The Ronin Trinity

I watched the flames engulf the prison in front of me as I stood on the mountain top, wondering if what I did could be justified as “good”. I didn’t want to be the bad guy but somehow it’s what I always turned out to be in cases such as this. But if you think about it, there is really no true definition of good or evil, for what is good t one man, ma be scorned by another. “Good” is merely a stereotype that the world relies much too heavily upon while evil is looked down upon being laughed at by the “good” guys. So then I asked myself a truly unsolvable question: What is good and what is evil? My answers were the following: Good is what all craved to be but never would achieve to be. Evil was how they treated m due to my history, it was how they purposely tortured me, a young seventeen year old teen for a crime that he didn’t intentionally commit. To some evil was pride and greed. To me it was so much more.

If “good” is such a wonderful thing then tell me this: Why are the “good” guys the same ones who so willingly ask for the death penalty among convicts such as myself when killing is an “evil thing”. In order to truly be considered a “good” guy, you couldn’t give a despicable thing such as death to those who have wronged you for then you are no better than your enemy. Now if “evil” is such a despised thing then how come I the “bad” guy, who not but one year ago tried to do a “good” thing and save the love of my life. If I was truly evil then I could not have wanted to save a life, but the feds still labeled me as a spawn of Satan for my acts. You wanna know what good and evil is- pure hypocrisy.

Suddenly as I continued my rant on good and evil an object whizzed by, past my face, barely grazing my skin. I looked to my left as a smoking bullet shell rested in the rocky mass to my side. I took cover as I looked into the sky and saw three dozen black fighter planes soaring high with their crosshairs dead on me. A thought then crossed my mind. It was a thought that I hadn’t come across in 365 days. The cops were already on my ass. Should I really let my Partner loose? I hadn’t let Anubis out since the massacre, for the faces of the thousands of innocent lives he took would not leave my conscience alone. The smell of blood and gore filled my nostrils as I very quickly reminisced on what had taken place. I could either stand here on this mountain top and get shot to death or have more bloodshed on my hands. Due to the circumstances, I chose the latter. With that, I whispered the word that broke the seal that held back my massive power. “Unleash.” Only time would tell me when I would be back from the deep imprisonment that was my mind. Before I blacked out, two words seemingly poured out of my lips, “I’m sorry.” Death was a cold, cold, fate, even for the deserving.

The chilling wind brushed against my coat as I was finally unleashed from my year long imprisonment in the darkness all alone by my lonesome self, training for the battles that I knew were to come. I gazed at the planes that roared above me and knew why I was set free.

“I’ll enjoy this greatly.” I whispered. “Every crisp and dark minute of it.”

Thirty six planes were in the sky; at least thirty five would be destroyed in a matter of minutes. Death was a war, warm, fate, especially for the deserving. With a slight running start I leapt into the air, landing in the nose of the squadron leaders plane. The pilot shrieked in terror as he gazed at the skull that was my face. He hesitantly pulled the trigger on the machine gun attached to his fighter, but was much to slow as I tore the gun right off of the plane and aimed it towards him. As I let loose a storm of bullets into the windshield towards the pilot’s head, blood spattered over the windows, with the man’s screams being overshadowed by the explosion of the engine.

I hopped off of the now nose diving plane, seconds before its destruction, with the machine gun still in my left hand. I hopped onto a new plane and repeated my earlier motion. Now with two machine guns, I glided into the rocky depths below, my back facing the ground with a smirk on my face. I squeezed the triggers, with the guns aimed at the tightly packed group of planes above me. A fireworks presentation ensued, with the explosions looking like mixtures of orange and blood in the now lavender desert sky.

Still in the air, I dropped the now useless machine guns and performed the chant for my flight charm. “Houmen Libre”, I repeated constantly. After the fifth time the word left my lips, blood red wings sprouted from my back, halting my long descent. Twenty six more planes to go­, I thought. I bulleted through the air while dodging various shots from my pursuers. With my hands glowing a deep purple, I aimed my fingers towards my targets in an intricate position and let loose a volley of energy bullets. Lightning cackled and danced around my fingers as the spray of miniature red spheres left my finger tips. Blood suddenly rained from the sky as the planes exploded, dripping down on my bony head and onto my clothing.

“Thirteen more left…”

The remaining fighters slew tons of bullets at me, but, in the skies my dexterity was unmatched. I dodged each and every shot hat came towards me with absolute ease.

I was growing tired of this conflict, even though it had only been minutes since its conception. Nero was going to take over soon anyway. I could feel it. “It’s time for you all to die!” I screamed as I began my relentless attack.

A gaseous aura formed around my body as the memory of the last time I used this technique was still fresh in my mind. So many deaths were brought to that school in such an extremely short time frame. I laughed with glee.

The aura tat surrounded my frame separated into twelve different spheres as the pilots hovered in mid air in their flight vehicles, staring in awe at the might of my power. Those damned fools should have known not to send Basics here. Only Evolved troopers can even stand a fraction of a chance against my might, especially at such a weak state. The squad called for back up but for some strange reason, none came.

The spheres that were a part of me grew and formed into skulls that exactly resembled my charming face. “Release.”

As I said the word, each sphere flew towards the aircrafts, cackling in pure enjoyment of the deaths that were coming about. They left a ghastly trail through the air as they bulleted into each pilot’s plane and into their soul, devouring it piece by piece until there was nothing left but an empty shell of a man. My minions flew out of the planes and back into my body as they finished destroying souls. The planes nosedived into the unforgiving canyons below. One left, I thought,

The last plane tried to retreat in fear as I flew towards him, but it was to no avail. With my wings giving the purple sky a red steak, I flew onto the hood of his craft and dug my fist into it, causing a gaping hole to form. The pilot screamed in terror as he gazed into the dark clouds that were my eyes. My arm shoved into the plane I gripped the priest by his head and lifted him out with tremendous ease as the plane crashed into the river that danced in the canyons below.

“Don’t worry” I said “I’m not gonna hurt you.” A look of relief washed over his face as I told my lie. “I’ll make your death quick and painless.” I suddenly thrust my fist into his insides, with my arm slightly protruding from his back. Holding him by his left arm, I grabbed hold of his spinal chord with my right hand and ripped it out of his body, a snapping noise echoing throughout the area. His skull literally fell out of his head afterwards and into my hands, brains and all. I picked the skull clean, dropping the waste in my left hand down into the waters below until the skull head resembled my face almost exactly- bare bone. I shoved the head into Nero’s sack and flew into the distance, leaving nothing behind but death gore, and destruction.

Hiro

My eyes were set on the blue abyss that human eyes rarely gazed upon especially during the harsh war strewn period that the world was in. The waves that crashed along the shore quickly dispersed a vapory mist that glittered in the sunlight. As I sat in the sand, reminiscing on life, death, and love, it was hard to concentrate on what truly mattered due to the elegance of the massive sea that sat before me. Sometimes the beauty that the Creator has given this Earth naturally was truly mesmerizing, specifically in cases such as this.

The eroded sand sparkled with the luminance of diamonds. But sadly, as diamonds were forever, this physical portrait of grace was not. Soon these lands would be burnt down and vanquished by the shroud of death that plagued the world. Trees that had delicacy practically flowing through their roots would shrivel to their unfortunate demise. Their leaved would float onto the ground and die as the wind carried them to their onward destination. Various critters would flee the beaches plains, finding a new home, but not knowing that there would be no new home to go to. The air around these parts would become stale and wreak of pain and sorrow.

A tear gently slid down my cheek as I dwelled on the sadistic events to come. My home, my family, and my friends have all succumbed to the eternal plague of war and famine. Now all that I had to live for was the beauty of the Earth, but, sadly, even that would not last that much longer. Not even the winds of change could deter the scourge of war. I stared into the endless sky.

“Is there any way that I can help bring peace to this world?” I screamed, half expecting to find an answer but getting none. As I prepared to drift, a gentle yet unfamiliar voice practically flew into my ear.

“Your answer to peace” it whispered “lies with me, Hiro.”

I turned my head to find and orderly man, donning a suit and a tie staring at me and smiling. Instantly, I knew that this man was someone that I could trust someone who I could believe in, but most importantly someone who believed in me.

Zero (AKA Eero)

The fires that swayed before me danced to a tune that I have known since my conception. They moved back and forth as they devoured the large city that my eyes gazed upon, growing with the rising anger of my one and only companion. The flames looked and listened intently for signs of rage from my comrade, and always heard and saw correctly. This proved the vast degree of their addiction would be at least borderline insane if they were real people. They lived off of his seemingly never ending anger as though it was an actual material thing. How long would the drug that these flames craved so much live, I did not know. As I stated before, it seemed to be forever, but when in deep thought on the subject of eternity and forever-ness, the phrase “All good things must come to an end is held tightly to truth- except that is, when you around him.

His hatred and anger truly would be forever from what I’ve witnessed. Suddenly, a question came into my mind- “Is his anger and rage actually good?” I figured that there was no true answer to this question for in essence, good and evil were non existent. My opinion stated otherwise, for it was this kid’s anger and emotions that had helped keep us alive these past years, but they had sadly also ended many lives.

He was only a mere year younger than me but had the instincts and skills of a master of our shady craftwork, as was I. The kid looked t every single moment as an opportunity to strike. He learned and saw so much in the past couple of years that I was surprised that he hadn’t gone crazy by now. But then I remembered that the only reason he hadn’t gone crazy was due to the fact that he was crazy and always had been since I first saw him those few years ago with the scene that I looked at not too different from the scene where I found him had looked. I could only imagine he psychotic thoughts that raided his mind at this strange time of blood and sweat. This time of war was all blood and sweat but no tears for those who my partner was killing, for those who he had murdered wouldn’t have time to cry due to death’s insatiable hunger for souls and the kid’s unquenchable thirst for blood: the duo went hand in hand.

The teen assassin that I’ve known for the past couple of years had skin the color of maple and hair the texture of wool. His eyes glowed an eerie green, lighting the darkest of places, but unfortunately not the faintness of our pasts. His smile was one that practically told his life story: at first glance it seemed like the smile of an average teen looking for his unique place in this vast world, but beyond the gates that fooled you at first, was a psychotic yet poor soul that had suffered more than most nowadays did in three lifetimes.

His outfit was far from the traditional assassins garb for he wore baggy black jeans, a red and black pair of shoes, and an all black shirt, with a black bandana hiding his incriminating facial features. The most visible and outstanding thing on his body was the tattoo that forever stained his arm in black ink. It was a small mark that seemed tribal, that I had not but a few weeks ago noticed.

I reminisced on the boy who wielded dual sword. The blade had remarkable inscriptions on it that not even I, a knower of many languages, could even decipher. One side of the weapon glowed a very light red tiny in the moonlight, while the opposite side glowed the very familiar emerald green, matching his eyes. I have tried twice and only twice to take the sword from the kid but failed miserably. He has followed me for the pats few years, more so a good luck charm than a thorn in my side as many comrades could have been.

The kid’s name was not known by many, but to me he was known as Aniro. His last name was a mystery to all except himself. He had this little “physical signature” where he at times told his targets his full name before they he killed them. I don’t know the true reasons he did this. Whenever I asked, he simply said “It makes me sound like a badass.”

Well… from what I see”, I sighed as I stared at the destroyed city “you’re pretty badass.” Burnt corpses, thousands of them, lay strewn across the village in front of me, the buzzards already coming down for their first meal of the morning. Various buildings that stood for peace and love were burning. The fires was never-ending and forevermore.

Blood stained the marble statues that were once the main attraction of the capital of the state known as Grenada. Grasses that once mimicked Aniro’s eyes now mimicked the dark night sky that had recently gave way to morning lavender which would forever watch the destroyed village. The only thing that remained somewhat in tact was the capital building.

“He’s heading for the governor. Finally.” I whispered. Then feeling weak I popped my pill into my mouth and blinked. As I opened my eyes, I stood in the castle on the main floor, the fires lighting the building. Teleporting is such a cool technique. I turned around as I heard a faint noise, sounding like music, to my rear. I turned to see Aniro, listening to his MP3 player, a dozen dismembered corpses behind him. And of all things, he was urinating on a dead guard’s eye. Why does he have to be drunk at such an important time?

“Heyyy” Aniro slurred “look Eero, I’m a water fountain!!”