Prologue

The wind blew past Edward with a frigid touch, making him stop for a moment to shake in the cold. Explosions and shots went around him, filling up the French men that surrounded him with blood and terror. The grass went from green to red and the sky stayed the same calm blue it had been since the sun had reached the top of its summit. It was a cold day, and it was full of cold people. Ed looked towards the soldier that had just been left to bleed on the ground next to him, the rifle still held within his hands. “Sa-help me!” It seemed like a yell, but it only came out as a whisper before another shot came flying right into him. It was then that the shooter began to take aim at Edward, who turned towards him and raised his hand. His hat provided some shade for his deep brown eyes as he took aim at the soldier with his gun, all as a shot came sprinting towards him. He closed one eye and focused with the other as he stared at the shooter.

The bullet hit the hardened air that had surrounded his body and fell to the ground. More came following it, but they all met the same terrible fate. The Vietnamese man that was shooting at Ed took his eyes off of his gun and watched in utter confusion as a bullet pounded straight through his heart, followed by a second one which entered the same general area. He stumbled to the ground in a pool of blood as Edward fought off other soldiers. He brought his gun down on the head of another Northern soldier and dodged another bullet. His legs had a surge of power as his magic flew through him and he blasted through the soldiers that had started to surround him. Before they could figure out what was happening, he had already started to shoot at them.

Their bloody gasps filled the cold air, and he moved as fast as he could to take all of them down. It was then that he felt an attack coming from behind him. He turned around just in time for him to warp the bullet that was about to hit him into a few strands of grass. The bullet was now dug into the ground below him, dirt edging its way around it. Ed gasped as more bullets came flying at him, yet he warped the ones that he could before forming another barrier of air around himself. Soldiers had begun to come from behind him, but thankfully they were being shot down by the French. Still, this was bad. My energy is beginning to run low. He started to rush towards the soldier that was shooting at him, only for a bullet to take him unawares in his right arm. It wedged itself into his flesh and blood came chugging out, along with pain.

Ed winced. The touch of the metal bullet made his arm feel like a burned mess, yet he took a deep breath and stopped in the middle of the field. He raised both of his arms and let the air form a shield on both sides of his body. However, the bullets had begun to pierce the air, and Edward was starting to lose the ability to repair his shields. The French looked towards him with wondrous eyes, watching as he stood and protected himself from attack after attack, until he yelled out in anger.

“Attack them, you bloody fools!” The awe-struck soldiers quickly shook their heads and began to shoot at the assailants, who were now coming in from all sides. Ed needed a moment to protect himself, to recover from the damage being done. The Vietnamese that shot from his left side stopped to reload, and began to fight off the French approaching him. The ones that attacked from the right were shot down, and the others approaching him were done with quickly. He quickly took down the barrier and looked back towards the Dien Bien Phu. The French were almost certainly going to lose, he could already tell. There was no point in staying here anymore. He had lost. Communism was to come to North Vietnam.

Edward pushed his hat back a bit, just enough so that he could see a little better, before he rushed away from the base. He still had to keep up the appearance of a French soldier, but now the situation was dire enough to use magic to a fuller extent. He reloaded his gun and shot down another one of the Vietnamese, before he picked up a small rock from the ground. A few soldiers had begun to approach him, so he took a quick deep breath and let his hand glow with vitality. The feeling was almost enough to take his mind off of the burning pain he was feeling in his right arm. He had made it a point to make both of his hands just as useful, but he had never fully mastered the use of his left arm. There were times where he slipped up with it, yet he was thankful in this moment for that time of foresight.

He chucked the rock at the soldiers, as it began to shake with energy flowing through it. The moment it touched the ground in front of the soldiers, a large explosion engulfed them, blowing them up into pieces of their former selves. Another shot came flying at him, but this time he moved fast enough to block it with the air. A sword formed in his hand and he rushed towards the soldier, the wind rushing back towards him. He could feel his hat beginning to slip off of his head, but he had no open hands to attempt to pull it down, so he let it move, more and more. The Vietnamese man kept shooting at him, yet none of his bullets hit the target-

“Agh!” That one hit him. Edward stopped moving for a moment, before he realized that he shouldn’t be stopping here. He already had two bullet wounds, and that was two too many. Ed looked up at the Vietnamese soldier, his hands shaking as he pressed his finger down on the trigger once more. The shot moved towards his head, but Edward was able to see it this time. He threw his right arm up, ignoring the pain that came along with it, and deflected the bullet with his sword. Another shot came out, but it was blocked once more. Again and again and again. Each shot was sent flying away as the man kept shooting, until he ran out of ammo. It was then that he watched in terror as the blade of air flew at his head, chopping it off.

Edward sighed and looked towards his stomach. A bullet hole lay within it, the liquid that gives him life leaking out. It thankfully hadn’t gone too deep, and it was to the far left of his stomach, too far to be vital. I need to get these wounds treated, though. Energy flew through his body, yet the power of the bullets overpowered the vitality within him, filling him with pain. It was then that he heard a large explosion around him. The stench of war filled his lungs again and he snapped out of his pain filled trance. I’m in the middle of a battlefield. In the middle of a war. I have no time to think-

A man fell to the ground right before him, and he watched as blood erupted out of his back. A bullet moved towards Ed, but he dodged and ran away from them. Blood continued to move out of his body, but it wasn’t about to stop him. He had survived the second great war. He had survived the first. He had fought terrorists and bombings and many other terrible things. He had been shot numerous times. There was nothing to fear. He would escape this one too.

As he ran towards the trees surrounding the fort, Edward thought of what he was to tell the Sworn. They would know as soon as the battle finishes that the French have failed in their invasion of Northern Vietnam. And they would also be prone to asking questions about how he survived. Ed didn’t want to tell them that he had run away, that he had failed in his mission of aiding the French so that communism will not prevail here, yet that might be all he can say. The Sworn have spies everywhere. They probably have spies within this very battlefield. He wondered which side the spies were employed on, though. French or Vietnamese? Edward shook his head. It wouldn’t do to ask questions now. All that he can do is run. He has to. It’s the only way out of all of this.

Another explosion rumbled through the air as the French started yelling to each other. “Fall back!” “Vive la France!” “Keep pushing!” Along with the commands and declarations came screams. The screams of the French and the Vietnamese alike. One man was stabbed in the chest with a knife, another laying on the floor with blood spurting out from his ruptured belly. Dust filled their eyes with an itch they couldn’t control, and it blocked out some of Edward’s vision. Another gun rang out and a shot barely missed his leg, to which he stumbled and almost fell. More bullets came towards him, this time from all sides. As the Vietnamese shot at him, the French shot back at them, all as some commander yelled “Fall back!” among the screams of the dying.

Ed took a long, deep breath, before his skin hardened through the magic flowing through his body. He was running low now, and he knew it. The bullets plattered against his body, stinging him but allowing him to survive for another day. He started sprinting once more, all while he kept a hand over his gun wound. His arm continued to burn as he felt more blood leaking out, yet he didn’t stop. He kept on moving, all as the French began to retreat. Some soldiers shot at him, but their shots missed him, and Edward kept on running. His breathing was hard and he was starting to feel a little light headed, but that wouldn’t stop him now.

One more shot was fired at him before he started to head into the wild forest that surrounded the battlefield. He had started to breathe with his mouth, and he was close to collapsing. It was all he could do to stand by the time he had finally gotten to a small flowing river. He was far away enough from the battlefield by now, he knew. If anyone was coming after him, he could deal with them once he covers his injuries. He looked down towards the wound on his torso and winced. The blood was splattered all over his uniform, and it looked as if it wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. He then moved his arm downwards and analyzed the wound that lay there. It wasn’t too deep, but the red juice was still flowing out. Ed thought for a second and decided that he would need to get this treated now. He couldn’t risk getting an infection, for he would be only the third King to die like that. He would rather not have the ‘textbook of the world’ discussing how the man that had survived two horrific wars died of an illness. He was going to survive this.

Edward kneeled down and cupped some water into his hands, before spreading them around both of his injuries, attempting to wipe the blood away. He then tore off pieces of his uniform and tied them around his waist and arm respectfully. Blood barely creeped out anymore, yet the pain still made him feel like he was in hell. He slowly crawled towards a tree a little bit past the river and leaned against it, before sitting down. He rested his slim body onto the shrub’s thick, moss covered torso, before he sighed. Dave said that if anything went wrong with my mission, as soon as they get news of it they’ll send a plane to me. He looked towards the grass and wiped his wet hands against it. How long did they say it would take to get here…? He lingered on the thought for a moment, before a shred of memory slipped into his mind. Oh yeah, one day after. The plane was to fly near Ha Noi city, before it would land and a rescue party would be sent out to meet him. The Vietnamese aren’t going to be too friendly towards them, though, so a quick rescue is in order. That means that Ed needs to get near the city within the next two days. Even with the speed that the Sworn get their information at, at earliest they’ll find out about the fort coming to a fall by the night. The plan was that Edward would slip away and escape, before making his way to the incoming plane. It was simple, and maybe dangerous, but Ed could pull it off. After all, escaping is the thing that he’s the best at.

After sitting for a few more minutes, Ed picked himself up and slowly started to make his way towards Ha Noi. It would take a long time, but after his energy recuperates he could run at whatever speed he wants to make it there. The slow walk went on for twenty minutes, and he was making good time for a wounded man, when he could feel an overwhelming presence. Something with a large quantity of energy was coming towards him, and he wasn’t sure as to who or what it was. Was it a person, or an animal? Animals can sometimes have large energy capacity, but they can’t use it as thoroughly as men can. For a second, Edward thought that it may be a soldier that also just has high potential. After all, no experienced user would keep their presence out in the open for everyone to see. When hunting your prey, you hide your energy. You hide your thoughts, your intentions. You hide everything and just go for the kill. And so, for a moment, Edward had the naive notion that whatever was coming near him was some man or beast, heading towards their doom.

And when the man stepped out, those thoughts were met with doubt.

He was dressed in the uniform of a North Vietnamese soldier, and his uniform was covered in blood, dirt and mud. He had pale, slim gray eyes which denoted him as an Asian of some kind and a few small scars covered his face, yet he was also handsome. His jaw was well defined and hard as stone, and his nose was small and pale. His lips were large but more elegant than puffy and his hat was tied to a strap that was all around his neck. His thick black hair was in a bun, and his cheeks were red. The moment he walked out, a small grin had formed on his face, filled with smug happiness and enjoyment. This man didn’t look like some stupid childish soldier with an extreme potential for magic. He seemed like he had learned how to use that potential. He nodded.

“King of the world, how do you do?” He said in english. His voice was thick with some type of accent, and was also filled with contempt and anger. It wasn’t too loud, but it wasn’t quiet either, and it commanded your attention all the same. Edward stared at him with suspicious eyes.

“Who are you?” The Vietnamese man watched him for a moment, before squinting.

“I’m no one, Edward Brown. No one at all.” Ed looked down at the rifle he was holding in his hands and his hand crunched into the shape of a fist. He had heard that some people would be out to kill the King for their own glory, but he didn’t think he’d encounter someone like that in such a perilous scenario. His breath started to get heavy as he pushed himself up, which to his surprise, the man let him do. He stood right in front of him, a small smile creeping up all over his face. It sent shivers down Edward’s back. This man’s presence was powerful, and it was then that Ed understood why he made no effort to hide it. He wanted Edward to sense him and start to fret. He wanted to cause panic. Ed got into a stance, putting his right leg behind him and his left arm up. His right arm felt like it was stuck in stone, but he knew he could show no weakness to this man. He’s dangerous. He thought.

“What do you want with me, Mr. No One?” The question seemed to amuse the man.

“You know what I want.”

“No, I don’t.” That was a lie.

“Well, you’ll figure it out soon enough.” The two stood there, staring at each other for a moment, before the man quickly moved the gun and pressed the trigger within a second. A bullet went flying at Ed, who dodged the shot and came rushing at him. The bullet wound next to his stomach still ached, yet he moved as fast as he could, magic coursing through his legs, and then his left arm. Another shot came moving towards him, filling him with a dread that immediately evaporated when he dodged it and kept moving. He stopped right in front of the man, who crushed the rifle with his bare hands and let it fall to the ground as Edward’s fist came sprinting at him. Smart move. He doesn’t want me to take it from him. Edward punched the man right in his chest, sending him tumbling away. His back pounded against a tree, and he opened his eyes to see Ed’s fist moving down towards his head.

He raised his arms and moved them into a cross. His arms were glowing as Ed punched him as hard as he could, before the Vietnamese man raised his leg and sent it flying at Edward’s. Ed grunted and started to fall as his legs caved underneath him. The man raised his hand, but instead of going in for a punch, he let Edward fall on his palm. Ed grunted as the man caught him with his hand, before he felt energy gathering within it. Fuck, he caught me! He was about to jump back when a small eruption of magic came onto his chest, filling him with pain and a new injury. He slid back as the man rose up, a serious look on his face.

“You can’t be the king…” He grimaced. “The king could never be this weak.” Edward stared at him and shook his head.

“Any attempt to get me angry will result in failure.” He focused and let the natural energy around him sink into his hands. He imagined the shape of a gun, the inner workings of it and everything he could bring himself to think about, before he let out a sigh and brought his hand up. The man grit his teeth and rushed at Ed, who saw that he was holding something within his hand. A sword! The energy sword was flung at him, barely touching Ed’s skin as he lept away and aimed at his opponent. He fired five shots, with only one of them hitting their target. Right in his torso, a hole appeared in his clothing, along with the color red. It was surprising that he didn’t say a single thing. Instead, he dodged the rest of the shots and came running at the King, dodging one last shot, before he appeared right in front of Ed for another blow.

Ed raised his left arm, as the gun shifted into a sword. He couldn’t spare any more energy on such a hard thing to form. The sword was easier to create, yet it was a little harder to use. What was making the situation a problem, however, were his injuries and his low energy. If I was in good condition, this fool would be dead within one attack… Yet, he wasn’t, and it was up to Ed to now defend himself with his sword. He moved it down to block, when the man disappeared and for a moment, Ed was confused…until his left arm was sent flying.

My arm! The red liquid burst out of the stump that was now his arm as Edward screamed in pain, only for the man to send him flying with a kick to the back. My arm! He slid on the mud filled floor, his back stained with grass and muck. My arm! His arm felt like it had been plunged in fire, and he screamed and screamed as tears welled up in his eyes. My arm! The man walked towards him with a cold look. He stood tall over him, his shadow cast over his body. He seemed like a giant at that moment. The man shook his head as Edward kept on yelling. “MY ARM!”

“Pathetic.” He muttered. He dropped down to his knees and leaned over Edward’s bloody body. He put his sword to his neck and took a deep breath. “Quiet down, you blubbering fool.”

“What did you just call me?!” Ed got out, in between his shouts of pain. He looked down towards the stump that was now his arm and more tears started to push their way out of his eyes.

“I called you a fool. Now, be quiet, unless you want to die, here and now.” He pushed the blade a bit closer to his neck, and in that moment Ed looked deep into his quiet eyes. He realized that this wasn’t just a threat. He would do what he promised if he didn’t stop. But the pain was just too much. It filled every part of his body with a sensation that Edward would never wish anyone, even his worst enemy. He couldn’t stop, Ed knew. And the man knew it too. He moved his leg back before kicking the bloodied stump, sending Edward into an even deeper spiral of suffering.

“You…bloody…bastard-!” He yelled, barely attempting to get the words out.

“Call me what you will.” The blade pressed half an inch closer, and a small cut formed in Ed’s neck. It cried out, sending a single droplet of blood falling down towards the wet floor. “Quiet.” He commanded. Edward kept yelling, but after a minute or two of his screams, he couldn’t bear to hear himself anymore. He bundled the pain within himself, barely able to contain its power. The man seemed content.

“Edward Brown. King of the world. The true victor of the second world war. And the murderer of the previous King.” Edward’s eyes opened wide, filled with confusion.

“Wha-”

“You became the King by killing the previous one and kickstarting another Holy war, one that you were sure you could win.” The man moved his sword away from the neck and sent it flying into his right arm, digging right into the remnant of the gunshot from before. Ed screamed once more. “Do you deny it?! Do you have the guts to deny that you killed him?!” Ed couldn’t bring himself to say it. He knew it to be true, but he didn’t want to say it. His mind shifted to excuses. The assassins killed him! His blood isn’t on my hands! He tried to say those words, yet all his mouth could do was yell as the sword kept on entering his wounds. “Do you deny killing Ren Ayato?!” Yes! “Do you!?”

“No!” He yelled. The moment he did, the man stopped plunging the sword into the bullet hole, now opened even more. The injury had a brown sort of color creeping into it, and flesh was everywhere with blood coming along for the ride. Spit and drool was all over his mouth as the man stared at him with the most hateful eyes Ed had ever seen. He shook with terror and pain as he opened his mouth to speak once more. “I…I did arrange for his murder. I won’t deny it. But-!” His right arm was gone in that instant. It lay right where it did before, only with a velvet colored slice existing between the new stump and the arm in front of it. He screamed once more. I’ve lost both of them! His thoughts wandered to what would happen if he survived this. I’ve lost my life! He imagined the hospital, the forced resignation and eventual death at the hands of the Sworn that would come with that. No King could be allowed to live past their job, for the secrets they know is too much for anyone else to know.

“Why did you kill him?” He moved the sword into the injury in his ribs and dug it in deep, causing more blood and screams to come out of Ed. “Why?!”

“He…was a weak king!” Edward coughed out. “He let the second war start! He wasn’t any help to anyone!” The sword went in even deeper and Ed grit his teeth and shook his head in an attempt to shake off the pain. Yet, his attempt didn’t work. It was then that Edward realized he wasn’t escaping this alive. He was done for. This man was going to torture him until he can’t even think anymore, before killing him. And so, he decided to confess to his crimes. “I had to seize power in order to protect everyone! Ren Ayato had to die! ...And don’t think that I don’t regret it, every single day of my life…” He muttered at the very end. “I had no choice…”

Ed’s head started spinning as memories from the past fourteen years resurfaced in his mind. He had trained to become as strong as he possibly could when it came to magic, so that when the next Kingstone war began, he could win with ease. He wanted to help protect people. Yet, when he saw what the current King was doing…letting Hitler and his Nazi’s get away with their horrible actions…allowing the great depression to set in…he couldn’t watch anymore. And that’s when the King died. Yet, it wasn’t at Edward’s hands, it was the twin assassins he sent after him during one of his missions. “It wasn’t my fault…”

His opponent had no sympathy for his whispers. “You’re right. You did have no choice.” Ed looked up at the man through teary eyes. He understands? “So you should know that I have none too.” He moved the sword towards Edward’s neck and a grim smile appeared on his face. Ed’s eyes widened with shock, his body shaking at the prospect of death awaiting him.

“No…no, please! Please! I’ll do anything! Don’t kill me! Please!” He knew that his pleas for mercy were pathetic. They would change nothing. He had set his mind on this, but he couldn’t help but beg for mercy. He wanted to go back home to Britain. He wanted to sleep in a soft, warm bed along with some whore he could find on the street. He wanted to do so much more. “Please, I’m begging you!” The man shook his face, but the satisfied look on his face was enough to tell Edward something that he wouldn’t have expected before. The bastard is enjoying this!

“Before I kill you,” He said as the blade drew closer. “I want to tell you something.” Edward shook his head and started crying more and more. “You reap what you sow, Edward Brown. My name is Hiro Ayato.” Ayato?! “And this was your fate since the moment you killed my father.” Ed shook as more and more blood leaked out of his dirty wounds, now starting to be surrounded by pus and dried blood. He shook with fear, longing and regret. The man named Hiro raised the blade slowly, letting the sight of him sink into Edward’s red, swollen eyes. After a minute, he then started to bring the blade down on the King.

Oh…so this is it… The blade swung close and started to touch his neck. This is how it ends… It slowly started to carve out some of his flesh, with blood streaming out over it. I’m dying in some nameless forest in Northern Vietnam. Me, the King of the world… He could feel the blade beginning to reach a quarter into his neck, fleshy entrails and his vocal cords spreading itself thin all over the sword, before falling to the ground. I just wish that… His eyes started to close as the sword got to the halfway point. I just wish… Tears mixed with blood and fell onto the sword, along with red trails of skin. That I never went and… The sword flew through the rest of his neck, sending his head flying to the ground.

Edward never got to finish his final thoughts.