37 A story

A child was telling her mother a story.

"What kind of story will you tell me Lyka?" The young child answered with a voice that tried to start the story with grandeur.

"It's an adventure story. It's a story of a boy that could either be the greatest hero, or the evilest villain."

"Oh how interesting."

The little girl waved her hand to express the start of the story. "In a place far, far away there lived a boy who was the most talented of all. He could do anything he wished, to him everything was so simple, from reading a book about philosophy to hunting boars for dinner . Yet the thing the boy found the most interesting was the way of the sword. He felt an incredible interest in it. Especially since his father was called the greatest swordsman in his city. The father seeing his son taking interest in the art taught it to him. It took the boy only two years to defeat his father. His talent was frightening, though he wanted to become stronger he stopped practicing to his fullest. One day noticing this his father asked.

"Son why are you not practicing properly?" His son answered him, with a bit of sadness.

"Dad I don't practice properly because I'm afraid of my own strength. Though I find swordsmanship fun and exciting and I also wish to grow stronger, but I always come to the same conclusion, then what? I want someone to match me! I want someone to bring me that excitement I felt when I first lost to you dad. The burning passion to become stronger to have a goal. If I grow stronger than I am now, if I grow stronger anymore than this. Then no one might be able to reach me. I'm scared of that Dad... I want someone to quell my boredom."

His father was astonished by his son's remark. Though he already knew his son was a genius but, for a child of twelve years to be like this. The father smiled gently at his son and ruffled his hair.

"Listen to yourself you brat. Thinking your the strongest at this level? Hahaha that is funny. Listen up Leonard why did you take up the sword?"

The child looked at his father and thought of the question deeply and answered "Because I thought it was beautiful and fun." His father nodded at his son's remark. "That's right, then tell me do you respect the way of the sword?"

Without a moments delay the child answered his father. "Of course I do!"

"Then tell me son is practicing so half-heartedly respecting the sword?" The son then received a sudden realization and answered "No it's disrespectful."

The father laughed "That's my boy, well now about your problem with your strength. I believe that there is a reason for your strength. Surely as you grow stronger someday something worthy of your strength will appear."

The child called Leonard took his father's advice to heart. He continued to practice and became stronger until one day when he returned home. He saw his mother and father laying on the floor dead.

The child was shocked and grieved only for a moment which proved his abnormality. It only took him a few minutes to regain composure. The child looked at the clues left behind by the murderers objectively.

There are only a few people who could possibly oppose his father. There was no sign of a forced entry that means he was invited in. He then came to a conclusion the perpetrator was someone who knew his parents personally, and had the skill to beat his father.

Then that could only mean the perpetrator or perpetrators was the sword family that was his father's friends. The boy set out on a quest for vengeance. He attacked the dojo of the sword family. With his father's twin blades at hand he came to the front entrance. Knowing who he was and the killing intent he was emitting the sword family didn't hesitate to attack the boy.

The boy easily cut down all who approached him. It was a one sided massacre some of the members of the sword family tried to flee but the boy didn't allow it. He killed them even when their backs were facing him. Be it women or children, he killed them all.

The boy then reached the leader of the sword family. The leader looked at the boy with calm eyes and asked "I knew you would come for vengeance Leonard. I knew what my family did was an irreversible sin. Your father and mother where great people. If killing off my entire clan will satisfy you, then so be it."

The man looked at the blood soaked boy. The boy looked at him and shrugged his expression was not that of sadness or anger it was that of enlightenment. The boy spoke calmly to the man who is the head of the people who killed his parents.

"I am not angry at you uncle, or those who killed my parents. I did not come here for vengeance, hmm at first I did think of vengeance but later I just came to repay the debt."

The man looked at the boy curious he asked "Why do you not resent me isn't that why you came and killed all of my kin?" The boy shook his head. "No uncle I do not resent you. The strong live while the weak die. That is the rule everyone in this world follows. We humans claim to be of a higher entity but in the end we are merely animals with simple reasons. Like I said before I did not come here for vengeance. My parents died because they were weaker than your family. There was no other reason. So the reason I came here was not for vengeance but to repay the debt."

The man shivered was this boy really a child who only lived for twelve years? "So you came to collect the debt, so be it Leonard I will gladly pay." The child raised his sword and beheaded the elderly man. He sighed and left the premise. That is simply part one of the story mother."

The little girl telling the story was smiling innocently while her mother listened in horror. "Lyka how did you think of such a story?" The mother asked a little afraid to hear the answer.

"I had a dream about it. The dream continues mother, later on the boy will grow and become the strongest person in his world gaining powerful twin blades one entirely black and another entirely blue. He then met a person he couldn't see which led him to a world full of opponents that can challenge his strength. Oops those parts are for the later story." The mother was shocked by her daughter's statement. This was no ordinary dream. She herself who was called the grand witch of the north knew this were prophetic dreams. That boy will turn into someone of significance in this world. Then and there the mother started to record the dreams her daughter had. The record will be later on called by historians as "The chronicles of destiny."

...

Lyka continued her story. "Mother I wish to continue the story. Will you listen?" The mother sat down and readied her pen and paper.

"Of course I will listen. Continue my daughter." The daughter smiled.

"So where were we? Oh right we ended with Leonard gaining the weapons chaos and serenity. The beings who govern the balance of everything have bestowed Leonard the twin blades which will lead to the beginnings end. From then on Leonard continued his journey to meet new foes to find someone worthy of his strength.

The powerful where drawn to him, he faced opponents day and night. Leonard at this point was already powerful but with the twin blades chaos and serenity he was invincible. Leonard then gave himself a handicap when he fought as long as he was using chaos and serenity he would not use any of his fearsome techniques he would beat them with simple moves. He went around the whole world but still he found no one to face him. He was then proclaimed as the strongest in his world. Leonard felt irritated and bored, when his soul screamed his pain it happened.

He met a man whose face he could not see. The man before him was extremely powerful that was what his instincts were screaming. Of course the man before him was known as the greatest hero of his time.

Leonard's soul called another part of him, someone who is him yet not. He challenged the man before him. His moves were evaded that was the first time in a long time since someone was able to evade a strike from Leonard. It gave him incredible joy the handicap he placed upon himself was to be released for the sake of fighting this worthy opponent. He went onward the opponent before him would not lose like the others.

The opponent before him actually lasted far more than anyone else he has faced. Leonard felt elated but then the fight stopped the man before him could not keep up anymore. He felt the horror again there and then he pleaded.

"Is this all? It ain't right? Please don't tell me this is it! I wish for more! Didn't you come to elevate my boredom?! Haven't you come to answer my wish! So please I beg of you, show me this isn't all." Leonard looked in pain, even though he wasn't even scratched.

The hero who sacrificed his life for his world and loved one looked at the boy who was in pain. The hero felt ashamed of himself for once again he was subjected to see such a face. He was indeed able to save his love and the world she lived in, he did indeed become a hero but for what price? He gave his loved one grief for his death. The pain she must have felt when he left her was unimaginable. What kind of hero was he, he thought to himself. In front of him was a boy who called his tattered soul from the abyss, wishing for someone to elevate his boredom for someone worthy of his strength.

The hero who had no more body cannot grant the boy's wish on his own. He then gave the boy a choice to leave his own world and venture to another where he may find the adventure and excitement he so wishes. Leonard without hesitation took the invitation. The hero then sent the boy to this world to the continent of Senddan. That's the end for today so how was it mother?"

"It was great Lyka really interesting. I can't wait to hear the rest, but you better go to sleep now."

"Ok Good night mother."

"Good night my dear." After saying their good nights, the child went to her room.

The mother finished writing her record of the story. "Such a powerful person will come here. The one who can shake destiny itself. Leonard was it? How long shall we wait until he reaches this place.... It might not be that long now... The cogwheels of fate are definitely turning. Also the hero that the boy met who could it be? One who is him yet not. A hero who sacrificed himself for his love and the world. There are many heroes like that during ancient times. But Lyka said he was hailed as the greatest hero. But that hero can also be someone who isn't from this world. I better do some research regarding that hero."