OP 1 (CHAPTER 1)

 YeaR 184 Month 5

Narrator- Welcome to the world of Kansai, a place where the weak are killed and the strong live freely. The gap between them is immense, some families try and make this gap smaller. But till this day no Family has, on the other hand, some Clans have seen success. Ruling with an iron fist, they preach equality but if you ask the people. It’s hell. There’s a total of 4 Families and 4 Clans, each with its own culture, ideals, and goals. While each Family and Clan grow in power and knowledge, there was 1 more. The government. The government is a collection of people who were kicked out, banished, or seek refuge from their homeland. A place made by the people for the people. Some call It a paradise, while others hate It. Well then, now that we got some of the important stuff out the way let’s get started with Drew’s story… O, wait. By the way, strength Is determined by Skills and Materia. You can think of Skills like trades, things that you learn through experience and from others. While Materia on the other hand Is more like talent or you kinda got lucky at birth. The world Is filled with this energy called Materia, It comes in many forms some crazier than others. Alright now that’s out the way, where did I leave off… O, right. The story of Drew Johnson.

Mr. Johnson paces outside the door, waiting to be let In. Eventually, he stops and takes a deep breath. He starts to calm down. As he looks around the Johnson estate, It's covered in snow and Ice. The pond Is frozen and silent, Mr. Johnson thinks to himself “My first child. A boy. All I can do Is pray.” Mr. Johnson closes his eyes for a few minutes. As he prays, the door opens, and one of the servants calls him In. Mr. Johnson follows the servant to his wife Mrs. Johnson. She lays on the bed holding her son, smiling. Mr. Johnson reaches out for the baby, and Mrs. Johnson gently places him in Mr. Johnson’s arms. He takes a few minutes to examine the boy. After, he shakes his head and gives the baby back. Mr. Johnson speaks “This boy will be weak, he has absolutely zero Materia affinity. Almost a waste, the best he can be Is a decent sparring partner at best.” Mrs. Johnson's smile goes away. Frustrated, she raises her voice a bit and talks “Now don’t you be like that. You never know, maybe he’ll get his Materia late. Also, we need a name, we haven't yet to decided on one yet.” Mr. Johnson rolls his eyes and says “Fine… His name Is Drew. Drew Johnson, firstborn and a waste.” He walks off.

YeaR 197 (Month 4)-

Drew’s Age-13

Zack’s Age- 7

Mr. Johnson- 33

` James Chronos- 18

Narrator- Well damn. Let’s move on I guess. So we're going to fast forward a couple of YeaRs. Specifically 13 YeaRs. What’s that… Do you want to know what happened for those YeaRs? Well, long story short Drew trained for a large portion of that time. Physically, he tried to make up for his lack of Materia, but he couldn't. Around YeaR 191 his little brother Is born, Zackiray Johnson. And O boy was this kid a prodigy. He made Drew look like nothing, and eventually that's how Drew felt. Father spent most of his time training Zack, something he barely did with Drew. After a few more YeaRs Drew got tired and left. He packed his bag grabbed his sword and hit the road, too where? He traveled to a forest north of the Kuoh border, A boreal forest at that. A nice cool climate YeaR round, peaceful too. Now let’s take a look at how far Drew has come In these past few YeaRs.

“743...744...745… cool, I beat my old record by another 200.” Drew sits, and he looks around and starts to think to himself “Damn, It’s been 3 YeaRs since I left home. And what do I have to show, a few measly strength feats? I have to do more otherwise Zack will leave me in the dust.” Drew starts to space out. As he continues to become lost in thought, a strange figure can be seen approaching Drew from the west. As the figure draws closer It spoke “Oi, what are you doing out here kid?” Drew startled, swings his sword. The blade came to a certain point and stopped and wouldn’t move any further. Drew takes a good look at the figure in front of him, a fairly tall man with a slight tan, and short, wavy, dark brown hair as well. He’s wearing a dark red cloak with golden numerals scattered throughout. Drew brings his sword back down to his waist and says “How’d you do that? You stopped my sword without even moving an inch.” The man speaks up “I sent my Materia outwards and condensed It at the point of impact so that your swing wouldn’t follow through.” Drew replies “Wow! That's way cooler than father! But Is that all you can do Mr.?” The man laughs and speaks “Mr.? You can call me James. What’s your name kid?” He answers “My name Is Drew. I’m training to get stronger, as for the reason… That doesn’t matter.” James looks Drew up and down, he’s covered in scars and bruises from head to his toes. Physically he can tell he’s been working hard for YeaRs without rest. James speaks up “So your reason doesn’t matter or are you too ashamed to speak your goals?” Drew starts to get a Lil bit tilted but speaks “Nah, I ain't no bitch. There’s just no reason to tell a rando that.” James can’t help but shake his head. He takes a step back and looks Drew in the eyes and speaks with a commanding voice “Random you say. Well, I’ll have you know that I’m next In line for kingship, my full name Is James Chronos the 3rd. And my goal Is to spread knowledge throughout Kansai. I believe the past Is equally as important as the future but If the past Is lost the future will become the past.” Drew confused says “Bro what? So you want to teach as a king? And also, what the fuck are you doing out here?” James can’t help but laugh but he answers Drew’s questions “Drew, I like you! I can tell you work hard and that’s important and all but you must remain humble. There are a lot of strong people in our world, and if you hope to stand against them you must be ready to go 110% no matter the problem, for if you waiver, lose focus, or have zero motivation you will get stuck in a loop of emptiness and never recover. True strength comes from within and only within you, you lose hope in yourself, you’ve lost everything.” A small smile appears on Drew’s face, and James smiles as well. Drew replies “For a random king in the woods you sure know a lot. I guess the reason I train every day Is so I can get recognized, my whole life I’ve done nothing. I have zero Materia, I can barely use a sword, and all I can do Is train my mind and body. That’s It.” James shakes his head aggressively and says “Your reason for strength Is pathetic and stupid. But I have to remember that you are just a kid, so I’m going to give you a piece of advice. You seek strength to prove your meaning but that can be a deadly weapon, If you lose the will to continue or become obsessed with gaining power you’ll succumb to your own greed and lose sight of what you're trying to achieve. At that point, you are no better than a common thug.” Drew gets a little mad but really thinks about what James said and thinks back to his father. A person blinded by strength, obsessed by It. He put strength before family. He takes a deep breath and speaks up to James “Your right. It Is dumb to seek recognition from others. I need to fight for what I believe In and eventually others around me will see and follow.” James claps his hands in excitement and says “In the few minutes that we spoke you not only grew but you learned from the past to create a better future. Now, what’s next?” A few minutes pass before Drew gives him an answer “Well… fuck It. Looks like you don’t have anything else to do, so teach me!” James is not even surprised but he still answers “Alright! I’ll say this, training is more than fighting, more than learning skills, learning Is equally as important. So expect a lot!” Drew scoffs but nods his head in agreement. James extends his hand forward and Drew shakes It. James “O and one more thing. You should join C.U.G, they can open a few doors for you in due time. But you got to be 16, and just from this conversation I can tell your still just a kid!”. “What? A kid! Nah, come on! I’m 13 and lived in the wild for 3 YeaRs…” He starts to think about It as a whole and realizes what James means, James “See. You learn fast, these 3 years will go by quick just you watch! I’ll teach you all the basics and then some. Are you ready?” Drew looks at the sky. Pictures of his father and Zack come rushing through his mind, all his failures have led him to this point. He replies “Yeah! I’m ready!”

YeaR 200 Month 4 (3 YeaR time Skip)

Drew-16

Ay-22

Jessica-19

OG-?

James Chronos-21

Mr. Johnson-36

Narrator- Another 3 YeaRs go by. James taught Drew the basics as he said. From Skills to basic swordplay, along with teaching him the state of the world and how It Is run. Man, James Is like the ultimate teacher. But those 3 YeaRs came to an end and Drew set out to C.U.G to join the government. Just before he left tho, James gave Drew a special sword. A Jian, a double-edged straight sword, forged by the Yin Clan. James also made Drew an honorary Chronos so he can pass through the other countries without question. James did everything in his power to give Drew a chance to succeed, now It’s up to him. Let’s see just how far Drew can get!

As Drew approaches C.U.G, he catches a glimpse of the capital. Drew “WOW, I thought James was lying when he said this place is big, it's more than big (he laughs a Lil).” he continues towards the capital. He walks up to the Northwest border entrance, he's quickly stopped by a guard “Travel papers kid or be gone.” Drew “Damn, you get no females huh? “The fuck you say to me you lil shit, just give me your travel papers and you can move on!” Drew “ok, ok, here.” Drew hands him his travel papers that James gave him.” (flashback- James” Now these papers will get you into any Main Clan/Family branch so don't lose them alright, and you’ll be representing the Chrono’s family too, so try not to do any dumb shit either!”) Guard “Alright you're free to enter kid, don't act like a dumbass and you’ll be good.” Drew says “Thanks, asshole!” as he runs inside the city. Drew “Alright, I have to find the recruitment office and sign up, then I can prepare for the exam.” But as soon as Drew made his way deeper into the capital, he soon realized he was lost. Drew “Damn, should have asked that guard for directions. Maybe I can ask someone else.” As Drew is asking around for directions, he notices a large group of people gathering outside a shop, Drew “someone there has to know, right?” He makes his way over there pushing people out the way to see what the commotion is, “All ya is shit come on, nobody here can beat me? I'm not even using my full strength.” Drew speaks up “Shit, you ain't talking about me.” the crowd goes silent, all eyes are on Drew “Damn, why yall staring so hard?” The young man says “Who’s kid is this? You’re a long way from home buddy.” Drew “Buddy? You old as shit huh.” the crowd starts to laugh “So you think you're funny huh, lets see if you can back it up. In the capital it's all about strength, we like to test this with a game of Larrup.” Drew “What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Larrup, you must be mad old man.” “I'M NOT EVEN THAT OLD I'M ONLY 22, AND MY NAME IS AY, you better remember it kid.” Drew “ yeah, yeah so how do we play this game of Larrup?” Ay “You're really not from around here huh, well then I explain it one time. Basically, all you have to do is take turns throwing body shots until one of you gives up.” Drew “Sounds easy, what’s the catch?” Ay “You’r not as dumb as you look kid, lets make a wager if I win you owe me (he looks at Drew trying to decided if he has anything of value.) hmmmmm, lemme get that sword if I win.” Drew “ Alright then, if I win you got to give me directions to the recruitment office.” “That’s it, just directions nothing more? Ehh I'll throw in 100$.” 2 MINUTES LATER, Drew “Damn bro, that's it? A lot of talk for someone getting beat by a kid!!! HAHAHAHA” Ay “Shut Up, you just...umm….ummm. Caught me off guard that's all, here take my 100, and follow me I was heading to the recruitment office too.” Drew “cool, lets go!”

As Drew and Ay approach the recruitment office, Ay ask Drew some questions “So….. what made you want to join the Government?” Drew “Why does it matter to you?” “Fine then you little shit, can you at least tell me where you're from?” Drew “The Johnson’s, but I lived outside of Kuoh for 3 years.” Ay nods his head “Well, I can see that you're here with a purpose so i wont keep prying. Just know (Ay stops in front of the recruitment office and faces Drew) my name is Ay Yin, proud member of the Yin clan. I'm here to restore the honor of not only my family but my clan as well. We’ve been in a state of constant civil war, I vowed that I will be the one to bring my Clan out of this dark time. I can see that you have something you want to prove too, let's see our goals to the very end no matter what. Drew thinks to himself, (Is this what the outside world is like, so far every person he’s met has a clear cut purpose/motive he can't help but get excited!) Drew “So this is what James was talking about, alright Ay lets be rivals. My goal vs your goal lets see who archives it first!” Ay “hmph, I like your style kid!” They dap up!

Narrator- YeaR 200 Month 7

3 Months have passed since Drew signed his contract with the government. He passed basic training with flying colors and barely scraped by the written portion. After all that he is now going to be assigned to a 3 man team, Drew makes his way to one of the Government training facilities so he can meet his team. As Drew approaches the building he hears his name, he turns around Ay “Aye Drew, wass good bro?” Drew responds “Shit finna see who on my team, hopefully it’s not your weak ass!! Hahha” Ay “Shut up, you got lucky 1 time, let it go man! Well besides that how many people do you think passed, can't be that many right? Drew “Well, we finna find out lets go!” As Ay and Drew enter the building, they are directed to the main room, while making their way towards the room they started to hear yelling and screaming coming from the end of the hallway. Ay is about to open the door but at the same time somebody flies through the door and smacks into Ay, a random guy “My bad B, Aye I finna whoop ya ass who tf did that? As he begins to walk away Ay speaks up “Aye, you not finna say anything you flew into me!” the Guy turns around “ummmm, who are you? Are you lost? This isn't a place for kids.” Ay seems slightly annoyed “I'm not a kid, I'm 22, and I'm here to find out my 3-man team.” Guy “Wow your 22 damn you built like a kid hahaha, well you should watch where you're going you almost got hurt!” Ay “YOU FLEW INTO ME!!!” Guy “Damn why you mad, just watch where you're going.” Drew notices that Ay is on tilt “Aye bro, it's not that deep let’s just keep going.” Guy “You should listen to your friend, he must be the smart one. Hahaha” At that very moment Ay lost it “SHUT THE HELL UP!” Ay then rushes forward and prepares to fade this man, but in that very moment the Random Guy stopped and became serious, the room fell silent the guy not only deflected the attack but also retaliated all in 1 motion, Ay went flying into the main room. As he begins to stand up he realizes that the room is full, people from all over the world are here. Ay thinks to himself “So, these are all the people who passed. I got some good competition.” he begins to look around the room, he can’t even begin to comprehend some of these people's power, almost suffocating just standing there. The Guy walks back into the room “So, you done throwing a fit kid? Ay “Shut up!” Guy “hahah, at least you show some respect unlike some people here. Alright, back to the previous topic, who sent me through that door?” nobody answers ‘Alright then, since nobody wants to answer I'm finna air this bitch out until somebody says something, how about that?” He pulls out two pistols, he brings them up shoulder height, the room starts to get warmer and warmer “Still no answers, only a few seconds left.” Drew peeks from outside the room, some of the people there begin to draw their weapons and prepare for an attack. Embers start to fly around the Random Guy, the walls, doors, chairs, etc start to slowly melt. “So, yall finna take it to the grave huh, I got you!” He then prepares to fire “Mr. Leon, now what are you planning to do?” A figure appears in the front of the room, Drew slowly walks forward. The room is silent not a single sound, Mr. Leon “sorry about that, it was just a prank.” “hahaha I hope so, anyway welcome everyone, congratulations on passing the exam. I am the current leader of C.U.G, OG.

A Few Hours Later

Drew “Wow, I really got stuck with you!” Ay “Bruh, I could say the same thing! I didn’t ask to be teamed with you!” Jessica “The teams are based on individual scores, then there averaged out with 2 other members to make balanced teams.” They all stop and look at each other, as they take the time to overlook one another a nice cool breeze passes through them carrying the scent of spring. Ay breaks the silence “Well, we're a team now so let’s start acting like one! The first thing we should do Is establish a leader, we should go off of rank.” They all pull their government IDs out. From highest to lowest rank: Ay, Jessica, Drew. Drew “That’s not fair, I just joined so I don't even have a chance!” Ay responds “Good!” Jessica can’t help but laugh, she speaks “I vote for Ay being the leader!” Drew sighs “Fine, I vote for Ay too.” Ay nods in agreement “Alright, first task. Tomorrow meet me at the East-side government training facility, at 6 am on the dot!” Drew and Jessica both can’t help but smack their lips, Drew tries to talk but Ay cuts him off “I don’t want to hear it! 6 am! No questions!” He walks away, Jessica turns to Drew “I take it back I vote for Drew!” Drew rolls his eyes “It’s too late for that, Well see you at 6 Jess.” Jess waves goodbye and they go their separate ways. 

As Drew leaves the government facility he decides to stop and get a quick bite to eat. Drew “Damn, not sure what I want. Yesterday I had tacos, the day before that pizza, hmm.” As Drew continues to walk he comes across a small festival happening deep in the city. There are a handful of food stalls, and game stalls too. As Drew walks through the festival looking for something to eat, he takes notice of a particular stall. A watermelon stall. Drew approaches the stall, as he gets closer he realizes that the watermelon is cubed-shaped. Drew “Yo, what the fuck?” He picks one up and starts to inspect it, a voice comes from behind “Never seen a cubed watermelon? Me neither until I moved to Nara. That’s their specialty!” Drew caught off guard quickly turns around. There stands a man about 6’0, with straight medium-long black hair, Drew can also tell that he trains physically just by the way he stands. Drew speaks up “Well are they any good?” The man laughs “Of course! We grow them in the best conditions, this is the pride of the Nara Clan!” Drew can’t help but smile, he replies “How much for 1?” The man replies “100 for 1, 175 for 2.” Drew “100 FOR A WATERMELON? You serious?” The man says nothing, Drew “Alright, that price is a little crazy. How about 100 for 2?” The man shakes his head “Can’t do that, we need the money to fund our country. 100 for 1 or 175 for 2.” Drew “Bruh, you basically robbing me.” The man thinks for a minute then speaks “Alright then, I see you carry a sword. How about a deal?” That caught Drew’s interest “Go on…” The counties to speak “Let’s see who can cut the most watermelon in 1 minute. If you win, you get free watermelon for life as long as you run the story while I’m away along with some pay. But If I win, you work for me. FOR THE FREE.” Drew looks at the man and thinks to himself “Ain’t no way this man trying to hire me through a bet. Shit, I ain’t got nothing else to do!” Drew agrees to the deal, The man overly excited starts to set up 2 tables in the center of the road. As Drew watches, a crowd slowly forms around the 2 tables. The man approaches Drew and speaks “By the way you can call me X, what’s your name?” Drew steps forward and says “The names Drew, nice to meet you!” He extends his right hand out and X shakes it, Drew feels a nice peaceful aura coming from X, but he can also tell he went through a lot both mentally and physically to get where he is today. Drew and X both approach a separate table, Drew starts to look around, and he notices that the crowd got significantly bigger in the past few seconds. Drew “Damn, where did all these people come from?” X responds “The people want to see a good show, so let’s give it to em!” He smiles and unsheathes his sword, Drew amazed speaks up “Aye, where did you get that sword! That shit tight as fuck.” X “O this, It was a gift from my Master before I left on my journey. Special forge by a Master forge men himself.” Drew stood in awe. X speaks up “The rules are simple. Cut as many cubed watermelons as possible within 1 minute. You will be judged by the crowd on technique, the precision of the cut, and of course the amount cut.” Drew nods “Anything goes?” X smiles and gives a thumbs-up, Drew returns the favor and then pulls his blade out. X says “You got a pretty nice blade yourself, That’s a blade used by the Yin Clan.” Drew replies “For real? I go this a gift from Master James once I completed my training.” X can’t help but think about his training with Master, Dom, and Xifier……… Drew “X you good, you kinda spaced out there for a minute.” X laughs It off “Enjoy the time you have now kid, life changes very fast.” Drew nods just to move on, X “Alright, YOU GUYS READY!!” The crowd erupts, X “Count down from 5! GO!” The crowd starts from 5, X and Drew both go to a wide stance and center their blade on the melon, 4, X closes his eyes while Drew takes a deep breath, 3, Drew muscles flex in his arms and legs, X pictures his blade going through the melon repeatedly. 2, Drew raises his blade to a high stance meanwhile X opens his eyes. 1, a small breeze passes through, It’s silent. GO! And In an instant Drew and X both bring their swords down to meet the melon, The crowd too stunned to speak erupts, and Drew and X both fly through the melons. They have already passed 100 and It’s been 10 seconds. Drew “Can’t lose focus, remember what Master James taught me.” Drew almost seems to speed up, X can’t help but smile “Feels like old times. Let’s see what he can do! Sword Skill-Slash and just like that his speed multiplied by 10, Drew “Sword Skill-Slash!” he matches his energy, and the crowd roars in excitement. It’s been 30 seconds and 1000 melons have been cut. As Drew and X continue the difference in skill starts to show, Drew’s cuts start to bend a Lil, while X’s remain perfectly straight. X “Come on Drew, Keep It up!” X starts to speed up almost x20 speed, Drew “YES!” Drew slowly catches up. 2000 watermelon have been cut only 15 seconds remaining, X “Let's spice It up, Sword Skill-Slice.” X slows down but he goes from cutting one melon at a time to 10, his blade perfectly cutting through the melons with no resistance. Drew tries It as well “Sword Skill-Slice!” He goes for his first attempt but his blade stops at the 6th one “FUCK!” Drew exclaims and quickly tries again, this time stopping at 5. 5 seconds remaining, 3500 watermelons have been cut. In the last 5 seconds Drew and X put everything they got, and the crowd calls time. Drew stops and It hits him, a burning sensation In his arms and legs. Drew out of breath says “Damn, my arms are killing me! I can’t even walk either!” He falls to the ground, X walks over clapping his hands “Very good young swordsman! You did extremely well. Now we just have to wait for the crowd to count and score the melons.” Drew tired as hell gives a thumbs up.

10 minutes later

One of the members of the crowd steps forward, Drew and X stand side by side waiting for the results. The old man speaks “Again, we had another foolish man challenge X, but to our surprise, this was a match worth watching. I’ll tell you this kid most people don't get past 500, not only did you but you also kept up to your best ability. But like always there’s a loser so who Is It?” Drew kinda nervous, begins to sweat a bit, the old man continues “ We score each category out of 100, first up is, technique. Drew….79/100, Drew can agree with that “Yeah, I kinda just did what he did but worst.” Old man “X….91/100” X nods, the old man resumes “Next! Cut precision, Drew…. It hurt me to say this but In the last 5 seconds, you… Just swung your sword randomly didn’t you? Drew too nervous to speak nods, the old man laughs “Well at least your honest so I’ll be honest too 11/00!” The crowd laughs, Drew drops his head in embarrassment. The old man says “X…..99/100, no perfect score this time X!” X nods again, Drew is amazed “99/100, wow he almost perfectly cut over 1000 watermelon, free.” The old man says “For the last category, AMOUNT CUT! We tallied the total amount for each participant. Let’s start with X….. 6,347 total watermelons cut in 1 minute. (the crowds goes crazy) Hold on, young Drew here has 6,346.” The crowd still goes crazy, The old man speaks “Such a close match this time around, X stay undefeated but Drew gave him a run for his money. THE WINNER IS X!!!!” The crowd went absolutely ballistic!

Night Time

After everything settles down, Drew and X stand in the street surrounded by an absurd amount of watermelon. Drew can’t help but laugh X laughs too. X starts to talk “You did outstanding, did your master really teach you all of that?” Drew replies “I’d say he taught me the basics then I built from there. The Skills I learned on my own.” X nods “Impressive, Well you lost. (drew shakes his head) So you work for me, but I’m not a shitty boss. So I’ll pay you 30 watermelons every other day.” Drew looks at X and says “So I work for you, help you sell watermelons and I get zero pay except for 30 WATERMELONS every other day.” X “You have an excellent memory!” And then he smiles, Drew slaps his forehead. X speaks “I also want to ask, If you are interested in becoming a Sword Master?” Drew thinks to himself “Sword Master? Hmmm, just some random guy telling me, he can make me a Sword Master.” Drew says “You say you can train me to become a Sword Master?” X laughs a Lil “Yes, It may sound crazy but I’m the current Sword Master. Xavier Nara, Leader of the Nara.” Drew surprised asks a few questions “So you're the leader of the Nara Clan, and you're just casually selling cubed watermelons deep in the city?” X nods “Yes.” Drew just can’t believe it, not only has he met the King of the Chrono’s Family, but now the leader of the Nara Clan. X speaks up “This is an offer that even King James wouldn’t turn down.” Drew put some more thought into it as he walks in infront of X and takes a knee and gives his answer “I wish to be your student.” X nods “First things first, we have to take care of this watermelon.” They both look at the street, It’s like a red sea of fresh-cut watermelon flowing through the street. with people grabbing slices and taking them home by hundreds.

Week Later

Narrator: For a week Drew has been adjusting to his new life. He starts his day training with Ay and Jess, afterwards they take on a team mission assigned by the government. After they complete their team missions the sun grows closer to the horizon. Drew then gets ready to work at the Cubed Watermelon shop with Master X. They make special orders and hand-deliver them. While they work X trains Drew to have more control over his sword and motions. He trains his skills by cutting watermelon in different ways repeatedly for hours on end sometimes the whole day.

X starts to talk to Drew as they clean up the shop “So Drew, you’ve completed your first week of training how do you feel?” Drew answers honestly “Dead tired, I’ve been training with my squad, along with fighting and making deliveries. I barely have time to sleep let alone eat.” X nods “It’s going to be like that for a while Drew, One day you’ll have a choice to pick up that sword and carry It. When that time comes you need to be ready.” Drew thinks about Zack, his father, King James, Dom, and Ay. Drew asks X a question “Master why did you pick up the sword?” While X thinks the room became silent. The sound of the nightlife can be faintly heard from the back room. X looks up and starts to talk “You asked why I picked up the sword, yes?” Drew nods and continues to clean the knives “Well, Drew I picked up the sword cause I realized that it was time to stop being good. That just gives a free invitation for bad things to happen.” It starts to rain outside, people yelling and horns honk more. X continues “So I decided to step up and stop the bad things from happening so that the good things will flourish. But you soon find out It’s not so simple, some will forever do horrible acts just cause. Those are the people that live by the sword, they feel the same pain, anger, and sadness as you.” X Looks down and continues to prep while he talks “Your reason for picking up the sword could be great, but so can your opponents. It’s hard, a never-ending cycle of death. And we just have to accept that.” It starts to thunder outside and the rain picks up. “So can I ask the reason?” X nods “The reason was simple, to protect others that cannot protect themselves. It’s easy to look past the weak and forget, especially for the strong. But the weak are equally as important if not more!” Drew nods, and he speaks up “When that day comes Master X, I’ll have my answer ready!” X filled with excitement smiles and says “Well you have a long road ahead of you, long days and nights. But that’s why I’m here to help you get there!” Drew nods, and they continue to talk for a bit longer.

The End Of The Next Week

Drew can see his body rapidly improving not only physically but also in his Skills. Each Skill almost feels natural as If It’s an extension of his body. Drew has his weekly check-in with X. This time X has something planned for Drew. As Drew returns from delivery and walks to the backroom, he’s met by X who is standing next to a table with melons off to the side. He then says “Alright Drew, this is what’s going to happen every week. Even after you think you’ve completed your training, you should keep doing this exercise. So basically you’ll have 50 melons, the goal is to cut all 50 within 1 minute. The catch is some of the melons will be of varying hardness, and in between each melon cut you’ll have to perform a hundred of one Sword Skill.” Drew gets a little cocky “That’s easy Master X, remember I cut over 6,000 watermelons in 1 minute.” X responds “Yes, I know but this is to build up your Skill stamina, this will allow you to consecutively use Sword Skills more efficiently, as well as increase precision and consistency even when fatigued physically.” Drew nods and agrees “That makes sense, Is this what you did?” X replies “Kind of, I just took my old Master's regiment and applied some new tactics, so that the time needed to spend training Is cut in half. That way we can focus on more areas at once.” Drew nods and thinks to himself “Wow, Master X is so cool. He has an answer for everything, He’s almost like a way cooler Zack!” He answers X “Okay then, how is the scoring done?” X replies “Good question, so basically, this will only be scored on technique and precision. The goal is 100 out of 100 if you can get that for a year straight, then you have successfully completed the training exercise.” Drew’s mouth drops “For a whole YeaR! What was your highest score? Can’t be that good can It?” X smiles and laughs like an evil villain “But It Is! For you see until 2 weeks ago I had a streak of 3 YeaRs.” X stands confidently, Drew is amazed “WOW! Aye, I made you drop that streak, never forget!” X can’t help but laugh, he starts to talk “Yeah, yeah. Anyway, let’s get started so I can show you the scoring process so that you can do this by yourself.” Drew “Yes Master!” As Drew takes and finishes the test he soon realizes that It’s a lot harder than It sounds. It takes a tremendous amount of stamina to continuously execute a Skill over 100 times while finishing it off with a precise strike of varying strengths. For the next 5 months, Drew trained his Sword Skills, body, and mind every day, as X helped and guided him. Even though he failed the watermelon training exercise (wte) every single time, he showed significant improvement with each attempt.

5 Months Later, Month 12

Summer has come and that means heat. The watermelon shop has seen huge success ever since Drew and X played fruit ninja in the middle of the road. So much so that X has asked Drew to look for more employees so that work wouldn't get backed up. Drew can only think of his two teammates, Ay and Jessica. The following day after Drew, Ay, and Jessica finish up their last mission for the day Drew quietly says “Aye, umm guys I got something to ask.” Ay and Jess both turn around, Ay says “We're listening.” Drew goes on “Well, I got a job at a local watermelon shop, they sell special Cubed Watermelon. For the past few months business has been picking up and we need some extra hands, I was wondering If you guys could help out for the summer?” Jess replies instantly “Yes! I’ve been so bored.” Drew smiles and looks at Ay, he says “Will we get paid and who’s the boss?” Drew answers his 2 questions “Yes you will get paid in Cubed Watermelon and cash, the boss well you’ll have to meet him yourself!” Ay rolls his eyes “Well, we're a team so, fuck It. I’m down!” Drew gives a thumbs up “Good, well you guys start tomorrow be at the store by 5 am, no later!” Drew laughs hysterically while walking away and saying “I could get used to this!” Jess rolls her eyes and says “Still should have voted for Drew.” Then she walks away, Ay quickly speaks “Alright then see ya, Jess!” Ay thinks to himself “Stupid, I sounded thirsty.” Then he starts to walk home.

The Next day

Ay and Jess wait outside at the address Drew gave them last night. Ay “Man It’s early. It’s 5, where’s Drew?” Jess just starts to zone out, almost like she’s falling asleep standing up. 20 minutes pass and Drew can be seen down the street. Ay, upset starts to yell “Why did you tell me 5 am If you're going to show up at 5:30?” Drew laughs “Just cause.” Ay just stands there, Jess speaks up “Can we at least go inside?” Drew nods and unlocks the store. He begins to set up shop as Ay and Jess enter the store. The two take some time to look around. It’s a nice small shop with a few tables and chairs to sit and enjoy your meal. They have some posters on the wall about sales and for decoration. Jess says “ You and whoever your boss Is suck at decorating, I’m surprised business has even been good.” Drew laughs It off and speaks “We had a really big grand opening a while back and that really helped, anyway that's why you guys are here, to help out with stuff like that.” He continues to prepare the store. “So bossman clocks In around 6, until then I’m in charge.” Ay sighs and speaks up “Why are you the boss?” Drew smiles “Cause, I have seniority now!” Ay shakes his head and Jess giggles. Drew talks some more “So Jess your Job will be to watch the shop, basically ring up customer orders and answer deliveries. I’ll show you how to use the computer too.” Jess “Yes boss!” Ay “Don’t call this man boss, It’ll get to his head!” Drew rolls his eyes “Alright Ay, your job Is to maintain Inventory and to go out on deliveries to the west side of C.U.G while I do the east side and prep watermelons.” Ay is surprised at Drew’s leadership and responds “Got you, boss.” Drew claps and says “Good, now let’s get to It, the store opens In an hour.” As the day goes by Ay, Jess, and Drew work hard trying to keep up with orders and customers. Just like that, It’s 5 pm. Drew and Ay meet up outside after finishing their deliveries, both tired Drew speaks first “Great training huh?” Ay thinks for a few seconds before responding “Honestly, It Is. Between running throughout the city and having to cut watermelon.” Drew can’t help but smile, “Aye who put you on tho?”Ay shakes his head and laughs a Lil “You did, good looks. I needed something to pass the time.” Drew and Ay dap up, and walk inside the shop. To Drew’s surprise, X was there talking to Jess, X greets Ay and Drew. “Welcome back Drew, and this must be Ay. You're the team leader from what I hear.” Ay nods with confidence “You heard right. My name Is Ay Yin, recruit grade 3.” X nods and says “Nice to meet you Ay. By the way, you can call me X.” Ay replies “Alright X, you got a good store here, and to my surprise, you can get Drew to do some actual work. Before I invest any more time into this, how much Is the pay?” X nods “Important question, the payment will be 300 at the end of every week, you also keep tips for yourself. Along with free watermelon, I don’t care what you do with the melons. Sell em, eat em, whatever.” Ay and Jess both look at each other and speak at the same time “Well take It!” X smiles and claps his hands “Good, now we can really start working this summer!” Drew, Ay, Jess, and X continue to talk for a few hours about the job and other important things too.

5 Months Later, Month 5

The summer has passed and the season starts to change, a cold winter wind blows In from the North-West. As the snow starts to fall and cover C.U.G, the people quickly rush to get inside. Jess watches these people pass by the store in a hurry, she can’t help but feel sad. Jess thinks aloud “Man, just a few months ago this place was booming. I guess people don’t want watermelon when It’s cold.” She picks up a small melon and starts to roll It around. The snow continues to fall, Drew and Ay enter the door. Drew “IT’S FREEZING!” Ay “On god, I’ve never been so cold!” Jess starts to laugh, she speaks “Well you have time to warm up, no more deliveries for the day!” Ay and Drew scream in excitement, then someone enters the door. It’s X! The 3 of them surround him, excited to see him. X “Alright, settle down. Got some news to tell you.” The 4 of them take a seat and eat some watermelon together. X begins to talk “So as you know the business has started to get slow.” Everyone nods in agreement, then silence. Ay breaks It “So…. That’s It?” X responds “Yup. I mean you guys are welcome to stay. You guys did amazing work over the summer! I’ll still pay the same as well.” Ay “I mean, If you're going to pay the same. I don't really care how busy It Is.” Jess chimes In as well “I’d like to stay too!” X smiles “Now that’s the way! Also, let’s pick up your training again Drew.” Drew stands excitedly “REALLY!” X “Yes, and while we're at It why don’t you join too Ay and Jess?” Jess quickly responds “I’m good!” Ay thinks for a little bit before speaking “No offence, but why would I want to be trained by some random shop owner?” Drew and X both laugh, Ay puzzled says “What’s so funny? You're just a random shopkeep right?” Drew answers “Yeah, just a random shopkeep alright!” X keeps laughing but manages to get some words out “Random shopkeep!” Jess can’t help but giggle a Lil, Ay starts to get frustrated “Alright, enough of the laughing. I’ll join In on the training!” Drew and X both high five “It worked!” Ay slams his head into the table. As a few weeks go by business starts to pick up again. Ay and Drew make a few deliveries in the morning while Jess and X run the shop. After lunch Ay and Drew train outback, sparring. X places restrictions for sparring for that day. Just the other day, me and Ay couldn’t use skills, and the day before that one we couldn’t use weapons, shit like that. We continue training like this until the start of spring.

Month 7

Narrator- YeaR 203 Month 5

Drew: 19

Ay: 24

Jessica: 21

X5: 20

Narrator- 4 YeaRs later (YeaR 204, Month 3)

On the southwest border of CUG (capital united government), Drew is still just a recruit and is standing guard with 2 others one is Recruit Grade 3s. His name is Ay, and next to him is a female named Jessica recruit grade 2. (Ay likes Jessica but she doesn't fuck with him). Ay walks up to Drew “go check the office to see if new orders came in”, Drew replies “ Bruh….. We never get any new orders.” Ay “You arguing with me RG?” Drew “no sir” Ay “that’s what I thought, now go do that.” Drew makes his way towards the office but feels something is off and turns around and starts walking down the road. Ay yells “ aye what are you doing? Did you check the orders?” Drew waves him off, Ay screams in frustration “Now you better listen here…….. Jessica starts laughing “why you so tight!!!!!!” As Ay makes his way towards Drew a portal opens, and demons of varying sizes and strengths start to pour out with the leader coming out at the end. Drew stops and starts backing up, Ay starts doing the same, Drew under his breath “should have just checked for the orders” sigh….. They make it back to the gate, Jessica “So what's up? Anything out there” Ay yells “ Omm there’s hella shit out there!!!” Drew “Go to the office and request for backup Jess, Ay we have to hold them off while they get here!” Jessica “kool” runs off to the office, Ay “Tf who got rank I'll stay here and guard Jess, you go out there and do ya thing kid, when Jess Is done well come help.” Drew” KEKEKEKE…… that's If there's anything left….” Ay “huh” Drew runs In the direction of the demon horde.

Drew approaches the demon horde, he begins to stretch. The demons laugh and they start yelling and throwing rocks “You aint shit, you weak human” “We run this shit, this is just the beginning ” Drew “Beginning of what? What are you guys planning” the demons are not even paying attention to a word he's saying they continue to laugh and throw shit. Drew un-sheaths his sword (Acre Crusader Broadsword, 1 modification-Increased length 4.1ft).

He begins to walk forward with his sword dragging on the ground, the demons start going into a full sprint towards Drew, the gap quickly closes………. 15 demons came out first and in one clean motion from the left to the right he struck a clean cut. Drew “I'm not playing now, I'm more than enough to beat a bunch of clowns like yall!!” The Demons grow restless and with pure blood lust rush Drew “ Sword Skill Slash” A barrage of slash almost at random, but each attack finding its mark and taking out groups of demons with a single blow, Ay and Jessica both make it towards the fight and see Drew just absolutely destroying the demons. Ay “.......he's..so...strong… ”Jess “And he's kinda hot” Ay looks at Jess “What?”. Out of the 500 demons that came through the portal, about 27 demons remain. Drew, showing no signs of stopping, comes to walk and drags his sword. You can hear the metal against the debris and weapons carried by the dead demons, Drew “Look at all your friends, how sad. Would you like to join them?” Some of the demons begin to run away, some back up slowly. Drew “silence is compliance” the demon leader yells and then the remaining demons yell too. Drew starts running towards them getting ready for an attack, the leader demon grabs some of the smaller ones armed with weapons and begins to hurl them at Drew, he jumps over the first one and side steps the next few, the Leader Is throwing them with such force that on impact they explode. The ground is starting to get covered in blood, Drew Is struggling getting traction to move forward. The leader threw a cheap taunt “Watch ya step kid, wouldn’t want to die now!!!!gwagwagwagwa” (demons remaining 7+leader=8) as he progresses forward the last few demons come running at him, he jumps a lil bit in the air and when he lands he starts sliding on the blood, his speed increasing by the second, one by one picking off the remaining demons, as he comes in view of the Leader he swings his sword in a last ditch effort. As Ay and Jessica watch, Drew effortlessly defeats these demons and then confronts the Demon Leader. Drew Jumps into the air and as he’s coming down the demon yells “YOU AINT SHIT” Drew “never said I was. Sword Skill, (as he lifts his sword into the sky a line of blood coats his blade) Vertical Slice!” In that final moment Drew comes crashing down with a perfect line that cuts the Leader's body in half, a mist of blood covers the air around them. Drew stands and looks at himself “Might have overdid It a little.” Ay “Ain't gonna lie you looked kinda clean out there.” Jess “Here's my number, call me?” Ay shocked “You better not call that” Drew laughs.

The leader demon slowly stands Jessica screams “He's still alive, her power activates (future sight up to 8 seconds) “He’s going to explode and something else.” Ay “What's the something else?” Jess “I don’t know I can't see that far.” Drew “Get back!!!!” The demon explodes and a cube floats in the air, It crumbles and another portal opens…...Demons start Pouring in by the hundreds all ready to kill, Drew gets up “Wow……….. What do we do?” Ay “.....bruh….” Drew “Well the only thing I know how to do Is fight” Ay “C’mon bruh you serious? We should run.” Drew “Run? Nah, we have to wait for the others. There’s too many. They'll break the barrier In seconds, I’ll buy some time so that you can run and call for backup, take Jess too.” Drew runs at the portal killing demons along the way. Ay looks down, his hands turn into fist, his legs shaking in fear. Ay “Go to the office and turn on the barrier and wait for backup.” Jess “So now you're going to help Drew.. jk” Ay “ Just go…” Jess comes over and gives him a kiss on the cheek “Sometimes you can be brave too.” runs off towards the office Ay “I can't die now, I got a chance…… I've got to give It everything I got” Blink Skill: Quick Look (every time he blinks he warps to the location his eyes were focused on instantly.) Ay comes to a stop in the middle where Drew is at, “So you've decided to help, I knew you would. WE’RE RIVALS!! KEKEK” Ay “Shut up and let’s end this” Drew “Bet” Drew begins to clear out demons from left and right, while Ay Is watching his back there slowly moving forward. Drew yells “ Ay swap, I got an idea!!” Ay “Don't tell me what to do!!!” but he still swaps lol. Drew “We have to get to the portal and hit it with our strongest moves.” Ay “That's your plan…..” Drew “You think of something better then……….. That's what I thought” Ay “ Fine, when we get close I'm going to blink to the top, you come from the side.” Drew “Yes sir” They both come to a stop 40m away from the portal they both take a deep breath, all Is quiet. The demons yelling, the smell of blood, death, Drew and Ay have 1 job they can’t afford to screw up. Ay “Stance Skill-Plate2 Kitsutsuki, In a mere instant Ay covered multiple areas with devastating swings from his Sha spear. Drew “Thanks for the opening, but save some for me!!!” Drew starts to pick up speed killing demons left and right. Meanwhile Ay, Plate1 True Cross, a swift X wiped out groups of demons. A leader comes from behind and goes In for an attack “gagaggag I've got you now you little shit!!!” “Plate3 Full Counter” and In an instant, Ay retaliated with so much force it blew a hole straight to the portal, Ay “I only have 2 minutes left Drew, Let's wrap this up!!” Drew “I was just thinking the same thing, Sword Skill…” “Stance Skill-Plate4” as Drew is running 2 Leader Demons appear in their way both using Materia “Fire Materia-Demon Flame” Ay “ I got this trust me!!” Drew “Already did SIR!” Ay then jumps in the air “Blink Skill: Constant Look” and as soon as he said that he was gone, Drew “Where he go..” he continues on Sword Skill Slash (Drew then begins forming the fire in front of him.) and out of nowhere Ay reappears “Plate1 True Cross!!!” The demons get cut and engulfed In their own flames, the demons fell as quickly as they appeared. Ay disappeared again, Drew kept running towards the portal he's mere steps away from It, he hears a loud screech like a bird, he looks up and sees Ay “Plate4 Falcon!!!” (he used blink constant to go high up to fall while increasing his speed with blink) Drew “My turn, Sword Skill Horizontal Slice!” He takes his sword and with all his strength does a horizontal slice while Ay comes from the top with a precise stab.