A young boy with dark hair was playing in the garden. His mother was busy talking with a friend inside the house. The boy was playing catch with a girl who had short ginger hair when he spotted a tall, dark creature towering over the fence. The boy stared at it, frozen. The shadow creature had a void-like face, terrifying the boy. The creature climbed up the fence and ran toward them.
He woke up and saw his friend lying on the floor next to him. He glanced around, seeing priests speaking in a foreign language. The room was dark, filled with books and candles. Behind one of the priests lay an unconscious body. He didn't know what that was about. The girl woke up and noticed the priests around them. The king stepped forward, staring at them before giving an order. The priests grabbed both of them, separating them. They resisted, shouting each other's names. "Kenji, no! Kenji, help!" she shouted.
Kenji woke up in the middle of a dark, empty room. A cloaked man stood in front of him holding a book. The man raised his hands, palm facing Kenji, and a circle glowed around him. Suddenly, Kenji felt pressure and pain in his head. The ritual lasted for hours. He woke up in a bedroom, wearing different clothes: white sleeping pants and a white long-sleeved shirt. A maid entered and introduced herself, speaking a foreign language that he could understand. The maid then led him to a garden where more children, wearing the same outfit as him, were playing. Some were older, some younger. He walked into the garden and spotted his friend. He approached her and asked if she was okay.
"Who are you?" his friend asked, leaving him confused. "I'm your friend. Remember? It's me, Kenji," he persisted. The girl forced a smile and stepped back. "Hello, Kenji. I'm Bel. Nice to meet you." Kenji was at a loss for words. It seemed like his friend had really forgotten him.
Kenji sat under a tree, watching his friend play with the other children. "What could have caused this?" His head ached as he remembered the torture he felt for hours. "Must have been that," he thought. "If that's the case, then these kidnapped children have their memories wiped. But why?"
A maid arrived with one more child. Kenji watched as the child joined the others. Bel approached her and introduced herself. Kenji noticed that all introductions only included names. He was interrupted by a boy with curly dark hair.
"Hey there. I noticed you've been alone all this time. Are you okay?" the boy asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking," Kenji replied.
"Oh, yeah?" The boy sat next to Kenji. "Anyway, I'm Hender," the boy introduced himself. Kenji tilted his head.
"Say, where are you from?" Kenji asked, leading the boy into deep thought.
"Hmm... That's strange. I don't know where I came from," Hender answered. This confirmed Kenji's theory. "I'm right! Children here have their memories erased except for their names. But why hasn't it affected me?" The boy was staring at Kenji, who was deep in thought. Kenji noticed and immediately introduced himself. "Oh, sorry about that. I'm Kenji, by the way."
The king appeared and commanded the soldiers to gather the children. All the children followed the soldiers to a training ground. While walking, Kenji carefully watched Bel. A maid counted them. There were 63 of them. The soldiers began training them how to hold a sword. At first, they didn't understand but followed the order. The children were amazed by the wooden swords, some playing with each other and some swinging them around. Kenji approached Bel.
"Hey, Bel, right?" he spoke first. Bel turned to see Kenji.
"I'm sorry for earlier. I was desperate to make friends. Can we be friends?" Bel smiled.
"Sure, let's be friends." Kenji smiled, but sadness was hinted on his face. "You're Kenji, right?" she asked. "Do you like swords?" she asked.
"Yeah, I used to play swordfight using sticks with my childhood friend, but she didn't like it much because she was a girl," he replied.
"I think I understand her. It's uncomfortable to hold them," she said.
"Maybe you should talk to a soldier," he suggested.
"I think I will." Bel was about to talk to a soldier when another girl cut her off. The girl had long black hair and was younger than her.
"Umm, mister?" The soldier faced the girl. "I don't want to play with swords. Can I just watch or something?" Her voice was hesitant. The soldier sighed.
"Another failure, huh?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" The girl was confuse on the soldier's statement and before she could react the soldier hit the girl with the wooden sword, knocking her unconscious. Everyone was shocked and froze at the sight. One soldier approached and dragged her away.
"Anyone else?" the soldier shouted. Bel stepped back. "This is not child's play. All of you will be trained to serve as weapons. That is your mere purpose," the soldier added. Kenji connected everything.
The training began. The soldiers were strict, with no breaks. Those who collapsed from exhaustion were dragged away. "This is hell," one exclaimed. Kenji glanced at the boy struggling. They were all swinging their swords up and down repeatedly. One fell after another. Kenji glanced at Bel, who was about to give up, but he encouraged her. The day passed, and they were all exhausted. A soldier counted them.
"39... 14 were out on the first day."
The soldiers led them to a house where they would sleep. The food was nothing but bread and water, not enough to satisfy their hunger. Some went to sleep immediately due to exhaustion, while others talked.
"I can't move anymore," one complained.
"None of us can," another replied.
Kenji approached Bel, who was crying. "I don't want to be here." Kenji patted her back to comfort her. His body ached from the training. "Let's just endure it for a little while," he whispered. Hender approached them with bread in his mouth.
"Hey! How's it going?" he greeted.
Bel continued to sob. "I don't have any energy left," Kenji replied, and Hender laughed.
The next day, they were back to swinging swords. Again, some of them collapsed from exhaustion while others pushed themselves. Kenji noticed that those who fell the first day never came back. By the end of the day, the soldier counted again.
"Two have fallen this time."
Kenji woke to the sound of three children escaping through a window. They managed to climb out and jumped down. The next thing Kenji heard were shouts. "You dare to escape?" a man's voice yelled. "Run!" one of the children shouted. This woke the others. Kenji peeked through a hole and saw two children struggling to free themselves from the soldiers' grip while one ran. A soldier unsheathed his sword, and the next thing that happened left Kenji in shock. This is their reality now. No playground to play, No smiles in their faces, No more Laughter and No more Freedom. They are now nothing but a mere raw materials being reforged into a weapon.
Day after day. Week after week. In rainy or sunny day, they persistently swing their wooden swords. Their body is screaming in pain. The dirt became mud due to their sweats. Other than swinging sword, They run through the muddy terrain of the mountains with instructors beating them with wooden swords if they are left behind. The terrain makes it hard to run without slipping or inquiring any injuries. They lift heavy rocks and are starved nearly to death. All of this forges their bodies and kills their minds. Kenji and the others endured all of this hardship. Days turned into years. "This is hell.... This is pure hell..."
Four years passed. Kenji, now 18, was dueling with others. A soldier shouted, and they all lined up. There were 20 of them left, including Bel and Hender. They had adapted to the lifestyle, able to train for a whole day without tiring or last nights without eating.
Kenji's eyes were hopeless and tired, as were the others. They were like puppets, following every command. The king stepped in front of them.
"Four years ago, I brought you all into this world. I gave you food, shelter, and clothes. But to repay me. You have to follow your purpose which I have given to you and that is to serve as weapons," he declared. The others accepted this life, having no memories of their past except for Kenji. They believed they were created to become puppets. Kenji had to go along with it to keep his secret that the ritual didn't work on him. The king continued.
"Today, we will test your survivability. Those chosen will come out alive, while those who are not will be forgotten." The king turned and walked away. All of them kneeled. After a while, they were led to a dense forest. They stopped in front of a dark forest with dark smoke coming out of it. They were wearing black suits made of leather that perfectly fit their bodies.
"Listen up!" A man dressed as a librarian spoke. "This is called the mystic forest. Once you enter, you won't be able to leave. But after 14 days, the forest will spit you out. You have to be strong to survive untill the given day. There are only four of these forests in the entire world, and they are prohibited because hundreds of strange beasts lurk inside and strange phenomena occur. We sent troops inside, but none walked out. There were other generations before you who entered, but only a few came out alive," the instructor explained.
"So there are others who came before us," Kenji thought. He glanced at Bel, who smiled at him. One by one, the Summons entered the forest, including Hender and Bel. Kenji watched both of them being swallowed by the dark smoke. He then joined them shortly after. As he walked into the dark forest, he saw a light in front of him. He followed the light to another part of the forest. The temperature was warmer than usual. He heard water running nearby and followed the sound to a river. A noise startled him, and he immediately took out his blade. Bel emerged from the forest. Her ginger hair was now long, and her suit perfectly tracked her slim body. She looked at him and froze in shock. Kenji noticed the horror in her face and turned around to see a bear much taller than the trees.