Chapter Four

The sun was sinking behind the baobab trees, casting long shadows over the red earth as the blind boy stumbled behind Kitomi. His dusty feet shuffled unevenly, but his voice was unwavering.

"Where is Ichi? What happened to him?" he asked, his tone laced with curiosity and desperation.

Kitomi clenched her fists, barely masking her irritation. The boy was an inconvenience—one she couldn't simply discard. He was her only lead to this mysterious person she suspected was the murderer who had stolen her family.

"Ichi is fine," she snapped, her voice sharp like the edge of her blade. "Just shut up and follow me. We have to find the swordsman quickly, can you sense his presence? "

"I don't think so, I haven't really mastered it all quite well, I will keep trying,"

He had been trying all the way.

They reached the outskirts of Sakuja village, where the scent of roasted maize mingled with the musty aroma of wet clay huts. Smoke spiraled lazily from thatched roofs, and the occasional sound of children's laughter punctuated the evening calm.

"Listen," Kitomi said firmly, pulling a tattered robe over the boy to disguise him. "No one must know who you are. Keep quiet and follow my lead."

The village gates, guarded by two Izuo soldiers, loomed ahead. Kitomi's posture stiffened as she nodded respectfully to the guards, who barely spared them a glance.

Inside, the narrow pathways were alive with bustling traders and the hum of a talking drum echoing from a nearby square.

"We'll rest here for the night," Kitomi said, leading the boy to a quieter corner near a market stall. Her tone softened slightly, betraying a hint of weariness. "By morning, we'll continue."

Unbeknownst to Kitomi, her secret gold-crested dagger had already drawn the attention of three lurking rogues. Hidden in the shadows, their eyes gleamed with greed.

"Sheath like that could fetch us a fortune," one whispered.

Their plan unfolded swiftly. As Kitomi rested, one crept toward her, his hand reaching for the dagger. But Kitomi, ever alert, moved like a coiled viper. She twisted his arm with such force that he cried out in pain.

A swift kick to his face sent him sprawling to the ground, one brushed her aside, they fled into the crowded streets.

The dagger was more than a weapon to Kitomi—it was her family's legacy. She wouldn't lose it. Without hesitation, she took off after the fleeing men, it was no longer on her, leaving the blind boy alone in the chaos of the village.

But danger had its own plans. Two slave traders, watching from the shadows, eyed the boy hungrily.

"Easy prey," one of them muttered.

Before the boy could react, rough hands gripped his arms, dragging him toward the docks where a ship waited under the cover of darkness.

Kitomi, meanwhile, scaled the rooftops like a panther, her eyes scanning the streets below for the rogues. She saw them just as a patrol of Izuo soldiers apprehended them.

"No, no, no!" she whispered harshly to herself. Her mission had just become more complicated. Retrieving her dagger from the soldiers would now be an impossible task.

Then it hit her. The boy.

Kitomi raced back to the spot where she'd left him, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Where are you, you little brat?" she muttered as she searched. But the boy was gone.

...The Past...

"Kitomi, what are you doing here?" Grand Patron Ukagiwa's voice thundered across the courtyard. "How many times have I told you? Swordsmanship is for men, not girls. Go be with your mother!"

"But Father," Kitomi protested, clutching a stick as if it were a blade. "I want to fight. Watch this!" She twirled the stick with surprising skill, mimicking her brothers' combat stances.

Ukagiwa's stern expression softened momentarily as he observed her form. She had talent, but tradition forbade it.

"Enough of this nonsense, a. Sword is not meant for the hands of a lady, " he barked, regaining his composure. "Go now,. Your mother waits you!"

Kitomi ran off, her eyes stinging with tears.

...Present...

The blind boy winced as he was hauled aboard the ship. The salty sea air stung his nostrils, mingling with the acrid smell of sweat and fish.

"The boy is blind, you fools!" the slave buyer barked at the traders.

"But he's still good money," one of them argued.

"Twenty-five silver pieces , take it or leave it," the buyer snapped. "I've got other villages to visit."

The traders exchanged a glance, knowing they had no other choice. As the ship set sail, they clutched their small pouch of coins, already planning their night of celebration.

Kitomi stood in the middle of the bustling street, her fists trembling with frustration.

Far off, the ship carrying the blind boy disappeared into the horizon, its destination unknown.