‘Setsuka,’ he wheezed, his voice heavy with the prospect of death. ‘Setsuka, my protégée…’
‘I’m here, master.’ She gazed lovingly into his eyes which now resembled bottomless pits in a vast desert, packed with valleys which disappeared beneath wisps of silver hair. His grip on her hand tightened slightly as she gently wiped away the beads of sweat which had formed upon his forehead.
‘I have taught you everything I know,’ he stammered, ‘but you must honour your talents, without using them in vain.’
‘Hush,’ she placed a pearly white finger against his dry lips.
‘I wish…’ he coughed, ‘I wish I could have given you more.’
‘You gave me everything I ever wanted, master.’ She smiled, her eyes stinging a little. ‘You gave me a home. You gave me a family. You gave me… love.’ She glanced into his eyes, wary of his reaction to such a sentiment. But he smiled.
‘You had a family before me, you know.’
‘I have no memory of them.’ She silenced him. ‘Master, if you really wish to give me more than you already have…’
‘Yes?’
‘Tell me who did this to you.’
He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, which caused him to cough even more. ‘There is no need for me to tell you such a thing.’
‘I will avenge you!’ She cried.
‘No, Setsuka,’ he gripped both her hands tightly. ‘I did not teach you this art for the purpose of revenge.’
‘But-’
‘One who lives by the sword harbours no regret.’
She contemplated this and sighed.
‘I need to know,’ she lowered her head. A tiny droplet landed on his hand, which she hurriedly wiped away with the sleeve of her kimono.
‘Never hide your tears,’ he smiled. ‘Why do you need to know?’
‘I just… Since you lost to him, you’ve changed as a person. I can’t live the rest of my life never knowing who was responsible for such a deed.’ She looked at him with pleading eyes, ‘Please master, don’t leave me in the dark.’
His coughing became fiercer, causing her heart to pound. This was it.
In one last breath, he told her all that she needed to know:
‘Heishiro Mitsurugi.’
His grip on her hand loosened and he seemed to sink into the futon. Her heart wretched and she let her head land on his chest, heaving with despair, finally feeling like an orphan though she had been for years.

That evening, she poured tea for herself and one last cup for her beloved master, which she did not drink. After sitting in silence for too long, she picked up his cup, now cold and went outside to look at the stars. She poured the tea over the roots of an old sakura tree and wept amongst the cherry blossom.

After a few days, she had grown sick of darkness and ventured out into the street market. Those who were not afraid of her offered her their condolences, while many just stepped away from her path. She wandered aimlessly, glimpsing at hair ornaments which glistened in the sunshine. She was no longer interested in trinkets. She had only one thing on her mind.
She headed to the harbour.

She knew what she would find: fishermen, merchants and Oiran. The harbour was the place for inland gossip and news from overseas. She pretended to be interested in buying some squid while eavesdropping on other people’s conversations. She knew someone would say it eventually and they did:
‘Did you hear?’ one merchant whispered to another, ‘Old Tanaka lost the duel with Mitsurugi.’
‘I heard he died.’
‘I heard Mitsurugi fled!’ Another joined in.
‘Why would he?’
‘Well, I hear he’s looking for… you-know-who.’
‘And who might that be?’ Setsuka stepped in. The three men were taken aback by her sudden interest in their discussion. They eyed her kimono and grinned, noticing her obi was tied at the front. ‘Don’t even think it,’ she snapped and gestured towards the Oiran who were now flirting with a couple of sailors. ‘I’m not with them.’
‘What is your business here?’ One merchant asked her.
‘Is a girl not allowed to wander down to the harbour on market day?’ She asked, sweetly.
‘When unescorted, she might run into certain… troubles…’ Another merchant smirked.
‘If you dare, you will suffer the consequences,’ she warned, but the three men did not take her seriously. Laughing, one of them reached for her obi, only to find that shortly afterwards, his fingers were broken.
‘Where is Mitsurugi?’ she yelled, over his screaming.
‘We don’t know!’ one of the merchants cried. ‘Honestly!’
‘Then who is he looking for?’
‘We… don’t like to say his name,’ the man was trembling.
‘How pathetic,’ she sneered, ‘just damn well tell me, before I break something of yours too.’ She cast her eyes downwards.
Meeting her gaze, they gasped and one yelled ‘The… Azure Knight!’
‘Who?’ She asked, puzzled.
‘You mean you haven’t heard of him?’
‘I… I haven’t really kept up to date with the town’s gossip, I’m afraid.’
The two men looked at each other, as though they were questioning whether to tell her or not.
‘This is too much for me,’ one said, casting a quick glance at Setsuka before heading back to his fish stall.
The other hesitated, but caved in.
‘Ok,’ he began, ‘The Azure Knight is travelling from land to land, devouring souls. He is not human.’
‘What? When did all this begin?’ She gasped.
‘It’s hard to say,’ he murmured, ‘but he is deadly. He’s wiped out entire armies. No one can stop him!’
‘Well, who is he?’
‘He is the physical form of evil. I heard he was formed of the memories of Soul Edge.’
‘Soul Edge, I thought it had been destroyed?’
‘No, it was revived a long time ago. Now the Azure Knight has it and he is roaming the lands, killing the innocent and devouring their souls to feed his weapon. He kills to live.’
Setsuka felt her blood run cold.
‘Why is Mitsurugi looking for him?’
The man just shrugged and scuttled away.

Setsuka spent the next few days in solitude. She took her tea in the garden, below the sakura tree and contemplated what the merchant had told her. Finally, she decided that the only way she was going to track down Mitsurugi was to find this knight first. Mitsurugi would be pursuing him and quietly, no doubt. Whereas a knight in azure armour who could kill entire armies would be a lot easier to trace.

One morning, she donned her best kimono, the one her master had given to her as a gift, packed some supplies into a bag and, armed with her trusted Ugetsu Kageuchi tucked away inside a parasol, she left her home and set out in search of the Azure Knight.

She went back down to the harbour and found the same merchant to whom she had spoken before. He caught sight of her and hid behind his stall, but she sought him out.
‘Oh, not you again,’ he sighed.
‘Have you heard any news about this knight’s whereabouts?’ she asked, ignoring his comment.
‘Why are you so interested?’
‘I’m going to find him,’ she snapped.
His face turned pale.
‘You… what?’
‘Look, whether you choose to help me or not, I’m going either way. If you know anything about his whereabouts, I hope you will be so kind as to share it with me.’
He stared at her, intrigued and began to smile.
‘You’re no match for him, you know.’
‘I don’t care,’ she rolled her eyes, ‘if this knight-’
‘I meant Mitsurugi,’ he interrupted her, still smirking.
She smiled, slyly.
‘We’ll see.’
He chuckled. ‘I don’t know where he is. If I were to take a guess, I’d say head west. Now, please don’t talk to me again.’
With that, he walked away.

That was all she needed to get her started. She would surely meet more people along the way who would be able to give her more details about this demon’s whereabouts. Taking one last glance back, she said goodbye to her hometown and headed into Western Japan.