Story Book #1
Under Pandora's star-Chapter-4


“Demon,” screamed the new mother. “You have replaced my child with a changeling, I will not rest until you and that beast are both dead. All my life you have been attempting to destroy me and everything I care about.”

The young woman trembled with both anger and fear but wrapped her arms tightly about the newly born child. The thoughts kept echoing through her head, what have I done this time? The guards surrounded the both of them and the young woman’s face went dark and she began to run with all her might. She did not rest until her feet were covered in blisters and she was in the safety of the dark dark woods where she lived.

“This time, I cannot forgive myself.” The woman cried, “I will repent with my life and take away as much of the curse as I can with my power.”

The young woman pulled out a holy cross she had been saving and placed it over the infant’s neck. “The curse is too strong for me to break fully, but I can use this to protect you from the worst of it. As long as you are wearing this cross, the worst of your bad luck will go to me, and the one who dies from the curse will not be you but me. And further, since the Christening was never completed the name chosen by your parents is unknown, so I will name you Masao in the hopes that your name at least will offer you some protection.”

The woman was afraid since she was left alone with a child in the dark and evil woods, so she went to the sleeping corpse of Kin and kneeled at his feet. “Please, awaken once again. I know well you detest me, but I beg you to protect and teach this child who was born of the woman you loved best. I do not know when I will die, and I think it would be best if he were raised under the path of the warrior since he will face many trials in his life.”

And so Kin awoke from his slumber and was alarmed to find that the little girl had become so beautiful while he was asleep. “Yes,” he said slowly, “I will love him as my nephew, but I will offer him no sympathy so that he may grow to be strong.”