Sword of Destiny

Well, Soul is here.. He’s standing at 6’2” black hair flaking his head full and lush at the top but crusty and slim at the sides.

He’s not a slim man but with a slightly bigger frame, he can outmuscle most men in the kingdom at the age of 52. Known for being the silent assassin in the kingdom, he’s rarely caught off guard. His robust legs are meant for the powerful kicks he delivers almost effortlessly. He always wears his two blades: a black one on his back and a blue one on his waist in a scabbard. Both are thin but well made for a traveler. He wears rugged clothes that look like common folk’s attire despite owning a nobleman’s wealth.

He stands in Pain Forest; the place where it all began for him and his brother Wayne. The trees are the color of blood while the sky looks like it's about to cry with its deep blue. The flowers are gray and brown as if they’re poisonous. There is only dirt and rocks covering the forest floor. As he looks to the distance, he remembers one of the last things Wayne had said to him.

Soul looked to his brother in arms. If it had not been for this man, he’d be on the ground thousands of times by now. Wayne had carried him over several hills, through battlefields, and knee-deep in water. Whether he was just drunk or not, Wayne always acted like they were family. Maybe they were.

Soul didn't know Wayne’s origin nor where he was from. Such mystery can haunt a person, the pit of emptiness. It spreads fast from a shadow of thought to the only thing that consumes Soul’s mind.

While he grew up nearly the same as everyone else, he needed to observe and be selective about what he learned. Spectators would have gathered that skills would be first come first serve. Soul actually learned from simple things like how to feed himself while having nothing but a blade. Soul knew how to carry himself as a warrior since he was a child. One day, he played with a blade. He flicked it about and cut himself occasionally. He wrapped his wounds with a skill he learned from observing his mother bundling an infant in cloth when he was only three. Simple tricks were trivial and complex maneuvers were able to be accomplished in a night of studying. People would often declare him a genius who did everything alone.

Wayne told Soul he was a pupil of Grandpa Matchio. From sunrise to sun fall, the old man would train his skills in a very structured manner. It didn't matter if he was black and blue or if he was sick, Grandpa made sure he was no stickler for pride and respect. While he wasn't swinging swords around, Grandpa taught him things ranging from culture to history and economy.

Most of the knowledge Matchio had was based on his first-hand experience. He was a key figure in ending the brutish war and walked a path that was neither good nor evil. Not only did he know how to wield several weapons, but he also knew nobles and queens personally due to his role in establishing the six kingdoms. Some of them were his greatest friends.

Wayne stayed in the program until he was kicked out by Grandpa when he was thirty. There was nothing left for the old man to teach him. The only way for Wayne to grow more was to venture out and gain his own experience. During his travels, he wrote a book series called Notebooks Character Introductions.