From This Day Forward

My master's house was about a half a days walk from where I currently am. I couldn't help but revel in the thought of being back in a house with hot water and a real bed. These two years trianing in these woods had felt far too long. Although, I have to admit that the training was definately worth it. In just these two years I had become far stronger than I had ever thought possble.

The day was perfect for the trip back. The sky was clear and the sun shined a radiant glow that reached and warmed my bones. There was a pleasant smell in the air that entangled my nostrils causing me to let my eyes close and smile. The spring time had just begun and plants of all kinds are just begining to blossom. The aroma was in every breeze. Small beasts could be seen in the distance foraging for food. This was just the atomsphere I needed to remedy the bad mood that I had found myself in earlier in the morning.

Looking closely at a beast beyond some tall grass in the distance, I could see it munching away on a berry bush. Seeing the beast munch away made my stomach begin to growl with ferocious want. Since I had missed breakfast, it is not surprising that I would be hungry. I picked out a spot under a fair sized tree and set my pack on the grass below it as I sat back in the shade and lowered the mask and hood from my face.

Enjoying the small trace of wind that was now blowing my blonde curls around, I pulled some dried fish and an apple from my pack and sat back against the base of the large tree. Eating and wondering if the master would be happy with my training results, my mind couldn't help but think back to the day that I first met master.

I was five years old and living in the poor sector of Glimmershear City. I was an orphan and was alone other than the rare times I would talk with other orphans or homeless people. I wore the same brown, hole infested rags every day. Life was not one that a child deserved. I was destined to be tossed aside and thrown out like the trash I was.

I only was able to survive by stealing food and money. Starving was the killer for people like me and one had to be crafty in order to survive. For this reason, I became very sneaky and fast early in life. I honed my skills by stealing food from merchants in the street market, and wallets from those who lost their way and ventured into the stone laid roads of my home.

Because of this lifestyle, I was caught and beaten countless times. Sometimes I would be unable to move for days. In these times, every once in awhile another orphan would leave me a cup of water or a piece of stale bread. But the beatings were not enough to stop me. I had to survive even if it meant just another day in this living hell life of mine. For some reason, death just wasn't an option for me.

So as days and weeks would go on, I would become faster and more sneaky in order to avoid a beating and be able to eat. Before long, I was given the nickname Blur, becuause the only thing that could be seen from onlookers when I would steal from my target was a blurry image of shadow. Now, I didn't care for this sort of thing. People living like me would talk and I had no time for thier stories and tales of myself or anyone else. My next meal was the only thing ever on my mind. Well, that and one more thing. A dream I suppose. A part of me would think at night when I was laying down on the cool, stone street, tucked away in an ally, about becoming someone strong in this world.

I would dream about being strong enough that I would rise in the ranks and become a guard or noble retainer somewhere and live a lavish and respected lifestyle. I couldn't help but laugh the teers out of my eyes when these unrealistic thoughts would spring up in my mind. I would always bite my lip and tell myself that I don't have time to dream such nonsense. My only focus should be on keeping myself alive. However, a small part of me knew that this dream was possibly the biggest reason I worked so hard to live and would refuse to let death be an answer.

As winter had hit that year, people quit coming around and street merchants had haulted a lot of their selling as this winter was particularly harsh. Food and money become almost impossible to come by for the likes of me. Getting desperate, I started watching a man that one day a week would walk into the corner of the sector I lived in. He patroned the same shop each time he visited. It was a shop of books and scrolls. The only reason that this particular shop was still in operation during this unforgiving winter was because it was held within the owners home.

The man had white, messy hair that reached down to his shoulders. He had a face full of knowledge that could be seen in the wrinkles he had imprinted on his forehead. He had pale, white skin and wore a cloak made of some sort of beast fur. He always had a glimmer of happiness in his eyes when he walked into town.

This day, after watching the man once again enter the shop, I faced a thought that found itself forced into my mind. This man had money for books every week. I would have to steal his money if I am to survive. Even though I felt something warm about this man, I had no choice but to take from him so that I may see another day.

I waited in a shadowy corner behind and abandoned merchants stall near the book owners house. Not making a move, taking the brunt of the cold wind that was tearing at my skin, the man finally appeared from the book shop and faced the direction from which he always came. Trusting my skills, I advanced with lightning speed through the shadows, careful to not let my feet make a single sound. Matching the steps of the man in front of me, I edged closer until I was within range to strike. With my whiplike speed, I was at his back and snatching his purse within seconds, then jumping silently backwards into the cover of shadows and objects that surrounded the buildings along the street. I carefully snaked my way to a hiding spot to count what this target had made me. Opening up the purse, my eyes almost popped from my head as I found enough money to feed me for a week. At a time like this, what I had obtained was more than I could have ever hoped for.

"Stealing is such a tasteless art."

My body tightened and my reflexes made me roll forward away from the voice that had just appeared behind me. Coming to an upright position, my eyes found the source of the voice hunkered over where I had just been sitting. It was a white haired man holding a book in one had and picking up the purse I had dropped with the other. "I think it has been about four weeks now that you have been watching me come to this shop, with some skill, too, I would say." My jaw lowered from my mouth. Had been aware of me watching him all this time? What kind of monster was this man?

The man stood up and slowly started walking towards me. With each step he took forward, I would shift one step backwards. "Your perception is quite remarkable for someone as young as you. Had it been anyone else that you had been watching, you would have made quite a profit tonight. Tell me, what is your name, young thief?" Still keeping a distance from the man, I didn't know if I should answer. This man was clearly different than anyone I had come across before. Would he let me go with just a beating?

Seeing the mans gaze unmoving I decided to answer him. "I don't have a name."

This was the truth. An orpan like me wasn't deserving of a name. The kids that found themselves orphans around here were thrown out by their parents at birth for whatever selfish reason they had, and looked after by the older orphans until they could fend for themselves. We didn't bother with names.

"No name? I suppose I am not surprised. An orphan that utilizes stealing as a means to survive would not need a name I would think." The cold, blunt truth the man had just spoken made my eyes twith with his cruel, honest words. "Still, I sense a great deal of strength in you. To think, someone with your potential relying on stealing to get by...what a waste." I had no idea what the man was talking about. Sure, I was fast and could sneak with the best of them, but what was so special about this? Many people relied on great speed and stealth to survive around here.

"That's right, someone as young as you wouldn't have any idea what I mean."

Hearing the man say this, it was clear that he could read the thoughts on my face. Deciding I needed to get away, I started to watch for the man to let his guard down while he was still gazing at me with great interest. "Before you run away, would you be willing to hear out a proposal that I have in mind, young theif?" Ignoring the fact that he had seemingly read my thoughts again, I watched the mans face as he said these words, looking for the malice or murderous intent in his eyes that would match what he said. Nothing of the sort could be seen. What was seen was a serious face that also appeared to be deep in thought. I didn't know what this man had in mind but I knew I needed to buy time. "What proposal is this master speaking of?"

"Oh? This young theif knows how to weild his tongue in the presence of his elder? Quite impressive." With a gleem of sarcasm backed by a hint of honesty, the mans lips tightened upwards as he spoke to me. "I can tell that you were born with a great potential. You have already proven some of that by having such strong perception at such a young age. I would like to take you to live with me. I would train you to become strong and somebody deserving to not be living on the streets. The trianing will be hell and the chances of you survivng are slim. However, if you do, you can become stonger than you have ever imagined."

My mouth went completely dry. I was in shock after hearing the mans words. Why would he want to take me from these streets? What did he mean I had potential? How could I ever be strong? My head began spinning after hearing his words and trying to sort my thougts. I balled my fists until my fingernails slid into the skin of my hands making little trickles of blood form. After a few more moments, I was able to calm myself down a degree. I still couldn't understand the situation but silence would get me nowhere.

"Why would you want to take me in and train me to be stong? I have just stolen from you and you caught me? Why are you not beating me or calling a guard?"

None of this could make sense to me. "I have my reasons. The reason that matters most is that I can tell that your potential is great. Rare in fact. To let a talent like yours waste away on the filthy streets would be a shame. I will ask again, come to live with me and train under me. I can't promise that you will live through it, but I can say that if you do, you will have an interesting future ahead of you. Now, please give me your answer."

Tirelessly scanning the mans face for some sort of clue to his request, I came up with nothing. I saw no evil, no hint of backhandedness, nothing of the sort. All I could detect was a sense of wonder and interest in his dark, black eyes. What am I suppose to say to this? Of course I didn't want to live on these streets. Of course I wanted to be strong. Of course I wanted to have a future. But how can I trust the hand of a man that I had just stolen from? This was all too much to consider.

After thinking with great haste and developing a cold sweat, I surrendered to the unkown. The life I know and have now is no life at all. This man has just given me a chance. He has offered me an oppurtuntity to find the thing I have dreamed of. Even if it turns out he is lying, the consequences could be no worse than the life I currently have. The unkown seems to be worth the gamble given the circumstances.

Clearing my throat and working up the nerve to speak, I brought my eyes to the man in front of me. "Okay. I don't know what this man thinks he sees, but if it means leaving this life behind me and becoming strong, then I will do it." The man warmly smiled. He took his fur coat off and placed it around me. With that, he started walking in the same direction he always did when he left town. After a few paces I saw him tilt his head back towards the young me fighting against the wind to keep up with him. Carried in the wind I heard a single sentence reach me, "From this day forward, you will call me Master."