Prologue

The wind blew gently carrying with it the cool moisture of the early morning. The dew glistened on the tall grass of the plain, reflecting the red glow of the sunlight as it just broke free of the cover of the shadowed city in the distance, its many spires and glorious structures eclipsed by the burgeoning light.

A younger man, slender in form, almost feminine in nature stepped onto the wide plain, his pale, almost ghostly skin shining in the fresh light, his simple white robe flapping gently as he continued to walk. A determined look in his deep brown eyes, anger seething like an uncontrolled fire deep in their pits. His delicate hands that seemingly had never seen any hard work in their long lives now held two swords with crystalline crescent shaped blades.

At the other side of the plain, some three hundred feet in the distance stood one of the many causes of his hatred. As he stared at the giant before him, its tanned skin, muscular body and long red hair. His face turned from one of calm, almost serene indifference to a grimace that could only be described as anguish over his loss. This man, this beast among men was one of the weapons used to bring him pain, to bring him sorrow, to rip away the very core of his happiness and serenity.

At first his feet were moving calmly, one foot after the other, approaching his foe. As the distance began to close, his legs sped him forward his robes flapping with each movement. The other drew its large sword bastard made of black stone, its ragged edge reflecting in the fresh sunlight as they waited for the white robed man to reach him. He was unhurried, calm, his gaze devoid of the heat of battle, as if this instance was nothing more than a walk. This battle was no battle in his eyes, it wouldn't even be considered a spar.

As the first man reached the towering behemoth a clash of blades occurred, ringing of stone on steel echoed though the plain as the massive man had swung his blade down at the smaller. The blades had collided only momentarily as the smaller pushed the stone sword out of the way, moving as far as he could into the other's space before trying to cut at the tanned man's stomach. The tanned man had stepped to the side at the last moment, a small cut forming on his well-oiled skin. The giant kicked the white robed man in the gut in response, sending him flying backwards like a cannon ball onto the ground. The larger man jumped high into the air, trailing after the smaller, bringing his stone blade down upon the lesser deity.

White hot pain exploded from the slender man's stomach as the large stone blade cut into his slender but muscular form. "You shouldn't have tried killing anyone. Now I have to be the one to dirty my hands" spoke the tanned giant in a gruff voice. "May the council forgive your transgressions and have mercy on you" he finished, ripping the blade up through the smaller man's body, painting the tall grass in beautiful scarlet. A cut ran diagonally from the white robed man's gut through his left shoulder. The jagged stone blade was large enough that even though he had not aimed to damage the other's heart he had torn right through it.

Blood sprayed about in a fine mist, pain tore through the pale man's body and mind, his robes dampened and clung to his form. There was no last breath as his lungs had been minced, there was no final beat of his heart as it too had been shredded, there was only pitch black in his eyes as they stared dully into the distance of the sky that was set aflame by the morning sun.

----

Five voices spoke as one from the darkness, an infinite void. "For your transgressions we shall not allow you back into our land. May you find redemption for your sins on the lower plane."

----

The darkness continued for what seemed like an eternity. He existed still, though he did not know how. He could feel, but there was no longer searing pain of a blade running though his body. There was nothing but a warmth of sorts, though claustrophobic, and the darkness that continued to prevail, at least until there was pain once more, dull throbbing pain as his body screamed at him, forces he could not comprehend crushing in his body and forcing him forward, and then light, bright searing light and cold air that spread across his skin.

He couldn't hear anything over the sound of an infant crying. Warmth covered him as he was wrapped in a warm comfortable material. Unable to see he could not comprehend what was happening. He was placed on something warm, something comforting as a gentle voice spoke out from the light "His name will be Jien" the voice said, breathing heavily. The voice was light and airy despite the obvious labor in its breath, joy could be heard in its tone.

As the moments passed the sound of breaths and rhythmic beat of the heart of the one, he assumed was holding him slowed until they stopped all together. The feeling of warmth that was once spreading to him from the one who held him was slowly fading, until he was quickly picked up by another source of warmth and then handed to a third before a ruckus of voices began.

This was the first memory "Jien" had of his new life.