A New Beginning

Season 2

*2 years later*

Morning, Palace of Francia:

In the training ground of the palace, Alexander was training with his soldiers.

Soldier 1: “My Majesty, do you really want to do this?”
Alexander: “Yeah, I am.”
Soldier 2: “But my Majesty, you really want all 50 of us to fight you at once without holding back?”
Alexander: “Yeah. I want to see what my limits are.”
Soldier 1: “Okay.”

Alexander then fought a training battle with 50 of his soldiers. The soldiers held back at first because they didn’t want to wound their own king.

Alexander: “Hey, don’t hold back!”

The soldiers then fought as seriously as they could, but Alexander was too powerful for them. He easily defeated all 50 of them without wounding anyone.

Alexander: “Yeah, I did it. Thank you everyone for helping me in the training.”

Alexander had been training hard for these 2 years to become powerful. He had now mastered Warrior Madness and was considered even stronger than the commander of his army. He no longer needed any soldier to protect him — he himself was a threat to his enemies.

He was also a good king who deeply cared for his people. His people truly admired him as a noble ruler. But he had changed so much in these 2 years. He now had a stoic, tough personality. Even though he was still very kind inside, he showed a tough and prideful attitude in front of others. Still, people admired and loved him — they both feared and respected him at the same time.

Another thing was that he never spared his enemies. If he found someone to be a threat to him or his people, he would kill them — no matter what.

Alexander then entered his room, closed the door, and stood there alone.

Alexander: “Emperor, I am now capable of defeating 50 warriors at once. Am I now on the level of Eidrin and Romero?”
Dark Emperor (voice only): “Alexander, you have improved very much. You are slowly becoming a great warrior. But you are still not at the level of your old friends. However, I am sure you can surpass them if you follow my orders and train harder.”
Alexander: “I understand. I will surely surpass them and prove myself. For that, I need your help. I was able to reach this level only because of you. You were there when everyone left me. I owe you my life, and I will follow your orders until the end.”

Alexander had been working and training under the Dark Emperor’s orders for the past two years. He had never met the Emperor in person, but he had been talking with him every day through his mind (the Dark Emperor had the power to contact anyone from afar).

Room of Alexia:
Alexia was lying on her bed while her friends sat around her. They were chatting, but she remained quiet.

Friend 1: “Hey, why are you so quiet today, princess?”
Alexia: “Hey, it’s nothing. I was just thinking about something.”
Friend 2: “What? We know you’re a bit disturbed. We’re your best friends — we can notice even the smallest difference in you.”
Alexia: “Okay, fine. The thing is… my marriage with Giorno is going to happen in only 2 months, and you all know I’m not interested at all.”
Friend 1: “If you’re not interested, why not tell your brother yourself?”
Alexia: “No, I can’t! My brother is totally a different person now. I admit I admire his current personality as a good king, but… he’s way tougher than before. I don’t have the courage to bring this up to him myself.”
Friend 3: “We understand, but… Lord Giorno is a nice guy too, right? What’s the problem if he becomes your groom?”
Alexia: “The problem is… I can’t see big brother Giorno in that way. I still call him ‘big brother’ and… we both grew up together, so I see him as my brother. We’re even blood-related. I can’t believe he sees me that way — and he’s the one who proposed it to big brother. Another thing is… you all know I love another man.”
Friend 2: “Yeah, we know. But do you think he loves you? And do you even know where he is right now?”
Alexia: “...No. I can’t even send him a letter because I don’t know where he is. But I wish I could have told him to take me away from here… with him.”

At a forest in a nation called Tarsovia:

Eidrin was meditating, sitting in the shade of a huge tree.

Eidrin was now 30 years old. He had grown much wiser over the years. He was now a powerful warrior acknowledged by many nations. He had formed alliances, helped countless people, and defeated many formidable enemies. People across nations loved him and considered him a hero.

But above all, he now preferred peace over everything and never took action without deep thought.

Rio: “Master, wake up already, you’re taking too much time.”
Eidrin: “Rio, I’m not sleeping to wake up in the first place. I’m meditating to keep my mind calm.”
Rio: “But it’s been 2 hours! We’re warriors anyway — why do we have to meditate?”
Eidrin: “Keeping your mind calm plays a big role in becoming a true warrior. You’ll understand that one day. Anyway, go and continue your training.”
Lars: “Please master, teach us something new at least today. It’s been many days since you taught us something new.”
Eidrin: “You both still haven’t mastered anything I’ve already taught you. Go and train with Lara and master everything first.”
Rio and Lars: “Okay, master.”
Rio: “This master... he always does this every day. He always tells us to learn something from Lara.”
Lars: “He’s right though. We’re not learning much.”
Rio: “I’m trying to! It’s just taking time for me.”

Suddenly, Lara approached them.

Lara: “Where were you two? Come, let’s train.”
Rio & Lars: “Okay.”

Lars, Lara, and Rio were currently the students of Eidrin. They had been with him for more than a year. All three were orphans, so Eidrin raised and trained them as his own children.

Lars and Lara were siblings, while Rio was the first one to accompany Eidrin.
Rio is a 17 year old boy. Free-spirited and considers himself Eidrin’s biggest fan. He trains hard to become like Eidrin, but still, he isn’t Eidrin’s favorite student.
Lars is a 16 year old boy. Kind, soft-hearted, and not interested in fights at all. He admires Eidrin deeply and fears his sister, Lara, the most.

Lara is a 17myesrl old girl. She is hot headed and quick to anger. She’s the most skilled among the trio and Eidrin’s favorite. She likes to mock Lars and Rio but deeply respects her master.

Eidrin only showed favoritism in training. Otherwise, he considered all three of them equal and loved them as his own children.

Rio and Lars then trained with Lara.
After a while, Lars sat down on the ground.

Lars: “Oh... I’m so exhausted.”
Lara: “What? You get exhausted so fast, Lars!”
Lars: “Not everyone is as powerful as you, big sis.”
Rio: “Lara, let him rest for a bit.”
Lara: “Okay.”

Lara then went to train on her own.
It was nearing noon.

Rio: “Lars, what about visiting the town just for fun?”
Lars: “Now?”
Rio: “Yes.”
Lars: “But we don’t know this place much. Roaming around without master isn’t a good idea, I think.”
Rio: “Don’t overthink! Come on already.”

Rio and Lars then headed toward the town.

At the other side of the forest:

A group of bandits were gathered together.

Bandit 1: “Finally, we broke out of prison! I can’t wait to visit my village and family.”
Bandit 2: “Yeah, but we’re not the ones who decide where to go.”
Bandit 1: “What do you mean?”
Bandit 2: “Murder, Speed, and Jester are the ones who decide the plans, aren’t they? We can’t just leave without their approval.”
Bandit 1: “Yeah.”

Meanwhile, all the bandits assembled as Murder stood before them.

Murder: “So we’re all free after all these years. We need to rob what we can from the village and escape this country before the soldiers find us.”
Speed: “Yeah, I need many resources to build my weapons.”
Murder: “Okay, so get ready, everyone.”

Suddenly, a man jumped down from a tree and grabbed Murder’s neck. It was Jester.

Jester (casually): “Idiot, are you planning to escape without doing anything?”
Murder: “What do you mean?”
Jester: “We were in prison for years, and you’re planning to escape without taking any revenge?”
Speed: “But we don’t have time for that. We’ll get caught again if soldiers find us. The problem is that we’re too many — it’s easy to find us.”
Jester: “Who cares! I’m sure we’re not gonna get caught again. Revenge is everything for me.”
Murder: “If you want revenge, go alone. Don’t put us all in trouble. And remove your hand from my neck, you bastard.”
Jester: “We’re going to attack the nearby town, and you all need to follow me if you want to stay alive.”
Murder: “Who are you to order and threaten us? Do you think you can take all of us alone?”
Jester: “Yes, I can. Because I’m the strongest and smartest out of all of you. Obey me if you want to stay alive.”

They were not truly comrades, just criminals who met in prison and escaped together. Jester, Murder, and Speed were the most dangerous among them.
Speed was Known for fast tactical thinking and mastery of explosives.
Murder was named for his brutal killings, though he wasn’t as psychotic as Jester.
Jester was a pure psychopath and former jester with high fighting skills. Despite his madness, he was extremely intelligent in planning and during battles.

To be continued...