Chapter 1
“Hey, Mom! I’m going out for a little while!” Ryu called out as he grabbed his wooden sword and opened the door. “I’m going to hang with Salem a bit!”
“Okay! Just be back in time for dinner!” his mother called after him from the kitchen.
The blue-haired boy laughed as he stepped out the door and said, “Of course, like I’d ever miss a meal!” He closed the door behind him and ran down the dirt path from his house, his grey eyes glinting as he put on a bit more speed, heading into town.
The dirt turned to cobblestone as he passed the first building in town, and he nimbly dodged to the side as a horse-drawn carriage turned into the street right at him. He laughed and let his hand brush the flank of the horse as he passed by, heading along the familiar path to the Guard Station, where the Kingdom’s soldiers stationed.
There weren’t many soldiers stationed in Tylem. It was a small village only a day’s march from the castle at Iriem. However, there was one soldier that Ryu had been grateful was stationed here. Salem, who was like an older brother to him, had gone to Iriem to become a soldier five years ago, and just this year had come back to be stationed here in his hometown.
Salem was still Salem when he came back, still as kind and playful as ever, but he was also really different. Something about the way he walked when he came back made him seem all the larger, and made Ryu look up to him even more. He also had a firmness behind his kind eyes that said he knew when the right time to be serious was, but he also liked to take things easy and enjoy life.
Ever since Salem came back, Ryu decided that he wanted to become a soldier in the Iriem army, and he trained every day to make himself stronger.
Finally, he stopped in front of the short, brown stone building that was the Guard Station, and he beamed as he walked up to the heavy wooden door and turned the knob.
“Again?” a female voice said, exasperated. “You’re going to fight Salem AGAIN?”
Ryu took his hand off of the doorknob and turned to see Nina, a girl only a few months older than him with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He had known her since they were five, and they were close friends, but that didn’t stop Nina from disapproving of his actions.
Nina had her hands on her hips and was giving him a disapproving look. “Honestly, all you ever think of is fighting. It’s not like that’s the only solution to problems! Salem isn’t much better, since he keeps encouraging you.”
Ryu brushed a finger under his nose and smiled a cheesy smile. “Yeah, well I’ll leave diplomacy to those that are actually good at it. I know that I couldn’t talk my way out of anything. I simply go with what I know I can do, and I’m good at it.”
Nina sighed and shook her head. “Good at it? Salem beats you every single time!”
Ryu laughed, this time it was his turn to shake his head, “Salem is a trained soldier, and twenty-five years old. I’m only seventeen and self-trained. Of course I always lose, but every time I get better and better. I learn more every time I fight him and I keep getting stronger. Someday, I’m going to be a knight, just like him, but I’m going to surpass him and become the greatest knight that Iriem and the whole world have ever seen!”
“I’ve heard those words a thousand times,” Nina scolded him, “And you’re no closer than you were the first time you said it. You should give up this silly chase and find a job. You’re mom could really use some help with the bills.”
“Ha!” Ryu scoffed, “What would you know? I am getting stronger, and the stronger I get, the closer I am to my goal. Once I’m a knight, I’ll be sure to send money to help Mom out, but until then I have to keep training.” He reached for the doorknob again and opened the door, hearing the rumble of casual conversation inside. He looked back at Nina and said seriously, “We’ve had this argument many times, and I’ve never backed down. I’m not going to back down ever, and you know that. I don’t get why you keep doing this. Becoming a knight is my dream, and it’s important to me. I want to be able to protect those that I care about. I want to protect Tylem, my mother, and you.”
Ryu left it at that and went inside, his big smile returning as he was greeted by some of the knights he had become acquainted with. “Hey guys! How have you all been?”
“We’ve been good, what about you, Ryu?” one asked.
“We’ve been waiting all day for you to challenge Salem again. It’s always fun to watch you get thrashed,” another jeered.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Ryu laughed, “But you know I’m getting better every time. Who knows, maybe I’ll actually get a solid hit in today.”
One of them, a big man in full armor, with a scratchy black beard, slung an arm over Ryu’s shoulder and grinned broadly, “Maybe,” he chuckled, “You came really close yesterday. You barely grazed his shoulder, but then he tripped you over and knocked you flat on your a**!”
Ryu rubbed his backside and grimaced at the memory, “Yeah, I still have a bruise from that particular hit.” He looked around the room, “So, where is Salem?”
All of the knights turned and pointed down a hallway at the end of the room. The one with his arm around Ryu explained, “He just found a book that he can’t seem to put down, and he hasn’t come out of his quarters except to eat, drink, and answer the call of nature, and even then he tends to have the book with him.” He laughed a bit louder and added, “Wouldn’t it be hilarious if he decided to fight you while reading?”
Ryu had to agree that the idea was quite hilarious, and he had to laugh a little as well at the image he got in his head. “Well, if that happened, I’d actually stand a better chance. He’d probably be brought down to my level.”
“I wouldn’t bet on it,” a gruff voice called out.
Ryu smiled as he saw a door down the hall open, and Salem stepped out, dressed in plain brown leather that he usually wore under his armor, his tall and strong frame showing him to be a formidable man. He held an open book in one hand, and a wooden broadsword in the other. He looked the same as ever, with his dark brown hair and brown eyes. He had a short goatee, which made him look all the more rugged and tough. He tapped the wooden weapon on his shoulder and walked over, standing in an open area in the center of the room, this space had been made to allow sparring between knights at the station, but Salem and Ryu were always the highlight of the day, since they all enjoyed watching Ryu develop, along with getting his a** kicked every day.
“Are you really going to read that book while we fight?” Ryu smiled as he took his place across from Salem. “What are you reading anyway?”
“An interesting scientific document,” Salem said casually, his eyes scanning the pages rapidly, “It is a thesis made by a man on the other side of the world, in Grinsen. It is a theory about how the stars in the night sky may hold many worlds like ours, with many other civilizations and races of extraordinary nature. He says that we live in but one system of stars among millions, and that the chances that we are the only sentient beings is nigh upon impossible. We could very well be a primitive race compared to them, or far more advanced. It really is fascinating.”
“Boring,” Ryu teased Salem, brandishing his own wooden katana, “Who cares about the stars and races that probably don’t even exist. I’d worry about defending against me if I were you. You’ll be too distracted by that book.”
Salem gave him a slight smirk, “If that’s your attitude, then you may never become the greatest knight.”
Ryu tensed, having his dream mocked, even teasingly, irked him, and he was ready to attack in a heartbeat, “What do you mean?”
“If you really want to be the greatest,” Salem explained, “You must look to improve yourself in all areas. This can be considered physically: with strength, speed, and endurance; or mentally: with intelligence, will, and intuition. If you only improve your body, and never your mind, you’ll never surpass anyone.” He shifted into his stance, holding the book in the crook of his left arm, and holding his sword ready in his right hand. He shifted his feet apart and let his eyes scan the book.
Ryu saw his chance to attack and charged, holding his blade up and thrusting it at Salem’s chest. He didn’t know why Salem was acting so idiotically as to be reading during a fight, but he would be more than happy to score his first hit on his rival.
That hit instantly became a distant dream, as Salem’s blade twirled through the air effortlessly, parrying his strike with the utmost ease. Salem laughed and looked up from his book, a glint in his eyes, seeing Ryu realize his mistake. “Never underestimate an opponent, Ryu!” he spun the blade in his hand around, and slammed the pommel into Ryu’s gut, making him double over. “Just because I’m fighting differently doesn’t mean I’m handicapped. It is reckless for you to underestimate me and assume that I don’t have the skill to fight like this.”
Ryu fell onto one knee, clutching at his stomach. He would have a bruise there for a couple of days, he knew that, and it was his reward for been so rash. Salem was right; he had to be smarter about his fighting. He took that into consideration as he pushed himself back to his feet and took his stance again.
Salem smiled slightly, and readied himself.
Looking over Salem, Ryu could see no opening in his defense. That means, he thought to himself, I’ll just have to make an opening, the question is… how?
Ryu charged forward again, lifting his blade up and swinging it down towards Salem, knowing that such an obvious move would lower his expectations. Sure enough, Salem brought his own blade up effortlessly to block the swing, but Ryu’s blade passed right on by, swinging down in front of the defending sword. It was a fake, and Salem had fallen for it. He only hoped that Salem would be momentarily surprised enough to let him succeed in landing a blow.
Ryu’s blade descended downward, swinging barely an inch from Salem’s sword, and he quickly used the momentum of his swing, turning it into a new angle of attack. He spun on his heel and lashed with his weapon in a horizontal slash aimed at Salem’s ribs.
There was a loud crack. Wood struck wood, and Salem let out a visible, but inaudible sigh of relief. He had blocked it, but Ryu could tell that he had been close, and that gave him hope that maybe he could actually make a hit today.
“Very good,” Salem admitted, pushing the blade back and striking back with a couple rapid swings, “You almost got me there.”
As he blocked the attacks, Ryu switched his blade to his left hand, and when he saw a gap, he held it out to his right side, sweeping his hand up, swinging diagonally. Salem attempted to block the blow, but Ryu’s empty hand swung right past his defense, missing completely. He had released his blade before swinging, and now it hung in midair for a second as his right hand took possession of it. The second attack came much quicker than the first, and this time he swung through the gap he had created, striking Salem with a hard thud on his side.
A look of triumph crossed Ryu’s face as he finally achieved his sub-goal. Now he had to move on to achieving the next sub-goal, actually winning a fight against Salem, and who knew how long that would take.
Salem knocked Ryu’s blade aside, stepping back and feeling the place where he had been hit, his eyes leaping between Ryu and the book, which he was still reading, of course. He didn’t say a word, except an exaggerated glance that he gave to congratulate Ryu on his first hit. He then rushed forward, striking high, then low, and then whirling around to strike at the boy’s side.
Ryu was barely able to keep his blade in his hands as the onslaught of hits continued, and he got sharp raps on his arms and legs as his defense wavered.
Then, as he held back Salem’s attacks, he felt a strange twinge, or some sort of strange sensation, pass through his mind. The sensation happened again, this time stronger, and Ryu’s blade dropped from his hands.
Salem stopped as he saw this, and looked concerned, “Are you alright, Ryu?”
Run! They’re coming!
A strange voice in his head was bellowing, alarmed, angry.
“W-who?” Ryu whispered, clutching at his head, digging his nails into his scalp as an explosive headache made him feel like his skull would split open. He looked up at Salem and squinted his eyes shut as even the dim light of the room seemed to burn into his eyes, but Salem wasn’t looking at him anymore.
Salem was looking up, a confused look on his face. Could he be hearing the voice too? But then why wasn’t he in pain?
Leeches! Destroyers! Parasites!
What was going on? Destroyers? Parasites? What did it mean?
Just as quickly as it came, the voice, the sensation, and the pain were gone. Ryu’s hands fell to his sides, and shook his head confused and scared by the presence that had invaded his mind. It felt powerful; full of rage and fury.
“What just happened?” Ryu wondered aloud.
“A dark wind is blowing. I have a bad feeling about today,” Salem said, distracted. He turned to one of the other soldiers and said, “Give notice, I want all men stationed at the towers to keep on alert until I say it’s safe. I don’t like the way this day feels. I think something bad will happen soon.”
“Sir!” the man said, getting to his feet quickly and running out the door. Salem was the Knight Captain at this outpost, so his word was law to his subordinates.
When the messenger was gone, Salem looked to all the other men and said, “Everyone, be ready for battle on a moment’s notice. Be ready for battle the moment it happens, even at night. I don’t care if you decide to sleep in full armor, just be prepared. We don’t know what will happen, but I know something will.”
“Yes, Sir!” they all snapped to attention, and quickly rushed off to their rooms, making their preparations, but Ryu could tell that all of them were confused as to where these orders were coming from. They had no idea what could be wrong, and quite frankly, Ryu wasn’t that sure what was happening himself.
Salem started to head to his room, but Ryu grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “Salem, did you hear that voice too? Did you get a voice in your head?”
Salem sighed, giving Ryu a look that clearly said he didn’t want to talk, “Go home, Ryu. We’re done sparring.”
“But I know something is wrong! I know it just as much as you do! The voice said something about Destroyers, about parasites!” Ryu said, becoming frantic. “I got this message, so I have to do something about it! If there’s some kind of danger, then I want to fight! I want to protect Tylem!”
“You aren’t ready for real battle, Ryu! Go home! It won’t do any good for you to die if something does happen,” Salem argued, holding Ryu by his shoulders and looking him in the eyes.
“But then why would I become a knight if I can’t protect the people I care… Ungh!” Ryu’s eyes went wide as Salem slammed him hard in the gut. He doubled over in pain and fell to the floor.
“I’m sorry, Ryu…” he heard Salem say as his vision blurred and he blacked out.
