Bravae son of okevae was well known throughout the small town of Deiamy as the unfortunate son of the deceased oligarch Okevae, who had once held influence around Norea, the 5 kingdoms, and even beyond. He had controlled much of the timber trade between the empire and the lumberjacks in the great Darron forests. He had lived a life of splendor and freedom despite the brutal occupation of the land by the Braunian Empire. Causing many to see him as a sell-out and a sympathizer of the oppressive rule imposed upon the people of Norea and the continent of Amfua beyond.
Indeed no one had seen it coming, but Okevae's end had been marked by tragedy; first he got sick from an ailment that was considered incurable. Although due to his wealth and access to the best medical resources, he had been able to manage the disease quite well and preserve himself, the same could not be said for his wife, who died in a miscarriage while trying to give birth to their son.
A terrible tragedy that caused the once jolly Okevae to be plunged into a state of depression, which affected his ability to manage the lumber business effectively. overtime he would deteriorate into a drunkard and degenerate despite his ill health. The people of Deiamy truly had sympathy for him at that point despite his supposed ties with the Braunian Empire, which seemed unbreakable even at that point.
So therefore it came as a surprise to many when the Braunian Supreme Council would accuse Okevae of funding resistance groups and militias against the empire, a crime that they could describe as treason against the empire. The unfortunate merchant Okevae had no one to argue for his innocence, so he was helpless the day the Braunians dragged him out of his manor into the forest and executed him. Leaving his 4-year-old son, bravae an orphan in a cold, cruel world.
Okevae's properties and wealth were then shared amongst a council of elders in the deiamy village, with nothing left behind to cater for the little boy. Many speculated that it was the council of elders that had set Okevae up to be destroyed by the Braunians.
Some sympathized for this tragedy, whilst some simply termed it as justice for the ill-fated traitor of the Norean kingdom.
But whatever their opinion of Okevae was, few could argue against the fact that his son, Bravae, had been born to face a very harsh and brutal life, one that only the gods could prepare him for.
Bravae at the age of four was taken in by his mother's aunt, Siphymi, a rather kindhearted and industrious woman who was a widow herself, losing her husband in the great wars that led to the conquests of the Norean kingdom.
Siphymi, though a poor farmer, did her best to raise the poor boy bravae with love and attention and to support him with whatever little resources she could provide.
The boy had grown fast, quickly becoming a valuable asset on the farms, a hardworking farmer who never put his hoe down until the cock crowed. His reputation as one of the more hardworking youths in Deiamy Village could not be questioned.
And some farmers who were too old and had no children of their own would employ Bravae to come and till the earth for them, a task that he performed with the utmost positivity and efficiency. If the village needed to provide hay and corn to the Braunians, Bravae was often selected to be among the envoy to deliver them.
A trustworthy youth by all accounts.
At nearly 21 years old. One could still say that bravae had still not outlived the shadows of his father's tragic end.
But no one could say that it had totally defined the man he could become.
With many still suggesting that the youth might go on to do great things, many of which did not include trying to steal gold from the most feared military force known to man, in the view of the many consequences of which a young man such as bravae could not even imagine.
And even then, as he hobbled into the town with his wingman, Orvae, by his side, the consequences still did not cross his mind.
All he could think of was the connection that he had briefly shared with the weapon he was now holding in his hand. One that now piqued his imagination even more than the gold he and Orvae had taken from the castle earlier.
The town of Deiamy, apart from the unrepentant drunkards and nightcrawlers, who still staggered along the streets after a night out at the bar, was still quiet and tranquil, with many still in their beds. Indeed, very few had taken note of the explosion that had occurred a few miles away in the forest.
Bravae and Orvae hobbled into the barn of hay and corn, which was owned by Orvae's grandfather. Some of the sheep in the barn made noises as they closed the barn door behind them.
"Shssshhh," Orvae said, trying to calm them down.
A single oil lamp at the edge of the barn between two beds served as the only source of illumination.
Bravae, visibly exhausted, collapsed on one of the beds at the very end of the barn. And dropped the black sword beside him.
"That was crazy," Orvae said, sitting down on the loft opposite him.
Bravae sighed.
"Yeah, it was. What happened back there? One moment it felt like I was about to die; the next moment I felt the strength of 10,000 men coursing through me. It was like I was possessed."
"Your wound, it's gone," Orvae said to him.
Bravae looked down at his thigh and reached down to feel it for the first time; it felt smooth and painless.
He gasped and jumped up in surprise.
"Incredible!" he exclaimed.
Orvae continued to shake his head in disbelief whilst trying to recollect the fiery figure that had dealt with the soldiers in the forest.
Bravae picked The large black sword again, this time the handle felt cold to the touch; it was long—almost 4 and a half feet in length. The handle was thin like a normal sword, but the width of the blade was almost a foot across. But despite its gigantic features, it still felt extremely light for Bravae to carry.
"What is that thing?" Orvae asked.
"I don't know; I found it in the hole under the tree. It emanated a weird energy, and it drew me to it. I could hear its soft, soothing voice whisper to me; it spoke to me."
"Spoke to you? , you mean the sword could talk?" Orvae asked incredulously.
"Yes, sort of; at least that's what it felt like," Bravae replied.
"And then I didn't know you could fight like that, and how come the heat didn't kill you? I mean, I suffered burns on my body even though I was several meters away."
"I don't know, Orvae, I don't know; it's like I was possessed, like I sat back and someone else took the wheel. I could just hear the voice bidding me to attack; all I could feel was rage. I can't explain it."
"Can I see the sword?" Orvae said to Bravae.
Bravae somewhat hesitantly held out the sword to Orvae. Who tried to grab ahold of the handle but backed away squealing in pain as soon as he grabbed the handle.
"What? What happened?" Bravae asked.
"It burns, it's hot, it burnt me, it's very hot."
Orvae said, blowing air into his palm and flicking his wrist.
Bravae looked at him confused.
"What do you mean, it's cold as metal. Are you being serious? It's no time for jokes," Bravae said.
"No, no, I'm serious, it's hot, it burns. I don't want to touch it anymore, and I suggest you should put it away too. That thing is dangerous, and we don't know much about it. In the morning we should take it to Gbavamy; maybe he might know more about it."
"gbavamy! That old drunk that lives by himself in the mountains, what would he know? He's crazy!" bravae said.
"Well, his father was a historian and one of the custodians of Norean cultural belief. I suppose he may have information about it. Until then, just put it away."
Bravae nodded his head in agreement before wrapping the sword in some linen and burying it under the bed.
"How did you sustain that injury?" Bravae said to Orvae, who was now wrapping his torso with a linen bandage after cleaning it.
"Oh, this? It was those bastards from the castle. It's okay; they are all dead now. You finished them all," Orvae said, patting him.
Before lying down on his bed.
"I did that?" Bravae managed to gasp with the somber realization that he had just ended lives beginning to hit him like the back of a sledgehammer. Slowly he sat back on his loft in reflection of the events of the evening. He couldn't even soak in the trauma because it was all a blur to him—the screaming, the running, the slashing—it all felt so disconnected.
He got up again and took off the remains of his burned shorts and underwear and put on a new pair from the cupboard above.
Before laying back down on the bed.
"Bravae, what do you think is going to happen now? "Surely they might come after us?"
"I don't know, Orvae, but it seems our lives are going to change forever. Let's just get some sleep; we can think about the rest in the morning."
"Hmm…. I agree. Well, good night," Orvae said before blowing out the lamp.
That night, Bravae could not sleep peacefully; he kept having nightmares.
He was walking through a cave into a mysterious place where there lay a mysterious creature who only screamed death and destruction.
The scene would change; he would be in the middle of a battlefield, with many dying, many screaming and crying in agony, many fallen by their swords, and many explosions. Braunian soldiers firing rifles.
But no one could see him as he traversed the bloody landscape; the scene would change again, and this time he would be submerged in perpetual darkness with a familiar but strange voice whispering unto him.
It felt like he was floating, and in the darkness beamed two eyes, two flat vertically slit eyes with amber red pupils and fiery yellow eyeballs.
The voice continued to call unto him, and as he moved forward, a piercing pain burned in his head, causing him to swell and scream in agony.
When he woke up, he was covered in sweat.
But the pain still tingled on his forehead.
By now the sun was up. And its rays were crawling in through the rafters of the small barn, which smelled of dry hay and animal feed.
Orvae was still fast asleep; Bravae put on his shirt and sandals. Before taking some water to wash his face,.
He then tapped orvae.
"Wake up! Wake up, sleepyhead! You've got some work to do; you need to take the sheep out to the pen."
"Hmm," Orvae said, rubbing his eyes.
"You have to take the sheep out."
"I know, I know. Let me get prepared. Where are you going?"
"I have to go run some errands for my great-aunt Simphymi, but I'll be back before noon. Don't let anyone in the barn, and don't go out shirtless To avoid questions."
Orvae nodded his head in agreement.
The barn door opened and the two boys froze in unison.
An old wiry man walked in, he wore a dark blue robe and had long white hair.This was amintoro orvae's grandfather a former deiamy chieftain who owned many barns and farms in the town including the one they stayed in.
They both got up and greeted him.
"I guess you boys had a great time last night as you returned very late.." the old man said twiddling his beard.
"No pop we just went to deliver some…." orvae started to say.
Before he was cut off by amintoro.
"Oh save it. Im not a child i know what you boys have been up to"
Orvae looked at bravae as they both gasped in unison.
"Youve been out playing with girls at balams bar" the Old man said laughing heartily.
to which they all joined in a chorous of laughter.
"Well boys there's nothing more i can say to you, other than moderation is key, but make sure you finish your chores before you have your fun" the old man said before walking out if the barn.
"Phew that was close" bravae said.
"Im just thankful he didn't catch us coming in last night"
Orvae replied.
"Yeah we have to be more careful, okay orvae stay here while i go meet siphymi."
" okay but be quick, im just as excited to find out about the sword as you"
Bravae looked at him for second before nodding his head. He walked out of the barn and into the town, following the backstreets to avoid crowds. He kept his head low as if that would reduce scrutiny. As he walked through the town, he noticed that there was a huge military presence; the town was unusually filled with Braunian soldiers. He hadn't seen this many soldiers since he was but a boy, when the Braunians had come to expel a man named Excovae out of Deiamy for alleged treason.
Not since then had such a large number of soldiers frequented the streets of Deiamy.
He ducked through bushes and climbed over the fences of abandoned houses, all to stay out of sight and avoid the soldiers. He had just made it through the west block of the town, where there seemed to be fewer Braunian soldiers, and was just about to take a turn to the street leading to Simphymi's house when a voice called out to him firmly and authoritatively.
"Hey, you stop there!"
He froze in his tracks. And slowly turned around.