2 World

Years passed by faster than a fleeting thought. Winters and summers, in quick endless cycle. Before anyone knew, seventeen years had passed by.

Lucian was now a young adult. He had a slender built, but was muscular none the less. His white hair fell down the sides of his face, the length reaching down to his chin. His honey coloured skin looked smooth to the touch. He was extremely handsome. Throughout his life he had received compliments praising his looks, now more than ever. It would be a lie to say that he wasn't slightly narcissistic. Lucian would never admit to such accusations.

From a young age Lucian was taught about the world since a young age. The first he had learnt about was the history of the world. 2000 years ago the Earth was split into seven continents, and tens of countries. Hunters and fighters were not as recognised as they are now. Only a few people had general interest in martial arts. The number of people certainly was not small, but compared to the whole world, the number of people capable of fighting monsters were too little.

Monsters. They came in the Great Calamity – The event that almost caused the extinction of the human race as we know it. Vampires, werewolves, the undead and demons. One day two thousand years ago, a rift opened in the space surrounding the Earth. The opening of the rift was accompanied by a thundering crack that resounded in the ears of both animal and human alike. The sunlight vanished from the land as swiftly as it had appeared. The rift, as it was dubbed, was the passageway for the monsters to invade the Earth. They came in waves, gigantic lions, three headed snakes, even the mythical dragons. Humanity had spared no effort in attempting to eradicate the threat. All explosives, nuclear warheads and bullets were used but the stronger the beast was, the less useful modern weaponry became.

In the midst of the Great Calamity, humanity realised that cold weapons, swords, axes, and other weapons became more useful. The more finely crafted weapons were capable of slicing the most powerful monsters as easily as slicing a tomato in half. Provided the wielder of the weapon was powerful enough. That is when martial artists became more popular. People began to understand that the ones who trained their bodies and manipulated the worldly energies were capable of standing up against the monsters.

The calamity ended when a powerful saviour, called the First Emperor, flew into the rift. The battle that ensued could be felt throughout the world. The First Emperor never returned from within the rift, but a day after he went in, the rift closed. The effects from the Great Calamity lingered hundreds of years after the actual event. More than 90% of the population was wiped out in the war. The hundreds of countries, morphed into 5. The most powerful countries were the only countries that survived the war. The power was not measured by the countries' wealth, or their military power but rather how capable the strongest of the countries were.

Due to the small number of countries remaining, and due to the new system after the Calamity, the countries were relabelled as Kingdoms. Conveniently situated in each of the four cardinal Directions and the central land. To the South, the Kingdom of Ravanna. To the North, the Kingdom of Elfin. To the East, the Kingdom of Bellare. To the West, the Kingdom of Phoenix. In the central land, surrounded on all sides by the great oceans, was the Kingdom of Dawn.

Lucian could still clearly remember asking his father how people reached Dawn when it was surrounded by Ocean. His father had told him that Dawn was the land of the strong. Earths greatest protectors resided on the continent and unless you were powerful enough, the secret to Dawn will never be known to you. There are towering bridges connecting the four outer Kingdoms to each other. Ravenna connects to Phoenix and Bellare. While Elfin connects to Phoenix and Bellare. There is no direct path between Phoenix and Bellare, and no direct path between Ravanna and Elfin.

Despite the rift collapsing, the monstrous beasts and demons did not disappear. To protect against the beasts, all of the cities had walls built around them. This kept the beasts out and provided protection for the common people when monster hordes attacked.

Lucian was interrupted from his thoughts by the voice of his Father, "Lucian, are you sure you want to do this? The colleges in Bellare are perfectly capable of teaching you; you don't have to go to Elfin if you don't want to." The colleges, Fighter colleges, were where teenagers would attend to begin their cultivation. The colleges had some of the best teachers, skilled in a variety of subjects. There would be teachers of all weapon types and all secondary occupations, such as smiths and physicians. The fighter colleges are basically the starting point for everyone on the path to strength.

John continued," I know you want to search the whole college collection for suitable manuals but the family has a substantial collection of their own." Johnathon did not wish to see his son depart, never in his whole life if possible.

Exasperated Lucian responded with a pleading look on his face, "We've been through this father. I'll be fine, and I won't be alone since Tomas is accompanying me. You and mom need to stop worrying so much."

"You know we can't help it," this time it was his mother's pleasant voice that Lucian heard. There was a slight smirk on Dani's face to lighten the mood but to also display some of the trust she had that her son would be okay.

There was a reassuring smile on Lucian's face as he chuckled," I know, I know. I'm used to it by now. Tomas should be here soon, I should get my things... I wouldn't want to make him wait," Although Lucian appeared that he was rushing away to be punctual for Tomas, Lucian's parents knew better. Lucian hated goodbyes.