Father and Son

"Hah" The sound of banging echoed throughout the lush forest. In grassy clearing surrounded by massive trees stretching far into the sky, a shirtless youth could be seen striking at a tree with it's bark stripped at waist height.

"Again."

Standing next to the black haired youth was a tall, muscular middle-aged man built like a mountain. With midnight-black hair peppered with ashen colored strands of hair. With brimstone colored eyes and a roughly shaven scruff adorning his chiseled face.

"Strike, Breathe. Strike, Breathe." As the man's yells and the son's strikes fall into rhythm, suddenly the man stops speaking.

Turning his head to look towards his father, Cedric's amber colored eyes were filled with a sense of accomplishment. A month of brutal, non-stop training was coming to an end.

Cracking a smile, Cedric throws his wooden sword to the ground. "Aaah, I'm beat." Dropping down to lie on the ground, Cedric exhales a long, drawn out breath.

Sitting down next to his son, Rodrick ruffles the youth's hair. "Well done Cedric, you've managed to endure until the end without complaining. I might just be ready to let you head out to The Forge."

Opening an eye, Cedric looks at his father, letting out a groan, he states: "You promised me. No going back on your word, dad. I know of the risks involved, and going to the forge is the perfect opportunity to get away from you, for once. And enjoy a breath of fresh air."

Giving his son a thump on the back of the head, Rodrick asserts in a commanding tone: "Your decisions may one day lead to your downfall. Don't be foolish. This is the last warning you'll get. Stay here, finish training your body, I'll also buy some books on essence for you to study."

"Reach 18 years of age and be integrated with the system. Afterwards you can go serve in the military in a safe environment. I'll pull some strings to give you a safe job. Away from the front-lines. You'll find a girl, fall in love. And live out your life in peace."

Vehemently disagreeing, shaking his head, Cedric looks his father in the eye as he points to the sky.

"I want to explore the entirety of the Federation. Why should I resign myself to a peaceful life, when you know that I can't go a day without swinging the sword. I want to encounter monsters and explore untamed lands."

His tone turning serious "My path is mine to tread-Ouch. Why did you do that for?"

Rodrick, relaxing the knuckle he had formed, replies to his son's pained yelps "Watching all of those Immortal documentaries has corrupted your mind. It might seem cool to zip around at high speeds or be able to crush an entire planet by the palm of your hand. Yet. Those 'Immortals' had to make great sacrifices to attain such power."

Deciding to change the subject, Rodrick says in a hearty tone "Well then, Now that you're old enough to be involved in this mess, how about I tell you a story?"

Lying down next to his son, Rodrick begins to recount fragments of history he has been taught in the military.

"The Federation was never a truly united front. Even today many factions within the federation have become corrupt. Now when we have achieved somewhat of a peaceful life, after all of the bloodshed. There are those who seek to take on more than they could chew."

"What do you mean father? Wasn't the federation always whole?"

Turning his head to look into his naive son's eyes, Rodrick sighs "No, there was a time when there was no essence, and no devourers seeking to end us all. There was a time when all of the races lived on their own planets, in peace."

"Ooh, I know! Tell me about those hollowed out planets again! I love that story."

Grunting, Rodrick replies "These are not mere myths. But the truth. One day out of nowhere, strange blue colored planets appeared out of nowhere. On those planet's surface, you could see a crater covering an entire third of the planet's surface. On the same day of the planet's appearance, came the devourers."

Tapping into his ancient memories, Rodrick continues: "Strangely, They started appearing out of nowhere. Strange spatial tears appeared all over the Federation's planet's surfaces. And from these rifts came the spawn of the abyss, or as we call them today, Devourers."

"The Beasts, with the appearance of humanoid dragons, as depicted in myths and legends. They stood at a towering height of 4 meters and were covered in scales all over their bodies, boasting two pairs of glowing orange eyes that radiated an ominous aura, as if the very fires of hell burned within them."

"Their intense gaze pierced through the darkness and sent shivers down the spines of anyone who dared to meet them, as if these eyes belonged to a creature from another realm, a being of unimaginable power and malevolence that could strike fear into even the bravest of warriors."

"And wherever these Devourers went grass withered, trees crumbled, and all forms of life wilted. Their mere existence was a harbinger of death, consuming all living matter without prejudice. But that was only the beginning of the federations' woes, as they soon discovered that these devourers, true to their name, had turned their insatiable appetite towards hunting and consuming every living being within their reach."

"Despite the valiant efforts of the federations' armies, these creatures, driven by an unstoppable urge to feed, proved to be formidable opponents. Even when confronted by opponents of equal strength, the myriad races suffered immense losses in manpower just to bring down a single devourer. Countless planets fell as all races fled from their homes."

Interrupting his father's story, Cedric excitedly asks "Whoah, how did the Federation even manage to survive against them?"

Sitting back up with a grim expression, Rodrick replied "Through many years of struggle and bloodshed. Eventually the Federation learned to harness essence and use the system's power to their advantage. Many planets were taken back, some still being recovered during my tenure in the military."

"Speaking of my days in the military, T'was back when I was only 21 years old, an iron-rank hatchling barely passing obligatory training, when I was sent on my first mission. I remember that day as though it were yesterday. The horrors I experienced have been seared into my mind ever since."