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Degradian Moon rise: Chapter 1 Of Endings and Beginnings
The light of the full moon gleamed gently on a small child who was held in the arms of a beautiful woman. The child's eyes were open and they shimmered a brilliant gold under the gaze of the moon. The child had a black mop for hair that was tinted with green and pale skin. The woman appeared to be the mother for she had the same ethereal skin. The two were an almost angelic pair.
"Echizen-sama, we need to get you and you son out of here", shouted a servant. You see this mother and son pair aren't ordinary people. The mother is a Queen so that would make the son a Prince. The small child had been born not too many moments before and was sadly caught up in a dreadful war. There was nothing they could do now, Degrada's demise was certain. The prophecy will be realized, even if the one who foretold the prophecy was the Queen herself.
Degrada was a peaceful place. But it was a place of night, the moon would shine constantly always there to hover above Degradian lands. Even through all the mist and gray of the Degradian air the moon would always shine through. The lands may be shrouded in darkness, though they can never consume you whole. For the moon would come and rescue you. Degrada can entrance you, but it can never bind you, in these lands you have to trust yourself in order to live in this perpetual darkness. You must never let go of who you are because then the moon will never find you. If you lose your self, if you forget every last part of your being, you will be chained to the never ending night that is Degrada.
The nation of Degrada may have been a peaceful place, it certainly wasn't anymore. War had broke out among the four great nations: Maplewood the lands of Evergreen, Rembool the lands of Stone, Stranden the land of the Sun, and Degrada the land of the Moon. The two strongest nations were Degrada and Stranden, but these two nations hated each other. The conflict between them runs back thousands and thousands of years before the current kings of Stranden and Degrada were born. The lands of Rembool and Maplewood decided that by working together they could destroy Stranden and Degrada. Along with the fact Degrada and Stranden were already fighting against each other both lands were easily weakened. Slowly but surely the lands of Stranden and Degrada were falling apart.
There was almost no hope left.
"We're almost out Echizen-sama", said the servant named Nanako. She had long black hair and brown eyes something common in the slavery business. Half the castle was almost all destroyed and Rinko wasn't even sure if her husband was still alive. Holding the small bundle in her arms a little more tightly Rinko trudged on. She wouldn't let her son and Degrada's only hope for salvation die here. She had to make it out alive.
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Inside what was left of the castle stood two men. There were many bodies scattered around them and they themselves looked ready to drop dead as well. One man stood tall with long grey-purple hair that almost seemed silver. He had dark grey-blue eyes and was a proud arrogant man. He went by the name of Akira meaning bright. The name suited him because he was the ruler of Stranden the land of sun. The other man wasn't very tall, but he was prideful. He had tanned skin, golden eyes and black hair tinted with green. He was the king of Degrada and his name was Echizen Nanjiroh.
"Give up Nanjiroh. You can't win.", said Akira holding his sword high. It was true he had been winning the battle, things looked in his favor.
Nanjiroh narrowed his eyes and got in to a battle stance, "Mada mada."
Akira attacked first lunging with long strides, his large body was a useful tool. Nanjiroh doged to the side. but not in time. He was already weakened from the long fight they already had. Akira swung his sword to the side, puncturing Nanjiroh's whole stomach. Blood flowng every except through Nanjiroh's body.
"Looks like it's over." But Nanjiroh wouldn't give up just yet. He gathered the last of his strength to conjure up one last spell.
Akira looked over what at Nanjiroh was doing and laughed, "You fool, there's no way you can move let alone cast a spell." And with that he began to walk away.
But that was all the time Nanjiroh needed he whispered the words and casted his spell. A blinding light blocked all darkness from coming in, but in the next instant it was all dark. Both men who were in the room were gone along with what was left of the Degradian castle.
It was liked they disappeared into nothingness.
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13 years later...
"Hey Fuji have you been down to the colonies yet?" asked Eiji. Both he and Fuji were in the same 4 person unit, they both belonged to the Maplewood army. Although the war had ended there was still rumors saying there was likely to be another one very soon. Degrada may be gone, but Stranden was as strong was ever, their territories had stretched out even more in the past 10 years.
"No, not yet. Besides we still have to wait for Tezuka and Oishi before going to the branch facilities. Then we'll go to the colonies" The branch facilities were apart of both Maplewood and Rembool who were still teamed up. But people still worry they may be betrayed by them.
"Right. I almost forgot about them." Eiji scratched his head, sometimes it sucked being in the army there were to many protocols to follow. Eiji, Fuji, Tezuka, and Oishi were all in the same 4 persons unit and had been for about 2 years. They were all 16 and had joined the army when they were 14. They hadn't been in an actual fight, only simulations. While Eiji was the best with acrobatics, Fuji was the best with spells, Tezuka was the best with weaponry, and Oishi the best with strategy. All together they made a pretty good team.
"Look they're here." Fuji pointed in the direction they saw them coming.
Tezuka stopped in front the of them, "Change of plans, we're going to the Desranda outskirts." Fuji looked over at Tezuka confused.
"Why are we going there?"
"To monitor the new growing village, there have been accounts of powerful magick(1) being used there." Oishi looked almost nervous as he said this.
"But the Desranda outskirts are just the leftovers of Degrada there couldn't possibly be anything there."
Eiji then jumped in the middle of them and shouted, "Lets just go already! Nya!"
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"That's good Ryoma." Ryoma didn't say anything he just dropped his arm and lunged forward, but not directly at his opponent, in a more zig zag run. Just before reaching his opponent he jumped high in the air and landed just behind them.
"lock verse.", whispered Ryoma. He trapped his opponent holding him completely still, one false move could be the end.
"That's good, now could you let me go?" Ryoma sighed and released his spell, he then walked out from behind him to face him.
"Kawamura-sensei, when will you come at me seriously?" Ryoma was frustrated each and everyday he would train with Karamura and he knew Kawamura was better. He needed him to fight seriously. Ryoma was learning how to use his whispered magick(2), as far as he knew he was the only who could use it. Most other people could use magick too, just a different kind. Ryoma knew his mother knew of another person who could use it, but she would never tell him who. Though he did know whispered magick was the strongest kind there is.
"Ryoma, I do, your stronger than you think you are. Now go on home, your mother is waiting." Kawamura patted Ryoma on the head before he could push his hand away and shooed him back home.
"Che." Ryoma didn't know why him and his mother live in the back town of the Desranda outskirts, when they used to live in a small town in Maplewood just 5 years ago. But his mother had wanted to help build a refuge camp back in Desranda and it somehow turned into a village. Ryoma was proud of his mother, but she seemed to have some strange attachment to the old ruins of Degrada.
"I'm home!", shouted Ryoma he kicked off his dust sandals and walked into the small home. Their house wasn't anything just like the rest of the village. It had sort of an old dusty feel, and all the cloths were made of cow skin. Their cloths made of lamb and their homes of wood. It was really just a simple abode.
Rinko walked into the hallway welcoming Ryoma back, "Dinners on the table. Make sure you go wash up." Rinko smiled at her son, but Ryoma could always see an almost longing look in her eyes. Like when she looked into his, there was always something missing.
After washing up Ryoma sat at the table waiting for his dinner when his mother said, "Ryoma tomorrow could you run down to the village and pick up the supplies? I'd do it, but theres to much work to be done." Rinko set down the dinner, looking at her son with something akin to hope.
"Che." Ryoma picked up his bowl and began to shove the food down his mouth. Looks like he was going to the market tomorrow.
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"Ahh, we're finally here! When are we going to look around the village? Huh? Huh?", asked and excited Eiji. It was very rare for them to ever leave the vicinity of Maplewood so Eiji was extra hyper. Tezuka who was already used to his by now just walked over to his tent and went to sleep. Unbothered.
"Tomorrow Eiji. It's night and I bet everyone is asleep." Oishi tried to calm Eiji down, although he was a little excited too. But more nervous, yeah nerves was something he really needed to work on.
"You guys look." Fuji pointed up at the moon. It was glowing a beautiful white glow, shinning over every little inch of the bare Degrada ruins. The last of the cobble stone shone with a yellow dusty sheen. Every left over piece of the once brilliant palace seemed to be basking in the glow. But still the moon was the beautiful centre piece. It was a breathe taking view.
"Wow! It's so pretty!", Eiji turned to Fuji, "I can't wait till tomorrow!" Fuji looked at Eiji and smiled.
Looking back at the view he said, "Me too."
All together they slept in the history of the dreadful war of Degrada, all the while thinking how beautiful it was.
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"Good luck Ryoma! Don't let anyone hassle you because your younger!", shouted Rinko from the door of their home. Ryoma just lifted his hand and waved, but other than that didn't say anything. His mom needed a lot more stuff than first anticipated; carrots, onions, potatoes, broccoli, all vegetables. And meat, yet no fish. Though fish was more expensive here because Desranda wasn't close to any oceans, lakes, or rivers. Sighing Ryoma finally reached the market, too bad fish was his favorite.
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Eiji, Fuji, Oishi, and Tezuka searched the busy market place for anyone with a high amount of magick. Surprisingly Eiji was able to sense those with high magick using his nose, he was just like a cat searching for food. They had already begun searching hours eariler, but still weren't able to find anything. However they weren't the type to give, ever.
"Do you sense anything yet Eiji?", asked Oishi. It was a little disappointing not to have found anything by now. The reports they were given were rather interesting, there was said to be a very high level magick. But at the same time whoever was using it was very skilled and had good control. Though the control wasn't perfect and it seems the magick didn't stay at a high levels for long. But it was still a little unsettling.
"Not yet. Nya, this is getting frustrating." Eiji wanted to find something and soon. It was boring to look around this place, unlike the ruins the town was rather ordinary. Eiji didn't see why the Maplewood army wanted them to check it out.
"Let's check the produce section, it's the only place we haven't looked." It was always like Tezuka to try and keep order, the produce section of the market was on the opposite end of which they started.
"Saa it can't hurt."
They walked towards the produce section and as soon as they got there Eiji seemed to perk up. He would always stretch up higher whenever he sensed someone with a strong level of magick. Just like he was now.
"Eiji, you found something?", asked Oishi. He never say Eiji this excited before. Eiji didn't say anything he just began running forward in the crowd following his sense.
"Follow me!", he shouted without turning around. The others looked at each other before sprinting after Eiji.
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Ryoma could feel something, something chasing after him. No it wasn't just something, it was people. There were people chasing after him. Ryoma didn't know why, but it was best not to lead them back to his home. So he began running to the best place he could think of, his training area. Using his magick he began running towards where he trains in a zig zag motion. All the while keeping in mind the people trailing behind him.
Ryoma stopped abruptly right in the middle of the grassy field and said, "You can come out." The people chasing him were smart, they kept a good distance so they wouldn't be seen. But Ryoma knew they were there, so there was no point in hiding.
"Your pretty good." Fuji came out first standing about 5 feet away from Ryoma. Next Eiji and the rest came out. They were all a little shocked someone so young could contain such high level magick.
"Your magick is really strong!", shouted Eiji jumping up and down. Ryoma just eyed them wary, he's never seen these people in the village before.
"Who are you?" By now Ryoma was glaring at them, he could tell they were strong. If they did something to the village he would kill them.
"Now we're just here to check out the strong magick being used in this area. We're from Maplewood army." Oishi tried his best to pacify the angry looking boy, though he was still shocked to see such a young boy that held so much power.
Ryoma looked at each one of them; there was one that hadn't said anything and looked almost stony, another was hyper and appeared to still be jumping up and down, the one in the middle was smiling with his eyes closed, and the one that just talked looked almost ready to pee his pants. Ryoma decided if they were from the army it would be best to scare them away. He got into a lose fighting sense and called upon his magick.
Tezuka got into his own fighting stance when he saw the boy move into his, "Don't let your guard down!", he yelled out. In the next instant Ryoma was in front of him using his magick to gain speed. He kicked Tezuka in the face, but Tezuka managed to block. Tezuka skid about 5 feet away, not much but still quite far considering the size difference.
Seeing Tezuka being pushed back Fuji decided it was about time he stepped in. "Wind slash!" Letting out a bursts of wind towards Ryoma, he made sure they leaned closer to the right so they wouldn't hit Tezuka. Though Ryoma saw this coming and held up his palm and dispelled 2 of the 3 burts of wind coming at him. The one he missed hit his left and he flew a little ways.
Getting up Ryoma rubbed the dirt of his face and saw Eiji bouncing towards him. Once Eiji was in the air Ryoma rushed forward and slid underneath him, then he kicked his legs up and sent Eiji tumbling downward. But this was just a distraction, Fuji, Tezuka, and Oishi all went in and grabbed him. Though Ryoma saw this coming and spun his body magick rotating around him. Tezuka being the biggest didn't let go though and managed to hold him down.
They were about to knock him out when, "Let him go Tezuka." Kawamura walked towards them as big and strong as they remembered him.
"Kawamura-sensei!" Ryoma couldn't believe his teacher had come just in time, and he knew who these people were. Though Ryoma knew pretty much nothing about his sensei's past. On a particulary cold day they had found a collapsed body near their home and brought him in. It turns out it was Kawamura and they let him stay, he could sense Ryoma's magick and decided to train him, after that he never left.
"Kawamura, you know this kid? But besides that where were you these past 2 years!? The army searched everywhere for you!", shouted Oishi. Fuji was also surprised to see him, Kawamura was about 3 years older than them so he went out of Maplewood more often. One day he was sent out on a recon mission and never came back. They were happy to see him again, but also shocked. He was second command in their old squad after all and long time childhood friend.
Kawamura eyed Ryoma, and looked back at Eiji, Fuji, Tezuka, and Oishi. There could be only one real reason they were here, the elders. Ryuzaki had told them that the elders of the now 3 great nations knew about Ryoma's origins. They would definitely be after his power. However Kawamura didn't know the whole prophecy the only ones that did were Rinko, and the Ryuzaki's. But the most of the Ryuzaki prophets had died off and only one granddaughter had survived.
"I'll tell you everything at Ryoma's home. There you can introduce yourselves." It was about time he got Rinko to fess up, the prophecy was beginning to come true. And at a much faster rate than anyone had thought.
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A/N: I finally finished this, you have no idea how long it's been sitting in the back of my database. I'm sorry if it's a little confusing, but that's the way it always is when you don't want to reveal too much. And Kawamura will play a much more important role than you may think at first, there are lots of things Oishi, Tezuka, Fuji, and Eiji don't know about him. As for Ryoma he knows pretty much nothing about his past and Rinko was afraid of what might happen if he knew.
1) Magick is the spells people cast, there are many types. Some are based on the elements and others can be used for healing. While everyone knows the basic healing ones, Fuji, Kawamura, and Ryoma use it the most and are the most skilled at using of the characters introduced.
Please review! And thanks for reading.
Till next time...