Fires of War

by Eternal Legend

As we walk this path to the final conflict, we hold our heads high content in knowing that with this blade I wield, I fight for justice and my freedom.

This writing actually is just something that had been swimming around in my head for a long time now and I felt that it would be best if I just get it out into the open and start this. This is going to be a long series spanning different universes and I admit that so far I've only planned out two books. But, I'll do my best to keep this a long running fan fiction.

Disclaimer: I will say this once and only once. Any and all series and characters that appear within this fanfiction are not my own and never will be my own. The only character I claim ownership on is my character that I have made.

"Text" Speech

'Text' Thoughts

SSSSSSS - Scene Change

Book 1: Fires of War

It is said that everyone has that one defining moment in life when they will do something that no one else has done before. To set a standard to which all try to achieve in hopes of becoming a hero greater than any before him. However, there are those who become heroes because circumstances force them to become such. This is the story of man who became an unlikely hero and saved many, at the cost of his own happiness.

Chapter 1

Darkness… It always began with this stifling darkness surrounding him and soon it would begin. He would be treated to a plethora of visions featuring fantastic battles between him and creatures of legend, from powerful red dragons to a shapeless being that exuded malice and hatred with just its presence. It had been like this for the pass month and while he was a lover of fantasy, to see the same thing over and over again began to wear thin and became nothing more than an annoyance that he would face every night.

Believing the situation to be the same he was content to let himself float within the abyss and await the tedious visions to assualt him. However, as the seconds strectched into minutes and the situation remained the same he wondered as to whether the dreams had finally stopped coming and he would be allowed to have his nights back to himself. Yet as he continued to drift aimlessly something within his subconcious mind told him that something was quite different. Feeling a cold wind sweep across his body, the man shivered and began rapidly rubbing his arms up and down his body. God how he wished to be back in his bed again out of this cold. Slowly realization began to dawn on him as he felt another breeze blow by him. Pinching his forearm tightly, he hissed in pain as he felt the sting of the pinch and the scene still remained the same. He realized then that this was no dream. Feeling confusion and fear creeping into his mind he rapidly looked back and forth wondering just where the hell he could be when a voice piereced the darkness, "Awaken, my child! Awaken and facing your true calling!"

With a shocked gasp he spun around, subconsciously wondering when he had landed on solid ground, looking for what it was that was calling him. Closing his hands tightly into fists he held them infront in a shaky boxing stance. If he had been within his right mind, he would have seen this as idiotic, for how could he expect to fight against a being he couldn't even see and whose presenced radiated from everywhere at once. However, he was within a strange situation and he wanted answers now, "Who's out there, and what do you mean by 'Awaken and face my true calling'," he cried out wondering as to what the hell he had eaten to caused this trippy experience. And, as if beckoned by his call, a flash of light appeared before him forcing him to shield his vision to prevent himself from being blinded by it. When it subsided he was presented with a vision of beauty that could only be described as divine.

She stood before him dressed in bright white robes that shimmered in an unseen light and seemed to meld itself to her body. Resting against her shoulders was a bright red shawl that fluttered around her neck in an unseen wind. Her skin was a perfect milky cream that showed no blemish to it and seemed to radiate in the same mystersious light as her clothing. Her silky smooth brunette hair hung down to the middle of her back, kept perfectly bound in a ponytail with a red ribbon. However, drawing attention from her luxurious hair was a pair of white miniature wings that grew forward from the top of her head and extended towards the base of her neck. And her beautiful cerulean eyes seemed to cause one to feel as they were drowning in them. She was beauty incarnate and he could only stand there in awe with his mouth agape.

With a smile that seemed to carry a peace that shouldn't be humanly possible, she held out her hand to him. "I am the one who called you here, and I am the one who has been presenting you with your visions," she said in a tone that seemed musical to his ears. For some reason just listening to that voice caused him to pause for a second and enjoy the beauty of it, but soon what she said sunk in and he gasped at her, "You mean the reason I have been having thesw dreams every night was because of you?" With a nod she motioned to him, causing him to follow even before he realized he was doing so, "Yes, I am child as I had tried to capture your attention and hopefully make this easy for you. For you see, I have called you here for a specific reason."

With a nod, he kept her in his gaze wondering when this dream would end and figured he would just go along with it, "Right, and for what reason would that be Ms…" Turning towards him, she gave him that same peaceful smile and seemed to be, giggling by the way she held her hand lightly in front of her mouth, "Oh, I'm sorry I had forgot to introduce myself. I am Ashera, the Goddess of Light. And you are here because I need your help to save my world. You see, I am the Goddess of this Galaxy that was assigned to me by my father, who I believe the humans of your world call many names from 'God', 'Allah' and 'Kami-Sama'. I have watched over this world, keeping it safe from harm by offering help to my people and trying to keep them from warring against one another. Yet, despite my best intentions it seems that I may not be able to contain it for much longer."

With a heart-wrenching sigh, she summoned a ring of plush pillows and directed him to sit on one while she sat across from him, "For you see, hundreds of years ago a powerful demon lord calling himself the 'King of Demons' appeared in my Galaxy and tried to wrestle control of it from me." Waving her hand in front of her, a large circle of light appeared in the ground showing a world enveloped in war with humans and what appeared to be a mixture of human and animals against what could only be called demons and at the head of them all stood a vast figure whose presence caused a deep fear in his heart even if it was just an image.

"He chose to begin his conquest here, on the planet Gaia as he believed that dominating them would be an easy task and allow him to build up his power through feeding on their souls. A war was waged against the Demon King, causing many lives and bringing the world to the brink of ruin. But, in the end my people had won against him. And using my powers the laguz, the beings who I've sure you've noticed with both human and animal features, were able to seal him within a Medallion which had come to be known as the 'Fire Emblem' because of the blazing energy that his evil gave off from it," she explained finally closing the viewing portal and bring the world back into a lonely darkness only illuminated by her brilliance alone.

"Well, if he has been defeated already why would you need my help? And, besides what can I do as I'm nothing more than a normal man," he asked wondering as to what this could be leading to. With a sad smile, she shook her head at him before opening another viewing portal showing what appeared to be a kingdom surrounded by snow-capped mountains, "You see, while it is true that he was sealed away, as the years went on its true meaning became twisted and many see it as nothing more than a item to bring them ultimate power to control this world. But you see this is only the plan of the Demon King to try and draw a worthy vessel to bear him and become his sacrifice so that he can come back and try to take over the galaxy yet again. And, it seems that a man has taken the bait."

The image soon changed from this external view to that of an imposing man who sat upon a throne. He gave off an impressive figure in his ebony armor, the spikes jutting from it giving it an ominous feel to it. And at his side stood an impressive creature who gave you the feeling that he would devour you with no provocation. "This man, King Ashnard, has become the willing vessel for the Demon King believing he can control his power. Soon, he will rage a war to pave a path of blood all in an effort to rouse the Demon King from his slumber and to find the Fire Emblem. It is for this reason that I have summoned you," she said to him.

Rising from her pillow, she walked towards him standing over him before kneeling to him and taking his hands in her before placing her cheek on them, "I beseech you, child of my father. Please come to my aid and help me save this world from this evil." Surprised, he look around on instinct for some reason expecting the hand of his girlfriend to come and grab him by the shirt collar and drag him away. After realizing that such a thing wasn't going to happen, he sighed before shaking his head, "I would love to help you, and I believe your cause is worthy but what can I do for you? I'm nothing more than your average college student. I'm not a warrior, and I have no great power that can stop such a thing."

Smiling she shook her head in disagreement, "Oh, but you give yourself little credit. For you see, all humans have a power inside of them that allows them to do wondrous things. I believe that the people of your world refer to it as Inner Force or 'Ki'. And I know that as you are now you wouldn't be able to stop such a thing from happening. But, if you agree to this I can send you back thirteen years before these events occur and send you to someone who can teach you the ways of battle and 'Ki'. So, please child, will you help me?"

With these words, a war raged on inside of him that debated the pros and cons of such a thing. For one thing, this would be his dream come true. He would finally be sent to a place where he was needed, to be able to do things that he had only read and dreamed about. But, if he were to leave and undertake this he would be leaving behind many families and friends and giving up the dreams he had built there. This was way too much and when did he even begin to think of this as more than just a dream? But, when he gazed into her eyes he could see that she was genuinely in need of help and was seeking him out. With a heavy sigh he knew what choice he had to make here, "I just feel like I'm going to regret this, but I'm willing to help you."

And with those words a beautiful smile lit up her face, as if a heavy weight had been dropped from her shoulders, "I truly thank you from the bottom of my heart. And as you have accepted this I must tell you all that will come with this task. First of all, in order to allow you to receive the training and to be in your peak I'm going to have to change you and return you back to six years of age." With a shocked look, the man wildly waved his hands as if trying to ward her off, "Whoa, whoa hold on a second! Why are you turning me back into a six year old! I mean, how am I going ta fight him if I have stubby arms and legs!?"

With a smile, Ashera shook her head at him, "Don't you remember? I said I'm going to place you thirteen years in the past before the war. And I'm turning you into a six year old so that it will be easier for you to learn and develop your muscles for battle from the beginning. Now, secondly, I will allow you to retain all of your current memories so that you will be able to survive in this world and to allow you to know what the focus of your mission is. Lastly, from what I have seen he will be handed a set of armor and a weapon that has been blessed through my powers, making it impervious to damage from any weapon of human craft. To combat this I'm going to present you with a weapon and a set of armor of your choice that has been crafted through my powers, but only after I feel that you are ready to handle such equipment. Now, would you like it if I returned you to your world to allow you to say good-bye to your loved ones, child?"

Thinking it over, he knew that if he were to return home he would not want to leave as he knew that saying good-bye to 'her' was something he could never do willingly. So with a heavy heart, he shook his head, "No, I am prepared to leave now, but answer me this. Will I ever be able to return to my planet again?" Ashera could only nod hesitantly to his question, "I will be able to return you home, though I do not know if I will be able to return you to the exact time that you had left your world. I'm sorry but that is all I can tell you for now."

Nodding in understand he sighed while folding his hands across his chest, "Very well then. Let's get this show on the road." With a smile, Ashera walked over to him placing a hand against the back of his head while placing the other against his chest. Calling upon his powers, she began to sing a lifting tone that seeped into his brain and forced him into a dazed sleep. Gazing at her through a half-lidded stare, he could do nothing but drift off and knew nothing else. And what began in silence ended in silence as the one known as Jaden Thompson faded from the void and entered into a world unknown to him.

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Slowly coming to, he was met with a feeling of dull pain that felt as if he been on the receiving end of a full-body beating. Taking deep breaths to calm himself and to let the pain ebb away, he rose unsteadily to a sitting position. Still feeling a dull ache he groaned in pain and rose his hand to his face to rub at the itch he felt in his eye. However the feeling was soon forgotten as he was met with a strange sight that caused a feeling of dread in his being. Wanting to confirm it, he rose to his feet slowly stumbling as he stood at his full height which he noticed was much shorter bringing yet more confirmation to the truth. Hearing the sound of a stream nearby he slowly limped his way to the destination, all but collapsing from just that small trek. Staring into the reflective surface of the stream, he all but groaned as he realized with some regret that it had not all been a dream. Staring back at him was not the harden features of a nineteen year old man who still retained some fat within his cheeks that caused those adorable dimples women loved. The face he saw was that of a young child who had not even yet to experience the hardships of the world before him. However he still recognized many things about him such as the light tanned skin, the soft ebony hair that hung down in a cascade around his neck and the charcoal black eyes. Wanting to get a full-body look he stood shakily to his feet and stared down at what he had become now.

His body was of average height for a five-year old child, probably barely higher than the knee of an average full-grown male. His body had been clothed, thankfully, in a white cotton shirt that carried an outlight of light blue around the edges. He wore dark-brown leather pants that hung lose on his body and had been tied off with a leather strap as some form of belt. He could feel the cotton socks that he wore on his feet, but could see the dark brown leather boots that reached up beyond his ankles. Taking notice of his hands he realized he had been provided with a durable set of leather gloves that covered his whole hand and extended to the end of his wrists. Pulling on them and slowly gripping his hands he could tell they hand been made especially for this form as they fight snugly without choking off any blood flow to his fingers.

Now with his curiosity satisfied he wondered as to what he would do. He knew that Ashera had told him of the fact that she would lead him to someone who would prepare him for the trials ahead, she never mentioned as to where he should go once he arrived here. Knowing that not moving forward from this place would provide him with nothing, he closed his eyes and began to spin around. He knew it was childish to do this, something redundant since he was a child, but he always belived in the tried and true method of spinning around until he felt compelled to stop and head in the direction he faced. Feeling a pull on his body, he ground his feet into a halt finding himself facing back into the same direction he started. Smiling at having some confirmation, he walked on toward the unknown.

Hours and hours later found him breathing heavily with the exertion of trekking through the field and forest for miles on end. Jaden could do nothing but collapse as he came to find that all that greeted him at the end of this journey was nothing more than another large expanse of field and mountains. Holding himself up on his knees he could do nothing but think evil thoughts as many eventful ways of how to kill a goddess entered his brain. It seems that he had been duped by this divine beauty and now he was to pay with his life. Feeling ready to collapse there and sleep till the next day, he was jolted awake by the sound of rustling bushes behind him. Grabbing his walking stick, he tried to holding it in a threatening way to ward off attack, "Who's out there!? Show yourself now!" Greeting him was the sound of cackling and deep laughter as a group of bandit's twenty men deep stepped out of the forest underbrush each bearing an axe upon the young man. Standing at the head of them was a grizzled man who exuding an aura of authority and malice showing that led this pack of crazed men, "Well look here boys! We seem to have found a little cub who wandered away from its pack!"

Taking insult to being called a little cub, even if he was in the body of a six year old, Jaden brandished the walking stick at the man ready to fight to what would ultimately be his death. Gazing at this figure, the lead bandit could only laugh at the sight, soon joined by his men as they all thought that the idea of a child fighting them was nothing but hilarious, "Nice, cub, very nice indeed. If anyfin, when ya die you can say ya died a man! Well men, go and gut that little runt!" And with that, the bandit's charged him ready to end his short lived life. Knowing that running would be useless he charged them all head first screaming what would be his last battle cry and he prepared to meet death with his head held high.

But this would be brought to an end as out of nowhere flew a flurry of arrows, spears and axes each embedding themselves in a few of the lead bandits. Everyone stopping at the unlikely seen, they all began looking around for what could have caused such a thing out here in the middle of nowhere. Soon, the rustling of brush was heard as out of the tall grass of the fields came an impressive figure that stood tall above any man there. His manner seemed to scream of royalty and commanded respect from anyone who gazed upon his figure. Standing their in his armor, draped by an orange cloak and holding a battle axe that seemed heavier than any man should be able to wield, he was definitely a force to be reckoned with. Spying Jaden standing their in the midst of these bandits, the man nodded his head back towards the brush that he had come from, "Go and hide little cub, as this is no place for a child to be." Gazing at him in awe, he could only nod and his body followed his orders walking past him and into the brush. When he had gone into the brush a pair of hands grabbed him, holding him gently despite the fact that they were clad in armor. They held him tight against a body who he could tell was female if the smell and feel of her skin gave any indication, "Don't worry little one. This will all be over in a matter of moments." Looking over his shoulder at the woman, he spotted a striking face framed by beautiful red tresses that were kept tied into a ponytail. With a nod, he parted the grass with his hands to watch the ensuing battle and could only gasp in awe.

The man at an unseen signal had begun destroying these bandits, the swings of his axe cutting a path through them seeming to be a dance despite the bulkiness of his weapon.With the his weapon effectively combining the defensive aspects of a spear, with its long shaft, and the power of an axe he was able take down men as many as two or three at a time with little effort. After only twenty seconds all of the bandits had been cut down and their stood only the battle god and the bandit leader. The bandit leader could only stand their cowering before this god-turned man who had decimated his men as if doing nothing more than cutting down wheat in the field. Seeing he had the chance at defeating this man, he threw his axe down on the ground and prostrated himself before him, "Hey, hey come on man! We were just kiddin' around! We weren't going ta hurt the kid, so please just spare me and let's put this all behind us!" The man watching this sad display could only look on in disgust at this filth feeling that he wasn't even worth dying upon his axe. Placing the handle of the axe against his shoulders he turned to walk away from him. The bandit leader seeing the other turn his back on him gave off a triumphant smirk before grabbing his axe and leaping at the man with a frenzied yell. Time seemed to slow down for him and without even noticing it, Jaden's voice called out a warning to the man in hopes of saving his own savior. But, it seemed that such a thing wasn't necessary as from out of the brush beside them an arrow flew straight and true planting itself directly between the eyes of the man and planting him dead cold on the ground.

As soon as the body hit the ground, time seemed to resume itself walking onward as if nothing had happened behind him. Walking into the brush, the man heading towards a trio of horses that had been left to stand away from the battle, "The job is finished Greil Mercenaries, you've all done a great job here." At this, three others rose up from the brush along with the red-haired beauty that had held him the whole time the battle ensued. Each of them walked over to the bandits retrieving arrows and weapons which had been thrown in the fight. Following after the man, Jaden knew that this was it. This had to be the man who Ashera had said she would send to teach him to be able to fight in the upcoming war. Seeing him mount up on his horse he ran over calling out to him, "Excuse me, sir! Could I talk to you, please?"

The man seeing him gave a warm smile that seemed quite different from the cold indifferent gaze that he gave to those men. Hoping down from his horse, the man crouched down to his level placing his hand upon his head and ruffling his hair, "Well, little cub what can I do for you? For that matter, there's something I wanted to ask you kid. Why are you so far out here in the wilderness and not at home with you family?" Feeling a bit peeved at the man for playing around in his hair, he brushed the hand off to the side. 'If you only knew how old I was you wouldn't be treating me like this,' he thought feeling a headache coming on from having to get use to such treatment again. Remembering his question, he quickly compiled a story hoping it satisfied him, "To be honest, I'm out here this far because I have nowhere else to go home to. Got no parents, and haven't needed them since I could walk." The man nodded, seemingly a bit put off at the brash mannerism and look of life he had, "Well then kid, its days away from the next town so why don't you travel with us and we can drop you off on our way to receive our payment."

Jaden's mind quickly went into overdrive as he knew that if he was separated from this man, he would lose his chance and never be able to fulfill his promise to Ashera. "To be honest sir, I wanted to ask you if you'd be willing to take me with you. I heard you mention that you were a Mercenary troop and I wondered if you'd be willing to train me sir." The man, surprised at this request, placed his hand upon his chin stroking it in thought. Looking over him like a prize cut of meat he nodded his head at him, "Well, I do admit you have a lot of spirit and guts from the way you charged those bandits with only a stick in your hand. But, I must warn you that the life of a Mercenary is grueling and filled with turmoil. We take jobs that may lead to us being killed and the man that you have come to know as you brother or sister in arms may be dead the next day. And to let you know, if you wish to become my trainee you will be worked to death and beyond till I'm satisfied. Are you sure this is what you what kid?"

Without second thoughts, Jaden answered him, "Of course I'm ready! Anything you can dish out I can take ya old geezer! And just so ya know, the name's not kid! I'm Jaden, Jaden Thompson and don't forget that name old man!" With a hearty laugh, the man patted Jaden on the shoulder each hit cause his knees to shake from its strength, "I like you kid! You have a heart and drive that I believe can make you a great mercenary! But just so you know my name is not old man. The name is Greil, and from now on you will either call me sir, Commander, or Commander Greil. Is that understood cub?" With a smile, he threw his right arm across his chest slapping his left hand against the forearm and holding it there in challenge, "Don't worry, I don't ever back down from a challenge Commander! You'll see! I'll be the greatest warrior this world has ever seen!" With a nod, Greil nodded his head toward the red-haired knight who he had met before, "Very well then Jaden, just so you know this is Titania my second-in-command. You'll be riding with her for the duration of the trip and if we encounter any Highwaymen, you are to disembark her horse and move away from the battle. Is that clear?" Nodding, he ran towards her letting himself be hoisted onto the horse by her before she took the reigns holding him in between her arms. With a nod, Greil and Titania, along with a red-headed man and a blonde and heavy blue armor, mounted up and rode off into the night.

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It had taken the group three days of hard traveling, but they had finally made it back to the Greil Mercenaries' base. Along the way he had come to learn more about them and what they did in this day and age. The leader, known as Commander Greil, was a man who knew how to separate work and life. On the battlefield he was a cold and calculating man letting nothing get to him and focusing on cutting down the enemy as he proved from the many encounters with bandits. Yet when he was out of these situations he showed him a care befitting a father and conversed and joked with his companions as an equal. He had earned his right to lead these men in battle through experience and hard work and the way that all of them spoke of him he was the best. Titania was in her own right a great warrior as well, and from the way he had seen her handle her axe she was a well-trained fighter who could overpower any man with the viciousness of her attacks. Shinon, brash and foul-mouthed and a great shot with a bow. He was a man of many words, and almost all of them were insults to their enemies or jokes at his expense. Of course, Jaden was never one to let others talk down on him without giving in return and it had become normal on the trip for them to get into it. Last of the group was Gatrie, and to be honest he annoyed Jaden to all hell because of his single-minded focus on women. He admitted to being a lover of women as well, but he took it to a level that made him a Grade-A pervert. But, despite that flaw he was a good fighter with his spear.

Climbing his way down from Titania's horse, Jaden stretched hearing as every bone in his body cracked from the stress of the long trip. It had been a hard day's travel, but it seemed they had finally made it home. Heh, just thinking of that brought back memories of the home he had to leave behind in order to come here. He had never been attached to anyplace as he had always moved from home to home every year. But, it had seemed like they had finally settled down and now he was here. Oh well, no use in crying about the situation as he was going home after this was all over. Seeing the others going over to put their horses in the stables, Jaden decided to go and have a look around the compound. And to be honest, he felt as if he was walking within a small village from the size of it. Giving a low whistle, he could only wonder how many people could be living here for them to need a compound of this size.

Feeling it better to not wander around and get lost, he waited until he spotted Greil making his way over and ran over falling into step with him, "So, tell me sir, who am I suppose to be learning from exactly and what kind of weapon will they be teaching me to use?" Smiling at hearing Jaden's enthusiasm over the prospect of training, he patted him on the head, Jaden feeling as if his knees would buckle under the weight of his hand, "Well, little cub first we're going to pick out a weapon for you. As you've never handled a weapon before we need to know what to focus on training you on so as not to waste time." With a nod he followed after Greil, coming up to a large building that stood close to the main compound. Following him in he discovered that the building was in fact a warehouse stacked with many needed supplies from food and medicines to weapons.

Following Greil pass the large stock of axes, swords, spears and bows, he noticed that kept within the back of the building was a large collection of wooden weapons which he guessed were made for training purposes. Taking one last look at the imposing figure of Greil standing beside him, he nodded and closed his eyes. Thinking back onto his fantasy novels at home, he rememberd as to how warriors chose their weapons based what felt right to them. Taking this knowledge to heaert, he took a deep breath before gazing back at the rack of weapons. Reaching towards the wall, some part of him guided his hand and he felt as it grasped tightly onto a well-worn hilt of a sword. Feeling the comfortable grip within his hands, he drew it off the wall and gazed at massive size of the weapon before he felt the weight of it take its toll on his arm. Gripping it tightly in both hands, he was only able to hold it up for a few precious seconds before his arms couldn't stand the strain and they slumped down causing the tip of the sword to crash onto the ground with a wooden thwack. Looking the wooden sword over he took the deep-brown woods' battered and beaten form which suggested many years of use. Its blade had to have measured a good sixty-one inches long and this didn't even include the hilt and guard. Width wise he guessed it to be only six inches across and the wooden blade had at least a two-inch thickness to it. Some would have abandoned the weapon then and there for who would train with a weapon that they could hardly use. Yet he knew inside that could change as he was only six years old for now and could grow into this weapon. Unable to hold it back, he gave a bright smile as he gazed back at Greil, "This is the one, Commander. I want to learn how to handle this blade."

Smiling despite the fact that he was essentialy giving permission to a child to learn how to weild a deadly weapon he nodded in acception of his choice, "Its your choice son, though I must say I'm surprised you chose that type of sword to use. Just know that from now until you graduate from trainee status that weapon is to be your best friend. When you are not sleeping you will carrying that weapon at all times and it is never to leave your sight. Understood?" Seeing the beaming smile and rampant nods of his head confirmed that his message was understood. With that he led Jaden with him to another building in the distance.When he entered he was assault by the sights and smells of the building and couldn't help but smile. Looking around, the basic structure reminded him of his few summers at his military academys summer camp where they would have to eat in the mess hall. Taking a seat beside a kid who looked about his current age, he looked at Greil as he took his seat at the head of the table. Nodding at everyone, he stood up to address everyone, "It is good to have my family here at the table yet again after having returned from a successful mission. And now, we have a new addition to our family. So, I would like to dedicate this dinner to him as a way to welcome him in." At the end of his speech, all the others gave a resounding cheer before the dinner began as everyone dove into their food. With a smile on his face Jaden enjoyed the festivities, introducing himself to Greil's son Ike, and his daughter Mist.

It was a good time that involved making new friends for Jaden, but soon it winded down and everyone went off to go to their sleeping quarters. Being new to the compound, Jaden was led by Gatrie to his new room, a decent seized room with only a desk, a nightstand with an oil lamp, an iron tub placed in the back for washing up and a bunk bed which suggested he may have a roommate soon. Propping his sword against the wall, Jaden plopped down on the bed sighing as he felt the soft bed that would be his from now on. "Glad to see that you're settling in, Jaden. Commander Greil wanted me to inform you that starting first thing tomorrow morning you are to meet him at the gates of the compound to begin your training. And trust me kid, its not wise to keep the Commander waiting," Gatrie said before leaving Jaden alone. Nodding at his back, Jaden fell back and before he even hit the pillow he had gone to sleep.

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The next morning after, Jaden awoke and recognized the fact that it was still dark outside. "No matter what world I'm in, it seems I can't stop waking up at dawn," he said with a chuckle before getting himself up. Looking over, he noticed the fact that someone had placed a steaming kettle over by the tub. With a shrug, he quickly washed up, dressed and grabbed his training sword before heading out. And as soon as he walked out of the barracks he was met with the sight of Commander Greil standing off to the side with a wooden sword of his own used as a crutch to support himself. Standing next to him was the familiar mop of blue hair that was Ike appearing to still be asleep despite the fact that he held a wooden sword similar to his fathers in his hand. Giving his trademark fatherly smile, Greil waved Jaden over to join them. "I'm surprised that your awake this early actually, as most new trainees sleep in on their first day of training," he said before his massive hand fell down on top of him. Jaden releasing a breath as the weight fell on his head growled with annoyance before quickly falling in step beside the two, "Well, it's not like I try to wake-up this early actually. It's just that living on the move as I have, you learned to make the most out of your day."

Nodding in understanding, Greil lead the two a good distance into the forest. Walking for at least five minutes they emerged within a large clearing. Leading them to the middle, Greil signaled for them to stop as he took the chance to gaze them over and appraise them, more so with Jaden than Ike. He knew much of what his son could do as he had been training his son in his swordmanship style for at least a year now. However Jaden was someone with no previous experience with a sword but from the little muscles he could see in his legs and arms he knew that wandering the countryside and having to survive on his own had physically conditioned him.Nodding as if coming upon some sage knowledge the two children would never understand he gave them a smile that someone screamed evil intentions to them.

"I know you would like to get to training with your swords, but first we have to warm-up. To begin I want you to run around the entire length of this clearing twelve times." Both giving him an incredulous look the two could only sigh as they felt death encrouching on them. Jaden wasn't sure of Ike's condition but in his former life he was a fit person and could normally run these twelve laps with only a little difficulty, but he didn't know how that would work now that he was a child again. With a sigh, he placed his wooden blade on the ground and prepared to run his laps before Greil held up his hand and stopped them both, "As I'm sure you remember me telling you your blade is to accompany you everyone you go Jaden. So pick up that weapon and get running. Now!" Both jumping at the yell, Jaden and Ike put their weapons in the sheaths they were provided for their weapons and took off in a pacing jog.

It was thirty minutes later that Jaden and Ike finally finished their run, both bending over on exhaustion but knowing that they could stop and rest or risk injuring their muscles more than helping them. Smiling in that same sadistic grin Greil motioned for the two to stand up, "Very good you two and I have to say you did better than I had expected you to Jaden. Then again your living on your own in the wilderness gives you good physical conditioning already. Anyway get yourself up you two, now that you've finished your run I want you two to get down and give me one hundred sit-ups, followed by one hundred push-ups then finish with one-hundred crunches. When you're fully warmed-up, then we'll get to teaching the stances and the proper way in which to swing your sword. This will be different for5 both of you as your weapons size and weight forces you two to attack in different ways. Now get going as times wasting away. Move it!" With yet another dual-groan of death they set out to completing their tasks hoping that when the day ending they would still be alive enough to eat dinner tonight.

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Just so you know, I decided to take this story down and repost it as I even though I planned out the story and even the further books the fighting style I wanted to use with Jaden wouldn't work with a spear. So just so you know the weapon I'm going to be letting him use is going to be the blades and not the swords so if you want to imagine his weapons think of the Iron Blade, Steel Blade and the like and not the Iron Swords and such you see Ike start off with. I'm also going to be making Jaden the Mercenary class instead of the Soldier class as I felt this is one class that should have been in the story what with having Greil being a Hero class.