When they besieged his family’s compound, his father gave him their ancestral sword and told him to run. The last he saw of his parents was them drawing blades the hidden passage closed behind him.
His family had allies who kept him secret, raising him as a vassal in the hopes that one day his return would benefit them. The sword had its own plans as well. It whispered to him at night, demanding he take revenge.
The boy trained hard knowing one day he would need to chose between carving out a new future and avenging his family’s loss.

“File:Japanese katana with horimono (blade carving).jpg” by ElPablo is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

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Everyday Drabbles © 2025 by Hugh J. O’Donnell is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0