Evening. Sun is setting. The village of Ryoma is bustling as usual. Everyone has been waiting to hear more from the man that came recently and is staying in the inn. This has become a tradition of sorts. He finishes one story and starts another. Yesterday, the man told the crowd about the exploits of a distinguished knight, a week ago, about a female assassin, that did not quarrel in terms of speed. And today we will tell a tale of a certain man. Young, old, small, and tall are gathering inside the Three Corners inn. And he sits there so very quietly. A calm, yet chilling aura engulfs the storyteller. Excited folk is whispering and murmuring around. When the clock strikes six, everyone throws any activity they had been doing and starts listening with total concentration. The man finishes his drink and slowly turns around to the cheerful villagers. His face is barely seen, due to his shroud. But his eyes are sharp. A smirk barely leaves his lips. He yawns and starts talking:

-“Well, hello good people. Today, I have a very special tale for you”.,- listeners get a bit too enthusiastic,-“Now, now. Let’s calm down a bit, alright?”,- calm words leave his mouth while he gestures for people to calm down:

-“I am sure you are all aware of an individual I am about to talk about. He was born in this world without a drop of mana. Using only his body and the sword he reached the top. Yes, my dear people. I am talking about none other than the Hanzo the Bloody Sword Saint”,- cheerful crown suddenly turned gloomy. They looked at each other with fearful looks. One of the kids suddenly shouted:

-“Isn’t that Hanzo fellow a monster from the East?”,- people got startled by a sudden shout. The man smirked and laughed:

-“Hahah. Indeed he is. He hails from the Empire of Zhoqin. In the past, they valued strong warriors that relied only on themselves. But the world, slowly but surely, influenced even that country which was isolated from the rest. The Mana Hierarchy was established there as well and at long last, the whole world was using a similar ruling system. Well, I won’t say it’s good or bad, I will let you be the judge here. Coming back to Hanzo, I would like to start with the origins of his. He was born into a farming family. He had a loving father and mother, and two younger siblings. They worked hard, laughed together, and ate whatever they could grow in their measly field. Villagers were nice to Hanzo and his family, they often interacted. While poor, the village shared a strong bond. Until the event that shook the world that is. In the city of Tengu, often referred to as “the Capital of the World”, a famous oracle had a sudden, horrifying vision. A child was born, in a world full of mana. But he was hated by it, it seems. So, to exact vengeance, the child will bathe the world in blood and flames. Everyone was scared out of their wits. “A demon! A literal demon!” one group said. “It must be killed” another lamented. And so, a verdict was sent from Tengu to all eight kingdoms and two empires of the world. Verdict stated that every child below the age of fifteen is hereby to be tested with the best quality mana detectors there are. And the Heavenly Capital tolerates no mistake. This news destroyed the fragile that all ten lands shared. The first to act was Zhoqin. With a big populace of ten million, the higher-ups quickly organized a check-up of all kids below the age needed. Hanzo’s village was on the outskirts of the outskirts. When the Royal Dragons, that’s what the army of the emperor was called, arrived everyone was cheerful and excited to see people clad in golden armor. The spokesperson announced that every child, below fifteen years of age, needs to be tested. The village was relatively small. Only a few kids fit the quota. The officials started testing the children. Hanzo was last in the line. When his turn came up, he stretched his hand with an innocent child smile on his face. But the tester’s face turned pale. He suddenly shouted to his colleagues” A-all clear. Let’s m-move out!”. Villagers were a bit confused, but just shrugged their shoulders and decided not to dwell on not their business. Everyone returned to their usual activities. Hanzo went to play with his friends for a bit. While our protagonist was playing, dark things were happening in the Imperial Court. The official that tested Hanzo’s village reported everything that he found thru a special stone tablet imbued with magic. An eerie silence filled his palanquin. After a few minutes order was given from Emperor Zhoqin. The official just sighed and apologized to the Heavens. Returning to our boy, he was preparing to eat dinner. Gleeful mood was filling the house. A tasty smell filled the small house. Everyone sit down and started eating. After the deed was done, father told some fairy tales or bogus stories he had heard when he was young. Even if they were an absolute wagon of lies, Hanzo’s and his siblings' eyes sparked with joy. After storytime ended, the family went to sleep. Their beds were made of some straw and planks, while not the best, but still, a place to rest. Sadly, the peaceful sleep was interrupted by ominous screams and light coming from the window. The family woke up, knowing nothing about what was transpiring. Dad was the first to regain his wits and said:” Linda, take the kids and stay put, I will check out what is happening”. Mother responded:” O-okay dear.” Father took his woodcutter’s axe and went outside. Malevolent silence filled the air. Kids were shaking from fear. A lot of questions filled their minds. After a while, father returned. He was crying and laughing like a crazy bum. Linda, Hanzo’s mother obviously, asked:” What’s wrong? A menacing figure suddenly stopped. A shell that stood there sighed heavily and thru tears and laughter started to speak:

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-“You are asking what happened? I will tell you, you bitch. Do you hear the screams? That’s the villagers being massacred left and right. Do you see the light coming from the windows? That is fire, burning everything in its path. And the story gets better from here. It seems the culprit is a mana-less freak born in this very village. Heaven has abandoned us.” The house was once filled with a malicious air. And then, out of nowhere, dad glared at Hanzo and started shouting:

-YOU!! IF ONLY YOU WERE’NT BORN!,- Hanzo’s eyes filled with tears and confusion. His mother came to a sudden realization and shunned the boy's way. He could lament with pain “m-mom?” to which his mother responded. “Get away from us you FREAK!” after these words she snapped and started hugging the other two kids strongly. With intervals of screaming and whispering she repeated the same line:” You are my only children, you two!”. Hanzo was shocked. Just today, everyone was cheerful and happy. And now, everyone’s crying. Only a moment later, Hanzo’s father let a beastly scream and leaped towards the boy. Good thing Hanzo was somewhat agile, and the axe strike grazed his leg. The bad thing is that his father could no longer control his mana. He was going thru Personification. While I think you are all well informed, let me tell you what Personification is, my lovely audience. When a person goes thru a big emotional experience, their mana goes out of control. Let’s take Hanzo’s father for example. His inborn element was wood. I will get into the mana-related subjects more in-depth later on in the story, I assure you. Coming back to the matter at hand, everyone experiences different Personification. But the common thing is a Loss of rational thought. The father was swinging his axe randomly. His skin started to turn into wood. If his axe landed, wood splinters would start going in all directions. One such splinter pierced thru Hanzo’s leg. Boy wailed in agony, but that didn’t stop his father. While Hanzo was down, he struck him. The axe was dull, which is why the wound on Hanzo’s back was shallow. The woodman grabbed the boy. He held him firmly. Hanzo’s cries reached no one. While he was confused, he blamed himself. At that moment, someone shouted from the outside:” Bring the boy here. Now!”. The wood monster kicked out the door while dragging Hanzo. The people got flustered. The commander-in-chief gave a sudden order. To exterminate everyone that breathes. While his father heard nothing, inside Hanzo’s something snapped. His senses became sharper, and the pain dulled. Perhaps the fear of death or guilt awakened his primal instincts. With one swift movement, he jumped on the monster’s hand and bit hard as he could. Blood came from his mouth, but the grip lessened. The boy didn’t let this opportunity pass. Quick as a feline, dashed towards the forest. Woodman, of course, wanted to make chase but was struck by an enormous glaive. Soldiers took the monster’s body and placed it inside the house. Commander ordered to check the house for anyone alive. When soldiers came back from the house, they reported that they found a woman and two kids. They all ceased to breathe. Commander just shook his head and said to the soldiers to burn the house. After It burned to nothing but ash, he ordered a chase to the forest to find the one who escaped. Phew, my dear crowd, I am parched. I will continue the story after I get something to drink. The teller of the story laughed and went to grab a drink. While his audience was shocked to hear the origins of a man that destroyed the very foundations of the world.