Black Hand

"But let's start from the beginning, I was born and grew up in a big family in Mushin," Old Two said.

"Mushin?" Yamato couldn't help but ask in surprise. Mushin is a mystical place in the edge of the Empire that trains many monks. "You were originally a monk Father?"

"Surprising right?" Nora said with a smile. "It's hard to connect Old Two with monks, this despicable man,"

Yamato still had many questions. "They said the temple of Mushin is where Realm Knights are trained is that true?"

Old Two frowned. "I am not as bad as your mother claims and I'll answer your question in time. Anyway my father had more that 20 children, 22 to be exact,"

"A monk with many children?" Yamato choked.

"Not all of us were monks in Mushin you know? Hmph my real name is Kuroki but they called me Old Two because I am the second son of my mother. Though I was the 17th child of my father,"

"Then shouldn't you be called young two?"

"It's just a nickname, would you let me finish first?"

"Sorry," Yamato said in shame, deciding to hold back his curiosity for now.

Old Two cleared his throat and went on. "Right, I was Old Two the 17th child of my father and second of my mother. I grew up in poverty plagued home with my parents deep in debt. Despite having many wives and children my father didn't have a sustained method to feed us, so at twelve you'd have to find a job and leave the house if you are a boy, while the girls would be married off at fifteen,"

Yamato couldn't imagine how terrible such a life would be because despite his parents not providing much for him he'd always had them to fall back on if anything goes wrong outside. If they had told him to leave home st 12 he'd have cursed them. However seeing his father still narrating he didn't say anything.

"From a young age my siblings learned all kind of crafts so they could survive on their own. However I never had the talent... or perhaps I was just never interested in those things. Instead I'd go to the mountains to watch the monks train in martial arts in my free time. I came to watch the monks everyday without fail thinking that I was never noticed,"

Old Two smiled and shook his head. "One day when I hiding on a tree watching the monks fighting below an old monk caught me in the back of the neck and brought me into the temple's main hall. I was very scared thinking the monk will give me a beating but the monk just kindly told me to relax that he just wanted to talk to me.

"The old monk introduced himself as the leader of the temple and asked me why I always come to watch the monks train. I told him the truth, that I didn't know why I just that thought their fighting skills are cool.

"Hearing my reply the old monk was silent for a moment before he nodded and asked if I was interested in joining them as a monk. I was 10 years old then and didn't have anything to do once I'm kicked out of home.

"My other siblings were also laughing at me wanting to see how I'd survive once I turn twelve in two years, so I accepted the monk's proposal without thought. Besides I thought that being a monk means that I'd get the opportunity to learn martial arts,"

Despite Yamato promising not to interrupt his father anymore he couldn't help it! "You became a Realm Knight?"

"I wish," Old Two looked at his son in disdain. "Those shabby monks does not train the Realm knights, they only use similar techniques to them. However if you are a very good monk you can easily join the Realm knights through their recommendation,"

"The catch being becoming a good monk is harder than being a Realm Knight," Nora chuckled. "In the end Old Two wasn't a good monk,"

She sitting on the wicker chair beside the door smoking cigarette.

"Yes I wasn't a good monk," Old Two admitted with a shrug. "Although to be fair I am proud to say I learned the martial arts they thought me rather easily, yet I was poor in other religious subjects. I guess all those Buddhist teachings wasn't my nature. I couldn't stand still and reason with arrogant people, I wouldn't meekly bow to officials from the capital, above all I couldn't forgive those that made fun of our order,"

"They called those monks a group eunuchs," Nora laughed and said.

"Damn it it still pissed me off even now!" Old Two clenched his fist. "That time they was a group of gangs that always bullied the monks when ever they came down the mountain,"

"Aren't the monks from that place very powerful?" Yamato asked. Even in Kreal city, this far north, the might of the Mushin monks are well known. Besides they practice martial arts right?

"What do you know? They naturally would not attack physically, because while the monk brothers are peaceful they won't stand still and be beaten to death. However they won't attack first no matter what so verbal abuse and provocations to shame monks are normal in Mushin,"

Thinking of it despite how many years ago it happened Old Two couldn't help but grit his teeth in frustration. "The monks already accepted that. Even when insulted they only smile and reproach the other person gently. But I couldn't take it! One day I finally reached my limit when those guys insulted a young priestess in our temple so bad she came back crying.

"So in the dead of the night I paid those guys a visit, beat them up and vandalized their shops. Alas I was naive, who thought that the next morning those shameless gang will pay the monastery a visit to report me and demanding recompensation,

"Hearing what I did the monks expelled me from the order. But I felt no shame because I'd come to disdain their teachings in six years I spent there anyway. I didn't bother going home afraid of being mocked by my stepmothers and their children that often return to show off their achievements over the years. I packed my things and left Mushin overnight, I didn't say good bye even to my mother."

As Old Two reached this part of the story he barely suppressed tears from out of his eyes. After a subdued sniff he continued telling his story.

After leaving Mushin he headed west towards the great cities. Even in those days the Five High cities of Yunjhu Empire were prosperous places with lots of people of different cultures.

Golden City with its riches, The Capital Helkr with its power and many noble houses, Nim city with its beauty, Starry City with its Realm Knights, and Skrap also known as machine city. These are the pillars of the Empire.

The closest of the High cities to Mushin is Nim so Old Two traveled there without any rest. Though it was the closest the Empire is vast so took him two weeks to reach there in the steam engine train from back then.

Nim city could be called the most beautiful city in the Yunjhu country. The streets were clean and spotless that even dirt could be rare to find on its cobbled street, the order was also well maintained and it's very difficult to commit serious crimes not to talk of getting away with it.

However here like any other place in the world they are still criminals that thrive in system. Deep in the shadows of such a perfect cities are hardened criminals from nameless thugs to gangs to organized crime.

"Here I met a group of strange people," Old Two smiled ruefully obviously fond of this memory. "They were obviously criminals but were so well dressed and well spoken you'd mistaken them for scholars. I'd just came to Nim city and was desperate for money and they were desperate for my skill set; the martial arts the monks taught me by the way,"

The first three days in Nim city was difficult for Old Two. He'd left Mushin with his tail between his legs so he had no money and had to scrape by while looking for a job. At the third night he got into a fight with a local gang that were looking down on him. There he got the chance to make use of his martial arts.

"I beat up more than hundred men himself," he laughed. "That display was so exaggerated that it drew the attention of this powerful group of well spoken outlaws,"

Defeat a hundred people? Yamato was stunned. It could be said that in a fight no matter how powerful you are you can't ignored the rules of numbers. Take Yamato for example even though he dominated the Street for years he'll be hard pressed to defeat three fighters inferior to him if the come at him at once. But if he bring out his Astral weapon - and they don't have any wielder in their ranks - it'll be a different matter but against a hundred he might still lose despite his Astral weapon.

Old Two didn't know what Yamato was thinking and continued, "These guys call themselves Nine Dragons, a criminal group that took any mission from assassination to theft to kidnapping. Yet they were not in any city's wanted list because of how secretive they are,"

The next day after his famous fight against a 'hundred men', the Nine Dragons met him promising him wealth and status if he joined them and after explaining the nature of their group.

"I needed the money but was reluctant to join them, because while I am not adverse to some crime, I was reluctant to actually kill people. However I couldn't reject them since I know they'd kill me after everything I know about them. I was confident of my kung fu but there was someone among them with a very scary aura,"

So Old Two joined the Nine Dragons. The nine members of the nine Dragons were all named after a particular color. There's a White Dragon, Blue Dragon, Red Dragon, Yellow Dragon, Green Dragon, Purple Dragon, Grey Dragon, Pink Dragon...

"And finally you the black dragon," Yamato said finding this story fascinating. Who knew his father was this formidable?

Old Two chuckled and shook his head. "I wasn't a black dragon, I started as a blue dragon. Anyway I'm not going to go in depth about my life with the Nine Dragons, but it's because of the things we did back then that we had to disband and go into hiding individually or else we would have been wiped out,"

"Eh? You most have offended someone powerful huh?"

Nora nodded. "The imperial family,"

"What?!"

"Yeah the Nine Dragons were so arrogant that they tried to..."

"Enough Nora, the boy already heard what he should hear," Old Two suddenly growled.

Nora glared at him then pouted her lips and said nothing. She also know that she was wrong so she back down. Old Two sighed knowing that his wife will make him pay for this later. He turned back to Yamato with narrowed eyes and said, "You are not ready for details yet Yamato, this is also for your own good,"

Yamato was curious but he'd heard enough information he hadn't digested yet so he nodded. "However I have something to ask," he said.

"Speak,"

"How did you meet mom?" Even though he didn't get along with his parents that's something he'd always been curious about. Who doesn't like hearing a romantic story?

However Old Two doused cold water on his expectation. "That's also confidential. The identity of your mother is also more scary than mine,"

Yamato looked at the somewhat young looking woman with unkept hair and doll like face. He believed what his father said. Yes mother is no normal person!

Anyway Nora not an expert as he couldn't feel any dangerous aura from her. But isn't he also unable to sense any aura from his father? For a he knows these two might be in a high realm of strength he couldn't comprehend. All this new information overwhelmed him, confusing him about which questions he wanted to ask. One came to mind quickly.

"How did you heal me so fast?" Yamato rose back to his feet and asked.

"That's up to your mother if she wishes to say it," Old Two shrugged and said, making Yamato to glance at his mother.

His mother sighed. "Actually I am a mystical doctor,"

"What's a mystical doctor?" Yamato blinked.

"Do you remember when you first summoned your Astral weapon?" Nora asked. Before Yamato could reply she continued. "You were beaten to an inch of your life, even though you healed by manifesting your Astral weapon I was the one that stabilized your situation and gave you enough time to make a come back,"

"So you are some formidable healer?"

"Yes, it goes without saying that you can't tell anyone about that,"

"Don't worry I am not a chatterbox," Yamato said. "Any way thank you guys for saving me this time," Then he rose to his feet and walked past his parents out of the bedroom.

Old two followed him into the sitting room. "What are you doing?" He asked as Yamato started fumbling inside his bag for a shirt.

"Going out," Yamato said. He'd separated from Tila not knowing if she made it to safety yet so his mind wouldn't calm down if he didn't confirm it.