Sword Of Souls

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.

While Soul was thinking back, Wayne was pointing straight, signaling they were going to start walking. This was not the first silent mission they had done together. It was raining. Wayne was finding more information for his notebook, so they observed random people and spied on nearly half the kingdom before they began to head home.

Wayne may look like a rugged man now, but, back in the day, he had a soul that could possess any noble lady. His charm was impressive. He could talk with some of the evilest people without breaking a smile. In fact, most times he'd be in a mood where he would be able to do nearly anything that was asked of him. The reason for his prowess was his looks; he had silver-blue hair. As the tallest in the family, he stood proudly at 6.3” he was 175 pounds and pretty much pure muscle. He usually wore green tones with beige hints. While all of this was infatuating, his key feature was his ice-blue eyes. While under his gaze it was almost impossible to say no to this man. Several have tried but at the end of the conversation, Wayne had gotten his way every time.

When they had arrived at their destination, Sound Lake, which they had previously been 20 years prior, Wayne spoke to Soul in an uncharacteristically loud and uneasy voice.

“Soul, I need you to do me a favor. We’ve both been friends for far longer than when we first began to serve this kingdom twenty years ago. I feel that I can trust you with the knowledge I thought I'd keep hidden most of my life.”Every time Soul had seen Wayne, he had a calm demeanor. However, it was now replaced with anxiety.

“I was walking through Ivory Manor the other day and I found out my friend from a while back had kept a secret from me. She had told me that I had given birth to two kids: a son and a daughter. Well, my friend, I have to say I'm perplexed by what happened next. As I was standing up, I stumbled backward in shock.

She quickly stood up and loudly said, “This was a mistake. I'm sorry Wayne. You'll have to find her on your own.’

After that, she vanished, and I never spoke to her again. Soul, I'm saying this as brothers in arms, as a grown man begging, help me find my daughter. She's been hidden. I don’t even know what her name is. Just, please, find her. I've used all my resources, and I couldn’t find where she was born. When the time comes you'll need to find Elven. When you begin your search, think back to when I was young…Crap! They are here. We need to fight.”

Soul thinks back to that day. "If only I had fought harder, I wouldn't have lost him. I could have asked for more information about the girl or boy. Oh well. I'll start looking in the town we grew up in. Hopefully, Elven is there.”