Chapter 2- Outside the village

A short chapter, meant to describe how Echo percieves things. And a secrect is hinted at about the kind of place she lives in.

Outside the village

 

            I walked, humming an old lullaby Father used to sing to me. It was mostly just him humming, but he did it oddly. And he got a worried, distant look in his eyes when he had sung it to me when I was a child. The pace was awkward, and I could almost see his hands moving, the way they do when he's using Angel Dust.

 

            I looked upward, at the lazy clouds drifting through the air. I pitied them, drifting forever, never settling. I was trying to decide what kind of weather would be likely that night when a voice made its way to my ears.

 

            "Daddy, that girl is all cut up. Why?" a young child, maybe four, said. His father hushed him. "We don't talk about sword-mistresses like that, Edward. They're either very good, or very, very bad." The father was saying quietly. He smiled at me, a very forced thing.

 

            "I can be very bad, indeed." I said, cheerily. I skipped towards them, my purse of gold coins heavy on my hip, the drawstrings tied to my torn kimono. I saw the father pull his son closer, and thought to myself how odd that was. The child did nothing wrong yet, so why is he being punished, forced to stay at his father's side. I smiled, then bent down to the boy. "Want to know how I got these cuts?"

 

            "No, he doesn't," the man said, gripping the son, yanking him behind the older of the two. The son hid behind his father.

 

            I straightened up. "It's not like I did anything wrong. I was training, under my Father. One day, I'll be the Final Sword." I smiled again, showing my perfect white teeth.

 

            The man got a look of fright. He grabbed his son, then ran down the road. Shrugging, unsure what his issue was, I continued my walk.

 

            I made it all the way to my favorite village, Kokuja Village, without meeting anyone else on the road. The guard, a man who was silver haired, but carried a strong bow staff, greeted me.

 

            "How're you, miss Echo?"

 

            "Very good, Tobi." I stopped walking, standing off to the side of the dirt path, just before the high stone wall that encircled the village. It always struck me as odd, that the wall was smooth on the outside of the village, but scared and burned on the side within.

 

            "Practicing hard, I see. That's very good. You and your father must be good for business. You're always coming back for more supplies. Thank you."

 

            "Yeah. Well, I got to go, Tobi. Keep up the good work." I turned my back on the guard, walking down the road into the heart of the village. Behind me, Tobi moved to the center of the gateway, in the middle of the road, looking in towards the lovely village, his bow staff held firmly.