Wind howling. A cold air was washing over the Hive city of Shiini, Capital city on the world of Edo. The city was built in, around, under, and over the ruins of a Great Capital City of the Old Imperium of Man. Days when the Emperor Himself carried the torch of humanities future into the stars. Behind him were the 20 legions of Terra his army, his Space Marines. Behind them the massive reserves of the Imperial Army, not modified space marines of the Emperors design but a force of loyal and enthusiastic men and women who wanted to lead the way and reclaim the stars. The forces of the Emperor and his newly formed Imperium of Man spread across the galaxy, conquering new worlds, reconnecting with ancient Human civilizations, exterminating alien cultures deemed hostile to human expansion, and finding the Emperor's lost sons, stolen from him by the dark gods of the warp, his Primarchs.
Today 10,000 years into the history of the Imperium, there are only ruins, and those who make out an existence in them. Walking down the streets of Shiini was a man, massive in stature, and a whole head and shoulders above those he passed on the streets. He hid his face in a hood and carried a large sword on his back. Those that dared to stare and watch the man claim to never have seen him unsheathe his sword, not even when attacked by the roving murder gangs. The man had a name, but had not used it since the golden age of Man. There were those of similar stature to him, clad in armour who roamed the stars eternally searching for forgiveness they need not look for. They called him traitor, heretic, and "Fallen". He walked until he came to a small stone church adorn with Symbols and Icons of worship to an Atheist King. The man had a small laugh, keeping it under his breath. He walked up the steps leading up and opened the ornate double doors. Inside the heads of children turned and smiles erupted on their faces.
"Hey Teacher! Can we hear another story today!" One of the boys in the group called out with no curb to his enthusiasm. There were about a dozen children in the church, boys and girls, all no older than 12 Terran Cycles. The man did not answer the boy, but walked forward crossing into the threshold of the church and passed the pews where the children sat and up to the alter. There he took a knee and prayed. To who or what he didn't know anymore, it didn't matter. When you were in a church you prayed, thats what he knew. Standing up he turned to the children staring at him and beckoned them to him. They gathered around in a half circle in front of him taking a seat on the floor. The children looked up at the towering figure of the man like the God Emperor himself was standing in front of them. The man took a deep breath before he began.
There once was a man who lived on Edo named Tetsuro Hiroshito. The people of the world knew him as The Shogun, he was their king, their protector, he was their father and they his children. But before he was honored so highly he had more humble beginnings. Deep in the flood lands of Edo two children saw a great bolt of lightning crack across the sky without any sign of a storm or any clouds at all. From the lightning came a falling star bright enough to be seen in the middle of the day, but this star did not streak across the sky and disappear. It fell to the earth and landing in the flood lands. The children overwhelmed by curiosity chased after the star and where it had landed. What they found was no star however, but a child naked and crying. Screaming for help though there was no one but the children to hear the cries. The children picked up the child and rushed home to tell their parents when they had seen and what they had found. When they arrived at their small village the adults were gathering outside their homes, whispering of calamity. They too had spied the lightning and the falling star that struck the earth. The children brought the babe, the fallen star to their parents. As they told the story of following the star and finding the baby alone and crying in the middle of the flood lands, the other villagers gathered and looked upon the boy. Many came screaming of terrible omens and dark tiding the child would bring. All voices hushed when they gazed upon the child. He had now stopped crying his features strong, the look in his eyes though young were fierce, determined, and full of purpose.
The village adopted the baby boy and took it upon themselves to raise him. The boy grew quickly, abnormally quickly, the villagers believed this to be more proof of the boys destiny, ordained by the stars above who sent him to their home. The boy was given a name when he was old enough to ask which was only 3 weeks of his time on Edo, the villagers named him after a hero of a great Epic. Tetsuro, a warrior of the stars that fought on behalf of the lowly people below against the selfish gods. The boy was given this name as well as the Surname of the children who found him. He he would be known as Tetsuro Hiroshito. Talk of the fallen star had not fallen on deaf ears. Though the village was isolated small traders made their way through the village to peddle their wares. They heard the stories and met the boy , some stayed long enough to watched him grow. They carried the story with them to the trading posts of the larger settlements and from their the legend of the falling star was passed around the lands. Some people of Edo even came to see the boy. To learn if these tales could possibly be true. None left disappointed. The Lord of the land, a cruel man whose name is forgotten from history grew enraged at the talk of a mystical child and sent an army to burn the fields where they grew their rice and burn their homes where they slept, to let the flood lands run red with the blood of the villagers, and to bring him the head of the Fallen Star.
Though the boy was indeed impressive in body, sharp of mind, and held as the treasure of the village. He himself was happy with a humble life. To ignore the talk of destiny or even divinity. To just live a happy life with his family, his "older" siblings the children who found him, still small and young were his favorite things in the world. Though he was far bigger than them now they still teased him for being the baby of the family and how he needs to listen to them. He was happy. That happiness wouldn't last. The humble life he wanted so dearly was never truly mean to be. Traders came, they respected the Fallen Star more than they feared the Cruel Lord and warned them of the Lord's wrath. They brought with them supplies they bought from all around and mercenaries who would protect the village and begged him to use them, to fight or flee, it didn't matter. Tetsuro though refused. This couldn't be the only way, in the night when the village slept he sneaked out of village passed the mercenary guards. To the village in the valley where the Lord's troops would need to pass through to reach the flood lands. The army was supposed to arrive by morning so Tetsuro made haste and arrived at the village just before the sun rose above the horizen. He was to late though. The army had arrived early, and had sacked and raped the village. As the valley burned around him a new emotion he had never felt before became his everything. Hate. Hatred. Blood Curdling Hatred. There was no more turning back. He ran into the village. The soldiers too preoccupied with their destruction didn't take notice of Tetsuro. He approached the armie's general who watched the destruction from his mount silent, but grinning. Tetsuro screamed "YOU WANT THE FALLEN STAR? WELL HERE I AM! I AM THE FALLEN STAR! IF YOU CAN DO ANYTHING MORE THAN SLAUGHTER INNOCENTS THEN COME DOWN HERE AND FIGHT ME". The General scoffed, he looked as a warrior standing next to him and pointed his chin at the young challenger. Noticing the flag flying from the warrior's armour Tetsuro understood this was the general's champion. To cowardly to fight me himself, Tetsuro didn't hold back his rage at all. When the champion came at him with his blade he jumped and grabbed at his arm and the champions arm broke under his grip. The sword fell to the ground and the champion tried to pick it up with his other hand. Tetsuro smashed his face against his knee before he could regain his balance, sending him sprawling onto the ground. Sword went flying Tetsuro reaches for the first thing he could get his hands on. A solid stone. Firm, round yet jagged, and fitting perfectly in the Fallen Star's hand. He straddled the warrior still dazed on the ground and smashed in his head, and kept smashing, it didnt seem like it ever ended. He had attracted a crowd of onlooking soldiers as he had fought the champion. At this point they stared on in horror stunned unable to move, others disgusted and throwing up behind buildings. None however tried to stop him, they just watched, watched until the champion's head was nothing but red paste. The general stammering order to his men, watching helplessly. As Tetsuro stood up and turned towards the general, he didnt say a word, covered head to toe in blood he walked towards the general. As the general screamed for his men to die for him they all began to run away from the conflict. Trying to turn his terrified horse around he was kicked off and toppled to the ground. A sharp pain hits his chest. His chest caves in he is pinned by the heel of the Fallen Star. his head in the boys hands he weeps and begs for mercy. The blood soaked boy smashed his eyes with his thumbs, took the rock and shattered his elbows and knees, and leaving him broken and bloody in the mud, as the world burned around him. His soldiers deserted him long ago, he would die there.
Tetsuro made the long trek back to the village. The villagers found him several miles away from the village still covered in blood and despondent to everyone. he reflected on the savagery of his action, he looked back at the terror in the eyes of the soldiers and the general, at the lack of mercy he showed the champion as he bludgeoned him to pulp. "General... Champion..." He hated them, but he never even knew their names. He murdered them. He was brought back to the village washed, fed, and questioned by villagers. He said not a word. In his mind he couldn't rationalize what he had done. It was murder, it wasn't honorable. He wouldn't be them. Back at the Lord's palace soldiers returned to their master and told of the Fallen Child, of his strength, and of his rage. The Lord infuriated had the soldiers killed and began planning what he was going to do to this new threat.
Normalcy was returning to to The village, Tetsuro had opened up about what happened and the villagers came to him with support. He told them of his uncontrolled rage and how he had come to fear it. The village elder approached Tetsuro and put his frail hand on the massive boys shoulder. The elder had lived in the village for more years than even he remembered. He had survived the wars, the famines, the diseases, and the like. He rarely spoke more than necessary, even he couldn't overcome the hourglass of time, he was old and he saved his strength for times where he thought it best to pass along what he knew of this world. And the village knew well to listen when he spoke, even the outstanding Fallen Star. When he put his hand on the Fallen Star's shoulder Tetsuro immediately knelt down and leaned closer to listen to his elder. "Child of the Stars, come close and listen closer. You have great power and an even greater destiny. You must find a way to control your emotions and channel your feelings to the good of all. Come with me." With that the old man took his hand off Tetsuro and began shambling in the direction of his hut. Tetsuro followed suit until he reached the door of the elders hut, a strong musky smell had always wafted around the elders home. The children of the village always laughed and made jokes about the smell, none of them had even entered. Tetsuro had never entered before. He stopped at the door and the elder turned to him and beckoned him inside. With that Tetsuro took the first step through the doorway finding himself more apprehensive than he thought he would be. Inside the hut were books. Books on shelves, books on tables, books on the floor. Wall to wall there were books. Tetsuro had read a few books, he had learned to read and took to it quickly, but he had never seen so many. He approached the elder looking all around him in amazement and spoke, "Dearest Elder, all of these are yours? Have you read them all?" The elder nodded, he has had many years to read. He pointed at a book and Tetsuro grabbed it from its shelf. He pointed at another Tetsuro grabbed it from its resting spot, then another, and another, from the shelves, from the floor, from the tables. When he was done he had a collection of books in the corner of the hut. The elder took a deep breath, "These are books from all over Edo, they teach us many things, philosophy, art, politics, and culture. Read them. Find a creed to make your own. Embrace your soul in it and let it guide you". The elder waved his palm to shoo the boy away, Tetsuro grabbed the books and rushed to his home. He didn't have enough space to store all the books. He put them under his cot, on top of his cot, and in his cot. In the cupboards and pantry, in the hallways and outhouse. And he read.
He kept on reading, while his siblings played in the yard and the flood lands he stayed at home and read. While his adopted parents were opening books to try and find out what had engrossed their son so fully he would return to the elder and ask him questions. The meaning of words and questions of the world he had never seen. When the villagers came to him worried, begged him to put down the books and come outside, he shooed them away. Even his own brother and sister. It had been months of reading books, books, books until he was reading THE book. The book was about warriors, held by a code even to the death. Of service to their masters and a master's service to them. A code of respecting your opponent and fighting with absolute precision with a finely sharpened blade. He went to the elder and asked him more questions than he had before questions of this code, the way of life of Bushido.