The Dacia (Day-shi-a) continent, a land covered in wonder and mystery, or at least it used to be. After the disappearance of the dragons, fey, and most other magical races, more than 10,000 years ago, strange occurrences begun to arise. Visary, or natures gift that fueled both Magic and Qi, had begun to wane, all until it seemed to barely fizzle in comparison to days of yore. Qi could no longer heal lost limbs or even broken bones as quickly as it once did. More and more energy was required to fuel spells and some would work only at half their strength. It had gotten so bad in recent years that some old spells were regarded as those of legends and myths because no one had the capability to conjure them anymore. The ferocious and regal beasts of the wild that had once roamed the lands were nowhere to be found. Though every once in a while, one might be lucky, or unlucky, enough to see one of the ferocious beast, that had been rumored to wander the lands in the time of the dragons, wander around the outskirts of the great Hydrus Mountain Range. Even though many people were afraid that the great beasts would one day surge from the mountains, none had so much as strolled farther than a few kilometers from the huge mountain range which divided the enormous Dacia continent; yet the beastly roars that reverberated across the mountains and its surrounding still left many wondering what sort of powerful creatures inhabited these long-forgotten mountains. The bards and minstrels that used to wander the land singing and recounting various adventures begun to reduce in number one by one. The worries of the Dragon Era had disappeared and in the present, The Expansion Age, humans have begun to expand their reaches and fights for territory have been on the rise. As the threat of monsters, decreased and peace prospered for a short while, it didn’t take long for humans to flourish and for various kingdoms to rise and fall. Some however, dating back to even when the dragons roamed the land, or so it’s said by the Whispering Scholars, began to look beyond its borders. In the last 6 years the Holy Dragon Empire has lost two of their most influential generals. The first, Devin, the third son of the Emperor himself, who was lost during an expedition to rid the empire's lands of “ferocious” beasts that had strayed too close into their territory from the Hydrus Mountain Range. Though through his death, the empire used the loss of their Third Prince to serve as a catalyst for a second invasion against the Savage Plains in recent history, the first which was a failed attempt that had happened around 10 years ago. This incurred the wrath from the Twin Boulder generals from the northern tribe of the Savage Plains, the Bears of Talahm, who are allied with the gatekeeper tribe known as the Ignis Imugi. During what would later be called the Second Wave of the Dragon, the Twin Boulder generals, along with the Serpent of the South, charged into the horde sent by the Holy Dragon Empire and captured the commanding General Dallin Tazo, who was later executed a top of the renowned gate that had withstood countless invasions since creation, the Serpents Maw. The Empire admitting their defeat withdrew their forces but began a widespread search across their lands for someone. Not much was known by the general public, besides an announcement that they were looking for an assassin who killed Devin whilst on his expedition. The assassin, who happened to be from the Savage Plains, was the reason the Holy Dragon Empire had tried to invade into the Savage Plains to avenge their fallen General and Third Prince. Although the Empire put all their resources to use, they were unable to find the culprit who is still on the run to this day.

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Unbeknownst to the rest of the world, within the Hydrus Mountain Range, a young child was hiding within the bushes, somewhere in a great forest that lay surrounded by the mountains. Though the child had a playful smile on his face it was betrayed by his serious eyes as he aimed his bow towards his prey. Slowly breathing, trying to calm his excitement, he steadied his aim. As his small hand let go of the bowstring, the arrow flew straight towards an unassuming green striped rabbit. The boy could not help but feel nervous as he had already been out for more than 2 hours and had yet to hit his mark. Though this time, whether it be that the heavens were smiling for him or because his tenacious effort had finally paid off, the arrow hit his prey. Jumping out from the bush he could not help but scream with excitement. His surroundings, which had once been quiet and tranquil, filled with noises of birds and other small creatures as they were startled and began to move away from the source of the sound. He quickly covered his mouth, as to not startle the rest of the animals. He hurried over to his prey, checking that the small rabbit had already perished, and quickly stuffing it into his small leather pouch that lay on his back. The boy’s tan skin seemed to glow as he passed small slivers of light shining through the gaps of the tall trees of the forest, heading towards his uncle’s cottage. Though still small and slowly closing in on his 7th birthday, the child had grown up in this great forest and knew it like no other. The forest had become his second home. He sprinted across the trees with monkey like agility, swinging and jumping from one tree to another. As he approached the small wooden hut he had learned to call home, placed next to a river surrounded by trees, a rugged adult man, who look to be around his late 30’s at best, stood up from his chair, glancing into the depths of the forest.

“You completed your daily task? I must say this is your 5th successful hunt in a row, it seems you have started to get better at hunting Zephyr Rabbits.” The voice of the man was serene and rhythmic, giving off a calm and peaceful atmosphere.

“Hehehe, yes Uncle Yian! I’m finally getting the hang of it. I think they’re getting used to me hunting them now though and are starting to detect me a lot quicker than before.”

There was a bit of sadness in the voice of the child, as he remembered how the rabbits used to play with him before his 6th birthday. Once he had turned 6 his Uncle had declared that he would have to hunt a rabbit, or any other creature within his capabilities, every other day. On the off day, he would have to find a full bag of medicinal herbs. At first the child had tried to go against his uncle decree, but he soon found out that doing so would only lead to not receiving food for the day, since the prey he caught would be his meal. His uncle assured him that for the first six months he would teach him the basics of tracking, identifying some more discernable and common medicinal herbs, and how to utilize a bow. So for six months Raiden trained, at first the training had seemed mundane to him. Reading books about herbs in the morning, going out to the forest to learn about tracking and then small amounts of arm strength training along with shooting his bow at faraway trees in the afternoon. Soon though he discovered that his arms began to tire, and became sore the next morning. His uncle, although harsh, only pushed Raiden as far as he knew the child could go. Like this Raiden learned from his Uncle Yian for six months. The first month Raiden would slump about the cabin tired after his training, though shortly after he became used to the activities and vigor filled his body.

The first few days after little Raiden’s training had ended were the harshest. He had been starved of any food for days, only to notice the wild berries that inhabited the great forest which surrounded his home. He began to make a small maps, depicting the various locations and types of berries he found along the days, double checking with his uncle to see whether or not the berries were safe to eat. Once, after having eaten a light pink berry, which he later learned was called Polar Drop, his uncle had found him passed out somewhere within the forest. He had gone to look for the child after getting worried because he had not seen Raiden for more than half a day, when usually the child would make several trips back to the cabin to store his discoveries and update his map. Due to his inability to successfully hit a Zephyr Rabbit with an arrow, on his days off hunting, his uncle would provide him with meat and teach him how to cook. The meat prepared by his uncle was nothing special, but as he had been told many times before, “Hunger is the best spice. When there is hunger, there is no such thing as ‘hard’ bread.”

This continued throughout the first month, Raiden had nothing to eat but berries and burnt meat, with the occasional well roasted meat. One day, he asked what meat his uncle was feeding him, to which the uncle answered.

“Ciwa (Zi-Wa) Fox meat, though I hope at some point in the future you grow tired of it, and decide to make a better effort while hunting to catch your own meat every day.”

Ciwa Fox meat was very dry and tough, while the very rare Zephyr rabbit meat, which he ate those days he was lucky enough to catch one of the rabbits, was tender and had an overall better taste. His suffering didn’t stop there. He began to notice that his uncle would prepare himself a different type of meat. The mere aroma of it would cause his mouth to waterfall. The smell which danced around the small cabin, which had once been invisible to him, began to haunt his very dreams. Raiden gave into temptation and asked what meat his uncle was eating, and if he could have a small bite. His uncle pondered the question for a while before answering.

“Hmmmm… well I suppose this will serve to motivate you to hunt better. Here, this one is Ogun Squirrel meat and the other is Purple Heart Deer meat. Both have been marinated and spiced. Later, when you are able to at least catch a Single Tusk Boar or frequently catch Zephyr Rabbits, I will teach you how to better prepare your food.”

The following months were similar, filling Raiden slowly with frustration. Eventually, we arrive to the present moment. Only one month left until Raiden’s 8th birthday. He began to show his increasing proficiency in hunting with a bow. Not only that, but the child could now name and describe most of the medicinal herbs, berries and a few poisonous herbs, which he had been unfortunate enough to stumble upon, that where within a 5 kilometer radius from his uncles home. His favorite, the Polar Drop, a small light pink berry, had various uses, ranging from a sleeping sedative, to a minor healing brew. His favorite use of the berry, however, was eating it alongside another berry called Blue Zin. The two would counteract each other’s small poisonous effect, and deliciously burst into flavor.

“So Uncle Yian, can you teach me how to make my meat yummy like yours?”

Raiden’s innocent voice seemed to pierce his uncle’s heart. Truthfully Yian had been restraining himself and truly hated having to make his nephew go through this harsh training and lifestyle, yet he knew that this child’s life would be even more dangerous than what he could imagine, so he could only prepare him as best he knew, just how his father had trained him and his older brother.

“Alright Raiden, since it’s almost time for your birthday I’ll teach you how to better prepare your food. Furthermore, you won’t have to hunt nor collect any plants as regularly. It’s a little early, but you seem to learn quickly, so I’ll begin to teach you about our world and how to read and write. So, from now on, you will only have to hunt and collect herbs twice a month, on the days of your choosing, but you have to finish both, your hunting and your herb collection on that same day. This means that you must acquire at least a small bags worth of herbs, of which I would prefer you stuck to the medicinal herbs, and hunt at least one or two animals before nightfall. The rest of the month, you will be doing one day of writing practice and one day in which I will teach you about the Dacia Continent, and a little bit about your homeland, the Savage Plains.”

“But, Uncle Yian, aren’t you mistaken? Wasn’t I born in the Holy dragon Empire?” Raiden’s eyes flickered with a curiosity. Up until this day, his uncle had only told him that he was from the Holy Dragon Empire, and that his parents had died protecting him. Every time the child asked for more information or stories about the outside world, his uncle would always change the subject, never giving Raiden any information about his parents or his own youth.

“Yes Raiden, you were originally born in the Empire, but let me make one thing clear to you before I start explaining more complex matters; the Holy Dragon Empire will NEVER be your home.”