Life Story

Page 1

Gerard was born in the snowy mountains of the north. The son of an aristocrat father, but the child of a concubine, he met his father only a few times... His mother passed away giving birth to him and he was treated as little more than a nuisance in those vast, cold lands.

A lower officer of the Knight's Order took pity on him. He was given instruction in proper manners and had a sword place in his hand, being told "go and find your own way," all while treated as if he didn't exist. Though but a wooden practice sword, Gerard was so deft in his use that it was hard to believe it was his first time.

In training, he showed growth in leaps and bounds, with no one his own age able to match him, and before long he even defeated the squires of knights.

Around the time that his outstanding talent came to be spoken of, an official heir was born to his father's rightful wife.

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Recognizing Gerard's talent with the sword, great enough to be spoken of among the Knights of the Order, his father began to warm up to him. And so, called forth with much ceremony, he was brought face-to-face with Elian...his brother from another mother.

The warmth of the grasp on his sword-callused finger was unmistakable. It was the first warm, soft thing Gerard had ever touched.

Gerard and Elian took to each other well. They would hunt in the short time they were allowed to spend together, and Elian even sent Girard the beautifully tanned hide of his first successful hunt.

He got along well with the head of the House, and moreover, Gerard's swordsmanship was honed to the point that none could match him. His reputation in the territory gradually changed, aided by having taken to battlefields and leading several victories before even coming of age.

Page 3

Gerard's fame and string of military achievements came to be seen as a threat by his father's wife...Elian's mother. His presence was too threatening to be dismissed as a mere knight. The people's cheers for Gerard seemed as a spark of rebellion to his stepmother, who had longed for Elian to be heir.

She ignited a fire of unabated hatred, and after much careful planning, made a proclamation throughout the territory.

"Agents seeking the life of Elian, the rightful heir of this land, have been caught!" "The vile mastermind none other than Gerard, his own half-brother!" He was shown no quarter. He was quickly apprehended and locked away in a dark cell.

Elian stopped his mother, saying, "My brother would never do such a thing," but he was already in the palm of her hand. "Then I shall grant amnesty. Let him compete with a few barbarians, and if he wins, I will recognize his talent and release him."

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Gerard's father was on his sickbed and there was no one who could stop Elian's mother. Acting his place, she had the same rights as the head of the House.

His stepmother's malicious amnesty was to take place in a public square. Dozens of prisoners and criminals were assembled as opponents, a high fence was erected to prevent escape, and an unsuspecting crowd gathered... It was tantamount to a public execution.

The lady's plotting did not stop there. She handed her valet poison to give to Gerard. "Tell him that it is a potion from Elian. That it will heal him."

Gerard, held by cold, heavy chains and whipped all over, swallowed the potion without a word. He then stood in the square with the crude sword he had been given. On that day of his execution, thunderclouds filled the sky like mud. Under that ominous sky, Gerard wielded his sword with all he was.

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Beneath the rumbling of that turbulent sky, Gerard's strength was overwhelming. He sent several larger men flying and deflected all arrows fired at him. But then Gerard came to an abrupt stop. The potion, the poison, had clenched his heart. Just as blades swung down, seizing the opportunity, a bold of lightning crashed down upon him.

In that blinding light, Gerard was brought back to life. Surrounded by bluish white lightning, he seemed positively otherworldly. Gerard's sword struck down all before him with the sharpness of lightning itself, and there were none who followed as he shattered the fence and disappeared.

In the decades that followed, he was never seen, but one night, the lands ruled by Elian were attacked by barbarians when single bolt of lightning struck and annihilated them. That mysterious light vanished before dawn broke... But because of this event, it soon came to be said that his lands were under the Thundersmiter's protection and Gerard was evermore spoken of as the guardian of Elian's lands.