Chapter 1

Imagine you woke up to news that you are adopted and that you now need to look for your parents.

Today by the old calendar it should be year one thousand four hundred and fourteen but by the new one it is twenty first year, end of summer is nearing and today is my fifteenth birthday. Sitting at the table are my mother, a red haired beauty of the village, young woman with great cooking skill, my father, a land owner and a farmer, in his forties but doesn't look older then thirty, and I, their only son. We live in a nice cottage, one of the greatest in the village, right next to the village heads, even though we don't live the richest of lives. I was always confused by our family, we had no relatives, no heritage and no background, expect for farms in the village. We were sitting in the silence, my parents visibly uncomfortable, mother broke the silence with soft words: "Dear, we have some stuff we wish to tell you, and we wish for you to know we always loved you the most." Where my father took off and continued: "We are not your real parents, we adopted you from our friends". My head went blank, was it shock or surprise, I was unsure, but a single word ringed in my head, friends. I said: "Then who are my real parents? Who are those friends?", to which they answered with even louder silence. My father said: "Before the empire collapsed, your mother and I were adventurers", The new calendar counts since the empire collapsed, was it corruption and the human greed, or the starvation and the pure unluckiness of the ruling family, it is unimportant, but where one disappears, another sprouts. Many new kingdoms were created, be it by rich nobles, military leaders or religions, they all sprung to life at the same time. But in their infancy they are the weakest, and many fell to other countries or to the monsters. Monsters were many, be it wolfs, bears or the unknowns of the islands, they were natives of the lands and even knights struggled to take care of them, that is where adventurers come in. Adventurers were a creation of the empire, a way to create jobs, warriors and scouts that help out everyday people, it was a great system, and many adventurers became legends after winning wars or killing legendary beasts. My father continued: "Our names you could have heard of, maybe you never had, but you had heard of your real mothers and fathers name, whom we went adventuring with. They were known as the Black Crow and the White Angel". Both names were already well planted in my brain, be it by the old village head who told their stories to us kids, or by the one of the books I have found in the attic. They were known as the legendary adventurers and lovers. The ruthless black crow whos swordsmanship was feared though the lands, and was one of the head generals of the empire, and the white angel, whos swordsmanship was never for the attack, but to defend herself and the allies, righthand man of the black crow. Yet I remember there being four of them in total, there were also the red sparrow, an archer, and the knight white prince, known for his bright white armor. Noones real names were ever found out, and after the fall of the empire they disappeared into the air itself. I quickly connected the dots and asked as I look at my mother: "So you are the red sparrow", then I look at the father: "And you are the white knight?". They nod in approval, which explains the riches and their weird life stiles. "We made a promise" Mother said: "that if we ever lose the war, we shall run and hide so they never find us….. And to who are them, you will learn on your own. You are fifteen today, fourteen years ago your mother came to us asking to take the baby boy in, as they were found out and on the run. Last thing she said was fourteen years, wait that long, then give it to him and let him find us, and by it she ment this". She pulls out a sheeted sword which she puts on the table, simple handle made out of black colored wood and a sheet made out of dark colored skin. I immediately took the sword, taking it out of the sheet and point it in the air. The color of the blade was beautiful, far better then the one we had home which I trained and played with, it felt natural in my hand, and perfect somehow. Father says: "That was your fathers first sword, black crow never named it, which was weird for a man like him. From tomorrow you are going out, with your first quest being to find the man named One eyed in the old city Gaco and show him your swordsmanship". As he finished the sentence he was already on his legs, and without me even knowing, my mother was already nowhere to be found. Father continues: "Today we will show you their swordsmanships, or at least what we know of it, or your mother will try to kill me" to which he pulls out a thin sword hidden between boards of the floor. Two of us go outside, to out lawn that connects to the forest, we live on the outskirts of the village and our lawn is the most beautiful in the world if you ask me. As I take the seat in the grass, the dance of the swords began. Mother attacked father with the quick attack, my father defended and with each attack pushed her back a lot. It was hard to follow because of their insane speed, but I tried my best at least to engrave this fight into my head. Minutes that felt like hours passed, they switched sides on who attacks and who defends, yet they couldn't push each other, like they were creating perfect defense and perfect offence, slowly I started to understand that complicated dance. Half an hour passed, after which the fight ended in a draw. Father sat next to me and asked: "Do you feel ready to explore the vast world, it wont be as pleasant as you might imagined.", mother sat behind me and in a hug asked: "You can stay with us and live here, no one is forcing you to take this task.". I always adored swords, since young I was holding stick and playing with it like it was my great sword, I took lessons from the old knight who commanded the few soldiers stationed here, and I sometimes even got into fights, in which I prevailed and came victorious. The answer was the same even if I knew the story or not, I wish to be an adventurer and spread my name into the world, I, Jake Willhelm, shall become a legend!