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June 1st

The events i'm about to describe are so ingrained in my memory, that seem to have happened yesterday, instead of years ago.

15-13 years ago:

I was 4 at the time. Young, Naive, but still had a deep feeling for protecting others, even as small as I was. I would be about half of the other kids size, and yet, noone wanted to mess with the other children while I was around. However, if those bandits hadn't came, i might never be who I am today. They came in at night, while most of us were asleep. I don't recall who started the alarm, but, when we heard it, chaos seemed to break loose. There was shouting, screaming, gunshots, and metal-on-metal grindings. It seemed like the entire event took weeks to happen, when in reality, it couldn't have been more then 30 minutes. Everyone but hte children were dead, or dieing. The couple I had called Mother and Father were bleed beside me, whispering to me. 'Find your real parents... Find your destiny...' those were that last word either of them said ever again. I grieved for a few moments, then went after hte bandits. Lying that I wanted to join them, they let me in, and after a few months, i knew every trick they had. I ended up useing their own knowledge against them. Their all dead now, rotting in the forest, but unable to harm anyone ever again. I left in search of a way to protect those unable to defend themselves, and after many weeks, with sometimes no food or water, came across an old man who took me with him up a mountain.

There he asked me why I was wandering like that. I told him, and he simply scoffed. 'Paladins are long gone boy. Everyone is dependant on Materia for the skills a Paladin had naturally. Go home, give up this crazy dream. Or better yet, go back to the rouges you joined.' I was angry he was treating me like that. 'Listen mister, I have no home, and in order to protect more people, I killed the bandits I learned from. Killed them, to protect others. That's all I want, is hte knowledge i can do something honorable in a honorless world!' The old man chuckled. 'You sure you aren't going to abuse the power you would learn, and turn into a Dark Knight?' I laughed. 'Protecting others is what I seem to do naturally. I feel the power of portection FLOWING though my veins... I can't deny that kind of call!' The old man seemed relived. 'Well boy, you just found the last Paladin... Maybe you CAN carry on our legacy, even get people to believe in the Light the Ancients belived in. Are you willing to use your heart, not your mind or body to call forth it?' Stuipd question, but a question nonetheless. 'Yes, i swear on my soul, i will use my heart to portect everyone who needs it. Not for money, not for fame, not even for the the thank yous i would get. Just for the feeling of helping another.'

It was a grueling two years. The old man trained me, mentally, emotionly, and physically. We would spar with wooden swords, mine changing as my unqiue style developed. The week before I turned 6, the old man, whom I had come to call 'Teacher', told me of a final test i had to take. 'Listen Dion. At the top of this mountain is a sword. In the tradtion the Cecil the Devote, of the Ancients, all Paladins, at the end of their travelingdays, will put their weapon in the hardest of the land they can find, and when they take a student, send hte student up to fetch it. In order to get the sword however, the Lifestream must decide how you would use the powers of a Paladin. If it feels you would stay true to it's morals, the blade will be easy to remove. However, if the lifestream beleives you will go towards the Dark Knights, the blade will never come out. You have one week to reach the top of this mountain, get the blade if possible, and come back down to here.' I simply nodded, knowing this was the most important week of my life.

It took me 3 and a half days to reach hte peak. By then i was spent physically, mentally, but not emontionly. Once i reached the blade, I gripped hte handle tightly, and prayed to the Lifestream to see me though, and then pulled. The blade come out extrmly easy, so easy in fact, i almost fell down. I was glad. I was to be a Paladin After all. I was ready to weild the purest forms of white magic in teh defense and aid of others. I hurried down the mountain, reaching the cave a day early. Teacher started to cry, seeing the blade. 'Well dion Dion. You have been approved by hte Lifestream, and are able to weild the Light, which is hte purest white magic one can get.' He grabbed the blade, and looked over it. 'Dion, in doing this task, you have earned my blade. It is yours now. You can change it as you will, but know that with it, i'll always be there to guide you.' I nodded, and gripped the blade in hte scabbard Teacher handed me. 'Thank you Teacher. I shall never forget you.' With those parting words, I left, begining in earnest, my quest to aid those in need, and to find my real family.