Near the base of a mountain, lies a stone fortress encircled by a small, run down town. The walls of the courtyard that blocked off the village spanned from one side to the other. Everything within the walls was well maintained, but just outside the walls the people live in poverty.
Above the town, the sky started to ripple and then become distorted. A portal opened and Amos emerged from the ripple again and continued his descent. The silent streets were void of life as Amos continued falling.
The silence of the town was disrupted as Amos slammed into the ground hard, sending tremors throughout the village. A large crater appeared where Amos had landed and dust shot into the air. The villagers came running out to see what had occurred, only to find a giant hole in the middle of the village.
Most of the villagers retreated back inside, fearful that this was an enemy attack. One little orphan girl, however, had the courage to push forward towards the crater. Peeking over the edge, she looked down and saw a young man laying in a pool of blood. "He's injured! We have to help him!" She cried and scrambled down into the crater to help him. A few other men followed suit and crawled down with her. Gently they pulled him out of the crater and carried him to a nearby house. Laying him carefully on the bed, the little girl took a seat next to him. The crowd of on lookers followed them inside, trying to get a glimpse of this man.
"Such strange clothes he wears."
"Maybe he's from a foreign land?"
Gossip spread as people started getting more curious. An older woman walked over and started undressing Amos to tend to his wounds. As she unbuttoned his shirt, she let out a gasp and backed away as she looked at the symbol of royalty on his side. A beautiful Phoenix being reborn from its own ashes was engraved on his side. "It's..! He's royalty..!" She gasped and dropped to her knees, bowing her head to the ground. Amos' eyes gently fluttered open and he slowly sat up, grimacing as he placed his hand on his side.
"Ngh. Where am I?" He looked around the room at all the people gathered around him. 'The last thing I remember is..falling. I didn't die?' He looked to the little girl sitting next to him, full of smiles.
"Hi, mister! I'm Astra. Who are you? Where did you come from?" She bombarded the recently awoken Amos with questions. He chuckled softly and felt a twinge of pain when he laughed.
"Well, first things first, my name is Amos. Can you tell me where I am, little one?" He asked as he looked around at everyone's stares before turning back to Astra. She had extended her lower lip and put on her pouty face
"I told you my name is Astra." She pouted a minute before Amos reached his hand out and started rubbing the top of the her head. She looked up and smiled as he rubbed her head. 'She looks lonesome' He thought and smiled at her.
"Right, my apologies, Astra." He looked at the woman who was kneeling in front of him. "What's going on?" He asked and murmurs started spreading again as people started making room to let someone through. An older looking man walked through the space that had been made for him. He walked towards Amos and then dropped to his knees along side the woman.
"My Lord, we beg of you to save us from our fate. Only one of royal blood can ascend the throne and unite us." The old man pleaded, not only for his sake, but for that of his people. Amos reached his hand behind his head and scratched shyly.
"Lord? What are you talking about? I'm just a normal guy." He looked away embarrassingly and kept scratching his head. Astra reached out and placed her hand on Amos' birthmark.
"This is the symbol of your true lineage. Only one of royal blood can bear such a mark" Astra said happily and looked up at Amos with big, innocent eyes.
'My birthmark is actually a symbol?' He thought and looked over as a new woman walked forward carrying a bowl of gruel for Amos.
"I'm sorry it isn't much, but this is all we can offer you, my lord. The current king stole all of the town's wealth and hoards all of it, fattening himself up with imported meats and wine." The old man spoke as both he and the woman rose to their feet. "You are the true heir, Lord Amos. Only you can unite the clan and bring back our glorious kingdom." Amos looked at the gruel and then at the other hungry mouths. 'They must have sacrificed their rations for me.' He looked over at Astra and pushed the bowl towards her.
"Here, Astra. You probably haven't eaten for awhile now. Take it." He smiled and passed the bowl to Astra who started tearing up. "You don't have to cry, Astra. It's alright now." He soothed and looked at the old man. "What must be done?"
The old man walked forward as Astra started crying and clung to Amos. "You must slay the false king that sits on your throne and return to ruling over your loyal subjects. Only you can restore our once great kingdom." As he spoke, Amos looked down at this little girl in his arms. 'Is this my chance at redemption?' He asked himself and hugged the little girl.
"Alright. I'll do it. Astra, stay safe until I return. I'll take care of you when I come back. Show me the way to get inside the castle." Amos said angrily as a powerful surge of magic burst forth from his body, pulsating gently and heating up the air around him. Amos looked around him and was shocked at what was happening. "What's going on?"