inns.
Now, though, the walls pressed in on every side. Foot traffic busily worked its way up and down streets. The sound of thousands of people going about their business was a new sound for Kenji. It wasn’t loud, necessarily, but it was constant.
The soldier returned no less than an hour later. Behind him walked a slender man with his head held high. His neatly combed hair and mustache glistened in the sun, slick with oil. His robes were a deep navy blue, and they shimmered with every step he took. The fabric made Kenji’s newly acquired cloak look like a horse blanket.
The man’s beady, darting eyes landed on Kenji. His eyebrow cocked and he looked Kenji up and down.
“I heard you let a child become champion of Gawa, Sagura.”
“Toshi, I assure you he—”
“I am not a child.” There was an anger in Kenji’s voice that made him sound, to Kenji’s great annoyance, childish.
“Spunky, too.” Toshi snorted.
“Ambassador, he won the tournament in a flawless victory. I promise you.” Sagura bowed his head until he nearly touched the horse.
Kenji couldn’t help but wonder if Sagura’s nose bled often. With how red his face became, it would only make sense.
“Whatever you say.” Toshi looked away and waved lazily with his hand. “Follow me.”
Sagura nodded to the lead cart in the caravan, and they followed Toshi down the street. Kenji couldn’t recall meeting a more detestable man. Toshi walked with his arms folded behind his back. People spread before him because if they didn’t, he would run into them.
Eventually, Kenji forgot about Toshi and became wrapped up in the city. The streets were just wide enough for two carts to pass each other. Buildings rose up on both sides, cradling the roadway. Some buildings were made of stone, others of wood.
Not even at the Gawan finals did Kenji see this many people. As far as he could see down the street there were heads moving about. Some of the people still gawked at Kenji, but most of them just kept their heads down and walked.
Kenji noticed at least two or three beggars at every intersection. It surprised him. With all the people walking around, not a single one stopped to offer food or coin. Most of the beggars wore rags, and some of them wore only canvas pants held up with twine.
What shocked Kenji more were the abandoned buildings. As they weaved through the city, Kenji noticed at least one on every block, sometimes as many as three. One of them was a burnt-out husk, black streaks painting the story of the fire that destroyed it. The other two were covered with boards.
Garbage littered the street around the buildings, and people walked around it with little interest. How could people ignore it? Didn’t anyone want to do anything with the space? It seemed so wasteful to Kenji. In his village, every individual took it upon themselves to clean a mess when they saw one. The trash never had the chance to accumulate, let alone litter the streets.
“Master, has Tenno always been like this?” Kenji asked, nodding to another boarded-up building. It appeared to be an old inn.
As a child, Kenji had imagined Tenno as a gathering for all things righteous and proper. It was the shining gem of the empire. It was a place for education, the arts, and leadership. What he saw now wasn’t that at all.
“No,” Ebusu admitted.
“What happened? I always thought . . .” Kenji trailed off, distracted by a beggar with only two teeth approaching his horse.
“I don’t know. Perhaps they are still recovering from the war? Perhaps the added traffic from the tournament? Maybe more are taking to the Tatsu leaf.” Ebusu wasn’t responding to Kenji. His tone had an edge of concern that chilled Kenji. His words were not answers, but nervous questions posing as statements.
Kenji wanted to press Ebusu for more information. He’d heard of the Tatsu leaf, but the drug was a mystery to him. He knew it changed the way men thought, like alcohol, but different. He saw how distracted Ebusu seemed as he took in the sights of the city and remained silent.
Kenji decided to ignore the decay of Tenno. He’d never been to a city of that size, and had nothing to compare it to. Besides, the city wasn’t his concern.
They had been on the street for an hour when they reached the wall that Kenji had marveled at from the hilltop. He craned his neck, amazed at the height of it. The individual gray stones were as tall as Kenji’s horse. Kenji wondered how they stacked them so high.
They were at the entrance to the walled portion of the city. The gateway was a beautiful, rectangular design. Steel arches swooped above their heads, catching sunlight at just the right angle. The metal was carved into long, slender dragons with eyes that stared into Kenji’s heart.
The guards were different at this gate. They carried themselves with a purpose and intensity that the earlier guards lacked. They were also fully armored, clad in scaled, painted steel. They approached Toshi with official steps, their hands wrapped around their hilts.
“The Gawan emissaries?” a soldier asked Toshi.
“Indeed. Better late than never, I suppose.”
Kenji looked away from the awkwardness. A part of him felt bad for Sagura’s social suffering, but they would’ve arrived a full day ago if they had set off faster in the mornings.
“This way, ambassador.”
They stepped through the gateway, and it seemed as if they were in a new city. The constant bustle of busy citizens faded away. The gateway opened up to a long, wide street. On either side of the street were huge, ornate government buildings. There were no beggars or merchants; only people who looked like Toshi strolled the streets here.
Kenji was in awe. The walled portion of the city didn’t seem that different from the hilltop, but it was a whole different world. The congestion of the outer city was gone. Space and sunlight filled the area around them.
Cherry trees were planted down the center of the street in a perfect line. They were in bloom, and it was a sight to behold. Petals of pink and white danced to the street with the gentle breeze. The air was sweet with the scent of the flowers.
This was the city he imagined, even if it was only a small chunk of Tenno.
Kenji closed his eyes and took a deep breath, enjoying the aroma. For a moment, he forgot all about the tournament and the Zettai blade.
“Watch where you are going!” An angry, feminine voice ripped Kenji from his trance. His horse started, but Kenji quickly gained control and searched for the source of the voice.
Standing before his horse was a young woman, only a few years older than Kenji. Her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, with a single chunk of hair hanging down in her face.
She didn’t fit the style and dress of other people in the walled portion of the city. Her robes were loose but tied tightly around her waist. She had dirt and grime on her feet and knees, but her confidence made up for it.
There weren’t many people on the street at that moment, and Kenji got the impression that the girl had stepped i
n front of him on purpose. He was about to apologize when he noticed the long, curved sword tucked in her belt.
“You’re the Gawan champion?” she asked. Her eyes never left his.
“I am.”
“It is a pleasure to meet such a brave warrior.” The woman smiled and offered a half bow.
Kenji’s confusion melted away and a grin spread over his face. This woman had cut him off on purpose so she could meet a champion. It was flattering. Kenji struggled the think of what to say, but he settled on his best impression of an important person.
“And what is your name, girl?”
“My name is Kami, from North Toku.”
“What brings you to Tenno?” he asked.
Kami blushed. “Well, I love watching the fighters.”
Kenji fought the urge to giggle. He didn’t spend much time with women in Gawa. He was always training or working for his mother. For the most part, they made him anxious.
“Hopefully you will watch me,” he said.
“I’ll cheer for you, champion of Gawa.”
Kami grinned up at Kenji. If this is what it was like being a champion, Kenji couldn’t imagine actually winning the Zettai.
“Kenji, focus.” Ebusu’s voice shattered the pleasant haze that wrapped around Kenji’s head. Kenji went to say goodbye to Kami, but she was already walking away. He kept his eyes lingering on her womanly frame for as long as he could.
He silently wondered if he would see her again, his youthful imagination already creating another meeting with the mysterious Kami.
At the end of the cherry blossom street was the palace. It was the only part of the city that was true to Kenji’s hilltop view. Even though it was still a fair distance away, it made the other buildings look like shacks.
The towers of the palace blocked out the sun. The large door at its center reminded Kenji of open jaws, and inside Kenji could barely make out another magnificent courtyard.
