[CONTENTID1]CHAPTER 2[/CONTENTID1][CONTENTID2]IT'S TIME[/CONTENTID2][CONTENTID3]The winds routinely clashed, bursting the newly bloomed cherry petals apart. The weak and the broken are carried by the breeze into the mystifying forest, sheltered from city life by dense crops and woodland. A wide, thin stoke of marshland surrounded the inner core, almost engulfing the little land that was left. At its center stood a shrine; half of its structure mauled by fire. Bears and tigers patrolled the marshland in which throughout the years became flooded and grew into a river. Whilst the deer and wallabies roamed the forest floor, where birds from above would call and screech at the sight of predators.

"Ready, Hiromi?"

"Ready."

"Go!"

A sharp whistle signaled the start to Hiromi's training. The few rays of light that sneaked their way down the undergrowth gently the polished titanium as she withdrew the arm-length sword from its leather sleeve. A pastel purple garment cuddled her thin figure as she confidently maneuvered around the patchy forest, despite having her vision blocked by a white cloth; tied to the back of her loose ponytail.

Equipped with the lightweight weapon, Hiromi took gentle strides towards a sand-filled dummy before slashing its torso with force. A dubious smile timidly curved her lips as she slid the sword back into the sleeve that freely hung from her waist.

"Let me guess. I failed," she spoke with doubt, yet slightly hopeful.

"You did well," Hitoshi encouraged as he stood from a distance.

A once white bandage wrapped around his thick shoulder blades was tattered and stained in brown after years of usage. One could see his devotion to swordplay by the countless holes punctured on his bandage, in which he inserted his heavy steel sword and used as a carrier on his back.

"Really?" Hiromi secretly chuckled. She roughly loosened the cloth with her scarred fingers and pulled it down to her neck. A hint of frustration illuminated her lips when she let out a deep sigh, conveying her self-frustration.

"… Disappointed?"

"Mhmm," she nodded, whilst staring blankly at the dummy as it continued to coat the ground with sand.

"Don't be too harsh on yourself. You're just a girl, Hiromi. It's only natural fo