Chapter I — The End of the Beginning
Prologue
A concurrent abyss that clouds the mind.
An inferno that traverses the soul.
The burden that whispers to the body.
The inequity that unfolds time.
Amidst normality arises the omen of the end,
which bends all means to render your reluctant desires unyielding.
And no truth is clearer: all seems to lead toward a single path—an end.
Yet only what holds meaning rejuvenates the soul.
For if losing oneself means losing one’s essence,
then it is not the true path.
The end of the beginning is but the prelude to your story,
written in ink that fades.
All will continue.
It is only a pause.
Cherish the wind that caresses your face,
the warmth exuding from your convictions,
the gaze that little by little clears the shadows,
and time, which calms your doubts.
⸻
The Soldier’s Vigil
In a minefield of doubt, Eok lifts his gaze toward the gray sky.
The drizzle trickles down his rusted helm;
the drops resemble tears coursing down his cheeks.
From his eyes are born questions,
mingling with the rain.
Only his conviction remains,
draining away in the dense fog of uncertainty.
There is no clear road.
Dreams scatter into shattered fragments,
like a bird with broken wings
longing to fly, yet never taking flight.
And if the world that turns above him becomes gray,
hope will still gleam within his being—
a beam of light after the storm.
Though for now, unseen.
By the barren causality of time,
he must cross uncertain paths.
It will depend on him not to lose himself
in hollow promises or inexorable excuses.
So march, soldier.
There is a struggle to be fought,
a war to be won...
and a thousand battles to be lost.
⸻
The Birth of the Legend
Eok, the valiant knight of unyielding resolve, stood firm in the campaign of the Red Forest, waging an unrelenting battle against the vile hosts of darkness.
By his hand, the tide of evil was checked, forced to recoil, cowed at the edge of ruin. Yet Kakus, the vile lord of malice, in one last act of defiance, sought to shatter Eok’s noble resolve.
He invoked the dreaded power of the Corrupt, bent on unleashing relentless devastation. But his foul design was thwarted by Eok, the shadowed champion who bore the grace of light.
Determined to end the lord of darkness once and for all, Eok raised his sword for the final strike. Yet in his dying breath, Kakus turned his vile energy upon a nearby village, seeking to spread destruction even as he fell.
Upon witnessing this,
Eok—with unmatched resolve and divine courage— absorbed the impious power within himself, sealing it for all eternity.
Thus he became the bearer of an eternal curse, destined to shoulder the corruption of the world.
And so the legend was born—
Eok, thenceforth known as Eoksadberg,
the eternal guardian of the earth’s unyielding impurity.
⸻
Epilogue of the Hero
And in his final breath, Eok whispers,
expecting no answer:
*I feel the searing, crushing weight of my thoughts,
suffocating every corner of my mind,
tearing the air from my lungs
like echoes of what I have lost along the way.
I look at my reflection, and scarcely recognize myself—
a stranger inhabiting my own body—
and suddenly I understand:
At what moment did I cease to smile?
Where has my will gone?
When did my dreams begin to fade?
Into what abyss did my desires fall?*
