In The Darkness

1

* * *

Have you ever feared the shadows that surround you wherever you go? Well, in some cases – this fear is more than necessary.

This world was ruined. It collapsed under many different things, among which stood the arrogance and vanity of those, who called themselves scientists. They dabbled in things they should have left untouched. And because they made a huge mistake – the world fell and many people died.

No one knew why the experiments went awry, but the result was devastating. Portals started opening almost in each and every shadow there was – portals to different planes and times, and chaos began spreading as people started disappearing and various creatures began appearing from elsewhere.

Hard as it was, those who survived the initial attacks began organising survival camps and trying to sort things out. And while the remaining researchers and scientists were doing their best to close the portals – others were staying alive.

When the first shock subsided and people started understanding the new order, there was a lot to take in. First, and foremost, there was no longer a way to tell if the person you have met on the road belonged to the same world that you have. And so began the paranoia and the hatred that drove people apart.

Humans could no longer trust each other, and all the scattered groups of survivors began succumbing to violence.

People killed people for the simple fact that they seemed weird or not themselves.

Kara loved the new world for a number of reasons. She was never a big part of the society – rather, the outcast in any group, so staying alive all by herself was something she was used to. She was tough and before the Shadow Rifts appeared – she was always engaged in learning something that could help her be the master of her life.

Over the years she heard a lot of discouraging things from her family and the few so-called friends she had, but she always pushed through. As long as she felt happy and excited – nothing really mattered to her.

And when everything crumbled, and she was separated from her family – she just accepted how things were and found herself a little place hidden deep under the city. There she made her private bunker, where she kept the provisions and weapons she managed to find.

Everything seemed perfect – Kara found her little safe haven, where she could practice and relax, not bothering to think about anyone else.

However, it didn’t matter how well-lit any building or home could be. And the generators could also break and extinguish all the light sources, opening a way for the Shadow Rifts to open any time.

And so was the case with Kara’s hideout.

The generator died on her when night was creeping up, so the rooms of her bunker immediately went dark, forcing her to retreat upstairs, to the still vaguely lit rooms of the building, under which she found her new home.

There she lit all the lamps and candles she could find, but suddenly heard movement in the shadows that surrounded her.

Turning to the source, she noticed a few peculiar figures that seemed very much out of place – or, rather, out of time.

It was a small group of samurai – Japanese men, equipped like ancient warriors and armed with beautiful weapons Kara had seen only in museums.

Feeling her spine tense and her fists tighten, the young woman readied herself for a fight. Cursing at herself for not grabbing any weapons to defend herself with, she could only trust in her skills in hand-to-hand combat and her extensive training.

When the first man attacked, she managed to step aside and trip him over her foot, while jumping forward to another one. She noticed an empty champagne bottle on the floor and swiftly picked it up to hit the attacker with it right in his face.

This gave her time to jump over a table and grab the only things that could pass for weapons – two drumsticks which lay there after she was having fun with the drum set that stood in the far corner of this room.

Angry at the men, who dared to invade her home, she taunted them, drumming out a short, but war-proclaiming tune on the table, before readying for the fight again.

It was then that Kara noticed an exceptionally looking older man, who walked up to the table, looking straight at the young woman.

He said something to his men, and they stepped back.

«Alright. You must be what… their warlord, or something?» Kara growled under her breath, trying to keep everyone in her sight. «Leave. And don’t come back.»

The man smirked and tilted his head a bit to the side.

To Kara’s surprise, there was someone she didn’t notice before. But she heard him taking a step right behind her. She ducked just in time to avoid two strong arms that tried grabbing her from behind. After that she suddenly found herself swirling around the man, avoiding his hits and at one moment she was fortunate enough to reach him with one of the drumsticks.

The tip hit him in the eye, crushing the back of the eye-socket with a grim crunch, and the man stumbled back, then froze for a moment and fell to the floor.

Before she could turn to the others, someone hit her on the back of her neck, and she fell to her knees.

«You assholes!» she mumbled angrily, trying to stay conscious, but another hit sent her flying into the darkness.

When she awakened, she found herself lying on a hard wooden floor of some tented cart, surrounded by boxes of what she realized was her stuff. She saw provisions and herbs she had back at home, the notebooks and books, clothes and some of the other things she had as a memory of the world before it fell.

Feeling dizzy and a bit irritated, she looked at the back of the cart and noticed a samurai sitting there. He must have fallen asleep or was weary from the road, because he didn’t hear her wake up. Kara found a knife she used to have in her kitchen and took it, finding these samurai men quite stupid for not binding her hands.

Her attack was quick and the man fell to the road with a knife sticking out of his neck. Kara fell out as well, but quickly jumped to her feet and darted off into the thicket – moments before she heard horses riding after her.

Within a minute she was surrounded by the samurai again, and forced to stop.

The men were talking among themselves, but she couldn’t understand anything, so she took this time to think of a way to escape.

She never liked hurting animals, but there was no other way than to jump to one of the horses and hit it in the nose to startle the beast and try running by, while the rider was trying to calm his horse.

But as she was running to the trees to get some cover from the riders, someone kicked her in the back and she fell, rolling on the leaves and ground – already too hurt to get up. Before falling prey to the dark, she saw the lord commander jumping down from his horse right next to her and shouting something to his men.

The second time she came to her senses, her hands were tightly bound by a piece of rope. After looking around and finding herself not guarded, she used her teeth to untie the rope and set herself free. She kept the rope, as she didn’t find any more weapons around.

This time she decided not to act so impulsively and tried thinking of a plan to get away.

Fortunately for her, one of the samurai climbed inside the cart and was caught off-guard when she jumped to him, wrapping the rope around his neck and chocking him before he could make a single sound.

She pulled the rope so hard that she heard something crack before the man stopped moving. Kara set him down as gently as she could and took his katana. When she looked out of the flaps that covered the cart’s backside, she noticed two samurai walking beside the cart, and another two – riding horses a little bit further.

Something told her that she won’t have much time left on the road to escape. She needed to get away, even though she didn’t even know where she was – these men obviously dragged her through the rift.

She found a bottle of absinthe in one of the boxes nearby and took it. Her head was hurting, and she definitely needed some food, but that was not as essential as running away from her captors. She gulped down some alcohol and thought that it could serve as a great distraction.

Kara steadied her nerves before jumping out of the cart and hitting one of the men with her foot. The bottle flew out of her hand into one of the riders and as he unleashed his sword, it shattered the glass into pieces, making the horses jump to the sides of the road. Not wasting her time, Kara hit the last man with the sword, meeting his own, and kicked him back. Before he could dart forward to her – she was already running away into the forest.

This time she was running far longer, before one of the riders managed to catch up to her and hit her from behind. She found herself in the dark again even before she fell to the ground.

As she opened her eyes once more, she felt very weak. She tried getting up and noticed her hands chained. The heavy shackles rattled and she heard a man laughing in the far corner of the cart. She looked at him and saw one of the samurai men sitting there with his katana ready to be unsheathed at any time.

The young woman sat up on her knees and sighed. Chains were obviously a serious complication – as was the guard that was watching her. But she had to do something – she couldn’t just give up and let them take her hostage!

She looked around and noticed the little cans of food and spices.

Kara knew that she was hungry, and didn’t mind the guard, so she took the box down to the floor and started going through the cans.

Her guard shouted something, but she ignored him and kept looking for anything to eat and drink and – maybe – for a way to escape his watchful eyes.

She found a pack of dried meat and opened it, biting down on one of the pieces. When the guard shouted something again, she simply threw the pack to his feet, offering him to take one and shut up. But he didn’t even look at it, standing up to approach her.

Before he could even touch her to push her away from the box, she found what she was looking for – a small tin can with powdered chili pepper. Kara opened it and threw the contents into his face, blinding him.

He screamed from pain and anger, but it was too late for him – she hit him with the chain and threw it over his neck, pulling him down and choking the man.

When the flaps flew apart and the others looked inside the cart – Kara shouted at them, feeling the guard under her lie motionless.

The samurai threatened her with their weapons, but didn’t approach. Instead, they stood there, at the back of the cart that was stopped.

Finally, Kara saw their leader step up. He looked at yet another dead man and smirked, then started clapping to the young woman.

«Very… Impressive!» he said with a harsh accent.

He gestured her to get out of the cart, and Kara decided not to test his patience – something in those black eyes seemed far more dangerous than the promise of violence she had ever seen in any man’s eyes.

She slowly stood up and walked to the man. And as he stepped away, she jumped down onto the road and looked at him without any fear.

But as soon as she did that – a katana appeared at her throat.

«I have been… patient and kind.» The commander said. «And I lost four men. Now, since you will not stay calm… you will walk.»

Kara growled, and the samurai men quickly shackled her to the back of the cart, cutting off any possibility for her escape.

«Stop killing my men.» The commander smirked again and went back to his horse.

Kara was left to walk behind the cart under the watchful eyes of several samurai men, who were now more composed and alert because she had killed so many of their comrades.

Fortunately, the road wasn’t long, and by the time evening started creeping in, Kara noticed a castle ahead. It was big and very beautiful, and looked like it was meant for someone very rich and powerful. In terms of the samurai – it was fit for a Shogun.

When they arrived – the gates opened immediately and the samurai entered the castle grounds. Kara managed to notice that they, in fact, had a few carts, filled with different goods they stole. At least two of those were filled with her own things, including a number of weapons she salvaged – from a collection of knives and daggers to a few swords and spears she found.

One of the men freed her chains from the cart and started dragging her inside the castle, following his commander.

Feeling surrounded and helpless among the hundreds of armed men and women that were inside the castle, Kara felt a pinch of hopelessness in her heart. She knew nothing of their reasons and couldn’t understand why she was still alive – even though she killed four men in the raiding party that captivated her.

The samurai took her through endless corridors and stairs, finally bringing her to a large underground storage hall, which had a couple of cages standing near the far wall. They threw her in, and locked the door before she could get to her feet.

«Sleep well.» The commander smiled to the young woman through the bars and left.

Growling under her breath, Kara looked around, but found no way to escape – especially, since they left her shackled. Furious at this fact, she started kicking and hitting the bars of her cage, but none of her captors could hear her – they already left.

Soon enough, she was so tired, humbled and hurting, that she fell to her knees, gasping for air and trying not to let tears fall from her eyes.

2

* * *

Kara’s awakening was brutal – someone kicked the cage door and this made the young woman jump up, ready to fight. The shackles, however, made it hard to take a proper fighting stance.

As soon as she saw the three samurai behind the cage door, she growled – she was not about to give up without a fight. Two of those men were armed with long poles, and were ready to strike as soon as the third man opened the cage door.

Knowing that she won’t be able to fight off three men at once, Kara growled again.

«Hands!» the first man commanded.

Kara leaped to him in an attempt to knock him down, but the other two were quicker than she thought they would be – in a matter of seconds they caught her by the neck and pressed her to the bars on the opposite wall of the cage, leaving her no opportunity to move at all.

«Enough!» a woman’s voice sounded behind the men and they relaxed, but only a little.

Holding Kara captive between the poles and bars, they moved aside and Kara noticed a beautiful young woman in a fine white and red kimono. Unlike the kimono Kara knew to be worn in ancient Japan in her world – this one was made differently and looked more like that a samurai would wear, making it more similar to a men’s haorihakama.

«Let her go.» The woman ordered, and the samurai stepped back.

Having no more force pushing her into the bars, Kara fell to her knees, feeling that the men were about to choke her if it weren’t for the mysterious woman that came to her rescue.

«Get those shackles off her!» the woman ordered, and the men complied.

As soon as her hands were free, Kara jumped to her feet and landed a blow on one of the men, sending him to the floor.

Before anyone could do anything, the woman in the kimono stepped up and placed a blade against Kara’s throat.

«I said enough!» she said firmly. «You are not being punished and we do not intend to hurt you. Calm down and follow me.»

«What do you want from me?» Kara flashed her eyes with fury.

«That is for Master Ryuu to decide. My job is to get you acquainted with the castle.» The woman took the blade away and in a split second she looked unarmed again. «I was told to inform you that you are our guest, and not a prisoner. Now come on, I will take you to a bath, and we will get some food for you. You must be starving.»

She stepped away and gestured towards the stairs that were leading up to the first floor of the building.

Kara glanced to the three guards, who froze under this woman’s command, and stepped out of the cage.

«My name is Ayame.» The woman said, leading Kara out of this cellar. «I serve master Ryuu and you are now under my care. You will not be able to leave the castle grounds. However, you are free to roam about the castle, except for the gardens.»

«So I am your prisoner.» Kara replied with a grimace.

«You are Master Ryuu’s guest. And in due time he will tell everything you need to know. But in the meantime – I will try to answer all your questions to the extent that I am able to.»

«Why am I here?»

«Master Ryuu will be able to answer that. But, as I heard, you showed quite the fighting spirit in the Land of the Broken. I suppose, this could be the reason you were taken to our realm.»

Kara watched all the corridors and people that she saw, and very soon found herself lost in the maze that the castle was.

«Even though you are free to roam about the castle, be aware that you will not be alone. A number of special guards will be following you always and making sure you don’t bring harm to anyone in the castle. They will also be watching over you so that you will not be hurt by anyone.» Ayame said.

«I don’t need protection.» Kara growled.

«Yes, I saw. You are quite a fighter. But they are there to make sure you don’t try to leave as well.» Ayame opened a sliding door and Kara saw a room with stacks of sheets and towels.

Hesitating for just a moment, Kara stepped in. Ayame followed her and closed the door behind them.

«You can leave your filthy clothes here.» Ayame walked across the room and opened another door. Behind it was a comfortable bathroom with a hot tub ready for Kara to take a bath and clean herself from all the turmoil she lived through on the previous day.

«And you are going to watch?» Kara smirked.

«I can leave, if you want. But believe me – you will not be able to escape.» Ayame bowed and left the room.

Kara stood among this beautiful pristine room and thought for a little while, before entering the bathroom and taking a look around. She noticed a door on the opposite side of the bathroom and stepped up to it. But before she could reach out and try to open it, the door slid to the side and the woman saw a tall man in dark shinobi clothing – he was one of those that many people in her world mistakenly called ninjas.

He shook his head and stood there, staring at her coldly. Behind him she saw a beautiful garden with multiple cherry trees and many different flowers planted.

«So I am a prisoner…» Kara sighed and turned her back to him.

Knowing that he will be there to watch over, she decided to agree to the warm bath that these people provided her. She started to undress, but as soon as she began taking off her blouse, the shinobi behind her slid the door to close it, though Kara didn’t hear the actual hit of the wooden frame against the door itself.

Not minding his presence, she threw her clothes off, baring her bruised body. She looked at her scratches and bruises, and, finally, got into the tub. Only then she noticed the door silently slide shut.

As she bathed, washing away all the dirt and sweat from her skin, she looked over all her multiple tattoos, reminding herself why she made them in the first place. Feeling cornered, she caressed the dark phoenix on her left arm and pulled her knees to her chin.

She wanted to break down and cry – she was away from her home, she was all alone, among those, who could kill her at any moment. And there was not a single person she could really trust.

Kara dived under the water – just to let it wash away any tears that were starting to break through, and when she sat up again, the door was slightly open – enough to be unnoticeable to most – but not to her. The shinobi was watching her – making sure she won’t commit suicide, no doubt.

Just to taunt the man a little, she stood up – naked and shameless, and walked out of the tub. She took one of the towels to dry herself and noticed that the man was there, still watching. But when she finished drying her hair – the door was shut again.

Kara wanted to get dressed, but found her clothes gone. Who could have taken them – and when – was a mystery. Instead of her old clothes she found a haorihakama – similar to the one Ayame was wearing, but deep green in colour. It took some time for her to dress up, but as soon as she did – she found the clothes quite comfortable and very fine in quality.

It was unsettling – everything was strange and felt surreal, as if she was dreaming.

Many years ago she could only dream of something like this, but now – there she was, in a castle, among samurai and shinobi… and without a single clue why she was there.

As she walked out of the bathroom, she noticed Ayame sitting next to the door.

«Ah, that looks much better on you than I anticipated.» Ayame smiled. «Green complements your eyes.»

«Thank you?» Kara never knew how to react to compliments, especially those coming from a woman.

«You still haven’t told me your name, but I need some way to call you…»

Kara took a few moments to think, and decided to tell Ayame a name that fit the circumstances. She had used this name many times before.

«Mariko. Call me Mariko.» Kara replied.

«Very well, Mariko. Follow me. We have a meal prepared for you.»

Ayame led Kara through the maze again and showed her the vast kitchens of the castle. She said that Kara can come any time and even cook her own meals if she wishes – only, to the extent of not having any knives.

«If you need anything cut, ask one of the cooks or servants.» Ayame added and when Kara looked at the people working in the kitchen, they bowed to her.

Kara nodded and Ayame offered her a bowl of rice, topped with some meat and vegetables.

As she ate, Ayame kept talking – she told about all the possible ceremonial habits of the people inhabiting the castle and asked of Kara to uphold these traditions. Finding everything very similar to what Kara knew about ancient Japan, she agreed to try her best.

Her initial concern was to keep everyone thinking she is compliant to at least some extent. Perhaps, when they will feel less threatened by her – she will be able to escape.

After the meal, Ayame showed Kara some parts of the castle, except for the parts Kara was interested in. She was denied access to the training halls, as well as rooms where guards were staying between their shifts.

Seeing the amount of people and guards in the castle, Kara knew that escaping it unnoticed will be close to impossible. Though, it didn’t mean that she will not try.

But first – she needed to learn about where the guards are and where the doors that were leading outside were located. Every detail could help her find a way to run.

Very soon she understood that with all the guards following her at all times – including the hidden shinobi she barely noticed at all – running was turning to something out of her reach.

With each passing day Kara felt more and more depressed. Her captors were strict, numerous and the shinobi were almost always very well hidden.

There were, however, times that she found herself at ease, but only for a little while. For instance, the castle had an amazing library with loads of scrolls and books from all over. She found books from her home world and started reading them at first. Then she turned to books from other realms – fortunately, the librarians kept the books well-organized. But there were books she couldn’t read – for instance, there was a closed off part of the library, where librarians wouldn’t let her go.

One of them even told her that even if she did – she wouldn’t be able to read those texts, as they were written in a language she could not know as it was native to the Dark Realm.

The other thing that kept Kara a little bit sane – was cooking her own meals. Though not allowed a knife, she utilized her hands for the purpose. Instead of cutting tomatoes – she tore them apart making them mashed. Instead of dicing onions and garlic – she broke them into pieces. And when she was in need of meat – she asked for a slice from the cooks. But she never allowed them to cut it up for her. Instead, she softened the meat by beating it with her fists before frying it in the pan.