Noname sprinted back home with a sense of urgency taking a shortcut through a dense thicket of vines that seemed to swallow him whole. With his trusty dagger in hand he hacked away at the tangled foliage carving a narrow passage through the undergrowth. The vines scratched and clawed at his clothes but he pressed on driven by a growing sense of unease. Finally he emerged into the clearing gasping for breath and saw the familiar outline of his home looming before him. He burst through the doorway, his heart racing with anticipation only to be brought up short by the shocking sight of his caretaker, beaten and bruised, slumped against the floor. Noname's eyes widened in horror as he took in the scene, his mind reeling with questions. But before he could react, a tiny figure flung itself at his legs, clinging to him with desperate strength. Hope, his three-year-old companion was trembling with fear, his eyes welling up with tears.
Just then, the soldiers who had been distracted by Lady Chan's struggles caught sight of Noname standing in the doorway, dagger in hand, with the Prince's silk rope still clutched in his fist. Their eyes narrowed and they began to close in on him, their intentions clear. But Lady Chan, summoning every last ounce of strength, shouted out a desperate warning…
"RUN!"
With a speed that defied normal human limits, Noname swiftly scooped up Hope in his arms, slammed the door shut behind them and sprinted back into the uncharted depths of the forest. The soldiers hot on their heels frantically struggled to force open the door but it was the adjutant who finally burst through shattering the wooden barrier with a fierce kick. He emerged from the wreckage, his eyes blazing with fury and took off after Noname with an even greater velocity, his sword slicing through the air with deadly precision. As they tore through the forest, the adjutant's sword swinged in violent glory, its blade biting deep into the trunks of trees with a force that sent shivers down Noname's spine. But despite the adjutant's formidable skills Noname's intimate knowledge of the forest terrain proved to be a decisive advantage. With a few swift maneuvers, he dodged and weaved through the trees, using his agility and cunning to evade the adjutant's attacks, indeed a few minutes of STAYING in the forest could not dominate 3 years of LIVING in the forest.
In a daring move, Noname ducked behind a sturdy tree trunk using the momentum to drive the adjutant's sword deep into the stem. The blade bit deep sending splinters flying in all directions. As Noname caught his breath he gazed at the sword embedded in the tree and a realization dawned on him - the adjutant's wild swings were not intended to immobilize him
<<<... the Queen sent the soldiers to bring back her son....…..and to murder Noname!
With a sense of desperation creeping in, Noname accelerated his pace, his heart racing with tension. His sole objective was escape, and he fixated on it with such intensity that he abandoned all thoughts of defense or counterattack. This singular focus however left him vulnerable to a soldier's arrow which pierced his right shoulder with deadly precision. The searing pain radiating from the wound weakened his entire body, sending him crashing to the ground.
As Noname lay helpless, the soldier who had fired the arrow closed in, his face twisted in a snarl. With merciless intent he grasped Noname's throat, constricting his airway with a vice-like grip. Hope witnessing this brutality was consumed by fear and anger. Summoning a courage that belied his tender years he picked up a nearby stone and hurled it at the soldier's helmet with all his might. The stone struck its mark and the soldier's attention was momentarily diverted to the child. Noname who had caught the stone before it landed clenched his left fist with the stone within and with a Herculean effort he landed a crushing blow on the soldier's helmet creating a cacophonous resonance that shattered the soldier's senses. The impact sent shockwaves through the soldier's skull leaving him disoriented and stumbling.
As the soldier reeled, Noname took advantage of the reprieve to catch his breath and reassess their predicament. Despite the agony coursing through his body he knew he had to keep moving and to protect Hope at all costs. Noname finally broke free from his captors and continued his desperate dash with Hope, their feet pounding the earth in unison as they fled for their lives. They reached an elevated part of the shore, where a rugged cliff towered above the water's edge, its face worn smooth by the relentless pounding of the waves. Without hesitation. Noname gazed out at the turbulent lake below, his heart heavy with the knowledge that he was about to leave behind everything he had ever known.
As he looked back, a sudden stillness fell over him as if time itself had paused to acknowledge the gravity of his decision. He felt the weight of his losses bearing down on him - the brutal death of his twin brother, the tragic fall of Lady Chan, and the irrevocable severing of ties with his homeland. The pain was almost too much to bear and Noname's eyes welled up with tears as he whispered a heartfelt apology to the loved ones he was leaving behind.
"I'm so sorry, Lady Chan... I'm so sorry, brother..." he choked out, his voice barely audible over the wind. "...I'll never forgive myself for what happened to you, and I don't expect forgiveness either... I'm truly sorry..." The words hung in the air, a poignant expression of grief and regret, but there was no time for further lamentation as the soldiers were closing in fast. With a deep breath, Noname steeled himself and leapt off the clif, plunging into the lake's icy waters with Hope clutched tightly in his arms. He swam with all his might and consequently allowed the powerful current of the River ahead to sweep them away in fate's decision.
>>>
" .....You see Henry, these two significant events as you have heard defined my tenets and had a hand in influencing my lifestyle… the first unveiled the mystery of what I am, it unwrapped the obscurity of my identity and consequently answered my desperate questions while the second… the second made me understand that there are some inevitable events that fate has set in one's life, no matter how hard one try to maneuver..., what will be, will be. I was later on made to understand that fate had written in it's diary that my father's kingdom would perish but everyone thought that I would lead the path to the gateway of the forthcoming doom, but fate…" he sniffles lightly as if amazed. "….. Fate's ink contrasted their thoughts as the actual key to the kingdom's destruction was the demise of the Prince the one and only Fuku which would end the generation of the kingdom's royalty." He pauses for a moment and looks up with his eyes closed as if trying to comfort himself from his next statement.
" My brother was always meant to die prematurely… but I was the one always stepping in the way contradicting the flow of things until fate taking me unaware instantly and literally set me on a whole new path."
" A whole new path?..." Henry asked in deep concern showing a form of slight understand. "… does this have something to do with how I found you on that island?"
" As wise as ever you are Henry!…. I woke up the next morning only to see a group of men ….. pirates actually… and you in their midst as their Captain asking for my name!....". He smiles a bit as he recalled this special memory. "….If I can remember clearly I didn't give you an answer so you sarcastically started calling me 'Mr No Name' until the whole crew and I myself got adapted to this name…." he chuckles a bit and gave a deep sigh.
" Henry, if I knew the consequences of being a pirate and the equal punishment meted out to all pirates and pirate associates, I really wouldn't have accepted being a pirate, if I knew that being a regular pirate was an irreversible decision then I would have stubbornly stayed back on that island with Hope instead of joining your crew and paying annual dues for Hope's safety and residence as a citizen of a secured State. It wasn't ignorance that caused me to become a pirate Henry, it was fate all along… So you see Henry, this decision of mine to become a Grande Pirate is as important to me as my well being is to you…. I'm certain as ever that by now the collapse of my father's kingdom is almost at its climax, this will be the right time to show him the greatest revenge; He had always looked down on me, but now, when I return alive with my great achievements he will have no choice but to accept the fact that nobody chooses the circumstances of their birth and whether one was born normal or abnormal, every child comes to this world with a present, they just unwrapped their packages at different times in different ways."
"I clearly understand your motive now, forgive my initial reaction but… don't you think it might be quite off the hook presenting yourself a Pirate to your father… a King?"
" Yes you are right, but that's the more reason why I have to first become a Grande Pirate. I could ordinarily just throw myself into the practical ideology of a desperate pirate, you know….over years attain at least Captain Black Jack's level in the unwritten rank of regular piracy and consequently conquer a small kingdom, but we both know that a kingdom conquered by a Pirate will have no legal recognition and the only way one can denounce himself a pirate is by a dialogue with 'The Demigod' of which only Grande piraites have access to."
" Like I said earlier, I clearly understand your motive, but I hope you know that someone like you aiming for something so big is without a doubt a death wish."
" I know Henry, I know. But after all as you've heard from my story, I'm literally a dead man walking, I'm really this close to entering the afterlife, I'm only living on borrowed time, my life in itself has no meaning, this… this is the time where I can at least show to those who look down on me that I'm worthy at least of living!... an opportunity like this comes but in a hundred years, I certainly won't be alive till then!" he pauses for a moment and stares at his mentor in the eyes. "Henry, you're the dad I never had in my father so tell me if what I anticipate is worth it or not, tell me if my actions are not worth your support."
Henry heaved a deep sigh and answered him saying "As much as I got you when I asked for a treasure, indeed you're my treasure but even what's more my own son. I wouldn't want to loose you or let anything bad happen to you… Noname you're a man of your own now, asking me for permission would be far too childish but as for support..... just be careful!.....and make sure you stay off Captain Black Jack's way as far as possible!"
" Noname was pleased with Henry's response, he really didn't think Henry would concur that easily, as for Henry who was still worried within himself, he was done with the conversion and was exiting the cabin when he stopped at the doorway and gave Noname a reminder
"You may want to start hatching your plans now, it's not too far before the commencement of the Magnus Praedo event!. Of course a 'Goodluck' from an old man like me would have not even the slightest of effect in an event heavily packed with 'Badluck' so all I can say is….. be careful! "