Chapter 0: Century's Old Grudge

In the kingdom of Lazuli ruled by an single king, it was a prosperous nation alongside the Baharuth Empire and the Slane Theocracy. Despite that, the country is held tighter then chains around one's wrist, the king who is said to ruled for over 400 years and counting with magic beyond our understanding. However very small groups believe it to be propaganda to scare us into following the government and is ruled by some kind of council with an puppet king to hide or redirect our attention from the true monarch. Regardless, we in the faming halmet of Ekanite has been relatively peaceful. Rare, if not any threatrs has come our way thanks to some people we have here, mainly by two people; Leto Fay, an rather skill mage that kept our crops from being taken by pests and small animals and there is Sir Ector Antor or Hector, one of the only few men in this world that seem to truly care for the lives of others and defended Ekanite from an outside force. Together, Hecate Fay and Ector Antor make up the town's defenders.

"Come on! He's coming back!" An young adult man spoke as those tending to the farms stopped what they're doing and walked up to the fence, next to the main road as an older man on horseback rode into town.

"Hey there Ector, good to finally see ya, damn you look like a mess!" One of the farmers shouted Ector smiled.

"Good to see you as well Archelaus, hope the crops are going well with Fay stopping them damn pests, hm?" Ector said to the farmer before riding into town. He'd then rode directly to his own small house on the small hill and hitched his horse on the small waist-height stone wall. As he turned however he was instantly hugged by one of his two sons, Kay Antor. "Hey there little one!" Ector patted Kay's head.

"Hey there daddy, welcome back!" Kay smiled as the two walked inside, revealing their second son Arturo and two older women both whom were not only half-sisters to each other, but wives of Ector. At this point in time, Ector had one daughter for each to which were being cared for by one of the wives while the other was cooking. "Hello there, I am back."

The one who was cooking turned to Ector with a smile. "While back knight in... shining rags" The wife cooking named Lyonesse laughed due to the fact Ector's looked like he was in rags, being covered in heavy dirt and mud, which Lyonesse laughed at the sight while the second wife, Lynette simply sighed at her husband's state.

"Please dear, can you not leave and not return so messy?" Lynette began to question Ector competency. "I swear, you seem to enjoy the mud more then anything else!" Lynette exclaimed as she got up to put the two babies into their rooms as they were asleep.

"Not my fault, a lot can happen." Ector chuckled as he sat at the table, to which he sat across Arturo while Kay helped his biological mother. "Hey there Arturo." Ector greeted but only got an shrug in return. "Come on Arturo, what's wrong?"

Arturo sighed and looked at his father. "I know swordsmanship is important, but it be cool to learn magic, like Fay!" Arturo expressed himself in the art of the arcane arts, an rarity in the New World no matter how ya look at it. Ector simply looked sympathetic understanding wanting something, but never able to get it.

"Yeah, magic has been an dream of yours, but that is a entire different ball game. Very rare can perform magic, we're lucky that Fay can even do 3rd-tier magic for example and she stated that even fewer can do higher. Besides have you and Kay been practising? Best be ready for whenever happens, hm?"

"Y-Yeah I had, but... he's so rough.." Arturo muttered that last part. "He also doesn't hold back."

"Well, training while holding back wont let ya go anywhere Arturo, I know this is rather hard but you'll be a good swordsman to protect this farm and even the country. Remember, in the saying of our country that we are cogs in a machine, we fight for our country! Nothing can go out of place or everything will stall, and fall apart." Ector then patted Arturo. "Maybe you'll become one of the kingdom's most important cog of all?" Before Arturo asked to elaborate, Ector stood. "Anyways, I'll be heading to bed, see ya lot tomorrow morning." Ector bid his nights to his family before falling onto the bed and turned to face towards the ceiling. "Cogs in a machine... simple as that." Ector then closed his and fell into deep sleep.

Then Ector bursts awakened and found himself in a field of grass surrounded by forests, he'd quickly stood to grab his sword only to realize he doesn't have it nor was he in uniform. "Wait.. what?"

"Hello there Sir Ector." A voice called our from behind Ector and faced the speaker, meeting an white robed figure standing next to an stone that appeared to hold an blade-size slit and an emblem he did not recognized, cracked. "I am Godric Gryffindor and I been here for as long as I remember." Ector was skeptical about this Godric as he entered into an martial arts stance.

"Really now, where are we then?"

"Were are we? No idea, this place is nowhere in the world, but it is also within the world. I simply called it... Greenland." Godric smiled and chuckled, finding it funny somehow. "Anyways Ector, an danger approaches you and your farming land, in the next day at sunset will you face your greatest enemy with high chances of death but your family surviving, but by not engaging them will your family perish." Godric informed him with an neutral voice. "Do as you will, but the threat is coming and dangers all around." Before Ector can even remotely question, he was again awakened, the next day as his two wives on his side and he questions if that was a dream or some form of vision.

Ector slowly got up and went to check on the two babies in their cribs, fast asleep and peaceful which he smiled. He'd then went to the rooms of his two sons, he checked on Kay who was awakened and reading a book on different sword classifications which he did not disturbed. When he checked on Ector however, he was not there in his room and he believed he must've got up early to practice his swordsmanship in the back.

Ector walked from downstairs of his residence towards the door leading to their small backyard and opened it, showing Auturo on magic. He smiled though believed it to be futile as he walked towards the boy, who was leaning on the only tree in their yard. "Still reading that?"

"Yes, you do know mother can use magic right?" Arturo questioned as Ector began to reminiscent on his first encounter with Lynette, who was abused and was even exploited in part with her capacity of healing magic, allowing her to heal other slaves to continue on the abusive activities. "I know that, you're wandering because you're a son of an magic caster you can also do it?" Arturo nodded. "Tell ya what, why not speak to her, see if she can teach you the healing magic? Just knowing that will be something you dreamt?" Arturo nodded, just learning healing spells be a dream come true. "Do that alright, I need to head out, behave with ya brother and look after ya two sisters and my wives!" Ector told him and not long after departed on horseback to the town outskirts in full gear with an sword.

A week workload Ector has been brought though, assignments in and out but nothing too daring or dangerous due to the relative peace Lazuli was able to get. However Ector was feeling uneasy thanks to that dream with Godric and the impending dangers, what dangers did he refer to he'd wondered before being interrupted by an fellow soldier. "Hey!"

"Come on dude, ya falling behind!" The man that interrupted was none other then Sir Lionel, he was born in a wealthy family but decided to join the lower-ranking soldiers in the Lazulian military, finding more thrilling to be in the heat of danger and having to do things himself and not be catered to. "You're dazed on an convey horseback, you're one of our best and to see ya in such an trance got me worried." Lionel expressed his concern to his fellow soldier. "What's on ya mind?"

"It's nothing, proceed with the escort Sir Lionel, and you there Sir Bors, lead the convey's spearhead, we're getting this transported to the city." Bors, however nicknamed Bors the Younger was the child of Bors the Elder, he's one of the few elderly lived into their early hundreds, a shocking feat for a human. "You're our best spearman, so pierce anyone that'll raid us." Bors raised his right hand to form an thumb. "Oh right, he's a mute."

"And became an well fortified soldier under Lazulian command, he's pretty good." Lionel praised the young soldier. "He was even given the title of sir! A feat."

"Yes... it is." Ector slowly said as they escorted the group.

Soon after the escort, Ector began to his ride home at sunset, tired from the work he has performed. But as he did he smelled the air, there was something wrong with and stopped as he inspected in surroundings. He'd got off horseback as he held a hand on his sword as he walked closer to which he horse followed behind. As he smelled and focused on it, it finally kicked in. "That smells like.. blood." He rushed forward as the smell of blood intensifies and instantly got on his horse and rode in the direction. "Wait a minute, this is-- DAMN IT FAY!" Ector cried out he had his horse sprint incredibly fast to the common location of Hecate Fay.

Upon reaching to her location and leapt from his horse, Ector rushed only to see what horrid sight to behold, a sight that makes this world a dangerous place no matter who the person is. What lay before him was the one of the legs of Fay as her half eaten skull was being eaten by an ogre to which the rest of her body was already torn apart and her bones lay on the dirt. "You filth---" Then it hit him, it these things are there, he dread the sight as he began to turn to return to town, but was body slammed by one of the ogres with incredible speed and strength, instantly tearing his left arm off. Holding in the pain, Ector quickly dispatched the ogre that took his arm, shocking the others. Without hesitation, he fought the ogres but without sustaining damage. Now on horse towards Ekanite. "What the hell is going on here, those ogres are low-levelled but.. they carried strength of an higher-ranking undead."

Upon reaching near town, fires swarmed the town as many monsters began to invade, which Ector was shocked to see before charging in with blade in his remaining right arm and clashed against an goblin, beheading it. Screams of agonizing terror filled the town as many were either killed instantly or eaten alive. Not wasting time, Ector rushed to his residence which upon getting saw an ogre having grabbed Kay. Not wasting time, Ector quickly slide between the ogre's legs and sliced its the heel to make it fall and cut its hand holding Kay, soon after throw the sword into the ogre's head, killing it instantly.

"Kay, where is your mother and the family?" Kay showed them to the living to which Ector instantly engaged against two small goblins, cutting them down. But when he realizes, he saw Artoru using magic, having manifested an shielded barrier that prevented the goblins from advancing, shocking him but Artoru collapsed and passed out, caught by Lynette. The group was able to leave the house from the back and onto the main road where he whistled for his horse, garnering attention from the goblins and orgres as the horse ran past them to Ector. "Get on!" The family excluding Ector got on the horse before Lynette grabbed Ector's hair, tears in her eyes as the rest did as they noticed Ector's left arm was torn off.

"Come with us.." Lynette sobbed as Ector gabbed her hand as well as Lyonesse.

"I can not, these things will follow and the fact is there is no more room on the horse, the ogres destroyed the carriages." He'd then kissed both hands before slapping the hindquarters of the horse and began to sprint away from town as they watched Ector simply stood and turned to face the attackers. "I am Sir Ector of Ekanite, valiant soldier of Lazuli!" Ector raised his sword with his rigtt and called out its name. "Mystic Sword of Robert de Boron face your foe and slay those that opposes this sword!" Ector calls out as he charged at the ogres and goblins. "Montbéliard!" He'd soon shouted as an slash mana cuts down the groug of goblins in front of them as he barely evaded an agile ogre. "Martial Arts: Messires!" Using the martial arts that improved his overall swordsmanship, he quickly cut down multiple foes in town. "Whose next?!" Suddenly a voice calls out.

"I am." Ector turn just in time to see an large battleaxe slamed against his chest as he was flung into the sky and landed with a sickening crack of his lower body, his ribcage and spine having just been fractured. Ector felt no pain, but did not feel his legs or any of his body as his eyes began to lose. "You are Sir Ector?" What came into view was an grotesque orc with bone protruding from across his body, through the thick robes he worn. "The rightful ruler is here to reclaim what is his from the start. An native of this kingdom hm? You'll be an fine undead for his Majesty."

Ector stood as he raised his blade against the orc. "Rightful? No idea who you're on about but since everyone has escaped, I plan to not die here." Ector pulled out an small hand size container. "You know, if whoever ya work for has plans, be sure to warn him that there are much more deadlier things then even me, I am just a pawn in the grand scheme of things." Upon throwing the container, erupted as smoke bursts from it as Ector was teleported before the orc could react.

The teleportation potion was a rare item given to him by Hecate, what it was or it came to be wasn't told, Hecate was planning to but she died before doing so. However Ector upon being teleported found himself elsewhere and not near his town or any place. "Ah crud, what did she about that damn potion?" Ector grunted in frustration as softly tapped his sword onto the ground. "No matter, I'll just head a direction and hope the winds of fate will protect me."

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