Location: Planax Village ( 1110 AD)

  From the rooftop, Karsus watched the village below, where the hustle and bustle filled the air. The people moved with cheerful purpose, hurrying to prepare for the festival. Everywhere he looked, tables were being set, fires were stoked, and the smell of roasted meat mingled with the sweet scent of baked bread. It was the kind of lively atmosphere that reminded him of his childhood, the happy days in the village where he had grown up before the war changed everything.

  As he stood there, Karsus couldn’t help but recall how, when he was ten, life was once as bright and warm as it seemed now in Planax. But memories of another village began to cloud his thoughts, and the joy below became a stark contrast to the pain he still carried.

  Location: Leopon Village (1090 AD)

  Leopon was a peaceful place, much like Planax—its people always smiling, the days passing by without worry. Karsus remembered the warmth of his mother’s embrace, the laughter of his two older brothers, and the way his father’s eyes twinkled when he spoke of their future. But that all changed the night the Brento Kingdom declared war on the Jarsun Kingdom. What was meant to be a conflict between kings spilled into the villages, devouring everything in its path.

  It was sudden—a rush attack in the dead of night. The cries of terror shattered the stillness, and flames engulfed the village. Neutral though they were, the people of Leopon were not spared. Karsus remembered his mother’s voice, firm yet panicked as she urged them to flee. They had run, but an arrow found its mark, striking his mother in the chest. Her eyes widened in shock, then dulled as she fell to the ground.

  In a blind rage, his brothers Kraven and Joshen had charged at the enemy archers. For a moment, it seemed like they might prevail, parrying the onslaught with their katanas. But they were outnumbered, and soon, both lay lifeless among the flames and smoke. Their father, Hemis, had stood frozen, torn between grief and duty. When the reality of their loss crashed upon him, he seized Karsus by the arm and fled, leaving behind the bodies of his beloved wife and sons.

  "Come, Karsus!" Hemis's voice was harsh with desperation as he pulled him along. "We have to go!"

  He hurled a spell at a nearby tree, conjuring flames that spread quickly, providing a wall of smoke. Father and son raced through the darkened forest, finally reaching a river, where they leapt without hesitation into the rushing water below. The current pulled them away, and Karsus swallowed water as he struggled to keep up. But when his father grabbed hold of some vines hanging from an overhanging tree, Karsus did the same.

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  For two hours, they ran, breath ragged and legs burning, until they reached a small cave concealed by thick foliage. Hemis had prepared this place long ago, in case of emergencies. The cave was barely large enough for the two of them, but it offered safety, shielded from prying eyes by the mountain’s shadow and a series of traps his father had set.

  Once inside, both collapsed onto the stone floor, gasping for air. The silence was broken only by their labored breathing, and then by Hemis’s anguished sobs.

  "I’m sorry, Karsus," he whispered, his voice cracking. "I couldn’t save them… Elena… Kraven… Joshen… I… failed them."

  Karsus, his face streaked with tears, placed a trembling hand on his father’s shoulder. "It wasn’t your fault, Father. None of it was. It happened so fast… There was nothing you could have done."

  Hemis swallowed hard, wiping his eyes as he steeled himself. "We can’t stay here. We’ll rest for a bit, then leave before dawn. There’s someone who can help us—a friend of mine from our village. He’s the village chief of Planax now. His name is Crameyus. We must reach him. If anything happens… promise me, Karsus, that you’ll get there no matter what."

  "Don’t talk like that, Father," Karsus said, shaking his head vehemently. "We’re both going to make it. I need you with me. You have to promise me that, too."

  Hemis managed a weary smile and reached into a sack he had hidden in the cave. "I’ll do my best, son. Here, take this." He handed Karsus a small, intricately carved amulet. "It’s a family heirloom, passed down through generations. It holds the secret of our lineage. When we reach Planax, you’ll understand its significance."

  Karsus took the amulet, feeling its weight in his palm. "What are we going to do when we get there?"

  "We’ll find Arsum at the docks. Show him this," Hemis said, pulling out a finely crafted sword. "He owns a shipyard there, and he’ll help us cross the West Sea. I’ve prepared gold to pay for a carriage that can take us to Planax. This map shows the way. If I’m not there… follow it."

  Those were the last words his father had spoken before they began their journey. But Hemis had never made it to Planax. The memory haunted Karsus as he reached for the sword now resting beside him—a blade his father had entrusted to him. He arrived at the village with little more than the amulet, his father's sword, and a heart full of sorrow.

  Crameyus had taken him in and revealed the history he shared with Hemis. The two had been close friends since childhood, growing up together in Leopon before life took them in different directions. Planax had become Karsus’s new home, but the ache of loss remained.

  Karsus gripped the hilt of his father’s sword tightly, his jaw clenched as he stared down at the busy village below. "It’s my thirtieth birthday," he whispered. "Twenty years have passed, and the memories still haunt me. But I understand now. Mother… Kraven… Joshen… Father… you didn’t die in vain. They were after us. The war was just a cover for something far darker."

  His eyes burned with unshed tears, but he lifted his head, filled with a renewed resolve. He whispered to the spirits of his family, "I swear, I will protect this village… I will protect Julius, Crameyus, and Ariadna. With this sword, I will become stronger every day. I will reclaim what is rightfully ours. And I will honor your sacrifice."

  He breathed deeply, wiping his face and steeling his nerves. "I swear it. I swear to protect."