It was a little cottage in the countryside. A knight with flowing blonde hair and sparkling platinum armour kissed his wife goodbye. "Alf, please return safely," she pleaded. He responded, "Don't be worried. It's not for nothing that I'm known as the strongest swordsman." As he leaves the house, a child's cry can be heard. His daughter, who had just turned three years old.

The cottage was quite close to a huge wall, which was the wall that surrounded the perimeter of the Kingdom. It was quite strong, having been fortified by the king's own magic.

Alf, despite being a commoner, was the childhood friend of the king Ragnar Barovia.Together, they built a kingdom by uniting the cities destroyed by the demons. The kingdom grew prosperous and influential over time.

Alf met Ragnar at the gates of the wall. Ragnar had deep red hair and was majestic. He had a rugged appearance and a scruffy beard. He usually never lost his cool despite facing humongous challenges, but this time he was nervous. He said, in a shaky voice, "The Demon army is only 20 minutes away. They're moving much quicker than we anticipated."

Alf replied with confidence, “Don’t worry. I am the strongest swordsman and you are the strongest mage. Together we can overcome any challenge.” They assembled outside the wall along with 500 of the kingdom's strongest soldiers. They were all riding horses and charged before the demons could approach the walls.

The demons were usually crimson red in colour, short in stature and had ugly faces. They resembled goblins because they descended from the same ancestor. They were primitive, with wooden clubs in their hands. They covered themselves in the tough wolf skins. Some of the demons were highly advanced; they could converse with humans and even perform magic.

The land outside the walls was barren; there was no visible life in the vicinity. The demons had absorbed the life force in order to strengthen themselves. Demons attacked the wall on a regular basis, although in small groups of no more than 50. They were easily eliminated by the archers on the wall.

As Alf and Ragnar marched along with the Kingdom’s strongest warriors. They soon began to see the demon army. It was a massive horde, far larger than they had anticipated.

The demons and goblins united together and marched to the kingdom of Barovia. Though demons and goblins are weaker than humans, they overwhelmed them with numbers. Their numbers had exceeded 100,000. The strongest soldiers of the kingdom trembled with fear as they saw the massive horde of demons and goblins approaching them. Ragnar spoke shakily, "The kingdom has reached its end." There was no way to defeat them.

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Despite this, Alf leapt from the horse and dashed towards the demons.  Despite the overwhelming numbers, he was confident. With a swipe of his sword, he slashed through hundreds of demons and goblins. After gaining confidence from this, the troops charged into battle.

Ragnar came back to his senses and shouted, "Fly." It was a spell that enabled him to soar through the skies. He flew above the demon army and chanted "Breath of the Dragon," a strong magic spell that instantly destroyed thousands of demons. Using such powerful magic had its consequences; it drained the majority of his mana. Ragnar began to use his life force as a substitute for mana, a skill he discovered in the deepest of dungeons.

He was suddenly struck by a huge icicle. It was the Goblin Lord's spell. The Goblin Lord was several times the size of a typical goblin. He was dressed in a black cloak and held a wooden staff. It was odd for the goblins to learn such a powerful magical spell. Ragnar suffered a deep wound and fell from the skies. Alf went on a rampage, hacking through all the demons in his path. The soldiers were powerful but lacked the necessary skills to overcome the overwhelming numbers. The demons and goblins had overwhelmed and killed the toughest warriors of the kingdom and charged to the walls of Barovia.

Even with his incredible skills, Alf was unable to stop the horde. The demons and goblins had smashed past the wall's gates. He ran to protect his family, but by the time he arrived, the goblins had already overrun the city. He discovered his wife's lifeless body, who had died protecting their daughter.

After losing his only friend and the love of his life, Alf let his emotions overpower him. He disregarded his own safety and charged toward the demons, slicing through them. He leapt at the Goblin Lord, who Alf considered being defenceless. But before he knew it, Alf was on the ground with a sword in his stomach. Because of his wrath, he had let his guard down.

As he took his final breath, he vowed to avenge his family and eradicate all demons he comes across. With that, he closed his eyes.

As he opened his eyes again the scenery was that of the medieval ages. In the middle of the beautiful vast plains lay a singular oak tree. A young boy in his early teens lay under it as if he had fainted while running away from something.

He had a thin and frail body, dirty blonde hair, and an innocent face. A strong gust of wind blew and he opened his eyes. He looked around, confused as to where he was. Then, a sudden rush of memories flowed through him. He was no other than Alf Cromwell, he who rose to the highest position as a magic swordsman in the kingdom of Barovia.

The boy under the tree was Alf. He had regressed to being a 14 year old. It was probably Ragnar who performed this magic with his dying breath, he thought to himself. He said to himself, “Don’t worry Ragnar, Karla, I will find you again. I will become stronger than any man and annihilate those demon bastards.”

[Note: Karla is the name of his wife]