The Distortion

It wasn’t the sea…although it might as well have been the same thing. For one, the smell was the same, mostly that of salt. And then there was the sheer number of maritime creatures gathered in this place. All of it could easily give the impression that you were still sailing the seas rather than walking on firm land.

“Oh god, as if we haven’t had enough salt and water for the past…I don’t even know how many days have passed…” Adam wanted to puke.

“What’s wrong with you? I remember you liking the whole naval ambiance.” Laith asked, eying his brother with confusion.

“That was before I had to sneak inside a fish container…”

“Wait what?” Laith’s senses sharpened instantly. “When was this?”

“Remember when I got smuggled out of the Neumund…?” Adam said sluggishly. He could still feel the slimy touch of fish against his skin from back then—the memory alone twisted his stomach.

“Oh…damn. Well, I guess it can be a traumatizing experience.” Laith almost sympathized with his brother. “But you’ll have to muscle through. Not only is this the biggest port in the world, it also extends to the biggest fish market.” He added.

Adam should have been thinking of the million issues he had with the place, and yet his first thought was something quite positive. There was a faint breath of nostalgia mixed in the cocktail of smells that he grew to despise. He couldn’t help but remember a time where their father would take them along and go to a very similar fish market—albeit not the most famous one—where they grew up.

The atmosphere was almost identical. It was utter chaos, there was no denying it. You could never understand how such place was actually managed. The babel of customers and sellers alike made it almost impossible to hear and communicate with one another. Each step had to be squeezed through the unbearable traffic caused by the absurd number of people crowding the place, enormous as it was.

All sorts of seafood were presented in different fashion. Some fish were preserved in ice, crabs were still alive inside of a container full of water and the bigger sea creatures were displayed in open pools. The main attraction however was the bizarre creatures even Adam couldn’t properly identify.

After the Distortion, some of the secrets and mysteries surrounding the depths of the oceans were uncovered. Although it was hard to differentiate between what truly existed before the Distortion and what was given birth from myths and legends—a chimera-like creature with the head of shark and the tentacles of an octopus would make anyone question the reality of its existence.

The latter merchandise was regarded very highly, so much so it got sold in an auction—a familiar concept for Adam and Laith. People were negotiating prices, arguing amongst each other, fighting to win the auction…that was “Port Mizunami” in a nutshell. Somehow all of it flowed smoothly and gave birth to a charming chaos.

Port Mizunami was at the core of Yamato’s economics, attracting fishermen, customers and navigators from across the three continents. It had even attracted tourists who had no business to attend to other than being curious to visit this port and see its marvels.

Sadly, neither Adam nor Laith had the chance to enjoy this rare opportunity presented to them seeing how they were in a miserable state.

On one hand, Laith had to sneak a big tiger through the place by covering him and carrying him on top of some makeshift wooden carriage, which made him seem very suspicious. Adam on the other hand was using his hand to cover both his nose and mouth throughout most of the unpleasant trip—the smell could cause him to pass out.

Râad undoubtedly had the toughest time though, having to withstand both an uncomfortable position and the smell of fish. The latter was the worst, and not for the same reason as Adam. The temptation was killing the poor tiger, his drooling was fairly expressive. Adam caught glimpses of it; an unsettling sight for him who had yet to get accustomed to the company of the beast.

Ultimately, escaping the sea of people and washing ashore the exit was their top priority. The road ahead of them was a bit of a mystery considering they didn’t have a very detailed map. They would rather not dawdle in this place lest they reach the capital later than intended.

Thankfully, the absence of clear directions didn’t prove to be an issue considering the existence of a volcano that was hard to miss, Mount Fuji. The almost four-thousand-kilometer peak was a natural formation which the residents of Yamato took as the landmark to build their country around it. It helped provide a sense of familiarity in this new world.

A similar behavior was adopted by most of the major countries that had risen anew.

While the mount was not visible in its entirety, it provided a reliable direction for anyone headed to the capital.

As they were advancing, the two brothers came across a fairly iconic sight to the country they were in. Surfaces of rice fields, or more accurately paddy fields—a flooded parcel of land used to grow rice arranged in terraces—spread out to cover a large terrain with men pouring their sweat and blood into working those fields.

Laith was impressed with the sight as well as the effort. The job was by no means easy to execute, and the conditions in which they worked were suboptimal at best. It would take a very dedicated person to accomplish such tasks regularly, even with the suitable Incarnation.

After all, making good use of the tools and skills granted to the Incarnate or was still dependent on one’s mindset and willingness. Unfortunately, laziness and procrastination were still very much a thing…

Adam eventually stopped to ask one of those same workers about the grove they were nearing. Laith was surprised by his brother’s flawless accent. Barring his face, you couldn’t quite tell he wasn’t Yamatojin. That fact didn’t stop the rice field worker from being very hesitant to talk to couple of strange foreigners—accompanied by a tiger.

After some effort spent in convincing the middle-aged man, the latter finally reassured them that the forest ahead was relatively safe and they were on the right track.

“I’m telling you that pet of yours is going to be the end of us one of those days.” Adam said, eying Râad who stared back at Adam with dissatisfaction.

“Okay now you just sound like a broken record…I might actually consider delivering you as an offering for his growing appetite.”

Adam gulped. “Please don’t joke about it…”

They whiled away the time talking nonsense until they reached the grove. The vegetation wasn’t the thickest, but just enough to attenuate the sun rays providing a suitable resting place for Adam. Fatigue had gotten the best of him. He sat down by a tree to catch his breath and lie his body.

His pause, however, turned out to be short-lived.

* * *

Adam thought it was a tree branch. No, it was much softer, polished even. He turned to see what his hand touched.

A scabbard of a sword…a “katana” to be precise.

There was a katana lying on the ground by the tree and beside it was its wielder. It wouldn’t take much observation to figure out what the hawk-faced man was. His slightly curled dark hair showed a few white strands; age had started catching up to this man…probably. It was shaggy and messy, falling over his face with the tips touching his shoulders.

The face featured two noticeable details, a nasty scar running across the bridge of his nose and bags underneath his eyes, dark circles so pronounced you could easily mistake them for full-blown painting. He wore a combination of a T-shaped robe called “kosode” and widely flared trousers referred to as “hakama”—every accessory came in black, even the scabbard.

The attire, the hairstyle and the sword could only have meant one thing: it was none other than the world-renowned warrior class, the Samurai. They knew where they were venturing and they had no doubt they would eventually come across them. But to finally see one in the flesh after hearing all about them…it was hard to contain the excitement—especially for Laith was a massive fan.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Laith asked his brother who was poking the samurai.

“He could help us get through this forest and into the capital, it will be smoother to have someone familiar with the place guiding us, don’t you think?”

“Sure, why not…” Laith shrugged.

In a heartbeat, Adam wasn’t able to utter a word, he couldn’t even scream properly. The attempt to wake the samurai up was successful, except for the part where the latter grabbed Adam by the neck, slammed him against the tree and squeezed.

Not the reaction Adam was expecting. He tried to wriggle free of the samurai’s grasp, punching and kicking the air, but winning a physical contest against a Samurai as a Scholar was nothing short of a wild dream.

The first encounter with a Samurai was shaping up to be a nightmare.

“Let go of him or your head will go flying.”

The wide-curved blade of the scimitar was already at the black-haired samurai’s neck. Maybe it was a shared conscience shared between swordsmen, but the man in black clothes realized that it was no bluff. Laith was dead serious.

The samurai slowly let go of Adam, who was left coughing to no end. Knowing how strong an individual might be and being subjugated to that strength were two entirely different things. Adam may have had all the knowledge in the world at his disposal, it wouldn’t help him against a Samurai with enhanced physical attributes.

That was his brother’s domain.

The instant the samurai felt the scimitar moving away from his neck, and with a swift semicircular move, the samurai unsheathed his katana and slashed forward. Luckily Laith was still cautious and successfully parried the attack with his own blade, the clanging of metal reverberating in the grove. After that single clash of swords, they disengaged to regain a proper stance. That’s when the growling started. They weren’t the only ones who took a fighting stance; Râad was in position to lunge at his friend’s opponent.

“Râad, don’t. Stand down.”

Though Laith cared deeply about the honor that goes in a duel between men, this wasn’t particularly the reason for stopping Râad. Laith couldn’t quite tell what it was, but he felt no animosity coming from his adversary, so he preferred to keep observing for a bit longer. Assuming his opponent would let him.

The samurai broke into a sprint, and so did Laith. The scimitar struck first, blade swinging in a frontal arc. The samurai ducked below and lifted his sword up, grazing flesh, then quickly adjusting his grip to follow with an overhead strike.

Blood spurted from Laith’s chest. If he hadn’t taken a step back, those two quick slashes could have resulted in severe injuries. His Incarnation provided little to no advantage in this situation, the opponent should be just as strong. And right now, the opponent was about to control the flow of the fight.

Laith kicked him in the chest, pushing him back a good distance; the fight needed to reset. In order to do so, Laith pounced forward similarly to how his own tiger would, bringing down his large scimitar on his opponent. The samurai’s block didn’t stop his body from trembling, Laith’s blow packed so much power the impact could still be felt.

The difference in styles took shape from the very first exchange. Laith relied on brute strength to crush the opposition, while the samurai countered with a quick, dexterous and disciplined technique that relied on precision rather than power.

The black-haired samurai, from a blocking position, slid his katana against the scimitar and glided to his left, which made Laith’s right side completely open. The samurai struck Laith’s right arm, his most valuable asset, and blood spurted again.

Although this wound was deeper than the one on his chest and should have been more damaging, Laith brushed it off. His right arm was not cut from the same cloth as the rest of his body. The density of muscles was quite simply spectacular, even when accounting for his Incarnation.

Unfazed by the injury, Laith whirled his weapon at the samurai with even more power than the first time. The samurai fully dodged the swing by leaping back, or so he thought. To his surprise, his kosode was cut, as was his flesh, albeit a superficial cut. His opponent was so strong he could generate some form of air-blade just from sheer strength.

The samurai’s confusion lasted for a fleeting moment before he regained his darkened expression.

The warm-up was over.

The samurai tightened his grip, holding his katana with both hands. He bent his knees slightly, left foot in front. He readied his stance, locking his eyes with his foe who didn’t shy away. Laith chased away all needless thoughts, focusing solely on the samurai before him. Everything fell fell still as if the air itself held its breath, preparing for what would unfold.

A katana against a scimitar, a Fares against a Samurai.

The showdown started.

It didn’t take more than a handful of traded blows before a raging storm of sword-slashing kicked off, ravaging the surrounding area. Nothing could stand in their way, even the sturdiest and largest of trees bowed before the might of their blows, getting cleaved down instantly if they dared interfere with their bout.

One must have a piercing eye and unparalleled concentration to catch every one of their motions. One blink and you would miss two or three maneuvers, if not more. Strokes, blocks, dodges, whichever one it was, it was nimble and fast, so damn fast. It helped that none of them wore armor, so speed and agility were undoubtedly the highlights of the confrontation.

Adam—struggling to find a safe spot to hide in—had his jaw slowly dropping as the fight evolved. He saw his brother take out a couple of droids before, but this was on an entirely different level. This was the first time he witnessed a clash between a couple of warriors Incarnate—and clearly capable ones—up close.

And the truth was, he caught but mere glimpses of it. Adam mostly saw the fight in flashes, and not only because he had to switch places every so often. Even when sitting still, he felt as though he was watching a succession of manga panels and not events in real time. The motions had become so quick the sense of fluidity got lost in the process.

It was suicidal to even approach the area, and not necessarily the area defined by sword-range. The air pressure alone generated from each strike made it impossible to enter an even larger radius than the one physically occupied by the swordsmen and their weapons.

Both contestants went all out with nothing held back, but they were so evenly matched—even their build and height were the same—that no one managed to inflict any serious damage on the other. They fought tooth and nail, going toe to toe, blow for blow, each refusing to give an inch. With their levels being this close, the outcome wasn’t going to be determined by overpowering or outperforming one another.

No, the deciding factor would most likely be fatigue.

Even Adam who was hardly an expert when it came to fighting knew who would eventually come out on top if they kept up this pace. His brother should be favored when it came to stamina, endurance and durability; those were major attributes in his Incarnation.

Before the Distortion, it was a class of combatants that were fairly known for those qualities as they fought in harsh environments, very high temperatures, on very limited supplies and sometimes even while fasting.

It seemed like those strengths had gotten accentuated the most whenever Laith became Incarnate, even more so than his absurd raw offensive power. Laith didn’t even break a sweat during most of the fight, his breath had been consistent throughout and the injuries didn’t take away from his physical performance.

The samurai eventually disengaged. No one could tell if he really realized that he was bound to lose a drawn-out fight, but he made the right choice. He put his sword back into his scabbard, squatted down and fixed his right hand on the hilt while his left held the scabbard tightly. He was set on finishing the fight with this following blow.

Laith realized it and without wasting time, sword in hand, started charging towards him, not willing to give him any hold on this battle.

The next thing Adam saw was a couple of blades each directed to one man’s throat. The katana grazed Laith’s neck from the front whereas the scimitar brushed the samurai’s on the right.

The leap performed by the Yamatojin was quite simply phenomenal and the swiftness with which he drew his sword and immediately turned it into a strike was unparalleled. Laith was very close to being ran through. If his concentration failed him, even for a blink, he would not have seen the maneuver. That allowed Laith to respond in a similar fashion at the exact same time—the stalemate would have carried on all the way to their deaths

Adam never got the chance to see the complete sequence of events; he just saw the end result.

They both stopped short of slicing each other’s heads off.

“Why did you stop?” Laith asked.

A brief silence.

“Wait…you guys aren’t from around here.”

The samurai scanned his surroundings; his katana was sheathed by now, and the look on his face was that of confusion…not as much as the Kacem brothers.

Is this guy a moron? You just noticed that now? They were too baffled they couldn’t even say it out loud.

The samurai held his head as if he were in pain and sat back down in an attempt to regain his senses.

“Why am I all the way down here? Ah shit…I must have gotten a bit drunk last night…”

A bit?! You are wasted! Never mind the fact that he spent way over half a day unconscious…

He finally addressed them directly. “I’m sorry you two, I wasn’t thinking straight. I didn’t mean to attack you, so can you please tell that damn tiger to stop looking at me like that.”

Laith and Adam may have gotten confused by the situation, but Râad was still very much in assault mode. It wasn’t until his trusted companion convinced him that it was over that he finally calmed down, feeling a bit disappointed as he fancied a meal right about now.

“It’s okay, I guess…” Laith replied, finally understanding what he felt at the start of the fight.

The man confronting them held no ill will towards them, his reflexes as a warrior simply kicked in as a defense mechanism. The man was barely conscious and treated everything around him as a potential threat. Gladly, things did not escalate further than they did, though it came pretty close to an unrecoverable outcome.

Adam, still worried, approached the stranger.

“Ok sir, you clearly don’t seem in the best shape possible so let us help. How about we start with your name? Surely you remember that.” Adam feared the worst.

“My name… yeah…Genjiro, pleased to meet you.”

Adam let out a sigh of relief then followed. “Likewise, Genjiro. So, what is the last thing you remember before ending up in the middle of nowhere?”

“Oh boy, give me a second.” he puked to the side, to Adam’s utmost disgust and then continued. “Yeah, last night…U-u-u-h sorry, doesn’t ring a bell…although I’m pretty sure it’s just another hangover that ended badly…”

“Okay can we at least assume that you wandered away from the capital?” Adam asked.

“The capital…yeah yeah you’re right, I live there.”

“Good, very good,” Adam was slightly relieved. “Now, since you have ingeniously figured out that we are not from around here, can you help us get there? You see we are travelers and we could use the help of a local citizen.”

“What, you guys are some sort of merchants or something?” Genjiro asked idly.

“Not quite, we have special business here.” Adam was obviously not about to tell a random stranger what kind of business they were attending to.

“Hai, hai, whatever, sure, I’ll get you there…although I think you will end up being the ones to get me there.” Genjiro said, referring to his current physical inaptitude. Laith extended his arm to the samurai to help him get on his two feet and started slowly walking towards their destination.

It’s crazy to think that this guy nearly killed me moments ago and now he’s barely seeing or moving straight…

“So, no hard feelings? About what happened back there.” Laith best confirm the man wouldn’t hold a grudge, even if he looked a little too easygoing for that.

“Don’t sweat it, I too could have killed you without even realizing it.” The samurai may have sobered up a bit, but his tone and face still evoked a drunken state.

“I have to say, you really were impressive, nothing like I’ve faced up until now. Vastly different from the soldiers of Ashkanian.”

Laith couldn’t help but draw the comparison. The difference in style was that noticeable.

“Ashkanin…?”

“Ashkanian, the large empire, in the Risen continent.” Adam chimed in.

“Ah I see…never heard of it. And where are you from? You got some strange outfits.” The samurai started to look more bored than drunk.

“Its rivaling force, the Furat sultanate. Though my brother here hasn’t been living there.” Laith answered.

“Man, those are some weird names.”

Slowly but surely, Genjiro regained his composure and was able to walk on his own, thanking Laith for the support. He stopped for a moment and pointed ahead where some flags and banners could be spotted fluttering under the wind with a golden sun emblazoned on a black background. Buildings and installments started manifesting through the grove.

“Well, that’s the capital, Shin-Taiyo.” announced Genjiro.

He should have been relieved to finally reach their first stop. Unfortunately, it only helped further his worries, worries he started having since landing in Yamato.

The market could have been an exception, it was after all a convergence point that merchants from around the world would frequent. Then there were the fields which seemed awfully quiet and peaceful for a country undergoing a civil war. Then again, they were distanced from the lands where the battles would take place.

But now, with the capital at sight, something definitely didn’t sit well with Adam. There were no signs pointing towards an existing conflict within the country’s most vital city.

“Genjiro, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask, and I hope you don’t misunderstand my point. I was led to believe that there was some turmoil of conflict in Yamato which doesn’t seem to be the case, did I miss something?” Adam asked matter-of-factly.

“Oh, you’re talking about the war? I’m surprised you know about that, aren’t you a knowledgeable guy…but yeah you did miss something. An armistice has been agreed on by both sides to stop the hostilities about a month ago.” Genjiro answered nonchalantly.

He hoped there wouldn’t be any unexpected twists when it came to the plan, but he knew they were bound to occur. Any smart man would know that nothing ever goes perfectly according to plan. However, this wasn’t a minor unfortunate occurrence along the way, the entire foundation he laid his plan on was instantly shattered. So much for all the simulations he drew up…

Adam should have been aware of this armistice; the Neumund had the most resourceful information network. The only problem was that his last days back there—about a month or so—had been spent as a lawless renegade. He had more than enough on his plate, not much room to bother with the state of other countries.

Countless thoughts started crashing into Adam’s mind, the latter desperately looking for a contingency plan as fast as his big brain could process. Alas, he was not thinking, he was just panicking.

His brother was far from dull and quickly noticed his brother’s face painted in every color present on the spectrum as soon as Genjiro broke the news for them. The reaction was understandable. After all, one of the reasons they even started their journey in Yamato relied on the fact that the civil war was throwing the country into disarray, a state of being they would take capitalize on to achieve what they set out for.

“Hey relax, no need to freak out just yet, I know all of your plans are thrown out the window but I’m sure we’ll figure something out.” Laith whispered while covering his mouth.

“How can I relax? How are you so calm? How do you propose going about this whole thing right now? We’re just two men, we can’t possi—”

“Shut up!” Laith smacked his brother on the head to snap him out of his frenzy—nearly causing his glasses to fall. “The trip hasn’t been difficult so far, but it has been long and it took its toll on you since you’re clearly not thinking straight. The last flame will soon go out so we will get there, get a good night of sleep and tomorrow we start fresh.”

For a brief moment, Adam felt as though he was grounded by his father. The voice, the calm yet firm tone, the tan skin and the chestnut hair Laith inherited from him conveyed that impression. Luckily, and even though it was just an impression, it proved effective to a certain extent. While his fears weren’t completely dissipated, Adam managed to shove his concerns to the back of his mind, at least temporarily.

Genjiro didn’t understand what the two brothers were discussing, not that he cared. He was more preoccupied by a certain black striped animal, throwing him long side-glances every now and then.

“Are you sure this thing won’t eat me?” Genjiro was genuinely worried, despite looking and sounding like he was about to fall asleep any moment.

“Thank you Genjiro! That’s what I’ve been telling my brother all this time. And besides, what are we going to do about him once we’re inside the city? Disguise him as a dog?” Adam jumped at any opportunity to antagonize his brother’s companion.

“Hold on, you guys are brothers?” Genjiro spoke before Laith could reply.

“Yes we are. We just mentioned that a little earlier…”

“It’s like…you do look alike but…you don’t look alike, you feel me?”

It was right then that both brothers realized that the samurai’s “quirkiness” the result of a hangover. He was most likely a super laidback guy and an actual moron all along with a naturally sleepy voice, and it had nothing to do with being drunk. The weary eyes and the permanent dark circles under them helped affirm that theory

“Absolutely, that made a whole lot of sense…” Adam nodded, stifling his urge to snap at Genjiro—Laith couldn’t help but giggle.

“Back on topic, Râad will remain here in the woods, for now at least. And whenever we need him, I’ll call him out.” Laith said as he stooped and slipped his fingers in his fur. “Alright bud, I’m afraid you’re gonna have to stay here, so knock yourself out but don’t wander very far off, we might need your help.”

Râad let out a sound that only Laith could have understood as an agreement before sprinting into the wild.

“Do you understand what he says? Does he speak to you or something?” Genjiro was perplexed, even though it was hard to distinguish what sort of emotion he was feeling at any given moment.

“Not in a literal sense, no. It’s more like when you raise a dog, you just get accustomed to each other.”

“Except he’s no dog and his feral instincts could kick in anytime.” Adam stated, pushing back his glasses.

Laith didn’t bother replying anymore.