Chivalry. The only word that comes to mind whenever a noble passes the halls. Its meaning and connections are so vast that the single word when thought of can cause the brains of knights to immediately follow their code.
I, the knight who was born into the kingdom in the year 134D(Doom) despise the creatures classed as man beasts. Their disgusting furry bodies cause thine to shiver in their presence. My reason to hate them? Simply because they look ugly and they have killed many people in cold blood. All the blood drenched onto me as I fled from them reminded me of their vicious desire for blood.
Aside from the past, in this annual day on the 21st of January, 154D, the king holds his birthday.
His name is so long that most name him Julius. Even though some nobles classify such names as an insult, the king himself always defended his people in saying that he agreed and that his long name is due to the pact made a millennium ago.
The halls were fairly plain and yet so empowering as the clean marble floors refracted the sunlight while the slate bricks made the walls and roofs in various shades of gray. Dark wood was used to outline some of the stone as to ensure it wasn't as bland to the human eye.
Enough of the details as the idea is fairly simple. It's rich, clean and powerful looking.
"Raven, may I request assistance," a young knight bowed in front of me while I wore dark steel armor, a black long-sword and a badge bearing the symbol of 'Legendary Knight'. In response I clenched my fist, did a chest solute before standing straight again.
"Pleasures mine, son of laz-" my speech was interrupted by a punch in the guts. The unexpected force cause me to flinch.
"Don't! I just want to train my sword. Like, you know... Like you did back then when you were preparing to fight those disgusting creatures," the pleasing line made me relax as I bent down to eye level. "W-what...?"
"Just so you know... My training is dedicated to those who truly wanted to murder such beasts. But, I detect hints of kindness in your eyes. The training requires absolute hatred and anger. Got it?" my voice slowly rose with each word before I growled 'Got it' at him. His copper armor had no helmet, revealing a kind lad in his thirteens.
"Just what did they ever do to you?" the boy said to me before stomping off in anger.
'Oh, they did something alright. They burnt my village, slaughtered my parents in front of my eyes and then continued to let me live as I watched each and every innocent soul get diced in half or eaten alive. In some cases, women were abducted like my mother and were to serve as their impulse dolls.'
Just as I finished thinking, I stood upright again and continued guarding the halls before going on patrol.
After the massive bloodshed against the beasts, I decided to take a new job and patrolled the halls of the almighty castle.
A little background is needed to understand what's going on.
Back in the year 151D, three years before now, Raven fought a massive war against one-hundred thousand beasts. Their mass production came solely from the abduction of women. Of course, I was not alone. I had fifty-thousand soldiers with me. Since a majority of the beasts were youth, they had a fairly easy but annoying battle.
However, during the fight, one with similar face features approached me. It was a child of beast and my mother. The boy was scared but determined. When I asked why he fought, the boy simply told me he wanted food as their leader starved them, offering food and salvation if they won.
For the first time, I felt sympathy, however, I wounded the boy, knocked him out and buried him under a tree with a fair supply of air. Then, I killed their leader before showing the head to everyone.
That, was how the war ended.
When my return with forty-thousand soldiers happened, the king announced the knight master held a child for ten years, awaiting for the right time before revealing his identity. The sudden news brought temporary uproar when they discovered who the boy was. Though, I already knew because he constantly observed my training back in the day.
Now, to the present day.
Another noble to another and another pass until one person who looked suspicious attempted to pass me. His purple clothing and strange scythe he wielded gave off a dangerous vibe.
Out of instinct, I halted, sheathed my extremely heavy blade and pointed thine blade to him.
"Hohoho! First time anyone has seen me in a million years," the voice sounded sarcastic as it was suddenly at the end of the corridor, yawning. The person genuinely looked bored, but to me it sounded like an attempt to piss me off. "Don't worry, you won't die. But, that king who's causing false hope and havoc across the lands needs his divine retribution."
Before I could do anything, my mentor slapped me.
"Foolish actions can lead thine to death's door. Begone from mine hallway and see the king. Thus must be guarded by the hero," his voice sounded deep as I didn't look at him. He prefers not have gratitude, but rather a loyal apprentice. So, I marched off to the royal room.
When I turned, I continued until I entered the royal room quietly. Several nobles celebrated as many women of status and men of status all conversed in the day.
Circle tables packed with meat and lack of greens concerned me, however, I continued to walk around the room. The loud laughter and echoes of idiotic jokes boomed the room while I tread carefully on the side. There, I saw the suspicious person again.
"I'll have to kill you both it seems. Even though your humiliation seems quite entertaining, I do not wish to make the one suffer," acting normal, I passed it. When it stared at the window, the being simply sighed. "Alright, I'll get this plan done right now."
I walked back into the crowds of nobles and went up the stairs to a small balcony where the king rested. His gray hair, pale face and golden clothes made him look pretty rich. His daughter, Sarah sat down reading a book.
Walking next to the king, I quietly remained stiff as the suspicious person once again appeared before me.
"Good luck," the voice whispered into my ear. It stood in the center, holding hands in a prayer. Chants were mumbled as winds circled the room gaining the attention of the nobles. "Divine blessings be placed onto the winds, curse of eternal remains on he who shall pass to the next chance. Gods who control the many elements and forbid thee from mana, Absolute Death."
Dark swirls closed in on us. The king awoke and remained calm, knowing his end is near. He must have known someone or something would kill him. Winds slowly turned and bent as it rapidly closed in on us.
At first, I believed that I could murder this one when it revealed a slim body. But, reality turned to stone when this being suddenly teleports and uses strange witchery. This witchery, she called it mana. Wouldn't that be called magic like the elves in the adventure stories wielded? Was a good question before the wind ripped both me and the king into pieces.
Our screams were muffled, organs diced and splattered, blood scattered around like a crazy paintball war, until finally we were gone. Or so I thought,
I hung above the scene like a floating being.
The being known as death touched me and looked into my eyes.
"Looks like it's about that time to change the times, right?" this time a feminine voice was heard. She giggled as she wielded her scythe with ease. Her purple clothes, pale skin, red eyes and a strange aura of kindness.
She did some strange movements with her arms as she glided around me. Almost like a fairy, but without the sparkles. While she spun, I observed the nobles and guards analyzing the massive blood puddles. Some nobles fainted while others screamed. Few smiled in joy as the rest murmured in dismay at the blood heaved sight.
Suddenly, the death girl and I appeared in a realm of darkness.
Her red eyes locked onto my ghostly eyes. "Your name remains, but thee shall be forgotten as you will appear in a time a thousand years later as the species known as beastmen. They are classed as anthropomorphic animals, however, they suffer discrimination because of this. Surely your mind changed emotionally and rationally after that war right? You didn't need hatred and anger for that training, but you lied to protect the boy. Plus, you followed your duties because you wanted to die."
The world around me changed as my spirit slowly began to disolve.
"Your name is Raven of the black and white wolf beasts. Good luck..." her voice faded in the distance as my new life began. As the one thing I despised. Though, I should act like one of these creatures to understand them. Humans never got to understand because we never gave proper friendly terms.
"It's a girl!" a happy voice called as light filled my pupils. Blood coated my body as I breathed in agony for some reason. Probably because I was stuck in the womb for a while.
But, something caught my attention. I was not a boy. But, I was a girl. So, things will be different in more ways than I expected.