A light breeze drifted up the hill and danced lazily amongst the tall prairie grasses. It swept around the strong tree-like legs of Dao Haising as he stood in a defensive stance. It swirled around the spindly legs of his brother, Kae Haising, as he gripped his sword tightly.

After weeks of training with his more capable brother, he was still unaccustomed to the weapon. It felt obtrusively foreign in his hands. It was oddly weighted, terribly heavy, and unnervingly sharp at the other end. For an artist such as himself, it was quite simply an unnatural thing to wield. And yet, Dao forced him to learn.

You may need to protect yourself, Dao had told him. I won’t always be there to fight your battles.

Kae’s arms grew tired and he shifted his weight slightly. Dao caught the imperceptible movement and took it as an indication of attack. He leapt forward.

Kae screamed as his brother lunged, broadsword whistling through the air in a deadly arc. Kae clumsily lifted his sword, willing his weapon to defend him.