Chapter 31: CH-30
Suzuki Harunen was a simple farmer working at the fields of the land of iron. The land itself remained fertile for one two seasons at most with snow covering it the rest of the year.
His hands moved with rhythmic pace, his axe already making its way into the tree.
'Tree cutting in itself is quite the difficult task.'.
Suzuki had turned to tree cutting after having a year of bad crops; his luck had been somewhat down, and his slow and tired body wasn't making it any easier for him.
"Huff, I am fifty-five years old this winter." His sweat trickled down his chin; he continued, "I wonder what Aki would say if he saw me working?".
Aki was his son, a broad and tall samurai who was very talented for his age. For Suzuki, he was his entire source of pride and joy.
The boy had only been seven years old when he held his bokken; however, the agility and speed with which he struck his sword baffled the samurai inspectors.
'He had taken him as a disciple, Mr. Sora.'.
He shook his head, planning to focus on the work at hand; the tree wasn't going to cut itself after all.
...
Five days later .
The day of the Iron Land Championship.
"Darling, let's make haste to the stands." Suzuki held his wife's hand and made his way across the booming crowd.
"I know, dummy; I am not going to miss our boy's performance today.". His wife, a housewife, smiled and followed her man.
They had been late to the arena, and the matches had already started; her husband had injured his foot this morning, making their pace even slower.
Soon, they reached the stands, quickly searching the arena in search of their son.
"Husband, there, there is our boy." His wife quickly pointed at one section of the arena where a duel was going on.
Aki was facing off against another samurai in a square tile.
"Look how powerful he looks," she laid her head on her husband as tears of joy welled in her eyes. "Our boy has grown up.".
Suzuki nodded at her.
However, the very next second, their eyes bulged outwards.
"Aki!!!" A loud shout escaped Suzuki as he watched his son's dominant hand flying in the air.
Their eyes worriedly shot to the man who had made their son handicapped.
"Nooo, Aki!" shouted the mother.
They saw the white-haired man look towards them. The coldness of his gaze could be felt from across the arena.
His lean body stood in front of their now-kneeling son. Killing was allowed in the arena; however, it wasn't a necessary condition to advance.
'If the opponent admits defeat, one can go forward.'. Suzuki thought quickly, trying to find a solution.
'I can't let my son die; better to forfeit Aki.'.
"Aki, forfeit!" he shouted at the top of his lungs at his son.
He could see the white-haired man had stopped his swing, waiting for his son to decide his own predicament.
However, the very next second, the man sheathed his sword, the judge samurai clearly signaling that the round had ended.
"Husband, please, let's go to Aki." Suzuki's wife spoke with tears streaming across her face.
"Let's go," he spoke.
They both quickly moved, Suzuki ignoring the pain in his foot; clearly, the physical pain couldn't compare to the fear he had just experienced.
'Aki could have died today,' he thought in labored breaths.
Soon making their way into the medical ward, they saw their son with the head medic patching the stump where his arm once stood.
His wife ran towards her son and quickly held him into her arms; however, Suzuki stood frozen.
He could finally see the white-haired man, who was standing next to her son.
A memory played in his mind.
One that hadn't awakened in years.
...
"Father, Father, let's go to the land of iron tournament." Young Suzuki spoke excitedly to his father, urging the man.
His father, a figure of bravery and toughness, spoke to the young Suzuki; his voice turned soft, "Of course, little Suzu, your big brother Anari is participating in it.".
The two of them had been quite excited that day; Suzuki still remembered what horror he had to go through.
His brother had a fleeting moment in the duel before a cold white blade stuck his neck, decapitating him.
As his head bounced on the ground, Suzuki was in too much of a shock to hear his father's anguished screams.
His big brother, a source of warmth and pride for the family, had his life cut short that day.
He remembered his father meeting his brother's opponent that day.
His white hair and cold features had etched themselves onto his memories.
He hadn't cried; he was in too much of a shock to even process what was happening.
'Big brother cannot die; he is the strongest,' he kept repeating it to himself.
However, when questioned by his father, the man responded.
"Those who raise their blades at me are reciprocated in return. I am sorry for your loss; however, excuse me... I have a championship to win." His cold words had broken his father that day.
'Big brother is dead...he really died.' The words finally embedded onto his brain.
Tears welled up in his eyes as he bawled right beside his heartbroken father.
His father had died a few days after.
However, before he could wallow in despair, news reached him that the man had won the championship.
'He even defeated Lord Mifune.'
"Why, Kami, why?" he has questioned himself for a few weeks.
...
"Husband, come here. Why are you just standing there?" his wife called; his son was in her embrace.
The reality of the situation finally stuck; his son had survived... It wasn't like his brother.
'My son survived.'
He quickly rushed in and hugged his son; tears escaped his eyes as his son too bawled onto his shoulder.
He saw the white-haired man exit the room from the corner of his eye.
'My son survived.'
...
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