Fan Fiction / Vandread Fan Fiction ❯ KnightDread ❯ Destiny Calls ( Prologue )

 

On this new story:

 

Author's Notes:

 

This is based on my personal favorite story TekkaDread by Hung Nguyen aka Animeaddiction. While the scenarios are similar in design from the fic and that of the original series VanDread. The situation will be completely different as such I will be using my own patented characters, and unlike TekkaDread where there is one male who is totally different, there will be three instead, plus this is following the NO TIES approach, meaning that the new characters have NO ties to anybody in the original series.

 

This is my SECOND non-harem anime to produce and it's a child of several ideas I had for some time. To the fans of VanDread, please tell me what you think.

 

On with the show!

 

 

KnightDread

 

Disclaimer: VanDread is not mine, but that of Gonzo, the makers of VanDread, Hellsing, GateKeepers and other great anime. I'm just borrowing it along with the other ideas.

 

Prologue: Destiny calls

 

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The planet Genon… a world where the powers of both magic and technology rule side by side. A fertile world with different climates which work in harmony, where vast cities and numerous towns exist, and where a long-standing era of peace reigned.

 

Or what was left of it…

 

Genon's proud heritage of existence of millions of years, it's vastness and boundaries, the bountiful resources, it's unique ecosystem of life, it's inhabitants' uniqueness in it's universe, and the immense powers hidden within, both of elemental and spiritual along with the technological. All of that ended in the firestorm of sorrow, hatred, pride, greed, and conquest.

 

Many centuries before it's destruction, the founding of technology and it's growth and influence on this world once ruled by magic had at first placed the humans who were well versed in the arts of magic at odds with those who embraced the new force. This had placed great tensions on both sides as both powers, which had an uneasy coexistence found themselves battling each other for control of Genon. Many magic users went onwards to open war with those who mastered the technological arts, and likewise, those who embraced the arts of technology also waged war on those who still believed in magic.

 

Throughout those turbulent decades, which in time spanned into a century of war, many humans on both sides lost their lives. In that time a new threat had come to pass. Both sides found themselves in conflict with a fierce power, a power that threatened to wipe out everything and everyone in its path, whether magic user or technological user. In the new conflict as both sides used all of their powers to battle the new threat known as the Warlocks and their dark servants, a new and important discovery was made…. The discovery was the fusion of both magic and technology in the form of advanced bio-armor increased by latent powers of both spirit and magic along with the scientific advancements of bio-engineering, quantum energy research, forging, and meta-physics. With this discovery both sides decided to finally bury the long-standing hatred against one another and combine both their powers to battle their common foe.

 

In this aspect, the longest standing orders of magic agreed to call on the six clans, each representing the six major clans of magic on Genon. These clans's warriors were labeled as Sorcerer-Knights, and as in clan tradition the new generation of each clan would inherit power from the older generation and in effect become stronger, as the powers were passed down from father to son or from father to daughter and so on. Thus ensuring that the succeeding generation would be more powerful than the first.

 

These clans had their own symbols: For the clan of the element of Fire: The Dragon. For the clan of the element of Water: The Wolf. For the clan of the element of Wind: The Tiger. For the clan of the element of Earth: The Bear. For the clan of the element of Energy: The Snake. And for the clan of the element of Spirit: The Eagle. These clans formed the symbol of the six spheres of balance on Genon and served as both protectors and mediators.

 

These clans were then given the powers to wield both magic and technology, and in symbol of this unity, the creation of the bio-armor that had the symbol of the six clans was now known as the Sorcerer-Knight Power Matrix. And as such each Sorcerer-Knight that could activate his or her transformation wielded a technological gauntlet/bracelet that covered the arm from wrist to the middle of the arm, and within the center was a crafted crystal of their clan's symbol. The Bio-Armor had the developed styles of it's wearers and whenever the armor is passed on to the next clansman or woman, it will carry the inherited skills of the original, the armor then could `evolve' like living organisms but is loyal to the wearer.

 

With the birth of the newly evolved of Sorcerer-Knights, the humans on Genon banded together and with both the powers of magic and technology side by side banished the monsters that threatened to extinguish all life on their beloved home world. Their victory was achieved, after many years of intense fighting and sacrifice … but not without casualties.

 

Despite their newly found powers, the Sorcerer-Knights were nearly wiped out entirely as many of their clansmen and women fell in the various battlefields, and only half of their original number survived. And in the tradition of magic, those who died passed their powers onto their sons or daughters along with the technological sides of their powers, which was the slowly evolving bio-armor with it's built-in energy weaponry. This was done by the passing of power through the gauntlet/bracelet, since as one Sorcerer-Knight would fall in battle, his key to the transformation would pass all the powers into another like itself and in turn will no longer function.

 

The hardest hit by the wars was the Eagle clan, the Bear clan, and the Snake clan. In the effort to preserve their powers these clans passed their powers to the three other remaining clans, and like relics of the past they faded away, but not without leaving their powers to their brother/sister clans. Each gauntlet/bracelet that survived was passed down to the succeeding generation and so the Sorcerer-Knights lived on.

 

Many warriors on both sides of the Genon allied forces were killed, numbering nearly to the millions. And in effect the world of Genon had to endure half a millennium of reconstruction and healing. Both magic and technology were used to heal the world and rebuild the war-torn lands. As time passed, the horrors of the wars slowly faded, but there came the folly and mistake of the Genonians.

 

History became legend… in time… legend became myth.

 

Things that should have been remembered were forgotten

 

 

Two millennia later…

 

As the world of Genon entered the apex of it's power; they were unaware of the hidden damage done by the invaders and… by their growing reckless use of their world's energies. In their growing lack of concern for their planet's own survival and it's well-being they began to abuse the current streams of energy of their own planet. As each generation passed the abuse began to grow and in their own forgetfulness, elements of their own government began to dabble in the forbidden technology of the invaders that were left as relics by their ancestors to act as reminders of the wars long ago.

 

The remaining Sorcerer-Knights were well aware of the damage being done to their world by their own people, as each succeeding generation of the clans felt the pain of their world due to their ties to the very core of their world's potent energy lines and the very core that granted not only life, but the energies that granted the use of magic itself. Despite the outward appearance of peace and abundance on the surface, they could feel the agony as the energies that sustained their world were slowly being corrupted and abused. And the damage that was hidden by their enemies of the past began to take effect.

 

They tried to tell their fellow Genonians of the dangers of abusing their world's life giving energies and the folly of courting the abandoned technology of the invaders of the past. Yet like arrogant children concerned only with their own desires, the new generations of their people turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to their warnings. And in doing so they turned their backs to the advice of those who lost many ancestors to preserve their current future.

 

Many of the clans were then branded as charlatans and tricksters by some elements of the government on Genon, and by the new Council that took the older Council's place, it didn't take long for the abuses to increase, and the Sorcerer-Knight clans were on occasion persecuted, until it came to full execution. As such the clans of Fire/Spirit, Water/Earth, Wind/Energy, were then weeded out by the descendants of their own people. Those people who still remember the many grave sacrifices of these warriors however agreed with the view of the clans, and by using all their power and resources, those clan members who survived the `hunts' were hidden away. These brave souls were also killed, for so-called defiance to the true rulers of Genon, and in time, those who still kept the ancient records and were loyal to the Sorcerer-Knights were lost, but the records were now in the hands of the those warriors who survived.

 

Those clans's descendants who survived now felt the death of their world drawing near, as the abuse continued. The last families of the Dragon, Wolf, and Tiger clans now knew that the time would soon come… to leave their dying world.

 

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Present Day… a day before the coming of Genon's destruction…

 

The house was small, and in it resided the last family of the Wolf Clan, Jun, his wife Leina…and their young son, Jin.

 

“It has begun… The energy core of our world is now ready to break free from the core of our planet. By this time tomorrow our world will be torn apart. Once the energy core escapes, Genon will be engulfed in all natural disasters we could scarcely imagine.” Jun said as he looked out to the setting sun, his silver hair, blowing in the wind.

 

Leina placed her hands into her face as she began to sob, making no effort to hide her tears from her husband and baby son. As she slowly began to regain her control she wiped her tears and looked at the two men that meant so much to her. Leina had shoulder length brown hair; her ivory white skin gave emphasis to her youthful face, which showed kindness and compassion. Her deep blue eyes were red with her tears but were still beautiful, she was not as tall as her husband (only reaching his shoulders) but she showed her own inner strength as she took care of her son Jin.

 

“Is… there… no other way to…?” She asked hesitantly to her husband in a hope that she knew was in vain.

 

“No Leina… the damage left behind by the Warlocks long ago has spread faster than we thought… That damage has been increased even more by those in power in their blind madness for power. There… is nothing we can do. But escape.”

 

“How? Our world has no ships that have gone beyond our world…”

 

“There is a way we can escape… Jann, Ken, and I have discovered an old dimensional warp-gate, an old abandoned relic of the wars… Long ago a group of allied warriors, scientists, and mages made a desperate gamble and constructed the warp-gate, as a last resort should the Warlock armies win. When our ancestors fought in the wars alongside the allied forces, the warp-gate was abandoned and forgotten. It has the power to transport us to another part of the galaxy or even beyond that… to a new galaxy. Tanaki and Kazuki's parents are ready to do the same… the ships are ready. Sadly…there is no other ships for us. There is room for only one for each…we have no choice Leina.”

 

Leina nodded as she looked at the look of seriousness in her husband's eyes.

 

Jun then turned to his son Jin was only 2 years old. “Jin… you are so young, so I can't tell you how important what I must do, but this is for your sake.”

 

Jin looked up with curious eyes as he gazed at his father.

 

Leina watched as her husband activated his powers and got ready to pass it to their son. The dormant power in her son awakened in a haze of light. Jun's aura faded as he passed his power and his key to the Sorcerer-Knight Power Matrix. Her son reached out and in a moment his aura flared brighter than his father's and the symbol of the Wolf appeared on his forehead, he took the gauntlet and in a moment, it changed form and locked to the left arm, and the young man his earned the armor of his father, handed down from generation to generation. The young child cooed as he held the crystal cored gauntlet in the light and went back to sleep.

 

Jun powered down and both he and Leina looked at their son. “Forgive us.”

 

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In another home...

 

Another young Genonian boy named Tanaki, who was also a young baby at the age of 1 year looked innocently as his father gave the sad news. Jann had deep black hair that was in a ponytail that reached his waist and like Jin's father; his dad's face was also well defined but had a lighter tanned complexion. He had the lean and yet powerful build of a swordsman and tactician, having been considered as the best in the art of strategy in the older days of his youth. His deep violet eyes showed a great deal of thought and emotion.

 

His mother also looked saddened by the news and cried as well. His mother Kariel was a raven haired woman who's hair reached to the back of her shoulder blades, she was as tall as her husband and her son. Her skin showed a light creamy tone, her attractive face showed her kind heart and gentle nature to the fullest, and her hazel eyes shown with her sadness at the death of their world yet she held on to her courage.

 

She like Leina asked whether there was another way, but she knew as well that there was none.

 

After he told them of his comrade's discovery of the warp-gate, Jann as well initiated the ritual to pass down his powers and the armor of the Tiger clan to his son as his baby slept.

 

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In Kazuki's home the situation was the same.

 

Kazuki who was only 12 months half-slumbered as his father also gave him and his mother the news…

 

Ken had a tanned complexion as well; he was also tall and had the lean and powerful build of a swordsman. He had deep blue hair that reached to his shoulder blades and his aura radiated also a deep sense of strength and loyalty. His brown eyes showed his natural humor and optimism, but that was dwarfed now by the weight of the situation.

 

Kazuki's mother Meimei looked on in sadness as well yet showed a deep smile. She had deep red hair that was tied in a long ponytail. Her attractive face shown with her inner courage and love for her husband and her son. Her emerald green eyes were moistened by her own tears but retained their beauty. She like Leina only reached the height of her husband's shoulders but that never stopped her form showing her talent as a mother and wife.

 

Ken as well initiated the ritual to pass his own powers and armor to his son.

 

---------------------------

 

Once that had ended all three families spent one last meal together as they prepared for tomorrow when they would abandon their dying home world, taking whatever they needed…

 

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On the day of destruction…

 

Jin was held by his father as they all ran through the hidden tunnels of the abandoned mountain fortress where the abandoned warp-gate was housed. Behind them were Tanaki and his parents as they too rushed to reach the warp-gate. And not far behind were Kazuki and his family.

 

They had arrived just as the planet underwent a tremendous earthquake. The sea near Jin's home became wild and destructive as seven-meter high waves crashed on the coasts. These were just preludes to the death throes of their home. They had no time to mourn as they ran into the corridors, with massive stones falling behind them. They knew that the mages and scientists would attempt to right this disaster, but this time…nothing could stop this incoming disaster.

 

“THERE! THAT'S THE LAST DOOR!”

 

Jun shouted out as he then reached the secret panel that opened the magically protected door. As he reached it he then used part of his power to open the door. Once he did so his family and that of his best friends entered as well, he entered and sealed the door shut behind them.

 

Jun turned as his family and that of his friends looked at the ancient warp-gate…

 

The Gate looked like a massive pair of rings suspended on top of a big rectangle. Arcane symbols adorned the rims of the structure and a single staircase lead to the rings (Think of the Star Gate.) Six crystals surrounded the gate in a sphere pattern and they glowed faintly as there was not enough power.

 

Jun, Jann, and Ken immediately ran to the crystals and with their powers activated the crystal conduits and fed power to the systems. They knew that they had time as the chambers were well reinforced and were naturally built for such a situation.

 

Each mother then turned to look at her respective son…

 

They cried sadly as they knew that this would be the last time they would ever see their children. But for them, they would do anything, even walking into Hell to save them.

 

Every mother feels deep pride and love for her children, and Leina, Meimei, and Kariel were no different. It broke their hearts as they knew that they will never get the chance to see their sons grow up. They were too young and they were now going to be alone…

 

They however wanted the best for their sons and they added their final touches to the special vessels that would take their sons to safety from their dying world.

 

The small vessels resembled miniature fighter craft similar to the Earth based YF-22 Raptor fighter, it however was comfortable for one passenger, and it was for the three young children of the Genonian people…the last of their race. Inside were special crystal disks, orbs, and components. All of them were part of Genonian technology and magical mastery. They would serve as the only links for their children to know their heritage… they also placed the rings that were the rings given to them by their husbands.

 

It was then that a voice broke through…

 

“GET READY TO LAUNCH THEM THROUGH THE WARP-GATE. THE CHAMBERS WON'T HOLD FOR LONG!”

 

Jun's voice bellowed as he and his two long-time friends had finished supplementing power to the systems of the Warp-Gate. The three men moved to the entrance of the warp-gate while to the shock of their wives they were moving as if a great deal of power had been drained.

 

As the parents reached the mouth of the warp-gate, Jann began logging into the one of the three command consoles, and began to re-route the power into activating the warp-gate. They looked at the gate and saw the compressed fabrics of time, space, and dimensional waves.

 

Ken then noticed a warning near the second command console, he reached it and began to check the situation. He gave a look of dismay and concern.

 

“The warp-field's starting to act in an unstable pattern. There seems to be some sort of component or factor lacking in the warp-gate!”

 

It was then that Jun gave his own groan of dismay as he looked at the power readouts on the third system console near him.

 

“There's enough power for a warp jump, but not enough to make the proper calculations. If there isn't another burst of power, then the warp-gate's stabilization field won't hold.”

 

It was then that the senior clansmen saw their wives move to the warp-gate's outer rim, they then reached out to the crystals and channeled their own magical and spiritual energies to the systems.

 

“NO!”

 

Jun, Jann, and Ken shouted in horror, as they saw their respective wife pass in their own power to feed the systems.

 

They rushed over to them and tried to let them recover as they breathed in and out.

 

Each of the women looked their husbands and spoke to them as they got on their feet. “I had no choice. We have to save our sons, for their sakes.”

 

The men nodded solemnly as they began programming the ships to launch. Jun, Jann, and Ken sighed in sadness as they knew that they too would never see their sons grow up. But it was better that they would grow up in a safer place, than grow up in a soon to die world.

 

The parents gave their farewells to their sons with tears in their eyes as the ships activated their thrusters and launched through the portal. All of them cried tears as they spoke to their children for the last time.

 

“Good bye.”

 

As the last remnants of the Sorcerer-Knight clans entered the warp-gate jump field, they were sent through the warp, they were asleep and for that, it was a good thing as their ancestral home was consumed in destruction.

 

Landmasses were torn apart as violent earthquakes ravaged the land and rivers of magma burned everything in their path. Cities, once beautiful and majestic to behold were destroyed by fire and energy, as they crumbled under the assault. Oceans, rivers, and lakes boiled and became acidic, mountains trembled and began to break as the death throes continued unabated.

 

Most of all were the screams of the people; panic and horror filled the world as the flames consumed many as they ran in fear and terror, but in truth they knew that they could never escape.

 

Jin, Tanaki, Kazuki slept peacefully as their ships passed through the dimension of space. The ships made one final coordinate check as they determined the best place for their single inhabitants to grow. In a matter of minutes they determined the course. A small blue-green planet in the nearby reaches of their fuel reserves. With that in their data cores, the ships immediately made their way to the planet.

 

Their inhabitants did nothing as they slept peacefully.

 

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While the tragedy on Genon played out, another sad story happened in another section of the vast universe.

 

What the last Sorcerer-Knights were not aware of, was that another world would be also changed. By a part of their own world.

 

The planet Earth…

 

In the dawn of new age exploration of the vast reaches of the galaxy, the humans on Earth had been rather busy on their part. Though many nations still were at war, and large numbers of resources were used in those said wars, there were some important resources that were used in this venture. Many humans still had the dream of seeing the vast and unexplored region known as the universe.

 

By the near ending of the wars, a new power source was discovered from a massive chunk of crystallized energy that crashed in the Nevada desert in the country known as the United States. In that span of time, the humans who survived the wars, made a pact of peace as they became aware that their planet was in need of healing and restoration. Therefore a large fleet of colony ships were constructed in order to house the large numbers of colonists and explorers. The research of the newly discovered power source allowed the humans on Earth to create two prototype crystal fusion reactors the scientists named the Paeksis Phlagma reactors. Once the colonial fleets were assembled, one of the reactors was placed on one of the ships.

 

The other reactor remained on Earth as the humans who decided to remain used it to possibly repair the damage made by the wars.

 

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In the vast world of space, hope for a new home grew deep in the hearts of the colonists as they traversed the boundaries of their solar system and beyond.

 

Yet, as in human nature, the desire for combat grew… For even in the vast New World of space, humans still fought each other.

 

One such example was on the Ikazuchi. During the long flight through the vastness of space, the colonial fleets broke apart and settled in different worlds. The Ikazuchi's crew of males and females, for now unknown reasons had a bitter argument and as such, as soon as the ship broke free from the dense magnetic storm it had entered, the eight men took one section of the colonial vessel, while the women took the other.

 

During such time, them men to deal with the harsh world that they landed upon. The planet was now known as the desert world of Talark. As they had gained the less technological side of the ship, the men had to survive using basic instinct and raw talent, along with whatever resources they had available. Though this meant that many would suffer, the eight men did everything in their power to mold themselves and to survive in their new harsh home world.

 

Over the three generations that have been born the men of Talark had grown into a society that placed emphasis on honor, bravery and strength. As such they became capable in surviving in the harsh planet that was their home. Using advanced cloning and genetic manipulation technology, they were able to populate their harsh world and with the limited resources available to them.

 

Talark's society comprised of the First Class, the Second Class, and the Third Class.

 

The First comprised of the Elders who were the first eight men who founded Talark, and along with those who comprised the military, and higher government offices along with that of the sciences and medical corps. This class received the best in education and medical treatment, and was considered the `cream' of their society or the strongest and the best.

 

The Second comprised of middle class type men who acted as mediators on many tasks, which included the economic aspects of Talark society, along with the development of, advanced technology blueprints that would be then used for the factories' production.

 

The Third comprised of the labor force, and as such were considered the lowest class on Talark, they were ill kept and were naturally placed in many menial tasks to serve the upper classes.

 

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On the planet of the women however…

 

The women having earned the most technologically advanced part of the Ikazuchi landed on a lush fertile planet. This made them change over time and as such had their own culture.

 

The women had in essence a simple social structure, the rich social class or the higher ups; these were women in prominent families and had a high social standing in the all-female culture of their new home known as Megele.

 

The next class were those who did many important tasks in the development of better technology, they were in effect the middle class. And the last being those who had no homes or were abandoned.

 

Megele possessed more in the terms of resources, energy, climate and more.

 

 

Yet despite this, both planets have now been at war for many years, as rumors and myths had developed in the separate cultures. The governments on both planets played well with the fears and the hatred of the opposite gender.

 

This again brought the human race to war, with each other.

 

 

Elsewhere… Far from the solar system that housed both Talark and Megele. 18 years later…

 

Jin nodded as he walked over to the cliff facing the ocean. He looked at the small city where he had grown up. He waited for his long time friends Tanaki and Kazuki.

 

The son of Jun and Leina and his companions landed on the small world that was inhabited by a small community of colonists from a world that they called Earth. These people became like a family to the young men, and several families took the young boys into their homes. They however had told them when they were older that they had found the young children that they were found in strange ships so they were not from this world. The young men had asked if they were from Earth, but their adopted families said no and showed them many unknown artifacts that were inaccessible by their technology. So as they got older the three best friends would find out more about themselves and their possible origins. When they first met, they became fast and inseparable friends all the way of their eighteen years of growing up on their adopted world.

 

Jin had grown his hair slightly longer, just two inches of his silver hair bordering the base of his neck at the back, while some of his bangs would sway in the wind and slightly covers his deep aquamarine blue eyes. He had grown to the height of 6'3, and his build had become more well muscled but retained it's well-sculptured look, and leanness. Many long years in training in ancient martial arts and mastering his innate magical powers, had given him a strong sense of purpose. But like before he still retained many of the qualities of his true parents. He now looked like a man of 20 years of age.

 

He was wearing his real father's clothes, which fitted to him well… thanks to the fact that the Genonian fabrics were expandable and extremely durable.

 

A deep black upper body suit, which was a high-tech version of a wet suit and sweater and could be removed like that of an old fashioned T-shirt. This was made with a unique fabric well suited for multiple environments. The left sleeve reached to his wrist where his gauntlet was also seen, only he could remove it, and his left hand was covered in a tight but comfortable finger-less glove of the same fabric. The right sleeve reached the boundary of his elbow and his right hand had no glove on it but a metallic arm-guard piece with arcane symbols on it.

 

He wore a slightly loose pair of pants that granted him full body movement also of the same fabric.

 

Over his body shirt was a tunic. The tunic had no sleeves and was in ivory white color. On the back was a sapphire blue engraving of a wolf.

 

On his waist was a deep blue long sash, which was wrapped around the waist several times until ending in and intricate knot on the right side.

 

On his feet were special boots that reached his knees, giving the look of battle class boots used by infantry. But they were well made and could take quite a beating in the harshest of places.

 

On his back was a hidden sling in which was stored his battle staff, made from a special alloy that granted extreme durability and flexibility. The staff was at least 4'5 when not extended but when extended reached the length of 6'6 and had slightly thick metallic caps on each end. It was made for him by his adopted family using special methods from the only piece of Genonian technology they could access. A disk that showed the creation of special weapons and the chemical makeup of the alloy that it was constructed of.

 

Lastly was a platinum chain that had one item on it… the silver ring that his real mother had given him when she had placed in his capsule. He took it to his face and gave a sigh as he looked at it lovingly and longingly as he could feel that a part of his real parents.

 

Jin gave one last look to his adopted home, he gave a slight shake of his head as he waited for his friends

 

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Tanaki looked at his home once more as he walked up the place where his oldest friend Jin and youngest friend Kazuki would be waiting.

 

Tanaki's long black hair had now reached to the full expanse of his back, it was held in place by a bolt of cloth that was enchanted by Tanaki himself. Once pulled slightly it would part, releasing his long hair. And when he held his hair the cloth would immediately wrap it back to the long ponytail. He now was at that height of 6'2 and still retained his lean and well-sculptured build, though with slightly increased muscle tone and mass. His life in training with martial arts and magic on this planet had hardened him well for the field of battle. But he retained his real parents' qualities though he had vague memories of his real folks. He was now 19 years old.

 

He also was wearing his father's clan clothes, made during his father's youth…

 

He also wore the same suit that Jin wore but on his case, it was the right sleeve that reached to his wrist, where his own gauntlet was as well. His left sleeve was also to the boundary above his elbow, and on his left hand was a finger-less glove of the same material, while his right hand was bare. On his left arm; as well was a metallic arm-guard, which had no arcane symbols.

 

He wore a pair of the same slightly loose pants, but his was engraved with some ancient characters understood only by fellow Genonians.

 

Like Jin he also wore another article of clothing over his suit, but it was a sleeveless gi top that had clasps on it to keep it in place. The gi top was of deep crimson color with a blue tiger engraved on its back.

 

On his waist was a belt made of the same fabric but was deep white, with a well-crafted platinum buckle, which showed the Tiger roaring a challenge to any enemy.

 

On his feet were the same knee length boots, also well made for multiple environments.

 

On his left side was his katana, in its sheath. The shimmering blade was at least three and a half feet in length and the edge was sharp enough to cut through stone or metal with a single powerful swipe. The handle was also intricately engraved and so was the pommel. The handle was wrapped in cloth to ease the grip, while the pommel had a roaring tiger's head on it. The hilt was well made and like all the ancient swords of the past like it, the hilt was circular, and it was also constructed by his adopted parents through the same device that showed the creation of the special alloy.

 

Lastly on his neck was the silver chain, that held a VERY important item… the platinum ring his mother passed on to him, his mother's wedding ring.

 

He gave it a quick glance to his adopted home as he continued walking.

 

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Kazuki as well gave one final look at his home for 18 years as he walked to the place where he and his best friends were going to meet and leave to find their true home world.

 

Kazuki's ocean blue hair went past his neck at the back while his front and sides were well cut, with a small braid of the blue hair hanging at the left side of his head. His body still retained its lean, but well muscled and well-sculptured frame, and like his friend Tanaki, Kazuki had also earned a slight increase in muscle tone and mass. He now was at the height of 6'1, the life he lived on his new home-planet, in training and mastering his innate magical powers had hardened him somewhat, but like his comrades he never lost his good side. Kazuki was now 18 years old.

 

He wore as well his father's own clothes that fit well to him…

 

The same body suit was his first article of clothing but unlike that of Jin and Tanaki, his sleeves reached both his wrists. Instead of finger-less gloves, he wore a metallic arm guard on his right arm and his gauntlet on the left. The arm guard also had hand-guard pad covering his right hand on the top, leaving his fingers free and uncovered.

 

He wore the same pair of slightly loose pants but in his case, his pants had two sewed in pads of high-density yet light metal that covered his thighs at the sides.

 

His boots were of the same design and had clasps on the front.

 

His sash that was wrapped several times around his waist was of a deep emerald green color that went well with his own emerald eyes, it was also in a intricate knot and was not as long as that of Jin's.

 

Like his two comrades, Kazuki had another article of clothing covering his body suit/ T-shirt. In his case he wore a deep blue Chinese style shirt with sleeves reaching the borders of his elbow. And on the back edged by gold thread, was a winged dragon in white thread.

 

On both his left and right side, were his two swords. Looking like ancient long swords, the well-crafted blades were one inch thick and reached the length of at least three feet and were one-inch wide, edge to edge. The edges were serrated and looked sharp enough to cut a large sphere of high density metal into two. Kazuki could easily wield one of them as easily as he could wield both. The handles were designed to be held by both hands, should Kazuki want to.

 

One his own neck was a gold chain and through it, was the gold ring given to him by his real mother. The ring his mother bought for him to recall his past one day.

 

Kazuki looked at the ring for an emotion filled moment as he too ran towards another direction. To where he and his comrades would leave their adopted world.

 

----------------------------

 

Jin stood on a nearby boulder, that was half buried in the soil and around the massive stone was a large growth of lichen and grass. He gave a small smile as two large dust trails came closer to his location.

 

As soon as cloud of dust number one arrived, out of the quickly settling cloud stood Tanaki. He then dusted away any dirt that got stuck to him.

 

“Tanaki… early as always huh?”

 

“You're the early one Jin. Where's K by the way?”

 

“He should here, right about…”

 

It was then that cloud number two came in, as the cloud settled, there stood Kazuki, with a slightly sheepish expression.

 

“Now…. What took you so long?” Jin asked with a grin as he gazed at their youngest bond brother and best friend.

 

“I had a little trip down old memory lane, why, is that wrong?”

 

Both Jin and Tanaki shook their heads and smiled.

 

“No it isn't K, but try not to overdo that.” Tanaki said with a slightly sad expression. “Well, Jin, shall we…?”

 

Jin nodded and smiled at his little nickname back when he and his comrades were still kids. “Let's do it.”

 

---------------------------

 

With a deep breath, they began to summon their powers, powers that before had surprised them, but felt part of them. In time they had mastered their apparently inherited powers. Over 18 years they finally learned why the objects that seemed to be part of their beings. The people who were their adopted parents were shocked at first, but they in time, accepted the facts, and trained the three men in the skills of armed and unarmed combat, this was boosted by the hidden knowledge in the young men.

 

They then turned to the sun and gazed deep into the sky, quickly thrusting up their right hands; they then summoned their respective keys to activating the Sorcerer-Knight Power Matrix. In their arms, the gauntlets flared up in blue-white flame as the devices heard the summons of their respective masters.

 

The gauntlets, each unleashed a massive beam of deep blue light, beast symbols appeared on the foreheads of the three men, also releasing a large beam of blue light. Both the light from their respective gauntlets and the light from their foreheads melded together.

 

Once the beams merged, a trio of blue beams lanced towards the three men, and a powerful flaming aura each bathed Jin, Tanaki, and Kazuki, their clothes were briefly stripped from them as the brilliance shined even brighter. The merged beams heading towards them formed into the beast symbols.

 

Jin's symbol the Wolf, looked like a massive timbre-wolf with deep blue and white fur. It's mouth was showing it's dagger-like canines in a fierce snarl, it then went to a running dash and unleashed a massively powerful howl…

 

Tanaki's symbol the Tiger, looked like an Indian Tiger, only in this case it was larger than any tiger on ancient Earth. Its fur was deep blue and the stripes were deep white. It then gave a fierce swipe of its claws and unleashed a fierce snarl bearing out its large teeth and ran to it's master…

 

Kazuki's symbol the Dragon, resembled that of the ancient winged dragons of European myth. It was large enough to make it look like a large car; it reached at least six meters in length and had deep blue scales. On it's head were large curving horns and a long mane of white hair covered its head in a long line. The wings were massive, at least fifteen feet in length from shoulder to tip. It's arms and feet had large claws reaching the length of at least a foot and a half each. It gave a mighty roar showing it's impressive set of teeth and spreading out it's wings, unleashing a massive bolt of deep blue flame as it dived towards it's master.

 

The symbols then melded with the auras generated by the trio of Sorcerer-Knights and as soon as that happened, the auras faded away showing the three men were bathed in a near crystal-like case of luminescence that showed their bodies. Though in the brightness those who could have been watching could only see the outline of their forms as lines of power flowed through them.

 

The energy beasts then dove deep into the chest area of their respective masters. As soon as that had occurred the lights surrounding the figures began to mold themselves, taking the appearance on men wearing…armor?

 

The luminescence shattered instantly as soon as the armor reformatting was completed… And out stood the Sorcerer-Knights, the last of them, and in this case of passed inheritance… The most powerful of their kindred left alive in this universe.

 

The armor looked like that of a futuristic knight. It looked massive at first, but was sleek and streamlined, showing the perfect blending of strength and brute force with agility and speed. Each of them had different appearing armor but the basic blueprint and foundation was the same.

 

The helms looked like that of an ancient full-face helm. In Jin's case his helm covered his face except for his eyes that were further protected by an invisible layer of transparent bio-metal. On the sides were wing-like protrusions. And the slit that allowed his eyes to see in the shape of a three-pronged star.

 

Tanaki's helm had no wing-like protrusions at the side, but on the back of the helm was his long unbound black hair. On the upper area where the same star design visor were a pair of long wing-like protrusions.

 

Kazuki's helm no protrusions but had instead a larger face guard and had a rather slightly thicker build in design than that of his comrades and a thinker head guard, the two metal spikes protruding from the sides of his helm's chin made it look like having fangs.

 

Each of them had large shoulder-guards that granted full protection to the vulnerable area, Jin's had a wolf head on each shoulder-guard. Tanaki's had a tiger head on each of his own shoulder-guard. And like the others Kazuki's shoulder-guards each had a dragon's head.

 

Their upper arms were well protected by sections of the bio-metal armor, powerfully build but sleek gauntlets covered their hands from finger to elbow, the finger armor gave their fingers the looks of claws. The gauntlets' edges covered the elbows, giving full protection to the men's limbs.

 

The torso armor took the appearance of armor similar to that of the human body, the armor covered their well-build frames like second skin, showing every curve of their figures all the way to the backs. On the chest areas of the armor was a sliver circle, and within them was the symbol of the beast all in deep blue.

 

Their groins were also well protected by the bio-metal armor. But like good protective gear the groin padding gave full flow of movement to the legs.

 

Their thighs were also well protected by their armor as sections of it covered them.

 

The boots of before were replaced by full battle-class boots made of the bio-metal. The boots shone with a silver light covering the lower feet from toes all the way to the knees, but these boots were extremely flexible, granting full movement.

 

The bio-armor now called Sorcerer-Knight Armor had build in energy condensers, which acted as factories to create energy to form the elemental attacks of the Sorcerers' respective elements. This meant that Jin could summon water in all its forms even in deep space if need be, likewise for Tanaki who could summon wind, and lastly Kazuki could create and command fire also in deep space. Along with this were the build-in quantum and bio-ether energy condensers, and focusing units, which granted various uses for the two other energy sources.

 

On Jin's back was a nacelle, which could be activated to draw out his weapon of choice. Tanaki had another on left hip in which to draw out his own weapon. And for Kazuki, he had two of them on each side of his waist. Their respective weapons of choice were absorbed by the armor and became an integral part of their weapon-systems. The armor made them grow to the height of at least seven feet.

 

The transformation took only three seconds. The three then began to study each other's armor.

 

Jin's full armor form had different areas covered in sapphire blue and white. (*)

 

In Tanaki's case, his armor form was pure gold in appearance and was outlined with blue.(**)

 

Lastly was Kazuki, his armor form was also deep blue, outlined with green trim.(***)

 

Jin gave his comrades his opinion of their armor. “Cool gear.”

 

They replied in unison. “Same to yours.”

 

Jin smiled and then directed his gaze to the sky.

 

“OKAY! LET”S GO!”

 

“ROGER!”

 

On each of their backs, were high-density plasma-based ion engines that immediately ignited, propelling Jin, Tanaki, and Kazuki into the sky like rockets and through the atmosphere at least nine times the speed of sound. As soon as that happened, they were now in deep space. The bio-armor acted also as a mobile life-support system, this meant that the three could survive in space due to the internal respirator units in their armor.

 

“Where to Jin?” Tanaki asked as they all gazed at the planet that had been like home.

 

“I don't know really… But I'll say this much… Our future along with our past seems to out there, I can feel it calling to us somehow.”

 

“We feel it to…” Kazuki replied.

 

“Then let's go find it. Ready guys?”

 

“Let's do it!”

 

The three then activated their thrusters as they headed of to find their future in the vast expanse of stars known as the universe.

 

----------------------------------

 

Seven months later…

 

Jin nodded as he gathered some food supplies and any other needed materials, namely the equipment he and his team made for just this occasion. As soon as he finished his packing, he turned the door and made his move to leave the small compound which had been his home in this planet for several months.

 

Jin and his comrades had arrived on the desert planet known as Talark two months after to their leaving the last planet they came to. Something had been calling them, in their dreams and when they were awake. The voices directed them to this planet and somehow it seemed old and familiar.

 

As soon as they landed there, they immediately instated themselves as Third class citizens and workers at a weapons factory. The living conditions were dismal to them, but long years of physical, mental, and spiritual training had paid off as they paid no attention to the difficulties in their temporary resting-place. The work was grueling but it had provided food and shelter. They however maintained an absolute lack of contact with the men of Talark, since the last thing they wanted was to blow their cover.

 

At the thought of those nutrition pills that tasted like crap. Jin's stomach gave a slightly irritating lurch at the remembrance of the taste, Tanaki and Kazuki weren't too crazy about the food pills either. But they were very open-minded on such things and knew that pills were excellent for long storage and required nothing in terms of preparation, and were practical for long journeys. Still it took them all a little time to get used to the taste, if there was any.

 

Jin looked back at their memories. They had traveled to various star systems, mastering any fighting styles they had heard of and encountered in those said journeys. Their knowledge of alien languages and human languages, along with alien and new human cultures and customs were expanded as they hopped from one solar system to another.

 

And like warriors, they took part in battles with those who fought for the good of their world. Though of course they managed not to get in any involvement with females (human females) as they wanted to find their home-land and meet their real family…while totally unaware that their blood-parents were already dead.

 

Jin snorted in disgust as his recollection of the history of Talark came into mind. They had learned the history of the planet and it's culture long before they came there. The thought of entering an all-male planet made them rather curious but somehow something called them there. Tanaki and Kazuki had to admit that the men of the younger generations showed a lot of potential as they had been living in such a harsh desert world. They had excellent survival skills and were hardened by their environment. Jin also respected that as they could tell that each Talark male had experience surviving out in the desert

 

But the one thing they hated was the portrayal of women on the planet they were on. The government of Talark showed women as diabolically hideous monsters, who sucked out the innards of men and ate their livers. The population swallowed that information like fish take in water… despite the fact that none of them have ever seen women before.

 

Tanaki, during that time gave a full snort of disgust at this, so did Kazuki as he too felt VERY offended by this as well, Jin likewise was also offended deeply but had made it perfectly clear to his team not over-react. They knew what women truly looked like, and of course understood most of their quirks. They had a GREAT deal of knowledge on the ` Facts of Life' and of natural procreation. The three of them knew however that if they did tell the truth about women to the men of Talark, then they would brand them to be insane. To add to that, if they also did tell how men and women produced children naturally, then the men of Talark would have been scared witless. Besides that, they didn't want the men of Talark to learn the truth about them and their real origins.

 

Jin looked around and spotted two other figures moving towards him. He smirked as he recognized his two compatriots instantly. He thought back at the ongoing war between the men of Talark and their rival planet of Megele where the women lived. One mark of this war was the development of robotic battle-suits known as Vanguards, At the height of at least thirty to thirty-five feet, the robot mecha were designed to handle all types of terrain, and even that of deep space. And these machines could be easily outfitted with various ranged weaponry along with melee weapons. They were the considered pinnacle of technology, much to the pity the three Sorcerer-Knights felt. Those precious resources should have been directed to the improvement of their planet and their society, but the government was rather arrogant at that and despite the times the three wanted to voice out their grievances and opinions to the head officials, they knew that it would never work.

 

“Jin, you okay?” Tanaki asked as soon as he was beside his old friend.

 

“Yeah, just doing some thinking on what we're doing here.”

 

“I hear you, whatever brought us here, must have just been something we heard too many times.”

 

“You guys mean the voices we've heard for some time?” Kazuki asked as was now alongside Jin and Tanaki.

 

“Right on the dot K. But lately I've been hearing those voices calling to me and you guys as well to go to that big ship there.” Jin said as he pointed his finger at the space-port where a massive battleship was being readied.

 

“You mean the Ikazuchi?” asked Tanaki as he looked at the same direction.

 

“You know that ship?”

 

“Yeah. According to rumors, that's the section of the colonial ship that the men took when they landed here on Talark.”

 

“Really? So why did they outfit that thing to carry weapons?” Kazuki asked in curiosity as he and his comrades headed for that port.

 

“Considering the way it's been re-outfitted for combat. I'll wager a guess that it's part of the combat response fleet the government's putting together to handle those pirates raiding their transports for several long months now.”

 

“You mean those female pirates?” Jin asked as they began to run towards an unguarded area of the space port… wisely avoiding the crowds gathering nearby.

 

“One and the same… considering the fact that those females have no qualms in raiding the ships of their own home-planet. I'm rather surprised the Megele government hasn't made any serious move on them either, not like the men.”

 

“They raid the ships of their own home-planet? Sometimes I wonder why women do those things.” Kazuki asked as they rushed through the corridors just as soon as they broke through the area where all the supplies for the Ikazuchi were being loaded.

 

“We'll never know for sure…Okay… That should do it.” Jin exclaimed softly as they were now inside the Ikazuchi, in a chamber which housed several Vanguards in crisp military order in two rows. He had used the hacker unit they had made to override the security locks.

 

“Okay, let's go find what got us to come here in the first place.” Jin said as they began to comb the Ikazuchi to locate the source of the voices that had called them to this world.

 

------------------------------

 

Out in the vast area of space, near the planet of the women known as Megele (or in the eyes of the Talark men… Monster central) another craft watched in anticipation. The ship was none other than part of the Megele pirate fleet. Onboard the women watched and waited for the raid of their careers. The crew comprised mostly of young women who were no doubt the novices of the fleet of female corsairs. But they were under the leadership of the eldest of the pirates, none other than their founder and her second in command.

 

They were unaware, that onboard their quarry slept the last of the Sorcerer-Knights, three powerful individuals and in this dimension… were the most powerful human beings ever born.

 

 

To be continued…

 

 

Author's notes:

 

Finally the prologue is over! By the way if you're wondering on who I used as the character templates for the three Sorcerer-Knights. Then here they are in detail.

 

Jin- I based him from Squall of Final Fantasy 8. I think Squall is cool, and his inborn leadership talents are also good. Plus I've tinkered with that idea for a while. Besides that I personally think Squall would look cool with silver hair.

 

Tanaki- Just like I based Jin to Squall, I based Tanaki on another character, namely Tamahome of Fushugi Yugi. Tanaki is a good kind-hearted guy with a lot of talent and guts. Plus the thought of that rogue with deep violet eyes instead of the usual blue would be wicked.

 

Kazuki- I based the youngest member of the S-Knights from another game character I have a good deal of respect for… none other than Breath of Fire 4's main character Ryu. Besides the fact is that both Kazuki and Ryu have the Dragon as their symbol. (But in Ryu's case, he can become a hybrid dragon human and summon dragons at the same time.) The two are naturally good fighters and masters at their respective best.

 

Cont…

 

This prologue was something I had worked on before, over three years ago, when I left high-school and entered college, both in my mind and in paper. But as you can see, none of the characters have any blood ties with ANYBODY in Earth, and that means that they have NO ties to anybody in the pirate fleets. In essence, they are orphans without a place to call home, as their birth home is totally destroyed. How this will turn out will be still in the works.

 

Catch you later!

 

Any comments or suggestion? Just e-mail me okay?