From the corner of the darkened chamber came the hungry growls of wild beasts. The young boy, no more than ten years old, swallowed his fear. His eyes never wavered from the shadows. His breathing slowed as he counted the number of growls from the darkness. He counted five. His fear churned within his stomach, but he kept his stance. Outwardly, he showed no sign of fear. He showed only the dull gleam of his dagger to the shadows.
A snarling wolf charged from the shadows, and leaped for his throat. The boy immediately bent backwards and slashed upwards. The wolf howled in agony as blood poured out from its underbelly. The boy pushed himself upright, drenched in blood. His eyes closed. He did not bother to wipe the blood from his eyes. He did not pause. He charged into the darkness.
Howls filled the darkened end of the chamber. And the darkness knew death.
From the dimly lit hallway, the Kolat Master watched the boy charged into the shadows. He spoke to his servant without turning, “Prepare for his next training session.” “Master, the boy may not survive,” the Kolat servant spoke in a quivering whisper. “He will,” Akodo Kage smiled confidently behind his veil.
The six warriors of a darkened soul rushed Kinoshi like wolves circling a deer. The Circle of Death. Their faces veiled, they appeared as faceless apparitions of death. They strike with the fury of the dead and retreated swift as phantoms. But still they are only flesh, and they can still bleed. And bleed, they did.
Kinoshi knew the power of the circle of death, he had been a part of it. He knew how to break it. He waited. Let the circle close in. Let them come closer. The closer they come, the harder for them to escape. Then, he drew. And none of them escaped. For them, Kinoshi had become death. With a twist of his bo stick, Kinoshi drew a short blade from the top. Then using the bo stick, he pulled himself into the air, twisting mid-air, he plunge downward in a sword slash. Parting of the Way. One of the dark warrior fell, his body split in half. Blood splashed onto the floor. The circle broke. Kinoshi already moved onto his next victim. His short sword severed the veiled head from its shoulders. A high kick sent the bloodied head flying smack into his next victim. Dazed and confused, this one took two strokes to kill. It took one stroke to run him through; another to open his bowels.
Even with half their numbers down, they were warriors of a darkened soul, they fought to the last. Kinoshi endured their desperate charge grimly, his eyes filled with rage and ruthlessness. The killing instinct in him has been unleashed, there was no stopping the carnage. His only mercy, he gave them a quick death.
The chamber reeked of blood and death. Chinoko fanned the stench from her nose. But she could not fan the sweat from her forehead. She dared not speak. Fear kept her quiet. Before she though she knew Kinoshi, she now learned something from this night. Fear of Kinoshi, a warrior of a darkened soul.
“Kage’s legacy is not for you,” Kinoshi looked up as he spoke his voice threatening. Without another word, he turned and left.
Chinoko breathed easily as she watched his figure disappeared into the night. Soft footsteps came from behind the silk screen as the sleek form of Miko appeared, she commented. “I thought you said these warriors of yours was the best?”
“They were. Do not underestimate Kinoshi. He never failed to kill any man, save one,” Chinoko turned to face her young prodigy, “But that one was more god than man.”
“Follow him, Kinoshi shall lead you to Kage’s legacy.”
Miko heard the order, and left. Her sleek form disappeared into the depths of the night, leaving her mistress fanning herself in the moonlight.
The night was cold. The dark stronghold appeared forbidding in the moonlight. The ninja went up the doors and knocked upon it with the hilt of his dagger. The coded message went unanswered. Alarmed, the ninja pushed open the doors. He could feel the presence of lurking death, but duty bound him. The silent wind swept across the empty hallways, the ninja drew his blade and entered the ninja stronghold. Shortly afterwards, his scream could be heard as it echoed across the empty hallways. And swept by the silent wind into the void of the cold night.