The Burning Village

Jack knelt beside the smoldering ruins of what had been his home. The wooden beams still crackled with dying flames, and ash drifted through the morning air like gray snow. His parents lay motionless near the doorway, their faces peaceful despite the violence that had claimed them.

"The Crimson Banner Army," whispered old Kenji, the village elder, his weathered hands trembling. "They came at dawn, demanding tribute we couldn't pay."

Jack's fingers tightened around the strange katana his father had hidden beneath the floorboards. The blade felt warm against his palm, and for a moment, he could swear he heard something like distant thunder rumbling from within the steel.

"They rode north toward the mountain fortress," Kenji continued. "Lord Akuma's stronghold."

Jack stood slowly, his blue eyes hardening like winter ice. The black armor his father had left him felt surprisingly light across his shoulders. Around him, other families wept over their losses, but Jack felt only cold determination settling in his chest.

"Then north is where I'll go."

The Merchant's Warning

Jack walked for hours along the dusty mountain path, his black armor growing heavier with each step. The morning sun beat down mercilessly, and his water gourd had run dry miles ago.

"Water! Fresh mountain water!" called a cheerful voice ahead.

Jack rounded a bend and discovered a small market nestled between two rocky outcroppings. Colorful fabric canopies stretched between wooden poles, providing shade for merchants and their wares. The voice belonged to an elderly woman with silver braids who sat beside a stone well, a bright parrot perched on her shoulder.

"You look thirsty, young warrior," she said, her dark eyes twinkling. "One coin for a drink, two for information about the northern roads."

Jack reached for his coin purse, then froze. The parrot tilted its green head and squawked, "Crimson Banner! Crimson Banner! Death from the sky!"

The old woman's smile faded. "Hush, Kazu. You'll scare the customers."

But Jack leaned forward eagerly. "Your parrot knows about the Crimson Banner Army?"

"Kazu sees everything from above," she whispered, glancing around nervously. "But some knowledge comes with a price higher than water."