He nodded sagely before speaking. “Good. Now, as a full ninja, you need a weapon.” My heart froze, and I felt my head begin to pulse with my body. A weapon? But I had a weapon? My dagger at my waist came to mind.

  I dared not say anything though. I feared what would leave my lips should my sanity leave me. He pulled out from behind him a long ornate box with symbols on it. My eyes widened even further, and I felt reality begin to fade. I forced myself to calm down by taking deep calming breaths. Once my heart rate was under control, I opened my eyes again. Sensei had stood there waiting for me to calm down.

  He now slowly undid the latch on the ornate box, and I nearly screeched in a mixture of excitement and horror. My years of training under Sensei were the only thing keeping me still. I felt sweat drip from every pore on my body.

  Then the box was open, and inside I saw one of the most beautiful beings I had ever seen. She (for it was definitely a she) pulsed waves of calm around me, and I felt my heart rate slow. My blood stopped pounding in my ears. I felt at peace with the world as I looked upon her.

  “She will be your blade from this day forward, little one,” Sensei spoke quietly, yet every word was loud in my ears as I stared at the wakizashi inside the box. She was a long, sleek sword of a very shiny metal. She gleamed like water glistening on a sunny day. The enchantments along her length swirled like playful whirlpools of energy. She was long and powerful, her depths of power utterly incomprehensible to me.

  Slowly, I looked up at Sensei, unable to form words for such an amazing and perfect gift. I had nothing, and so I stared blankly back at her. After a moment, Sensei spoke again. “You must name her, Tama, for she is yours and you are hers.”

  I stared at the ebb and flow of the water-like enchantments. I watched as she called to me, like a siren in the water. Her name came to me at that moment. Serenity. For she was the calm itself. She had the patience for everything and nothing. She awaited forevermore, never fraying, angering, or storming. She was “Serenity,” I whispered as I slowly reached up and removed her from her case.

  My eyes wandered her beauty for a long moment before slowly looking back up to Sensei. He was waiting patiently for me and nodded when I looked up. He held out a simple-looking sheath. “Remember, little one, hiding in plain sight is the best a ninja can do, and her weapon is no different.” I nodded reverently as I took the sheath and gently inserted her into it. She fit perfectly, and I felt as she touched the end on a deeply personal level.

  I looked back up to Sensei, and he smiled. After a moment, he spoke, his voice now serious, all levity gone. “Tamaneko, as a full-fledged ninja, you are to set out on your own and become an adventurer. As your first mission, I will send you to a location two days’ travel from here (a small city called Drestor). You will meet your Aunt Talia there. She is the leader of the adventurers’ guild there. You will sign yourself up as an adventurer and climb through the ranks. Do you understand?”

  It was a lot to take in all at once, but my ninja training kicked in before I could ask anything, and I barked out, “Yes, Sensei!” He nodded and continued before I could say anything. “You are to bring only the clothes on your back, your dagger, and Serenity. This mission is of utmost importance. You are also to deliver this letter.” As he said this, he pulled a letter from seemingly nowhere and held it out to me. I accepted it reverently, and he continued, “to the local general there. Are we clear?”

  “Yes, Sensei!” I snapped again before I could ask anything. I hated that habit, but it was so deeply ingrained I literally could not stop myself. He smiled and nodded at me, and I swear I saw a tear in his eye. He took on a softer tone as he spoke his next words. “Please be careful, Tama. Don’t let my training be in vain. Live for me.”

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  He handed me a small object. It smelled strongly of undeath, and memories of my mother’s dead eyes hit me like a truck. I pushed them down as I accepted the tiny box. It was enchanted and sealed with at least a dozen seals. I looked up, confused, but he simply said, “Protect it with your life, Tama.” That was it. I nodded and put it in one of my belt pouches, making sure to zip it shut and feel it in there before looking back up to him.

  My eyes teared up, but he stood tall and looked away. I was dismissed. I stood, my legs shaky and my heart racing despite Serenity. I turned to the door and put my hand on the doorknob. Then I turned and ran over to Sensei. I pulled him into a hug as tears fell down my cheeks. I felt his arms wrap around me and pick me up. For just a moment, I was that little girl again in his arms. Then it was over, and I turned without looking. I walked out the door, proud and full of doubt. But I would never fail my Sensei… ever.

  I felt my legs turn to jelly for a moment, but I steeled myself. Today was the day. I was a full-fledged ninja now, and I had a real job to do. I tapped on the letter in one of my pouches and the small sealed box. They were both still there. I stepped off the porch and meandered my way over to the edge of the clearing. I stopped by the still-destroyed chicken coop. I hadn't had time to repair it. I blinked in the bath and saw my underwear still on the line. I hadn't removed it. Finally, I blinked over to Jiggle and pet him one last time as tears filled my eyes. "Be good, Jiggle. Tama will be back soon, she promises!" With that, I turned and, with a deep breath, made my way out of the clearing and towards Drestor.

  It wasn't until I had traveled for close to an hour when it hit me. Was I even going the right way?! I remembered Sensei mentioning Drestor was to the south and west. Did that mean if I went down then... right? I would reach it. I brought up my fingers and made L shapes like Sensei taught me. Then I realized that didn't really help. I frowned and blinked onto a nearby tree branch. They were usually at least thirty feet up and were very large, able to easily hold an entire campfire. Extremely fire resistant too. I heard from Sensei that trees weren't supposed to be like that. But the Trelloark forest trees were all I had ever known. I sat there quietly as I tried to think of a way. Returning to Sensei so quickly would scream failure, and I was not a failure!

  "Having trouble, little one?" a voice called out, and I froze. I turned slowly to see Mantheria behind me. She smiled at me, and I scowled back. Manna was nice to me, but that's because she was always on about how I was destined for greatness and how I would succeed where my sensei had failed. Her smile never faded as she spoke. "You seem lost, Tama. Might I ask where you are going?" She appeared as an Elf, those people with pointy ears. Sensei called them elves when I had asked. But I knew what she actually was.

  Her green robes covered her whole body, and her emerald eyes sparkled as she looked at me. Her large wings that came out of her back were expansive and large, almost as long as the width of the branch and just under twenty feet. They also had veins running through them. Her smile showed rows of extremely sharp teeth I had seen take a bite out of a tree before with ease. She didn't have her claws out, which meant she wasn't here to fight. She usually wasn't. Instead, she seemed to be here to taunt me.

  "Tama knows where she is going!" I snapped at her. Her smile widened an inch, and she seemed to be enjoying herself. "Let me guess, you are looking for Drestor, Tama?" she asked as she flicked her wrist casually, her eye catching mine.

  I held back my wince successfully, I thought. But she only seemed to giggle as she stepped closer and reached into her robe. I tensed slightly, but not by much. If she was going to attack me, I would have already been dead. I was not foolish enough to believe I could win against an ancient like her. Her green hair seemed to sway in the breeze. Another thing that bugged me about her was that she was so green! Like literally! The green hair, robe, tail, wings, eyes, and even her damn underwear was green. Top and bottom! Me waking up to her in my bed flashed back, and I shivered at it. She hadn't done anything, just laid in bed next to me naked. She was really weird, and I really didn't like her.