Masenai Zadiel's Story

The Royal King of Fenarin, His Royal Majesty, King Akuma Fenarin, lies dying. Yet while he rests in his bed and his life slowly ebbs from his old body, the entire kingdom is in peril. "What will become of this kingdom, is up to you now Tayia, yet I have only a few instructions, in which I hope are of use to you when you leave my side to continue your duties." the King said to his only daughter, his now heir apparent as his son fell from defending the kingdom from the first few attacks the demons caused. His son's battered armor and weapons still rest at a table nearby where the king used to study and govern the land with.

"You remember the secret room in the throne room of this very castle? The story I told you of the things inside it?" The old King asked tiredly. "I want you to be taken care of. Therefore I say that when you leave my side again, you will go to that secret place, and plead with the Crystal to give you aid in your struggle against these dark beings. I believe from the bottom of my heart that the story of which we hold most secret, is true. If it truly is true, then you will be safe, and I am content, if it isn't, then go anyway and try. Try to be a good ruler of these people daughter." With those words the king fell once again into a seemingly tireless sleep, his life becoming more fragile by the second.

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Meanwhile within said Secret room, which seems to be a very large room with a large crystal at the center of it. It pulses a pale green light in the beat of a heart. It was as if the Crystal held something very important within it, and was very much alive. The pulsing of the crystal often pauses, and some Generations of the Fenarin Royal Family, long passed from this world, could seemingly make out the faint outline of a man within the crystal before said crystal picks up in it's pulsing once more. But until such things are revealed to the world, the crystal still holds it's secret very close to it.

The crystal seemed to pause in it's pulsing before resuming again taking in all the words Tayia had said. In the meanwhile a mischievous Imp, a creature of darkness belonging to the many races of monsters in Fenarin, stalked Tayia to have a little fun and scare her. At least, that's what it seemed like it wanted to do. One never knows the cunning and silly mind of an imp's fancies.

That's when the long kept Secret of the Kingdom of Fenarin, awoke for the first time in eons. The Crystal still kept its loving and comforting pale green glow, but slowly an opening emerged within, and the sound of a dagger hitting the Imp full on in the chest followed it. Then the sound of cautious, yet unsteady, footsteps came from the still glowing crystal. Slowly, a man of fair skin and dark shoulder length hair, clad in a strange blue and grey armor of a strange land, emerged from the crystal.

The man looked around and discovered the imp with the dagger stuck to it. Grasping it tightly he pulled it out and gazed at it. He looked at it in an adoring, yet curious way. Then he slowly sheathed the dagger in a sheathe on his left thigh. He then felt an odd weight on his back and slowly gripped the red handle of a sword in a black scabbard, slung across his back. It was at that moment he sneezed. He shook his head in an odd fashion and then looked at the woman in front of him, and knelt down to her level.

"Who- who are you?" The Man asked as he found his voice, and marveled at the sound of it. "What is this place? Why are you crying?"

"Champion? Fenarin?" the Man echoed the words out. "I think I was such a thing before, but I know not for what cause, nor do I remember why I was in that." He pointed to the Crystal. "For what reason was I in such a thing?"

He was about to speak again but then a sharp sting of pain within his head came as he thought about the reasons why. His mind felt like a million blades were shoved into it, and something upon his skin of his back, burned like fire. "My back, it burns." he muttered as he then paused and slowly closed his eyes to breath ever so calmly. His mind wandered to a place where the pain wasn't so unbearable. Slowly he looked at the Princess with his blue shining eyes, looking as if he was slowly comprehending something that was at the tip of his tongue and willing to speak.

"I remember my name. Because calling me Champion is, not really a cup of sake for me." He slowly spoke in a soft yet slightly humorous voice. "My name is, Masenai Zadiel. But just call me Masenai." as he said those words he slowly got up and slowly took an unsteady step forward. "Gah, I'm not steady on my feet. How long was I actually sleeping for?" he muttered to himself as he slowly took a few more unsteady steps.

The moment Tayia gripped his hands to keep his balance, Masenai felt a warmth in her hands that almost reminded him of something. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on since he was unable to recall what the warmth in her hands reminded him of.

He was close to getting lost in his own thoughts he barely heard her answer to how long he slept, it didn't matter. He was asleep long enough to know that any friends or family he might've had, were long gone. "What is he ill of? Your father I mean. As for my walking, I think that after how long I slept, the muscles in them aren't a lot limber as they should be. However I think I can be able to take a few steps on my own, but I just gotta keep my balance. Funny, Ryoko would laugh if I was seen like this unable to..." he trailed off at the statement as he remembered a word, or a name. He couldn't remember what it meant.

"Ryoko?" He said the word again to think about what it meant. Then his head pounded in pain for a few seconds, forcing Masenai to veer away from the memories that eluded him for the time being. "Just, hold my arm till I get the hang of walking again please?" Masenai asked in a polite manner, trying to mask the pain he's trying to endure in his attempt to recover his memories.

"The stairs will probably help me figure out how to walk again if I just watch where I step and not fall, highness." Masenai stated to the Princess in a formal manner. With that he slowly walked with her up the stairs towards the main area of the castle. "But I also have questions, questions about what happened to your family, how did you lose your brother, all this and more."

He slowly looked around the castle area as he shut his eyes at the brightly lit interior of the main area of the castle. "Ow! What a bright castle you have your highness." Masenai complimented. "Can you try to take me to your father or is he still probably saving as much strength he can?" He asked in a hopeful tone for any clues that might help the warrior figure out what happened to him. At that thought he thought he saw someone in the throne room with pointed ears and long blonde hair. "Tayia? It looks like someone is here for you. An Elvahn royal by the looks of it." Masenai said with a note of curiosity about him once more. "That's one thing that's familiar to me. Elves."

He chuckled a bit before almost losing his balance again. "Okay, My walking has improved, but self balance, not so much." He stated in a disappointed tone.

Saxton woke up in a different room holding his chest "What?" Looking around the room "This is my room, am I reliving the past?" A lady shouted up the stairs "Saxton come down here and do your chores before you go and train" Saxton got up and smiled "I will start my chores right away mom" Saxton got dressed and walk down stairs. Everyday started the same for him his mother would tell him to do his chores which was just to go take care of the animals they had then he went to train with his sword and his magic after finishing his chores Saxton woke up in the inn "Why did I dream about the past? Why did I dream about that day?" Saxton walked down the stairs and asked for some breakfast he sat down at a table and the lady handed him some eggs
"There is someone who wants to talk to you before you leave he is sleeping right now but he might wake up soon"

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Sabariel was approached by a guard "Queen Sabariel, Princess Tayia will meet you in the conference hall shortly. Please follow me" The guard lead her to the conference hall after they got there he left "Who was the man that I saw the Princess with and why did he look so tired? Its none of my business who he was" She sat down and waited for Tayia

Masenai was led by Tayia to a door near that was not far from what seemed to be her bedchambers. By the way she stopped and turned her head to hide her face with her hair, Masenai deduced it was her brother's room. He was about to speak when he remembered something she told him about what happened to her brother. Demons killed him. The word demon seemed to seep into Masenai's emotions as a disturbed frown came across his face.

He then started to look concerned when he saw a tear running down her cheek. He put his finger under her chin so that the tear landed on it. "Don't cry. Please don't cry." He said in a gentle tone. "I honestly don't know what to do when I see someone cry. I can make you a promise though. They will pay." At the sound of that promise, he felt like a great weight lifted off his chest, as he slowly let go of her arm.

"You need to look confident for the Queen of Grimes." He said gently as a word of advice. "Just make sure you check up on me when you're done." With those words he softly walked to the door and slowly opened it, walking inside the room of the late Prince of Fenarin. He found a chair that looked comfortable enough to sit in and made his way to it, slowly sitting down with a slow contented smile.

"Is this comfort?" he thought, "That's good, I almost forgot what it felt like. But there are things I have forgotten. Why am I here? Why was I placed in a crystal, what sorcery held me there for eons that I would not leave it of my own free will? Where was I born, who taught me the sword, and what was my life like before?"

Masenai only gave a soft sigh of content. "Questions always have answers." He said softly.

Masenai noted the balcony in the chambers as he slowly got up from the chair and walked to it. He looked at the large city and was taken aback. Then a hungering curiosity filled him as he wanted to explore his city. There seemed to be several Inns and taverns about town that were busy trying to lead a sense of normalcy in the lives of the citizens. Then his eyes fell towards the lands outside the city gates and his eyes widened slightly as he spotted something.

There were several specks of shadows followed by a hulking one headed right for it. Masenai slowly scowled at them as he jumped off the balcony and ran across the rooftops towards the city gates yet laid low when he reached it. the hulking shadow was the first to be seen. It was a seven foot tall ogre, followed by several people that had dark tattoos written on their arms, with an insignia he found all too familiar. "Demonic writing, they're demons!" Masenai thought as he slowly drew his sword. He then slowly climbed up the city walls to go over the gate. His breathing slowed to a painful crawl as he braced himself for his next stage of his plan, The Ogre lifted up his massive club in an attempt to smash in the gates. That was when Masenai jumped.

The Ogre screamed in pain as his shoulder was pierced, and tried to shake off the thing that stung him, only to have something jab into his neck, causing him to fall on one of the demons to bleed to death. The remaining two demons hissed and roared in fury as they attacked the Assailant. Masenai simply pulled his dagger out and threw it at one demon's head and grabbed the other one by the neck.

"Who sent you?" Masenai hissed in an anger filled whisper. "Come on, I'm not a patient man."

"Our orders came from the Demon Lord to intimidate the Princess of Fenarin, to make her understand it's hopeless to stand against us!" The demon shouted. "A thousand curses whoever you are for interfering in this war!" At that Masenai tightened his grip on the demon.

"I'm letting you live, so that way your lord has a message given to him. You intimidated her when you killed her brother, but she found the courage to stand up to you." Masenai stated in a calm yet deadly voice. "One more thing, if you ever try to attack the Princess again, I'll be there. Now, begone!"

He let the Demon go and watched it sprout wings as it flew off into the skies. He retrieved his weapons and headed back to the room he was in to be sure that no one missed him. When he got there he sat down on the chair he was at, trying to unscramble the puzzle of his memories. "Ryoko... what does that word mean?"

Masenai listened to the sounds of the silence around the empty room. He very slowly turned to look at the fire, then at a kettle that was filled with water as he slowly went towards it and lifted it up and looked at several other items on the table near him. Another kettle that wasn't filled with anything, a measuring spoon and a jar filled with crushed tea leaves. Masenai set the kettle of water over the fire on a hook and slowly looked at the jar and the empty kettle and the spoon.

"What the heck am I supposed to do with this?" Masenai muttered to himself as he pondered as he held the spoon. "Not a very good weapon this is.... what is it supposed to do?" As he said this he realized several of the castle servants had peeked into the door of the room to observe this strange man looking at the tea set and one motioned for him to dip the spoon into the jar and put the contents into the empty kettle. Slowly the confused warrior put several spoonfuls into the kettle. The smell of the tea leaves entered Masenai's nostrils as he took a deep breath and slowly thought of at any times he would smell such a smell. It took him back to a small village, a man and a woman kneeling at a table, and about to settle down to drink cups of this stuff before all of a sudden something outside sparked attention.

Masenai was about to reach for his head as the pain of the memory was so great, until the boiling water in the kettle whistled for his attention. He took a hold of the kettle of boiling water and poured it in the kettle with the tea leaves. All at once he felt the headache go as he breathed in the scent of the warm tea. He slowly gave a calm smile and muttered only one word that felt most connected to whatever strange thing he just concocted out of curiosity.

"Mother?"

Masenai turned to look at Tayia. She was a bit shocked from the mistake she made, that was for certain. But the way the tears had fallen, he assumed she mistook him for the former occupant of the room. Her own brother. "Tayia. Please don't feel terrible over a mistake in identity. You're still in mourning." He said. "You still have a family to weep over. Whilst any I might've had, is lost to the ages." as he said this he took two cups and poured the tea into each cup.

"Let us talk first, of what you were in a hurry to tell me about, and also what do you wish of me to do, as your guest, or rather, as your bodyguard?" He asked as he sipped from a cup. "Hm, Seiryu leaves. Or whatever the plant is called now." He stated with a hint of surprise. "Haven't tasted such a sweet tea as this in a very long time." Masenai gave a great sigh as he sipped the tea again. His mind wandered for a few brief moments before realizing he was still talking to the Princess.

"Beg your pardon, I was daydreaming." He apologized. "The fact of the matter is still on us. What did the Queen of Grimes wish to speak to you about?" he asked in all honesty. "Is the threat of the demons encroaching the Elven borders as well?"

"A magi?" Masenai asked, "sounds interesting, I'll do it, but at least give me a chance to make certain Everything about me awake, whatever that is, is in perfect order." With that Masenai got up to look at A mirror near the bed that he would probably be sleeping in, and upon examining his own armor, found something that allowed him to slip out of the top half of his armor. In doing so he exposed much of his torso and back as he looked at the toned muscles throughout his body.

However, he didn't notice the large scar upon his back. The scar started from the top of his back and trailed down his back until it hit the tip of his hip. It seemed to be the source of Masenai's back ache as he rubbed his back again wearing a pained look. "By all that is above my back is aching, must've slept on it the wrong way." He stated. "Anyway I'll help you hunt down this Magi for you. When do you want to depart to look for this... Demon of Grimes?"