Mukuma Village was a small village in the land of the waterfall, a village with fewer than a thousand inhabitants, each of whom had practically known each other since they were young, but the times of peace did not last long after they began to be harassed by a group of tax collectors from the local nobleman.
These men were no different from bandits, they acted in the name of the law, but they took advantage of their positions to get what they wanted from the village of Mukuma and neighboring villages. Good men were extorted until they lost their livelihoods, women of all ages were forced into obedience, and the children were thinner and no longer smiled.
Still, no one dared to complain, after all, they were men of the nobleman, and those who dared to fight had been buried long ago.
Inside a small, worn cabin with cracks in the wood, a little way from the village, a boy hugged a little girl to sleep. The blanket that covered them barely protected them from the cold. The boy had his eyes open, hugging the little girl tightly, trying to pass his warmth to her.
Mukuro had been feeling troubled in recent days.
Ever since he killed that bandit, he did everything he could to hide his deed, not knowing if anyone would find out what he had done.
He couldn't sleep and could barely eat, although it didn't matter much because from beginning to end he barely had anything to eat.
Mukuro felt extremely anxious and worried, he lived in fear, lurking around corners like a thief, afraid someone would discover what he had done. At that moment, he didn't care much whether he died or not, but his sister...
He had promised his mother he would take care of her, and he did his best to do so. He didn't care about other people's problems and walked with his head down. He hated those bastard thugs, but he couldn't do anything. He was weak, he had a sister to care for. He couldn't worry about others because he had his own problems. When he saw that his sister was about to be harmed, he couldn't take it anymore. The man broke into his house while he was away, and when he returned home, he arrived just in time to see the man trying to force himself against his sister. Something snapped inside him at that moment. He used that small fruit knife to attack the man from behind.
Mukuro had no regrets, there was no way he could just beat the man up and expect him not to come back. Besides, without the element of surprise, the adult man's body was much stronger than that of a skinny child like his.
He could only give it his all, fight tooth and nail, and that's exactly what he did.
The man died, but Mukuro couldn't be happy about it.
That's because if someone came looking for him, this time without the element of surprise, he would die, his sister would die. Simple as that.
He wasn't willing!
He wanted to protect Asuka!
Mukuro's breathing became slightly heavier, he clenched his fists slightly, a fierce hatred appearing in his eyes.
Why?! Why is this world so unfair?!
As Mukuro was thinking, he seemed to hear something, it was soft, but he still heard it, it sounded like footsteps, and more than one!
Mukuro's eyes widened as he quickly tried to detach himself from his sister without waking her. He struggled for a moment, but managed to get up quickly. He approached the window with the broken glass and saw some figures moving outside his house.
His eyes widened as his breathing quickened, and while he was still thinking, the door to his house, which had no lock, only a wooden plank to hold it shut, was immediately destroyed.
A burly man entered, sword in hand and with a sinister look in his eyes, behind him, other figures approached.
The man looked at the boy, Mukuro had already picked up his fruit knife at some point. Beside him, his sister had woken up startled and let out a cry of surprise.
Mukuro awoke to Asuka's scream, quickly rushing to stand in front of her, though his whole body trembled, his eyes wide and filled with rage.
-What do you want?!- He tried to shout, but his voice was muffled by fear.
The burly man looked at him mockingly, then glanced back as one of the thugs behind him pushed a man forward.
Mukuro recognized the man, his eyes widening in fear when he saw him. It was his neighbor, living only a few dozen meters away, even though there was a dense forest between their houses. The man looked beaten, with a swollen eye that barely opened and some missing teeth.
-Is that him?- the burly man asked.
-Yes, sir! I don't want any more reward, please, I don't want it, it's him! It's him! I saw him dragging the body into the bushes, I can show you where he buried him, please, just let me go.- The man spoke quickly, as fast as he could, his speech impaired by the lack of teeth.
Mukuro's fear intensified even more, he was shocked and stunned. How could this have happened?! That bastard actually saw him and denounced him?!
Before Mukuro could begin to get furious with the man, he saw a scene that shocked him, almost making him fall over.
The burly bandit's blade slid across his neighbor's chest, a flower of blood bloomed, the man didn't even have time to say anything before falling backward, dead.
Mukuro gripped the fruit knife tightly, sweating profusely. He couldn't move, he was completely frozen. This time it was different. He wasn't furious and out of control like when he killed that bandit, but instead, he was so scared he thought he was going to wet his pants!
-Boy, you did well, you really killed Hoku. I didn't like that idiot, but who told you not to hide enough? Now I can only kill you.- The burly man spoke expressionlessly, but in the corner of his mouth, there was a slight bulge, he was clearly enjoying the scene.
The bandit expected Mukuro to beg, but seeing him frozen, he quickly lost interest. He sneered, raised his knife, ready to finish the job and go back to sleep with those two little girls he'd taken.
However, the next moment, the bandit's eyes widened.
An intense pain struck him in the chest, looking down, he could still see a blade piercing his chest from behind. Blood flowed continuously from his chest, staining his clothes a deep red.
-W-what...