Long ago, invaders known as Phantoms attacked the land of Victus. The Victinians were powerless and unable to defend against the malicious invaders.
As their hope for survival faded, they begged the Gods for assistance, since they believed that only the Gods could save them. However, the Gods did not possess a physical form and could not directly battle against the Phantoms. Rather, they chose to bless individuals who they deemed deserving of their divine abilities. Those blessed with power were marked with seals that represented the Gods.
With this new power, the Phantoms’ invasion was pushed back. A barrier was then raised to separate the realm of the Phantoms from that of the Victinians, but it was created at a great cost. The lives of the blessed heroes were sacrificed to create nine pillars that became known as the Nine-Pillar Barrier. Thanks to the heroes’ sacrifice, the Victinians now had a safe haven; an area that was safe from the other half of the world where Phantoms rampaged.
According to legends, each hero possessed a seal from a great god. The majority of the heroes possessed dual seals, granting them two powers of two different gods. Yet, there was one hero who only possessed one seal. That hero was said to be of the Phantom race and was branded the ‘Dark One.’ However, his story was cast aside and never told in the Victinians’ history.
Three hundred years after this war subsided, my story begins.
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“Jin, I need to talk to you!”
“Yes, Master!”
I ran out of the cabin as I answered the call. The frail old man who called me was my master and guardian, Lucius Crimson. Regardless of his frail appearance, this person is a true monster. Bearing the seal of Apollo, the God of the Sun, he is skilled in both archery and swordsmanship.
“Jin, You will be leaving this mountain and shall enroll in Persona Academy.”
“Master, why?! I don’t want to leave the mountains and I still have so much more to learn about swordsmanship.”
“I have nothing else to teach you in swordsmanship. You also need to learn about your seal’s power; it’s quite unique.”
Hearing about my departure, I was pretty frantic. I didn’t want to go to some unknown place, let alone leave my home. I never had any real contact with the real world and everything I knew were from books I read.
“But Master!”
“How about I give you some motivation?”
“Hmm?”
“The Pendragons are there.”
“Pendragons….”
Pendragons appear to stand for peace and justice, but in reality, they are greedy pigs who do whatever they please, and is the name I detested the most.
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The incident took place ten years ago when I was still five years old. My mother and I lived next to the ninth pillar of the Nine Pillar Barrier, the pillar of the Phantom Hero. Even though my mom was human, I wasn’t. I was born from my mom and a humanoid phantom that she loved. Branded as traitors, we were cast out into exile.
One day, as I was returning from collecting firewood, I saw a group of knights surrounding my house. One knight held a flag with a symbol of a golden dragon. My mother was being dragged out of the house and was thrown down on the ground in front of a noble looking figure with a despicable arrogant face, their leader. Leering at her, the noble smirked.
“Hey, you’re that traitor aren’t you? You have such a pretty face, I wonder why they exiled you. Do you want your exile to be removed? If you do, just give up your kid and I’ll remove it for you. I’ll even take care of you.”
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“I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
As I backed away from the scene, I stepped on a branch, letting out a big ‘crack’ sound. I was noticed by one of the knights. As the knights approached me, a symbol of a sword on his hand shone. A sword appeared from thin air, like magic.
“Is that him? Bring him to me, unharmed.”
“Yes Sir!”
I turned around and tried to run into the woods, but instead, I was grabbed from behind. Fighting for my life, I kicked and hit the knight’s arm to no effect. My mother was full of fear as she saw the knight take hold of me. Then, she ran towards me, pushing away the knights, grabbed hold of me and tried to run into the forest. However, more Knights blocked her way.
“Since you’re disobedient, I don’t care anymore. Kill the traitor but make sure you leave the child unharmed. We can still experiment on him.”
“Yes Sir!”
Using her back as a shield, my mother protected me. Following every swing of the knights’ swords was a trail of blood. Before I knew it, the ground was dyed red. When I thought all was lost, a golden arrow flew out of the forest and struck the ground. It then flashed a bright light, blinding everyone in the vicinity. An old man appeared with a sword on his belt and a bow in hand.
“Leave at once!!”
This old man’s voice pierced the air as the knights backed away in fear and the noble fell pathetically to the ground. Getting back up, the noble was filled with anger, and gazed at the old man.
“Who do you think you are protecting traitors like them?!”
“I am Lucius Crimson. I will be taking this child under my care and make him my disciple.”
“Lucius Crimson you say?! Why would a great figure such as you take a traitor’s son under his wings?!”
“That is for me to know, and you, not to find out. I’ll ask you again to leave this place at once. Any further disrespect to me will only incur my wrath.”
“Grrrr… Everyone we’re heading back! I’ll remember this Lucius.”
This was the day master saved me. However, he wasn’t able to save my mother, who sustained fatal injuries. It was also on this day I swore to avenge my mother and obliterate the Pendragon family.
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“Master, I shall go to Persona Academy.”
“Hahaha. That’s more like it. Remember, when you face your enemy you must not let your emotion control you, but rather be calm. Those who are calm in a dire situation grow to be the strongest of people.”
“So… When do I leave?”
Master then had a wide smile on his face. What was he planning? Before I knew it–
“Right now!”
I was kicked off the mountain along with the luggage that master prepared ahead of time. After crashing, I heard master’s voice from a distance.
“Make sure you give the letter in your suitcase to the headmaster. Once he reads it, I’m sure he’ll approve of you being a student at his school! The bus leaves in 5 minutes so you better hurry!”
“You didn’t have to kick me off, you know!!! Anyways, thank you Master, I’ll make sure to visit on holidays!”
Turning my back on the only remaining place I could call home, I departed for Persona Academy, where I could become stronger to enact my revenge. The last thing I heard was a small whisper from the mountains…
“Make me proud… Jin Phantasma Crimson!”