Chapter 1: Palace Dragonsphire
It was snowing heavily in the deep forest of Sakura Leaf. Yoru walked through the heavy white snow that bit at his fingertips and any exposed skin. His pale cheeks were red as well as his nose to the point he couldn't even feel them anymore, just the freezing, chilly air that pushed against face. The brunette's feet hurt him deeply but he couldn't stop walking now because of that. It would only lead to him getting severely sick to the point it'll take months to get back to his normal state. Yoru had a mission he needed to complete, and mentally complaining wouldn't give him any good progress towards his goal. His dark brown silky hair that goes down to his thigh danced through the blowing wind elegantly behind him. His chin-length bangs framed his face as they swayed back and forth. Unfortunately, the young male lost his hair tie when tumbling through the thick snow looking for spare food.
'How much farther is this forsaken Palace?' Yoru thought as he looked up and around. Due to the tall dead trees, it was hard to see anything that wasn't in the line of eyesight close by.
The brunette didn't really know how far he traveled from his last stop. He just completed his assigned mission in Sakura Town to assassinate a rich guy who was probably a loan shark due to the description and was given clear directions to the Royal Palace. He thanked the person who hired him and set off, but now that he looks back at it, it would've been much easier to just ask for a map instead of going out into the deep snowy woods by choice.
Taking in his surroundings, Yoru put use of his abilities as an assassin and climbed up a tree that reached higher into the sky than the rest. Crouching down on a sturdy branch, the young male narrowed his eyes and focused like a hawk. Due to past training before the massacre of his clan, all children were taught how to focus and train their eyesight and enhance them above inhuman heights. During hunting sessions, this was a critical thing that all the children must have. Alongside training the body to detect enemies' whereabouts, improving swiftness and agility, enhancing the capacity of the brain, and other survival things all must know about. And it didn't take long before Yoru's eyes were able to spot and focus on what looks to be the Royal Palace that poked above the walls that protected every villager and residences living inside those strong, thick walls.
"Finally, I've made it. Oh how lovely this place will be painted in the blood of those who dared to mess with my family. I'm only returning the favor," Yoru whispered to nobody. The fog that came from his mouth was so clear as he laughed at the thought. Taking a deep breath, the brunette paused all movement as he settled down from what seemed to be a sudden and unexpected outburst.
Taking a mental note of where the Palace was, Yoru jumped down onto the ground and wasted no time in advancing rather quietly towards the Royal residence. He knows he can't go back after this, and even getting his revenge wouldn't bring back his deceased loved ones, and maybe this isn't even for them. But for what they did to him personally. The mental images as they held him tightly to watch in horror as one by one another clan member died a brutal death. The horrid screams and shouts for them to stop still replays in his head. They didn't care if he would be traumatized after such an experience, they didn't even care if he caught a panic or heart attack due to the vast amounts of shedded blood and spilled guts. They just wanted to see him wither in pain and get too weak to even fight back.
They'll learn their lesson. Yoru was going to make sure of it.
-Time Skip 20 minutes (5 miles)-
After some time, Yoru reached his destination. Out of the snow covered forest and in a much more clearer area that felt so nice to finally set foot in. Climbing back onto a tall tree and settling on a branch, he looked down onto the large area of nicely built buildings and beautiful shops. The rivers filled with unique and rare fishes went around the town and flowed down leading towards the one and only, Royal Palace of Dragonsphire. It was a majestic and unbelievable sight to the brunette who had never seen such a thing due to the fact he's a hidden assassin. But soon enough, he'll be enjoying the life of riches and glory as he walks the paths of wealthy people.
"I've finally made it. It's taken me years to achieve such a thing, but I've really made it. Now, some sightseeing would definitely make this horrid day so much better."
Jumping down from the top of the tall tree, Yoru sneaked over the walls and into Royal Crescent. Unlike the Palace, the Crescent has lower walls since it's not as valuable. Which, was better in Yoru's case. Avoiding eye contact with anybody and slipping into the alleyway of two buildings, the young male wanted to get into the Royal Palace right away, but he'll need to dress up as one of the maidens who are assigned inside the secured place. Taking off his backpack, Yoru pulled out a pre-purchased blue servant kimono with a red bow at the back. Putting his hair up in a ponytail, and applying makeup to look like one of the many servants, Yoru looked into his hand mirror to make sure he had the exact look. He learnt this skill when he needed to do something similar like this. Yoru quickly packed up everything and hid his bag in an unused barrel where no one would find it.
'Alright, let's get this started,' Yoru thought as he walked out from the alleyway he was in and took a look at his surroundings. Heavens was it absolutely stunning here.
Unlike the other times where this was required in a mission, this very shook the brunette's nerves. It was more than possible for him to get caught because of heighten and much more tightly secured security. Yoru never really managed to master the skill of his acting for matching the persona of other people and ones he would be acting as. But now wasn't really the time to think about such a thing he should've put time in all those years ago. Taking the first step, Yoru made his way down to the Royal Palace of Dragonsphire. He'll just have to plan ahead if he wants this to be a success.