I strode along, not on any path, not knowing where or on what I stepped,
and not caring. Animals quivered in fear of me, plant life had no chance or
choice but to die under my foot falls. The mightiest of beasts; animal, and the
more intelligent ones alike, shook at the sight of the chain wrapped over my
shoulder, within a split second reach of my right hand if the need arose. I was
a master of the deadly arts of the ninja, wielding a five and a half foot jakari
during times of battle. Crimson red blood still stained the links of my deadly
weapon, dripping off of the pieces of flesh from a previous battle.

No one had ever bested me in a duel, and no one ever would. I yearned for the
sight of blood and war, craved an adversary worth killing, and dreamed only of
battles and death. I felt no love towards anything, not demon nor angel, taint
nor light, I loved not and cared not what or where I treaded. I had one friend,
an angel, the only thing I would allow to follow me on my journey. It followed
me constantly, for death was constantly on my path, and it was death’s avatar,
in the form of a dark angel. I had never seen the angel of death in my own eyes,
but I had seen it through the eyes of all the fools who dared rise up against
me. Draped in tattered white robes with blood dripping from the sleeves, eyes
black as it’s heart if it even had one. It waited in anticipation of my next
battle, craving the coming deaths.

While traveling through the Inner Sea one day, hoping some brave foolish soul
from New Celest would come to try and stop me, I came across a very strange
glimmer coming from the Isle of Light. Irritating as Nil the thing was, shining
straight into my eyes. I went to investigate, to fight, and to kill the source
of the awful irritation. I rode in on a powerful cyan blue wave foaming bright
white bubbles, and landed on the golden shimmering beach with a loud thump. I
grabbed my jakari and wrapped it once around my wrist for a better hold and
began searching the mounds of sand to find my next victim. My steps fell
silently even on the crisp gold tinted sand.

I heard a very familiar sound coming from over a nearby mound of sand. The
sound of a battle being fought. The first thought that ran through my head was
that someone had beat me to the blasted glimmer and I wouldn’t get the chance
to kill it. But when I crept up to the mound of sand and looked over it, the
very same light shone, more intense than before, right into my eyes. It was
light reflecting off of the swords of two young Paladin Pages, no more than 18
years old, sparring as friends for bragging rights. The blasted light did
nothing but enrage me. Age was no matter to me, nor was rank or affiliation. I
wanted blood and I wanted it then and there.

I silently came up to a crouch and readied myself for the assault. The two
children were unaware, too caught up in their battle to notice anything or
anyone else. I leapt forward at the nearest Paladin with lightning quick speed,
ready to crush his puny little neck with my chain. I started to swing my deadly
weapon through the air, but when I got within feet of the children, I felt
something I had never felt before. A red hot feeling burning in my stomach, then
nothing. Blood started to come up my throat and I now saw it pouring like a
small crimson red stream out of the wound in my gut. I looked over at the two
boys and pieced together what had happened. One of the warriors had parried an
attack from the other and responded by disarming him, sending the weapon flying
through the air, and impaling me to the hilt.

I feared not death in battle, but that was when I knew I would die a glorious
death in the midst of combat. Now, with the sword of a child through my gut, put
there by pure chance and luck, I feared the coming void of death. My companion
through life now I began to see in death. The angel who sent all the souls I
killed to the Fates, now turned to me with a look of pleasure. Fear for the
first time gripped me as the dark angel heaved up its sword, ready to smite my
soul out of my body. I closed my eyes and prepared for the end, thinking back to
my life and the accomplishments, or lack there of, in it. I had done nothing. I
had seen battle and death, but never growth and life. I thirsted for the sight
of blood, never for rivers or flowers. And now, in my final seconds of life. I
see things as I know I always should have. I heard the sound of the waves
hitting the beach, the smell of the tide as it rushed up near my feet, and felt
the coolness and calmness of the water as it touched my flesh. For the first
time in my life, I felt peace in my heart. I opened my eyes with a slight smile
to find the angel bringing its sword down upon me.

A second before the blade struck, a piercing bright light shown in from over
my head and struck my body with a tremendous force. I then saw a gleaming white
claymore, sheathed in fire, parrying death’s attack. The angel screamed in
agony and dismay before turning and fleeing before the awesome light. Someone
had resurrected me, and a holy Celestial archangel stood, flaming sword in hand,
at my side, radiating a feeling of peace and warmth. The power of the
life-giving Light conquered even death’s avatar. I was re-born. I hastily
stood up, shaking, to look for my saviors. I saw the Celestine and Paladin
champions standing before me, symbol and axe in hand. Two of my greatest
adversaries, now my saviors. The two children were peaking curiously out from
behind them. “Why did you save me?” I asked.

“We find it better and more rewarding to save the lives on our path, rather
than tear them asunder.” responded the Celestine priest.

The Paladin champion then looked at me and said: “It is also not the death a
warrior deserves. If you still have a quarrel with these children, you may take
it up with us now instead and be granted an honorable death.”

I looked upon their righteous forms, not with hate or anger as I would have
before, but envy. “I have no quarrel noble knight. But. I do have something to
say…Thank you.” I bowed, for the first time in my life, to the warrior and
priest and begged forgiveness for the wrongs I did them and there kindred.

One month later I requested admittance into the Resurgence of the Light, New
Celest. Now, ten years from that very day, I stand on the same beach, oaken
tahto in hand, thinking of my life before that moment. My days were dark and my
heart was black as the void, but now there is nothing but Light. I saw the world
as a battleground, but in ten short seconds, I found the better world.