At a castle far away, in the domain of Lemeo the Archfiend of the Land:
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The mighty hero of the world, Jagno, has taken a stand against the evil schemes and inhumane nature of Lemeo the Archfiend and plans now to defeat him. The oppressive force of the Archfiend's castle looms in the distance, a reminder of his cruelty and power. Undeterred, Jagno strides towards the entrance with unshakable conviction. The minions and guards summoned to protect the castle prove no match for the hero and are quickly dispatched in a flurry of steel and skill. At last, Jagno reaches the inner sanctum where Lemeo awaits in all his sinister glory. With both warriors locked-in and ready, a battle will soon commence. Jagno faced his opponent, the air filling with an electric anticipation. His muscles coiled tightly with rage, and his eyes shimmered with a fervent hunger for battle.
Lemeo grinned wickedly and spoke through gritted teeth, "I've been waiting for this moment Jagno...Let's finish it here and now."
Lemeo seeing the combatant ready to fight, charges forward, and draws a sword. Jagno leapt up to meet him, and the two met in a flurry of steel, sparks and shouts. Jagno was fast and agile, ducking and dodging each and every move like a practiced swordsman. But Lemeo was faster, his movements like lightning, and he soon had Jagno cornered. The archfiend's blade was a blur, and Jagno found himself backed up against a wall, unable to move or counter the flurry of strikes.
A deep roar echoed through the air as Lemeo struck a powerful blow to Jagno's stomach with his fist. The force of the impact slammed Jagno back and through the door into the courtyard beyond. Dust and splinters from the door floated down to the floor as Jagno, clutching his gut, stood up and turned to face Lemeo. They squared up against each other and readied themselves for another round.
Jagno's hands trembled as he held up his sword, the blade trembling with his rage, and points the blade's tip at his foe.
"A seething rage burns in my heart and I can no longer wait. Your reign of terror, your tainted corruption, your insidious evil...it is all about to end! My blade has tasted the blood of every foe I have ever faced and you will be no different! At this moment, I swear on my life that I will do whatever it takes to bring you down!" proclaims Jagno heroically.
The air crackled with tension as Lemeo stood before him, an impenetrable wall of confidence.
He glared daggers at Jagno, his voice like a whip as he taunted and laughed, "What makes you think you have the power to overtake me? You are nothing in this world. This world is MINE -- I am the reigning master."
Jagno's chest heaved with anger and adrenaline as he readied himself for battle. His sword seemed to light up the courtyard -- a beam of hope amidst the darkness of Lemeo's scorn. He lunged forward with a roar, believing that he would cut right through his opponent.But when nothing happened, Lemeo's mocking laughter filled the air, as he sneered at the person in front of him.
"Is it really that strange that you are powerless? Your time has come and gone, ever since I decided to 'take over', and with it went any chance of you being a hero. How foolish and naïve to think that you can possibly make a difference."
His words hung in the air like a fog of cruel intent, delivered with icy contempt. His words stung more than any blade ever could have.
Lemeo bellows in rage as he grabs Jagno by the throat and hoists him up in the air, his feet dangling helplessly.
Jagno, gasping for air and struggling to speak, whispers "No...how could I fail? Everyone was counting on me and now everything is over."
Lemeo hisses back through gritted teeth, "Jagno, the ever-present truth of the universe is that good does not always win. The people of the world must accept this harsh lesson and learn from it, or else pay the price for their ignorance and hubris. With every defeat, the stakes get higher and the consequences more dire. Until then, the forces of darkness, fueled by their own unquenchable ambition, will descend upon them like a relentless storm just like I've been doing for so long, and I will continue to do so. It may be that one day someone will take me down, but that's not today."
Without warning, Lemeo hurls Jagno into a wall with incredible force, knocking him to the ground. He stalks towards him with his sword drawn, a cruel expression on his face.
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"Whoever is out there in this universe," Jagno speaks weakly between ragged breaths, "You have a long and difficult journey ahead of you. I may have failed, but at least I tried."
Lemeo towers above him with his blade pointed dangerously at Jagno's heart.
"It's over for you," he sneers. "No matter how brave the heart may be, I will always be the victor. Farewell, 'hero'."
With a swift thrust of his arm he runs his sword through Jagno's heart, bringing an end to his life.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Around the same time as Jagno's death, outside a grand manor house, at the edge of a dense forest in the countryside of Amia:
Here we meet Vin and his father, who had no choice but to flee for a reason yet unknown to the young Vin.
Vin's father was filled with urgency: "Quickly, Vin! We have to get out of here!"
Vin attempted to question why, but he was cut off by a deep, booming voice of a soldier echoing behind them, "There they are! Capture them!"
Vin's father jumped into action and took on two of the soldiers with ease, dodging the rest and telling Vin, "Run! Don't look back!"
As they ran through the trees, they could hear the cries of the soldiers echoing behind them. Hours and days passed as Vin and his father traveled through the forest. The forest was dark and dense, its branches making it difficult for Vin and his father to navigate.
Hungry and exhausted, they eventually stumbled upon a clearing where they were met with a startling sight - a old, but still beautiful, monastery stood before them.
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An older man, dressed in monk robes, looked up in surprise at seeing two travelers coming from that side of the forest. He kindly enquired if they had run into any trouble - particularly Imperial trouble.
"Though it looks bad, I promise we're not criminals or anything. We're just trying to escape the imperial forces," Vin's father insisted as he pulled his son close. "This is my son, Vin."
The old monk eyed the pair for a moment before replying gruffly, "You can save the extra details. You two look like you could use a helping hand. As you can see, this is a monastery - we live and train here as monks."
Vin and his father were being ushered off to a place to rest, when suddenly a boy came out of the monastery, eyes wide with surprise -- it was a boy named Windus, who's age was similar to Vin's.
"Master! Who are these strangers?" he asked.
"These are travelers we will be aiding. Windus, why don't you introduce yourself to that boy? Get to know him," commanded the wise old monk with a stern look in his eye, and with a look as if he knew what was coming.
Vin woke up in his quarters abruptly to the sound of a horse galloping away. He quickly got up to find his father gone, with what seemed like a hastily written letter beside him. He read it through blurry eyes, full of sadness and confusion.
"Vin,
I know this must be hard for you to understand, and probably even harder for you to accept. But I need you to know that I do have a reason for leaving and it's not because I don't care about you. I have something to do, something important, and I hope you will understand it one day. The old Monk here has promised to look after you, and it seems that you have made a good friend in that other boy. Just remember that I still love you deeply and we will find each other one day.
Until then,
Father"
The words in the letter didn't make sense to him and he was overwhelmed by a deep sense of abandonment. But at the same time, there was something familiar about it all; the old monk looking after him and the friendship he had with the other boy seemed reassuring. Vin wanted to be angry, but reading the letter stirred up old memories of his father. He knew he would see him again someday and that gave him comfort. He was confused and scared, but also hopeful.
Vin stumbled out of his quarters and dazedly wiped the tears staining his cheeks. As he could feel the weariness weighing down on his eyelids, a voice called out to him.
"Vin! I don't know why your father isn't here, and I won't ask. But you're here with us now, and if you are going to stay, you should learn to defend yourself. Just in case someone unfriendly comes looking for you. Meet me over by the river – let's spar. I'll teach you how to fight," said Windus.
Vin followed the boy monk towards the edge of the river, head spinning with questions. He had lived a life of ease in his manor before arriving here, and he had never needed to defend himself before now. Windus stopped abruptly, turning on his heel to face Vin with a serious expression.
"Attack me," he commanded crisply.
Vin threw a flurry of flailing punches at Windus, none of them landing their mark. Windus easily side-stepped them all before retaliating with a powerful kick that sent Vin staggering back several feet.
"That was a hard kick!" Staggered, Vin looked up at Windus in surprise.
The monk smirked wryly at him, "You didn't think monks were just silly old men in a temple, did you? I go through rigorous training to be what's called a 'shadow monk'. 'Shadow' because no one expects it...and of course, because we can hit quite hard!"
Without giving Vin time to react, Windus expertly struck him with a chop to the side of his neck, sending him crashing to the ground, rendering him unconscious.