Strings of Fate?

Inei departed as soon as he was given the mission, he traveled southeast to Hinohara village, the journey was assumed to be long and harsh, as the snowflakes would soon fall.

As he crossed a wooden bridge, his thoughts wandered off to his childhood, the early days before the tragic event.

He remembered his Mother, father, and most importantly, the tales they spoke of and the stories told by them.

When his mother used to knit scarves for him, she used to say a lot about destiny, fate, and many more unreal things.

The words left her echoed inside his head.

"Inei, see these strings? My mother used to tell me Fate resembled them, she used to often talk about the 'Strings of Fate', it was said that every Human was tied within these strings, binding them to the will of Nature..."

Inei tried to remember what she said, but his memory was fuzzy, he couldn't recall what she had further spoken.

But even though her words weren't finished, he knew one thing for certain.

'I will fulfill my purpose'

Inei knew what he had to do, eradicate every demon from the surface of the planet... But was that his fated purpose? He had no clue.

Was it the same? or was it different?

His thoughts were cut off short as he stumbled upon a man... or woman? He/She wore a full black robe, with a cape hiding its face, and held a stick to support their weight.

He walked past it, but halted in his steps as a chuckle escaped the black-clothed figure.

"Kekeke..."

The clouds roared as lightning struck from the heavens, the sun was covered by black clouds as the defining sound of thunder reverberant through the silent and serene atmosphere.

The black figure looked back, a chill ran down Inei's spine as he looked at the eyeless face of the person, he was a man, his lips were as black as darkness itself, and his skin was pale as a ghost with a sinister smile on his face.

"Child... Beware of the future, or you might fall under the spell of the Titans above... Kekekeke!! What an interesting [Fate] you hold, kekekeke!!! Hahahaha!!!"

With a crazed expression, the man walked back.

"Beware! Beware! For you shall take away the heart of the dragon! Claiming its wrath, leading to your own end!"

As the man faded far away, the dark clouds moved, revealing the burning sun in the cerulean sky, the lighting and thunder stopped as silence filled the grassy land again.

Inei gazed back at his path, it appeared full of thorns and spikes.

But he was not going to stop now, not when he was right at the entrance of his ambitious goal.

Steeling his resolve and clearing his thoughts, he dispersed the words of the unknown man and walked ahead, continuing his journey.

'Dragons, Titans, let them come, I will slice them apart with my Sword'

Gripping the hilt of his Katana, Inei stomped his leg on the ground and sped up, adrenaline rushing into his blood as he wanted to let out some steam.

That was short-lived as he found no traces of any Demons, it was reasonable, the day was bright and cruel to the vile creatures, his mind calmed down as he noticed a village up ahead.

"Atleast I brought a week's worth of supplies, so I don't need to worry about running out of food... But I should probably re-stock them, just in case"

It never hurt to double... Stock? Anyway, Inei quickly reached his intended destination and found a small inn, he paid for a night's stay and brought some necessities.

His eyes lingered on the setting sun, sighing, Inei sat cross-legged on his bed and meditated for a few hours.

As the moonlight reflected on him, his brows furred as a lady's scream resounded through the town.