The Enlightened sword
Chapter 1: The Birth of a Warlord’s Son
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The first cries of a newborn echoed through the great halls of Baek Fortress. Outside, the wind howled over the snow-covered cliffs, whispering through the ancient pines that stood as silent witnesses to another heir’s arrival. Within the inner chambers, lanterns flickered, casting wavering shadows over the polished stone walls.
Baek Yeon had been born into power.
The Baek Clan, one of the Five Great Warlord Houses of the Eastern Continent, ruled the northern provinces with an iron grip. His father, Baek Jin, was a legend—a warlord whose blade had carved kingdoms into submission, a man feared by both allies and enemies. His mother, Lady Hyeon, was the daughter of a renowned scholar, a woman whose wisdom tempered the fire of her husband’s ambition.
But there was no celebration. No laughter.
Baek Jin stood beside the bed where his wife lay, pale and weak from childbirth. His piercing gaze remained on the newborn, studying the infant with the scrutiny of a general inspecting a soldier.
“A warrior must be born strong,” he muttered, his voice devoid of warmth. “His cries are weak.”
Lady Hyeon, despite her exhaustion, pulled the baby closer to her chest, shielding him from his father’s cold eyes. “Strength is not measured at birth, my lord. It is forged.”
Baek Jin did not reply. Instead, he turned and left the chamber, his heavy boots echoing in the silence.
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THE CHILDHOOD OF THE HEIR
Baek Yeon was raised in the shadow of his father’s expectations.
From the moment he could walk, he was trained in the art of war. His mornings began before dawn, his small hands gripping a wooden sword as he practiced under the watchful eyes of veteran warriors. He was taught discipline, tactics, and combat, not as a child but as a soldier in training.
Pain was his first teacher.
At the age of six, he learned that hesitation meant failure. A sparring match against his elder brother left him with a broken rib. He was not allowed to cry. By nine, he understood that mercy had no place in battle. A lesson drilled into him when he watched a traitor beheaded in the courtyard, the blood staining the white snow beneath his feet.
Yet, despite the brutal training, Baek Yeon was different.
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Unlike his brothers, who relished the thrill of combat, he often found himself questioning. Why did strength determine a man’s worth? Why did victory require the suffering of others? These were thoughts he kept to himself, for in the Baek Clan, doubt was weakness, and weakness was not tolerated.
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THE FOUR SIGHTS OF BAEK YEON
Baek Fortress was isolated, surrounded by mountains and rivers that served as natural defenses. The outside world was a distant reality, spoken of only in reports brought by messengers. But on his fifteenth year, Baek Yeon was allowed to leave the fortress for the first time, accompanying his father on a military campaign.
It was during this journey that he encountered the Four Sights that would change his life forever.
The First Sight: The Old Warrior
As they rode through a village, Baek Yeon noticed an elderly soldier sitting alone, his armor rusted, his hands trembling as he tried to sharpen a dull blade. Once, this man had been a fearsome warrior. Now, he was a relic, discarded and forgotten.
For the first time, Baek Yeon understood that strength was fleeting.
The Second Sight: The Dying Child
Further along the road, he saw a mother cradling her sick child, her wails piercing through the cold air. The villagers whispered that the boy had been poisoned by tainted water, a consequence of war destroying their lands. No wealth, no power, no sword could save him.
For the first time, Baek Yeon questioned the price of conquest.
The Third Sight: The Battlefield of the Dead
Reaching the warfront, he witnessed the aftermath of battle. The ground was littered with corpses, bodies of soldiers and peasants alike. Blood soaked the earth, and crows feasted on the fallen.
For the first time, Baek Yeon saw the true face of war.
The Fourth Sight: The Wandering Monk
As they set up camp, a lone monk approached, dressed in tattered robes, his face serene despite the horrors surrounding him. He carried no weapon, no armor—only wisdom. When Baek Yeon asked why he walked unafraid, the monk simply smiled.
"Because I seek no victory, nor do I fear loss," he said.
That night, Baek Yeon could not sleep.
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THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS A NEW PATH
When the campaign ended, Baek Yeon returned home, but he was no longer the same. The questions that had lingered in his heart now demanded answers. He began seeking knowledge beyond war, secretly reading the texts stored in the fortress library—books on philosophy, history, and the teachings of wandering sages.
One evening, his father discovered him.
“You waste your time with words instead of steel?” Baek Jin’s voice was sharp with disappointment. “A Baek does not ponder. A Baek acts.”
Baek Yeon met his father’s gaze. For the first time in his life, he did not lower his head. “Is there no path beyond war, Father?”
The warlord’s eyes darkened. “Only the weak ask such things.”
That night, Baek Yeon made his decision.
Before dawn, he donned a simple robe, took nothing but a single sword, and left the fortress behind. He walked away from power, from a future of bloodshed, from the destiny his father had written for him.
Where was he going? He did not know.
All he knew was that the path of the warlord was not his.
And so, with the first rays of morning light breaking over the mountains, Baek Yeon took his first step towards a new destiny.
A path not of conquest, but of understanding.
A path that would one day make him legend.
The Path of the Enlightened Sword.
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END OF CHAPTER 1