It was a warm summer day in the lands that made up Ashfeld, with clear blue skies overhead, a cool breeze from the northern winds that carried fresh air through the fields, a pleasant warmth from the glamorous sun, its rays of light bathing the green pastures of Ashfeld, nurturing its many natural resources. Every day was like this in Ashfeld, with the constant bickering of countless Legions seeming to never end, the people simply began to get careless, before losing interest as a whole. The Knights were living in relative peace, save the occasional skirmish.

The Iron Legion was hard at work at tracking the Blackstone's Legion activity, watching their every move carefully, as it shouldn't be a surprise that the Blackstones were always planning something behind their large, impenetrable, black walls. The Elio Legion was doing its best to maintain itself, working to make alliances, and keep itself from collapsing, as internal conflict between the Legions of Ashfeld was all too commonplace. The dozens of minor Legions remained in peace, doing what was necessary to get by and supply their villages and people.

One Legion in particular was bustling as it always was. The Azures of the Azure Legion were continuing to live about in peace and efficacy, their busy days always seemed to be ahead of them. But of course, with such a marvelous end result in the minds of its people, the Azures worked hard to maintain all that they had built, for their own sakes, and for the sake of those young'uns that came afterward; the ones who would make up the future generations.

The Azure Legion had quite the bountiful population spread throughout its three major fortresses. But the main stronghold of the Azure Legion, where the Prime General—or leader, founder—of the legion as a whole resides, Fort Diamond, was the grand central point of the legion as a whole. Covering up a massive span of land, surrounded by lush greenery and bountiful space for fields and crops, alongside two rivers that rested less than a couple dozen acres away, oakwood forests for lumber, and rocky wastelands for mining, Fort Diamond was a wonderful place to call home.

Of course, this meant that the Fortress had many people living within it, its many markets and plazas always bustling. The fortress was so large, that it was separated into multiple different quadrants. Each quadrant had its own plaza and market, along with its own residential areas and recreational attractions. On top of that, Fort Diamond had three surrounding towns outside of it, that it also took responsibility for protecting. In the center of the Fort was the grand plaza, and some of the more predominant stone structures, such as the Conference Buildings, the central dungeons, and finally, the Hero Barracks.

Because of its high population, Fort Diamond had much room for militarized forces. Within the fortress, there were barracks constructed both in each quadrant of the Fort, and in the outside towns surrounding the Fort. However, in the center Hero barracks was where the best of the best was taken to be taught; where only the best soldiers of each generation were trained from the ground up, to become Heroes, and not just standard Azure Legionnaires. But even then, some Heroes are better than others. The additional structure that was located in the center of Fort Diamond was the living quarters of those best Heroes. Fort Diamond gave these nine top Heroes the honor of forming their own team within the forces of the Azure Legion, known as Alphas.

The Alphas were the best of the best, the sharpest of the sharpest, the smartest of the smartest. From the formation of the group, it was determined that there could only be nine, and only nine, Alphas; not one more, not one less. The other two strongholds of the Azure Legion, Fort Sapphire and Fort Lapis, lacked their own teams of Alphas, due to Fort Diamond being recognized as the Alpha Fortress of the Azure Legion as a whole, and therefore warranted the ability to have a team of Alphas. This team of Heroes were recognized across Ashfeld as some of the mightiest warriors of the land, and earned their title of Azure Alphas.

It became the dream of any Azure Legionnaire in training to one day become an Alpha of the Azure Legion; to be able to work alongside the leaders of the legion, and to be recognized among the best fighters in all of Ashfeld. For this reason, many Heroes from other Azure strongholds frequently emigrate to Fort Diamond to seek further training and guidance, in the hopes of one day being able to become an Alpha. For legionnaires already born in Fort Diamond, this dream was only stronger.

In the Azure Legion, boys and girls who wished to become warriors of the Legion, and to become official Azure Legionnaires began their training at the age of 12, a ripe age where the children were both strong and smart enough to be able to properly process the training that would follow soon after their initiation. Unlike standard issue legionnaires, who began their training at a much younger age, those who aspired to become full-on Heroes had to wait. At age 18, they would go through their full recruitment, becoming official Heroes of the legion, working in, around, and with the Fortress itself, but not yet being able to set out on outer missions. At age 20, Heroes were fully able to perform their duties without restrain and were authorized to participate in outside affairs.

But before becoming Heroes, a long road of intense, fierce training laid ahead. The process was overall short to the outside eye, but getting through it was what truly mattered. Basic training at age 12, the Hero Academies at age 14, the Hero Barracks at age 16, basic Hero initiation at age 18, and finally… after making it through it all, complete Herohood at age 20.

As anyone knew, Heroes were the driving force of any Legion's military force, as they were superior to normal legionnaire knights in every way. They were harder, stronger, faster, and better trained. Heroes had an unmatched level of valor and determination, along with the authorization to make their own strategic decisions in battle. They typically worked in groups, and even the Alphas were no different. Every good warrior knew that people fought better together, and with Heroes, working as a unit was what made them so powerful. Along with the raw willpower in their hearts, their training also played an important role in what type of Hero someone would end up being. When being trained, trainees who aspired to be Heroes were separated into different barracks for their training. There were only four Hero academies in all of Fort Diamond, one in each of the four quadrants. Those in the outside towns surrounding the Fort had a harder time getting into these academies.

These academies came right after the first two years of basic training, and began at age 14. Getting into the academies themselves was difficult, as one had to prove their own worth once reaching the right age in both physical, and mental trials. The academies kept the would-be Heroes in training for another two years, and their form of graduation was their admission into the central Hero Barracks and their official Hero title being given to them. Courageous knights were titled Wardens, delinquents were titled Conquerors, the more modest were titled Peacekeepers, and the powerful were titled Lawbringers. Of course, masters and teachers of the academies were not strictly Knights, and Samurai and Viking associates were there to teach non-Knight trainees during their training, and to assign them their own types of Hero classes.

Unfortunately, many of the trainees sometimes were not selected into the Hero Barracks, and were instead returned to standard military training, as only the best performing trainees were selected to attend the Barracks. Each of the four academies had roughly 200 trainees. Only about 60 of these trainees, 15 from each of the four Academies, actually manage to make it to the Hero Barracks to finally become true Heroes. The entire process was rigorous, challenging, frustrating, demanding, and difficult. Those who managed to make it into the academies at age 14 were already above-average warriors, but those lucky 60 out of 800 graduates were even more remarkable.

The Hero Barracks was the last step. At age 16, the final two years of training began. Those who made it all the way through were the ones that became Heroes. Those who did not, were once again sent back into standard military service to be trained as Captains. The 60 or so trainees that made it past the Academies were trained up thoroughly and even more rigorously than before. Out of the roughly 60 aforementioned trainees in the Hero Barracks, only about 20 became Heroes. Trainees would quit, be denied, or were sometimes even be forced to stop because of injuries suffered during the intense training. In rare instances, trainees were killed during training on accident. Despite being rare, it still occurred from time to time.

Overall, becoming a Hero was only meant for those who were willing to go through hell and back. It was for those who were willing to experience some of the most painful, extreme, and stressful training that all of Ashfeld had to offer. It was this challenging road to Herohood that made the Azure Legion's Heroes so capable and formidable. It took a strong heart, a calm patience, a flaming resolve, and an iron soul to make it all the way through. For most, becoming a Hero was seen as a respectable, yet silly thing to do because of its difficulty.

"You want to be a Hero? Tsk, yeah right."

"You, a hero? No way, you're too soft! You'd never make it."

"What's the matter with you?! Why would they ever accept you of all people."

"Jesus Christ, they'll kill you in the training alone. Just quit while you're still alive!"

"Seriously? A hero? Just… settle for being a normal legionnaire or something."

"I admire your enthusiasm, I do, but… you have to be realistic, come on."

People sometimes did not believe in those young ones who aspired to be Heroes. As mentioned before, becoming a Hero was not only a test of one's physical prowess and mental smarts, but it was also a trial of the individual's emotional strength. This was something that many trainees had to endure, and for some, the emotional aspect of the process was the most difficult part of it all. This applied to who was now a high-ranking Lord of the Conference Board, a popular Warden, and a responsible, modest, adorned Hero. The blonde Knight who now known as Lady Ryon went through this training, and was now in the position of the mentor, looking back on her own experiences in order to help the Heroes of the future.

In the large complex that laid in the center of the Fort Diamond's great plaza, in the middle of the four other quadrants of the Fortress, the Hero Barracks could be found with the 60 finalists of the Hero training program. It was a new year, and the trainees were all young 16-year-olds who were ripe from the Hero Academies, ready to work hard for the next two years to train as a Hero. Today, they were going to get to meet the Alphas, and one particular trainee was very excited to get to meet them.

The only issue was that this trainee was a bit too young to be in authorized in the area. The main reason was because she simply wasn't a trainee that was supposed to be attending the Hero Barracks. Despite her status, she still wanted to meet the Alphas, and she could only think of one way to get to talk to them again…


The Central Plaza…

The sound of rapid footsteps could be heard through the large center plaza straight through the bustling sound of people trading in the markets and going about their days. One could hear the sounds of horses neighing, workers loading large wagons, farmers bringing their merchandise to their stands, merchants trading and selling to avid buyers, and a whole lot more commotion from the younger teens in the Fortress. The footsteps were resonating from a pair of brown leather boots, adorned with golden buckles and white laces. These were strong, durable boots that were typically donned by young squires in training. This particular squire was rushing to make it to the Hero Barracks in time, as she was told by an older friend of hers that her and her class of trainees would be meeting the Alphas at around this time.

The young squire looked up to the sky, the sun right above the Fortress, shining its warm, lively light down on the plaza and on her pale, delicate skin. Her blue eyes shimmered brightly, twinkling radiantly like diamonds, her pupils dilating as the sun's light hit her eyes. Her skin was fine and cream-colored, her nose small and smooth, her lips soft and pink. The girl was breathing in and out through her mouth as she ran, her cheeks beginning to grow more and more rosy the more she ran. Her long, healthy blonde hair was fashioned into a single loose braid that ran down her back and dangled wildly as the girl continued to run. A few strands of that bright, golden blonde hair got into in front her eyes as she ran, causing the girl to occasionally bring a clean, fragile hand to her face to rid her vision of its curse. Panting desperately, she slid to a stop as she arrived at a large complex of stone-walled buildings, a tall steel fence guarding its entrances.

"Oh…" The girl groaned, bringing a hand to her brow to wipe sweat from her forehead. She tucked a few strands of her fringe behind her ear to clear up her vision more. "It's noon, so… Amybeth should be meeting them soon. But…"

The girl paused to take a look around. The Hero Barracks was more than just a single building. There were two dormitory-like buildings for the 60 Hero trainees to live in, two for each separated gender. Then there was the studies hall, where all the boring bookwork and standardized teaching was done for the scholar-academic side of becoming a Hero. Finally, the largest building of the Barracks was the armory section, where the weapons and training gear was kept. Indoors, there were training halls stuffed with equipment, such as weighted clothing, training dummies, sparring arenas, and other things of that nature. There was even a small dust-based courtyard out front for outdoor training and martial art demonstrations for the public to get in on. Overall, the Hero Barracks was almost always blooming with life, as there were small social areas in the complex as well, adorned with pretty little gardens and wooden tables and benches to lounge about on.

Not too far from the Barracks, other important establishments could be easily located, such as the central dungeons, the Conference building, the home of the Alphus family, and finally, the home of the Alphas. The central plaza was by far the most bustling area of the Fortress, as the wealthier inhabitants of four other quadrants were typically gathered here to do business with other people of similar economic status. Of course, the quadrants were not all that divided, but differences were bound to happen. Additionally, the three outside towns surrounding the gargantuan Fortress that was Fort Diamond were typically also regarded as "lower" than the quadrants inside the Fortress itself, which was… unfortunate, to say the least.

To the girl, the central plaza was an astonishing place to be in. She hailed from one of the three outside towns of Fort Diamond. The three towns were titled after different types of outdoor figures, as the main purposes of the towns was to grow farm crops and mange nearby forestlands that were outside of the fortress and its quadrants. The towns were named Woodbury, Cherrytown, and Myrefield.

Woodbury, as its named suggested, was mostly associated with the collection of lumber and the management of forests. Cherrytown was the softer of the three villages, mostly associated with the collection of fruits and vegetables. Myrefield was by far the most "particular" of the three towns, as it was named after the Myre, and was typically associated with people of the other two factions, referring to the Samurai and Vikings. While Myrefield is typically regarded in a somewhat negative light because of its division and higher rate of crime, it's also responsible for contributing a sense of diversity and ethnicity into a fortress of mainly Knights. However, Woodbury and Myrefield are usually the two towns that are quarreling the most, and typically end up spawning a higher number of capable fighters, while Cherrytown was the more submissive town, its inhabitants fonder of peace and quiet rather than boisterous violence. Because of this, Cherrytown was regarded as the "bystander" town, referring to its idleness and neutrality when it came to disagreements between the outside towns. While Woodbury and Myrefield went at it, Cherrytown was usually standing in the middle, unsure of what position to take, and typically ended up falling victim to pressure and influence from outside forces.

The young girl outside the Hero Barracks typically found herself resenting her own origins and birthplace. Being from Cherrytown, the place that bore the least amount of Heroes out of all locations in the Azure Legion, the girl was always finding herself in doubt, her conscious filled with anxiety and the fear of failure. Many of the people she knew doubted her abilities, and many of her peers typically made fun of her for attempting the Hero trials as a Cherrytown girl.

"Go back to picking cherries in the forest!"

"Aren't you supposed to be somewhere in a strawberry field or apple orchard?"

"I applaud you for making it this far, but this is your last step before going back to basic training!"

"A Cherrytown girl with a sword? I'm surprised its even made of metal!"

"Soft and squishy, just like everyone else from your little town."

"What's an outsider doing here? The Academies should be exclusive to the quadrants…!"

"An outside villager, eh? Woodbury? Myrefield? Wait—Cherrytown?! Hah! You won't last a week!"

"Enjoy it here while you still can!"

This constant berating and teasing made the life of the young trainee very apprehensive and anxiety-packed. The only thing that kept the squire moving was the support of her very few friends that lived inside the walls, and her own motivation to get away from her home. The girl did not dislike Cherrytown, as it was where she grew up, and learned to be a proper woman. But it was also the place where what was left of her family resided. She originally grew up with her mother and father, who initially raised her happy and healthy. It wasn't until the girl was eight years old, when she received news about her father's demise in a skirmish with Elio Legion forces. He had suffered a fatal stab wound from behind as his team of soldiers encountered enemy Elios near an abandoned cathedral. His allies reported that he managed to kill at least 5 enemy soldiers all on his own before dying, not including his assailant who managed to thrust his own blade into the father's back. The father held on, and managed to bash his assailant's face in with his shield before succumbing to rapid blood loss, the only thing that was keeping him running, his adrenaline, finally running out at the point of passing out.

After this event, the girl was never the same, and neither was her mother. After the two lost the head of the family, the girl's mother was forced to take charge on her own. Unfortunately, her own job of tending to rose gardens and collecting oranges in an orchard wasn't enough to support both herself and her daughter. She could think of nothing else to do, and she couldn't stand to take another job, as she was already beginning to overwork herself. So, as a final resort, and as a side operation to bring in extra money, she began to sell her own body on the streets of the other villages. Cherrytown was not only known for its sweet fruit and soft-hearted inhabitants, but its beautiful women. Because Woodbury and Myrefield were rougher than Cherrytown, the people, and by default, the girls, were raised in a more sophisticated, dainty manner than the women in the other towns. The term "Cherrygirl" was adopted for girls who hailed from Cherrytown, and typically, Cherrygirls could be identified on the streets of other towns and within the walls of the Fortress based off their expressive mannerisms and quaint forms of speech.

The girl's mother tended to get the most amount of money from men in Myrefield, as they were by far the roughest and more robust males of the three towns. This began to take a toll on the girl's mother, and eventually, it transformed her for the worse. Sometimes she would grow fond of a man she found, and as a result she would bring him home with her for additional services, which were, of course, "free of charge." The mother was even daring enough to fancy other women, offering them her services for half the price, as "a thing between us girls." The girl, meanwhile, was forced to watch from the sidelines as her mother grew distant and dishonorable, bringing home both men and women whom she had never seen before, and having to endure the sounds of pleasure that would echo through the half-empty home, resonating irresistibly from her mother's room.

The girl was forced to begin to take care of herself all on her own and without the help of anyone else, as the girl wanted to do her best to keep what was happening at home a secret from those around her. As a result of keeping to herself, the girl also grew distant to her friends, and ended up as a more independent girl as a result. She aspired to be like her father, the good man she always knew she would love and miss, and the man that she believed was the only one for her mother. The girl decided that she would make her father proud by becoming a Hero, and when she finally reached the right age, she began her training to follow in the footsteps of her father. She grew resentful of her mother, and wished to get away from her as quickly as she humanely could. While she still loved her dear mother, and held onto the memories of how she used to be, the girl knew that the woman she knew as her mother was already long gone, and was bound to never return.

Donned in a pair of brown leather boots, light-khaki colored pants, a white tunic that was adorned with matching blue buckles and outlines, a basic belt with a silver buckle that tied together the tunic's long robe-like brigandines that reached down to the top of the girl's calves, light layers of chainmail that adorned her upper arms, and lightweight iron bracers that fortified her forearms, reaching from in front of her elbow down to her wrists. On her back, she had her father's scabbard, which was made of dark brown leather. Resting within the scabbard was the girl's most prized possession. An arming sword that her father had made for her for the purpose of self-defense. The arming sword was fitted perfectly for a girl of her size, the blade carefully crafted with stainless steel, the guard curved upward and adorned with engravings of rose vines. The handle itself was wrapped with leather that was dyed blue, and was designed with roses. In the hilt area of the sword, a singular blue gem was shimmering, representative of the girl's diamond-blue eyes. As a basic squire, she was not authorized to carry a sword. But the girl did not care, as technically, the sword was her own personal possession, and it wasn't clarified that she couldn't wield her own property while donning her squire outfit.

She stood outside the Hero Barracks, lost in thought, before she released a small gasp of realization. Her friend, she must be meeting the Alphas by now, right?! The girl blinked a couple times before looking around to see if anyone had their eyes on her. She quickly began to jog around the metal fence, looking for the outdoor courtyard. She ran all around the establishment and couldn't find the courtyard for the life of her. She decided to circle it all again a second time a little slower, trying to make out the courtyard. Even after the second time, she couldn't locate the right area.

"I thought the training courtyard was big and open! Where is it, no… come on!" She cried out, bringing her hands to her cheeks with panic. She desperately wanted to see the Alphas, as they were the figures of the Azure Legion that she admired the most. She especially admired the one she knew to be the proud warden responsible for winning Jacques' final Martial Arts Tournament, defeating the Warborn clans, and saving the Myre from total disaster. She had already met the great Warden once, but only briefly. The girl remembered the Warden's appearance perfectly, looking wondrously into her golden eyes, and being paralyzed by that dazzling smile.

"I want to meet her again… the last time I did, I barely knew what to say. But this time… it'll be different! I know what to say, I know what I want her to know, I know what I'll do and how I'll act! I won't make a fool of myself again, not like I did last time…" She said to herself, clutching both of her fists in front of her face. The girl's first and only encounter with her role model went terribly in her eyes. She was scared, flustered, intimidated, and shocked, but she was also filled with wonder, admiration, and dreaminess. Every time the girl thought about the encounter, she could remember the words that the Warden had told her to the very last detail. It was as if she could hear the Warden's voice within her own mind every time she thought about her.

"Anything can happen when you're out there. But try not to think about the bad things. Whatever comes your way is something you can overcome if you play your cards right okay?"

"Train hard, learn a lot, and stay positive."

"Wounds will come, and you will feel more and more pain, but just remember that whatever doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Let the pain harden you, and strengthen your heart and body, mind and soul, got it?"

"Fight for your cause with honor, and fight for honor. When the sword of a Warden is drawn, it's for a purpose, and that purpose is what should drive you."

The girl once again found herself lost in thought and daydreaming. She blinked a single time, leaning up against the fence with her head dug between two bars of the steel barrier. She heard a voice call out to her from behind, causing her to stagger backwards and spin around to face the voice in a panicked speed.

"Huh—what?!" She cried out, looking at the person who had called out to her. It was a villager who was lugging around a wheelbarrow full of potatoes. The man had a small smirk on his face as he set the wheelbarrow's handles down for a brief moment, raising a dirtied rag to his forehead to wipe some of his sweat away. He placed his hands on his hips as he repeated his question.

"I asked if you were alright over there. You were slumped up against that fence in complete silence, looking awfully dismal."

The girl looked over her shoulder at the Barracks, before hesitantly turning back to the villager with a nervous smile. "O-Oh! Heh—yes, I'm alright! I was… uh… I-I was just—" The girl released a shaky exhale, her hands suspended out in front of her as she attempted to explain herself. "Um… I was just tired! I was… running back from the bakery, and… I just had to try and take a breather!" She finally managed to blurt out.

The villager's head rose up a little, looking at the girl with a skeptical gaze. "But… the bakery isn't very far. In fact, it's… right over there." He said, pointing over to a building that was less than a jog away. The villager turned back to the girl with a blank expression.

"Uhm… r-right! I…" The girl paused, looking down to her chest. She placed a hand on her heart, and pretended to pant. "I just have a very low stamina!"

"Uh huh…" The villager responded, nodding his head slowly. He then peered at the girl, and noticed her garments. His eyes darted back to her face, one of his eyebrows perked up with interest. "And… if you just came back from the bakery, then… where's what you bought? Unless you were in a hurry for… nothing?"

The girl's heart seemed to stop as she found herself stumped once again. She looked down to her feet, her toes curled up with anxiety inside her boots. She gulped as she looked up to the villager, laughing awkwardly. "I… I lost it! Or—no, I dropped it! Yeah, that's it."

The villager crossed his arms, his smirk returning onto his face. "Dropped it. Why didn't you pick it up? What, did it roll all the way over here and you had to run after it?" He asked.

"N-No! That would be ridiculous!" She laughed, out of pure lies. She hated to lie, yet here she was. "A… a dog came after me and snatched it all up! It was a pack of dogs! Strays, very dirty and messy. Probably hungry, so… uh, yeah. I just ran over here trying to get away from them, and…" She paused once again, continuing her fake panting, although she purposely made it less intense to portray that she had caught her breath a bit. "And well, you know. That low stamina I mentioned before kicked in, and… here I am!" She chuckled, her neck beginning to grow hot from pressure.

The villager cleaned his face of sweat once again with his dirty rag, glancing at the Hero Barracks behind the girl with a small frown. He looked back down to the girl herself and huffed, stuffing the rag into the pockets of his overalls. "Well, whatever you say, squire. I suppose I should leave you alone to catch your breath, right…?"

The girl simply nodded as she stood up straight, bowing lightly to the villager. "Yes, I suppose. Thank you for checking up on me, though!" She said with a cheerful smile, her hand up in a little wave. The villager nodded his head, tipping his straw hat to the girl before crouching and lifting up his wheelbarrow and continuing on with his day. The girl turned back to the fence, and gripped onto the cold steel bars with her bare hands, her little fingers curling around the bars tightly.

She remembered how Lady Ryon placed her heavenly hand onto her own shoulder, and spoke words to her that she would never forget. It was by far the most important thing she said to her, and it was forever engraved into her mind.

"You'll be a great Warden, trust me on that."

With those words, the girl knew that she had what it took to become a Hero. She was going to do everything in her power to achieve the position of her dreams. She owed it to herself and to her father to become a Hero. She wanted to get away from the former shell of a person that was her mother, and break through the doubts of her peers, and prove to the Azure Legion that a Cherrygirl wasn't always just a pretty little flower girl, but was also capable of being a strong, capable, and reputable Hero.

The girl clutched her fists and brought her wrists below her chin, her teeth grit together with determination. "I've gotta find the courtyard, I've wasted so much time! But…" She looked up to the steel fence, frowning at its height. She stood at the miniscule height of 5'4", and there was no possible way she was going to be able to scale it without being seen. So she had to find another way.

Just then, a stroke of luck rang into her ears in the form of a horse neigh. She looked over her shoulder to see two horses lugging a massive wagon of hay in the streets, and it was heading in the direction of the fence's entrance gate. She felt her heart jump with excitement at this opportunity. The girl quickly began to tail behind the wagon, being careful not to look too conspicuous. She watched with eagerness as the gates were opened by the guards. The wagon began to roll in, the horses tugging the massive haybale along.


About a minute later…

The two guards looked at the horses and the delivery man who was driving the wagon. They exchanged a few words, before the wagon was cleared for entry. The wagon began to make its way towards the horse stables, where the trusty steeds of the Heroes were stored for safekeeping and care.

But right before the wagon stopped, a small, pale hand stuck out from underneath the hay and gripped onto the sides of the wagon. The hand pulled the rest of its body out as the squire girl popped her top half out and looked around, hay covering her clothing and stuck into her hair.

"I'm in! Now to find the courtyard!" She'd whisper to herself, before standing up and jumping out from the wagon. She landed with a light thud, and quickly rushed into a horse stable to get herself cleaned up. She opened the stable door and gagged as soon as she smelled that wonderful stench of horse droppings.

"Agh—oh god! Jesus, that's absolutely acrid, oh my god…" She squealed, pinching her nose with one of her hands as she cleaned herself off with her other hand. Once she was done, she petted the horse's neck with her freehand, and rushed out from the stable. She looked around and laid low, crouch-walking out from the stable building and dodging around the path of the hay wagon as she made her way over to a few storage shacks.

"Okay… now to find the courtyard." She'd say to herself as she began to sneak around. Thanks to her small feet and light step, she was able to go around the fortress fairly undetected. There was barely anyone around, as all the trainees were currently situated in the courtyard, and were scheduled to meet the Alphas any minute now. The girl dodged cleaning maids and the occasional scout guard, before she caught onto the path of the courtyard.

She crept around a corner and tip-toed her way to the side of the armory building. She knew that the inside of the building was massive and was filled with all sorts of combat-related equipment. At that very moment, she swore to herself that she'd make it in there one day, legally, and that she'd finally be able to use the equipment at any moment she wished to. After about a minute of sneaking along the armory's perimeter, she finally came upon her objective.

"The courtyard… I found it! Hell yes!"

The girl peered out from the corner of the armory building, and gazed at the large courtyard. She could see dull sparring weapons and training dummies, along with scattered items of weighted clothing and suits of lightweight armor. And finally, there they were. Standing in formation and in neat rows, the 60 Hero trainees stood donned in purple and blue colored robes and silver armor, along with secondary black and white colors. The trainees of the Barracks were free to choose the color of their own armor uniforms, which seemed like a distant wonder to the girl, who was forced to wear the white and light blue uniform of her Hero Academy.

Her eyes darted around rapidly, until she realized that… the Alphas weren't there. She could see that the 60 trainees were speaking to some of their instructors, but the team of nine famous Heroes weren't there just yet. The girl was constantly looking around, making sure that a wandering house worker or watch guard wasn't going to sneak up on her. She slowly made her way over to a handful of weapon racks and armor stands that effectively formed a sort of makeshift barrier that the girl could safely hide behind without being seen by anyone within the courtyard itself. She couldn't help but to gaze up at the massive array of weaponry that stood proudly in front of her. Almost all the weapons in the stands were too large for her to properly handle excluding the smaller-sized daggers and knives. She passed her little fingertips along the dusty metal plating of the armor suits, imagining how much the suit probably weighed when worn, and how much stronger she would have to be to be able to properly move around and fight inside of one in active combat.

The girl let her curious hand fall to her thigh as she looked down to the ground in a kneeling position, her butt resting on her legs as she sat there idly for a second, just now beginning to realize that she still had a long, long way to go before becoming a fully-fledged Hero. Despite being well aware that the route of the Hero was the path she wanted to pursue in her life, she also knew that it wasn't going to be easy. With a quiet sigh, the girl closed her eyes, her shoulders drooping as her body released bottled up tension.

"Will I really grow up to become a great Warden, Lady Ryon? Did… did you really mean that…?" She thought to herself, her heart growing heavy with anxiety as it always tended to do. The girl's moment of doubt was luckily interrupted by the sound of heavy doors being unlocked and opened, accompanied by the faint sound of unrest among the 60 Hero trainees. The girl's eyes opened, her blue eyes sparkling, despite being behind the shadows of the courtyard's weapon and armor stands.

"That must be them…! Oh, yes!" She quietly cheered to herself as she began to slowly edge out from behind the large suit of Lawbringer armor she was currently kneeling behind. She peeked a bit of her head out from behind the armor stand, her laser blue eyes slowly widening as her gaze rested upon the Heroes of her dreams.

"There they are… they—oh my gosh…! Oh—"

The girl's eyes locked onto a friendly face she saw standing among the group of trainees. The friend that had told her about the Alpha meeting stood behind the front row of trainees in purple and white robes and silver armor, her fiery ginger hair fashioned into two long braids that were accompanied by cute side bangs that neatly cupped her face and covered her ears.

"Oh… Amybeth, you're such a lucky girl! Such a lucky, lucky girl…" The girl whispered to nobody, her little hands curling into fists below her chin as she watched the Alphas be greeted by a round of applause from both the trainees and the Barrack's teachers and instructors. The girl nearly began to clap herself, but managed to stop herself by clasping her hands onto her cheeks and squeezing her face. She knew every one of the Alphas by name, and she could tell each one of them apart.

The girl watched as the Alphas lined up in front of the trainees, all sporting their own styles of clothing and armor. She noticed that some of them weren't wearing their battle clothing, and were instead dressed in somewhat casual training clothing. The girl instantly began to hope for a sort of presentation or demonstration of Alpha-level martial art techniques. The instructors spoke to the trainees for a couple of brief minutes, taking the time to introduce the Alphas one by one.

The girl followed along, her eyes filled with wonder as her quiet voice announced the names of the Azure Legion's top Heroes all to herself.

"Apollo Stone…! The Centurion with fists of steel and an iron hide!"

The one named Apollo Stone bowed proudly as he received a round of applause from the trainees, lifting both of his hands up into the sky, his fists glimmering from the beautiful golden gauntlets that armored his hands. The Centurion laughed heartily as he bathed in the love of his fans and admirers, the man grinning as he slammed his steel fist into his palm of the same material. His piercing brown eyes shined brightly in the sun, his light brown hair perked up and somewhat unkempt atop his head. A sharp jaw and a strong nose made his face robust and attractive.

"Katsue Sato… The Shinobi of the shadows, armed with breakneck speed!"

The small, slim girl known as Katsue Sato put on a shy smile as she raised a dainty hand up to wave back to the applauding trainees. She put her hands together at her waist and bowed down to all of them, the trainees all quickly fumbling to do the same, in order to show their respect. She let out a little laugh, putting a hand to her mouth to hide her wide smile. Her rare purple eyes sparkled like amethyst stones, her black hair fashioned into a smooth ponytail that matched her long bangs, which ended naturally just above her eyes.

"Elea Dormor! The Berserker with savage agility and brutal strength!"

A woman donned in modified Viking armor stepped forward and let out a massive roar, before breaking out into a fit of cheerful laughter, the trainees clapping and laughing along as they watched the Berserker perform backflips and cartwheels. She twirled around and brought her hands to the ground in a handstand before beginning to pump out handstand pushups. The trainees clapped with admiration, large smiles on their faces. She sported wavy shoulder-length dark brown hair with a curly fringe that complemented her emerald green eyes.

"Cyrus Isola! The Golden Warden with endless wit and dashing looks!"

The Warden sported his signature golden suit of armor that was accompanied with bright blue robes that matched the man's bright blue eyes. His wavy light blonde hair shined brightly in the sun, a few thin strands of hair hanging down onto his forehead as he flashed his pearly whites to the trainees, waving proudly. The female trainees all fanned themselves and cheered wildly for the handsome Warden, while the men simply clapped with smug grins. Cyrus maintained his laid-back, relaxed posture, waving non-chalantly as he chuckled beamingly.

"Cinder Alphus… General Cinderus's son and commander legionnaire!"

A black-haired, silver-eyed man stepped forward and bowed to the trainees, who cheered him along. The man stood upright and smiled, waving to the trainees with a genuine gaze. He wore black pants that were tucked into black leather boots, his undershirt was gray, a brown jacket over it with its golden buttons undone. The Commander allowed himself to be applauded, despite the fact that he was a humble, modest man who didn't exactly enjoy praise, but didn't ever deny it either. He was a Warden, his longsword on his back, its black handle visible.

"Cindra Alphus…! General Cinderus's daughter and tactical mastermind!"

A woman stood next to Cinder with a bright smile, her wavy black hair running down her back and ending just above her breasts. She brought her sideswept hair away from her silver eyes as she stabbed her longsword into the ground between her feet, a matching black handle signaling her partnership with her brother. The trainees once again applauded loudly, the teachers adding in their own compliments to the girl, as she was known for working closely with her brother and father in making plans for the Alphas to execute. Plans that almost never failed.

"Alban Saldivar! Tall and mighty, strong and charming!"

The tall, burly Highlander received a wave of praise as he raised his hand up in a welcoming wave. His smile was wide and bright, his piercing dark blue eyes shimmered like sapphires. His blonde hair was styled upwards to match the clean shave of his beard that guarded his refined jaw, his side burns neatly faded into, courtesy of the Azure Legion's finest barber. He was dressed in casual wear made of mostly thick leather, his belt buckles decorated with gemstones that he personally owned, most of the clothing made from his own hand.

"Airi Hakushi…! Princess of the Dawn Empire, guardian Nobushi of the people!"

The gorgeous woman that was formerly the princess of the Samurai's Dawn Empire stepped forward, dressed in a scarlet and white colored robe and black slip-on shoes, similar to those used in traditional martial arts, with white socks worn underneath. What laid below the robe was a young, lean body that was capable of deploying powerful kicks and a wide arrange of martial arts. Skilled with the naginata staff and experienced with agile combat tactics, she was an elegant fighter with a beautiful appearance. Her gorgeous black hair was fashioned into a neat bun, short little buds of hair protruding from underneath the bun. Two braids led from the front of her head to the bun on the sides of her head, sideswept bangs cutely passing across her forehead and above her deep brown eyes, her face framed by tassels of hair that rested in front of her ears. With a smile fit for women of royalty, Airi giggled quietly to herself as she was cheered on by the trainees, her left hand's ring finger adorned with a sparkling diamond ring.

The girl held her breath as the final Alpha awaited her introduction. She looked at the instructors, who were speaking a few words that she couldn't hear from the distance she was stalking from. But the girl knew that the trainees were ecstatic, just like she was. Her gaze briefly switched to look at her ginger-headed friend, Amybeth, to see if she shared the same excitement she did. It was apparent; the girl had her hands clutched, her lips pursed with suppressed enthusiasm, her tippy toes up as she tried to get a better look at the Warden who everyone seemed to adore.

The girl took in a deep breath, her eyes widening as she clasped both of her hands over her mouth with giddiness. "Emora… Ryon! The Warden with a heart of gold and nerves of steel!" She squealed quietly to herself, her voice high, her cheeks red behind the armor and weapon stands.

The Warden known as Emora stepped forward modestly, dressed simply in dark brown pants, black ankle boots, and a buttoned up black jacket. She had a blue patterned bandana tied around her neck, her wrists adorned with bracelets, a diamond wedding ring on her left ring finger, exactly like Airi's. She was overwhelmed by a massive round of applause, the trainees unable to contain all their excitement, beginning to call out for the Warden, their hands in the air, their faces filled with happiness and surprise. The golden-eyed Warden laughed out of pure emotion, her ringed hand rising to the trainees in a cheerful wave. Her hair was styled as it always was, with long blonde bangs swept to the side, side bangs in front of her ears that flowed freely in the gentle breeze, her long ponytail running down her back. She was known for brave, courageous acts that were dangerous and frightening, yet the Hero faced the challenges with valor and passion. She was a fit, attractive girl with an emotional soul and a pure heart of gold, which was by far her most recognizable and admirable feature. She stood there modestly, her hands shuffling around with one another nervously.

The teachers and instructors were forced to step in to try and quiet down the trainees as Emora stood in the middle of the other eight Alphas, her fellow Heroes patting her on the back and comforting her. Being praised in that sort of manner was overwhelming, and as mentioned before, Emora was faint of heart.

"You did great. Are you alright?" Cinder asked the Warden.

Emora looked up to her Commander and ally, nodding to him with a happy smile and big eyes. "Y-Yeah... god, I... I love each and every single one of them." She whispered, looking down to her hands, which were still holding onto each other. Cinder nodded to Emora with a light chuckle, looking up to face the eager trainees.

"Yeah. I can't wait to see what they become." He said in a low voice.

Emora held her breath, bringing both of her hands to her heart. "Me too."

The girl, by this time, was on her back, her hand on her heart, panting with excitement. She had nearly passed out from holding her breath, as she was trying not to release a shriek of love and admiration for the team of Alphas. With teary eyes and a red face, she looked up to the sky, her small chest rising up and down with each of her light breaths.

"I want to speak to them… I want to speak to her again! Agh—curse this agonizing process of aging!" The girl groaned to herself, covering her face with her hands for a brief moment. She sat up after fussing about like a child for a bit, continuing to look on from behind the stands. The trainees had quieted down now, and the instructors were speaking. Because it was quieter now, the girl could more easily hear what the instructors were saying.

"We're lucky enough to have the Alphas here to speak to you all about your futures, and to answer any questions that you all may have. We hope that this is an inspiring, motivational moment for you all, and that this will further push you to work hard on the path to becoming a true Hero. You are a lucky class of trainees, as the Alphas are usually very, very busy. So, as a thanks from all of us, let's give them all one last round of applause for taking time out of their day to come and visit us!"

The girl giggled as she heard the courtyard blaze up with noise, laughter, cheering, hollering, whooping, whistling, and clapping. She clapped along quietly, her little hands close to her heart as she did so. "Oh, Amybeth… you're so damn lucky! But… thank you, thank you so much for telling me about this!" The young squire said to herself, watching as her friend jumped up and down with her friends as they yelled out for Heroes like Cyrus and Apollo.

She fell silent as the instructors began to speak about what awaited the trainees in their next two years of training. All the trainees were young 16-year-old boys and girls who wanted nothing else but to become an active Hero, but even the instructors knew that many would not make the cut. If it were up to them, they would initiate all of the trainees into becoming Heroes, but in the Azure Legion, only the best was supposed to be chosen. Being a Hero was a privilege, and the title came with much reputation, praise, and reverence. If there were too many Heroes, the influence and impact of being a Hero would grow weaker, and that was not the goal of the Azure's Hero training program.

"The road ahead is long and hard, grueling and difficult, painful and tiring, stressful and exhausting. But I do firmly believe, alongside many other teachers and instructors here at the Barracks, that you all have the potential to become loyal, powerful, and capable Heroes. Whether you have chosen the route of a Lawbringer, Peacekeeper, Conqueror, or Warden, or any other Hero type of the other Factions, you will all go through the same trials, tests, and hardships as one another, putting no one individual in front or behind another."

"The training will last for two years, and will end by the time each and every single one of you is at least eighteen years of age. There will be physical trials and written exams, along with academic assignments of varying difficulties. Of course, as you all know, martial arts training and strength training is part of the job, but remember that brawn without brain is practically useless! One cannot be strong without the other, and that is a known fact. You will go through history lessons, linguistic arts, geographic marking, outdoor traveling, fitness tests, and even cultural broadening. In order to be a proper Hero, you must understand as much as you can about the world around you. And that is what you will be learning to do here at a level even greater than all of your previous years of training combined."

"In order to help you all feel more comfortable in embarking on this rigorous undertaking, we'll allow any of you to ask the Alphas questions about absolutely anything you'd like to learn or know more about. We hope that by getting some insight on what lays ahead helps you all be better prepared and feel more confident in being able to take it all on in these next two years. You'll all receive seasonal breaks for the holidays and such so that you can go visit your families and all. Otherwise, your lives will be situated here. Now, you may all raise your hands and begin to ask your questions."

The girl had many, many questions she wished she could ask, and it was killing her that she couldn't do so. She took a second to look around, as she was still on-guard about her surroundings. She calmed once she saw that no trace of company was around. She turned back to face the courtyard, where the first trainee raised his hand to ask a question. She listened carefully, her heart filled with excitement.

"What major difficulties did you all had when on the road to becoming Heroes? What did you all have to deal with, and what are some things we can expect to have to battle against during our time here?" The trainee asked.

The girl watched as the Alphas all exchanged expressions and looks, before silently deciding who would speak first amongst themselves. As she was hoping, the golden-eyed Emora stepped forward to answer the question.

"Well…"

The girl listened deeply, her heart filling up with determination as she listened to the Warden speak. More than ever, she wished to speak with her on her own.


I apologize for not updating this story in almost half a year, but... school and life as a whole has really bum-rushed me and I was unfortunately unable to get any solid writing time in, so for that, I want to say that I'm sorry.

I'll hopefully be able to update a bit more frequently. I hope anyone reading enjoyed this second chapter. A lot more is yet to come.