10 YEARS LATER...

The Monastery

The pale orange light of the new day spread over the monastery grounds, casting a peaceful glow on Vin's quarters. He had just woken up from a dream of a strange library and a figure in a cage teasing him with promises of adventure. His lips curled into a small smile as he thought of his father and his own quest to find a purpose and a path in life.

Vin stepped out of his quarters and began his morning routine, heading towards the river to pray and wash his face. Monks greeted him as he passed them, to which he responded with a slight nod. He walked down to the river bank and knelt down. He shut his eyes, prayed for guidance, then cupped his hands in the cool water, splashing it on his face. A spark of anticipation ran through him; today he would be sparring with a few other monks. But, maybe this would be the day that he found his purpose too.

Vin stood up with a tremor of readiness in his body, excited to start the day. But, before he could take one step forward back to the monastery, the air around him seemed to part. He jumped in shock as he looked up to see a spiritual being standing behind him, a ghostly figure emanating a strange glimmer that seemed to make Vin's skin crawl. His heart raced as the apparition took a step forward - a sheer force of ethereal power that filled the area around the river. Vin steeled himself for battle, his muscles taut, ready for anything.

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"Who -- or what -- are you?" Vin demanded, though the words seemed to stick to his throat.

"Don't let this appearance fool you. I am neither friend nor foe, but rather a messenger of fate, if you will," the being said in a deep and powerful voice. "I am not here to harm you, nor hinder you. I have come to tell you that your life is about to undergo an extreme shift and sorrow will follow. You can make it through, Vin. But be warned that the change will be hard, and you will need strength and courage to face it. I look forward to witnessing your growth in the future."

Vin felt a chill run through his body as the being's words sunk in. He felt both fear and awe as the apparition slowly faded away into nothingness, as if it wasn't there at all.

Vin took an anxious breath, his thoughts racing. What exactly was going on? He wanted to find his master to ask what was happening, but much more time had already passed than he thought. He hastened back towards the monastery, a dread filling his veins like icy water as he heard a cacophony of voices and shouting coming closer. He hurriedly reached the clearing he and his father had come through when they'd first stumbled upon the monastery, only to find somebody sprawled on the ground, bloodied. With haste, Vin rushed to the figure only for him to look up with sorrowful tears. He spoke one word before succumbing to death:

"Why?"

Vin looked around, and his eyes widened in terror as he saw the massacre that had occurred; the corpses of his fallen brothers and master lying in pools of their own blood. His chest constricted as he tensed up, preparing to fight for his life. But before he could move, a menacing voice descended upon him, and he wheeled around to see a warrior standing tall, his sword dripping with the lifeblood of the innocent. Vin strained to see the face of his attacker, but it was hidden behind a menacing mask. He felt a rise in temperature as anger took over. The sword-wielding man lunged towards Vin, and as he braced himself for the impact a heavy blow struck the back of his head. He stumbled forward, only vaguely aware of another man's voice before darkness overwhelmed him completely.

"Wait, don't kill this one, he might be useful. In fact he might be the one we are looking for. Grab him, let's take him to Captain Hurdo."

The last thing Vin heard before he was dragged away from the scene was a deep cackle that filled him with an unbearable dread of what awaited him at the hands of Captain Hurdo.

The attackers drag Vin along the violently jagged road, the dust clouding around them as they march further towards their destination. A few minutes later, they reunited with the force and in the midst, an aged but calloused captain. He turns his gaze upon his two underlings as they dragged a monk to him, a monk he is all too familiar with, Vin. He lets out a malicious smirk when he recognizes the face and throws a bucket of icy water onto Vin's face. Vin jolts awake, gripping the back of his neck where he was hit and rendered unconscious by the sword pommel earlier. He looks up in terror at the looming figure of the captain.

"Hello there, Vin," he sneers, "It seems I finally have you within my grasp."

Vin struggles to catch his breath before he manages to utter out his question, "Who are you? Are you responsible for what happened to my home?"

The captain glares down at him before beginning to pace back and forth in front of him, wickedly grinning.

"Your home? Oh no, dear boy, your home isn't there anymore. You see, I know who you are and where you are really from. After all these years, my superiors finally sent me to...collect you. I am Captain Hurdo, commander of The King's Watch of the Dominion of Eldenhigher," he pauses for a brief moment before continuing on in a satisfied tone, "an empire you should be all too familiar with. I was even there on the day you and your father escaped from your manor in Amia. It was quite a sight... until we had to burn it to the ground."

He snickers before continuing on with his speech. "Your father didn't take too kindly to that."

Vin stares intently into Hurdo's eyes as he asks, "My father? Where is he?"

Hurdo laughs mockingly at his question. "Honestly we don't know," he says nonchalantly "We were able to capture him but somehow miraculously he escaped our clutches. We have no idea where he is now," his tone sharpening as he rounds up his speech with one final statement, "But that's no matter now, because we have you... and you aren't going to escape."

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The captain bellowed orders for some of his men to grab Vin and for the others to get ready to march back to their homeland, with Vin in tow. Just as they began to move out, a loud twang of bowstring erupted and a sharp whistle cut through the air and an arrow flew into the chest of a soldier, who collapsed with thud. Another flew towards the soldier grasping Vin, felling him instantly. The chaos gave Vin a chance to break away and he sprinted towards where the arrows had come from, his heart pounding in his chest.

As he closed in on a dense cluster of trees, a young woman leapt from it and unleashed a flurry of arrows at any soldier coming too close to Vin. He paused and watched in awe at this girl, likely around his age, performing such heroic feats and seeing her dispatch each soldier with ease.

She glanced at him and whispered urgently, "Head north-east, I'll be right behind you."

She released another arrow and ran after him, staying close as she guided him towards safety. They ducked into a thicket of bushes until the soldiers had gone and then emerged, catching their breath.

She introduced herself as Raia. Her name was bright and clear, like a bird's melodic tweet. She said she was scouting and had seen what happened to Vin at the old monastery. She charged to help him escape the imperial soldiers they were both running from, like a warrior guided by instinct and not thought. As she spoke her eyes glinted with defiance of the imperial soldiers they were both running from, hinting that she was no fan of them. Vin nodded in agreement and introduced himself too, as one of the monks from that monastery, and he tells her he wants to get out of here promising to go back to the monastery whenever it's safe and that he wants to search for his father or any monks that may have survived.

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"There's a small town not too far from here that I often sell hunted game to," she said. "Come, I know someone there who can help you."

The bright sunlight washed over her.

"He's a shopkeeper, but he's a good man with a colorful past that may be just what you need."

The continuation towards the town was filled with light banter about each other's lives. She let him know about the hunt she was on and about how she had saved his life for no reason other than instinct. She told him how she had grown up in the nearby town caring for an ailing man who had taught her many things about life and survival. Vin had grown up as in the manor, of course, but didn't say that, so he simply talked about the monastery life. He told her how he found peace and enlightenment at the monastery where he met other monks who encouraged him to travel the world more and find meaning in life again, and even made good friends there but was saddened by the thought that some have perished at the hands of the soldiers. He thought to himself that he'll get back at the imperial army because of this.

They trudged through the dense forest, dodging low hanging branches. A chill ran down Vin's spine as a cool air wisped around them. Suddenly the trees cleared and the two reached the edge of a small cliff, revealing an enchanting view of the distant town of Nearbrook below them.Raia pointed to the town, the river glinting like a silver thread running through the middle of town.

"That's Nearbrook," she said, admiration in her voice. "It's a peaceful place with simple people, far enough away from cities and government influence that they can live as they please."

Raia led them further along the cliff edge to a winding path that descended into the valley below. Vin stared at the town with a mixture of wonder and nostalgia. He thought of his friend Windus, who had left the monastery a month to seek his own path in life, before the place was attacked -- he had a sudden thought that maybe he would find him there in Nearbrook. With a smile he looked back to the west, then followed Raia's lead down the path.

Raia and Vin trudged through the dense forest, shadows of looming trees dancing around them. As they came closer to the town, the trees began to tremble and the air suddenly changed from a gentle breeze to a chilling gust as a dark energy blanketed the forest. Out of nowhere a monstrous figure appeared, with a sinister presence about it. The creature lunged forward with malice, ready to strike them down. Raia quickly whipped her bow and unleashed an arrow, grazing the monster and barely managing to keep them safe. In one sudden motion, the creature waved its arm and the surrounding area suddenly plunged into darkness and it vanished. Vin felt a strange familiarity with the creature, but kept it private and looked to Raia who was frozen in shock from what she had seen. She had heard tales of monsters in these parts, but never expected to encounter one this deep in the forest. After a few moments she shook off her stupor and motioned for Vin to keep moving towards town.

As Vin and his companion arrived in Nearbrook, they were both relieved and apprehensive. Immediately on their arrival, a worker from a local tavern tried to usher them in for refreshment. The two were tempted, but were not sure if this would be a wise decision just yet. But, in the end the broke and went inside just to grab some water and freshly baked bread.

"The shop I told you about is just down the road here. By the way, his name is Bastian, and just so you won't be surprised, he used to be a commander in the army...so don't immediately expect him to be too friendly," Raia warned.

As they continued down the road to Bastian's shop, they felt a sense of dread coming over them. In Vin's experience with the commander he just dealt with outside the monastery, he didn't exactly feel this one would be very accommodating and he feared that this visit would be an unfriendly one, if he had ties to the captain from before. He glanced reflexively over his shoulders, still not quite sure that they were safe from any unwanted pursuers.

The Throne Room of Lemeo

Two servants of the Archfiend Lemeo shuffle nervously towards his throne as they hear his menacing laughter. Lemeo sat on his devilish throne and his smirk made them both feel invigorated and fearful.

"Come forward, my friends. I'm glad you are here. I have something to tell you about that boy we found," Lemeo begins. The eerie glint in his eyes grows more intense as he speaks. He pauses for a moment and continues, "It turns out, he may be the very one we need to finish our...experiment. I know you've encountered him at least, Capul."

The servant named Capul speaks up hesitantly, "My lord, how close do we need to watch him? How long must we wait until the time is ready?"

"As I always say, keep a careful eye at all times," Lemeo replies with a stony gaze.

He stands up and slowly strides towards Capul, insisting that he kneel before him. He raises his hand towards Capul's face and strikes him hard with an open palm.

"But if you almost try to kill him like you did last time...next time it won't be a slap. Next time there will be a blade attached to my hand. Do not mess this up for me, do not play with my prey," Lemeo snarls with menace.

Capul keeps his head down in shame, and Lemeo's eyes narrow as he notices his other servant, Yai's, eagerness and he begins to speak in a tone of icy command that cuts through the tension in the room, "Unlike your inept comrade, you lack the ability to shape shift like him. Therefore, I need you to find a way to blend into society. Fortunately, you can pass as a human. Do not be careless however. I need you to tail the boy and be cautious. We have many adversaries seeking our target, and not to mention a battle between the realms of man will soon wage as well, and I strictly forbid either of you perish in the process. That is all."

He narrows his gaze further, his voice barely above a whisper as he finishes, "Do your job."