Chapter 3: Akio’s backstory – 9 years before the present day

Ill-fated, unlucky and depressing. Three words that could be used to describe Akio's childhood when growing up.

Unlike other children, he never knew love or compassion, and started working at just 6 years old at the blacksmith Roy's shop though the forest, down the road. From the whispers he had heard from the other workers at the blacksmiths, apparently the story of his birth was a tragic tale.

How ironic it was that a day that was supposed to be happy in celebration of new life, was a day of sorrow and grief for his father, as his mother died giving birth to him. The other workers avoided him and gossiped about how his father had made a deal with a witch to help his late mother through her difficult childbirth. However, Akio's father did not know that the price to save his son's life would be the life of another, Akio's mother.

Due to the unnatural circumstances of Akio's entrance to the world, he was unlike other kids his age. He matured faster both physically and mentally was naturally skilled and talented at everything he did whether it was manual labour, hunting or combat as he would eventually grow to discover.

Akio was also gifted with unique abilities as a result of the witch's magic which would prove to help him reach his higher status later on in life.

His relationship with his father was non-existent and they were merely strangers who lived together, nothing more. As a baby, Akio's father had given him only the bare necessities that he required to survive, but love was absent in their relationship.

He couldn't even remember a time he had had a conversation with his father that wasn't about food, work or matters regarding the household. It was like living with a ghost or an empty vessel void of emotions, who left in the morning to work and came back in the evening to sleep.

As a result of this Akio grew up a miserable child with never a smile on his face. All he knew in life was to work and survive, making every day bleak, grey and tedious. With no friends and essentially no family, when Akio wasn't at work, he spent most of his time outside hunting and exploring, selling his game to make more money.

But Akio did not intend on living his entire life in bleak misery and was saving up to finally leave his desolate home. He didn't know where he was going to go but as long as it was far away from his so-called home, he didn't care.

One day at work while he was busy pouring the molten hot steel of a sword into its mould. A small group of men entered blacksmith Roy's shop. There were four of them, each imposing, intimidating and rough-looking. They were clearly seasoned fighters as the many scars etched into their faces told stories of fierce battles.

Akio could not help but stare curiously, accidentally meeting the eye of one of them. While a normal person would've immediately looked away and hung their head low, Akio maintained eye contact with the man, matching his menacing stare until one of the senior blacksmiths knocked his head barking at him,

"Stop lounging about and get back to work!"

Rubbing his head disgruntled, he focused back on the task he was doing looking away from the man. However, the figure continued to stare at him a moment longer before engaging in the conversation with the other men and the blacksmith as they discussed the weapons they required.

"Boy!"

The blacksmith shouted across to Akio and he looked up.

No one here bothered to use his actual name. Apparently he wasn't worth the effort.

"Come here and prepare these items", he said thrusting a paper list into Akio's hand.

Unlike the majority of the men at the blacksmiths, Akio was one of the few who knew how to read, as his father had taught him in order to make him more employable.

It was nothing interesting, just various weapons including swords, spears, war hammers etc. He began preparing the items into a large sack, still feeling the strange man's eyes on him.

Akio was small but still big for his age and the bag he hauled over to Roy with ease probably weighed the same amount as him. The blacksmith staggered slightly as he struggled to pick up the heavy sack, shooting Akio an icy glare in embarrassment for making him appear weak in front of the customers.

Akio hung his head and began to head off back to his work. As much as he hated Roy, he needed this job, so it was in his best interest to keep his head down, mouth shut and endure the harsh treatment.

"Boy wait."

An assertive yet calm voice ordered him, and he immediately stopped and turned to face the man who had spoken.

It was the one who had been observing him this whole time.

"How old are you?"

He questioned Akio. Akio said nothing, wary of the individual until Roy barked at him,

"Well answer him boy don't just stand there gawping!"

"Thirteen, sir", Akio replied impassively.

"And what is your name?", the man further questioned.

"Akio".

Blacksmith Roy silently watched the exchange, unsure of why someone would be so interested in such a lowly boy with nothing to his name.

"What are of your parents, they still alive?" the man asked interrogating Akio.

"It's just my father and I sir. My mother died during childbirth".

The man paused for a moment and scanned Akio up and down before finally deciding his decision stating,

"Tell your father that the 'Brothers in Arms' wish to purchase you. Give him this as payment",

the man said throwing a small pouch to Akio which he easily caught. Akio stood stunned not knowing what to say until Roy's shrill voice snapped him back to reality arguing,

"What about me, if you take him, I'll be losing money, what do I get out of this?" Roy selfishly probed the man.

Annoyed, the man reached into his pocket digging out another pouch, tossing it to Roy. Then turning around and heading for the door saying,

"This should suffice. Akio, I will return tomorrow to collect you, so say your goodbyes."

At that he left through the door with the other two men.

"The Brothers in Arms." Akio quietly muttered to himself. Everyone knew who they were and everyone feared them. They were a dangerous rebel mercenary group and outlaws of the kingdom. Simply just interacting with them could put a person in grave trouble with the Duke Boswell, ruler of the kingdom or Toria. Doing business with such outlaws would result in immediate execution, but of course Blacksmith Roy and his greedy shady ways could care less where money was involved.

As Akio continued back with his work, he wondered to himself if the strange man's proposal had any choice in it. Seeing as it was an order from the notorious Brothers in Arms, he assumed that to refuse would be to die, concluding his question with a no – he had no choice.

After work finished, he trekked his way back home and as he entered the small house, he saw his father sat up at the table engrossed in a book as usual. His father looked weaker and weaker as the days went on, growing frail, weak and old. His bones protruded through his skin despite them being fed well enough from Akio's income and hunting.

It didn't look like he had much time left. His father was only probably in his late thirties, but since the day Akio's mother died, he seemed to deteriorate at double the rate of a normal person, his appearance making him look like an elderly man.

"Father," Akio said.

Akio's dad looked up at him, expressionless.

"The Brothers in Arms wish to purchase me. They have given you this as payment."

Akio said placing the small bag on coins on the table.

His father briefly looked at the pouch on the table, then returned to reading his book.

Even though Akio, was now used to his father's dismissiveness after enduring it for 16 years, it still hurt to know that his father could care less about him.

Tears welled in his eyes, and he headed off to bed.

Akio awoke early in the morning, packed his belongings and left never to return again. His father sat at the table and continued to read the book.

Around noon, two men from the Brothers in Arms arrived one of the being them man who had spoken to Akio yesterday. They collected the remainder of the weapons they had purchased along with Akio.

The man whose name was Joren Paylor grabbed Akio by the shoulders, looking him in the eye saying,

"Today Akio, is the day you become a man."

And at that Joren laughed and ruffled Akio's hair jokingly. Akio set himself up on the back of the cart while the two men controlled the horses from the front and they rode off. Roy the blacksmith watched from his shop as the wagon rode off. As a final goodbye Akio made an obscene gesture at Roy while shouting some even more obscene parting words of goodbye, laughing for the first time.

The Brothers in Arms laughed along with him, while Roy with a frustrated expression headed back into the shop slamming the door behind him in rage.

There was nothing Roy or anyone could do to him now. Now Akio was a Brother in Arms, and to mess with him would mean to wage your life.

But was this new beginning going to be all that Akio had hoped for?