I'll post the first chapter here, but I'll put it in spoiler tags so that the post isn't overly long.
Feel free to comment, but please be nice! :blush:
Spoiler
~*~*~*~Shards of Darkness and Light~*~*~*~
PROLOGUE
Two years ago, the world was beset by many disasters - things such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions. These calamities were caused by four elemental fiends and their creator, Chaos - the god of discord. Even throughout these catastrophes, the people of the world clung to the hope that they would be saved by the four Warriors of Light, whose arrival was prophesied by the great sage Lukahn. Eventually, three of the four warriors arrived at the castle town of Cornelia: the noble Pravokan thief Slash Carlton, and twin mages - Luke Hanson the black mage and his sister Lyra the white mage - from Crescent Lake. A few days later, they were joined by the fourth warrior - a young, emotionally-reserved swordsman named Seth Hirschall. Unlike his companions, Seth had no memory of his past. All he had was his sword, a crystal, a strong desire to protect the world's people...and the unique ability to control the power of light. The four warriors fought a former knight of Cornelia, defeated the elemental fiends, and then traveled 2,000 years back in time to slay Chaos.
Once that was done, the four were each given the opportunity to voice one wish apiece so that their desires could be fulfilled. Slash wished for great riches, and the mage twins wished for the ability to cast the ultimate spells. Their wishes were granted. But Seth's wish wasn't for himself, but for the fallen Cornelian knight, who he felt sorry for. Seth wished that the knight would be given another chance to live, but with no memory of his past so that he would have no barriers on the path of light. Seth's wish was granted, but since his wish went against the will of his companions, he was forced to give up the Armor of Light - which he had earned through countless battles - and to accept that some of his abilities would be sealed until further notice. Seth accepted these terms with no reservations.
When the four warriors went back to the present - where nobody remembered their deeds except for the defeat of Chaos - Seth was deserted by the other three, who were upset with him for wishing for mercy on a fallen foe. Seth wandered for a long time until he felt something calling back to Cornelia...
***
Chapter 1: Knights of Cornelia
When Seth arrived in Cornelia, he was surprised to find the town under attack by demons. He noticed a small group of knights trying to drive the fiends away, but they were clearly overwhelmed. Only their leader - an inhumanly tall man with silver hair - seemed to have any strength left. Seth, worried for the knights and the townspeople, decided to help.
When he approached the knights, their leader turned to face him. Seth was stunned by this man's eyes - they were a golden yellow in color.
"You should stay back...! This is no place for civilians!" the man shouted, worried.
Seth shook his head. "I am not a civilian. I am a swordsman. I wish to aid you in this fight."
The knight sighed. "Very well, but be careful!"
With that, Seth drew his sword and charged alongside the knights into a group of demons. He concentrated light energy into his blade and defeated most of the creatures easily. Then, he cast a light-based spell to defeat the remainder of the fiends. A cheer arose from the knights, and their leader approached Seth, a warm smile on his face.
"You're very strong for someone so young... What is your name?" he asked.
"I am Seth Hirschall, and I am traveling in search of my memory...and my home."
The man smiled sympathetically. "I know how that feels... I have no memory past the previous six months... By the way, I am Garland Levitan, general of Cornelia's knights."
Seth was startled. Garland was the name of the rogue Cornelian knight that he had defeated.
Garland... Is this the same man who I fought so long ago...? ...No, it must be a coincidence...
Seth's thoughts were interrupted by Garland's voice. "Hey Seth, are you okay?"
Seth nodded. "My apologies, Sir Levitan... I was thinking of someone."
Garland laughed slightly. "It's fine. And call me Garland. 'Sir Levitan' is too formal."
Seth averted his gaze to the ground, his ice-blue eyes suddenly fixated on a spot of grass at his feet. He remained silent.
"Seth... You said you were searching for your home. Does that mean that you aren't staying anywhere at the moment...?"
"I have nowhere to stay," replied Seth, looking back up at Garland.
"Well, you could stay here in Cornelia as one of the king's knights...if that's okay with you."
"A-are you certain?" Seth stammered. "I mean, I do not wish to be a burden... After all, I have no formal training..."
"It's fine. You're already strong enough! I will arrange a meeting between you and the king. Come with me, I'll take you to the throne room."
Seth followed Garland, feeling apprehensive about the whole situation.
Garland seems kind... But his memory loss concerns me. Is he the same man I fought? ...I do not think I should bring it up, just in case it upsets him.
Before Seth could think too much about his worries, Garland spoke once more.
“It’s odd, finding another warrior with no memory. I never once thought that there was another like me. I know it’s odd, but...I feel like we will be friends.”
“Friends... That would be nice, after all of the wandering that I have done...” Seth mused.
“Yeah, I guess you could say we’re kindred spirits. Anyway, the throne room is up ahead. Wait out here. I’ll ask the king for permission to bring you in.”
Seth only had to wait a few minutes until Garland came back into the room, smiling broadly.
“Hey Seth! Good news: the king wishes to meet you. Come on in!”
Seth followed the taller man into the throne room. He remembered being brought here before by another knight, back when he was with the other Warriors of Light. He knew that the king would not remember him, but it would be nice to see him again.
The king was a man of average height, with light brown hair and blue eyes. He wore a scarlet robe, and a golden crown sat on top of his head. As he stood, Garland knelt in respect, and Seth mirrored the gesture.
“You both may rise,” the king declared. Both men stood, and the monarch continued speaking. “Sir Levitan, is this the young man who aided you and your knights in ridding the town of the fiends?”
“Yes, King Bryant, he is.” Garland replied, seeming much quieter now that he was in the presence of Cornelia’s ruler.
Bryant turned his attention to Seth, who nervously looked back. “Introduce yourself, brave warrior.”
“I am Seth Hirschall. I am but a traveling warrior who came to the aid of a group of knights... I am nothing special.”
“That’s not true,” interjected Garland. “He seems to be able to bend the forces of light to his will. I have never seen light-based spells as utterly powerful as his.”
“Seth... Sir Levitan seems to have great faith in your abilities. He is an excellent judge of strength. I would be glad to count you among the Knights of Cornelia.”
Seth looked at the monarch with shock, but his face quickly returned to a neutral expression. “I am forever grateful, your majesty. Both to you and to Sir Levitan.”
“I told you, there’s no need for formality between us,” Garland stated, making a face. “I consider you an equal.”
“I can see that the two of you will work well together,” Bryant said with a slight chuckle. “Anyway, I have an assignment for you. I have heard troubling rumors that the nearby town of Carudell has been under siege by the same fiends that have been troubling Cornelia. I would like you to go investigate.”
“Yes, your majesty,” Seth replied. “We will gather supplies and be on our way as soon as possible.”
“You can count on us,” added Garland.
“Very well. Be safe, my knights!”
Garland and Seth left the throne room and went into town. They went to the general store and bought some food, several healing potions and three tents (the extra one was in case one of the others was ruined), and then had Seth’s sword sharpened by the blacksmith. Then, they set out for Carudell, not knowing what awaited them...
***TO BE CONTINUED***
PROLOGUE
Two years ago, the world was beset by many disasters - things such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions. These calamities were caused by four elemental fiends and their creator, Chaos - the god of discord. Even throughout these catastrophes, the people of the world clung to the hope that they would be saved by the four Warriors of Light, whose arrival was prophesied by the great sage Lukahn. Eventually, three of the four warriors arrived at the castle town of Cornelia: the noble Pravokan thief Slash Carlton, and twin mages - Luke Hanson the black mage and his sister Lyra the white mage - from Crescent Lake. A few days later, they were joined by the fourth warrior - a young, emotionally-reserved swordsman named Seth Hirschall. Unlike his companions, Seth had no memory of his past. All he had was his sword, a crystal, a strong desire to protect the world's people...and the unique ability to control the power of light. The four warriors fought a former knight of Cornelia, defeated the elemental fiends, and then traveled 2,000 years back in time to slay Chaos.
Once that was done, the four were each given the opportunity to voice one wish apiece so that their desires could be fulfilled. Slash wished for great riches, and the mage twins wished for the ability to cast the ultimate spells. Their wishes were granted. But Seth's wish wasn't for himself, but for the fallen Cornelian knight, who he felt sorry for. Seth wished that the knight would be given another chance to live, but with no memory of his past so that he would have no barriers on the path of light. Seth's wish was granted, but since his wish went against the will of his companions, he was forced to give up the Armor of Light - which he had earned through countless battles - and to accept that some of his abilities would be sealed until further notice. Seth accepted these terms with no reservations.
When the four warriors went back to the present - where nobody remembered their deeds except for the defeat of Chaos - Seth was deserted by the other three, who were upset with him for wishing for mercy on a fallen foe. Seth wandered for a long time until he felt something calling back to Cornelia...
***
Chapter 1: Knights of Cornelia
When Seth arrived in Cornelia, he was surprised to find the town under attack by demons. He noticed a small group of knights trying to drive the fiends away, but they were clearly overwhelmed. Only their leader - an inhumanly tall man with silver hair - seemed to have any strength left. Seth, worried for the knights and the townspeople, decided to help.
When he approached the knights, their leader turned to face him. Seth was stunned by this man's eyes - they were a golden yellow in color.
"You should stay back...! This is no place for civilians!" the man shouted, worried.
Seth shook his head. "I am not a civilian. I am a swordsman. I wish to aid you in this fight."
The knight sighed. "Very well, but be careful!"
With that, Seth drew his sword and charged alongside the knights into a group of demons. He concentrated light energy into his blade and defeated most of the creatures easily. Then, he cast a light-based spell to defeat the remainder of the fiends. A cheer arose from the knights, and their leader approached Seth, a warm smile on his face.
"You're very strong for someone so young... What is your name?" he asked.
"I am Seth Hirschall, and I am traveling in search of my memory...and my home."
The man smiled sympathetically. "I know how that feels... I have no memory past the previous six months... By the way, I am Garland Levitan, general of Cornelia's knights."
Seth was startled. Garland was the name of the rogue Cornelian knight that he had defeated.
Garland... Is this the same man who I fought so long ago...? ...No, it must be a coincidence...
Seth's thoughts were interrupted by Garland's voice. "Hey Seth, are you okay?"
Seth nodded. "My apologies, Sir Levitan... I was thinking of someone."
Garland laughed slightly. "It's fine. And call me Garland. 'Sir Levitan' is too formal."
Seth averted his gaze to the ground, his ice-blue eyes suddenly fixated on a spot of grass at his feet. He remained silent.
"Seth... You said you were searching for your home. Does that mean that you aren't staying anywhere at the moment...?"
"I have nowhere to stay," replied Seth, looking back up at Garland.
"Well, you could stay here in Cornelia as one of the king's knights...if that's okay with you."
"A-are you certain?" Seth stammered. "I mean, I do not wish to be a burden... After all, I have no formal training..."
"It's fine. You're already strong enough! I will arrange a meeting between you and the king. Come with me, I'll take you to the throne room."
Seth followed Garland, feeling apprehensive about the whole situation.
Garland seems kind... But his memory loss concerns me. Is he the same man I fought? ...I do not think I should bring it up, just in case it upsets him.
Before Seth could think too much about his worries, Garland spoke once more.
“It’s odd, finding another warrior with no memory. I never once thought that there was another like me. I know it’s odd, but...I feel like we will be friends.”
“Friends... That would be nice, after all of the wandering that I have done...” Seth mused.
“Yeah, I guess you could say we’re kindred spirits. Anyway, the throne room is up ahead. Wait out here. I’ll ask the king for permission to bring you in.”
Seth only had to wait a few minutes until Garland came back into the room, smiling broadly.
“Hey Seth! Good news: the king wishes to meet you. Come on in!”
Seth followed the taller man into the throne room. He remembered being brought here before by another knight, back when he was with the other Warriors of Light. He knew that the king would not remember him, but it would be nice to see him again.
The king was a man of average height, with light brown hair and blue eyes. He wore a scarlet robe, and a golden crown sat on top of his head. As he stood, Garland knelt in respect, and Seth mirrored the gesture.
“You both may rise,” the king declared. Both men stood, and the monarch continued speaking. “Sir Levitan, is this the young man who aided you and your knights in ridding the town of the fiends?”
“Yes, King Bryant, he is.” Garland replied, seeming much quieter now that he was in the presence of Cornelia’s ruler.
Bryant turned his attention to Seth, who nervously looked back. “Introduce yourself, brave warrior.”
“I am Seth Hirschall. I am but a traveling warrior who came to the aid of a group of knights... I am nothing special.”
“That’s not true,” interjected Garland. “He seems to be able to bend the forces of light to his will. I have never seen light-based spells as utterly powerful as his.”
“Seth... Sir Levitan seems to have great faith in your abilities. He is an excellent judge of strength. I would be glad to count you among the Knights of Cornelia.”
Seth looked at the monarch with shock, but his face quickly returned to a neutral expression. “I am forever grateful, your majesty. Both to you and to Sir Levitan.”
“I told you, there’s no need for formality between us,” Garland stated, making a face. “I consider you an equal.”
“I can see that the two of you will work well together,” Bryant said with a slight chuckle. “Anyway, I have an assignment for you. I have heard troubling rumors that the nearby town of Carudell has been under siege by the same fiends that have been troubling Cornelia. I would like you to go investigate.”
“Yes, your majesty,” Seth replied. “We will gather supplies and be on our way as soon as possible.”
“You can count on us,” added Garland.
“Very well. Be safe, my knights!”
Garland and Seth left the throne room and went into town. They went to the general store and bought some food, several healing potions and three tents (the extra one was in case one of the others was ruined), and then had Seth’s sword sharpened by the blacksmith. Then, they set out for Carudell, not knowing what awaited them...
***TO BE CONTINUED***