Reflected Sin
The prologue to what I hope will be a good story. More to come later on.
Prologue
16 years ago...
Charred embers lay in heaps, the scent of blood and death choking the air around what once was Jurok Village. Bodies lay ruined and burned, blackened remnants of the poor souls that once lived there. Drops slowly fell from the sky, steadily turning into a cold rain as a young girl, no older than 7 years, held a blanket tightly around her, her face red from tears as an armored hand rested on her shoulder, gentle eyes looking to hers with a compassion born of experience.
"It's okay, you're safe now, young one. My name's Seig, and I'm with the church." he said, his voice carrying a kind note, untroubled by the down pour that danced on his armor. The little girl trembled, her legs held to her chest and her face buried into them as she sat on the covered wagon's back step.
"The.. the Church?" she asked, her mousy voice shaky and hoarse. Seig smiled at her, his bright eyes shimmering with an unwavering light of kindness.
"Your mommy told you about the Church, right?" "Y-yes... she said the Church keeps the monsters away and protects us." "Your mommy was right, my dear. It's why we're going to keep you safe, now."
"If... if the Church keeps us safe, how come the monsters hurt everyone?" she pleaded, her face on the edge of more tears, despite her eyes being red and dry from crying so much already.
"Someone let the monsters come here, dear. Someone lied and let your friends get hurt."
"W-why?" "I don't know. But you're still okay, and right now, I'm going to look after you, okay little one." "I guess..." she sniffled, trying to force a weak smile. Seig smiled and patted her head softly, a reassuring silent promise in his expression. Standing up, he called for his Lieutenant.
"What's your name, my dear? Can you tell me please?" he said.
"J-Julie..."
"Well, Julie, my friend is going to take care of you for a little bit until we've looked around. I'll be back, I promise."
"T-thank you, Sir..." Seig rose and looked back, his expression stern and commanding.
"Alright men, spread out in groups of four and search for anyone else alive, and any clues as to who was responsible for this madness!" Seig shouted, his men scattering on command and beginning to sift through the debris and refuse of the ruined village. The Lieutenant approached and stood at attention, looking dead at his commanding officer with professionalism only seen in a career soldier.
"Captain Seig, Sir, you called for me?"
"Yes. This is Julie, the only one we've found so far. She's scared and a bit weak, so I want you to get her food, water, and to keep her safe while the rest of us do a sweep. If you can, maybe see if she can remember anything about what happened, but don't push her too hard. She's just a child, and hasn't learned how to deal with such loss yet."
"Understood, Sir."
As Seig left to aid in the search, the Lieutenant sat down beside Julie, offering his water cantine to her with as warm as smile as he could manage. The poor girl's shaky hands were barely able to hold the thing as she put the lid to her lips and slowly, but greedily drank its contents, obviously parched from crying for so long.
"T-thank you, Sir."
"You're welcome, Julie. My name is Lieutenant Osaga, are you hungry? I have some food with me, if you want it." He produced a small loaf of bread from his bag, holding it out for Julie to take. Her eyes lit up as she snatched it from his hand and tore off a large piece, scarfing the bread down ravenously. The Lieutenant chuckled to himself lightly, seeing such a young girl have so much energy even after everything that had happened.
"Julie, can I ask you what you remember? Did you see anyone that looked bad to you before today?"
"I-I don't know... it's all... fuzzy..."
"I understand, dear. Don't think about it too hard, you deserve to rest after what you've gone through." "Y-yes, Sir."
"May I ask you something else, Julie?"
"O-okay..." "Who was the last person you saw before we found you?"
"The last person... he said his name was..." she yawned widely and leaned onto Osaga, closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep innocently, her head resting on his leg. Osaga smiled and put his hand on her arm, comforting the exhausted little girl as she slept.
"...Akatsuki..."
Osaga looked down at the girl who was now fast asleep on his lap, the blanket still clung to her tightly. His expression turned grim as he looked up and waved the Captain over, Seig telling his men to continue the search while he saw to the Lieutenant.
"What's going on, Osaga? Did the girl tell you anything we could use?"
"Not much, sir. She's traumatized and can't seem to remember much of what happened. It seems her mind blocked it out in order to protect her."
"Well, that's at least some kindness for the poor thing. Did she say anything before she dozed off?"
"Just a name, Sir. Nothing else of note, I'm afraid."
"A name? What was it?"
"Akatsuki, Sir. Just Akatsuki."
"That can't be... Are you sure you heard her right, Lieutentant?" "Yes Sir. No mistaking. It was Akatsuki, no last name. Does that name mean something to you, Captain?"
"Unfortunately, yes. Akatsuki, is the name of a fugitive I thought to be a myth for the longest time. Rumor was, this guy would appear in small villages like this one, and every time, demons would attack and kill people. At first, I thought it was just idle gossip, mad tales from those who survived. But Jurok is too far away from the other reported sightings for this to be a mere story."
"Who exactly is this guy made out to be, Sir?"
"No one knows, just that demons appear wherever he shows up, like I said. He's said to carry a greatsword on his back, and only wears heavy armor on his one side. Beyond that, we've got nothing to go on." "If this man's real, than shouldn't he be easy to find? Those features alone would make him stand out."
"True, Osaga. But every report I've gotten says that he just disappears as fast as he shows up. No one knows where he goes or anything about him that'd give us any clues where to start our search. Odd thing though. This pattern of suddenly appearing and then vanishing, it's been going on for a full decade now."
"Ten years?! How has this gone uninvestigated for so long?"
"As I said, I thought it was only a story. It was always to the far east of here, away from any of the major settlements. Stuff like this usually is just rumors and idle fancy, after all. No reason to go hunting a story, right?"
"What do we do then, Sir?"
"Finish up the search, then have the men gather the dead and bury them. Once they're done, we'll head for Merrik Hall."
At the same time, far from the ruin and choking smell of death, a man walked away, his steps silent as the grave. Tears rolled down his cheek, and he clasped his left arm in pain...
"Gods look after you, little one..."