Honored: The Embers Of The Flame

Chapter 3: Brutality

AKIRA's P.O.V:

As I come to after being trapped in that place, only Tsukuyomi knows how long it was. All I feel is aching and stinging pains all over my body every time I breathe a sharp pain shoots through my body and it causes me to kneel over heaving and gasping. I clutch my chest, but as I'm doing so, even more pain erupts throughout my body causing everything to start spinning,causing me to fall over onto the ground. However, not being able to handle the pain, I kept on passing out but no matter how much I tried. I can't seem to hold off the exhaustion that riddles my body. I close my eyes, and everything goes dark.

???'s P.O.V:

As me and my clan are looking through the forest that erupted in flames 2km away from our village nearly getting to us until they just vanished; this was confusing to us, so we began investigating where the flames seemed to emanate from the strongest.

"Hey Kazui! Over here! There's a man over here who seems untouched by the flames!" I suddenly hear a member of my clan shout my name interrupting my thoughts and so I head towards the man who shouted for me. Upon arriving at my destination, my clansmen are surrounding a young man whose arm was missing. We began giving him water and wrapping bandages over his arm and chest, along with some over his left eye.

"What is this?" Is all I can ask as the scene here is brutal, who did this? Was it the man on the ground? If so, how could a single man cause all of this destruction upon our peaceful and beautiful land? Snatching me from my thoughts my younger brother answers me.

"A man found lying here clutching his abdomen with almost all of his clothing burnt with scars littering his body."

My mind began racing with even more questions, but before I could even ask, I was interrupted.

"He has fresh and grave wounds, the missing arm and eye are the main problems of the blood loss."

My eyes widened at the news, causing me to become alarmed and yell at them. "Well— get this man to the village now! He needs help from our medical team, not us!" Upon my yells they nod and immediately head off with him to our home. "Brother, why did you not send him to our home immediately?" Upon my question, he looks a bit sheepish and rubs the back of his head before answering me.

"Well... you see...He could be dangerous, and I thought we could bandage him up and wait for him to wake so we could question him." I sighed while pinching the bridge of my nose with furrowed brows, I began to chastise him.

"Well, if you would remember my orders it is to always help people first, then ask questions later— AND, to always be kind to outsiders unless they hurt the people of our village." He quickly gains a scowl on his face and glares at me and ignores my statement as he pushed past me, heading back towards our village. All I could do is sigh because of how childish he was being before continuing to look around for anyone else.

3 Hours Later

I finally arrive back home after checking for anyone else and finding nothing; as if it had all been burnt into oblivion. Upon my arrival I see my little brother and little sister sitting at the front gate bickering about something.

"No, we shouldn't allow that man to stay here Kiera!"

"Well I think we should brother!"

I sigh again for what feels like the 20th time this day, it never gets easier dealing with these two after the death of our parents and taking my place as the head of the clan. It was especially hard on Kagerō; as he had secluded himself from others emotionally, however, he's still close with Kiera.

"Oi you two! Quit your bickering!" They both snap their heads my way, with Kiera being the first to respond by insulting me.

"Shut it baldy."