List of characters within this book (more to be introduced later):

Odyn Albanar- Also called Hunter by members of his family at times; He's the Eldest of the Albanar children and the first in line to become the next leader of the Dark Elves. He's never been one for formalities and would rather dedicate his life to help those who are oppressed and in need. Doesn't trust Humans very much.

Roy Albanar- The second prince of the Albanar Royal Family. Was raised to be the next King, due to his eldest brother passing that birthright onto him. He's cordial to all people and will not stand for injustice. He's an excellent swordsman and does his best to act as the heir apparent, is also fiercely loyal.

Sarai Albanar- The only girl of the Albanar Royal family and is very much what young Elven sword maidens aspire to be like. She's a strong, young Elven woman who stands up for what she believes in. Will do anything to protect her family and those She's close to. Sarai also adores her brothers, older and younger. While she is strong and very much a warrior, she is still a normal young woman with the desires and interests befitting her femine self.

Ichihana Anuyachi- Strong willed and doesn't like to show her emotions to anyone other than those she trusts and cares genuinely for. She has a hard time bearing her emotions towards others, but is willing for those close to her. She sees any male her age as not worth her time, unless you count the few friends she has. Secretly a very nice and charming girl underneath her hard-core exterior and isn't afraid to get her hands dirty if it means doing the right thing. Her personal moto is "Punish the unjust, protect the innocent ". Because of her personality that rarely bears its true colors to outsiders, she's seen as unapproachable many times. Nicknamed "Icy Blade Empress" due to her cold persona towards those she doesn't know.

Lilian Anuyachi- You could call her the polar opposite of her older sister in terms of personality. Lilian is the prototypical girl that just wants to befriend people while protecting those who cannot protect themselves. Because of her cheerful attitude and friendly personality, she's very easy to get along with. She's also quite skilled at healing magic and mid-range combat due to her weapon of choice, the Naginata.

Khanna Albanar- She's the cousin of Odyn and the royal family and seen as the surrogate "Big Sister" of the group of Dark Elven lords. She's a Commander in the Elven Vanguard from a Young teenager and takes defending her own kind and loved ones very seriously and with pride. She can be quite hard headed and stubborn to a fault. Khanna is afraid of no man and is out to prove she's just as strong and talented as any man is. She simply wants to prove herself as a capable warrior, not to be superior to men, but to be on equal footing with them.

Baron Caldern- He's the childhood friend of Sarai and a very troubled young Elf as he struggles with doing the right thing and betraying his own father. Hailing from a very dark environment with his sister, Hailfire, Baron is ever loyal to whatever cause he thinks is right. Kind, loyal, and very dependable, he is the perfect example of a true and tried subordinate upon joining the Citadel Guard under the command of Zero Arkham. His ultimate goal is to save only his sister, but his father as well from the darkness.

Hailfire Caldern- The younger sister of Baron, who unfortunately was put into the same dark environment as her brother due to the decisions of their father, Overfire. Her sometimes timid nature is simply a byproduct of the dark environment she was put into in order to protect herself. Hailfire loves her father and brother very dearly and struggles to make the right decision when she considers how it may affect her loved ones. As warrior, she's been trained by Overfire (their father) and Vladek( their uncle) to be as strong as she could possibly get. Though, it was not without scars, she still bears the marks of scars on her face from training with her father and uncle when she messed up. She's kind and obedient, some would say submissive. Willing to trust people with cautious optimism due to her dark upbringing.

Other characters: Heroes (side/supporting cast)

Berethon Albanar (High King of the Dark Elves/ Father of Odyn & Roy)

Hyatan Albanar (High Queen of the Dark Elves/Mother of Odyn & Roy)

Valvadern Arkham (General/ Childhood friend of Odyn)

Zero Arkham( Bodyguard/ Childhood friend of the Albanar siblings)

Sybryh Arkham (Co-Commander of The Royal Elven Vanguard/ Childhood Friend of Odyn)

Raptaryn Andross (General of the Elven Army/Khanna's Father/ Bèrethon's brother in law)

Laura Andross (Sister of Hyatan/ mother of Khanna/ Duchess of Xenia)

Lynnia Valcrum (Commander of the Royal Elven Guard)

Kazuya Anuyachi (Father of Ichihana &Lilian)

Yui Anuyachi (Mother of Ichihana & Lilian)

Seth Kyocera (Empathetic Human Samurai)

Alan Kyocera (Son of Seth. Empathetic towards Elves)

Byakuga Izanami (Human Samurai/Rival of Odyn)

Sakurai Kohen (Childhood friend of Ichihana)

Villains:

Abrainak Yokohama

Aku Yasutora

Sato Yami

Kitane Yamitosu (demon)

Gunther Vanworchest

Vladek Odarinath

Overfire Caldern

Audin Ferfevere

(More characters to come in the future)

P.s: This story is 100% original and i am not taking any influences from anime or at least not trying to copy anything lol. Any characters that appear in this book are all original characters I came up with as a writer, just fyi. Combat is... a work in progress to write so bear with me on that lolz 😆. That disclaimer out of the way, now it's onto the story!

Eldric Chronicles: Buddouchai (Book 1)

Prologue: Kidnapped?! An Ultimatum between Life & Death?

Space... It is what people have long referred to as the final frontier at times in the past. One could even consider it to be a world unto its own.This story will take place within the Cosmos of the void people call Space, in part at the very least. We will travel through this wide expanse of Cosmos and past the dimensional gate known as the Fury Realm Gate. This gate serves to link our plain of existence with the heavenly realms of Angels and Deities, while also connecting the dark realm of fallen heroes and Demon-Gods.

However for our story's sake, there are just two main deities. First off, there is Udiya. He's the God of Creation and Life, and then there is Mordred.. The God of Darkness and Death. He is the enemy of life itself. These two forces have clashed in the past with Mordred's followers becoming far more active lately in an attempt to resurrect their Lord. As a result of this, there are certain individuals who have submitted to the darkness that one would not expect. This evil has even made its way into the hearts of people throughout the universe. How this evil manifested itself is a story for a later time perhaps, for now we will travel to one such planet that has been infected by this outbreak of evil minded people. That Planet is Arkynor(Ark-ih-noor). It is on this planet where our story begins.

Arkynor is defined as a mirror planet, by most historians and scientists.The Arkynoreans are the reflection of earthling humans. One may ask why they are referred to as a mirror to humans. The reason for this is a simple one, human beings were the very first creations by the God of Creation and Life, Udiya (You-Dee-Yah). Ever since The Great Deception took place, Humans had.. changed, and not for the better. To counteract this and as a sort of insurance policy, Uidya created the Arkynoreans and Eldarians to act as the guardians for the human race. They served as a deterrent to evil in any form, and because of this they were often despised by people. Be it by some of their own kind that had given themselves to evil or what not, they were very unfairly treated by some.

At times, that meant protecting the humans from themselves. More times than not, they were ostracized by the very people they were meant to protect. Many Dark Woodland Elves just accepted that as a reality that would never change. There were also other examples of similar behavior and treatment, this was an unfortunate consequence of evil seeping into the hearts of some who surrounded the Elven people. As a result of this, evil clouded their judgment and even started to seep into the hearts of some Arkynoreans and Eldarians alike. It wasn't always like this, but one incident in particular sent the Elven people of Arkynor over the edge. This particular incident greatly escalated tensions between humans and elves.

You may be wondering something as the reader. What is this story about? What's the true message of this story? The answer to that question, my friend, would be a simple one. This is a story of how to truly conquer hatred (Racism), even when people go out of their way to label you as something you're not. Despite that hatred, cynicism, and need to degrade others constantly, this is also a story about learning how to still love those people for who they are... even when you have every right not to.

"A harsh answer stirs up strife and anger, but kindness will turn away wrath.," 4th Chapter, verse 11, Ancient Book of Light.

Arkynor (Are-key-noor)... A planet much like earth with its vast fields and green pastures, full of life. Some countries on the planet are very well known for the aquamarine life near them. It is a bit harsher of a climate, due to the constant wars that have ravaged its surface in recent years. It is still a very beautiful planet to visit. Of course, it has been closed off from any human travel for many years. The reason for this issue is due to the threat of war breaking out across space. The inhabitants of this planet are strong because of the many years of constant war they've had to live through. Currently they were enjoying a respite of peaceful times. The planet of Arkynor was divided into the different mystical races; races you'd hear about in fairy tales. Dwarves, Gnomes, Sylphs (fairies) Dryads (tree or plant like humanoid people) and of course Woodland Elves and Dark Woodland Elves.

The territories of these people are divided up into the following regions and Kingdoms: First, there is Argonath. This territory belongs to the Dwarves and half Dwarves. As expected, they are fans of building, crafting, and mining things or resources. To the west of them, lies the Country of Caldern. A mountainous region belonging mostly to Dark Elves, but some Dwarves and Sylphs live there too. To the Southwest of Caldern is the kingdom of Odarinath, Sylphs, Woodland Elves, and Dark Elves live here. The region is primarily valleys and pastures. Directly South of Odarinath, is the country of Avalon. This country is primarily made up of Dwarves, Gnomes, and the tree spirit people of the Dryads. It is mostly open plains with a few mountain ranges littering its landscape. To the Southeast and in the furthest corner of the continent is the kingdom of Dagghorlad {dagger- lad}. It also had a nickname, that nickname being "The Dragon's Fang Region". No one knew why it was called that, but the name became common rhetoric among Arkynoreans at some point. And finally in the center of the continent is the Kingdom of Albanar. Of the 6 Kingdoms that Arkynor was divided into, Albanar was the largest of the countries. It also had the strongest military among the six kingdoms. Although it could certainly bully the other kingdoms surrounding it, Albanar instead chose to establish friendly and diplomatic relations with the other Kingdoms. In this sense, it was different than most empires and nations that were world superpowers. Albanar had no intention of "lording it over" their fellow Arkynorean nations. The Kingdoms had formed what was often referred to as a "brotherhood" with their neighbors. Because of this agreement between the kingdoms, every and all conflicts were first resolved through peaceful means. If peaceful means did not work, only then would they resort to armed violence. Even when they did, the conflicts did not last long.

In fact, it is to the Kingdom of Albanar that we travel to on this particular day. Though the plains of Arkynor are harsher due to the wars in recent years, it is still full of wild life and known for its green pastures. Arkynor was still a visually breathtaking planet to visit if one ever had the chance to. It has been rather isolated from any sort of human contact for many years now though. That was ultimately the decision of Arkynor's rulers to avoid getting involved with human conflicts. As a result, the Arkynoreans have enjoyed relatively peaceful lives aside from the occasional conflict. Those were very few and far between however, the last war was nearly 50 years ago after all.

It is to the home of the king and queen of the elves that we travel to on this day. Their home, the royal palace of Xenia, and the capital city of Albanar. Our story begins here in earnest. We see a young dark elf with hair that was a darker shade of blue, he's sparring with someone in the grassy courtyard of the palace. He looked much like his father, the only physical differences being his height and lack of facial hair. The boy had piercing orange flame colored eyes, the elongated and pointed ears of the elven kin, and dark skin like his father. The young dark elf wore an army green headband just below the royal elven circlet on his forehead. This went with his black pants and light blue shirt that he wore. Steel gray boots, silver fingerless gloves, a dark green jacket, and his sheathed blue and gold sword that was strapped to his back. This was the eldest of King Berethon's children, Odyn {Odin} Albanar. Odyn was only 8 years old, but he was pretty tall for his age. The young dark elf prince was also pretty strong for his young appearance. The man Odyn was sparring with was, in fact, his father, The High King Berethon. Berethon was very tall. In human height, he would be around 7 feet tall. The King also had dark skin like his son and had shoulder length blue hair with a matching goatee growing around his lower face. He also had clothes that were a mixture of royal blues and kingly golds with his boots being a dark brown.

Odyn was knocked back and tumbled to the ground from the force of his father's blow for what felt like the millionth time that day. Despite his failure to land a hit on his father, the young dark elf stood to his feet once again. The elf prince briefly gritted his teeth in frustration before tightening his grip upon the handle of his practice blade and shifting into a ready stance prepared to take on Berethon again. Odyn was quite a fighter for his age, but his father still had him soundly beaten each time he charged at him. The cracks of the wooden training swords clashing against each other sounded as Odyn engaged his father again. A sudden woosh signaled Berethon knocking his son off balance and thrusting his blade into his chest to send him back again. In terms of experience, Berethon had twice or maybe even three times that of young Odyn. The king gave a hearty chuckle as he watched his son lean on his training blade in an attempt to stand. "Well, have you had enough yet son?," Odyn asked with a hand on his hip.

Odyn shook his head as he rose to his feet once again, albeit shakily this time. A determined look was etched onto his face, a signal that he wasn't ready to call it quits yet. Though he did have scratches and scuff marks on his face and limbs, he was determined to keep going. "N-Not... a chance, father! I can k-keep going!," Odyn said through gritted teeth and stinging pain on his limbs. Berethon smiled as he then lowered his training blade while speaking to his son. "That's good son, but I believe we're done for today. You have more than a few nasty scrapes on yourself. Besides, I think your mother would appreciate you cleaning up and healing those cuts and scratches.," Berethon said to his son. Odyn raised an eyebrow in confusion, he didn't really understand the reasoning behind that decision. He didn't really understand why they had to quit training for the day, this was something his father picked up on. Berethon {Bear- ah-thon} wanted his eldest son to understand the reasoning behind his decision. "I don't understand, father. Why are we done for the day? I can keep going.,"Odyn asked, perplexed.

The king knelt down to his son's eye level and very calmly explained why their training needed to end early for the day. "I need you to understand something for me.., can you do that son?," Berethon asked, putting a hand on the young boy's shoulder. The young dark elf nodded in agreement. He would listen to what his father had to say as a sign of respect between them. "Listen to what I have to say, son. I'm proud to have a son, who is as dedicated to his training as you are. However, there is such a thing as too much training. Your body is certainly durable, son. But, if you never allow it to rest, you'll eventually wear it down. And you wouldn't want that, would you?," Berethon explained. Odyn shook his head solemnly, he knew his father did have a point. He understood what his father, the king, was trying to tell him. He sighed in resignation.

"I.. understand, father. I will rest now.," Odyn replied.

Berethon smiled at this, he was glad his son listened to his advice. He knew Odyn was pretty sharp for an 8 year old. Most likely, Odyn understood what his father was trying to get across to him even if it didn't seem like it. The King ruffled his son's hair as a sign of affection towards his eldest son while he smiled. Before leaving, Odyn turned towards his father and respectfully bowed to him with a fist flattened against an open palmed hand. "Thank you for the lesson, father as always.," Odyn said before walking off to go clean himself. Not only was his son very respectful towards his parents, he was the same towards other adults as well. Odyn was also a wonderful older brother for his siblings. This was especially true for the lone girl they had in the royal family.

Their only daughter, Sarai (who was 5 years old at the time) absolutely adored her big brothers. She got along particularly well with her eldest brother, Odyn(Odin). Sarai loved her other brothers too, but it seemed like she was closest with Odyn. Sarai followed her brother around wherever he went like a puppy, she couldn't wait to spend time with her eldest brother. When Odyn finished cleaning himself up, he took his sister for a stroll around town before going into the forest. The young Dark Elven prince arrived in town to meet Sarai and his mother. "Greetings, Mother. It is a pleasant surprise to see you here.," Odyn said. Hyatan smiled at him. "I am glad you cleaned up, otherwise we may have had to talk. A certain little lady couldn't wait to see her big brother though. Isn't that right, Sarai?," Hyatan said, smiling and looking at her daughter. Sarai giggled and ran to hug her brother before looking at him with a smile. Odyn knelt down to his sister's eye level as he spoke. "I'm sorry for taking so long. Did you wait long, Sarai?," He asked, patting his little sister on the head. The shorter dark elf with deep crimson hair giggled as she nuzzled into the warmth of her big brother's hand atop her head. "Hee hee! You did, but it's okay because big brother's here now.," Sarai said, still giggling.

Though she was mature for her age, Sarai was still only five years old. She hadn't quite outgrown the small amount of toddler speech she still had. That was fine though, it just meant that Odyn could protect his little sister for a while longer. Hyatan smiled as the two walked off, it was adorable seeing the two get along as siblings should. The brother and sister held hands as they walked into the city with their mother proudly watching them before she left. She had her own business to take care of. The people in town all smiled when they saw the two members of the royal family. Some of the mothers thought it was adorable how Sarai followed her brother around. Sarai was a cute little kid in their eyes and so innocent, without a care in the world. She giggled and laughed as she skipped alongside her brother as they walked through town.

Later, after visiting the shops and strolling through the capital city of Xenia, Odyn took Sarai to explore the forest. They went to "play" as Sarai put it. Her idea of "playing" though, was anything but what it sounded like. It was really Odyn training her how to defend herself, in case the need for her to do so ever arose. Odyn wasn't an expert at handling the blade or in martial arts by any means, he could pass what little knowledge of said things he did have to his sister. Days were uncertain for them, due to growing tensions with a certain militaristic faction threatening their country. They'd enjoy the peace they had in uncertain times. The younger crimson haired elf was still a little bit wobbly on her feet, but Odyn genuinely took great joy in spending the time to train his sister. Young Sarai was Odyn's only sister after all, that alone made this time precious to him. "You're doing great, Sarai. Just try and shift your feet a little bit more to the right. Widen the base of your stance too, you'll generate more power in your blows that way.," Odyn said as he instructed his sister. Although she was quite young still,Sarai was pretty smart for a five year old. She learned and adapted to things very quickly.

The younger dark elf mirrored her brother's actions as she adjusted her stance. Odyn then knelt to her height as he brought forth two circular paddles covered by cloth on his hands for his sister to punch. They repeated this exercise for about another hour or so before deciding to take a little break. While on break, Odyn taught Sarai a little bit more on how to read and write. He also instructed her on their language, Ancient Elvish. This was so she could hold a proper conversation with others she would meet as she aged. At the same time, it would help her to understand the language and their people's history when she got older. As her brother, Odyn wanted Sarai to at least be competent enough to take care of herself as she aged. Especially if, in the event something happened to him, Sarai would be fine on her own. She was still quite young, but he could at least help her along in that. Once their break was over, they resumed their training. It was beneficial for both the dark elven siblings in varying ways. For Odyn, it helped him to adapt to quicker and more precise movements or attacks from someone smaller than himself. And for Sarai, it would help her to know the tendencies and movements of a person who was bigger and stronger than herself.

Though the five year old wasn't anywhere near a match for Odyn at the moment, it was instructive for future reference when Sarai was older. That way, as Sarai grew older, she would be able to recall her training with her brother if she would ever need it in the future. As they headed back home for the evening, Odyn sensed that there was someone following them. As he listened to the sound of their footsteps, he realized that these people weren't anyone he knew personally. He didn't recognize any of these people who were following them, that was odd and... very unnerving. Normally, he could easily pick up on who the footsteps belonged to. That was not the case with whoever these individuals were that were tailing them. He turned to his sister, who was now nervously hiding behind him. More than likely, Sarai sensed the strangers too. The fact that she didn't recognize the footsteps of these individuals, most likely caused her to become scared and seek safety behind her older brother. Odyn set his jaw into thin line as he prepared to defend himself and his sister. No matter what happened to him, he would make sure his younger sister was safe and sound. What he could tell though was by the weight of the footsteps, these were adult men who wore armor if the metal clanging was anything to go by.

Whoever these mysterious people were, they were heavily armored and armed to the teeth. Odyn didn't particularly like the way their energy felt when sensing their approach. It felt cold and dark, like it was pitch black. He held his arm up in front of him as Sarai hid behind him, clutching onto the back of his shirt in fear of these men. "Sarai, it's alright. I'll keep you safe, just stay close to me. We're going to be okay.," Odyn said, trying to calm his sister's trembling. He didn't know who these guys were, but they were bad news. Sarai wordlessly nodded and hid behind her brother as she held onto his shirt. The blue haired dark elf put his hand on the grip of his sword, strapped to his back as he prepared for whoever these intruders were to reveal themselves.

Within a few minutes, the footsteps were revealed to belong to a band of human mercenaries. Odyn's eyes widened before he grit his teeth in anger upon seeing humans within elven territory. "What, humans?! What in Arkynor's name are they doing here?!," Odyn wondered as he balled his hands into fists in anger. The human mercenaries merely chuckled darkly at the boy's angered expression. One of them came forward, even going as far as smirking at the boy. "Well, well, It seems the boss was right, boys! We got ourselves a couple of genuine Dark Woodland Elf brats here.," The man said. Odyn held his arm up and in front of his sister as he glared at the men. The mercenaries seemed to recognize this and smirked, thinking it was just a futile attempt at bravado for the kid. "Ooh, we have a feisty one here, boys! Can't say I dislike the look in your eyes there, kid. It's a good look for you.," The mercenary said.

The other men looked at the boy and sneered at him. A few of the men started to surround the boy as they smirked and sneered at him. "You know.. The boss never said we couldn't rough up these brats a bit.," one of the men said. Others agreed with him, much to the displeasure of the mercenaries leader. "No, you idiots! What are you doing?! We were specifically instructed not to bring the elves any harm!," their leader tried warning them. Unfortunately his warning came too late as the younger men of his group had already decided to move in to try and rough up the two young dark elves. One of the more aggressive men tried reaching out to grab a very frightened Sarai, only to be blown back violently by a burst of light slamming into him. The other men saw this and gritted their teeth in frustration as they were now suddenly being pelted by weapons made of light. They charged at the boy, now intent on beating him to a pulp. "What in the world?! No one said the boy had light magic!," The men said as they were trying and failing to dodge the boy's attacks. Due to their annoyance with the boy, they completely ignored the warnings from their squad's captain.

Their captain was a man by the name of Seth Kyocera. He took no pleasure in doing things such as separating children from their families, but his own family was being threatened right now giving him no choice but to comply. "Hold back you idiots! This kid has-!'," Seth tried warning them. Odyn blocked and weaved through the other men's attacks before overpowering most of them with powerful hand to hand combat taught to him by his father and childhood friends. A simple combination of a knee to the gut, a kick to the head, or a powerful right or left hook to the face wound up incapacitating a majority of them. The ones who were left standing, shakily stood to their feet again. They were more than a bit surprised that such a young kid was strong enough to overwhelm adult men twice his size. "You're going to regret doing that, you little brat!," One of the mercenaries said angrily.

Seth slapped his hand against his head in annoyance, these hotheaded men were imbeciles. He just warned them not to underestimate this blue haired dark elf kid. Elves were known to have enormous stores and pools of magic after all. Seth sighed again. "These idiots won't ever learn, will they? If you want something done, sometimes you just have to do it yourself.," Seth said, sighing exasperated. While his other men were trying and failing to defeat the young dark elf they completely focused on, Seth carefully and quietly, snuck around the combatants. He was able to easily sneak around them and behind the crimson haired young girl. Odyn was so busy trying to defend himself, he failed to realize his sister was being snuck up on from behind. Unfortunately by the time he realized this, it was already too late.

The mercenary group's leader, Seth, had snuck up behind Sarai and was now holding her at knife point. The younger dark elven child had tears in her eyes, an obvious sign that she was scared out of her mind. Odyn went to take a move to rescue his sister when the human leader of the mercenaries spoke up. "Woah, stop right there young elf. You wouldn't want anything bad to befall your younger sister here, would you?," The man asked. Odyn stopped his advance to look as he grit his teeth and balled his hands into fists in frustration. His hands were tied, he couldn't risk making a move so soon. This man was likely to follow through with his threat. The other men gained smirks as they saw the angry and frustrated look on the dark elven boy's face. The boy glared at the man in anger and frustration, he wouldn't let anything happen to his little sister. Sarai was his only sister, that made her all the more precious to him. There was absolutely no way he was going to allow these men to do whatever they pleased with her, plus... she was but a mere 5 year old and he doubted they would do anything considered heinous to her. Odyn saw the terrified look on his sister's face and smiled at her, that's when he came to a decision. It was risky, but he saw no other way to rescue his sister from whatever fate these humans had in store for her.

His smile was to assure the five year old that everything would be alright and that her big brother could handle things. Odyn sighed and against his better judgment, he laid down his sword on the ground after sheathing it. The dark elven prince then spoke up as he began to negotiate with the mercenaries leader for his sister's release. "I doubt you'd get much out of an elf as young as my sister is. Why not switch it up a bit and take me instead to be your prisoner?," Odyn suggested. He put his hands up in surrender as he walked towards the leader of the mercenary group. This made the other men lower their weapons as the boy continued to negotiate with their leader. "Can I assume you're the leader of this bunch?," Odyn asked. The man nodded before responding to the young dark elf boy. "You make a tempting offer, boy. Tell me, what benefit is there for me in accepting your proposal?," The man replied. Odyn eyed the man warily, he had to be very careful with his next words as it may determine his sister's fate. "If you take me instead of her, you would get an elf who is more accustomed to hard labor. And I can understand the humans language more than my sister can right now. Sarai is young yet to understand the language of people outside of our own kind. She would struggle to communicate if the need arose.," Odyn explained.

The man stroked his small goatee in thought, the boy did have a point worth at least considering. They'd probably get some money for the girl, but who'd want a weak cry baby that was little more than a frightened child? This boy in front of him however... "And.. you would willingly offer yourself in the girl's place in return even knowing what that would mean?," The man asked. Odyn sighed and nodded. He knew what he was doing. Although it would deeply hurt his sister to see him go through with this, it was the only choice that would save her currently. "Do what you want to me, but let my sister go free at the very least. She doesn't deserve to be separated from her family at such a young age. If you can't agree to those terms, then we have a problem.," Odyn said. The mercenary's leader chuckled at this as he released the dark elf girl. "You've got some guts kid, I'll give you that. Very well then, it seems we have a deal.,"The man chuckled before turning to one of his men. "Release the girl.,"He said. As instructed the mercenary released the small elven girl. The other men then immediately pounced on this opportunity and shoved Odyn into the ground as they started laughing at him. "That's for earlier! Now it's our turn.," One of them said. Another smirked as cracked his knuckles in anticipation. "This should be fun, get over here brat!," the other said. Their leader then silenced them after the other men started taking turns and kicking Odyn. "Stop, right now! Or would you like for the entire Elven Vanguard to find us here?!," He said much to the other men's frustration. They stopped and simply put the boy in chains before roughly dragging him away from Sarai. The troupe's leader looked down at the boy with a guilt ridden expression, something Odyn picked up on. He felt guilty about tearing a young boy like this away from his family, but work was work and he had a job to complete.

"Sorry about this kid, this is just business. I take no pleasure in making children cry.," The mercenary leader said. He then turned towards the small dark elf girl who was reaching out her hand towards her brother with tears streaming down her tiny little face. "Big brother, please don't leave! Don't take my brother away!" Sarai cried balling her eyes out.

The man turned his back towards the girl, he hated doing this to families. It was the fault of his crazed and corrupt employer for making him do this. Seth then spoke to the girl. "If you can understand my words, Elf girl..., listen closely. You have your brother to thank for your freedom. If you don't want to lose anyone else close to you in the future, hold onto that helpless feeling you have right now. Blame your own weakness, your own powerlessness for your dear brother's capture. Hopefully next time that we meet, you are a much stronger person than you are now., The man said before walking away.

The sooner he didn't have to hear the wailing and heartbroken cries of a child, the better. He rejoined his other men as they vanished into the forrest, leaving Sarai alone. Before he vanished, she saw her brother smile at her and she heard his words inside her head.

"Do not worry, sister. I will be okay, I do this to protect my precious little sister. Get stronger, as strong as you can. If you're a good girl and have become strong enough, I guarantee we'll see each other again."

These are the words, she word inside her head. Though, they didn't work as intended, they would have a profpund effect on the elf Sarai would become in the future. Although she was only 5 yewrs old, she was intelligent enough to know that this may be the last time she would see her eldest brother for many years. And perhaps due to her very young age, she didn't understand why Odyn had to go with those men when he didn't want to.

A member from the Royal Elven Vanguard just happened to hear the end of the conversation and rushed to save the young prince and princess. Most likely, Odyn saw her and shook his head to warn her against saving himself. Instead, silently insisting the dark elf take care of his sister as he was dragged off by the human mercenaries. "I'm... sorry princess, it appears that I was too late to rescue your elder brother.," The female Elven Guard said solemnly. She held the sobbing princess tenderly, it felt like she would break if she dropped her. This female dark elven guard was Lynnia Andross, a senior member of the Royal Elven Vanguard.

Lynnia had silver hair with black highlighted streaks in it, the dark skin that all dark elves had, pointed and slightly elongated ears, and Flaming orange colored eyes. Her armor was Emerald green in color with Golden yellow trimmings, and her sheath for her sword was steel gray and gold to match her belt in color. "For all our sakes... I pray to udiya that you survive, lord Odyn.," Lynnia thought concerned as she carried back a sleeping and still sobbing Sarai back to the castle grounds. The young princess had cried herself to sleep after Lynnia did her best to quietly comfort her by simply giving her a hug to soothe her. It must have been very rough on Sarai to see her elder brother that she was so close with willingly give himself up and be taken away. Those men were giving Odyn an ultimatum, either choose to save his sister by taking her place; or... save himself and likely not see his younger sister again for many many years.

The girl was glad she was still alive and with her family, but not at the expense of her eldest brother's freedom. The elder dsrk elf gently brushed the girl's hair in an attempt to calm her down. "I cannot imagine what you must have gone through, dear princess. I'm sure that must have been heart wrenching to see.. Please, do not worry. We will get your brother back, this I swear on my honor as a member of the Royal Elven Vanguard!," Lynnia said in determination.

Meanwhile in the throne room of the Royal palace, the high queen had a rather worried look on her face. The High King had called for the vanguard to be deployed and search for the missing prince and princess. A dark skinned brunette in Emerald and jade green armor knelt before the King and Queen. "You sent for me, your majesties?," The young dark elf asked.

This Khanna Andross, the King and Queen's niece and the daughter of the top ranking member of the elven vanguard. Although she was only a mere 11 years old, Khanna was already stronger than some fully grown adult dark elves were. Hyatan then spoke up to her niece. "Yes, we did Khanna. Have you perhaps seen your cousins Odyn and Sarai within the last hour?," Hyatan asked concerned.

Khanna respectfully bowed her head as she was very careful and deliberate with her words. Although this was her aunt, she was also the high queen of her people. The brunette still had to choose her words carefully in order to be respectful. "Unfortunately, I have not yet seen them today, your grace.," Khanna replied. Hyatan's expression noticeably fell when she heard this disappointing news. "Oh, I see... They were supposed to return a few hours ago...," Hyatan said becoming worried.

She then continued. "I am getting a very bad feeling that something less than ideal happened.," Hyatan said in concern. Khanna then spoke again assuring her King and Queen that she would find her cousins. Right as she was about to do so, a new voice spoke up to dissuade her. "With all do respect, my lady, that would not be wise. And besides that, I've already found the princess.," a voice said. Khanna turned and saw that the voice was revealed to be her commander, Lynnia. As she stated, she was indeed gently holding the young princess in her arms as she slept. The elder elven soldier passed the sleeping princess into the arms of Khanna before kneeling before the king and queen.

The king then spoke up after being silent for the entire time up until this point. "Ah, Lynnia, I thank you for finding our daughter so swiftly.," Beréthon said in gratitude. She knelt in respect to the king. Hyatan was happy, but only for a momebt before realizing that her son was missing. She then grew concerned that she had yet to see him. "Commander... where is my son? Where is Odyn? He should've been here with you by now.," Hyatan asked with a serious look on her face.

Lynnia felt herself start to sweat nervously. She wasn't sure exactly how to break the news to the queen without knowing how she'd react. She had to deliver the news, but it was a little scary not knowing how she would take it. Still, it was better than not telling her at all. She would more than likely find out on her own anyways, it was better just to tell her now. She silently gupled as she obliged the queen's request. "About that, your grace.. I unfortunately have some not so pleasant news for you regarding Lord Odyn.," Lynnia said.

This gained the king's full attentiin as well. "Is he alright, Lynnia?," Hyatan asked. The guard nervously spoke up again before delivering the news. She nodded. "Yes, lord odyn is fine as far as I'm aware of.,"Lynnia answered.

Hyatan looked at the elder elf, her tired eyes told the queen all she needed to know. Whatever happened to her son, she knew that it wouldn't be very pleasant news to hear. She asked again. "Lynnia, where is my son?," Hyatan asked with a stern look on her face. The elder Elven swordmaiden knew that she couldn't avoid the subject anymore, she had to tell them now. Losing track of the (high prince) heir to the the throne was something that could prove to be detrimental to not only Xenia and Albanar, but to potentially the entire dark elven race. Lynnia sighed, knowing that she had to come clean now. "Very well, your grace. I regret to inform you that lord was... taken, or rather he let himself be taken by humans in order to protect the princess.," Lynnia said.

Hyatan closed her eyes and silently sighed. "I see... that sounds just like my son to do that.," Hyatan said silently chuckling. Khanna meanwhile was shocked at this revelation. Beréthon scowled, while Hýatan held the king's hand to calm him somewhat. Khanna was about to rush out and find her cousin when Lynnia stopped her by grabbing her wrist. "C-Commander?," Khanna asked surprised. The black haired dark elf looked back to her mentor confused. "My lady, please be patient and think about this.," Lynnia said. "B-But commander I-," Khanna tried arguing before she was interrupted again.

Lynnia looked at the girl sternly before speaking up again. "No buts! You don't even know where they are right now, do you?," Lynnia asked in an authoritative tone. Khanna suddey grew rather sheepish under the gaze of her commanding officer. The girl knew the elder dark elf wasn't playing around this time, she was serious. "W-Well uh.... n-no commander, I don't.," Khanna sheepishly admitted. She then hung her head ashamed of her own lack of foresight concerning that detail. Lynnia continued. "We don't have enough information to act upon at present. They could be anywhere by now. And besides, by going right now you're not considering why your cousin willingly gave himself up in the first place.," Lynnia reminded her.

The young dark elf hung her head before nodding in agreement with her commander. "I... understand, commander.," Khanna reluctantly admitted much to her own displeasure. The king then spoke up after a long period of silence. "I agree with Lynnia here, and I trust her judgment. We do not currently have enough info on these kidnappers at present to act upon right now.," Beréthon said. He looked to Lynnia as he continued. "Lynnia.," He said.

The addressed dark elven soldier knelt again before her king and queen. "Yes, my liege?," Lynnia answered. "My wife and I would like you to gather as much information on our son's kidnappers as you possibly can. Do whatever you have to in order to gather the necessary information.," Bèrethon ordered. The Queen then spoke up, adding her own thoughts. "If you can find out where exactly our son is, that would be in the best interest for all personnel involved.," Hyatan added. Lynnia nodded in response. "As you wish, my lieges. I will do everything that is within my power to find your son.," Lynnia replied.

Khanna then voiced her thoughts as a particular thought had occurred to her as they were talking. "Your grace, if I may suggest something?," asked respectfully. Both Beréthon and Hyatan looked at her before nodding at the girl to continue. Khanna then continued. " Well... news of my cousins capture is inevitably going to spread and fast amongst the populace of our people. And.. I don't imagine our people being particularly pleased hearing humans captured the heir to the elven throne.," Khanna pointed out. The King and Queen thought on her words for a few moments. "True.. Khanna may be young but.. she does bring up an excellent point worth consideration. It would be quite disastrous if our people lashed out in anger towards the humans because of this.," Beréthon said aloud.

Hyatan then spoke as she agreed with her husband's point of view. "Yes. I believe due to the lack of info we have on Odyn's kidnappers and the delicate situation here with our own citizens..., Lynnia.," Hyatan said trailing off before looking to their most trusted officer at the moment. This regained Lynnia's attention. "Yes, your grace?," She said kneeling. "I would like you to take my niece with you as you gather information. Khanna is very sharp young elf who I believe will prove to be invaluable to your search.," Hyatan ordered.

Lynnia and Khanna both knelt respectfully towards their rulers. "Understood, your majesties. We won't betray either of your faith in us.," Lynnia answered. With that said, both dark elves stood to their feet and walked off. Hyatan sighed tiredly, receiving a comforting hand on her shoulder from Beréthon who smiled at his wife. "I know that was tiring for you, dear. They'll find our son, do not worry., " Beréthon said comforting his wife. The Queen offered a small smile in response. "Thank you, dear...," Hyatan said softening her expression. The King smiled at his wife tenderly , he knew this was hard for. "That is why I'm here with you, isn't it?", Beréthon replied smiling.

Despite the situation, Hyatan couldn't help but to chuckle at her husband's response to her. "You seem to have a way of knowing just what to say to me when I'm worried about something or someone.," Hyatan said to Beréthon. The king then offered his wife a small, but comforting smile as he listened her. "I am worried about Odyn though... our other children will be fine I think, but he's their brother! They need their elder brother.," Hyatan said worried. Beréthon rubbed the back of his wife in an effort to comfort her. He wanted to see his son safe and sound too, but he realized this was even harder for his wife as a mother.

The king stoked the back of his wife soothingly as he smiled at her. "I know, dear. Don't worry, we will find our son.. no matter how long it takes.," He said in encouragement. Hyatan realized what her husband was telling her and she sighed. The quuen closed her eyes and offered up a silent prayer for her son's protection and wellbeing as she remembered a certain passage taught throughout their people's history. Opening her eyes, Hyatan and her husband opened a medium sized leather bound book. They began to read a certain passage that said:

"Be anxious for nothing, but by prayer and petition (supplication) come boldly to the throne of light. Cast your cares before Him for He bears them for you."

5th chapter, verse 41, Ancient Book of Light.

Hyatan then spoke again in realization. "You are right... dear. This is not something we should be worried over, our son is in the hands of our creator now. Our lord, our saviour, Udiya... He will guide and protect our son on his way back to us.," Hyatan said calmer. Although she knew that, as a mother, she couldn't help but to worry for her son. Still, she would trust her creator to keep him safe while he was in a foreign land. They needed to stay strong for the rest of their race, the other elves could then be assured everything was alright now.

Inside of a darkened cargo bay of a ship sat Odyn, tied up and in chains. He was beaten and bloody, no thanks to the men aboard the ship. More than likely he had a few broken bones from the beating he took, along with a fractured nose and a blackened eye. The young dark elf prince had scratches and cuts on his arms, his clothes were ripped with tears in them, and he had bruises all over his face to go with the cut over his blackened right eye. He wore an eyepatch over his right eye due to one of the mercenaries slashing at it with a knife. As a result, Odyn couldn't see out of his right eye at the moment. There was a deep and jagged cut running through the eyesocket. Perhaps due to his loss of blood from the injury, he had suddenly developed a very high fever.

One of the younger mercenaries was kind enough check on the young dark elf and noticed immediately he was having a hard time breathing. "How's the passenger back there, Alan?," Seth asked. The one who went to check on Odyn was named Alan Kyocera, he wasn't really much older than Odyn was. They may have been around the same age, in fact. "U-uh.. A-about that, he's burning up back here. I think he's got a high fever and I'm not sure he'll last very long like this.," Alan answered. Seth sighed in agitation, of course the boy would have a high fever aftwr what his subordinates did to the kid. Seth then glared at a few of his men, they knew they were in a heap of trouble now. "For Pete's sake! What part of "Do not damage the merchandise" did you fools not understand?! Please... enlighten us as to what you idiots were thinking.," Seth said grinning darkly.

The other mercenaries just tried to avoid making eye contact , like they were afraid of what Seth would do to them. He sighed and then spoke again. "That's what I thought. Well, Alan, get the kid a doctor as soon as we land in Yamato then. That should work since it seems like these dark elves are relatively similar to us humans. No one wants damaged goods, after all.," Seth ordered. Alan nodded as he brought a few towels and cleaned up the boy's wounds. Alan then asked Seth a question concerning that had been on his mind for awhile now. "Hey uhh.. Fa- ahem! I mean, boss? Mind if I ask you something?," Alan asked. The man turned towards the boy. "Sure, what is it kid?," Seth answered.

Alan then spoke again, voicing his honest thoughts on the matter. "Is there any particular reason we had to kidnap a dark elf? This dark elf is only a kid and not much younger than me, also he seems kind of sickly right now from the looks if it.," Alan asked. Seth sighed and just tusseled the boy's hair as he answered him. He couldn't blame the boy for being curious. "Look, kid. I don't know why the brass wanted us to capture one of the dark elves, but they have some use for him I figure. We were given a job, and we don't leave job halfway finished even though we don't know why were doing it in the first place. Besides, it would sully the reputation of the Neo Roshengumi if we left a job unfinished.," Seth answered him. Alan was about to counter with an argument, but held his tongue because he realized Seth (his father) was right.

Seth apparently had some other thoughts but spoke quieter so only Alan heard his true thoughts. "That said... I don't imagine his family or the rest of his people will be very pleased when they discover he's not only been taken by humans, but by the way he's been treated so far.," Seth added. Alan raised an eyebrow in confusion upon hearing that particular statement. "Why would you say that, boss?," Alan asked confused. Seth was silent from a few moments before breaking the silence and explaining his reasoning to the boy. "Well Alan... let's just say there's some very bad blood between humans and dark elves so to speak. They... don't trust us humans at all, not after what we did to them. In fact, they probably don't see us in any kind of positive light at all.," He explained. "So... they legitimately hate us?," Alan asked.

Seth shook his head before he answered the boy. His brown eyes landed on the boy before looking back out into the distance. "No, No. I wouldn't go that far. I think they know not all humans are bad people, they've just been hurt by humans too many times before. They're hesitant to trust us anymore.," Seth said.

Alan was beginning to understand now and stayed silent for a moment. His dark brown eyes darted to each wound on the dark elven boy as he cleaned and bandaged them. "They're afraid of trusting humans again because how they were treated in the past, right?," Alan asked just to confirm. Seth nodded. This made the black haired boy feel bad for the young dark elf as he finished cleaning and bandaging his wounds.

Seth looked upon the dark elven boy in sympathy. "I hate doing this. I can't help but to feel bad for the kid. I can't even imagine what the kid must be feeling right now, being ripped away from his family and people like that.," Seth said. After bandaging the young dark elf's wounds, Alan made his way back to the cockpit of the ship they traveled in.

After he felt the person who dressed and cleaned his wounds leave, Odyn awoke briefly. He was confused at hiw he suddenly had a bed and how he no longer felt like he was burning up with a fever. He touched his right eye, now feeling the patch over it. The young dark elf guessed that was to allow his eye to properly heal after it was injured. "Who... was that?", Odyn asked himself. After thinking about it, he felt his eyes suddenly become heavy as he could no longer stay awake. "Uh oh... guess I can't stay awake.," he thought as he yawned and felt his eyes shut. The blue haired dark elf fell asleep again as everything went black.

It wasn't but a few hours later that Odyn awoke again as he felt the ship stop. "Alright boys, everyone out!," a voice said. Odyn recognized this voice as Seth, the one who held his sister at knife point previously. "Alan, could you go wake up our passenger?," He asked. Alan did as instructed, making his way towards the cargo bay. Alan had black hair, brown eyes, and somewhat tanned skin. Odyn didn't recognize his outfit due to it being foreign to him. The black haired boy wore black samurai armor with a blue tunic that was called a haori over the top of it. Spiked shoulder guards kept the haori in place. A brown belt with a steel gray sheath attached his belt for his purple handled katana. Ebony black armor for his legs and brown sandled shoes completed his look. Alan escorted the dark elf out of the ship and brought him to Seth.

Seth had black hair with bits of white in it, indicating that he was an older man. Hair that formed a small beard was seen on his chin and lower face, it went with his scragly appearance. His facial hair went with his tanned skin and brown eyes. Seth wore dark blue samurai armor with same sky blue haori than Alan wore. The difference in their appearance being Seth was older and also taller and a few items of his attire were different as well. He looked at the dark elf with a very saddened expression, Odyn wasn't expecting that.

"I'm sorry you have to go through this, kid. If there was something I could do to get you out of this, I would.," Seth said in apology. Odyn had a confused look on his face. This man.., no, this human wasn't like what he heard humans were supposed to be like and it thoroughly confused him.

Seth sadly put the dark elven boy in chains. Odyn felt that this human was actually a very kind man, but he was being forced to do the unthinkable in order to provide for his family. "Unfortunately... I can't defy an order from the shogunate. They're threatening my family and will kill them if I don't do their dirty work.," Seth said grimly. Odyn silently nodded as if he understood, causing him to weakly smile at him. "It's... alright, just... do what you need to do.," Odyn said solemnly. The man grit his teeth in frustration and curled his fingers into a fist. "I really am sorry for this, kid.," Seth said. Odyn shook his head and smiled at the man. "Don't be, I chose this path. In order for my little sister to not suffer, what other choice did I have?," Odyn replied. Seth nodded in understanding admiring the young dark elf's determination. Seth and Alan escorted the young dark elf forward as they ascended the crest of the hill where they were currently at.

"Welcome to Kyoto, Japan.," Seth said after they'd crossed over the hill.

Visually, the city was stunning. Seth felt bad that Odyn couldn't visit the city under different circumstances. Unfortunately, that was just the hand the young elf had been dealt. Despite being taken there as a slave, Odyn was impressed by the human city. He'd never seen buildings like the ones he was seeing before. Kyoto certianly seemed bright and vibrant enough, but Odyn had the distinct feeling that it wasn't all that it appeared to be. The black and white haired man looked at the young dark elf with pity, he felt horrible for what the eight and half year old boy was about to be put through. He nudged Odyn on the back.

"Come on kid, we need to get you moving.," Seth said.

"Understood.," the dark elven boy replied as he nodded.

Alan, the boy who accompanied this group of mercenaries, looked at the boy sadly. Odyn noticed it and shook his head as he smiled, sensing the other boy's sadness.

"Try not to look so sad, human. I chose this path, and now it's my duty to see this through... to whatever fate may await me.," Odyn said.

Alan went to say something, but found he had no words to say at the moment. He simply nodded solemnly.

After tying a rope to his feet and blindfolding him, the group of mercenaries made their way down the hill which overlooked Kyoto. The other men amongst the group took great delight and pleasure in the child's helplessness, while Seth and Alan had to turn away. They would've done something to help the dark elf child, but could not at the time. This was due to several men in their ranks being informants for the current Shogunate. Or rather.. the man filling in for the Shogun while he was away for the time being on business. The man who filled in for the current Shogun was very corrupt, all things considered. He went by the name of Sato Yami, and he wanted absolute control. He was more like a dictator, rather than a proper ruler. He'd heard of elves and Dark Elves with their long lifespans and unheard of magical abilities. His thought was if he could harness their power for himself or use one of them as a weapon, no one could ever get in his way. Greed had corrupted him and forced him down a path of no return.The only issue was, he never wanted to go back to how he was before. Because of the fact that he held power in Kyoto temporarily, he abused it by holding soldiers and their families captive. This was especially true if he thought there were soldiers who wouldn't listen to him.

He then forced people from Japan, their own country, to attack the homeland of the elves unprovoked. As far as he was concerned, everyone was merely a pawn in the grand scheme of things. At least.. in his mind, they were. This destructive behavior ultimately gave rise to criminal and barbaric behavior. This included kidnapping children for slave work, while their families would be quietly disposed of. It was no different in Odyn's case, except for one thing... Elves, specifically Arkynorean Elves were much stronger and more powerful than humans were. Elven kind was vastly more experienced in war, along with their military being far stronger than anything humans could come up with. It was due to this, many humans angered Elves with their constant invasions and the kidnapping of elven children. However, due to humans under the control of Sato discretely hiding evidence of such things ever happening, the elves could not act as they normally would be able to.

That still didn't change how the elves felt at all. Unfortunately, this fed into how Elven kind was treated by humans. And that just added even more fuel to the racial tension between elves and humans. The group soon arrived at their destination, underground slave auction. Odyn's blindfold was taken off before he was roughly shoved into a prison cell.

"W-What is this place?!," Odyn thought not recognizing where he was.

As the eight and a half year old dark elf took a look at his surroundings, he began to grow very concerned. He had never seen so many kids as malnourished and poorly treated as the ones he was seeing before. One thought went through Odyn's mind as it had become apparent that he was no longer on his home planet anymore.

"Where exactly... am I?," He thought.

The door to his cell then slammed shut as the group of mercenaries took the money they received and left. Seth and Alan stayed behind for a few moments to talk with Odyn.

"I promise we'll get you out of here someday. Just.. try to hang on until then, kid.," Seth told him.

"You shouldn't have to go through this... But your mind is made up, so i'll respect that. I do hope we can be friends some day.," Alan said.

Odyn shook his head again and smiled, despite the situation.

"You two have been kinder to me than anyone else so far. Do not worry about me, I will be fine. I'll find a way to survive. Now go, before you get into trouble.," Odyn said.

Seth nodded as he admired the young elf's strong will. He turned to his son, beckoning him to follow. Alan nodded as the two then left.

Odyn then frowned, the only humans that were ever kind to him were now gone. Now, he was alone. Perhaps, as a way of not falling into immediate despair, he curled up into a ball. The dark elf brought his knees into his chest as he wrapped his arms around himself to avoid shivering. He then drifted off to sleep.

End Prologue...

Hey guys, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. This is an original story that I have been working on for quite some time and i'm curious to know what you guys think of it. Leave a comment or PM me of your thoughts on the story so far. This story tells of how a young dark elf overcomes hatred and racism from other people through his adventures. Kind of a rough beginning for our main character, but things will progress. Stay tuned to find out what happens next to Odyn. That's all for now and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this original story going forward.

Next time... Chapter 1: Slave?!