Born on the fifth of Berocter, during the warmest months of the season cycle, Goddard Byron emerged as a newborn babe.

  The second son of Lord Byron, Goddard was a gift unto the Byron family. His brother, Paxton, was a loving sibling who was very dilligent and offered a good role model for Goddard. Being only a year younger, Goddard would constantly compete with Paxton in order to find out who was better between them. Paxton always won, until the day that they were

ten years old.

  Being a Lord in the Council of Lorain, Byron's children were made subjects of a magical equivilancy exam. Paxton was found to contain an ungodly high ability for white magic (healing, buffs, light generation) while Goddard discovered he contained the highest recorded ability in warrior magic (muscle strengthening, weapon empowering, armored skin). The two brothers were immediately sent off to a school for magicians.

  The two brothers subsequently lost touch throughout the year due to different classes, but they promised to join forces for the end of year mock battles. The two brothers went all the way to the finals, but lost to a more powerful senior team which had the top five students of the entire school among their ranks. Due to some internal squabbles, the two teams had a very heated battle that almost cost Paxton his life.

  During the summer break, the Byron brothers were given praise as the first entries to ever match their seniors. The two brothers got closer, even as they navigated the confusing feelings that come with growing up. They both had crushes, sometimes the same girl, sometimes polar opposites. They would be violently angry with each other, then protective for one another, and sometimes the situation demanded they seperate on bad terms. Through the ups and downs of magician's school, the two brothers became massively powerful in their own respects.

  When they graduated, Goddard was made a High Captain in the Lorain Royal Forces while Paxton was made an attendant of Princess Victoria. The two brothers both worked in the royal palace, albeit, in completely different wings. They met up frequently to talk about work and other matters. Despite Paxton having next to no combat magic, Goddard still deeply respected his brother for the wisdom and willpower he displayed.

  Then, the demons attacked.

  A portal to another world tore apart a mountain. Peace that had lasted a thousand years was broken overnight as demons laid siege to the human countries. Due to the demons invading from near the border of the country, humans barely managed to put up a defense in time to protect what they had left.

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  Despite obvious weaknesses, humans held on for five gruelling years of hell. The impossibly strong demons pushed humans into the central nation of Lorain, where humans had all but been exterminated. The two Byron brothers, Goddard at the castle as a newly appointed general and Paxton at the Byron fiefdom, were called for a special task.

  Thus began the final assault, a top secret group that was tasked with killing the four Demon Knights and closing the portal to the demon realm. Seven of the best fighters, magicians, and engineers were given the loosest command possible to kill the four Demon Knights. Amazingly, after two months of travel and thousands of skirmishes, the group

killed the first Demon Knight. Another month later and the second Demon Knight was successfully killed.

  As a suicide mission, it was possibly the most successful mission ever run by Lorain. The last two Demon Knights gathered together with their own guards, and the final assault turned into an all out assault on the remaining Demon Knights. The fight was hard, and in the end, the team of seven lost three of their members taking down a single Demon

Knight, only to lose another three killing the next Demon Knight.

  Goddard was left alone, sorrounded in the heart of enemy territory with the two leaders of their armies dead at his feet. He stared into his brother's dead eyes, and wished with all of his heart that it could have ended another way. Both Paxton and Goddard had given everything to this final effort, especially Paxton. His attention to the princess was noticed by many, even the king who told Goddard that he would give his blessing.

  Goddard cried to the heavens, shouting out an infinite sadness which was swallowed by the endless pain.

  As Goddard wailed, he was suddenly bathed in white light. As he gazed up into the light, Goddard felt the sadness drain away, the burden was lifted off of his shoulders, and he heard his mother's voice.

  As if it was a dream, Goddard peered through the light and witnessed his father's crying face. He was a thin man with a classy moustache and goatee, his eyes were red from tears while bending on one knee with a hand on Goddard's shoulder. Standing in a doorway behind her husband, Goddard's mother had similar tears that were raw from crying. They were in the halls of Byron Mansion, inside of a house that had been burned down years ago.

  Bewildered, Goddard looked at his hands to see that they had shrunk, and he had shrunk as well.

  His clothes were something he had worn as a child, and his entire body was no taller than his father's hip. Looking at his father in sheer bewilderment, Goddard asked in a voice an octave higher than he expected:

  "What happened?"

  "Goddard, listen to me!" Lord Byron shook his child somewhat vigorously. "Your aunt was killed! I'm sorry, but she won't be visiting again."

  Lord Byron embraced his confused child, while Goddard tried to process what was going on.

  'But... my aunt died when I was four?' he thought to himself, hugging his father in obligation.

  Noticing his hand once again, Goddard had an idea. This idea grew and festered until it was almost too crazy not to be true.

  Goddard had gone to the past.

  He was four years old again.