Kurosai Chronicles
Author: Sigment Kurosai
Rating: R (For strong language, literary violence, and occasional suggestive scenes)

Just to clarify, the main character is not named after me, but the other way around. Now let's get started.
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Kurosai Chronicles Prologue: The Day That Would Change Everything

"You ready, Karra?"

"You bet!", she said with a smile, her long ears perking up in excitement. "I love Hide and Seek!" Every Saturday, they would do this. Despite the distinctly disapproving opinions of their parents, Sigment and Karra would travel to the fields to play games with each other. Each time, they would pick a different game to play; Hide and Seek, one-on-one Tag, you name it. This time, it was Karra's turn to hide.
...
Sigment found her in 27 seconds....

"Ooohhh, that was amazing! How did you find me?", she asked in awe.

"I guess I'm just lucky..." he said, while finishing under his breath, "...that you always giggle so much when you hide." He and Karra were both ten, and had known each other since they had been born in their two neighboring villages. However these villages were not just separated by distance. Karra's family, the Tsukina Demon clan presided over its race's village, while Sigment's family, the Kurosai clan, led its village of fellow Humans.

The fact was that, while Demons and Humans had been at peace for millennia, it was typically frowned upon for a Human and Demon to be in a relationship of any nature of this sort. The other children knew that Sigment had a friend that he played with every now and then, but beyond that he managed to keep the truth hidden. He could not say his friend was Human, as Karra's elongated ears were an obvious sign that she was a Demon, while the males of her race possessed two distinct horns just above their eyebrows, making it impossible on Karra's part to say her friend was a fellow Demon.

"Alright, let's go home, okay?", said Sigment.

"Why? We just got here!", Karra said with a frown.

"Yeah...", Sig said as he looked up to the sky, "but I don't like the looks of that storm..."

Despite being a little pouty, Karra did not argue, and headed back to her village, while Sigment took his way home. On his way, he noticed a tree that had fallen over. He wasn't sure what had caused it, as the storm hadn't even arrived yet. Looking closer, he realized that the tree had not fallen, but had actually been ripped out of the ground, roots and all. From the day he was six, he had been taught to pay careful attention to everything around him, and report strange activity to the elder: his father. Hurrying home, he ran through the village before arriving at his family's hut.

"Father!", he shouted, "Something's wrong!"

Slowly, his father approached him. "What is it, my son? What have you found?" Before Sigment could speak again, an explosion roared through the village, shaking the ground with the force of an earthquake and knocking the two of them down. Sigment and his father got up and looked outside. The boy couldn't believe what he was seeing: his village, his home, was engulfed in flames, and the people screamed as they all realized what was happening.

"The village is under attack?! But how...?", Said the elder, "Stay here, boy! I must protect our people!"

Sigment listened and stayed put, covering his ears to drown out the screams. As the boy sat and hid, he couldn't help but think to himself:
"Why is this happening?!"
"Who is doing this?!"
"Will everyone be okay?!"
These thoughts circled around in his mind until the hut was toppled over as if a boulder had slammed into it...
...

In the neighboring Demon village, word had arrived quickly of what was happening. Karra sat in her room, playing with her toys, while her parents and the other elders debated on whether or not to assist the Humans. The arguments continued to go back and forth...
"They are in danger! We must help them!"
"If we come to their aid, we put our own people in danger!"
"We cannot simply ignore them! We are Demons, not savages!"
"Yes, we are Demons! And they are Humans! It is not our concern what happens to them!"
The debate went on for several minutes, until the Elders came to a decision:
"As cold as it sounds, we cannot risk our people's safety to assist the Humans. We shall evacuate the village before whatever foe is attacking them has a chance to strike us."

Karra was combing one of her dolls' hair when her mother walked into the room.
"Karra, we are going to be leaving the village for some time."

"When will we come back?", the child asked, unaware of the unfolding events.

"I don't know, my darling..."

"Can I say goodbye to someone?", she pleaded, wanting to see her secret friend once more.

"I'm afraid there's no time, child." the mother said, picking up her daughter and preparing her to leave. The entire time, the girl wanted to ask what was happening, but the look in her mother's eyes made her too scared to say a word. Eventually, preparations were completed, and the villagers began to depart the area. Her mother held her as everyone traveled via horseback to leave the area. As her mother's horse reached the top of a hill, Karra looked back and saw a pillar of smoke. It took less than a second for her to realize where it was coming from. Her skin paled, she was unable to look away. As tears began to run down her cheeks, she uttered a single word under her breath...
"Sigment..."
...

"Sigment!"
The boy gasped as he regained consciousness. He looked back and forth before realizing what had happened. The pouring rain from the arriving storm had extinguished the fires. Immediately, he thought of only one thing.

"Father?! FATHER!!", he shouted, desperately craving an answer. He began to stand, and cried out in pain. His leg had been wounded when the hut collapsed. Slowly, he limped his way through the village. Tears ran down his face as he saw more and more corpses of his fellow villagers. Some were charred husks, but others... they appeared to have been ripped apart as if by a savage beast! As the boy looked in horror, he heard a sound behind him.

"Father...?", he nervously asked, only to hear a bloodthirsty growl behind him in response. He immediately turned around, not willing to die in the jaws of a beast, but he froze. In front of him was no mere beast, but a creature of unbelievable size. He couldn't see the beast itself, as night had come, and clouds had blacked out the moon. But he saw one thing for sure. He looked, and saw its eyes, staring into them, unable to move. They were fierce, almost feral, and glowed a color red as blood. Frozen in fear in front of the beast, he could only stand there as it struck him with its massive claws. The strike hit his face, cutting into his left cheek. The blow was strong enough to knock him into a nearby wall. Immobile and coughing up blood, Sigment couldn't think of anything except for the fear that was overwhelming him. Enveloped in pain, his vision began to blur. All of a sudden, the clouds let the moon shine through. The boy was on the verge of passing out, but under the light of the moon, his vision sharpened for only a moment. Looking up, the last thing he saw before falling unconscious was a wolf, the size of a grizzly, with shining white fur, slowly approaching him.
...

Over the next 10 years, more and more incidents of this nature occurred. First villages, then towns, and eventually even entire cities were destroyed in almost no time at all. There were no clues as to who was responsible, but over time, a pattern began to emerge. Among the tens of millions that had died, there was not a single Demon fatality. Every last individual killed was Human. The Human elements of government naturally took this as an indication that the attacks were orchestrated by Demons. As the accusations began to mount, tension between the two species climbed higher than ever before in recorded history. Despite everyone's efforts to find a culprit, there was only one perpetrator that was repeatedly identified: a beast bathed in the shadows of night. A wolf the size of a grizzly, with eyes red as blood.
...
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And that is the prologue! Hopefully you all will enjoy it, and I am open to your critiques. I'll have Chapter one out as soon as I can. The fact is, this story has been on my mind for some time, and I've been meaning to release it. So far, the story will consist of four main protagonists and one main antagonist. If you have any ideas for the story, don't hesitate to post!

EDIT: Changed a phrase or two to sound better.
MAJOR EDIT: Added a proper title and description.

_________________
"Stick around... I'm full of bad ideas." -Isaac Clarke

"You've chosen your Answer. Now see it through." -Serene Haze

My Story Is Revealed!
Check out my new literary comic: Kurosai Chronicles!

I've gone through and removed as many errors as I could find.

Also, for those of you who are curious: Sigment's last name "Kurosai", literally translated from Japanese, means "Black Rhino".

_________________
"Stick around... I'm full of bad ideas." -Isaac Clarke

"You've chosen your Answer. Now see it through." -Serene Haze

My Story Is Revealed!
Check out my new literary comic: Kurosai Chronicles!

Whoa. I have to admit, it started off a little slow for me so I put off reading it all until now, but when I neared the middle I felt compelled to finish the rest! I only really found one problem too.Now, when you say 'be he froze' do you mean 'But he froze?'

That's all. I look forward to more of your story, I mean it.

_________________
"It's such a fine line between clever and stupid."

The Chronometal Wars, a fan-fiction taking place in the PPGD Universe. Catastrophe is the only certainty.

Fixed it. Thanks for the comment.

_________________
"Stick around... I'm full of bad ideas." -Isaac Clarke

"You've chosen your Answer. Now see it through." -Serene Haze

My Story Is Revealed!
Check out my new literary comic: Kurosai Chronicles!

Break Time!
Kurosai Chronicles info post.
*I will do this between each chapter as often as I can*

It's time I got into a little bit of the backstory of the Chronicles...
Most importantly, contrary to what the prologue suggests, the year at the time of the prologue is 2005. The story takes place on an alternate Earth, one where (in case it wasn't obvious) Demons, as well as other supernatural creatures coexist with humanity. Technology as we mostly know it exists, but these two villages live in the more secluded areas of Japan, relying on traditions instead of new-world tech.

I plan to release Chapter One tomo- well, technically today...
Just remember, the story focuses on the events of the world from Sigment's perspective. But Good News: Karra Tsukina will return to the story in Chapter 3. Beyond that, my lips are sealed.
So come back soon, and catch Kurosai Chronicles Chapter One: Old Wounds and New Allies. Jikai made!

MAJOR EDIT: I have changed the year the prologue takes place from 2005 to 1995. This will in no way affect events to come. Trust me, it will make sense later... I hope.

_________________
"Stick around... I'm full of bad ideas." -Isaac Clarke

"You've chosen your Answer. Now see it through." -Serene Haze

My Story Is Revealed!
Check out my new literary comic: Kurosai Chronicles!

Interesting. I'll poke in every once and a while and look at it . I can understand why you wanted to make this into a comic. I'm doing some art work for another friend (eventually), but get back to me sometime with details of your characters and I'll attempt to draw them.

_________________
Stufflikehearts - He is a Sith Lord. I love Blood Lord :3
Jeffffey - Blood, you look at the information someone says, look over what really happened, and reply in a way that makes them realize what they were really thinking.
Mythrrinthael - Blood Lord, our local expert in interpretation of The Grim Tales from Down Below!
Fievel - Numerous campaigns and conquests, countless bodies decaying after the abandonment of victorious battlefields. Such is the life of Blood Lord.
Dusk_Imp - Blood Lord is like a celebrity here. Everything he does is pure awesome. ALL HAIL BLOOD LORD
Doctress Who - Why couldn't there be a Blood Lord in every forum? It would make life so much easier.
Snafu's Mercypostle.

Alright! It's about time we continue on. Hopefully any questions you will have regarding this chapter will be answered come next Break Time. So without further ado, here's Chapter One!

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Kurosai Chronicles

Chapter One: Old Wounds and New Allies

He couldn't believe his eyes. He was home again. Without thinking, he ran towards his hut. Step by step, he approached the shōji door until, just as he touched the door, it happened. The hut erupted with fire, sending him flying back down the stairs to the ground. Getting up, his eyes widened as each building around him followed suit, until the entire area was bathed in fire. The fires seemed to come alive and circle him over and over again. Then, the flames began to converge, taking the form of a giant wolf, before charging full speed towards him. Immobilized, terrified beyond belief, he took the full force of the attack. Engulfed in the living flames, enveloped in pain, all he could do was scream. His screams echoed into the night until, just when it seemed the pain would never end, he finally woke up.

Panting heavily as he realized where he was, Sigment slowly calmed himself.
"Damn it. It's been ten years, but I still have that nightmare every time I close my eyes..."

Taking two fingers, he dragged them down the scar that went from the top of his left cheek diagonally down to under the left side of his chin; a constant reminder of what happened that day. Putting on his keikogi, he walked out of his tent into the forest. In front of him, an older man was seated by a fire, eating breakfast. "Ahh, good morning, child! Did you rest well?", he said with a polite smile.

"Not exactly...", said the young man, "Good morning, Uncle."

The man's smile quickly disappeared. "Hmm... The same dream again?"

"Calling it a dream is an understatement... You know that."

"Yes, yes, I know.", he said with a worried look. Sigment's uncle, Genjiro, was the only family he had left, and was his father's brother. At the time Kurosai village was destroyed, he was endurance training in the mountains. Once aware of the incident, he hurried home, however it took him a week to make it back. Arriving home in the aftermath, he found Sigment, miraculously alive and well, in the remains of his family's hut. Taking him in that day, the boy's uncle cared for the boy as he would his own son. When Sigment turned sixteen, he asked his uncle to teach him kenjutsu. Choosing not to decline, he put the boy through training every morning. It has been that way ever since. "Hmm, you are wearing your keikogi already? You don't want breakfast?"

"I need to get stronger. I want to train now, then I'll eat." Genjiro stared at him, seeing the determination in his eyes. He could not refuse. Sitting up, he then walked over to their sparring area and grabbed two bokken from the stand, throwing one of them to Sigment. Once they were both in position, he asked, "Are you ready?" Sigment nodded in confirmation.

Almost immediately, Sigment charged his uncle, repeatedly swinging at him. Strike after strike, Kenjiro blocked each attack without fail. Holding against the last downward strike, he pushed back with enough force to send Sigment sliding backwards several feet. "What are you doing?!", he said angrily, "You must wait and anticipate your opponent's attack rather than offer them the chance to do the same! You know this!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know...", he said with a smirk, "But that's not the only way to win." Charging once again, Sigment prepared a strike. Genjiro prepared to block it, but at the last second Sigment dropped down and slid between his legs. As he got behind him, he spun back, knocking Genjiro's legs out from under him with a sweep kick before stopping a downward sword strike less than an inch from his face.

"Heh, I win...", said Sigment, panting with a smile.

Genjiro took his time getting up. "A feigned strike... Very clever, my boy." Standing up, he turned to face his pupil. "I should have seen it coming, I suppose. You would never blindly attack an opponent."

"Well, maybe you can get me back tomorrow." Sigment said with a grin.

Genjiro sighed, and looked at him seriously. "We will not be training tomorrow." The young man was obviously confused, so he elaborated. "This was the final test for you, and you passed. I have nothing left to teach you. But remember, we follow the principle of Katsujin-Ken. Never stray from that path." Patting Sigment on the shoulder, he smiled. "Now then, let's get something for you to eat!"
...

As Sigment finished his meal, Genjiro sat down with a cane, and looked at him with a stern face. "You have told me before of this nightmare you continue to have, but you would never tell me what happened ten years ago. What happened to our village?"

Sigment looked at him with a frown. He knew that when his uncle gets like this he won't back down. So he explained everything: The fires and explosions, the screams of the villagers as they died. But most importantly, he described the giant wolf with white fur that caused it all. Shocked to hear the truth after all these years, Genjiro took some time to think. Eventually, he thought of something. "A wolf of that size... I did not think they existed in this world, not anymore. However, assuming that they have not completely gone extinct, it may have been a Lycan."

Confused, Sigment couldn't help but ask, "What's a... Lycan?" Genjiro struck the top of boy's head with his cane for his ignorance. "Oww!! Damn it, what the hell was that for?!"

"A Lycan is a werewolf, you idiot... Do you know nothing of history?" His eyes sharpened. "Lycans were a race that had supposedly gone extinct almost 100 years ago. Their kind was declared a threat after an incident in the Western Europe, so the world governments decided unanimously to exterminate them." He then turned to the young man with a puzzled look on his face. "Still, Lycans are not capable of abilities that could burn a village to the ground. Even though Lycans do not age, and get stronger the longer they live, they should not be capable of gaining such strength." He paused for a moment before continuing. "And then, there's this particular Lycan, which you say has shining white fur. I have never heard of a Lycan that didn't have brown fur when transformed... I cannot help but feel as though there is much more to this than just what you saw..."

He stood up, looking towards the nearby mountain. "If this 'White Wolf' is as strong as you say, mere training is not enough."

"Then what do I need to do? Tell me!", said Sigment, his eyes sharply focused.

"Come with me..." said Genjiro, "and I'll show you." They walked at least half a mile towards the mountain before Sigment realized that they were being watched. He stopped, looking in various directions. "What is it?", his uncle asked.

"Someone's here..." Initially he was focused on caution, but suddenly an idea crossed his mind, and he grinned. At that moment, a figure jumped out of the treeline, attempting what appeared to be a roundhouse kick. Anticipating it, Sigment blocked the attack with his right forearm before grabbing the individual's leg and throwing them forward. The assailant recovered mid-air, before landing on the ground in front of the two men. The attacker, a woman, stood up and smiled. "Not bad! You've been practicing..."

Sigment returned the smile to the woman. "Yeah... Nice to see you too, Sonya..."
...
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Well now, things are getting interesting, aren't they? Who's this new character, and how does Sigment know her? Where exactly is Genjiro planning to take Sigment? You'll have to wait until next week, when Chapter Two gets posted!

P.S. Here is a list of translations for certain words in the Chapter.
shōji: traditional Japanese sliding door
keikogi: training uniform
kenjutsu: sword techniques
bokken: Japanese wooden training sword
Katsujin-Ken: an ancient fighting principle, also known as "The Life-giving Sword"

_________________
"Stick around... I'm full of bad ideas." -Isaac Clarke

"You've chosen your Answer. Now see it through." -Serene Haze

My Story Is Revealed!
Check out my new literary comic: Kurosai Chronicles!

Ah, so our little survivor is growing up and training. But for what? Survival? Or Revenge? Either way, his journey should be a tough one.

I must ask, did you change the date back ten years so you could have this 10 year flash-forward? Just curious. If so, I would have to recommend you put yourself off from writing for a while and spend a lot of your time planning out your story.

If such a key detail came in so late in development, I can't help but imagine you might make a big mistake and not even know it once you come up with a better idea down the road. Just a suggestion from one novice writer to another.

I look forward to more of your work.

_________________
"It's such a fine line between clever and stupid."

The Chronometal Wars, a fan-fiction taking place in the PPGD Universe. Catastrophe is the only certainty.