The evening sky bled crimson, its fading light casting long shadows across the kingdom's towering gates as Renji and his squad marched through, their heavy armor clanking with each step. The bandits, six in total including their leader, stumbled ahead, bound in coarse ropes that bit into their wrists, their heads bowed under the weight of defeat. Renji's sword hung sheathed at his side, its blade still crusted with dried blood from the battle, a grim reminder of the monsters he'd slain. His men, their armor scarred and dented, walked with weary pride, their steps steady despite the long journey from the battlefield.
Crowds lined the cobblestone streets, their cheers swelling like a storm. Men roared Renji's name, their voices rough with admiration, while women tossed wildflowers that scattered across the dirt, petals catching the twilight's glow. Children darted between legs, waving frantically, their eyes wide with awe as they pointed at the young knight. Whispers rippled through the throng, tales of his ferocity spreading like wildfire, but Renji's face remained stoic, his gaze fixed ahead, unmoved by the adulation. The hope in the citizens' eyes, the weight of their trust, pressed against him, heavy as his armor, yet it stirred no joy in his heart.
His thoughts churned, heavy with the battle's cost, the bandit leader's venomous words echoing in his mind: You'll regret sparing me. The villages razed, the lives lost to those monsters, haunted him, their faces flickering in his memory. The city buzzed around them, vibrant with the clamor of market stalls closing for the night, clattering carts, and the laughter of tavern-goers spilling into the streets. Yet Renji's focus turned inward, his armor's weight a silent testament to those he couldn't save. The bandits shuffled ahead, their leader's defiance muted by the ropes, his earlier bravado reduced to sullen silence as they headed toward the guard post at the city's heart.
Renji's men marched proudly, their heads high, exchanging quiet jests about the battle, but he felt only the hollow ache of duty fulfilled at too great a cost. The crowd's cheers faded as the squad pushed deeper into the city, the cobblestones giving way to broader avenues lined with stone buildings, their windows glowing with lamplight. The bandits' ropes dragged in the dirt, their steps faltering under the guards' watchful eyes, but Renji's attention lingered on the faces in the crowd, their hope a burden he wasn't sure he could carry.
At the guard post's iron gates, a grizzled officer, Renji's squad leader and mentor, awaited them, his armor adorned with insignias of rank, his presence both commanding and warm. He stepped forward, his weathered face breaking into a proud grin as he surveyed the bound bandits. "Well done, lads," he said, his voice gravelly but rich with approval. He clapped Renji on the shoulder, the impact ringing through his armor. "Your name's on every tongue in the kingdom now, Renji. You've done us proud."
The squad handed the bandits over to the city guards, who led them through the gates toward the holding cells, their chains clinking in the evening air. Renji and the officer turned, walking together through the bustling streets, the crowd thinning as they moved deeper into the city. The officer's gaze flicked to Renji, catching the somber shadow in his eyes. He slowed his pace, his voice softening. "Still troubled by the monsters, aren't you?"
Renji hesitated, his boots scuffing the cobblestones. His voice came low, almost reluctant. "They didn't choose to attack. They were the bandits' puppets, driven to kill. Cutting them down was necessary, but it doesn't feel like a victory."
The officer nodded, his face etched with lines of experience, his eyes kind but firm. "You're not wrong, lad. Those beasts were tools, same as the bandits who wielded them. But tools or not, they slaughtered innocents, dozens of lives snuffed out. You saved more than you lost today." He paused, resting a hand on Renji's shoulder. "The Order would be proud of how you've upheld our creed."
Renji's eyes flickered, the word catching in his throat.
"Proud....?" he whispered, the syllable heavy, uncertain.
The officer's words meant to reassure, but they stirred a restless doubt in his chest, the weight of lives taken, even monstrous ones, pressing against his sense of duty. The city's evening clamor faded as his mind drifted, pulling him back to a moment long buried.
His mind shifted, the vibrant streets dissolving into a rain-soaked alley, the air thick with the stench of mud and blood. A younger Renji, barely ten, stood trembling, his ragged clothes clinging to his gaunt frame. A hulking beast lay dead nearby, its claws glistening with fresh blood, its massive form slumped against the alley wall. An adventurer, clad in worn leather, stood over it, wiping his blade clean with a tattered cloth, his movements calm, practiced.
Renji's voice cracked, gratitude and shame warring in his wide eyes. "I don't have coin to pay you, but…" The words stumbled out, his small hands clenched, his body shaking from cold and fear.
The adventurer knelt, his calloused hand resting gently on Renji's head, his smile warm, weathered by years of hardship. "No need for coin, kid," he said, his voice steady, grounding. "If you want to repay me, make something of yourself. Become an adventurer I'd be proud of."
Renji's breath caught, the words striking like a spark, igniting a fire in his young heart. The rain blurred the adventurer's silhouette as he turned away, his figure fading into the storm, leaving Renji alone in the alley, his resolve hardening.
That moment, that promise to become an adventurer worthy of pride, became the cornerstone of his life, a vow etched into his soul. Years passed in a blur of sweat and steel, Renji clawing his way from the streets to the ranks of the Adventurer's Guild, his blade honed by countless battles, his name whispered as one of its fiercest recruits. The path was grueling, paved with blood and broken bones, but each step brought him closer to the man who'd saved him, to a purpose that burned brighter than hunger or fear.
His inner voice carried the weight of those years, reflective, steady. The Adventurer's Guild had been forged to shield the innocent from monsters, answering desperate cries for coin. In its early days, adventurers were enough, their blades and spells cutting through beasts that plagued the kingdom. But as the years wore on, the monsters grew fiercer, their forms twisted by dark forces, outmatching even the Guild's best. Villages burned, lives were lost, and the cries for help grew louder, unanswered by ordinary steel. The king, seeing his people's plight, intervened, bestowing a new power on the worthiest warriors: the System, a gift to turn the tide, to make heroes into something more.
The scene shifted, the rain-soaked alley dissolving into the grandeur of the royal court, years later but still deep in Renji's past. A teenage Renji, taller now, his frame lean but hardened by training, knelt on the polished marble floor of the throne room. His simple armor gleamed under the flickering torchlight, its surface unadorned but meticulously cared for, a testament to his discipline. Around him stood knights in polished plate, their capes flowing, and mages in robes embroidered with arcane sigils, their presence a silent weight in the vaulted hall. Tiny, glowing creatures hovered near their shoulders, manifestations of their Systems: winged sprites darting like fireflies, orbs pulsing with soft light, clawed familiars twitching with latent power. The air thrummed with their energy, a chorus of whispers that filled the room with an otherworldly hum.
Renji's heart pounded, his palms slick with sweat beneath his gauntlets. He recited the Order's creed, his voice steady but laced with the nervous edge of youth. "I pledge to protect the innocent, to uphold honor, to sacrifice for the kingdom," he said, the words echoing off the stone walls, resonating with a destiny he could feel but not yet grasp. The knights and mages watched, their faces stern, some nodding faintly, their system creatures glowing brighter as if approving his vow. The weight of their gazes pressed against him, but Renji kept his head bowed, his focus on the creed, on the promise he'd made years ago in that rain-soaked alley.
The king rose from his throne, his crown catching the torchlight, its jewels glinting like stars. His presence was regal, solemn, his voice deep and resonant as he addressed the hall. "Renji, son of none, you have proven yourself among the Order's finest," he declared, his words carrying the weight of law. "Through trials of steel and will, you have shown the heart of a true knight. To fulfill your oaths, to protect our people, I grant you access to the System, a power to surpass the limits of man."
A faint hum filled the air, a vibration that seemed to rise from the floor itself, wrapping around Renji like a living thing. The knights and mages stepped back, their system creatures flickering, as if the room itself held its breath. Renji's pulse quickened, his eyes fixed on the king, who raised a hand, his fingers tracing an unseen sigil. The hum grew louder, a pulse of energy that thrummed in Renji's chest, signaling the awakening of something vast, something beyond mortal ken.
The scene faded, the throne room's grandeur giving way to a quiet courtyard, moments after the ceremony. Renji stood alone, the evening sky above streaked with fading purple, the stars just beginning to pierce the dusk. His armor felt heavier now, not from its weight but from the responsibility it carried. He exhaled, his breath trembling, and then it appeared: a glowing blue screen, its text sharp and ethereal, floating before him like a window to another world. At his shoulder, a small, wisp-like creature flickered into existence, its form barely more than a shimmer of light, pulsing softly, the manifestation of his newly awakened System.
The screen's text burned into his vision, crisp, unyielding.
Level: 1
Health: 100
Energy: 100
Mana: 50
Strength: 8
Agility: 6
Endurance: 8
Stamina: 10
Renji's breath caught, his fingers trembling as he reached toward the screen, the wisp-like creature pulsing in sync with his heartbeat. Its presence was alien, exhilarating, a spark of power that felt both foreign and intrinsic, like a part of him he'd never known. The stats glowed, each number a promise, a tool to serve the Order, to protect the people, but also a burden he could sense, even if he didn't yet understand its weight. He stood frozen, the courtyard silent save for the faint hum of the wisp, its light casting soft shadows across his armor.
His mind churned, the king's words, the creed, the adventurer's promise from years ago intertwining. The Guild had given him purpose, the Order had given him strength, and now the System offered power beyond anything he'd imagined. Yet the path ahead felt uncertain, a road paved with battles he couldn't yet see. The wisp pulsed again, its light steady, urging him forward, and Renji clenched his fists, his resolve hardening.
To serve the Order, to protect the people, to uphold the creed, there was only one path, to grow stronger, no matter the cost.