Chapter 1
Year - 2346
Sean Osaka was a 14-year-old boy who dreamed of being a Seal Barer. The fame, the women, the money they meant nothing to him. Osaka grew up as a biracial kid in Tokyo, Japan. His parents died 10 years ago during the Keshin invasion. Since, the world had been cruel to him but he continued to be optimistic. He believed that if he became a Seal Barer he would finally be accepted.
Seal Barers were like celebrities, scratch that, they were better. Even low ranked Seal Barers were highly respected by their countries, but the higher ranked were practically Gods. They had the power to threaten a nation single handedly.
'Man I wish I could be that cool.' Osaka thought as he made his way to school.
His favorite Seal Barer was known as The White Swordsman, Kyo. He called his seal Muramasa, The Demon Sword, and it had the power to cut mountains in half with but a swing of it's blade. Rumor said that he was the son of the First but every time he'd been asked he stopped the interview.
'Man I wish I were that cool.' he thought again, remembering the YouTube interview.
Osaka went to a public school in the all but destroyed outskirts of Tokyo. Since the Keshin attack the outer city was abandoned to the 'nobodies' of society. Street punks, delinquents and gutter rats were all that were left. No one believed he'd amount to anything in life but he was determined to prove different.
Osaka notice Riku surrounded by his flunkies. Riku was the coolest kid in their school. He used to be Osaka's best friend but now his gang terrorized the school. Everyone was certain that one day he'd be a Seal Barer, but whether that was a good thing or not was a different story.
"What's up Riku?" Osaka yelled across the courtyard.
"Tch..." Riku scolded before heading to class.
Years ago they'd been inseparable. They were both orphans hated by the world. They promised each other that when they became Seal Barers no one would treat them wrongly ever again.
Riku had a little sister then. The three of them fought and even stole to survive. Rika was Riku's heart, but it was broken the day she was taken.
(A Keshin towered over the small house where they live together. It'd broken through the gate and made its way through the outer city. Riku ordered him to take Rika and run. He tried to get them to safety but all he could remember after was being saved by Kyo. Rika was lost in the destruction. Riku blamed Osaka for her death and himself for being too weak to protect her.) He was still haunted by the memory of that dark rainy day.
'Ringgggg' the bell rang starting they're home room.
Kyo walked into a dark conference room illuminated by nothing but a screen showing an energy sonar of the city. Another man sat at the far end of the table with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. His muscles seem to want to rip through his tailored suit and a seal sat barely visible on his chest.
"I take it you know why I called you." the man stated in an authoritative voice.
Kyo leaned against the wall in silence as several pictures appeared on the screen. They were the last evidence of a Keshin attack on Tokyo.
"For the past 10 years Keshin attacks have been scarce but they seem to be getting more dangerous than before. After the disappearance of the First there seem to be less Keshin attacks on the city. Seven years ago a Rank 5 was dispatched by a group of renegade mercenaries. Three years ago a Rank 3 barely breached the city walls causing no excessive damage before it fell to your blade in the same area as the first." the man pause to allow Kyo to draw his own conclusion.
"So you believe these attacks are organized behind a specific objective." Kyo finish the man thoughts.
"Precisely. I also believe that they are searching for something." the man switched the pictures to a map of the city. "This shows a radius of each attack. Both were on the outskirts of the city. That and the lack of quantity leads us to believe that they had no intentions of an invasion."
"So you want me to investigate the area." Kyo stated, bored of the conversation.
"This mission is highly classif..." the man began until he felt a gust of wind, leaving him in the room alone.
'What it meant to be young.' he smiled to himself, returning to his work.
KYO - SEAL: MURAMASA RANK: 1
It was dusk when the final bell rang. Students waited in the courtyard for their friends, all too ready to put school behind them
Osaka silently made his way through the crowd towards the exit. He hated this part of the day the most. When he was reminded that he had no one to go home to.
'Maybe I'll get a dog.' he thought to himself trying to cheer up.
"Hey, Osaka!" a boy called from across the courtyard.
"Yo." Osaka turned to see a group of kids approaching.
"We're going to see some Keshin bones outside the city walls. You want to come?" the boy asked as the kids behind him began to snicker.
Outside the city was forbidden to pedestrians. Only Seal Barers were allowed to go as they pleased but the outcasts had their ways of staying under the radar.
"I think he's scared." a girl teased.
"No I'm not!" he lied. He knew the dangers of Keshin all too well. His mother, his father and his friend's sister all died because of them. These kids had to be idiots not to be afraid but his pride wouldn't allow him to back away.
"Then what are you waiting for?" the boy asked over his shoulder as he turned to lead the way.
'Where are they going?' Riku thought, watching the kids depart.
Outside of the city was dedicated to agriculture. Farms and fields of wheat were scattered across the plains in hopes of sustaining the city.
Osaka could see remnants of a battle scattered throughout the fields. Bones and rotting flesh seem to be common outside the city. His stomach began to turn as he took in the aftermath that very few see. What they don't show you on YouTube.
'This will one day be my life.' he reminded himself as he pulled his dreads into a ponytail to examine the bones closely.
"These are Dreg remnants. The bones are goblins." he pointed out, kicking a small skull.
"How do you know?" a boy ask in disbelief.
"He was probably raised by goblins." the girl mocked, causing the others to laugh.
"Lame." Osaka turned back toward the wall.
"Where do you think you're going?" the boy stood before him blocking his path.
"Move." Osaka stated trying to go around him.
"I don't think we like your attitude. Since you've been here you've been nothing but trouble." the boy pushed him to the ground.
"Maybe we need to teach the goblin boy a lesson." the girl snickered again.
The boy rose a fist high before a shadow appeared over them.
"What the..." was all he could get out before an Orc lifted him by the arm.
"Keshin!" the girl scream as the others ran toward the wall, but it was too late for the boy.
Osaka watched in horror as blood ran from the orcs mouth. 'Not again.'
The Orc's warcry was deafening as it rang through the fields. It ran toward the wall, blocking the kids escape. Rika appeared in his mind. As the Orc's fist descended Osaka save the girl from being crushed. The impact instantly threw the kids to the ground around it. Fear took them quickly, they had to get out of there. They regained their feet and made for the wall as quickly as they could.
Riku had just made it to the inside of the wall when three kids ran past him in haste.
'Those are the kids that..." he didn't finish his thought before his feet began to move on their own. He knew something was strange when Osaka left with them. Osaka rarely hung out with anyone. His heart began to race as his sister's face flashed before his eyes, he couldn't let it happen again. But when he made it outside of the wall he got the shock of his life.
An Orc laid, split in two at Osaka's feet. Blood ran from his hands and soiled the ground below. Osaka stood with a blank expression, one that brought him fear.
Osaka fell to the floor unconscious. Riku was lost in terror before he summoned the courage to finally approach. Osaka was covered in blood. There were no injuries, but a mark laid over his brow. A seal, he realized in panic.
'We have to get out of here.'
SEAN OSAKA - SEAL: GREED RANK: 5