Chapter 1: The Pieces Begin to Fall

Duran had the pedal to the metal of his electric Mazda. He suddenly swerved around the corner. He killed the engine and held his breath; soon, the Sodomite guards sped by.

Duran couldn't believe he had allowed this to happen. The business - his legacy - taken right under his nose from those he trusted. He had to get back to Eleanor before she gave birth. Even if her family had betrayed them, he would never betray her. This shipment was going to be the last from America he received. Duran had been handed down the Aragonian business, a legacy that had been passed down for centuries. One of the oldest businesses left on the island. Through this business, he had met his beautiful wife, Eleanor, and together they had brought the business back from the brink of collapse. This was in large part due to her support and encouragement, but the variable that brought the survival of the A.S.M all together was the continued help of the American business Grizzies. Grizzies was becoming a legacy distributor. It wasn't as old or storied as The Aragonian Sports and More or the A.S.M., but the A.S.M wouldn't have survived without the partnership, and at this point in time, Grizzies was certainly more established.

This shipment was supposed to be kept secret and safe, but apparently it wasn't so secret. Duran didn't even know what it was, but he did know that whatever it was, it would definitely be considered contraband in the once again unified nation of Japan.

Unified was a strong word, perhaps. It became what can be best described as a successful power grab. The Sodomite clan had risen to power after winning over the general populace and working with the Soma, Shima, and, sadly due to my foolishness, the Aragonian clan as well. I hadn't intended to merge, so for my clan, it was more of a takeover, but that didn’t matter now. In order to pull this off, the Sodomites had brought back the nation of Japan. They were able to achieve this in large part because there was a faction of the clans that was already pushing to return to a unified state of existence. Whenever a seemingly innocent group arises, a snake always seems to seize the head.

This is exactly what Gomorrah of the Sodomites decided to do. He campaigned under the banner of bringing back “our heritage" of the once united country, along with a promise to "remove violence from the face of the island." By doing this and uniting the independent factions, they brought in the other factions, and Japan was reborn. However, it seemed like the return of our heritage had stripped me from mine. Gomorrah had only been in political power for a few years, but really, he had been a powerful influence for close to a decade. When he first rose to political power, he was kept fairly under control by the Japanese faction that he had used to rise to power. However, it didn't take long for him to win their leaders over, and now Gomorrah had more power than he ever should.

One of the first things he did with the support of the Japan faction was ban all weapons and anything that could be thought of as a weapon. He hired some former Muskian employees with the promise of a lavish eastern lifestyle and to pay double what the Muskian corps was. They came like sheep to the slaughter. I will give Gomorrah credit, though, since they weren't slaughtered. He gave them their lavish lifestyle, and in turn, they gave him almost complete control of the nation's access to the Interwebs. This led to the current control of the masses that Japan was experiencing and was part of the reason I was on the run. At least, that is what I assumed. For whatever reason, Gomorrah had made a point of going after the Aragonians; he removed their existence almost entirely from the Interwebs and had slowly bought out or controlled the once-proud clan. I know not what the package was that lay in the back of my little truck, but I knew that the Sodomites either wanted it for themselves or to destroy it. A.S.M had just been passed down to me, around when Gomorrah had started campaigning. I had inherited a dying business, but with the help of Eleanor, the instructions left by my father, and safeguards set in place by my predecessors, we were beginning to get back on our feet. The random but continuous support from Grizzies was helpful, too, particularly on the rare occasion they sent monetary funds. But quite a few of their packages were just like this shipment: a crate full of something. My father Elbaf had banned me from looking at the shipments and had stored them in a secret, remote facility. Before he passed on, he had told me about the shipments and instructed me to bring them to our 'safe haven.' Sadly, that was all he told me. The last thing he told me was, "Duran, son of Elbaf of the tribe of Aragon,you are my pride, but I beg you to continue on the mission I left you. For through it survives the pride and legacy of the Aragonian people."

I had promised him that I would do everything in my power to make him proud. I believed he was still watching over me from the other side. This fueled me to continue my mission. Albeit, I didn't know why, but I knew it was important to my father and the generations before him. Elbaf had only assured me that what the Aragonians had always safeguarded was something that allowed people to be closer to peace and tranquility. Now that Japan was once again united, it needed a real guide towards that peace. I prayed that whatever it was that was kept in that secret storehouse would be able to bring about the peace that the Aragonians once had; if so, I planned to share it with the rest of Japan.

My wandering thoughts had killed enough time. I slowly pulled back out onto the road and continued on my journey. It was more than just my journey; it was my legacy, a legacy that had safeguarded my tribe for centuries before now. I prayed that I, too, would be kept safe, for me and my wife were all that was left of those who clung to the heritage brought with the name of Aragon.

Eleanor

I looked over at my mother. Though her warm hands were gripping mine, I couldn't help but feel a cold chill from her. She seemed distant, almost as if the contact brought her great displeasure. I knew that my union to Duran had caused great discord within my family. We happened to be the most prominent family in the Soma clan, and the daughter of prominence marrying a man from another clan, albeit a leader, was unthinkable. Especially since he was the de facto head of the dishonored and crumbling Aragonian clan. Despite all the suitors my parents threw my way, I couldn't help but fall in love with the man who was desperately, passionately trying to keep a dream alive that no one seemed to share. By doing this, it seemed I had brought upon myself the cold disdain I could feel emanating from my mother. With all that being said, I was grateful for my mother's presence. It seemed that despite her apparent disdain for me, some motherly instinct had caused her to want to support me. Perhaps it was because I was about to be a mother myself. Perhaps she hoped to influence me and my child back towards the family, no matter what her motive at this moment. I was grateful for her presence.

I knew that Duran was on a dangerous mission, retrieving the shipment from America, whatever it may be. I know it was important. But I wished that he could be here to see the birth of his child

The hours that followed after, I can't say I recall much, except for a lot of pain.

My mother was still there, clutching my hand; whether it helped either of us in our respective struggles, we may never know. I struggled to bring new life - and through that, hope - into the world. It seemed she endured to keep her hope from slipping away.

Duran finished unloading the crate and turned to return to the car. He had to get to the hospital to be with his wife. Usually, they would connect on the Interwebs in a private meeting session, but the fact that she wasn't available to reach out probably meant that she was already in labor. Which, unfortunately for him, meant that he was late.

Despite his urgency, he couldn't help but feel tempted to open the crate. He knew his father had forbidden him for his own safety. But Duran justified his disobedience by telling himself: "at this point, I am already in danger."

Duran turned just as quickly as he had and started back towards his vehicle. He slowly pried open the crate and was perplexed by what he saw. It was just a bunch of wooden sticks and shafts; a note was with it. Duran scooped it up and read the following:

"Here lies a package of Osage Orange wood. I know it isn't as good for the creation of the yami as bamboo, but we hope that you have been able to put our past shipments of bamboo to use. If not, some makers say that staves age like fine wine, so worry not; they will not go to waste and can be worked towards perfection. Upon this matter, I do pray that your perfected results will help you and those that interact with A.S.M in their pursuit to be the best they can be. Signed code name: EVO33."

Duran's mind reeled; he assumed the staves mentioned were for making of the traditional bows that the Aragonians were said to historically specialize in. But his father Elbaf hadn't made them nor his father before him. And even before the extreme censorship brought about by the Sodomites, weapons had been banned on the island for over a century.

Duran blinked a couple of times and pondered why the Grizzies were sending these packages, and why they were so safeguarded. Duran wished that he could dig into the Interwebs, but he couldn't even if he tried. The Sodomite faction had already revoked access to anything dealing with weapons or the existence of the Aragonian tribe. This did make a lot more sense, though. Duran's eyes widened; he didn't need the Interwebs to see the picture that was coming together. As excited as he was, Duran turned away from his new discovery and continued on his venture to the hospital. He could see in his mind the grand adventures his family would go on with this new discovery and a new member.