I woke up staring at a bland stone ceiling. That’s right, I had been given a room to sleep in. I tried my best to recall our conversation the day before.

His name was Nobunaga Oda. He looked about the same age as me, so I didn’t really think too much about him. However I tried to recall that thing I saw… that thing behind him as he walked. It was just a glimpse, but I remembered seeing something akin to a flame. A dark, most unusual and unnatural thing to see.

I had been taken out of the arena, to a camp located just outside of the castle in Ethel. The castle was in a catastrophic shape, like it had just gone through hell. Apparently it had indeed just gone through hell, in the form of a siege. Ethel for the longest time had been a slave city, built on the blood and sweat of the poor and the pitiful. Until two days ago when the city had been taken over by Nobunaga and his army.

While I had been stuck inside of that cave, a civil war had broken out. On the day that I was to go to Visereal, four moons ago, the members of the royal court had conspired against Malvin Morgenstern, the current king’s final will. As the dead king was unable to name a proper heir to the throne, the families and houses that co-existed had plotted to overthrow the throne and take it for themselves. Leading us to this point - a brutal civil war in a time where the nation had no leader, nor hope.

All the cities went under lockdown, allowing none to enter or to leave. As a result villages furthest away from the cities fell to bandits. Realizing that the cities had been completely shut in, they creeped closer and closer, taking over more and more land without the intervention of the cities’ guards. Soon most of the land that the kingdom had managed had been lost to wild savages. The inside of the cities were no better. The nobles and the bureaucrats did as they wished without the supervision of a greater power, and all the cities fell to corruption. In summary, while I had been locked away in that cave the entire kingdom had gone to shit.

And with the fall of the cities came the rise of the peasants. Nobunaga was a bastard child of a whore that had been abandoned at a small village. Very few knew that he was actually a bastard child of Malvin Morgenstern, illegitimate heir to the throne. So when the courts fell, and there was no leader for the kingdom to unite under, Nobunaga took the opportunity. A child, no older than me, seized the chance to become a king. His revolution began with a handful of people. Villagers with pitchforks, torches and whatever scraps they could round up. It only grew in size as they moved on from village to village, attacking smaller bandit groups and continuously expanding their army.

All of which would have taken a lot of effort and charisma to pull off. Yet Nobunaga had been able to do it. A child no older than me. I wasn’t just impressed, I was curious. What kind of person was he that he was able to pull it off? Was it just because the blood of the king ran through his veins?

“Do you have a family?” he asked me yesterday as we sat down in a tent.

“No. Not anymore.”

“I see,” he poured me a cup of water. The sound of muffled shouting penetrated the thin tent walls. Now that there wasn't sand in my eyes and my eyesight had gotten better, he seemed more like an adult than I initially thought. He wasn’t of amazing physique or anything, but the way he carried himself was mature, calculated and confident. All things that I picked up on.

“Do you want to talk about your past?” he asked.

“No.”

“Then I won’t pry much,” he picked up a piece of paper. I saw a few letters, recognizing the words. How long had it been since I had last read a book?

“So… like I said,” he put his elbows on the table, putting his hands up on the table. “Will you help me?”

“Why me?” I asked. “There’s plenty of other people you can ask to join your little boy band.”

“I like to think that I’m a good judge of character,” he smiled without any change in his tone. “And you caught my eye.”

“You must be insane to think that I’m any good.”

“That’s a matter of perspective.”

“And what do you make of me?”

“I think… you’re not unreasonable.”

“And you say that based on what?”

“Our conversation right now,” he smirked. “You understand civility. I believe that you’re a reasonable person at the very least.”

He wasn’t wrong.

“I suppose,” I shrugged. “Still, not much to work off of.”

“I also know,” he began. “You’ve gone through something that’s changed your life.”

“And how do you know that?”

“That power of yours,” he stared at me intensely. “It’s not yours, is it?”

I paused. “What if I say that’s true?”

“You have something inside of you, don’t you?

“What do you mean by that?’

“Your powers aren’t your own. You’ve inherited your powers from someone, or something. A contract perhaps?”

I paused. He wasn’t exactly right, but it wasn’t like the principle of his idea was wrong.

“You will be more powerful than most will be. And unlike me, you have the potential to become someone that’s truly powerful.”

“And you’re not afraid I’d try to overthrow you?”

“I need someone with ambition. Someone that wants to grow stronger, someone that wants to be something more.” he stated confidently. “You’re also the same age as me. You appear before me just as I needed someone of your abilities. And like I said, I like to think that I’m a good judge of character. I’d like to believe that the gods put you in my way for a reason.”

“And you trust the gods?” I raised an eyebrow. “The same gods that made this flawed world?”

“Merely a figure of speech,” he waved his hand playfully.

“What’s your goal?” I leaned forward. “What are you looking to do?”

“You’re the one asking questions now, are you? Have I piqued your interest?”

“Just answer the question.”

“Well… let’s see,” he paused for a second. “To become king.”

“Such simplicity.”

“I’m a simple man,” he smiled. “But what matters more is why I chose to become king.”

The tone of his voice became serious. He wasn’t smiling anymore either. “I grew up in the slums, fending for myself. I’ve seen the worst of humanity. I’ve seen what happens when people stoop as low as they can for what seems like nothing. And on the other end I’ve known ever since my mother told me with her dying breath that I am the son of a king. The son of a man that has failed his kingdom, a man that has run a kingdom into the ground. My mother told me tales of the royal courts. How they rabble over minor details, wasting resources over the most trivial matters. I never had the privilege of staying long enough to see the courts.”

He sounded bitter. Angry. Passionate.

“The people I know don’t deserve to die just because a single king made a mistake. Why must an entire nation repent for one man’s sins? I won’t watch idly by while innocent and good people die. I decided that from then on that I’d do anything… anything in order to change the world. I don’t know how much I can do… but I’ve come this far. I started with a few farmers, gathering people up along the way. And now I have a small army, ready to siege a small city. If I must… I’ll reclaim my birthright. I’ll become the king that my father couldn’t. No matter the cost.”

I listened carefully. He was firm in the way he spoke, unlike most people I talked to before. He wasn’t screwing around, he was doing it because he believed it was his purpose.

“Well, you must be tired,” the tone of his voice returned to normal. “You should rest. We shall talk again after you’ve cleared your mind.”

And so I was guided here, and given a warm meal of stewed potatoes with salt. It was bland but much tastier than centipedes and cockroaches. I had been given considerable time to think this over, and it wasn’t something that had been forced onto me. It really felt like he was giving me a choice, which made me even more curious.

Just like last night they had left some food for me on the table. The same as before, boiled potatoes but at least I still had some salt with it. I had a chance to look at my broken sword. The hilt was in bad shape but still usable. I had no reason to cling onto such a weapon, but something deep inside compelled me to.

I ate it and got myself out of the room. The musty castle air didn’t sit right with me. As I walked out, the light glared at my eyes, and for the first time in many moons I finally had a proper opportunity to see the sun. It was bright yellow, rising up in the mellow evening air. I had slept for quite a while, considering it was already far past dawn. Something that I would have to fix at my own time.

“Have you come to a decision?”

“If you know me then you should already know the answer.”

“I merely want to hear it right from you.”

“You’ll see then.”

I found the tent that I was at yesterday. It was larger than the others, and there wasn’t much noise coming from it. I went in, and there he was, at the exact same spot he was yesterday. It was as if he had never moved from that spot.

“Good morning, had a good night’s sleep?” he asked without looking up.

“I did.”

“Good, sit down.”

I did as he said, taking a seat that wasn’t too far from him.

“Excuse me, give me a moment,” he put his quill down, looking up at me with serious, fixated eyes. “Have you given my offer a thought yet?”

“Yes, I have,” I answered confidently.

“Well then, I’d like to hear your answer then.”

“Just one thing, before I do.”

“If I say no, what would you do to me?”

“Hmm…” he paused. “I’d thank you for your consideration, then send you on your way.”

“Didn’t you ask for my help?”

“I did. But I gave you a choice. And if you chose no, then that’s that.”

The question bounced back to me. I hadn’t given him a clear answer yet after he had been so patient in waiting for me to respond.

“It’s going to be a long and difficult road ahead, isn’t it?” I muttered.

“Indeed. That’s been apparent to me from the very beginning.”

“Then let’s get started,” I stood up, my broken sword holstered at the side of my simple gray garb.

Nobunaga lit up like a beacon. He seemed satisfied with the response I had given him, and he stood up as well.

“Very well,” he chuckled. “Let’s get you introduced to my friends.”

The road to the training grounds was a short one. It was located quite close to his tent, just adjacent where what remained of a garden stood tall. Burnt and half-cut trees were scattered across the area, but there was a clearing in which several soldiers were sparring, training and practicing.

“What should I call you?” I asked.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Just Nobunaga. Anything but Lord Morgenstern, if possible.”

“That’s right. Why’s your last name Oda?”

“I’d rather take my mother’s name than that dying bastard’s.”

It seemed like I had touched on a rather bad topic, so I didn’t pry any further. When we got close to the soldiers that were training, some of them stopped to bow as Nobunaga passed by.

“I told you guys to stop that,” Nobunaga scratched his head. They began talking as I looked around. The weapons that they used for practice were made out of wood, and the steel weapons that were not being used at the moment were in bad condition.

“So, you’re going to need a new sword, aren’t you?” Nobunaga returned to my side.

I held the shattered sword in my hand. I hated it, because it was a constant reminder of my past. A reminder of the first time I drew blood, and a memory of the most agonizing thing I had ever gone through.

And yet in spite of all the pain it reminded me of, I still held onto it firmly, unable to let go. Keeping a firm grasp on the past.

“Yes, that would be nice.”

“Are you going to hold onto that?” he stared at the broken sword I held in my hand.

“Yes.”

“It’s broken.”

“But still usable. I’ll need a sheath for this, perhaps I can one that’s meant to hold a dagger.”

“If you insist,” he indulged my stupid request pretty quickly. “But let’s get started now.”

“With?” I turned to him, noticing that everyone else had cleared from the practice area pretty quickly. It was just us two now, while the other soldiers had taken a break, sitting on the sidelines.

“Training.”

I hadn’t noticed before but he had been carrying a sword all this time. He stepped away before drawing it, revealing a beautiful katana, one that basked in the afternoon sun, reflecting the afternoon heat within it’s orange gleam. Immediately he took up a stance, using both hands, fiercely planting his feet into the ground.

In opposition I held up my broken blade. Black tendrils stretched across the tip of my fingers, climbing up to form a light longsword.

“His mana is weak, but his will is strong.”

We walked around in a circle, observing each other carefully. There was no point in running into things. We were two children, younger than most, but we were unlike most. We had seen things that we shouldn’t have and we had been forced to become men.

I struck first, dashing in with a sweeping arc. The air spliced apart as I cut through, small sparks flying as our blades collided. And from then on, we stood on equal grounds for the rest of the spar. Every move I tried to make he predicted and blocked perfectly without hesitation, and every attack he tried to initiate I foresaw, preparing a counterattack in preparation. For an hour, there was not a single drop of blood, only sweat as it dripped down onto the cobble path below.

I could have pushed, after all I knew that I was physically strong. We both hand two swords, and human bodies. I felt that if I attempted to overthrow that balance by taking advantage of Asura’s gifts, then I would be playing dirty.

After an hour my hands began to shake, and so did his. However the smile on his face only grew wider as if he had found an invaluable treasure. Our swords clashed one more time, before his hands gave away and he was forced to drop his katana onto the ground.

He was just as good as me at the sword, if not better. I had no idea how he had nurtured his abilities, but he probably didn’t have teachers like I did. And yet, he was able to stand on equal footing as me. Respect fluttered inside of me, unbeknownst to me I was envious as well.

“You’re good,” he fell onto his butt, putting his hands on the ground. The sun illuminated the palm of his hands, revealing scars and calluses that had formed over the years. A symbol of the amount of work he had put into refining his swordplay.

“You’re better,” I gave him a hand, and pulled him up. I didn’t like being touched, but I had extended my hand willingly.

“You were holding back,” he smiled. He knew.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be, it was a good spar!” he laughed heartily.

“And it’s gotten me all fired up!” I heard a booming voice behind me. Nobunaga waved behind me and I turned to come face to face with one of the three soldiers that I had fought yesterday. It was the red warrior with the spear. He was no longer wearing the same red armor, but a simple tunic. Yet he still stood out due to his bright red hair, which almost seemed to resonate the same color as Nobunaga’s blade.

“Name’s Ivan,” he slung his arm around me. I didn’t like that.

I glared at him, slapping his arm away. “Don’t touch me,” I hissed.

“Feisty one we have here,” Ivan laughed it off. “I like that.” He backed off, creating some distance between us. Now that he wasn’t wearing his cloak I could tell that he was brutally strong. His muscles were substantially larger than I had expected, white scarring lining every sinew that I could see. He was still carrying the same spear from yesterday, and upon closer inspection it didn’t really seem all that special.

“So… you’ve made your decision?” he stared intently at me.

“Why else would I be here?”

“Good,” he laughed heartily. “I like that look in your eyes. Shows that you’re not some common fodder.”

“Don’t touch me.”

“I won’t, I won’t. I get it,” he put his hands up in the air, backing off.

“This is Ivan. He’s one of the current commanders we have,” Nobunaga introduced. “Ivan, play nice. He’s new here.”

“Sheesh, why you gotta be so uptight?” Ivan scratched his head. “I’m just messing with you.”

Nobunaga was the same age as me, twelve. However Ivan looked like he was already twenty, much older than us. He was much taller than me, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was even older than I thought. I wondered just what sort of events led up to them being a part of the same cause.

“I’ll be teaching you the ways of war,” Ivan squatted down, coming down to my level. “You’re a swordsman, aren't you?”

“I am,” I crossed my arms.

“Good. You’ll need to learn to fight.”

“I know how to fight,” I snickered.

“No, you know how to use a sword. You have no idea how to fight.”

“Pff,” Ivan laughed, looking down at the floor. And as his face came up, a completely different expression had taken over. “Do you think what you’re doing is fighting?”

I remained silent.

“In the pits yesterday why didn’t you use the sand to blind me? Why didn’t you kill me even after I gave you so many openings? Why couldn’t you match my speed even when I slowed myself down to give you a chance?” he stood up once more, casting a shadow on me. “You know how to hold a sword. I can tell just by the way you hold your position and grasp your blade that you’re actually accustomed to it. However if anything, you have no idea how to fight a war. It’s not about being clean. It’s about fighting to survive, and in the middle of the battle it doesn’t matter what you have to do. Even if you have to scoop up someone’s shit to throw it into your opponent’s face, or to use your dead friend’s body as a shield, you do it.”

That really surprised me. He seemed like an honest and in your face type of person, but I hadn’t expected that to go down that quickly.

“If you listen to me,” Ivan continued. “I’ll make sure you survive every battle. You’ve killed before. You’re a step ahead of most people I’ve worked with.” He smiled. “And I think you’ll make a good soldier.”

I paused for a moment. I wasn’t very fond of how dynamic and in your face he was. I hadn’t dealt with someone like him before. However I could tell that he was trying to help me. Trying to drill some of the experience that he had earned over the years into me.

“Alright,” I replied.

“Good,” he smiled, throwing out a thumbs up right into my face. “I like the way you fought yesterday. You started off looking like a dead donkey. And now you look like you want to live.”

The way that he phrased that was interesting. I simply nodded in agreement as he began to shout at the other soldiers to start practicing again.

“The war ain’t gonna wait! Move your ass!” he shouted across the air. Immediately every soldier that was on break a second ago began swinging their weapons. Without missing a beat he went around, slapping everyone's backs, shouting at them to go harder at it. Nobody complained. In fact, his shouting was only met with more effort and laughter.

“So, you actually joined us?” I heard a yawn behind me. I turned around to come face to face with a woman chewing on a piece of bread. She had bags under her eyes, and had purple hair and large breasts that made her stand out from everyone else I had met that day.

“Do I know you?” I asked as I stepped backward.

“We fought yesterday, did you already forget?” she yawned again.

I tried my best to recall but the day before was mostly a blur. As soon as I had been able to get a chance to sleep I had dropped dead into bed without a single care in the world.

“Well, the name’s Lucy. It’s just what I like being called, so it'd be nice if you remember me. It’d be quite a hassle if I have to introduce myself every time,” she kept eating slowly. The way that she looked at me was quite strange. She kept staring at me without any reason. She walked to my side before leaning in to whisper in my ear. “I don’t trust you.”

I remained silent.

“Whatever it was that you pulled off yesterday…. it wasn't natural. It most definitely wasn’t human. Nobunaga thinks that you’ll be essential to us rebellion. I disagree. If you do anything that even remotely doubts your loyalty I’ll burn you to a crisp.” she whispered as she walked past me without another word. If I were to guess she was the fire mage yesterday. As opposed to Ivan, she had a much more sluggish and lazy personality. More importantly, she hadn’t truly recognized me just yet.

“Ah ha! Lucy!” I saw Ivan run over to her. “You’ve gained weight!”

Before Ivan was able to get out another word Lucy slammed Ivan on the head so hard he fell onto the stone floors below, shattering it.

“You have no tact!” she shouted.

“Those two… are always… like that,” there was a gentle and soft voice beside me. I turned to meet the third person I had met in the pits yesterday. The one in the raven mask. I thought that it was a man but I had most definitely heard a woman’s voice just now. “Sorry,” she apologized. “My name is… Eileen.”

“Magnus,” I introduced myself again.

“Nice to… meet you,” it seemed she had some sort of a stutter.

“Likewise.”

She remained by my side awkwardly. Not knowing what to say, I turned my attention back to the scenery in front of me.

Lucy had Ivan in a headlock while he was laughing his head off. I had never seen such behavior before, so I was somewhat confused.

“You get… used to it,” Eileen tilted her head to the side.

“I see.”

Another short pause. Out of them all it seemed she was the least of a conversationalist, which didn’t bother me in the least.

And that was the end of that. She didn’t press any further, and she left me alone.

The rest of the day was me being dragged into their tempo. It was a wild ride being around them, each of them and their very distinct personalities.

Ivan was a very open and energetic person. He shouted whenever he had the chance to and kept everyone on their toes. His voice was booming and recognizable from across the castle, I was surprised his lungs hadn’t bursted open.

Lucy was quiet and reserved. She had her own thing going on, often keeping to herself. Although I noticed that even though she often said that she didn’t care, she would act in a way that contradicted herself.

Eileen was the same, quiet and simple. However she was very quick and objective, often acting in predictable and logical ways. Unlike the others she didn’t let emotions or words cloud her judgement. I liked that.

Nobunaga was… strange. Everyone liked him, and everyone knew him. From dawn till dusk, he would go through the town himself, checking on everything to make sure operations ran smoothly. Nothing escaped his sharp eye, and I couldn’t lie, he was a good leader. Someone that didn’t just sit back in his chair to have underlings do it for him. Someone that was hands-on, someone that led by example.

The king the people needed.

There was a certain distance between me and them. It wasn’t them trying to intentionally leave me out but it didn’t feel like they had room for anyone else in their small little world.

“Are you Magnus?” I heard a voice as I stood at the side of the training grounds. Night had fallen, and everyone was resting now. I was taking a breather before heading back inside for the night.

“Who’s asking?” I turned around.

“Nobunaga’s told me about you,” she didn’t answer my question.

“And you are?”

“Delilah, Delilah Silverclaw,” she made it sound like I was supposed to know who she was.

“And how may I help you?”

“Not really sure… especially when you’re so small,” she was considerably taller than me. And obviously a lot older than me. Her facial features were very smooth and looking at her hands, unlike the others there was no indication that she had ever done any form of menial work before.

“And so is Nobunaga,” I shrugged.

“He’s different.”

“Not from me.”

She smiled, amused. If I were to guess she was around twenty. Not only was she tall, but her body proportions were bigger than a young adult’s. But her age and looks was the least of my interest.

“We should become acquainted with each other,” she came closer to me. “I’m the spymaster. I’ll be the one to give you tasks and information, when the need arises. Although right now, I’m having difficulty figuring why Nobunaga put his faith in a child.”

“Ask him, not me,” I shrugged.

“You don’t seem like the type to stand out to me.”

“Neither do you.”

“I like to keep a low profile,” her smile was playful and mischievous.

“Great minds think alike,” I kept eye contact with her the whole time. It felt like she was trying to understand me, peel me apart to find out what I was underneath. I wouldn’t allow that.

“A child, but already so shrewd,” she nodded in approval. “You’re certainly unlike most boys on the streets.”

I didn’t respond to that.

“Anyways,” she smiled. “We’ll be seeing more of each other very soon.”

I already knew that in a way, she was a schemer. Someone that likes to pull the strings from the shadows, completely out of harm's way. I already didn’t trust her. And I didn’t want to.

She bowed, taking her leave with her two bodyguards by her side. I realized that the two were recognizable by the color schemes of their clothing. One was decorated in gold while the other was dressed in silver.

Without much else to do, I made my way back to my room.

From my small room I had a small overview across the city. It was larger than I had initially thought, and under the night sky I could see the small lights flickering on and off, on and off.

I had exactly one year to prepare for war. One year to master the sword and my magic, twelve moons before we continued our journey to take over the kingdom of Visereal.

They had taken this city a couple days ago, using all of their resources to take over this city. And now they needed time to recuperate, giving some time to get myself together.

“You have quite the journey ahead of you, Magnus.”

“It’ll be annoying with you constantly whispering in my ear.”

“I can’t have you dying on me. Not yet.”

“So you’re telling me I will die, eventually?”

“Everyone dies.”

“Thank god.”

Our conversation went back and forth. I didn’t like to admit it but he was a strange and interesting voice. Someone that I didn’t want to listen to, because I would get dragged into his ideals.

“Do you think you made the right choice?” I finally listened to him.

“I don’t know.”

I joined them in their journey because I wanted to avenge my sister. I wanted to make the world a better place, in a way, by making sure what happened to me never happened to anyone ever again. Even if it meant that I had to stain my hands with the blood of hundreds, even if it meant I had to take up the role of the monsters that made me the way I was. I was nothing but a hypocrite.