Prologue:

A world in perfect harmony and perfect balance. It's what we all hope and strive for in this world. We had that balance, that perfect harmony. That was.. until this happened. A tyrant came into our land, took over our sacred cities, and took out anyone who could possibly stand in his way. Now it lies with me, and anyone who will follow me, to reclaim our lands from this tyrant. My name is not important, what I do and what I stand for are important. I stand for freedom, balance, and harmony. This is what I am, and this is what I will accomplish.

CHAPTER 1: A City Under Siege

I awoke suddenly, having heard a loud slamming noise. I got up from my bed, half dressed and began to walk towards my door. Men burst through the door, blades at the ready. They quickly surrounded me before I could even react. I was struck in the back of the head, and rendered unconscious. I awoke several hours later, being tossed around in a wooden carriage. My hands and feet were tied, and there were three armed swordsman in with me. Other than them, I was completely alone. I struggled to break free, but it was no use. The men glared at me, and I could tell by their red and gold uniforms, that they were not of the Seven Cities.

I struggled to free myself, but I received a hard kick in the side. One of the men had come forward and struck me.

"You don't 'ave to worry for too long. We're almost there." One of the men still sitting said, smiling. "We're putting y'all out of yer misery."

"And what do you mean by that?" I glared at the man.

"We kno' all about ye Takeshi." The man had a slight accent, but it wasn't anything major, just a hint. "We're taking out anyone that would stand in our way, and ye just happen to be on the list."

There wasn't anything I could do at this point. Three against one tied up man, the odds were against me. The carriage began to slow, and crawled forward. Wherever they were taking me, we had to be close. I was sure of it. I spun, lifting my legs and kicking the man who had kicked me. He struck the wall of the carriage, and broke through the flimsy wood siding. One down, two to go. Without hesitation, the other two rushed forward. I kicked off the back wall, tripping one of them and rolling the side to avoid being struck by the blade of the second.

"We were gunna make an example out of all ye, but I think I'll just kill ya now!" The man swung his blade down upon me, grazing my shoulder. I managed to slide a bit farther, avoiding being struck fatally. I spun, knocking his sword away and grabbing it with my arms behind my back. I held it and cut my feet loose quickly, as both men got back to their feet. The carriage was coming to a complete halt now, whether we were arriving or not, I did not know. I kicked the first man out of the back door of the carriage, and ducked a horizontal slash from the other. I ran backwards, stabbing the blade I had stolen into the carriage wall. I used it to cut my ropes, then grabbed the sword from the wall and held it in front of myself with my right hand.

"Aha! You aren't a match for me!" I lunged forward towards the man, our swords clashing together at a downward angle.

"I'm gunna kill ye!" The man shouted.

"You can try." I smiled and pushed forward. The man lost balance for a moment, and I kicked forward with my right leg. The attack struck him in the stomach and propelled him backwards out of the carriage. I jumped out after him, taking a glance around. We were in the center of the first city, Musa. There was a large crowd gathered, made up of both soldiers in red and gold, and ordinary citizens. Whoever was doing this, was going to make a point by killing people. I ran into an alley, several soldiers pursuing me. Think Takeshi! I though to myself. I was still half dressed, long johns and socks, so I wouldn't fit into a crowd. I turned left, then left once more. Hiding seemed like the best thing to do. I slammed through a door and into a house. Nobody home. I shut the door behind me and bolted up a set of wooden steps. I hid in a nearby closet, sword at the ready.

Nothing happened. A horn sounded outside, and I came out of hiding and went to the window. I was half hidden, but it seemed that everyone's attention was on the city square, where many men were on their knees, tied as I had been.

"Let this be a warning to anyone who oppose us!" A man in black yelled to the crowd, as several soldiers lined up behind the tied up men. They raised their swords and slashed down, killing each and everyone of them.

"Any questions?" The man in black yelled, as gasps and screams filled the crowd, followed by cries and sobbing.

This was the start of something big, and I felt that there was much work to be done. I had sworn an oath to protect this and all seven of the sacred cities from harm, and I had failed my task so far. The city was under siege, and people were dying. And here I was hiding like a coward while others were dying. It was the worst feeling ever, and a feeling I wont soon forget.

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