Abasdarhon's Castle

The children of Sato village, as is proper for boys and girls of their age, frolicked carefreely under the rays of the summer sun, warmed by its heat and by the naive joy of each other. They were now playing onigokko, and when the role of "oni" came to Hanzo, the round ended significantly faster than all the previous ones — the teenager was considerably more effective at this game than all his peers.
— Hey, that's not fair! — Kenta, one of Hanzo's friends, waved his arms to the sky in defeat, lamenting his latest loss. — As always, you won, learn to hold back already...
— Rules are rules, — Hanzo spread his arms indifferently, then extended an open palm to his comrade. Of course, this was not a gesture of reconciliation, but merely part of the pre-agreed rules.
— Tch... — Kenta and a couple of other participants handed Hanzo their onigiri with noticeable reluctance on their faces. — It's not like you can eat all that anyway.
But he did not intend to eat the trophy rice himself; instead, he shared the spoils with those who constantly lost in these competitions, as well as those who were still too young to play with them. After that, he headed home noticeably earlier than the rest, because today he still had many things to do — the training hall wouldn't clean itself and it was his turn, and then, as always, a sea of study and training would follow.
By daylight, Hanzo's family owned an unremarkable and time-worn dojo, devoid of any prestige due to the small number of students, an unremarkable though old history, and the low effectiveness of the techniques and forms practiced here compared to other military schools of Hain. As the villagers believed, however, this was quite enough to explain why one of the sons of the head of this family, Hanzo, was so much more athletic than his peers. This, however, was merely a facade which, like a shop sign, was kindly displayed for outside visitors. "The will of the clan is above all" — the first and most important rule of this criminal organization, whose main features were an indisputable hierarchy and iron discipline. Agents of this clan specialized in conducting secret operations, and their activities ranged from simple espionage to brutal murders: as long as the employer seemed reliable and was able to reward the executors of their will with clinking coin, the warriors of the Hanazawa clan took on almost any job.
The first and most important reminder of his affiliation for Hanzo would be the coming-of-age ritual several years later, when his father would present him with a very simple but cruel choice.
— Kill. — The steely voice of his father cut into the young man's ears like the blade of a well-sharpened sword. Moonlight fell on the faces of Hanzo and Kenta, one trembling with cold sweat, the other drenched in tears. — The will of the clan is above all, Hanzo.
If it had been anyone else, Hanzo would probably have carried out his father's order without any hesitation, for he had long been ready for his role, given to him at birth, but Kenta was his closest friend, which definitely became the main reason his father chose him as the victim... If only they hadn't been friends, the tearful youth would not be here now and would continue living his usual life.
— Disobedience is... — "Death," he mentally finished his father's begun phrase and, before the elder could finish what he started, with a clean sword strike he cut his friend's head from his shoulders. The choice was simple... Either he would fulfill his fated role and prove his loyalty to the clan, or his father would kill them both without a second thought. Hanzo shook the fresh blood from the blade and returned his katana to its sheath.

Arriving at the clan leader's call, the young warrior knelt before him on one knee and bowed his head. Five years had passed since Hanzo successfully passed the coming-of-age ritual, and during that time he existed not as a man, but like a weapon deprived of its will, serving with his entire being to carry out the clan's will.
As hundreds of times before, he silently listened to the details of another assignment; his target today was one of the inns in the capital, whose owners had been unlucky enough to anger a corrupt official who had briefly lodged there.
— Destroy the family, but don't touch the servants. — "No additional payment will come for them, and extra bodies on our account are unnecessary." — Take the eldest son's bride with you. — "Her name is not in the contract, but it's time your offspring replenish our ranks." Hanzo needed no details to understand his father's will; bowing, he humbly withdrew to carry out the task.

A few months later, Hanzo and the abducted Hotaru were bound by marriage. Given the shortage of women in the family, the fact that the girl was an orphan by origin probably played a key role in his father's decision, as she could serve as a kind of bonus for fulfilling that contract and no one would come looking for her. His father made it clear to her that disobedience meant death, and the fear of this formidable-looking old man proved stronger than the horror and anger caused by the heartless murder of people dear to her. Having married Hanzo, she had to become part of this family steeped in the blood of innocents, but not much was required of her — to respect the clan, not to speak of it, to cook, to clean, and to bear a couple of sons. To her fortune, she crossed paths with the dreadful clan leader very rarely, and Hanzo, for whom she felt nothing but hatred for the crime he committed that night, showed her no more attention than required of him. By a twist of fate, however, time distorted her reality and, observing her husband, Hotaru began to think that he was essentially as much a victim as she was, and after several years she began to feel first pity, and then love, for this man deprived of his will. The care and attention that replaced the usual duty and fear of the family did not go unnoticed by Hanzo — such a display of feelings was something unprecedented for him, and he himself, without realizing it, fell deeply in love with his young wife. In between work, time with her became the only joy and source of warmth in his life — something he thought he had forever lost on the day of his coming-of-age. But every dream ends one day...

— W-what?.. — Hanzo had never contradicted his father, knew his place, and asked no questions, but today he lost his usual composure and clarity of thought for the first time. The clan leader gave him a new assignment, and this time his target was Hotaru, his wife. Not only the fear of losing his beloved woman, but also the incomprehension of what was happening completely bewildered him. Was it because he and Hotaru had grown so close and lived in joy and harmony over these years? — But why?..
— Know your place, boy! — This change in Hanzo's behavior greatly displeased his father, and his face briefly took on an expression of dissatisfaction, then returned to normal. — All these years you have been the ideal son to me, and perhaps one day you would inherit the affairs of our clan and its destiny, so very well — I will forgive your transgression and even answer your question.
Hanzo tried to gather his thoughts and prepared to listen.
— When I decided to make Hotaru your wife and part of our clan, it was assumed she was an orphan, but it turned out she was not. — As it turned out from the ensuing story, Hotaru was the illegitimate daughter of an influential man from Dzyuan, and the family that owned that hotel first adopted her, passing her off as a nameless orphan, and then, several years later, planned to marry her off to their son, for whom she had feelings at the time. — Her existence poses a threat. Is that clear?
— ... Yes. — Hanzo bowed and disappeared.

That evening, Hanzo would for the first time break the iron rules of the clan and defy the clan's will. Hotaru had become something irreplaceable in his life, and he could not allow himself to lose her, even if it meant going against his father. He and she safely crossed the border into Dzyuan and headed towards the Senei Republic, but could not shake their pursuers — given his career, Hanzo could have escaped alone, but in this matter, unprepared Hotaru was an unforgivable burden, which allowed his kin to catch up with them. Everything then happened too quickly, and in Hanzo's mind everything took on unclear outlines. A moment later, in his arms lay a mortally wounded Hotaru, and next to them the decapitated bodies of his kinsmen.
— Despite all your potential, you not only betrayed the clan's will, but also proved unable to protect that for which you did it. — Watching what was happening, his father spoke in a calm tone. — I am disappointed in you. — The old man showed rare mercy for him and, allowing his son to say goodbye to his beloved wife, Hanazawa Saito invited the traitor to a duel.

The fierce duel of the two warriors did not last long and ended in a narrow victory for Hanzo — his sword blade pierced the old man through the heart, but before leaving this world, Saito made one last swing with his heavy blade and dealt the victor a huge wound on his chest, causing him to soon lose consciousness as well.

The wounds and injuries sustained that day would prove very severe and would not allow Hanzo to regain consciousness for a very long time, but when he finally awoke, he found himself in a completely different place — by fate's will, his life ended up in the hands of an officer from the 12th Legion of the Republic, who offered the warrior to join their ranks in exchange for medical assistance... Hanzo himself would have preferred to stay where he was found and, probably, if not for his wife's words spoken before his duel with his father, he would have ended his meaningless life himself. Due to the injuries sustained that day, his combat potential would never be as great as before, but he was still a strong and effective warrior, and therefore performed well during his service in the legion, also distinguishing himself with a high level of discipline. However, after a couple of years, he decided to leave his new home behind in search of something that could fill the void formed in his soul and give meaning to his existence.