"Regonian Light: Chapter 1" by Brian ´Dulcet´ Bergstrom

In the bloody forests of the Dark Domain, a warrior about the age of nineteen is training with his father. The father had one many great battles. The warrior is training hard so he can be just like his father. The main goal was to get his son to be a great Warrior of the Dark, one of the highest honors in their society. The highest rank above being apart of the Army of the Dark was being Chancelor of the Domain. One had to be a very skilled warrior to achieve that position. But the best the warrior could hope for was getting into the army.

The forest shadows dripped across the warriors back like mud. The fatherather circled around him, weapon at the ready, relaxed yet completely alive. Almost imperceptibly, the father dropped his weapon, inviting the attack. He smiled, and the warrior smiled back.

The warrior took the invitation, springing forward with a downward cut to the head. The father spun, swinging down in a wide arc. Had the warrior not launched himself into a protective roll, the blow would have most likely broken his spine. As it was, the blow passed harmlessly over him, and in an instant the warrior had regained his feet, now a safe distance away from the father's return attack.

The warrior punched the living daylights out of the bag placed in front of him. The bag, to the boy, was nothing but a mere object to slaughter just as a man's body.

As he punched the last bag, the father tested his great skill by attacking his son himself instead of throwing the bag by surprise. This nearly stunned the warrior, but he pinned his father in no time.

"No," the father said, "You must beat the opponent until he or she is unconscious."

"Oh, Master, I know all of these stupid drills by heart and you know it. I've won practically every tournament there ever was. What good is training if you've trained all your life and never improved? I am ready to improve. I need to join the army. You know I'm good enough."

"Listen to me, boy, I've been in more battles than you can imagine. If I were to act like you just did, my ass would be sliced! You must obey me or your chances of getting into the army will be slim. Very slim. Your brother Inin would never disobey me like that. He's a fine warrior because of it. He has a good shot at becoming Chancelor some day." He paused for a moment. "I'm all you've got. If you can't take this chance, then forget it."

"Fine, I will," the warrior ran off, leaving his father behind yelling.

He didn't really care about the Warriors of the Dark. He had no interest to be apart of them. He didn't want to play or fight with their ways. He just wished he could be himself. The Regonian Council would forbid him to fight, yes, but he didn't care. He believed his skill was meant to be put to a much better use.

The trees were rugged along the path because few people used it or even knew of it. Along the path, in the bushes, there was a set of lovely eyes watching him. When he passed, she giggled. He was startled for a moment. He ignored it and went on.

* * *

"Good day," called an old man's voice from the distance. The warrior looked around and found nothing. No one was there.

"Who is this?" the warrior asked.

"My name is not to be spoken in this realm." it replied.

"Realm? What are you talking about?"

"There are two realms: the Dark Domain, the one we are in now and the Light Realm, where they practice the Light instead of Darkness."

"What's the Light?" he asked.

"The Light is the exact opposite of the Dark. It teaches you good fighting skills and morals. Those are two things no Dark warrior ever has or will have."

"What exactly are you?"

There was a chuckle. "I will tell you when we get to the other side, where my name is allowed to be spoken."

"Is it forbidden to speak your name?"

There was a pause. "Yes. It is forbidden."

"Why?" asked the very inquisitive warrior.

"Follow the path to Exampst with me. I will explain everything when we get there."

They continued along the path and the strange spirit explained what he could.

"Why have you come for me?" the warrior asked.

"Reasons no mortal can possibly know."

"What do you mean?"

"What is your name?"

"Barbank Redson of Regonia," he replied.

"What is your view point on this whole Dark Domain?" the spirit asked.

"Stupid." Barbank said. "All we do is fight to the death. There's no amusement. No fun. All we ever do is fight. It's boring for me. They force me to be cruel to others. I don't want to be cruel to others. I want to be different. I want to live by rules that are fair and full of justice. In my town, the word 'justice' is not even known. Why is that?"

"Hmm," the spirit said, "That's a very complicated question that not even I can answer," the spirit replied.

As they continued down the path, they eventually made it to Exampst. The town was dismal and gloomy. It didn't seem that there had been any fighting of any sort going on. People seemed to be struggling to live.

The merchants sold their goods at the lowest prices they could sell while still getting some profit. The women and children had to stay at home and do chores while the men went to work and provided what food he could on the table.

Barbank's eyes were almost in tears. He had never seen such a town. The streets were filled with hopeful tears, but the hope wasn't enough. The people in this town obvioously hated the way they were living. Barbank felt he should do something to try and help them out.

He asked the strange spirit if there was anything he could do. There was no answer. Where had he gone? How could he possibly abandon him at a time like this?

Barbank walked through the town, doing favors for other people. A woman needed help carrying groceries so he opened the door for her. A young boy was struggling to pull a large crate of food, so Barbank offered to carry it for him. A knife dealer was in an argument with a customer about a price. Barbank thrrew the amount of money on the table that solved the problem. Over all, he was doing good for the town.

A young girl walked up to him. "Who are you?" she asked.

"My name is Barbank Redson of Regonia." he replied.

"Why are you doing all these kind things? It's sort of against the law, you know."

"The law is stupid. I fight for what is right."

Just then, the man in charge of the town, the mayor, walked out and heard what he said and smiled. Finally someone with that belief. He walked up to him and decided to join the conversation.

"Ya know," he said, " we have been waiting for someone like you. No one has ever come near to doing the things you did. I like that. We must put together some way to honor you. To thank you for what you've done."

"Well," Barbank said, "There's only one thing I want right now."

"What would that be?" the girl asked.

"Knowledge of the Light."

Both the girl and the mayor looked at him strangely. They had never heard of the Light before either.

"What's the Light?" the girl asked.

"Not even I know." Barbank exclaimed. "A strange voice back in the woods told me of it. I don't know why, but it seems very much like the things that I just did. He said it will teach me justice and doing right."

Their eyes widened. By now, all the townspeople had been listening in on the conversation. They, of course, we very interested in what this brilliant man had to say.