Part 1: Prologue
On an ice-cold night, the landscape echoed with the symphony of battle-screams of pain, shouts of defiance, and the clash of metal. Amidst this chaos, two figures emerged as protagonists in a fiery battle. One was a towering warrior in blue-silver armor that encased him from head to toe, a visage of indomitable strength. His heavy greatsword, a gleaming extension of his resolve, struck with precision and power that matched the weight of his armor.
Fighting beside him was a figure swathed in a long coat blending shades of silver, black and light blue, with a mask as white as moonlight concealing his face. Long strands of silver hair cascaded behind him like a river of mercury, and beneath the mask, his eyes emitted a faint, otherworldly whitish glow. In his grip was a one-handed shortsword akin to a katana.
Their battle was not merely a clash of steel, but a dance of souls on the edge of annihilation as they faced a powerful foe shrouded in darkness. The might of their strength was earth-shattering, and their sword slashes rendered the sky. As they fought, their gazes met, as if conversing in friendly chatter. Each move was a testament to their skill, determination, and their unyielding spirit.
As their battle escalated to its apex, the armored warrior took on a powerful hit. Managing to evade the strike, his helmet cracked, revealing his face. It was that of a middle-aged man in his mid-thirties with a straight-lined scar over his left eye.
"That was close," he thought to himself. "A few centimeters closer and my head would've been blown off from my body."
"Hey! Don't just stand there. Look behind you!'' the silver haired warrior yelled as an attack approached the armored warrior from behind.
The armored warrior reacted quickly and managed to parry the attack. He was blown away by the sheer powerful force of the attack. "Ugh!" he exclaimed as he fell to the ground.
"Let's go all out with a final bang. What do you say old man?" the silver-haired yelled, his eyes gleaming with determination.
"I'm not so old. But sure, I'll give it my all with this final strike," the armored warrior answered, his gaze unwavering as he stood back up.
The battlefield around them seemed to hold its breath as the two warriors, preparing for the final act of their battle, unleashed a surge of energy enveloping their bodies and swords, an aura of impending cataclysm that heralded the culmination of their fight. The armored warrior unleashed his technique,
In response, the darkness unleashed a torrent of dark waves which clashed with their attacks, almost overpowering them. At that moment, the silver-haired warrior summoned a gauntlet on his right arm, dashed towards the darkness in a split second while murmuring a chant for a powerful spell.
"By starlight's edge, where shadows fade, A binding oath, eternal made. Threads of dawn and twilight weave, The dark shall slumber, never leave.
Oh, power vast, your will must yield, Bound by the law of the eternal seal. In timeless void, where fate is still, Forever chained to the cosmos' will.
Spirits rise, the pact is sworn, The light shall reign; the dark, forlorn.
As he approached it, light flashed brightly and formed a giant pillar that illuminated the sky like a torch of hope. The armored warrior was surprised as the impromptu action of his comrade weakened the darkness's attack, yet the collision of the attacks which made it seem as if the sky was tearing apart, unleashed a massive energy explosion caused by the sudden imbalance of power which were colliding in a state of stagnation and balance, carved a giant crater into the battlefield, the two warriors also getting caught up in the blast. When the dust settled and the crackling sound of their battle faded into the dawn, the deformed scream of the darkness thundered strongly as it disappeared into nothingness. "CURSE YOU SPRIGGAN! CURSE YOOOOUUUUU!"
The armored warrior, battered and bloodied, stood with a deep scar across his chest, armor cracked and his left arm missing. Beside him lay the silver-haired, also grievously wounded with holes in his chest and his right arm missing.
"Hey, old man... Oh! Sorry, Xenos," the silver-haired warrior spoke weakly, looking up at Xenos, the armored warrior, with a faint smile tugging on his lips as his mask, cracked, slowly fell from his face, revealing the face of a young man in his early twenties, with sharp black eyes. "What kind of expression is that, huh? The Divine Warrior shouldn't look so pathetic."
"You're a fool, Jason," started Xenos, addressing the silver-haired warrior with a seemingly hurt tone. "Fighting entire armies by yourself, being an air-headed bastard who simply wandered the land living as you please. What about all the friends you made along the way? Our allies who fought with us against this calamity? WHAT ABOUT THEM?!" he added, remembering his time with Jason and their long battle against the darkness.
"Sheesh! You're such a pain," he whispered, his voice growing faint. "I promised your wife that you would come back home safe and sound. Well, you're not in one piece but she should be satisfied. This is the end of the road for me. Many died but we were still unable to completely beat her. She 'will' come back. It will take a while, but she'll return and this calamity we'll restart once again. If I'm ever reborn, then I'll fight again. Even if I have to do the same choice again."
"As always, you're way too greedy. Why do you feel the need to be a hero?" said Xenos, his voice full of sadness.
"Me, a hero? No thank you... but... I'll still... take that... as... a compliment," he said as he coughed up blood, his voice growing weaker and weaker. "It won't be long now. Thank you... for fighting with me. It was... fun. Farewell, old friend." added Jason with a light, satisfied smile before dying.
Xenos sat beside him as he then gazed at the dawning sky. "You truly were something else Jason," he murmured, a solemn tribute to his fallen friend. "You might not have really thought of yourself as a hero but for everyone else... Our comrades, allies, friends... you 'were' a hero. I'll always remember you, my old friend."
The darkness had vanished but the memory of that night, the cold, starry sky, and the fierce young warrior who fought beside him—remained with him.
Part 2: The Beginning
Far from the blood-soaked fields of battle, on Earth, in modern times, amidst the mundane rhythm of daily life with sounds of talking people, car horns, a young boy, headphones over his ears as he lost himself in fiddling with his smartphone, boarded a crowded bus on his way to Tokyo, unaware of the twist of fate about to befall him.
Thirty minutes later, a sharp jolt shook the bus. "What the...?" he exclaimed surprised.
Before he could process what was happening, the vehicle skidded off its path. The world became a blur of screams, twisted metal, and crashing impact in a horrific accident that left many passengers severely injured or dead.
As the critically injured young boy lost consciousness and died amidst the wreckage, the pain faded, replaced by an overwhelming sensation of weightlessness.
Then from the darkness of his mind, he saw a soft, glowing light. The light disappeared and the young boy felt warmth envelop him. Suddenly, the pain, the wreckage, and chaos of the crash were gone.
He awoke in a grassland, the sun casting a gentle warmth over his face. Birds chirped in the distance, and the air was filled with the scent of fresh earth and blooming flowers. He was reborn into another world.