Chapter 2 - The Beginning

In a land of dragons, sorcery, swords, monarchs, and royalty, there was a young boy who trained in the fields with an elder man with white hair. As the boy practiced his swordsmanship against a tree near a bustling kingdom, little did he know that one day he would become part of its grand history.The young boy asked his father, "Do I have to keep swinging?" He had hair that was a mix of black and dark red, giving it a striking appearance, and his eyes were a vivid green.Father questioned, "How will you defend The Princess without any ability?" He answered.The boy's feet shuffle as he drags the sword behind him, his voice heavy with doubt. "Doesn't she have her own Knights? And what will the people think if they see a boy like me protecting their future Queen?" He casts his eyes downwards, a sorrowful expression on his face.The father noticed the sadness etched on his son's face and ruffled his hair affectionately. "This hair will be a symbol of your identity, as well as your destiny to become, Hero Yami." The man grinned at the boy with pride. He grabbed the sword and stood on the opposite side of his son. "Now, Yami, give me all you've got."

Yami prepared himself and charged towards his father, sword in hand. As their swords collided, a powerful shock wave emanated from the impact

Yami winced in pain. His father approached him, the tip of the blade aimed at his chest.

Father: "You lose." Yami pushed the blade away. 

Yami: "Do you think you're too rough with your own child?" Yami rose from his seat and brushed off his clothes.

Father advised, "This is more than just training, Yami. You will be facing people who want to kill you, not just because of your unique appearance. Be prepared for those who want to see you fail."

Yami rotated his shoulder, trying to loosen up the tension. "Yeah, he was part of the hero group and skilled with all weapons." he said to his father. His father grinned and stepped back, lowering his sword. "Looks like you did your research. Well done." His father then handed him a bag. "That's enough for today. Go to the weapon shop and pick something out for me. Use this money." he instructed with a smile. Yami's eyes lit up with excitement as he took the bag in his hands. "What about the extra money?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "I suppose you can have the rest of the day off. Just make sure you get that sword." his father replied with a nod. Yami quickly thanked his father and dashed off towards the kingdom walls, eager to complete his task and possibly even find a new weapon for himself along the way.

Yami ran towards the wall and leaped, estimating that he needed to jump about 10 feet. He landed on the ground and immediately jumped again, propelling himself high into the sky until he was above the wall. From this vantage point, he could see the entire kingdom, its walls standing tall at a height of 1272 feet.

The guard on the wall glanced at his companion and asked, "Is that Yami again?"

The second person responded, "If that's the case, then he's most likely going to shoot down."

Yami remains airborne, searching for something in the city. Suddenly, he spots it and dives down at top speed towards a statue of the Goddess in the center of the city. The statue notices Yami and gives him a look before creating a wall of water to catch Yami as he lands safely in its arms.

"Yami, you keep pulling these stunts and I won't be able to save you every time." Yami nervously grinned at the statue.

"Ghoktuna, you will always be there for me." Ghoktuna, the Goddess of Order. Her statue stands proudly in the center of the city that bears her name, built by the royal family as a sign of devotion. Yami gracefully jumps out of her arms and lands in front of the statue, drawing curious looks from the surrounding people. "Why do you choose to remain in this kingdom, Yami?" The Goddess asks him. "It is where my father and friends reside, and wherever they are is where I belong." he replies with a sense of loyalty and belonging. The Goddess smiles at his words, offering her approval.

A group of kids around the same age as Yami, approached him and the Goddess. "Hey Yami!" called out a tall boy with red hair and green eyes. "Don't mess with the Goddess, Yami.", "Hi there, Yami.", "Yami!" they all greeted him. The Goddess turned to a girl lounging by the fountain. "So, what's your plan for him?" she asked. "What do you want me to do?" replied the girl. A little girl walked over to join them. "What are you guys talking about?" she asked innocently. "Nothing, Lucy." said the girl by the fountain. "Is she like us?" Lucy asked, pointing to the new girl. "Yes, she can see me move too?" confirmed the girl. "I'm teaching her." She ruffled Lucy's blonde hair playfully. "I'll keep an eye on him, so stop worrying." she reassured the Goddess before turning back to the blonde-haired girl with light green hair and blue eyes. Suddenly, Lucy's eyes filled with tears. "You messed up my hair that you helped me with, this morning!" she cried. The girl laughed and wiped away Lucy's tears with her shirt. "Don't worry, I'll fix it later." She then rubbed her hand through Lucy's purple locks causing her eyes to light up like a kid getting candy.

"Ava... He could become a problem in the future." The girl named Ava, with her light green hair and blue eyes, looks up at the statue. "You seem to have forgotten who I am..." The statue is sweating. "The Goddess of Blacksmithing, or should I say Battle now? Your new title, at least." "Yeah, I gave my Blacksmith title to the old man." She affectionately rubs Lucy's head. Yami turns around to see Lucy and Ava standing near the statue. "Are you two coming?" Lucy runs over and jumps on Yami's back, while Ava casually places her hands behind her head before walking away. "We'll catch up later, Tuna," Ava calls out. The Goddess watches as the group of kids walks away from her. "If he isn't dealt with, it could mean the end of the world," she says to herself.

As they stroll through the bustling streets of the kingdom, they pass by numerous shops and restaurants. Children are playing and people are going about their day. The atmosphere is lively. "Why did your father send you out? Maybe it's a gift?" A taller boy asks Yami. "You act like he has you on a leash." another boy with glasses chimes in. "You guys really need to learn to mind your own business... but you're right, for the wrong reasons." Ava retorts to the two boys. They arrive at a rundown-looking blacksmith shop and enter to see a man pounding away at a hot blade. "Yo, Pops!" The taller boy calls out to the man who turns around and greets them all with a smile. "Kenji, my boy!" The older and taller man ruffles Kenji's hair, which is quite long. This man has lighter blue eyes, short beige-red hair, and is covered in scars. He stands tall and muscular with a big grin on his face. "What brings you guys here?" Yami steps forward from behind Kenji as Pops maintains his smile, though a small sweat forms on his forehead. "I'm here for a pick-up." Yami states. "Let me guess, Shiro sent you to get his sword? I hope he can pay the full price this time." Yami retrieves a bag from Shiro/His father (known as The Knight, blessed with the rare ability to wield any weapon he touches. He hails from the Kingdom of Goktuna and is considered the best swordsman among the Heroes Party). "How much is it?" Yami asks Pops. "It comes out to 25 gold coins." Yami looks inside the bag and sees that it falls short at only 20 coins. Disappointed, he hands over the entire bag to Pops.

Pops opens the bag and lets out a sigh. "I should have known that cheap Knight wouldn't give me much." he mutters. Yami apologizes, promising to work off the five coins he owes. Pops looks at Kenji, then at Yami, sighing again. "It's fine, take the money and let Shiro know he owes me instead of you. You're nothing like your father or the royal family, or so people say." Kenji playfully nudges Pops with his elbow. "What? I think it's better if he knows. By the way, my name is Daiki (The Strongest Blacksmith of the Hero's Party - not just any blacksmith, but one blessed with combat abilities to withstand almost any attack. He hails from The Kingdom of Veonad Empire.) The best blacksmith around!" Daiki boasts with pride, while Kenji puts his hand on his face in embarrassment. "I don't mind the rumors about my hair being abnormal; as a soon-to-be Knight, I'll do my best to protect the people." Daiki smiles at Yami. "You really aren't like your father. It's good to know someone in his family is nice for once." Yami tilts his head in confusion. "Pops, is mom at the shop?" Kenji interjects, and Daiki scratches his head while thinking. "Ah! She's with Konami." A boy wearing glasses pushes them up from falling, "My mom? I didn't know you guys knew each other.", "You must be Kei! We used to be on The Hero Team; after we defeated the Demon Queen, we settled down. I'm just surprised Shiro was able to find a mate and they weren't annoyed by him." Daiki explains. Kenji steps on his father's foot. "OW!" Ava, who had been relaxing, is about to grab his arm, but Lucy beats her to it. "I lost my mom when she gave birth to me. It's in the past, but I know I was born for a reason and I'll do whatever it takes to honor my mother's memory." Yami says with a small grin. "Well, I should get back to work. The sword is on the table; don't worry about the five coins. I'll just make Kenji work for them instead. Don't worry kid, I bet your mom would be proud to see you grow into someone strong." Daiki says as he pats Yami's head gently before turning and hammering away at the blade. They leave the blacksmith shop and continue their journey through the streets of the kingdom.

Kenji apologized to Yami for his father's behavior, but she simply shrugged it off. "It's okay, he didn't know." she replied, avoiding eye contact. Ava looked at Kei, who nervously adjusted his glasses and seemed about to say something before Lucy interrupted. "Let's try out that new restaurant that just opened nearby!" she exclaimed. "The one owned by Kei's mom?" Kenji asked, to which Lucy nodded excitedly. Kei looked slightly hurt but agreed to go anyway, while Ava silently nodded her approval and smiled brightly. "But how will we pay for our meal?" Kenji asked, looking worried. "I'll talk to my mom; she really likes you, Yami." Kei reassured them. "I still don't understand why your mom dislikes me so much." Kenji interjected with frustration. The group gave him a disbelieving look and turned back around to continue walking towards the restaurant. As they passed by a group of adults on the other side of the street, they could hear them whispering about Yami.

As they spotted the boy walking by, the townspeople whispered to each other in fear. "There's that cursed boy... he looks like a demon up close.", "Shiro said he wouldn't be a problem, but look at him now, corrupting those innocent kids.", "Isn't he Kyoya's son? The powerful mage of the Heroes Party, hailing from nobility in The Kingdom of Cyrus. The God who blessed him with endless mana." "And Daiki's kid too? What is he doing with the two children from the heroes party?", "Who are those girls with them as well?" Ava could feel a vein popping on her forehead and turned around to yell at them, but Yami stopped her by grabbing her arm. "It's not worth it. They can talk all they want.", "Yami, you can't just let people walk all over you like that! You have to stand up for yourself." Ava protested, as Lucy hugged onto Ava's leg for support. Kenji shook his head, silently telling her not to cause a scene here. Kei looked ahead and noticed guards making their way towards them. When she looked back at Yami, she saw his eyes were blank and there was an odd aura surrounding him - black and barely noticeable, but still there. "Let's just go." Yami said before letting go of Ava's arm and walking ahead of them. Everyone looked at each other in confusion, while the one who had been whispering about him earlier fell on their butt in fear. "What was that aura around him? I didn't sense any mana... but it felt different.." questioned Kei, but no one could offer an explanation. Kenji started walking forward and everyone followed suit. Meanwhile, on a nearby roof, a hooded boy around the same age as Yami smiled as he watched the group pass by. "So that 'Beast' is going to be the princess's personal knight?" A tall man stood behind the boy with his hands behind his back. "According to what the Queen told us, yes, young lord." The boy laughed as he pulled down his hood, revealing blond hair and brown eyes with an evil smile.

As they reached the central area of the kingdom, people were gathered outside with tables filled with food and engaged in lively conversations. A woman who resembled Kei in appearance welcomed them warmly, her silver hair cascading down her back and her yellow eyes shining brightly. "Welcome to The Harmonic Heaven! Kei and friends~" she greeted them kindly, radiating a heavenly aura around her. "Hey mom, can we eat here today?" Kei pushed his glasses up, revealing his emperor yellow eyes and battleship gray hair that made him stand out beautifully. "That's the Priestess from the Hero Team that defeated the Demon Queen!" Two random customers burst into the restaurant with excitement. "Araki (also known as The Assassin Queen for wiping out an entire group of assassins with a broken kitchen knife), can you handle this?" A muscular lady emerged from the side of the room, displaying scars on her body and an intimidating look. "You two better leave if you don't want to get hurt!" she warned the intruders with her apricot hair tied up in a ponytail and brown eyes staring them down. "And you owe me double for last time, Konami (The Priestess of The Kingdom of Alethea known for being pure and blessed by the Goddess herself)." Araki added before throwing the two ladies out. While Konami shook her head in disappointment, she maintained a smile towards Kei. "You can go upstairs now. Kei, can you help me with cooking?" She turned towards the kitchen but Kei called out to her. "Did Yami come in by any chance? He walked ahead of us and we lost him.", "Yami? No, I haven't seen him. If he did, Araki would know." Konami replied before heading into the kitchen with Kei following behind. "You guys go ahead upstairs; I'll bring the food soon." As Kei went into the kitchen, Ava turned around only to bump into Araki. She looked up at the towering woman and saw a grin on her face. "You must be Kenji's friend!" Araki exclaimed, resembling Kenji's father in appearance. "Kenji, did you check in with your dad?", "Yes." Kenji replied bluntly. "Good. Now you guys can go upstairs; I have things to take care of." Araki dismissed them before heading over to a table where men were dancing on it. "Get off the table or get kicked out!" she ordered, and immediately they complied with fear in their eyes.

"You two can go sit down. I'll go look for him." Ava says as she stands up from the table. "Be good, Lucy. I'll be right back." She walks out of the restaurant, scanning her surroundings as she makes her way through the bustling streets of the kingdom. As the sun begins to set, the street lamps burst to life with magical energy. Ava uses her own mana to jump onto a nearby tower and surveys the area for any sign of Yami. Suddenly, she hears a voice behind her. "Just who are you looking for, Princess Eiko Furusawa?" A tall figure stands before her, covered in cuts and stitches. Ava quickly reacts by delivering a well-aimed kick to his chin, but he grabs hold of her neck before she can land. "Princesses like you shouldn't be wandering around alone~" he sneers as he throws her off the tower. Ava tumbles through a building and lands on the ground with a thud, but quickly jumps back up to her feet. People start emerging from their buildings, confused by the commotion, while guards rush towards them. One guard addresses Ava, asking what happened, but she's too out of breath to respond. "Oh, my apologies. She's my target~" a dark figure steps out from the shadows and approaches them. The guard turns to face him, just as a powerful blast of magic is launched in his direction. Yami appears out of nowhere and pushes the guard out of harm's way, blocking the attack with his sword coated in a black glow. The man steps into the moonlight with surprise and disappointment evident on his face. "Who are you?" Yami's arms shake as he holds back the blast of magic with all his might. "Who...are you!?" The man opens his mouth to answer when suddenly a fireball strikes him from behind, engulfing him in flames. "That was a good shot indeed. I would expect nothing less from the son of a priestess and a sage with the power to heal all illnesses." The man emerges from the flames, his cloak burned away to reveal a patchwork outfit made of stitched-together pieces.

"Take this!" Kenji comes out of nowhere punching the man on fire into the ground making him bounce off the ground, Kenji kicks him into a house. "Ctan't forgeth abouot the bruute, you're jus ike your mother with that punchh aand eve mor ike your father kiking anyne.." The man walks out with a broken jaw, arm, and probably ribs. He grabs his jaw with his other arm cracking it back in place. "That's better, I hope you understood what I said. You did a number on me (grabs his other arm snapping it back in place) breaking my arm, my jaw, and my ribs." The man said, snapping all his body parts back together. He whips around and two swords slams in front of him, the swords come out of the ground by themselves and go towards the man again, and he jumps up dodging them. "Damn it, you were always annoying Lucy.." Something snaps in the man's head, he looks up seeing Lucy with a big grin on her face and many swords pointing at the man. "This is going to hurt.." Lucy sends the sword down immediately impaling the man in all places, he falls to the ground with swords everywhere. Yami looked into the sky and the man behind Lucy, his body couldn't move, no one knew he was there. "(I won't make it... no, I will!)" Yami yelled, sending out wind and jumping into the air pushing Lucy out of the way. The man looks at him in confusion as he kicks Yami, shooting down into the ground. "(This kid really is interesting..)" The man lands on a roof looking down at Yami who is standing up and staring at him with killing intent. The same aura from earlier covered his body, he dropped his sword and slowly started to walk towards the building, everyone couldn't move. "What is this pressure..? Where's Shiro when you need him!" Araki said with sweat dripping off her forehead. Three people showed up, it was Kyoya, Daiki, and Shiro who looked unbothered. "It seems I have to go.." The man tried to jump away but Yami grabbed his leg, spun him around, and threw him to the ground.

On impact the man has broken limbs, he looks at his body and it isn't reacting. Yami lands not far from him looking down at the ground but his aura rises. "Don't let him touch you," Shiro told the old Heroes Party as they all stepped up. "We have to get him out of the kingdom before more things get destroyed," Kyoya commented but Shiro dashed forward at lightning speed grabbing Yami by the collar, Yami looked down at Shiro with anger on his face. As he was about to grab Shiro's face, Shiro threw him over the kingdom's wall, making him roll on the ground. "That was the plan!?" Daiki shouted. "Just shut up. Kyoya, get ready to put up the barrier, Konami covers us with that 'spell', Araki, watch my left, and Daiki, go grab a few trees and throw them up when I give the word." Shiro steps up annoyed. "Don't kill the kid, Shiro," Konami told Shiro with a serious look. Shiro rushed forward, Konami held up her hand summoning a staff that had a yellow hue. "Sigh, I just hope he doesn't remember this.." They all ran out of the kingdom, into the forest where Yami stood up wobbling from side to side as the aura around his body was dark. "This isn't good..." Araki said before running to the left side. "Let's do this.." Kyoya touches the ground as a barrier surrounds the whole area. "Remember to take it easy everyone." Konami covers everyone with a spell that gives them a white color outline around their body. "We can do this!" Daiki runs over to a tree lifting it out of the ground. Yami looked at them in anger, Shiro rushed at him swinging his sword at Yami, he dodged it countering it with a kick to his side. Araki comes in with her daggers, he backs up while dodging her swings, he stops in place and Araki, drop kicks him sending him flying back, he does a flip while recovering without a problem. He whips around seeing a whole tree slamming into him, he slides across the ground and uses all of his strength throwing the tree to the side, Shiro appears next to him kicking his legs out, before Yami hits the ground Shiro is swinging at him. Yami using his hand spun around kicking Shiro in the face, and then he leaped up roundhouse kicking Shiro to the side with a lot of force. Araki using her quick speed comes out of nowhere kicking him in the stomach, as he rolls away, he looks up and sees multiple trees flying towards him. Yami jumped up, jumping from one to another but there were many, and too fast for him to react, then another followed, he slammed into the ground hard, and other trees fell onto him. "Hit him with it now Konami!" Shiro shouted. "No! That will kill him! He's just a kid!", "Either you do it or he dies anyway. Your choice." Shiro replied with an emotionless expression. "Stay alive, Yami.." She raises her staff as it starts to glow, the clouds in the sky disappear as a white light appears in the sky, and a pillar of white light shoots down hitting where Yami is buried under the trees. The blast is huge and sends out a blinding light, shattering Kyoya's barrier. As they take a breather worried about Yami, Shiro isn't bothered just holding onto his sword still. "How is he this strong...?" Araki sat on the ground tired. "I won't lie, I'm kinda worried... He was a nice kid.." Daiki leaned against a tree worried. "A kid like that might just be the most powerful knight, he tired us out.." Kyoya sat on the ground. Konami kept standing looking at Shiro who didn't react at all. "Was that your plan..? To kill your kid?", "...." Konami started to get angry. "Just what is happening here, Shiro?! You've always been so quiet not telling anyone anything!" Shiro turns around to look at Konami annoyed. "You must be bored to talk to me like that... You must hate your life, because you know I can take it if I ever wanted to. I'm not that weak 'Hero' our last leader was.." Shiro and Konami have a stare-down but are soon interrupted. "AAAAGHHHHHHH!!!" A yell coming from the area where Yami was hit sends out a shock wave, blowing the smoke and tree debris away. They all turn to see Yami with his black glow fading slightly.

Back with Kenji and the group, Lucy peeks over the roof looking down at the man who is recovering from Yami's attack. Kei is sitting down shocked, Ava is on her knee holding her arm, and Kenji is staring at the man with an angry look. "Listen I know you guys must want me dead but there's a problem and that kid is 1 out of 2. Despite him not having any mana.." Kenji rushed at him with his fist covered in mana. "Not you again.." The man catches his fist and throws him to the side crashing into tables and chairs, he walks into the shadows disappearing. "Ava, would you please explain who that was?!" Kei asked Ava while healing her. "Not right now, we need to go to Yami. Lucy!" Ava stands up shouting to Lucy who jumps off the roof landing in front of Kenji who just got up. "Kenji, stay here and help the guards, Kei, heal the injured. Lucy and I will go to Yami." Ava ordered them. "Why do you get to go? He's our friend too." Kenji replied. "Shiro threw him, so where will we find him?-" A white pillar of light came down from the sky, once it hit the ground a huge gush of wind hit them nearly blowing them away. "What... was that?", "That was my mother's attack... Pure Sun; Annihilation Strike." Kei replied. They all rush towards the kingdom's gate.

"Damn it! Why can't we catch him?!" Araki was sitting on the ground with bruises on her, Konami was sweating from using too much mana and her mana was bottomless, Kyoya was holding Konami up. Shiro and Daiki are the only ones standing but with bruises all over them. "What's going on with him?" Shiro didn't say anything, he just looked at Yami whose eyes were different, they were blueish. Yami stares at Shiro. They locked eyes before rushing at each other, Shiro swung at Yami, and he moved to the side punching Shiro in the gut and lifting him off the ground, as he was in the air Yami looked up at him punching him in the face. Shiro slams through many trees before recovering and running towards Yami. "Okay kid, show what you can do." Shiro picks up a sword, moving even faster towards Yami. "Shiro don't!" Konami shouted. Yami didn't back down, he saw a dagger buried in the ground he quickly picked it up, Shiro and Yami clashed their weapon sending out a shock-wave from the attack, it was so strong it shattered their swords as it did Daiki grabbed Yami, Kyoya held up his hands making chains wrap around them, Araki used her magic (Shadow Magic) to take the broken dagger out his hands, and Konami ran over casting something putting him to sleep. The chains dissipated and everyone sat on the ground, Araki looked at the dagger before throwing it into the sky, the dagger had a black glow covering it, and it exploded in the sky. Everyone looked at her, she sat next to Konami, tired. "How did you know that was going to happen?" Daiki asked. "Remember who we fought that one time we were stationed in that one town, then it got attacked. The Black Knight, he touched my daggers and they just blew up in my hands for some strange reason but it didn't hurt, that one was going to blow my whole arm off.", "But wasn't that dagger made from the best blacksmith in the country?" Kyoya asked. "No, but yes, it was a gift from Daiki's dad.", "Why was it out here? Did you leave it for Kenji?" Araki nodded, Daiki looked at Yami who was sleeping like nothing happened. "Guys... look at this.." Kyoya said in a fearful voice. They all walked over but Shiro sat up against the tree near Yami. "Isn't that the piece of the dagger's blade?" Araki asked. "Shiro, how is Yami able to do all of this? He shattered the blade with his unusual output, there's no mana in it at all. But this aura on the blade is similar to the aura he was giving off earlier.." Kyoya commented. They all turned to Shiro and Yami, Shiro was picking up Yami and he had his back turned. "It's none of your business, he's my kid so don't ask dumb questions." And after that he jumped into the sky, vanishing. They all stand there dumbfounded, except Konami. Behind a tree not far from the Heroes Party, Kenji, Ava, Lucy, and Kei peeked around the tree and saw what just happened. "They... barely beat him. Just how strong is Yami?" Kei asked the group, and they all shrugged. "Hey, where did your mom go Kenji?" Lucy asked, but they found out soon enough. "Just what are you guys doing here?" Araki asked the kids with a smile but her face said she was angry, as they backed up they bumped into Konami who had her arms crossed. "Isn't it past your bedtime, Kei?" She said the same expression as Araki. The kids look at them fearfully. "Don't you think Araki is rubbing off on Konami?", "I asked that same question so long ago, but yes I do.." Daiki and Kyoya looked at each other with a pale face. 

Not far from them was the man from before, his face was held together with different patches of skin on his face, his eyes two completely different types of species, one that looked similar to a reptile eye and the other that looked like a crown as a pupil, one amber and the other different shade of many colors. "That boy... he's going to be a problem in the future. Oh well, I'll deal with him when that time comes.." He turns around walking away, he watches the fight on the top of kingdom walls with blood on his face, dead guards are lying on the ground as he walks by them with a sinister grin.