Chapter Two

Chapter 2: Understanding of a Bloodline

Toshiro grew up in a strict house under his father, Toshin. His mother had passed away when he was a small child and all he could remember about her was icy blue eyes that were passed down to him, and her mothering nature. She was a gem of a woman who would do anything for her child. She spoiled him and kept him safe while trying to pass on life lessons; so he’d grow up to be a good man.

After she had passed on Toshin had become more strict than he was before. Curfews for everything in the house. He was to be home before dark if he was allowed to go anywhere. Meals were to be precisely at the same time everyday and he was to be there for them all. His studying to be done before he was allowed to do anything else. He wasn’t allowed to train in swordsmanship until he was sixteen even with wooden swords. His father was just too worried about losing him that he didn’t realize he was already pushing him away.

Toshiro loved his father but he didn't exactly like him for how strict he had become. He gave him the proper respect as his father, but he truly and genuinely missed mother. His emotions were becoming more and more cold as the time went on, eventually he, himself, became numb and only responded in habit. Doing what he was told, when he was told to do it and nothing more. Toshiro existed only as a vessel and extension of Toshin’s will.

The following day after Junchiro’s death the time had finally come for Toshin to explain a power hidden only within their bloodline. The power of the “Cold Stare”. An ability so frigid it causes the person it’s used on to commit suicide due to their murderous thoughts. A battle of will and determination to decide if the victim of this technique would be able to avoid death from it.

Toshin,"  Toshiro. Come down to the training room.”

Toshiro,"  Yes father.” He responded as he was expected to. He made his way down the stairs from his room and into the lower levels of the house. “What is it, father?” He asked.

“Today you will be learning about your heritage and inherited abilities.” Toshin pointed to a desk in the room with them. “Sit.”

“Yes sir.” Toshiro responded reluctantly, faking enthusiasm.

“Listen closely, boy.” He commanded. “Your powers are infused into your bloodline as a Shigekazu. The power to turn people’s murderous thoughts against them using what we have the ‘Cold Stare’. It’s been used for many years by our clan and as of now you and I are the last ones with the ability. Assuming you possess it.”

“How would we know if I possess it?” Toshiro asked.

“You’ll have to try using it on someone.” Toshin replied sternly as he looked at his son with his eyes narrowed.. “Being the law enforcement section of this community in Yama Zengo we have access to plenty of people in jails for you to practice. People who are so bad they’ll be there for life and some who are getting the death penalty.”

Toshiro looked around scared and confused about what his father just told him. He didn’t want to hurt anyone but he couldn’t disobey his father either. How was he supposed to get out of this without doing either of them? “If I refuse?” He asked bluntly.

“You can NOT. We need to know if you can use it, just in case something happens. You will be trained in hand to hand combat but I don’t want you to have to lift a finger if someone is threatening to kill you. You’ll just have to lock eyes with them long enough to trigger the Cold Stare and they’ll remove themselves from your path.” Toshin answered.

Toshiro sighed,"  This is supposed to be for my own protection? Something that’ll help me stay safe?”

“Precisely.” Toshin nodded in agreement.

Toshiro sighed again, he really didn’t want to hurt people but it seemed he was left with no choice in the matter. “When do we start?”

“Now.” Toshin walked over to another room and brought a man with him when he re-entered. “To understand this skill you need to use it. For us to know you possess it, you need to use it.”

Toshiro backed away for a minute in confusion and disgust about it. He never wanted to actually use that ability. He was scared and unwilling. “No! NO!” Toshiro shouted at his father as he ran out of the training room.

“Toshiro, come back here, NOW!” Toshin yelled at him only able to watch as he took off.

Toshiro ran quickly up the stairs and out of the house using the front door. He left it open as he left which wasn’t smart of him but as a scared teenager he didn’t think it through. He already knew the skill existed in his family and knew what it could do already. He, personally, just didn’t want to experience it. The one thing his clan had to offer that he didn’t want from it. He wanted to focus on his sword skills when the time came and while he understood that his father wanted him to be prepared; he wasn’t interested in it. What he wanted to do besides swords was draw. He was interested in perfecting his two favorite things to do.

Toshin was angry with his son but knew it was a lot to ask of someone as he, himself, went through the same issue with his father, Shin. There was so much going on in his mind at that time that he knew exactly what was going on within his son. This had to be done so that Toshiro could protect himself, and so he knew that Toshiro could protect himself when the time came. Sighing, he started realizing that he shouldn’t push his son to do this like his father did to him. He walked the guy back to the cell and shoved him and slammed the gate on him.

Toshiro had made his way to a small river outside of town where he sat down on a small wooden bench and looked out across the horizon. Before him was the remaining section of fields but beyond that were the large snow covered mountains and Omui Tapiu, across the river in the mountain snow. There was nothing less that he wanted to do right now than learn that ability or to even see if he could do it. He just wasn’t interested in that part of his heritage. While he sat on the bench, he pulled out a small pad and a pencil from his pocket and started doodling in it.

Several hours had passed since Toshiro left the house and made his way to the river. The sun was going down and he stood there having gotten up from the bench. He was feeling somewhat better after what he had dealt with earlier. He was understanding enough to know his father was just looking after him in the only way he knew how but he was really just missing his mother.

“Mother, I miss you so much.” Toshiro said out loud watching the river flow on.

“Like the rivers of time, the water keeps flowing forward and time must go on.” A voice said from behind.

Toshiro turned around to see his father standing there,"  I’m sorry, father.”

“No, it’s alright. I was angry that you left and ran out. Then I remembered that at this same age, I also felt how you do, but your grandfather was stricter and harder on me than I am on you. This ability is powerful and great but also disgusting. Over the years, I’ve just become accustomed to using it when I had to and I forgot that I once felt the exact same way you do.” Toshin responded. “Sit down. Please, son.” He asked with a comforting and understanding tone.

“Yes sir.” Toshiro said he was surprised at what his father had just told him. He was the same. That was surprising to him since his father was always harder on him since his mother passed on.

“Listen closely to my words. Your grandfather Shin, was a lot harsher on me than I am on you but I shouldn’t be treating you like that. I only want you to be able to protect yourself in these trying times. The whole issue with Fujimoto and Junchiro going on; there is no telling what is going to happen. I’m looking after you as best as I know how but I never expected to be here alone, without your mother. She balanced out how we were as a family. Almost the same as Jade, Amane’s mother. Did you know she’s psychic and has visions?” He said, shaking his head,"  Fujimoto told me that and I laughed in his face. Then what she told us happened when your mother passed.” Sighing, he looked upward,"  Icylyn, how I miss her and the joy she brought into our house.”

“Father, I understand why you do it but that ability scares me. To see the man or woman being used to just turn their weapon on themselves and kill themselves before your eyes, isn’t something I want to see. The struggle for their lives is unbearable.” Toshiro’s eyes had become heavy with tears as he thought more about his mother after what Toshin had said. “I miss her too, Dad. She was definitely our bond in the family.”

Toshin looked over at his son,"  I won’t make you do it until you're ready to do so. I just hope you don’t end up in a situation where you need it and can’t use it.”

“I’ll do my best to look after myself, father. It’s just weird and disgusting.” Toshiro stated harshly while making a grossed out face.

“I understand your choice. Just keep practicing what you’re interested in.” Toshin said drawing in the air.

“You know?” Toshiro said, surprised.

Toshin lightly laughed,"  I do. You’re getting better as the days go on. Keep up your practice and when you’re ready to learn, I’ll be here.”

“Thank you, father.” Toshiro said as he hugged his father. For the first time in a long time.

He hugged him back tightly feeling the emotions he had frozen away for so long,"  You’re welcome, Toshiro.”

The sun had gone down fully and after their talk they headed back home. That was the closest they had been in many years and all it took was a little understanding and talking about everything that needed to be said. It also helped that Toshin gave him some encouragement about his passion for art. The drawing kept him calm and comfortable as he lived without his mother while protecting people kept Toshin stable by allowing him to not grieve as much, which in the long run wasn’t healthy for either of them. Toshin just wanted to keep his son protected, at all costs.

As they arrived home, Toshiro headed to his room and grabbed his sketchpad. He began flipping through it with images of himself and Amane as skilled swordsmen. They were fighting back to back against hordes of enemies. Toshiro in blue and white armor while Amane was in a red and black set. Another drawing of some of the local people in town and buildings. Animals from outside the walls that he caught glimpses of occasionally. The next picture was a drawing of his mother and how he saw her. How he tried to remember her.

Toshin had gone back down stairs and checked to make sure he locked the gate. As he looked in he just saw the guy inside lying there staring at the ceiling. He turned over to face the door.

“You know when I get out of here, I’ll kill you both.” He said calmly.

“You’ll have to get out and through me first.” Toshin responded.

“As if I don’t know how to counteract your ability.”

“I also have a sword.” Toshin said bluntly.

“We’ll see.” The man spoke.

Toshin walked back out and upstairs again. He grabbed a small bottle of wine and poured himself a glass. He sat down at the table with the bottle and drank it slowly as if to numb the pain of what the man said to him. That was something he could deal with, the prisoner’s words didn’t bother him. It was the pain of thinking about his wife again and how much he missed her. He wasn’t a heavy drinker at all but it did help him to concentrate as he sat at the table.

The morning had come and Toshiro had dreamt about his mother for the first time since her passing. He didn’t get to say anything but could feel her presence as if she was right next to him. He felt happy feeling her spirit nearby and that made him feel more comfortable.

He walked out to the kitchen and found some food to eat then sat down at the table to do so. Immediately he stood up and walked to the bedroom and grabbed his sketch pad and sat down at the table again. He started to eat his food as he flipped through to the picture of his mother, just thinking about her as he did so.

Toshin came out of his room and saw the picture while he walked through their kitchen. “I didn’t know you drew a picture of her.” Toshiro jumped slightly not realizing his father had come over to him being off in his own little world. “Did I scare you?” He asked, slightly laughing.

“I didn’t hear you come in and was sort of in my own head.” He gathered his composure. “I drew this a while ago. Just how I remember her.”

“Make her eyes an icy blue and it’ll be perfect.” Toshin started staring at it with a soft smile on his face. Her memory was still being kept alive by them both and that meant a lot to him.

“Yeah…”Toshiro said, drawing it out. “I had a dream about her last night.”

“You too?” Toshin said calmly.

“Yes, sir. It wasn’t anything major or anything. I couldn’t talk to her. I just felt her presence and saw her again. It just felt like she was here, watching over me.” Toshiro responded.

“I see.” Toshin stated. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?” Toshiro asked.

“To the living room. You go there and I’ll join you momentarily.” Toshin responded.

“Yes sir.” Toshiro replied.

Toshin went into his bedroom and started searching through his belongings, finding a large scroll of their ancestors. He walked back into the living room and sat the scroll on the coffee table. As he opened it up dust flew off the scroll.

“Is it dusty enough?” Toshiro asked sarcastically.

“It’s older than me.” Toshin responded.

“What are we looking at here, father?”

“This is a scroll of your ancestors. Plenty of extra space after you and beyond. As you can see I’m here and my father is here.” He pointed to them both. “This coloration of blue shows another skill.” He pointed to many generations back. “That's a cryomancer. While it hasn’t been seen in a long time, it was a steady ability for our clan many generations back. The Cold Stare is an ability that is derived from that. While there aren’t any more cryomancers in our clan we’re slightly all one at least to that degree.”

“Why are you telling me this now?” Toshiro asked.

“I want you to understand where your lineage comes from. While you don’t want to use the Cold Stare, your abilities are there. You just have to focus your energy. There is also a possibility of you being a cryomancer.” Toshin stated.

“What is a cryomancer?” Toshiro said, confused.

“A cryomancer is a person who can manipulate the cold, like generating ice. As I said, it hasn’t been seen in a while. You could unlock it but no one knows how.” Toshin replied.

“That’d be really...cool.” Toshiro said with a smile.

Toshin shook his head,"  Don’t make those bad jokes.” He had a slight smirk on his face while talking.

“Sorry. Couldn’t resist.” Toshiro replied. “It was like it was just..frozen to the tip of my tongue.”

For the next few hours, Toshin explained to Toshiro that his family line was very heavy in elemental abilities but since a few hundred years ago things had begun to change and they stopped appearing nearly as much. Recently, there hadn’t been any of them minus those who could use the cold stare. Many generations ago their ancestor ,Aurora, was the last fully powered cryomancer of the clan.

“Our last ancestor, who could actively use the full potential of our ice powers, was Aurora and that was a long time ago. She traveled with a group of elemental warriors. One of which may have been someone of Amane's ancestry. His family is known for spiritual powers, so it is a possibility that his lineage goes just as far back as ours does.” Toshin explained as in depth as he possibly could but since he didn’t have the knowledge himself to use these abilities fully it was hard to explain how to awaken them exactly.

“That’s a lot to take in.” Toshiro replied. “I don’t think I’ll have that ability either but I guess we will never know until it happens.”

Toshin rolled the scroll up and took it back to the room. He slid it under his bed so he would remember it where it was, for the next time. It would come in handy in the future for motivation or explanation. He looked at a picture of his wife and sighed,"  Maybe he’ll take after you and be able to stay calm and focused.” He walked back out of the room and saw Toshiro sitting at the table,"  I’ll be going down stairs to exercise. Enjoy yourself my son.” He patted him on the head and made his way down stairs.

“Wait up, father.” Toshiro said, getting up from the table. “I’ll join you.” He slid his chair and closed his sketchbook leaving it on the table.

“Come on. We’ll start your training earlier despite that rule of waiting until you’re sixteen. I know Amane has begun training already with Fujimoto.”

“Really?” Toshiro asked in confusion.

“Yes. Amane is learning advanced techniques and basics at the same time. While wearing a special armor that increases his spiritual energy, stamina, and speed.”

Toshiro looked at his father,"What’s the rush?”

“His mother had a vision about his destiny. She also had a vision that you’d be there as well. That you’re both children of light.” Toshin responded with a sigh since after his wife’s death, he believed Jade at her word.

“Children of Light?” Toshiro asked.

“Warriors who will protect our Quadrants from the Sorcerer.” Toshin explained quickly.

“That’s a heavy destiny.” Toshiro replied.

“It is. Amane has a lot to live up to. I wouldn’t burden you with that. He seems to be taking it well, all things considered.” Toshin laughed slightly.

“He handles information like that way differently than most people do. He’s very optimistic about almost everything.” Toshiro laughed with his father.

“It’s his greatest strength, son.” Toshin nodded in agreement.

Toshin led Toshiro into the training area where they spent their first training session together. A strict but fair session with his father leading the charge to get him into shape. Toshiro’s excitement only grew as he was learning the swordsmanship that he had always wanted to and his father had seemingly lightened up at a personal level. Good news just all around for their household.