Episode One
The Story of the Past
Within the dim light of the courtroom, a young man stood before the throne of the demon Lord. Shackled, he stood solemnly with his head hung low, staring at the metal cuffs around his wrists.
The demon Lord named Talpa sat quietly as the light of flames danced over his armor. He wore a red mask, but as the young man looked up, he knew in his heart that there was a smile behind that mask.
The four generals of the Dynasty, along with Lady Kayura, entered into the courtroom, breaking the silence. They feel quiet as they stumbled upon the scene. Lord Talpa stood up from his throne and walked down the red carpet.
The four generals and Lady Kayura bowed to their master and lined up in their places. Lord Talpa stopped before the young man, towering high above him with his enormous stature.
All eyes went to the young man. He stood solemnly before the dark Lord with his head bowed. His hands were shacked. His feet were shacked. He was a prisoner of Lord Talpa.
Kayura, wearing her kimono, felt the soft material rub against the back of her neck as she turned her head. Her deep blue eyes locked upon the young man. He looked utterly miserable and defeated. Curiously, he stood in sub-armor identical to that of the four Generals; however, there were two colors combined to make his sub-armor—forest green and copper. Kayura raised her head, trying to get a better glance. The young man had blonde hair with locks that ran over into his emerald green eyes.
Finally, Talpa burst out into laughter, raising his arms towards the ceiling. The young man's head hung lower. "My will has succeed, as it always will, Kirin! Now do you question your ability to defy my will?
The young man stood silent.
"Now, Kirin, you will know what it means to defy the Dynasty and the will of Lord Talpa…"
The young man known as Kirin jerked his head up, blonde locks fell into his eyes. Anger flashed in his eyes as he stared the demon Lord down. "I understand that we made agreement Talpa, but I don't want a lecture to come with it."
Talpa chuckled. He put his hand to his chin and pondered for a moment. "You may be defiant now, but there will come a day when the pleasures the Dynasty has to offer will make your heart succumb to me." The dark Lord walked forward, stepping shoulder to shoulder to whisper Kirin. "I can give you all that you desire. Just serve me wholeheartedly, and I can give you all that you desire."
"I desire nothing from you."
The demon Lord faintly chuckled. "We will see." He continued to walk, passing past the young man. After he passed, Talpa gently waved his hand, releasing the shackles off Kirin.
Kirin turned around to look at the demon Lord.
Talpa motioned to Kirin. "Warlords, another has pledged his service to the Dynasty. This is Kirin of the Armor of Forest."
"Armor of the Forest?" Dais, the Warlord of Illusion, stepped forward with a questioning look on his face.
The others stared at the young man.
Lord Talpa circled around Kirin. "Warlords, make our new warrior feel welcome." He walked back to his throne and sat down.
"Yes, Master Talpa," The Warlords said.
The young man's head drooped.
The young man known as Kirin was now in service to Emperor Talpa, ruler of the Dynasty and one of the most powerful conquerors of the Netherworld. As he sat alone at the table in the tea room, his heart sank as images flashed through his memory. He closed his eyes. The scream ringing through his ears were almost audible. After a few moments, he opened his and looked around the room to keep tears from rolling down his face. The castle was dark and unfriendly, made of old wood and hard, cold stones. The dimly lit tearoom was illuminated by many candles sitting on the tabletop. He put his elbows on the table and covered his face with his hands. He hadn't even been here one day, but death seemed like a better option.
Bickering about campaigns and battle strategies, the Warlords entered into the room, but silenced their conversation at the sight of the new warrior. Kirin put his hands down on the table and quickly choked back the forming tears.
The Warlords stared at him for a moment. Sekhmet crossed his arms.
"What are you doing here, boy?" Anubis asked.
"I'm not a boy," Kirin sat up straight.
Dais smirked. "You sure look like it."
"Just because I'm not an old grandfather like you…"
"It would do you well to watch your tongue, boy," Sekhmet took a step forward. "You're in the Dynasty now."
"I never asked to be here." Kirin glanced off towards a dark corner.
"Well, you are here." Kale came forward and took a seat at the table. "How about some tea now?" v He motioned the others to sit down. He looked around. "Where are the servants?"
"They're getting it right now," Kirin glumly said.
Dais slapped the new warrior on the back. "Cheer up! We're going into battle soon." He pulled out a piece of parchment with a crude map drawn on it. "We were just discussing the best strategy."
Kirin sat silently.
"So, boy," Anubis kinked his neck. "Tell us about this armor of yours."
"Yes, that is an interesting subject" Kale put his hand over his chin.
"I'm twenty years old. I am a man."
The Warlords chuckled.
"When you're as old as we are, twenty years old is like the blink of an eye," Kale said before yawning.
Kirin looked back and forth between the warriors. "How old are you?" They didn't appear a day over twenty-five.
"I'm about 407-408 years old," Dais said causally. "It's difficult to remember sometimes."
"But how?"
Anubis smirked. "That is one of the many pleasures and privileges of serving Master Talpa." He looked over at his fellow Warlords. "We all have been given immortality."
Kirin shook his head. "But why would you want to live forever?" His family, now dead, crossed his mind once more. "Everyone you would ever know or love would pass on, and you would continue to live on forever."
Anubis laughed, echoing a hint of cruelty mixed with his amusement. "Spoken like a true weakling. Men have fought ferociously for even the hope of finding immortality. With such a gift, power, wealth, all that one desires can be obtained. With immortality, one can achieve his wildest dreams."
Kirin's eyebrows hunched. "Aren't you just achieving Talpa's wildest dreams?"
The Warlords each looked initially shocked at first, but they quickly fell into different reactions. Anubis turned his head, snubbing the idea of the boy's philosophy. Dais and Sekhmet shook their heads at the idealistic child—he would soon learn his place, but Kale fell silent, and his eyes looked down towards the table, expressing a state of deep thought.
Soon the servants came in, interrupting the awkward moment, and they served tea and rice cakes to the Warlords. After they started snacking, conversation began again with small talk. Kirin remained silent, trying to stay uninvolved, but again, the question arose—where did the armor come from?
He was dressed like them—in metal sub-armor, except his pattern was different compared to the Warlords. Resembling their future enemies (the Ronin Warriors) the sub-armor that Kirin bore was two colors: forest green and copper. His chest, legs, arms, belt, cod-piece, and stomach were colored with the forest green while his thighs, upper-arms, and sides were copper.
"You should know." Kirin kept his eyes on the table then took a slip from his tea cup.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Dais asked.
"It is from your Master."
"Liar!" Anubis fumed.
"I speak the truth."
"That stupid monk split Master Talpa's armor into nine armors. We've fought them before—many years ago—and you're not one of them." Anubis said, angrily.
"Yes, where does this supposed "Armor of Forest" come from?" Sekhmet asked.
"I told you," Kirin looked up at them. "From your Master."
"Explain then because you have us all quite baffled," Kale requested.
"It is true that Talpa's armor was split into nine different armors, but his sub-armor was made into armors also."
"How many?" Dais asked, skeptical.
Kirin shook his head. "I don't know."
"How many do you think? Do you know of any others?" Sekhmet asked, worrying cracking through his tough voice.
Kirin stared for a moment, glancing around at all of them. "I don't know," he lied.
"Well, we'll see," Anubis crossed his arms. "We'll find out what you really are and this supposed armor of yours can do on the battlefield soon enough."
"Fine," Kirin uttered.
He found that if he did not use the hours within a day that the hours would just use him instead. Hour after hour would pass quickly yet feeling ever so slow within his days. It had been two days within the Dynasty, but it felt like a lifetime of eternal wasting to him. He would eat and train with the other Warlords, but his free-time was empty. The Warlords had their own methods of passing the time, but none of them seemed worthwhile to him. Anubis spent a lot of his time admiring his possessions—bounty from battle, gifts from his Master, and all the other acquired wealth and symbols of power from his conquests. Dais, however, found it exciting to chase after the servant girls of the castle. Sekhmet was a quite man, mostly keeping to himself and playing with his snakes. For entertainment, he would toss the captured rats to his prized serpents from the homemade rodent traps he himself constructed. Kale was a reader, always found with a candle in hand and parchment in another. Also, he was an outdoor man, taking off for days at a time to spend alone time in the wilderness.
Kirin, however, did not find things that he enjoyed about the Dynasty. The fresh wound of the recent events that transpired still made his heart bleed in agony. Whenever things calmed down for a moment and he was alone, the memories would resurface within his mind. He was constantly surrounded by the Dynasty, reminding him of his cruel fate. Feeling his mind go mad, he stormed up and down the corridors of the castle, looking for relief.
He found an exit to the outside, except this entrance was different. Instead of stepping out into dreary castle courtyards and stone mazes, he walked out onto the gardens of the castle. He breathed a sigh of relief, finding beauty within the darkness of the Dynasty. His heart lightened as he stepped onto the cobble-stone pathway and began to walk through the gardens. The grass was lush and green, something usual within the walls of the castle. Soon, he came over a small red bridge that bowed over a tiny creek. While on the bridge, he leaned over the edge, looking down into the water. Colorful koi fish swam happily up and down the clear creek. He continued on, heading into the next section of the garden. The cobble-stone pathway was lined with sort green bushes. Short thick green trees and many wisteria brushes filled the view. Petals from the lavender colored bushes fluttered gently in the breeze as he passed through. He pushed further into the garden while taking his time to discover the many secrets that it hid.
As he would turn corners, he would discover new surprises. There would be stone benches that he would not have seen: small ponds with more koi fish, and small waterfalls. The wisteria grew thicker and sweeter smelling as he walked. The purple flowers danced as the wind rustled the plants, waving back and forth, hypnotizing his sight. As the wisteria fluttered back and forth, an image appeared between the flowers—it was a girl.
She gently turned her head, her eyelashes fluttering as she locked eyes with him. Her dark hair was long, flowing down the back of her beautiful kimono. Her face was like a soft crème, but stoic, in the appearance of angelic. Her face expressed a collectiveness that communicated disinterest or aloofness, but her eyes lured his attention. It was then that his heart forgot to beat.
He kept staring. His foot slowly stepped forward, resting upon the lush green grass, but she quickly turned around, her eyes lingering as she turned. Her face tilted downwards as she turned her back to him and began to walk away.
"Wait!" He called out, reaching out and taking another step.
She disappeared within the wisteria.
They trained everyday, staring at the crack of dawn. The Warlords of the Dynasty would rise early, before the sun even peeked over the horizon, and head to the training hall. They would train until late morning, taking a break for breakfast, then continuing with their vigorous schedule. It was only after lunch did they finish their five hour training block.
Today, Kirin groggily walked into the training hall, but it was empty. He looked around for a moment, and not seeing anyone, he sat down on the tatami mats. Within a few moments, the next two Warlords walked in. Dais, yawning, immediately headed over to the weights, not bothering to stretch, but Kale took the time to stretch out his muscles. Kirin stood up and began to stretch his arms.
Anubis walked in with Sekhmet following closely behind. Anubis seemed to be bickering about something with Sekhmet, but he stopped at the sight of the new recruit. His eyebrows hunched over his angry eyes, and he stared Kirin down.
"What?" Kirin shrugged his shoulders.
Anubis crossed his arms as a smirk spread across his face. "I think perhaps we should spar today."
"You know that we only spar at the end of the week. It's a personal training day today," Dais said, lifting a dumbbell.
"A change of pace would be a good thing." Anubis looked over at Dais.
"You know we have a strict regiment to follow," Kale said.
Anubis waved his hand, rolling his eyes at the same time. "Forget that. I think we should spar today." He walked over to Kirin and stopped behind him, throwing his arms around Kirin's shoulders. "Besides, I think our little general needs to show what he's made of." Anubis pinched Kirin's cheek.
Annoyed, Kirin pushed Anubis away.
Sekhmet sighed. "I don't see the point, Anubis."
"I'm the leader…"
The other three generals jumped to attention.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Dais hissed.
Anubis smirked, walking away from Kirin. "Master Talpa has said so."
Sekhmet crossed his arms. "Master Talpa has said nothing directly about any of us being the leader. You know that, Anubis! Or have you taken one too many blows to the head?"
"I don't know why you want to spar anyway, Anubis. You'll just lose and go crying to Master Talpa," Dais said.
"I beg to differ!"
"What are you Warlords bickering about?"
The five men turned towards the sound of the voice. Standing in the entrance of the training hall, a young woman with long flowing dark hair stood dressed in a light blue jumpsuit with thin, light brown armor. An amused smirk spread across her face as she looked over the frazzled Warlords.
Kirin looked up. The frustration washed away from his face as his eyes fell upon the woman.
"What do you want, Kayura?" Dais hissed.
"I've come to train with you."
"You know this is our time," Kale said. "You're training is in the afternoon."
"Like training is going to make you any better," She said.
"Go away, Kayura," Sekhmet groaned. "Your mere presence is exhausting."
"No, why don't you stay Kayura?" Anubis.
"What?" The other three Warlords looked over at Anubis. Out of all of them, Anubis hated Kayura the most.
"She can stay and spar. Kirin here has yet to compete against the warriors of the Dynasty."
The other three generals smiled. Lady Kayura was the strongest warrior of the Dynasty—as much as they hated to admit it. At the end of every week, Lord Talpa would host a sparring competition for all of his Warlords, generals, and fighters among the castle. Every week, Kayura would put the Warlords into their places. They were the mighty Warlords of the Dynasty, but they were no match for the girl from the Ancient's clan.
Lady Kayura's eyes set on Kirin. The two of them locked eyes for a moment—his green eyes caught her beautiful blue eyes, but she tore them away after a few moments. She nodded. "Yes, I will fight."
Kirin leaned toward Kale. "Who is she?"
"Lady Kayura."
Kirin continued to stare at her. "Lady Kayura," He uttered, just above a whisper.
She came forward, getting into place on the mat. She quickly moved into a fighting stance and shouted a ki-hop. The Warlords quickly moved to the side of the room.
Kirin looked over at the Warlords. "I don't know if we should be doing this. It's all quite…" Kayura's fist flew into his face, and he tumbled over.
The Warlords immediately burst into laughter. They howled and cackled as they watched Kirin grab his blood nose. From laughing so hard, Dais grabbed his sides, Anubis held back his tears, Sekhmet laughed at the top of his lungs, and Kale grinned like a mountain lion.
Shaken up, Kirin quickly scrambled to his feet, still holding his nose. The mysterious Kayura stood with a small smirk on her face as she waited in her place.
Kirin stared her down for a moment then gave a final wipe to his nose. He took a fighting position, Kayura did the same, and he cried out, ready for attack. They both ferociously charged. Thinking she had the upper-hand, Kayura threw the first attack, but Kirin dodged and counterattacked. The fight was on.
Back and forth, the two warriors kicked, punched, blocked, and dodged each other's assaults. The Warlords stopped laughing as they watched the scene unfold. Kayura, by far, had the best karate form of the Dynasty warriors, but it appeared that Kirin's skills were as equal or possibility even greater than Kayura's.
"He's good," Dais uttered.
"Very good," Sekhmet added.
Anubis frowned, crossing his arms.
"I never would have thought the boy had such ability." Kale cocked his head in wonder.
"I suppose that if his armor is truly apart of Master Talpa's then he would be a true warrior," Dais said.
Kale nodded. "Yes, indeed, it must be true."
"I'm not convinced," Anubis said.
"Of course you're not," Sekhmet said. "Nobody can convince you of any logic when you're jealous."
"I'm not jealous!"
Sekhmet glanced over at Dais and Kale, who also immediately glanced over at him too.
Usually, sparring matches went by three points, but this time, the two fighters seemed to be oblivious to that rule. It wasn't about points, but rather a knockout. Kayura charged forward and leapt up into the air. She extended her foot, ready to strike Kirin in the face, but Kirin sidestepped, grabbed her leg, and threw her to the ground. The Warlords winced as Kayura's face smacked into the floor. Quickly, Kirin turned and stood over her, ready to strike her neck. He had won the fight.
The Warlords cheered, that is, except Anubis. The other three ran over to Kirin and started tackling him. Finally, one of them had defeated Kayura. They picked Kirin up and carried him off celebrating the occasion. Anubis followed with a sour look on his face.
Just before the Warlords carried him out of the room, Kirin looked back. Kayura, slowly picking herself up off the floor, looked straight back at him—her eyes like fiery daggers. Then she looked away.
Kirin looked away towards the hallway as the Warlords carried him away.