[hider=Kuro, regular human]A man, of about thirty years of age walked through the forest, carrying his child on his back. The child was five years old with black hair and eyes, he looked around and spoke to his father every now and then, and they both laughed together. And then they reached a clearing. There was a single tall tree on top of a hill, flowers dotting the clearing with red, yellow and orange. 

"Here we are, champ," the father said, setting down his son in front of the tree, "see how thick the trunk is?"

"Yes, daddy!" The child grinned, squealed and ran over to the trunk, putting his hands on the surface. He loved the texture of bark. This one felt different, though… There were gashes on it. "What are these things, daddy?" The child asked as he pointed at the gashes, to which the father replied with a smile. He knelt down beside his son and patted his head, then reached into his pouch and took out a stone knife. It was sharp and it looked dangerous.

"I've been practicing," he put the knife in his son's hands, who hesitated at first, but grabbed it by the hilt after a moment, "last week, I saw… Something disturbing." he sighed.

"What do you mean, daddy?" 

"One of the Wi Masters--Master Gorus, remember him, son?" 

The child nodded, a spark lighting up in his eye.

"He was killed by the monsters beyond the trees." 

The kid didn't know how to respond. Still, he sniffled and let a tear roll down his cheek. He was quick to suck his grief up, though. A boy did not cry.

"I'm sorry, son…" The father said, giving his son a warm hug, "I don't mean to scare you, but I don't want you to live in fantasy like the rest," he broke the hug, put his hands on his child's cheeks and looked him in the eyes, "but the Way of Wi isn't enough to survive."

"B-But… Master Gor-"

"Gorus is dead. I saw it, I was with him. he attacked with all his might, but as soon as he gained the upper hand against one of the monsters, another of the freaks appeared. Master Gorus' focus was halved, and he couldn't keep up against two of the things." the father winced and looked down, while the kid sniffled again. He couldn't cry again, he wouldn't let himself. 

"The knife I gave you--The Chief isn't fond of that kind of weapon, so hide it. We'll come here every sunrise. I'll train you to protect yourself from the monsters' attacks."

And so they went on. Each sunrise, as the father said, they'd be found at the clearing. For a decade this went on and by the time the boy, named Kuro, reached the age of sixteen, he was a better fighter than his father. Along the way, they had managed to create what they called the Sword of Wi--A rough weapon created from pure rock, with a blade sharp and heavy enough that it could potentially separate limb from body. They had also practiced unarmed combat, and after receiving quite a few hundred bruises over the years, they developed a style they called the Hun-Cho. It was based around balance, dodging and counters. 

Then one day, once they were finishing up and the sky had turned from orange to blue, Kuro turned to his father and grinned. Sweat reflected the soft light off his skin as he spoke, "Dad, you think I could join the hunters?" He asked with hope clear in his face.

"Actually, son, I was thinking we could teach the rest of the family all that we've been practicing." The father wiped some sweat off his brow.

"Oh, come on dad!" Kuro pleaded, "The others won't listen to us, you know that!"

"Yeah, but… They're still our family. And the village is still our village, we should do our best to keep them safe, you know? And what best way to keep them safe than to teach them how to fight?" The father sighed, "Son, tomorrow I will challenge Chief Ghagas to a fight. First one to hit the floor and not get up for ten seconds will have won. He knows what we plan. If I win, he'll support our plan to teach the village… If I lose, we both stop training and work twice as hard in the village." 

Kuro looked down at his feet, then at the tall, thick tree in the clearing. Over the years, its leaves had only gotten greener, and its trunk sported a few new slashes. 

"You're insane, dad."

"One of the reasons your mother loves me, son." He laughed, and Kuro couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

"Either way, are you sure you can beat the Chief, dad?"

"Not at all. It's impossible to know if you'll win when you fight, be it against a weak or strong opponent." the father responded with a shrug. "I have to win, though… Our family's honor and the lives of our people possibly depend on it."

"Yeah…"

"Anyway, let's go back to the villag-" A twig snapped behind them, and they turned at fast as they could. They saw nothing. [i]"Quiet, son."[/i] the father whispered.

Then there were the sounds of feet landing behind Kuro.[/hider]