Disclaimer: I do not own Radiata Stories or its characters. It belongs to Tri-Ace.
In the birth cry of the cosmos
The twin eyes awake
Above us they shine
The world made safe for our sake
The forests they flourish
The towers grow high
The four lights shine down
Chaos withers and dies
But imbalance grows
Forests turn dark
This is our doom
The tower breaks the sky:
Here come the dragons to bring it down
Chapter 1: To Become a KnightIt was a pleasant spring day. The flowers were blooming, the birds were singing, and the people were carefree. In the fields, farmers toiled away to bring forth incredible crops to sell to market. Cows crooned softly as they grazed in the pastures. Chickens scurried around the barns, pecking at the feed the farmers toss to them and the scuttling ants beneath their feet. The women chattered amongst themselves excitedly and the children played games. It was a typical spring day in Solieu Village.
Inside a small house, a young woman gazed affectionately at a photo on a shelf. She had a youthful beauty to her and a courageous fire within her chocolate brown eyes. Her clothes were typical for a farming village: a brown dress with a yellow blouse. But the picture she stared at was a man of great honor. She stood up from her seat, holding a sewing needle and a tunic. The woman smiled warmly. "It is time for your son to become a knight…I hope he'll be ready."
Just as she spoke those words, a door opened. A sixteen-year-old teenage boy stumbled out in a sleepy stupor. His brown hair was tousled from sleep and his dark brown eyes were cloudy with drowsiness. His pajama shirt was comically on backwards. The woman's mouth was open out of shock. The boy blinked sleepily as he scratched himself. "Hey sis…when's breakfast?"
The boy's sister stomped her foot and held her arms close to her sides. "Jack Russell!" The boy Jack was broken out of his drowsiness. "Wha! What's wrong!" The woman pointed at him. "Why aren't you dressed! The knight trials are today! Now go outside!" Jack frowned. "But Adele!" "Move it!" the woman screeched furiously. The boy hurried outside, not wanting to stir up his sister's wrath any further.
Sounds of clashing wood drew the farmers away from their daily work. The children watched intently as Adele and Jack sparred with wooden sticks, substitute for real swords. A couple of kids jumped up and down out, thrilled by the show. The farmers nodded. They knew the reason for this impromptu show of clashing sticks. Jack, the son of Cairn the Dragon Slayer, was to become a knight like his father. The sparring match continued on for a few more hours.
His eyes widened. Handed to him was his father's sword, the Arbitrator. This sword was used to cut down Kelvin, the two-headed water dragon. Jack held the sword in his hands. "Dad's sword?" "Yes. Your father used this sword and now it is passed down to you. Of course, you can't use it yet", Adele said. "Hey! I can be great! Maybe even better!" Jack protested. Adele sighed exasperatedly. "Don't be so cocky. The knight trials have people that know what they're doing." A thought suddenly hit Jack. "Umm…the knight trials? Isn't it an hour away?" Adele immediately panicked. "The trials! Hurry Jack!" She watched her little brother run out the door with his stuff and the Arbitrator slung on his back. "You really have no idea…how great your father was…"
Before he knew it, Solieu Village and the Tria Region was behind him. Jack gazed up at the magnificent sight of Radiata Castle. "Radiata Castle…okay! Here goes nothing!" He ran into the castle, ready to take on the trials. Even though time was running out for registration, Jack couldn't help but marvel at the amazing décor of the castle. Being from a country village, he had never been in the city before let alone the castle. After a couple minutes of running to the registration desk, Jack signed up and followed the guard to the waiting room.
Tension was high within the small waiting room. Some people hoping to become knights stared nervously at their feet. A man dressed in pink noble clothes looked to his golem servant. "Sebastian." The golem rubbed vigorously at his master's shoulders. "Yes Lord Star." Jack peered anxiously at the contest bracket, searching for his name and opponent. "Let's see…I'm up against someone named Ridley…" He looked at the people sitting in the room. "Whoever he is, Ridley's going down!"
A guard stepped out from behind the doors of the arena. "Will the first fighters Star and Paul please come to the arena?" The pink-garbed man walked to the door confidently with a man dressed in red following closely behind. Jack waited patiently, searching for anyone that could be his opponent Ridley. From behind the doors, loud smacks and blows could be heard. When it was all said and done, Paul marched out confidently and took a seat. The golem Sebastian dashed into the arena to retrieve his injured master. The guard called then for Jack and Ridley.
The teen clenched his fists out of excitement. "Yes! I'm ready!" Before he could go, a young girl about his age passed by him. Her blonde hair was pulled into two pigtails tied by red ribbons. Her eyes were a radiant emerald green but seemed cold and merciless. The girl's clothes were similar to a noble's but were not as grand. Jack couldn't believe it when he saw her enter the arena. "Ridley's a girl! Aw man…I stink at holding back." He went into the arena all the same.
Out on the battleground, Jack stared down at his opponent. Ridley stared back in a cool and calm manner. An old man stood in between the two combatants. "I am Junzaburo. Now then, points for every hit will determine this match. Fighting today will by Jack Russell and Ridley Silverlake. Fight!" Jack unsheathed an iron one-handed sword while Ridley lifted up a knight axe. They charged in once they were ready to go.
Jack's first thought of this match was that it would be a cakewalk. To him, Ridley would not even put up much of a fight. He was proven wrong when the supposedly frail girl struck her axe against his sword. So much power was in that blow that Jack was nearly knocked off balance. He tried to avoid the strikes but the attack was relentless. When he was almost finished, Jack saw Ridley back off. 'This is my chance!' he thought. Jack charged in with sword raised. What he didn't expect was Ridley soon surrounded by an orange aura similar to flames. "Wild Pitch!" she announced. She smacked her face a couple times after placing her axe down. "All right!" She then picked up her axe and spun around in a dangerous rotation. Jack was scared and wanted to move but his legs wouldn't listen. Finally, Ridley swung around so fast that when she stopped, the centrifugal force from the spin became a projectile and knocked Jack off his feet. It was clear who had won.
Air was blowing on his face. Jack slowly opened his eyes to find Sebastian fanning his face along with Star's. He sat up quickly, thinking only about the match. "What happened?" "Miss Ridley won the match. They just announced the winner of the trials", Sebastian explained. "It seems that she was training to be a knight long before the trials began." Despair filled Jack's heart. He lost badly, especially to a girl. He couldn't go back to Solieu Village, not after all the training with Adele. With a heavy heart, Jack gathered up his things and left the castle.
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