[Prologue II] A Small Tear

Looking at the ground beneath me, I see a pool of red forming. Such is life I tell myself... and death for this matter. I had nothing against this man except that he was in my way and it was requested that I handle him. To be honest, it doesn't even both me much that this guy died. The loot that I will receive when I return better be well worth his demise tho. In times like this, I often wonder if I should have at least tried to choose a different path in life... truth be told, I wonder if I even chose THIS path that I am on. I was a boy when I was rescued from the darkness. When the Order tried to sacrifice me for some ritual. I still have no clue what they were talking about in regards to my blood being potent or whatever. I am just glad that that cell failed... my mind drifts off as my eyes stare into the pool of blood as if looking thru a window to the past. A past that created me to be... whatever one would call me now...

I am a little boy again. I am out in the fields near the "coastline" of the island.

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I always enjoy coming out here to play. I spend so much time in the temple engaged in my studies that I rarely have ample time to play. I am told that I was sent here for my own protection. I don't really know what that mean but the monks here don't mistreat me so I guess it's nice here. There was someone who ued to look after me before but I don't know where she went. While I'm running around out here, I see a large bird with very dark colored feathers. It lands right in front of me and I smile at it! It's so beautiful. The bird crows at me and I grin before crowing back at it. It looks into my eyes and it looks like its eyes are swirling with pools of some chaotic energy. There is a storm within the bird's eyes. I find myself mesmerized & watching the energy move for quite a while before the bird lifts off and flies towards the water. I dash off after the large bird. When it circles around to swoop down & pass me again, I giggle as if it is a game that the bird and I are playing.

201

When we make it to the beach, I see a pool of dark water standing on the beach. I didn't even know water could stand up like that. The curiosity of a child is a dangerous thing. The bird flies into the vertical pool of water and I chase after it. Running into the portal, I discover that it is a portal and also a trap.

As I look around, I can't see much b/c the sun is gone. Why doesn't this place have a sun? I must have fallen down & went to sleep in order for the sun to be gone. There is a man in a robe standing with the large black bird. "I brought your bird back, sir. He's really nice." The robed man looks at me & tells the bird that it had done well. The bird speaks, "Thank you, Master." My eyes widen as I think that is the coolest thing ever that he has a talking bird. The robed man chants in a weird language and I watch him until I find that my body can't move. "What happened? I can't move!" The robed man waves his hand over in my direction and all of a sudden an altar rises up from beneath me.

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My body is invisibly hoisted up into the air and I find myself becoming more and more afraid of what's going on. Some dark beasts pad into the area. Another dark bird flies into the area but this one has golden stormy eyes and it crows loudly. The beasts and robed man look up. A strange "static" is produced in the air as the beasts try to run away from me. Before the first one can escape a dark orb forms in front of it. That dark orb explodes and my eyes are shocked to see the body of the dark beast ripped to pieces. The next beast runs but suddenly stops moving as blood starts leaking from all of its pores. It's as if the blood was being sucked out of its body by a vacuum. The third beast is knocked back by some invisible force. Its body is lifted into the air for a few moments before it spits up a massive amount of blood andliquified chunks of meaty and stringy substances.

The altar beneath me vanishes & the robed man grabs me. The golden eyed dark bird sinks its talons into the bird that had led me here and I admit that I am sad b/c that bird had actually played with me and now it was being viciously pecked and stabbed. I look directly in front of me and my vision begins to distort before a figure emerges from nowhere.

250

This new figure looks at me and nods to me. I don't know why he's nodding, but I am no longer afraid. His hands vanish from sight and a moment later I gasp as my small frame is pierced by his hand reaching thru the Void and into the robed man's body. The robed man's spine is ripped out the back of his torso away from me causing him to release his hold on me and for my motionless body to fall to the ground. As my body approaches the ground, everything starts to fade away for me. I hear the bird crow loudly as it approaches my position. I'm not sure if it's coming to get me or the robed man. The newly arrived figure keeps the robed man alive and asks him a few questions. He gets his answers and allows the robed man to finally expire. I notice his body approach me as I lay on the ground in a great deal of pain, but doing my best not to cry out.

Suddenly, I begin to feel cold and strange. I find myself looking around but there is nothing around me anymore. Not even the bodies are nearby. What has happened? Where am I? Oh no... he killed me. That man killed me. But I thought the priests said that when I died that I would pass to the Great World of Spirits. If this is it, where are all the spirits? Suddenly a voice speaks around me, but I can't say it. "Enter the Veil to Vilis." I feel energy around me which I believe is a spirit trying to interact with me. After a couple moments, I am pulled away from the energy and after a few minutes of silence and darken solitude, the figure appears next to me.

He speaks, "Who are you, boy? What were you doing in the clutches of the Order?"

325 EXP

I look at him, blinking twice with that sort of deer in the headlights thing going on before he steps closer and I ask, "Where am I?" Even tho he is across the room, I feel a whap against the back of my head. My head jerks forward and I look behind me. His voice speaks again, "Never answer a question with a question, boy. Now answer me." My eyes turn back to him and I lower my head at my error. "I'm sorry, sir. He said something about the blood being ripe but I don't know what he meant. I don't even know where I am. I was playing with the bird near the coast when the standing pool of water appeared and I chased the bird thru the pool."

The figure approaches closer and stares at me inquisitively. He kneels down in front of me and sniffs at me before he places his left hand on my head griping it like a claw and it feels like his hand sinks into my soul or something like that. It was intensely invasive. I'm not sure what makes him think that it is ok to do these things, but they aren't and I try to push away from him. Energy starts to gather around my hands and I scream out, "Unhand me!!" A small ripple appears between he and I that knocks me back and causes his eyes to widen slightly. My surprise at what had happened is replaced by fear due to the look in his eyes at this very moment. "Unhand me!" I shout repeatedly at the menacing male figure. Nothing happens. Why isn't it working?! Come on, ripple thingy! Hit him! He reaches me and I close my eyes not wanting to see him make me suddenly combust or anything like that!

I don't explode or anything painful like that. In fact, nothing happens. I feel a jolt and at that moment, I figure that now I am dead. Again, I do not find death. Part of me really is happy about that but it feels like he's toying with my life.

359 EXP

"Open your eyes, Boy."

I obey and look around. We are both standing outside of a large dark building

"Understand this, Boy. For the moment you must embrace chaos in order to destroy it. You must engage the darkness in order to protect it from its influence and control! Feel everything around you. You seem to possess a knack for bending the Void to your will and Dopos was right. Since you're so small yet able to tap into the Void, you must be very careful, Boy. U need to get stronger if u are going to survive in this world. Embrace the Void, Boy."

I look at him and nod. Seeing that I at least seemed to understand the severity of the situation, he nods in return and tells me that if I wish then I can follow him around on his travels until I am able to stand on my own or until one of us is take up permanent residence within the Void. He tells me that if I choose to follow him then I must do what I am told when I am told. I don't know where I am or how to get back to the temple village plus he saved my life so I am indebted to him. I would actually increase the debt a bit more if possible. I ask him, "Will u teach me to be stronger so that I can rip apart the bad men like u did?" He smirks and answers me, "When you show me that you can delve that deep into the Void then you will be ready to unlock such mysterious powers as those. I will teach you something to keep u alive for now, Boy. It is how to actually use the power that you attempted to use earlier."

297 EXP

Obviously the next question from me is to inquire how I know how much I can safely wield. He tells me that if the power I'm using explodes against me and before it is supposed to be released then I harnessed too much. He tells me that I feel the right moment. I nod to him and he tells me to hold the energy between my hands. I put my hands together as if holding a ball in between them and the energy gathers there. I smile at the accomplishment and the energy vanishes. "It takes work and effort, Boy. Try again." Nodding my head with a new sense of humility and determination, I am able to create and hold a small orb in my hands. He nods to me. He tells me to project it at him. I raise a curious eyebrow but he gives no instruction as to how I am supposed to accomplish the task.

Ok, so I'm supposed to project it. What does that even mean? I look at him and he seems to readying himself. Maybe he wants me to hit him. But wait if I hurt him? Then who is gonna help me out & stuff? I shake my head & tell him that I can't hurt him.

209 EXP

He tells me that I will have to fight both allies and friends as well as targets & guards that are stronger than me. He tells me that I must remove such weaknesses of mind and be prepared to hunt down any target that may be placed in my way.

Still holding the ever-moving orb between my hands, I frumple my face at the thought & push the attack at him. It starts moving quickly towards him but then it fizzles out before it hits him. He tells me that we will try aain later. I hang my head unsure about why I can't control it the way I did before. He places his hand on my shoulder and we vanish from sight again. I seriously don't think that I will get used to the unnerving feeling associated with exiting Void portals. He pulls me back out of sight and starts walking around. I think I'm supposed tostay put but considering that yet again, I don't know where I am or what we're doing here in this building, I think I'll quietly follow him.

We sneak around the roving patrols of guards. I find that walking where he walks is a very sound strategy to follow. Once we encounter opposition, he makes such quick work of them & this time in very neat & silent methods.

235 EXP

He keeps making the bodies disappear too... what's up with that?! His expedient sweep of the building brings us a large room with a man surrounded by several guards.

"So it is you. Why do u even care about the girl?"
"I don't but The Guild sent me to get her back safely to her family, so I am here. You are fortunate tho. The contract is for her return, not the heads of her captors. Now where is she?"

I have no clue what is going on, but the surrounded man decides that this girl whoever she is is not worth the amount trouble that he would endure. He tells one of his men to go get her from the guest bedroom where she was being held and before he can turn back, we are gone.

We appear in the room and the girl gasps in fear. "What is your name?" She tells him and he grins at her. "Is that so? So then who is that hiding under the bed wearing your clothes? Hurry up, my lady. We are getting you back to your family." She peeks out from under the bed. "Did my father send you?" He nods and when she speaks the manner of speech is DISTINCTLY different.

212 EXP

The little girl crawls out and asks, "You don't look like one of my father's men." The Void Operative tells her that that is because he does not work for her father but for The Guild & her father called upon them for help when his men failed to retrieve her. He tells both girls to move over by me and the decoy helps the daughter out from under the bed then dusts her off. They walk next to me, who is still in my play clothes from earlier which would look similar to loose monk clothes or pajamas. The decoy giggles and whispers to me that she thought she looked silly. Hey! What's that supposed to mean?! Dark "ropes" of energy surround all three of us before we vanish from the holding room as guards open the door.

We arrive outside the building and the operative looks up at the window and turns with the 3 of us as his bird returns to land on his forearm. He nods to the avian "familiar" and thanks him. The girls look at him & he tells them that her father has made the payment & so she can go home and this will all be over. She smiles and we keep walking for a while. He seems to be enjoying the scenery or looking for something. I would interrupt whatever it is that he is doing as I'm still trying to recover from another one of his unannounced teleportations! I mean seriously! At least say something to warn us because the girls look as if they too are recovering.

276 EXP

After a few more moments, voosh! Again into the darkness of the Void heading towards a strange light. I am able to discern different things in our journey this time around. There are actually an array of colors in this place and for brief moments I can hear voices or see figures moving around here. Most of them are far too jumbled or pass by too rapidly for me to really make anything out clearly. Still, it's pretty amazing to witness as a child nonetheless. This little personal adventure of mine is very short lived b/c before I know it, we have exited. I stand firmly in position to gather my bearings as the Operative is greeted by other adults in similar styles of clothing. They all exchange words and one of them asks if they are the girls and he nods. One of them asks about me making the comment about picking up strays on the job. He tells them that I helped in the mission. They look at me and just shrug. He tells them to look after the package until the client arrives to retrieve them. The operatives nod to him and he looks down at me and speaks, "You will learn to love ramen, Boy. Let's eat." He starts walking off and I don't move realizing right then that I don't actually have anything to trade for my food. He stops and says without turning around, "You can't become strong enough if you're weakened by hunger. I will cover your expenses for now since I will recover all of the costs and much more. Now let's go eat."

EXP: 289/3065

There is more to the beginning of my story, but this was the defining moment for what I would become. The events that led me to that beach are no longer all that clear to me since they did not play a heavy impact in my development. He did though... the Master. I WILL find him. No matter how much of this world I must search. I will find out where he has been taken and anyone caught between me and getting my Master back will be delivered to Oblivion!

Turning away from the blood at my feet, my job here was done. My contract was fulfilled. It is a good thing that I am not fully aligned to anyone. I have my frequent employers, the Village of the Sun and the Mare Maris Monarchy, but I belong to neither. That allows me to enjoy these little side jobs. Considering what I'm sure the compensation will be, this was more like a favor for the hassle this guy was. Hunting someone thru 3 different villages because my employer kept giving me the wrong location is immensely annoying! Speaking of which, I had better go find him to collect on said bounty now owed. With a wave of my hand, my body shimmers out of sight. I won't lie... I love doing that.

EXP: 240/3305