It has been a full century since the death of the Dark Lord. One hundred years since defeat of the most powerful dark being to have walked on this world. With the defeat of their leader, the denizens of the dark fled towards the Southern Plains. In this domain are they free from the light of the world. Here, in this paradise for the darkness do the orcs, goblins, imps, and demons of shadow find refuge from the light. Legend states that even the Six Dark Generals, the Dark Lord's greatest warriors, reside in these lands.
With the warriors of the dark gone, and age of prosperity was brought to the beings of light. This was brought about by five grand warriors, who challenged and defeated the Dark Lord's army. The hero, Candor, whose skill with the blade was influential in dealing the killing blow to the Dark Lord. The sorceress, Fatin, whose knowledge of sorcery was said to rival that of the Dark Lord himself. The brawler, Basir Rarsk, whose strength and martial arts skill was said to have allowed him to challenge the most powerful of the Six Generals and emerge victorious. The dwarf, Kitoth Coinmaul, whose unmatched skill with the ax was only rivaled by his genius blacksmith crafts. It has been said that he crafted the weapons and armor of all the warriors, except for the sword of the hero; for it has been said that the blade that he carried was crafted and given to him by the messengers of God Himself. The elf, Cellica Ianzana, whose skill with the bow was only matched by her angelic beauty. These champions of the light were the brave souls who brought about peace for the light that has lasted for one hundred years.
There stories would never go untold, for the future generation was always taught about their history. From the hero's humble beginnings as a mere farm hand, to his recruitment of his allies, to their still mysterious final battle with the Dark Lord. To this day, details of that battle are a mystery, for the hero died in that fight and his allies disappeared.
To honor their memory, the next generation would be taught their history and skills. From five to nine, the children were taught the history of the warriors. On their tenth birthday, they could begin their training in the skills of the warriors. The hero's swordsmanship, the sorceress's magical knowledge, the brawler's martial arts, the dwarf's blacksmith skills, and the elf's archery. If they so choose, the students can learn multiple skills, for they can all be used in everyday life. For example, magic can be used for tasks such as cooking or building. The martial arts, swordsmanship, and archery could be used for police force. Even the skills of the blacksmith could be used to tailor a variety of different clothing.
The students who were the top of their respective classes would be chosen to be the elite protectors of the world, The Six Paladins. The lowest ranking Paladin would be the Stone Paladin. They would have great skill in any number of the skills, but still be inferior to the other Paladins. The Steel Paladin has the most skill in Blacksmith. Their knowledge in crafting swords and armor would be the best in their class. A force to be reckoned with, their knowledge could allow them to fond the weakness of nearly any weapon or armor and destroy it. The Copper Paladin would be the greatest archer. Their eyes would be able to see attacks coming miles away, and would have the skill to hit a field mouse at an even farther distance. The Bronze Paladin would be the greatest martial artist. It has been stated that the who shows the most promise of become the Bronze Paladin must defeat everyone in their respective year at once, for the Bronze Paladin should be able to fight off dozens of enemies at once. The Silver Paladin is a tad bit more special. They must have either have mastery over the sword with knowledge of magic, or vice versa. This is done, because magic for most people is not infinite. It is a combination of both energy from the body and energy from nature. Energy from nature may be infinite, but the human body can only take on so much stress. Most mages and sorcerers use their magic sparingly, for over use of magic can have a variety of negative affects, including death. There have only been two skilled mages who could channel unlimited magic, Fatin, the legendary sorceress who aided in bringing about the prosperity for the light; and the Dark Lord himself. The final rank of the Six Paladins is the most powerful of them all, the Golden Paladin. To obtain this glorious rank, one must master all of the skills; a task that could take decades to accomplish. These six warriors have been the greatest champions of peace six the Five Legendary Warriors.
All of this knowledge has been made available for all who wish to know, but there is one piece of knowledge that has never been taught. In fact, it has been kept a well hidden secret for many decades. The history of the Dark Lord. Absolutely nothing is known about him. Who he was. Why he chose to become the Dark Lord. His origin. His ambition. The tactics he used to obtain his allies and victories. His skills and abilities. Not even his death has been recorded. There isn't a single bit of history pertaining to the Dark Lord or his Six Dark Generals, and that annoys me.
I have learned everything I need about the heroes. I know everything about each of their respective backgrounds and abilities. I know how to become a Paladin. I know everything I need to know about the light. There is absolutely nothing left for me to learn. True, I could always try to find the hero's legendary sword, the Deum Fidem, which went missing after the hero died; but I'm far more interested in discovering a hidden part of history. It sounds far more exciting than looking for a single blade, no matter how legendary the sword may be.
Hm? Oh, yes! How rude of me. I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Adelram. Adelram Umbra. I'm guessing you're curious as to how I appear. If I had to describe my physique, I suppose I should start with my dark hair, dark skin, and brown eyes. According to what has been discovered, tens of thousands of years ago, there was a group of people who had something called a Hispanic bloodline. This Hispanic blood was what gave them their dark complexion. I guess their blood survived long enough to reach my time, for I soon discovered that I was a direct descendant of the Hispanic bloodline. In terms of height, I suppose I'm about 5'6. Due to the immense training I've undergone, I have an athletic build. In terms of looks, I suppose have an average face, but most people say otherwise. I can't understand why.
With that introduction out of the way, I'd like to welcome you to my story. Before I begin, I should tell you a few more things. As I mentioned before, every student has the right to choose any of the skills they wished to learn at the age of ten. I chose all five of them. I was nineteen when I mastered all of the skills. I was one of the top two students in my class. The other one was my childhood friend, Angelica Lux. She's quite the impressive young woman. A tall, athletic physique; long, golden-blonde hair; deep, sky-blue eyes; porcelain, snow white skin; and an angelic voice. She's been called the most beautiful woman many times, but she's also one of the most powerful and brilliant. She's possible the only person so far to have ever gone toe-to-toe with me. She's humble to boot. She doesn't brag about her looks or skills at all. She's been known to help others if she can. One of those types who you can't hate, no matter how much you try. In essence, she's my polar opposite. True, I don't brag about my looks or skill, but I'm not a kind person. I've been known to be quite cruel and sarcastic. Cynical, even. Makes me wonder why a girl like that became friends with a guy like me.
At the end of our year, I was the one chosen to be the valedictorian. This was because I was considered the best. Angelica came close to beating me on numerous occasions, but I'd always stand victorious at the end. Even so, I rejected the role. It didn't feel right, representing something I have lost total interest in. Angelica gave me quite the lecture, but no one else seemed to care. The faculty seemed disappointed, but the student body cheered.
After graduation, there were already predictions about my and Angelica's future. People were already set on me becoming the next Golden Paladin, and Angelica becoming the next Silver Paladin. Others went to far as to predict that I would become the greatest Golden Paladin in history. Oh, the faces they will make when they find out the truth. I have no interest in becoming a Paladin. If anything, I'll be more of a wondering archaeologist. My plan is set off towards the most dangerous place on Earth. I will go to the Southern Plains. I will unlock the hidden history of the Dark Lord. I will discovery who he was, and what he stood for. Every secret that the Southern Plain holds, including it's own, will be mine to find. That is my goal. That is my destiny.
That is were my story will truly begin.
A/N: And that's were this first chapter ends. Well, this is the beginning of my first fan fic. I may continue it for fun, but I'm curious about what other people might think. This story was influenced my the Castlevania games and the Overlord games. In fact, there will be plenty of references to these and other games. If you can notice them, the more power to ya. Reviews are appreciated. If in the future, you believe you could type this story in a more interesting way, then be my guest. Just be sure to tell me the title so I can read your story myself. Flames will NOT be ignored. In fact, I encourage them. I'm even planning a bit of a contest. If your flame is impressive, I'll put it in the author's note and name you either the Flame King/Queen or the Troll King/Queen. I mean a REAL flame. Not something lame like, "this story is stupid", "this story sucks", "kill yourself", or "stop this train wreck". Those are lame, boring, and lazy. Show me what ya got, all ya aspiring trolls and flamers!