Silver Wing

David and I walk into our dojo house hybrid and we sit at a table to look back on the day. I look around our dojo and see the beige paint on the walls starting to peel into flakes of brown that litter the worn floor of our training area and cover the mats with a coating of dust and I can hear the sounds of an old building the gentle yet ever present sounds of the building groaning and straining in its ever constant battle with gravity. The smells of dust and sweat hang in the air stinging our noses when we enter but slowly fading into the background like the symphony of groans made by our home. Yet above all the feeling of comfort when you arrive to a loved one's or your parent's house is always there not in my mind, but in my heart telling me that no matter how worn down the dojo gets it will always be my home.

My friends and I had unorthodox childhoods. We were left at the front door of the dojo and were brought in to our sensei's, and later our, home. David was the first to be dropped off, but the sensei must have felt something in him or he would not have trained him in magic and illusions. Phillip was brought to the dojo second, and he has been training in ninjitsu and muay thai and everything in between. Finally I was dropped off and I began my education by learning knives and daggers and how to use them, when I became larger I was taught how to use swords, shields, maces, and most other weapons, when I had mastered those I was taught tactics and non-lethal weapons used to distract an opponent or turn the tide of battle. Along the way I had learned judo and nerve strikes to use an opponents energy against them. I was never able to match up with Phillip in close quarters if it was a fair fight or David in long ranges but if it was an environment that allowed for trickery I was often able to get a blade across their throats. Our training was completed when we reached the ages of sixteen. When we turned twenty our sensei died, leaving us with the dojo. We became mercenaries able to hunt down a man in any environment and returning or killing them as we were hired to.

Phillip walked into the house as David was talking to me "Pete we can't keep doing this, we are wanted mercenaries in every country on the planet save the Vatican, we lost our sensei who has been our mentor and the closest thing we had to a father, and our dojo, the very one we have lived in our entire lives, is about to fall to the ground because we haven't had a single person walk in ever since the sensei died FIVE YEARS AGO." he finally loses his control and yells at me "Pete I found a spell that will take us to another world, but I can't control where we go or what we turn into. We can start over, I can finally set up my magic show and become a magician, Phillip can become an engineer like he wants to, and you can get your medical license." he almost whispers to me "a fresh start no more running and no more fear of death every day."

"David, being a doctor was something that I wanted years ago, I have become a master blades man, but you two are all I have left in this world so if you go I go." I respond to him in a calm voice.

"That's so sweet guys" David and I glare at Phillip "but I think if that plan is going to work we need to have access to weapons and armor in case we end up in a place like The Walking Dead." Phillip finishes.

"I can make us something for that all I need is the metal and some time." David says to us before continuing "I need tonight to get it done and it will be ready tomorrow, but we need to leave once we have it packed."

"We can pack for the trip, food, water, and our journals." Phillip says as he walks upstairs to get the materials. I look around and see David picking up his spell books and potions.

I walk over to my weapon rack and look at my twin swords before I hear David yell "PETE I NEED ALL THE SILVER YOU HAVE!!!" I look at my weapon rack and simply roll it to him because all of the weapons were supposed to be used for decoration and were made of silver with writing down the side of each blade. ducam meo amico victoriae quod sum noster dux I shall lead my friends to victory because I am our leader.

I push the rack into his little shop of horrors and think 'I am never going to see most of these again' I pick up a small dagger and its sheath and attach it to my belt remembering it as the first dagger the sensei had given me. I walk away from the room and go up the stairs and into my room. A decent room with a full sized bed, closet with gear for any type of environment in it, and a dresser with a mirror connected. I pick up two silver rings I stored in a drawer and put them on.

A full moon and plethora of stars occupy the sky tonight as I think to myself how wonderful tonight is going to be. "Come on Pete you're going to love it they have rides and food and games." A sweet voice enters my ears and a hand grabs my own. I look at the hands and see the rings, one on my hand and the other on hers. I look at her and see her eyes looking into mine and she says again "C'mon we don't wanna be late for the fair do we?" I shake my head laughing as we ran down the pier to the fair and we bought our tickets. Time goes by in a blur as I see myself with her and know the ending of this day with a pain in my heart, the blurriness goes away and I'm left seeing me and her walking home.

We take a quick shortcut through an alley and I hear a gruff voice "Gimme your money and nobody gets hurt." I see a man with a slightly heavy build holding a pistol to her back and the walls, the sky, and anything not him or her fades to black.

"I don't have any money on me we just spent it all at the fair" I say truthfully as I see silent tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Aww that's too bad for you then, maybe this will teach you to say you spent all your money to save your wallet. well you saved your wallet but you didn't. SAVE. HER." I lunge for the man but I'm too late. I hear a BANG and the love of my life is on the ground bleeding. My hands find his gun and disarm him throwing the gun down the alley far beyond his reach, I pull out my dagger from my belt and slash his neck quickly killing him. I drop the dagger and kneel by her side crying as I see her stop breathing as I sat there weeping. I look at her hands and see her hands clenched into fists but I don't see the ring opening her hands I see it, the ring that I gave her to show that I would love her forever, soaked in her blood but still reflecting the moonlight.

I slide onto my bed and feel myself drifting off into sleep wondering what will occur.

I wake up and take a good long look at my room, well the little stuff that's in it anyways. I walk downstairs and see David at a table with a cloth over it to hide what's underneath. Phillip walks down the stairs and gives a polite "Good morning David, good morning Pete" as he walks up to the table and asks "What's under the sheet?" blunt and to the point like always.

"These are our only tools we can take into the new world" he rips off the sheet to show three breastplates. One shone like the sun on a hot summer's day, another giving off a bit of darkness from its surface, and finally one that shone with the brightness of a full moon lighting up the darkness to give light to those in need. "I didn't want to risk bringing anything high tech so I enchanted these plates to become a part of you and appear as armor or weapons if you need it. Gold will amplify my magic, Iron will increase your strength and endurance, and silver will help your speed and creativity." He hands us our armor and he puts his on "See?" the gold melted into his skin and he made a knife appear in his hands. "You guys should put yours on too." he adds walking into the next room.

I put mine on and feel a sense of coolness go through my body, Phillip puts his on and I see it melt into his skin as well. "PETE! PHILLIP! COME QUICK!" David yells at us from another room. I rush into the room to see a portal hovering off the floor "Time to go guys. A new life, a clean record, a second chance." He walks into the portal soon followed by Phillip.

I look around the dojo one final time and whisper "Goodbye sensei. Requiescas in pace" may you rest in peace.