1. The Journey Begins

THE JOURNEY BEGINS SAGA

1. The Journey Begins:

The sun shone down it's golden rays, Sebastian let out a low sigh as he looked out at the horizon. His blond hair moved in waves with the wind, his ocean blue eyes fixated on the path ahead of him.

He took another look at his map. His journey would be long before he would reach his destination.

The first location on his map was the scorching skull, a desert with untold dangers. It would cut a month's journey by a week.

Domino his stallion gave a soft neigh, he looked away from the map to see a group of men on horses approaching him.

Bandits, he thought.

He counted five, nothing he couldn't handle on his own. He urged his horse on as he continued boldly.

The had their swords drawn. Sebastian merely bowed his head as he passed by them, hoping that if he ignored them things wouldn't go out of hand.

"Hey kid!" One of them barked. "Can't you pay your respects?"

"Yeah!" Said another. "Dishonoring your elders can bring you bad luck."

"And no one would want that to happen to such a fine young boy like you." Another said.

Sebastian continued to head on.

"Damn bastard!" The first said as he rode his horse to Sebastian and stopped in front of him.

Sebastian still kept his head down, avoiding any form of eye contact.

"That's a fine horse you got there." The bandit said.

Sebastian ignored him.

"Hey Turnbet!" The third one yelled out, "Cut out his balls and make him bleed and maybe then he'll talk."

The bandit called Turnbet only smiled and said, "You know Kam I was just about to suggest the same thing too." He pulls out a sickle from his side and waves it in the air. "How about an eye ball, eh?"

He swings his sickle for Sebastian with all his might. Sebastian stops his hand at the last moment much to Turnbet's surprise.

"Oh the boy can dance", Turnbet let's out a cackle as he tries to pull back his hand.

Huh? Why is this little boy's grip so damn strong?

"Let go of me", he screams as he feels Sebastian's grip around his hand tighten.

Sebastian frees him and watches him fall off his horse. "Sorry but I'm on the clock." Sebastian says.

Turnbet crashes on the ground with a thump. He looks up thinking to see the face of a hardcore fighter but to his surprise he finds the boy smiling back at him with his teeth glimmering in the light.

What shocked him wasn't his smile but the friendly look he had on his face, it showed no hostility in any way.

Are you kidding me? He asked himself. What's wrong with this kid? Doesn't he know he's being robbed.

Kam yells out, "Turnbet! What was that?"

Turnbet picks his sickle back up and rises to his feet. "Don't know but i am not going to let this one slide."

Sebastian hops off his horse and stands before Turnbet, looking him eye to eye. "I didn't want to do this but you forced me." He takes out his handkerchief and dusts the dirt off the bandit, "Sorry! I didn't mean that, it was just my reflex kicking in."

The mouths of the bandits fell wide open in shock, was the boy plain stupid or was it just a ruse?

"Hey kid", one of the bandits yells out as he hops off his horse. "Whatever plan you're plotting, I'm not falling for it."

Kam hops off his horse and pulls out his sword. "Tyrant, I don't like this kid." He says to the other.

Sebastian runs his hand through his hair as he takes a step back. "I already apologized. What else could you want?" He shakes his head in a confused manner. "If it's money you want I have none on me, but if you wait here till I get back I promise I'll bring some."

Turnbet snapped, "Hey kid! Who do you think we are?"

Sebastian ran his hand through his hair again, "By the looks of it you are actors with really crappy props or low level criminals who can't afford to make ends meet."

Turnbet felt his eyes twitch, what pissed him off more than the boy's answers was his voice, his face, his smile. Especially that smile, he looked too innocent to be that stupid.

"That's it!" Turnbet yelled at the top of his voice as he raises his sickle, "I'm getting rid of this fucker!"

Sebastian plants his fist on Turnbet's face throwing him off his feet and into the air. "Please watch your language."

Everyone was shocked by how quickly his voice had changed. He had gone from a kind hearted boy to a hardened man.

Turnbet hit the ground and rolled back a couple feet before coming to a stop. The other bandits charged at Sebastian with their weapons in the air.

Sebastian let out a light puff of air as he ran his hand through his hair again. "Very well then." He turns back and raises his right hand to his eyes view. "Argen Wrath", he says in a loud firm voice.

As he says this a long red blade appears in his hand. On it's body gold intricate carvings, the entire sword looked to be made of a red material.

He brings his hand down in a fast motion cutting the air before him in half. The wind pressure or it knocked them off course.

"Return!" As he says this the sword gives out sparks of red before vanishing.

"How did you do that?" A voice say from behind him.

"Eh?" He turned back to see another one of the bandits. The last one, from the looks of it, it was a girl. She must have snuck behind him. "Sorry about your friends, miss?" He stretches his hand out for a shake.

In an attempt to protect herself she swings her flail at him. "Get away from me monster." She suddenly feels his arm wrapped around her neck.

When did he get behind me? She asked herself.

"You killed them you monster", she yelled out.

Sebastian takes the flail from her, "They are still alive, see." He points to their unconcious bodies just feet away, scattered.

"Why don't you kill me now?"

He pats her on the head, "I never hit a woman, besides you shouldn't cut your hair this short. It almost threw me off."

Eh? She was confused now. Why was he talking like he was her big brother?

He lets her go and ruffles her hair, "A true lady keeps her hair because it's her pride."

She feels her cheek flush with embarrassment.

He brushes his horse's mane, "What's your name?"

"Tri...Trina", why did she answer him.

"Hah?"

"Caterina ", she raises her voice.

She turns her back and looks at the young man, she feels a thump in her chest. His blond hair, his ocean blue eyes, his light complexion and that killer smile. Why was he so good looking? Even his hand was soft and tender as she shook it.

"You're a lovely girl Caterina, but..." He looks at the bodies of the bandits.

She rubs her thumbs together, she was tensed. It was the first time she was in the presence of a dashing young man that hadn't been beaten to a pulp or killed.

"They're the family I grew up with as a kid", she said in her defense. "They took me in and raised me."

"In the dishonest art of thievery I see." Sebastian added.

He walked up to her where the stood on her guard and placed his hand in hers, "I meant what I said earlier Caterina so I'll be keeping this in your care till I return with the money."

He walked back to his horse and mounted it.

She looked down in her hands to see a golden pendant with carvings she had never seen before. "This seems to be something precious to you."

"It is." He said with a smile.

"So you're expecting me to keep this without selling it?"

"Yup!" He says with a smile.

She runs up to him before he sets his horse in motion. "Why are you giving this to me? You know we did try to rob you a minute ago."

He looks into her eyes and says, "I've taken a liking to you Caterina."

"Why?" Why would a stranger have such a strange attitude?

"Why me?"

"That's because I've like you", he gives her a big smile with his teeth glimmering in the light.

"But..."

"You remind me of someone very dear to me", he cuts her off.

"Who?"

"My sister." He says as he kicks his horse in motion.

"Who? Me?" She watches him ride away. "Wait! What is your name?!" She yelled after him.

"Sebastian", he yelled back as he rode his horse farther away from her.

Her eyes shot up.

Did he just say Sebastian? Could he be that same Prince Sebastian of Gandigos? Gandigos was in the exact same direction he was coming from.

She stood there with the golden medallion in hand as she watched the young man disappear off from view unable to reach a conclusion with the previous encounter.

Sebastian could see it up ahead, he was almost there. Moments later he crossed into the Scorching Skull desert, charging as fast as he could.

He had to catch up to them, before they went too far.

"Sister", he said to himself, "stay strong. Your brother is on his way."

...

Minutes has passed since he last saw any sign of life and he hoped it would stay that way at least.

All if a sudden his horse comes to an abrupt stop, almost throwing him off.

"What is it now?" He whispered.

He froze in shock at the hooded figure up ahead.

The air grew thick all of a sudden with a strange force that seemed to emanate from the lone figure.

The world seemed to come to a stop in that instant, he could feel a very powerful aura entrapping him.

Covered in midnight black cloak and hood, a purple sash around the waist. Every part of the figure's body was concealed except for it's right hand which looked human and bearing a long wooden staff looking extremely ancient.

He who the mysterious stranger was.

Sebastian climbed down his horse, he was on his guard. The moment his feet touched the ground he feels a cool wind hit him. He exhales lightly as the chill runs up his spine.

A chill in a desert? He thought to himself. This guy seems like trouble. I better deal with him as soon as possible.

"Excuse me Mister, you might not have noticed but you're in my way." Sebastian said with as much spunk as he could muster.

He couldn't tell if the stranger was ignoring him or trying to intimidate him but the air in his lungs were starting to freeze. "Mister you're starting to tick me off."

Sebastian was shocked as in an instant everything around him fades out. He was now in a world of blackness, beneath him was a bed of blackness. The desert was gone, so was his horse. Now Sebastian was on edge but he maintenance his charisma.

Sebastian felt a strong sense of detachment he could not explain, something deep down told him he was somewhere distant.

There was no sky, no wind, no sun all that was around him was the blackness filled with billions of tiny twinkling lights that looked a lot like stars.

The hooded figure still stood there unmoving. "Young Prince of Gandigos, we meet at last." The hooded figure said in a voice that seemed to have aged over hundreds of years.

Sebastian is unfazed by the strangers words, even though he had already sensed that the stranger carried a great power far above his. "Where have you brought me?"

The figure relpies after a long while, "We are outside of reality and time, an endless infinitude known as space."

Sebastian breaths a sigh of relief, "So you're a druid!"

Druids were known to be the most powerful beings in the entire universe. Beings born of time and otherworldly principles, they could see far into the distant future and alter realities, having power that could end and create civilizations.

They had a code of conduct not to interfere in any earthly or human affair unless of great importance to the benefit of the universe, they maintained the balance between the scale of good and evil. A being to not be trifeled with.

Sebastian thinks of why such a powerful figure would want to meet with him.

"Forgive me for not acknowledging your presence great druid", he slams his right fist into his palm and bows his head. "I thank you for gracing me with your presence Great Druid!"

The druid only stared at him from under his hood for a long time before speaking. "Do you think yourself worthy?"

Sebastian gulps down. "If I have in anyway offended you please pardon me." He doubted if druids were forgiving but he still had to show courtesy.

Sebastian sighed in frustration, he was sure that minutes had passed. The druid stayed there like a statue doing nothing, literally absolutely nothing!

"Why are you here?" The moment he says this he falls to his knees.

Sebastian feels a strong pressure pressing him down, it felt like gravity had ganged up on him with all it's power.

"Please...stop", he says.

But the pressure only doubles on him forcing him further down.

"Who are you?"

"What?" Who am I?

"Who are you?"

Kaldor's words sound like a loud boom, ancient and enigmatic.

Sebastian feels the weight on his back increase. "I am Prince Sebastian of Gandigos!" He says. The pressure doesn't subside, it seemed the druid wasn't done with him.

"WHO ARE YOU?"

Sebastian looks up at the druid now before him, "Who am I?"

What would he say? He already said who he was, if he wasn't who he was then who was he?

"I don't know." He managed to say.

All of a sudden the pressure drops and his lungs open back up, letting air in.

"Your destiny is a long and important one", Kaldor says, "the time for legends to awaken is nearly upon us and you are an important factor to bring about that awakening, Sebastian Augustus Arkamada."

Sebastian rises to his feet, it was easier to breath now. "Legends?"

Prince Sebastian stands before the mighty Druid Kaldor for a revelation that might determine the fate of his quest and perhaps even his destiny.

"I don't understand a thing you're saying", Sebastian replied.

"Then you should try listening", the druid merely says.

"I am listening."

"Are you?" The druid asks after a long time passed.

It was then Sebastian really thought out what those words might mean. He calmed himself and said. "I am now."

The druid takes a step closer to him before stopping. "Who are you?"

Not this again.

"If you cannot give an answer to that question then you will never take the first step."

First step in what?

"You have a great destiny ahead of you one bearing great significance to this world", the druid said.

Sebastian stared at the enigmatic druid, eyes fixated in determination. He could feel a significance in the druids words but he could not grasp it. For a druid to show up it must have meant something important, he was important to the druid somehow.

But how?

"The answer to that question is the veil that hides your destiny, unravel it and the path will become clear." The druid finally says after a long while.

"You came all this way to tell me that? Why?" he asked.

In the blink of an eye the space world vanishes and he is back in the desert. To his surprise he falls on his back, his leg seemed to be a bit weak.

It took him a while for his eyes starts to adjust to the light but the moment he does he finds the druid crouched down before him.

Sebastian had heard tales of men dying after seeing a druid's face. How would he know if they were true? He was just a kid.

Staring at the druid's eyes he found something. It wasn't inhumane or alien at all, it was perfectly human. It looked aged but also full of youth at the same time.

The two grey eyes stared back at him with compassion or at least that was what it looked like. The eyes seemed to tell a story he couldn't discern.

It felt like the druid was trying to pass something or was it just just his imagination.

He watched Kaldor take out his right hand, "What are you doing?" He asked.

The druid places his hand on the young prince's chest and in that second he feels himself burst open a million times over through each pore, then the feeling vanishes almost immediately as if it never occured.

"Follow your heart and trust your mind and all will be clear to you", said Kaldor who was now feets away.

"Wait! I feel like we've met before", Sebastian yelled out, "well have we?"

The moment he blinks the druid vanishes.

Sebastian feels his horse nudge him on his head, "I'm fine Domino just confused."

He reaches with his hand to feel his chest, "What was that all about?"

He tries to shake the feeling off him but one question still rings again in his head.

"Who am I?" He asked himself. "If I am to begin this journey, I have to find out what that really means."

The Journey he had set his mind to was a long and dangerous one, it was something he had already anticipated. He couldn't turn back now, the stakes were just too high.

To understand the path he had set his mind on, he had to recall his past and how he had gotten to where he was now.