Kohren

Kohren frowned at his sister's sickly body. ''Lina, this is the third month. No more going out to work in the fields ok? You rest at home. I'll go for now.''

Lina slowly turned her head from the hard cot made of bale. She wanted to shake her head in protest, but the only thing she could do was let out a weak groan. The little girl licked her chapped lips. She could still taste the copper flavor of her blood. That was the only movement she could make before nodding off to sleep.

Kohren felt a sting in his eyes. ''Lina…'' his voice drifted off. The young man bit his lips hard. The searing pain kept his tears from falling. ''Don't worry Lina. Your big brother will come back soon, with the medicine you need.''

Covering his sister with the only stained sheets they had, Kohren kissed Lina on the cheek before slipping out into the night. Despite his family's hardships, the night was beautiful, this night more so than many others. All throughout the night sky fireworks and sparklers could be seen exploding into the air. Tonight was a celebration for the territory, but Kohren couldn't even bring himself to smile. Not with his only sister lying deathly pale on the bed.

The night sky burst with color every so often, illuminating his grim features. Vibrant colors that signified life, health, power and wealth. Only a high noble could warrant such a thing, unlike a peasant commoner like him who knew not how to read nor write. He had nothing of value to his name, with his sister his last remaining blood.

Kohren faked a smile whenever a passerby gave him a small greeting, though perhaps they could tell that something was amiss as they would only give him a quick cursory glance through speculative eyes. Though who of the lesser subjects didn't have their fair share of problems?

Setting their gazes aside, Kohren stopped by Janice's small tea stand. The old lady was always there with her bitter teas, though sweet they were not, strong and earthy her wares were.

''Ah, Kohren,'' said Janice with a small smile. Her quivering hand reaching out to shake his. ''What brings you to my shop?''

Kohren set down a copper coin and two brass. ''Some of your best please. For my little sister.''

Janice sighed at the money. ''Her too huh? The outbreak with the fields has gotten to many of the farmers. I will pray to the Immortals to grant her health and ease of pain Kohren. Keep the money son. It's on me tonight.''

Kohren's eyes grew a little softer at the gesture. ''Thank you, Elder Janice. I'll be sure to tell my sister.''

As he turned to go back home, he felt a quivering hand grasp his arm. ''Kohren. The Lord will be hosting a tournament in his newborn's name. The benefits far outweigh any costs, and any with an ambition can enter, bar the Lord's servants. You should go. The solution for your sister may very well reside with the Lord and his generosity.''

''I will consider it, thank you again for everything, '' said Kohren as he took the carefully packages teas under his arm before heading out once again.

…

Seeing his sister wheezing on the bed brought back faded memories of an age long past. Etched into his mind but hidden behind happier memories it remained. Back when his father was still alive. Harsh. Cold. Unrelenting.

Lina was too young, but he wasn't. Kohren still remembered that proverb he once heard. The son must carry the sins of the Father, and all that it entails.

A heavy sword, stark and dull, yet a weapon nonetheless.

Techniques from an old House long burnt to the ground. Not even the ashes would remain to prove of the existence that was no longer. Too young to hold the weapon properly, it would shaft against his hands the longer he practiced. After hours of striking at nothing but an imaginary enemy, his hands would bleed to the point where the grip began to loosen.

A teenage boy, standing over another, yet the boy on the floor was without life. Dead. Struck down by his blade.

''Bring in another,'' said the Father, his voice without a shred of emotion.

Again Kohren brandished his blade. His heart would still quicken at the beat. The stance of a killer began to set itself within. His body long acclimated to wielding the weapon grasped within his hands.

The voice of his father still within his heart. Echoing every so often as he neared his opponent. 'Experience, boy, is what makes the warrior. Learn from example and put what you've been taught to use.'

Kohren shook his head. It seemed ages ago, but it had only been a handful of years. Lina was at the age of four when I had completed my training, now she's twelve.

Eight years. For a normal human, that many years would be a daunting number, but not for Kohren and his family. Not for a cultivator. To cultivate was to walk the path of an immortal, an exalted one of the highest powers.

The young man stood atop a creaky floorboard. He stood there for seconds. Minutes. A long time had passed and there he still stood. Kohren looked down where his feet rested, where the floor was hollow and dark. For his sister…he would brandish his sword again…

This time he was kneeling. His hands where his feet used to be. He could feel the floorboard wanting to cave, weak from years of moisture seeping into its core, rotting it from the inside out. He could easily remove them with a kick or a punch, but he took them apart carefully, with caution and patience. With a reluctance.

There beneath the floor laid a bundle, a sword wrapped within. Kohren didn't know what to expect as he took it out, as he unwrapped it. Perhaps a brittle thing rusted from the misuse and ill care? Not once had he maintained his blade ever since the massacre. He had no use of it since then. He used his words nowadays rather than his ill-intentioned skills.

Whatever happens next, thought Kohren, is up to the Immortals and their will.