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~Prologue~
Chapter 0: The World’s Story/Introduction
It is the year 3222, otherwise known as the Neo-Medieval Era. In the year 2012, nuclear war began the epidemic that destroyed the earth. Years and years of nuclear stockpiling allowed the war to continue for 200 years, completely destroying the world‘s infrastructure. The population was downsized by at least 75% and caused a near extinction of the human race. The impact from the bombs caused shifting in the Earth’s tectonic plates, creating massive earthquakes that pushed all Earth’s continents and islands back together, reforming Pangaea. Without warning, huge clouds of radiation harbored over the landmass, causing plagues of disease and famine. It would seem that life was about to end. However, over a millennium the radiation had drifted more towards the edges of the land and life was able to start up again. However, war has left the planet Earth practically barren for resources, forcing society to revert back to more primitive ways of life.

The entire habitable land of Earth is now called Caelum, which is bordered to the North by the radiation-laden Glowing Barrens. Bustling hubs of people, skyscrapers, and landmarks have given way to modest villages and towns. With the exception of the three kingdoms: The Guardia Empire of King Coden to the West, The Wicked Isles of Queen Verna in the South, and the mysterious Green Tower of “Emperor” Ifrit, far-off in the Glowing Barrens. The towns and villages outside of the kingdoms reside to the East in "Haven".

The automobile has been replaced by either walking or animal transportation, television and radio have reverted to word of mouth, and any type of fighting would be handled with a blade or a bow. Though there is no more war, or at the very least it’s on a much smaller scale, governments have fallen and monarchies have risen again. For the common village, societies are lawless, resulting in ridiculously high crimes rates. Gangs and bandits run rampant in the outer lying towns and have created a deadly environment for commoners. However, after a while everyone adapted to this and it became normal life. Yet, something was preparing to happen that would once again shake the wobbly foundation of Earth.

The orange, radiant sun rose slowly on a warm summer morning, pouring light onto the sleepy village's buildings and walkways. Morning had begun in Valhalla Grove. The rising of the sun was a very important occurrence in this village. You see, with the loss of modern society came the loss of modern religion and the inhabitants of Valhalla Grove worshipped the burning sphere as if it were a deity. They believed if they awoke at the exact rising of the sun, good luck would be bestowed upon them as a gift. If they were lazy, their luck would be cursed that day. They further believed that the appearance of the moon signified the evil hours and that it was time to retreat back to their homes. Of course, everyone rose and went back in at the appropriate times for fear of being cursed. No one was skeptical. Everyone was a firm believer. Everyone except...him.

With very few forests left on Earth, his house was made of clay and mud bricks. The orange star's bright rays shone through his window, illuminating the previously dark and depressing room. The light continued to brighten up the room, revealing his thin, yet toned, body strewn across his bed, the sheets pulled up to his neck. The boy let out soft, quiet breaths through his nose, his youthful face perfectly relaxed, a sign of the deep slumber he was in. He was 17, yet you wouldn’t know it by looking at him. His face was still hairless and soft, like a child’s. He shifted once and then rolled over onto his right side, nuzzling his head into a more comfortable spot on his pillow. His bright red hair spilled every which way. However, as the young man slept soundly, dark forces were at work. Dark, laziness-hating forces.

Unbeknownst to the youth, his door swung open with a near-silent creeeak. As he slept, an elderly woman tiptoed her way into the messy room and stood with an annoyed face and her hands on her hips.

"Kaiden!" She bellowed. She had a strong voice for a woman of her age and obviously was accustomed to putting it to use.

“Mnh…” The boy mumbled, obviously awake yet determined to stay in bed.

The woman acted accordingly and forcefully yanked his foot, pulling him off the bed and sending him to the floor. “I won’t tell you again, you sloth! Surely, you must want to be cursed and bring shame upon…” She said, trailing off as she walked out, leaving the boy to gather his wits on the floor.

Kaiden grumbled and pushed himself up. He was used to this type of rude awakening and shrugged it off as a normal occurrence. “Dear old Granny…” He thought. He looked around at the chaos that was his room and walked through some clutter to the square hole that was his window. He stuck his head out and looked up at the magnificent sun, scowling. If he could, he’d blow it up with his gaze. However, he couldn’t, so he pulled his head back inside and sighed.

“And so, another day begins.” He said solemnly. He shook the feeling and then headed out of his room, taking the day head-on. However, he was naked, so he headed right back into his room. He dressed himself in the typical Valhalla Grove bandit clothing: an orange cloth shirt, brown cloth pants, and an orange bandana. Orange was the color of the gang he ran with. He didn't necessarily like being dressed as a fruit or being ordered around by senior members of the group but being gang affiliated was pretty much the only way to ensure the safety of your family. They called themselves The Rays of Death, symbolizing the town’s worship of the sun.

Kaiden turned around and looked at the wall where his sword was kept on a pedestal. The blade belonged to his father, also named Kaiden, like his father before him and so on. Kaiden received respect just for owning a sword, most people could only afford daggers since the precious metals were expensive. It was a European-style longsword with a crimson red blade. It was forged from some of the rarest metals on Mars that Kaiden’s ancestor mined hundreds of years ago, when Earth was prosperous enough to travel there. The sword had a leather hilt and an elegant crossguard of a sun with waving flames. He took the sword and placed it in the scabbard on his belt. The youth then left the house through his window, preferring not to confront his granny.

"Hey! Street rat!" A voice called. Kaiden looked to his right and much saw two boys about his age waiting for him outside. The two were clothed in a deep aqua blue color and wore their bandanas on their face, covering their mouths. The young men had more decoration in their uniforms however, as skulls and crossbones were featured prominently on their attire. They were members of a rival gang and apparently wanted to make a statement. The larger of them had a sword so the other must've just been for intimidation. Kaiden knew the taller one with the sword though, his name was Yorick.

"You think you're a true swordsman?! Yelled Yorick. “Then duel me!”

Kaiden flashed a quick smile and coyly walked in the opposite direction of his newfound challenger. He put his hands behind his head and laughed audibly before speaking. “Yorick, surely you and the rest of the Waves of New Venice remember our treaty? There’s no need for us to fight, friend.”

“You are no friend of mine, you *******!” Replied Yorick. “I know about you seducing my fiancée and I’ve come to fight for her honor! Now duel me, you coward!”

“Or does ‘the fastest blade in Caelum’ have to report to his papa, Wolfbane, first?” Said the second, nameless boy. His speech was much more dumb and oafish.

Kaiden simply continued on his path, undeterred by the comments, and sighed. “The sun’s just risen and already there has to be a problem. Oh wait, I think I’ve got something for you, Yorick…” He said. Kaiden reached into his pocket and turned around to face the two boys, fumbling around for a second. After a moment the youth produced a frilly, blue handkerchief embroidered with the letters Y and M. “I think your fiancée forgot this when we were discussing something. Pft, silly woman, her mind must have been on other things.” Kaiden added the last part with sarcastic bite and locked eyes with Yorick. The rage was indescribable.

“I’LL KILL YOU!” Yorick boomed before breaking into a full sprint towards our protagonist, sword in a ready position. In a flash, Yorick was in front of Kaiden, lunging forward to stab the blade through his heart.

The red-haired young man broke into a cocky smile and sidestepped the lunge. “Surely you’re angrier than that, Yorick! Have at me, come on!” Another thrust! Kaiden swiftly and gracefully spins to the side, effectively dodging. He goes so far as to counter by swinging his arm upward and slapping Yorick with the handkerchief. This angers his opponent and causes something unexpected, a horizontal slash. Our hero ducks with expert efficiency however, he’s made a mistake. The slash is a feint and sets Kaiden up for the knee that Yorick is about to slam into his face.

Kaiden catches on and brings his arms in front of his face in time to guard but he is sent tumbling backwards from the force of the blow. Normally, a physical blow like that would be illegal in a duel. Challengable by death even. But since Kaiden hadn’t drawn his sword yet, the duel had not started and this was an unadulterated brawl.

He hops back to his feet in time to see Yorick’s fist flying straight for his face. Kaiden easily leans to the side and uses his opponent’s momentum against him. He grabs Yorick’s arm, slams his shoulder into his attacker’s chest and tosses Yorick over his shoulder.

Now while our hero is a magnificent swordsman, he is no slouch at hand-to-hand combat either. A specific journey allowed him to cross paths with a traveling group of monks. As a spoil of trade, he spent months training with the monks. They taught him ancient martial arts passed down for millennia throughout their clan, lovingly survived through the times. His moves range from the most basic strikes to deadly arts and techniques, yet he always feels more comfortable behind a sword.

A few passerby begin to stop to watch the spectacle and mutter to each other, “Isn’t that Kaiden?”
“Fastest blade in Caelum, yep.”
“Poor hoodlum more like it, he hasn’t even drawn his blade.”
Yorick bounds to his feet and breaks into a run only to be stopped by a large hooded figure. Out of instinct, Yorick raises his blade upward and comes down hard, intending to split the figure’s head. Instantly, the man claps his hands in perfect timing, stopping the blade just above his head. The man takes hold of the sword in one hand and removes his hood with the other, revealing long, graying-brown hair and a long scar across his cheek. This man was Wolfbane, the head of the Rays of Death.

The grizzled man opens his eyes and gives one look at Yorick that causes the youth to retract his blade gently and sheathe it. Shortly after, he frowns on the two boys. ”Is this what you do? Fight with no honor? And just after we have made peace!” He looked to Kaiden and pointed a finger at him, ”What have I told you, boy? You want to fight like dogs then go fight for King Coden in his Flesh Pits! Now if this is going to continue, both of you will draw swords and duel!”

Kaiden wanted to object, he wanted to say that they were the ones who started with him, but he knew it would fall on deaf ears. He rested his right hand on the hilt of his sword for a moment and then drew it. With a flourish, he spun the blade cleanly with two fingers and held it in a reverse grip. Yorick simply entered a normal stance with his sword.

“You both know the rules. Till first blood. Aye?!” Wolfbane spoke.

“Aye!” Replied Yorick, itching to attack.

“Let’s get this over with.” Said Kaiden, rushing forward immediately. He swung with a wide slash and was met with a block from Yorick. Quicker! Kaiden hacked again and was countered with a thrust. With a quick spin out of the way, he set himself up and slashed down, ripping Yorick’s shirt. Our hero knew he could win but that wasn’t enough. No, he needed to humiliate him.

Angered, Kaiden’s opponent hacks wildly, allowing an easy parry. Kaiden twirls as he counters and backhand smacks Yorick’s chest with the flat of the sword, causing a large, red bruise to form. Yorick swings wild again, but focuses, countering Kaiden’s inevitable block. They locked swords for a moment, meeting each other’s gaze before hopping back and resetting stances. What followed was a true dance of blades. Blocks, parries, stalwart defends, and grandiose attacks. A marvelous display of swordsmanship. But, let’s be honest, our hero was holding back.

As the battle lingered on Wolfbane looked up at Kaiden and gave a quick, silent nod. The youth knew what it meant. End it. We have business to tend to. Our fiery protagonist seemed to change for a minute, his playfulness replaced with a serious and steely gaze. Yorick swings but with one strong slash Kaiden hacks clean through his opponent’s inferior metal, slicing Yorick’s sword in half. The red metal of his own blade glinted in the sun as he ever so gently followed up. He twirls the blade and thrusts forward, pricking Yorick in the chest, causing the tiniest drop of blood to form.

“It would seem I win.” Kaiden said, right back to his nonchalant ways. “Give my regards to Mindy, will you?”

And with that our hero sheathed his sword and walked away with Wolfbane into the now busy pathways of Valhalla Grove.