"What am I? Where am I? Where do I want to go? What do I need?"
Within an ethereal space, where memories and feelings flow, there is the consciousness of a teenager trapped in an induced limbo, without knowledge of his own existence. He simply contemplates what seems to be his downfall and murmurs:
"I wish I were strong... I feel so helpless, so insignificant. I am just a fleeting glimpse of life in this vast world." or, he thought:
Continuing with his reflection in that ethereal space
"I am not sure of my existence... To the world, I am nobody. I cannot change anything."
Suddenly, a female voice echoed in the void:
"Worldly places wanting to be paradise, sworn gods, deceived mortals… The answers lie in your decisions."
Hearing those words, the boy felt his existence take shape. The solemnity of the phrase shook his soul, awakening in him a sudden desire to understand what was happening.
"Who is it?" asks the boy.
"Who I am is not important; I will just tell you that I am something of a blessing given your current condition," the voice responds.
Confused, the young man asks: "What condition are you referring to?"
"Human, you don't know who you are, so I doubt you understand anything more complex," the voice mentions in a mocking manner.
Upon hearing this, the boy begins to break out in a cold sweat, feeling like something is swallowing him in an infinite void. "Help me," he manages to articulate.
"I will offer you a deal: you will become my disciple and in exchange I will tell you your name," the voice declares.
"I accept; I don't have much to do here," the teenager responds, hopefully.
"Hahaha, very good, this is my lucky day; I found someone who cannot reject me," the mysterious voice says happily, but the next moment it realizes that it has made a mistake with its words and continues:
"Ah, I think I shouldn't have commented that out loud; how unworthy of me. But, well, my disciple, I wish you good luck. I will wait for the day when we meet again. Bye", expresses the voice, who apparently moves further and further away.
"Hey, wait a minute; you didn't explain who I am," the teenager manages to say impatiently.
"Ah, of course, of course; well, I don't have much time left to explain to you, but at least I will tell you your name: you are Nulambart, my only and best disciple."
In that moment, Nulambart regains all the senses he had lost. He feels a very heavy veil that covered him being lifted, and, completely expanding his range of vision and perception, he understands what is truly happening.
He stands in a row; Next to him are other people: young people, adults and even the elderly, who, with lost gazes, are waiting for something to happen.
Then, as you look more closely down the line of people, you see something that moves your heart to the point of almost bringing tears to your eyes. A few meters from him, there is an adult woman of approximately 35 years old, very beautiful, with green eyes and light hair, with a slender body and a light white complexion. When he glimpses her, small fragments of memories come to mind where his mother taught him to read and do various household chores.
"My child, we, with your father, will not be here forever. You have to learn to fend for yourself, and that means being able to read; from books you will have the wisdom that will help you know the world and allow you to connect with other people," his mother told Nulambart when he was little, while he was clearly reluctant to learn.
"Listen, son; I know that you don't like to read now, but I can't continue reading you the stories of heroes that you loved so much all your life," the mother continued, laughing.
"Mother, I want to always be with you; I don't need to learn these things. Here in the village I don't need to read or know crafts; we just work in the fields and that way we survive," said the young man.
"That's not good, son. The world is much bigger than the place where we are, and we, with your father, hope that you can see all those places that we couldn't," said his mother, with a happy look that hid a shadow of regret.
Sensing these remorse in her mother's eyes, Nulambart makes the decision to be a more responsible person in her studies and teachings.
"It's all right, mother; I'll do all I can," said the boy resolutely.
After experiencing those memories, Nulambart returns to the present and looks at her mother's side. He sees a slender but robust man at the same time, with curly black hair, a cinnamon complexion and dark eyes. As with his mother, the boy enters his consciousness and begins to remember certain events:
"Hey, Nul, since yesterday you turned 10 years old, from today I will be your teacher so that you can learn to handle the sword like a great knight," said the man, walking towards the forest with a young Nulambart.
"Father, I don't need a teacher to learn how to use the sword; anyway here in the village we can only use tools to work the land and there is no sword to wield," Nulambart slyly responded.
"Hahaha, boy, how you make me laugh. I understand that we have worked in the field for 6 hours and you are tired, but for people without talent like us, it is the minimum effort we have to dedicate to perfecting our body, and sword technique is something that can be obtained with many years of practice," said the burly man to his son.
"But I just want to be a farmer, father," Nulambart ended up saying, somewhat confused.
Faced with this response, the parent looks at him with anguish and helplessness, emotions that were not typical of the personality that he had known about the father until now. He knows that, under the context in which they find themselves, he cannot ask much more of his offspring. A simple village full of farmers struggling to survive the harshness of the changing seasons and the lack of food, stemming from the lack of hunters who could explore and hunt beasts to feed the village.
Even though he is aware of what his son is experiencing, he ends up saying what he feels Nulambart needs to hear:
"Son, listen carefully to what I'm going to tell you: the world is much bigger than you think. There are dangers that threaten the most important things in your life at all times, and the mission of those of us who can and are in a position to protect them is to do everything possible, even if that means sacrificing ourselves to the point of feeling pain," mentions the man, who later touches the boy's shoulder and tells him: "I need you to help me protect our family, and for this you have to know how to defend yourself and be able to help those who "They need it in case I'm missing."
At that moment, the boy seems to understand how serious his father is about his training, but at the same time, a feeling of shame is created in him.
"I want to help you, dad, but I'm afraid of disappointing you. I have always been a weaker child than the others and I usually take a long time to learn farm work compared to other boys my age," says Nulambart, who cannot contain his anguish when facing his reality, sobbing and turning his back on his father.
"Nul, I will tell you a lesson that I learned during my life, and it is this: if you have a goal in life and you hope that, by the work of destiny, it will be fulfilled, then, otherwise, you will end up disappointing you, since you expected something that you did not have the power to fulfill. However, if you make your best effort to achieve that goal, then failure does not become disappointment, but rather a new mission in life, so improvement is imminent, even for those without talent," the father concluded by saying, drying the tears to the boy and uploading it to their backs to go to their training.
After seeing this scene in his head, the now teenager realizes that both people he sees are the parents he loves so much, who have raised him with all their effort and dedication, but who are currently staring into space, like the others, who, doing a quick calculation, add up to a total of approximately sixty members.
What is happening here?, asks Nulambart, who, in the next moment, makes the decision to talk to her parents.
But before he can move, he feels an intense cold run through his body, along with a strong wind that stirs his hair. When you look ahead, you realize that you are facing an immense blue sea, with intense waves that indicate that the tide is high.
He looks up at the sky and notices that it is night. A large full moon illuminates the landscape, increasing your anxiety about what is coming.
Soon, he discovers that five figures emerge from the waters. semi-human that leave him perplexed. They appear half human and half fish, dressed in war armor and wielding tridents.
Its gills pulsated to the rhythm of a hypnotic song, and its eyes, without pupils, reflected the glow of the moon like black mirrors.
With each step they take, Nulambart feels the feeling of fragility and danger grow.
Suddenly, one of the demi-humans orders: "Humans, get to work!"
As the order is issued, all the villagers, including their parents, turn around and head to various areas of the village.
The feeling of oppression was simply palpable, due to the mere fact that said words carried with them a kind of energy that coerced even those who were not brought under his rule, such as Nulambart, who was barely able to follow his parents to the family granary, where they fill baskets with food that they will later take to a place near the coast, where reserves accumulate.
"Father, mother, it's me, Nulambart!" he calls repeatedly, feeling increasingly impatient.
It was then that he understood that it was a kind of slavery, which not only affected the decisions of his parents, but also deep down in their souls. Without making his parents reason, he observes that floating figures emerge from the sea.
There were twenty young girls dressed in white, with looks as lost as those of the villagers.
Among them, one in particular looks a lot like her mother, which makes Nulambart remember a scene from her childhood.
"Brother, I don't have money for a birthday gift, but I hope my love is enough," his sister said, hugging him.
At that moment, Nulambart understands that the young woman dressed in white is her sister, and finally a conversation was heard between the captors.
"Prince, there are six months left until the sacrifice of the humans," one of the warriors was clearly heard saying to another who was of higher rank.
"Perfect, keep preparing them for the predestined time," responded the highest ranking one.
This demi-human was clearly dressed in pristine golden armor, with a face much more human-like than the others, and golden-gold hair. This appearance contrasted with his 2 meter height and muscular body.
"Hahaha, I would like to enjoy the bodies of human women before offering them to the altar of the kingdom," said the prince who saw the young women in a perverted way in a clearly determined manner.
"Oh no, Sister!", Nulambart could not help but stammer in a low voice, who upon hearing all this felt an emptiness in his heart and an indescribable terror.
Immediately when that sound was emitted, an invisible pressure that ran through Nulambart's entire body was present, since one of the lowest-ranking captors who was closest heard said babbling.
"There is someone here, show yourself immediately," said one of the demi-human captors who was surprisingly guarding the village covertly without being seen by Nulambart.
At these words Nulambart could not say anything or move at all, since he felt the call of their death, that is, he had murderous intent.
Nulambart's scream choked in his throat. Before he could react, an icy pressure immobilized him. Behind him, a shadow rose: the semi-human guard, until now hidden, advanced with his trident shining under the moon.
"What is this ant doing here?" the guard thought to himself, who was ready to send a warning to the highest-ranking captors.
However, before he could take any action, an intriguing voice was heard in the guard's mind.
"Collapse," the entity that previously helped Nulambart ordered with absolute authority.
At this the guard lost consciousness and the voice of Nulambart's mentor could be heard once again.
"Wake up Nulambart, you can't die even boy, you have to help me free myself from my bonds."
After saying that, a vague silhouette with a golden aura indicating a mystical and domineering aura appeared within Nulambart's chest.
"Let me show you the world of martial cultivation boy, you who accepted my calling and have accepted your name, leave your name on the top of the heavens"
After saying this, a weak but intimidating flash of aura emerged from Nulambart's weak body. emanated from him until the next moment he woke up.
When he opened his eyes, Nulambart clearly felt his heartbeat accelerate, and his body full of energy, so he realized that something had changed inside him.
"You have become the bearer of my power, and the bearer of my odyssey," the mysterious voice ended up saying.
Nulambart, confused, asked, "What does that mean, teacher?"
It means that you are half a step away from being a martial cultivator, you can now feel the life energy of the world, but you need to imbue such energy into your body and in this way you can be called a beginner martial path cultivator."
"Does that mean I will be able to rescue my sister?" Nulambart asked.
"Of course you can do it, but not all people in the world have the capacity to face the adversities that come with entering this world full of death, suffering, pain and effort…"
Before the mysterious voice could continue speaking, Nulambart responded with complete confidence by clenching his fists.
"I will save my sister, I don't care what happens to me along the way."
At this the master of Nulambart could not help but smile and say: "You are very sure that you can do it, but let me tell you that even as the bearer of my power it is almost impossible to win against even the lowest-ranking enemy in just 6 months."
"But you have a way to help me, I don't care what cost I have to pay," Nulambart said slyly.
Upon hearing these powerful words, knowing how the boy was previously, Nulambart's teacher was surprised by the boy's clarity and resolution, and then he said:
"Go to the sword demon's cave, they won't be able to find you there, don't worry about your parents and sister, they will be fine for now."
Hearing the name of said cave, Nulambart felt a chill run down his spine, because that cave was famous in the village he lived in as it was an extremely dangerous taboo place even for expert martial cultivators from other cities.
Upon noticing Nulambart's reaction the master warned "You are now the bearer of my power, but you cannot use it because the energy of the world would break you into pieces, and you have to temper your soul to resist the will to fight of your enemies or you may die just by being close to those who have a strong soul."
"I understand master," Nulambart agreed without further hesitation.
Then the teacher continued.
"I suppose you know that at the entrance to the cavern there are a thousand swords embedded, you will have to pass through them without my help this time," the teacher mentioned, since he had been left powerless from helping Nulambart defend himself against the guard.
At that Nulambart showed a face of disbelief that was somewhat funny to the teacher.
"Boy, I used all the will of my soul to help you earlier, so I won't be able to do it again." communicate "In 1 month, and you cannot waste this month of training in the cave, so you will have to enter without me during this time, I wish you success, disciple."