Book 1: Chapter 1 – Nikyrian Zangue Di Carnem
Heroic Calender 9992 – Septem 4
A certain village located on southern end of Nix. One of the tallest mountains in the southernmost region of the Mountain Range of the Setting Sun south of the Endustre Kingdom in the Eustri Continent.
As the sun rose, in the unknown village of Nix, the constant howls of the winter wind never seem to stop. The village situated approximately five thousand meters up the mountain of its namesake, is one which never sees sunlight for more than three hours a day. Despite the cold all round temperature, the beds of this small village have all emptied. The usual hustling street and roaring markets is eerily empty.
In the dark, snow grounds in the southern region of the village, all two hundred villagers have gathered under the great tree Primum that looms hundreds of meters over the six and a half thousand meter mountain. The villagers are all looking near the top of the giant tree where a twelve year old boy is currently climbing. The sounds of gasps and shouts telling the boy to get down from the two kilometre tall tree fill the air.
A giant man reaching over two metres bellows, “Nike! Get down from there. You’re not ready to challenge Sa’Krum yet, just wait for your coming-of-age ceremony. Your power level isn’t high enough to ward off the winds that far up yet.” The man is the Vice-commander Gordon 32nd generation Guardian of the Setting Sun.
Next to Gordon, a young girl, pulls on the hem of his shirt and cries, “It’s not Nike’s fault. I told him that if he climbed the great tree Primum then Sa’Krum, Lord of Black Skies would grant him a wish.”
“AHHH!” She screamed, as she watched the boy’s foot slipped. However, they boy hangs on with his arms as he slowly but gradually climbs closer to the haven of Sa’Krum.
“That IDOIT!” roared Gordon as he flew up to bring the boy back. “Get down before Sa’Krum gets annoyed.” Gordon exclaimed, as he grabs the dumb boy by the scruff of the neck. However, he didn’t expect was that the boy knocked his hand and pushed against him, falling off the tree at an astonishing speed.
The boy dropped too fast for him to catch. Gordon sighed, with a solemn expression. “It seems like this is the end. I’m sorry Lord Aeon, I have failed you.” Suddenly, a large shadow flashed by him and in a split second, caught up with the falling boy and used its dark purple talons to catch him.
Gordon stood in mid-air with a shocked expression as that speed was nearly triple his top speed, and that’s not even including the lag in acceleration. The other reason for shock is why the Lord of Black Skies would save the boy.
Nike, full name Nykirian Zangue Di Carnem, was left by the Pathfinder and third generation commander of the Guardians, The Timekeeper. “Well, he was left by Lord Aion.” he muttered.
All the villagers sighed in relief as they saw the Sacred Beast catch the boy. The birdlike monster looked glorious in its outstretched wings reaching over twenty meters wide with dark purple feathers that are more like shiny thin scales. The most awe-inspiring feature it had was the six yellow and orange tendrils that originate from the head. All the adults get back to their daily business as the Heavenly Bird flew off, leaving about forty children in the much emptier snow fields.
The young girl runs towards the boy as the grand bird drops him down to the snow filled ground, and embraces him as she cried into his chest.
“Thanks Krummy!” Shouted the boy in joy “Did you see that? I was flying and soaring. The wind felt so good! I want to do it again.”
“Like hell you will,” Gordon’s voice sounded as he chopped the boy’s head with his hand. “That was dangerous, you are to never, ever do that again and don’t tell her that you tried the coming-of-age ceremony or your Aunt Mari might just kill me too.”
“Oww,” Nike exclaimed as he rubbed his head while flashing a grin at Gordon, “and it’s your fault I fell anyway, so of course I’ll tell Aunty.”
“No, please don’t tell her, she’ll really kill me” he begged.
“Kill you for what?” A voice resounded from behind them. “You mean how you not only let little Nike challenge the Ceremony but not save him, rather you made him fall? Oh, I got that part alright.” The voice belonged to a beautiful and petite woman at around 1.7m tall.
Gordon slowly turned around and said “Ho..Hon…Honey…It’s not what you think, I swear..Please forgive me!” He fell to his knees with his head to the floor, not daring to look up, he swore he saw a demon.
“Hmm..What do you say Nike? Belle? Should we forgive your father?” Gordon’s wife Ria asked with a hint of laughter in her voice.
“It’s alright Aunty, just forgive him…He’s pitiful enough.” Laughed Nike. As he lifts up Isabelle, his childhood friend. “I’m fine Bell, its okay…I won’t do it again, do please stop
crying. You know I hate that.”
“Bu..But…I don’t know what I would do without you,” screamed Isabelle as she punched his chest.
Both Gordon and Ria smiled while watching the two children. They grew up so fast. It’s already been 9 years since Nike was left with them. Why hasn’t Lord Aion visited at all?
“By the way, Nike, I thought you were still on the 2nd Rank, when did you rank up?” questioned Ria, “Are you that eager to leave?”
“It’s not like that!” he pouted, “I want to go explore the Unknown World as well, but to do that I need to get a lot stronger. You said my father is already close to the Heroic Rank and exploring the Unknown World. I’m only on the 3rd Rank Page, not even a Paladin yet. Can I even become a Hero?”
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He’s only twelve and he’s talking about the Heroic Rank. I’m already close to 40 and I’m still a B-Ranked Pathfinder Gordon thought. “Hold your horses, before you think about becoming a Hero, first you must wait til your 15 for your coming-of-age ceremony and forge your ‘Kakari’.”
A Ka’kari is the weapon all warriors who train in External energy need once they become a Paladin at the fifth rank. This is because throughout the Ages, Karitian steel is the only material that can withstand the energy imbued into a weapon when warriors train. Nykirian excited asked, “What Ka’kari does my father use? A Greatsword? A broadsword? Or perhaps he used a Battleaxe?”
“No, Nike. Didn’t you know? All the commanders have followed the tradition and had a spear as their Ka’kari.” Ria chuckled as she summoned her spear, “Here, see just like mine. Her name is Gazelle.”
The spear, dark purple in colour, had a shaft approximately 2.1 meters long with three yellow lines spiralling from the base to the wavy spearhead that was 30cm long. “It’s beautiful,” Nikyrian gasped.
“Well you will get your Ka’kari soon, as long as you keep training and don’t rush to your death.” His Aunty scolded. “You’ll become a Paladin soon enough so GET BACK TO TRAINING. ALL OF YOU. DON’T JUST STAND AROUND. HORSE STANCE! GET YOUR KNEES LOWER, BACK STRAIGHT!” She continuously shouted while being pulled by Gordon.
“Go back to the Tunnel, the Commander has to be guarding it” he persuaded while trying to calm his wife. “Nike, since you so lovingly wanted to test your Power level, you’re to do the training regime of my ‘lovely’ wife today.”
The normal training consists of staying in the horse stance, which is bending your knees at 90o with your back straight and arms stretched out, for as long as possible. This stance is nearly impossible to complete without the aid of a Warrior’s Aura, and the method to increase the Aurasea is to empty it so that it may refill. This is repeated three times a session. Just like how you must first break your muscles in order for them to regrow stronger. The daily training were regulated, twice a day, once at dawn and once at dusk. This is one of the simplest methods yet most effective methods of training the Aura.
“That Monster’s training? No problem, I reached the 3rd Rank.” Nike laughed to himself as he should be able to handle the pressure.
“TRIPLE IT, GORDON!” roared an inhumane voice that resounded throughout the village.
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Nikyrian gritted his teeth as he stands on a rock under the smashing force of the freeing waterfall in the horse stance, constantly pelting him with over 500kg of force. After half a minute, he falls into the water basin below, before he quickly climbs back to force out the last drops out of his Aurasea. After falling in for the 8th time, Gordon fishes him out of the chilling water to recover.
How did he last so many times? An ordinary Rank 1 Page’s aura can only withstand 100kg of force, and at Rank 3, it could barely reach 500kg but he’s only just ranked up. This means he’s shouldering close to 100kg with his body alone and he’s going back for more, which forces him to endure even more. What’s pushing him so far?
“Hey, Uncle Gordon, if I continue to train like this, do you think I’ll be able to reach my father?” he groaned in pain as he lay flat on his back with no energy to even lift his head. His whole body ached as debris fell down the waterfall constantly striking his shoulders and back.
Ah, I can’t believe I missed something so important. Even though the boy was carefree like the wind, who so cheerfully spent his days, was in the end just a boy. “You can definitely do it!” Gordon replies with guilt in his heart. “However, it is all on yourself, for the wind does not blow for those that just wait, it comes for those that expect it. To become a Hero is not easy, a Hero is someone without peer and to be without peer means that you must not only work hard but persevere for perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.”
“Now to stabilize your Aura properly, you mustn’t let your Aurasea fully refill. What you need now is quality over quantity, train your Aura so that it can efficiently react to any external force. So don’t let it increase, forcefully suppress it.” Gordon explained, as he began to help the boy up in the usual horse stance.
After an hour of cycling between horse stance and planking, Nike could finally hold out no longer as he collapsed on the now empty training grounds. “Woo, that felt great!” He could feel his legs shaking and a numbness piercing through his core, making him delight in the feeling of accomplishment.
“Always push both your body and Aura to the limit. The body is a glass and the Aura is like water, there must be balance. If the body is weak, it cannot withstand the force of the Aura and you may become cripple. If the body is strong yet Aura is weak, it is like you are fighting a battle with no weapon or armour. Before one becomes a Paladin and forges his Soul Weapon, one must first forge themselves into a weapon, only then can you become strong.” Gordon imparted many important bits of knowledge to him. “Now go on home and rest but don’t let your Aurasea refill completely. Remember to become strong, you need to persevere.”
And so, the carefree child begins his journey.