Personal
Name: Ace IX du Lyon
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Class: Trickster
Rank: C-Rank
Guild: Rune Knights
Tattoo: Golden – Left Shoulder Blade
Face: Chrom – Fire Emblem Awakening
Appearance
Height: 1.90 m.
Weight: 84 Kg.
Hair: Prussian Blue / Purple hue
Eyes: Light Lapis Blue
Overall: Ace has matching blue hair and slightly lighter blue eyes. He normally wears a dark blue coat. It has only one long sleeve for his left arm, leaving his right arm and tattoo uncovered to the air. His coat is adorned with golden embroidery lines that outline his slender and lean figure. He is not too bulky, but has formed some muscle thanks to his arduous training. Ace usually wears a clear, grey colored cape attached to his left side with a shoulder armor piece made of silver. The shoulder plate is adorned with a finely carved design. The cape rests from his left shoulder, falling to the back. Holding it in place are a golden chain that runs across Ace’s chest and white leather straps that cross through his back and front.
Having a laidback personality, Ace does not feel that the stiffness of the knight suits him well, reason for which he keeps his hair a bit messy and his cape is a bit tattered and dirty at times. However, he still wears proudly his finely made clothes and boots to match, mementos of his family’s influence of once. He wears pearl colored gloves on both hands that have fine golden detailed lines along the wrists.
When he is not on duty, Ace likes relaxing by wearing casual civilian clothes. Normally a pair of dark blue pants and a long-sleeved shirt will do. The chances of him wearing casual clothes however, is rather slim, since according to him, you never know when you’ll find an adventure.
Extra: Ace had his family’s house crest tattooed to his right shoulder. He proudly wears it as a member of the Lyon Family.
- Family Crest:
Personality
Personality:
Ace is a rather lively guy. Since he has an adventurous spirit, he doesn’t like being ordered around, a regrettable trait for someone who aspires to become a respected Rune Knight someday. He is sometimes careless and forgetful, usually shrugging off things when he screws up. He likes talking with people and making new friends, perhaps as a response to his deep fear of being alone.
There is also ease in describing Ace with the word noble. Even if he sometimes tries to hide it for embarrassment, he is a kind hearted, honest, true, and loyal man. He will occasionally try and act like tough and cold, but ever since he was little, he had great trouble with lying, reason for which he grew into a terrible liar as he became older. In some sense of the word, Ace can also be described as chivalrous. He has a gentle heart, and doesn’t hold grudges for long. He cares for others dearly, and respects nature as much as he can. Furthermore, his sense of justice is stone solid. As son of a noble family, righteousness is the path he has chosen to follow. He prefers getting himself in danger than letting someone in need for help alone. He will even challenge authorities; every order given his way will first pass through the filter of his morals. If Ace doesn’t believe something is the right thing to do, he will hesitate to follow, or outright refuse to comply.
However, Ace isn’t the naïve and tame type. On the contrary. Growing the youngest of three brothers, Ace learned early on that life is a competition, and only the strongest survive. Since he was a kid, he had to fight with his brothers for a position within his family, which in turn made him into a competitive man. He hates losing and is secretly a mild sore loser, constantly mumbling to himself when he doesn’t get his way. However, this always motivates him to better himself. As he grew older, he personally adopted the motto: “To become the best, you have to train like you’re always the worst.” Furthermore, he is a proud and thick headed person, which combined with his outstanding strong will and ambition, ultimately makes him someone to watch out for.
Even if Ace believes that practice makes the man, he is not always keen on following instructions. He is extremely laidback, which makes him seem as lazy at times. If he is given responsibilities he doesn’t particularly like, 9 out of 10 times he will find a way to scurry away from them, usually persuading someone else to take care of them for him. He prefers wandering about on things that he personally finds like fun. He doesn’t care what or whom it is, if something has caught his attention, his responsibilities are as good as gone.
Likes:
- Reading: Ace enjoys reading constantly. It doesn’t matter the topic; any kind of book will do. Part of his love for reading comes from the countless hours he spent with his brothers in his family’s library. He particularly enjoyed reading when it rained and they were not allowed to play outside.
- Fighting: The youngest sibling of the Lyon family learned that to be respected and taken seriously, he had to earn his place. Lyon tradition states that siblings shall battle for the position of heir; hence their battle training starts from a very young age. For Ace, training how to fight was never an obligation, but rather an enjoyment.
- Gazing at the sky: The starry nights in winter, or the refreshing blue skies of spring in the Kingdom of Peregrande are something that Ace connected with almost instinctively. Even if he now lives in Fiore, he still enjoys laying down to observe the sky, be it day or night.
- Music: Music is regarded as one of the fundamental teachings for noble families in Peregrande. Ace grew up surrounded by musicians and connoisseurs, ultimately leading him to take up on the hobby. Furthermore, the fighting style of the Lyon family and music are closely knitted. After all, Lyon philosophy likens fighting to a delicate symphony.
- Drinking: When both of his brothers came of drinking age, Ace always felt left behind. They enjoyed drinking with his father and the rest of the soldiers at nights in local pubs. Ace had been secretly stealing booze from his parent’s personal cellar to “practice” for when he grew up. Needless to say, the taste of alcohol would always burn his throat to the point of tears. As he finally grew up, he enjoyed drinking in the company of his fellow knight trainees and family. He feels that drinking is an activity that can bring people together to share laughs and their enjoyment of life.
Dislikes:
- Boring tasks: There is just something about doing things that you don’t like that Ace can’t quite swallow. Whenever he has something to do that he has no interest in, he’ll most likely try to find a way to charm his way out. If he can’t escape though, he will do it due to his sense of responsibility. However, you’d better expect that it’ll be grudgingly rather than by conviction.
- The Church of Illumin: Rather than disliking it, Ace more so despises it. Just to clarify though, he’s got nothing against the Illumin religion, but rather against its Church as an institution. Being the culprit behind the destitution of the Lyon family, one of Ace’s only grudges is against the corruption ingrained in this powerful organization. One thing he can’t forget either is the way in which it cowardly shields itself behind the devotion of its faithful believers.
- Losing: Ace hates losing. He is a sore loser through and through. However, he is not the type to actually show it. He’ll normally simply resign to silently pout and mumble to himself in a disgruntled demeanor rather than trying to blame others to justify himself.
- Being told he can’t do something: This is somewhat of an inverse psychology thing with Ace. Whenever he is prohibited from doing something, there is an inhumane need that begins dwelling inside him urging it to do it. For some reason, whenever someone tells him NO, the only thing he can think about is how to turn it into a yes. Not only that, but when someone tells him that achieving something is impossible, Ace will go through arduous lengths just to prove them wrong.
Motivations:
- Becoming a God of War: Ace grew up admiring his bigger brothers. For him, both his siblings were his heroes. Of all the traits they possessed, the thing he admired the most was their ability with the sword. Even at a very young age, both his siblings were recognized and promptly respected by their country for their swordsmanship. Ace always dreamed of achieving such levels of skill himself. However, due to the situation of his family, he is now unable to prove his worth as a swordsman in the army of Peregrande. Either way, now that he lives in Fiore, his biggest desire is to become a God of War just to prove himself and the world that he is in par with his bigger brothers. Deep inside though, what Ace really wants in life is to show everyone that the Lyon house is the cradle of the best sword masters in the world.
- Finding the culprits behind the Lyon family’s downfall: Even though he knows that the Church of Illumin was behind the destitution of his family, Ace wants to find out who were the masterminds behind the plot to taint the honor of the Lyon along with their reasons. As a proud member of the once respected family, Ace won’t rest until he finds the culprits and justice is promptly delivered.
- Restoring the Lyon family honor: Above anything else, Ace wants to restore the name of his family. Once a noble and respected clan, the Lyon are now synonym of shame and dishonor. Ace has taken it upon himself to clear these misunderstandings and leave such a transcendental legacy that the Lyon surname echoes through the edges and ends of history.
Fears:
- To die fameless: Ace is a rather ambitious person, so it is no surprise why fearing to die without anyone to tell about his feats is one of his biggest concerns. Ace believes that something in life worth chasing is to do things so great, that future generations will have no choice but to stare and admire them.
- Breaking his convictions: Ace knows that the world is full of evil and corruption, even more so in positions of influence and power. He is aware that to find out who are responsible for plotting against his family, he must someday infiltrate within these spheres of power. However, one of Ace’s biggest fears is not being certain if he’ll be able to stay true to his convictions along the way, or if he’ll be cornered one day and forced to sacrifice that which he believes as righteous and just in order to accomplish his goals. The idea of living in hypocrisy, of defending something while doing another, is one he hopes he’ll never get to face.
- Loss of a close person: Ace’s caring nature has turned this into one of his biggest fears. As his father once told him: “I would choose a million times a future where I have nothing, to one where I have no one.” Loosing someone he deeply cares for is a pain that Ace can’t even begin to fathom. After tasting what it’s like to lose the freedom of being with your loved ones, this fear has turned Ace into a protective person.
Magic
Magic Name: Sword Magic: Réquiem of Blades
Magic Element: Non-elemental
Magic Description: The Réquiem of Blades is the Lyon family’s unique battling magic. Developed specifically around the ability to manipulate and conjure blades, it allows the user to have both flexibility and offensive power during battle within the long range and in close quarters. The Réquiem revolves around 4 main movements:
- Introitus: The Introduction. In order to create blades, the user first needs to make preparations. Blades from the Réquiem cannot manifest unless there exists a medium from where to appear, receiving the name of “Locis”. The user can create Locis by using magical power and place them on numerous surfaces or areas. Ace’s body as a whole is intrinsically a Locis. [Supplementary Spells]
- Sequenz: The Progression. By steadily flowing magical power throughout their bodies, casters of the Réquiem are able to augment their speed in battle. [Self-Buff Speed Spells]
- Offertorium: The Offering. By summoning a special type of blades, casters of the Réquiem are able to conjure different arrangements of swords to protect them. These have strong durability, but have non-existent offensive capabilities. [Defensive Spells]
- Consummatio: The Consummation of the Réquiem. The final movement and the objective of the Réquiem. Once Locis have been placed, the user can conjure blades that appear from within them in different sizes and manners. There exist 13 different types of Consummatio spells, called “Virtues”. Each virtue summons different types of blades which possess different properties and characteristics. Swords make up the biggest portion of the 13 virtues; however, there are also other types of bladed weapons. As the final movement of the Réquiem, the sole objective of The Consummatio is to strike down the caster’s enemies. [Offensive Spells]
History
Prologue:
Ace’s history begins with that of his father; Ragar IV du Lyon. Son to the noble family of Lyon from the Kingdom of Peregrande, Ragar became an adventurer at a young age. Unmatched in the art of swordsmanship, Ragar journeyed through the world looking for someone that could challenge him. During one of his travels, Ragar would eventually wind up in Fiore; place where the heir of the Lyon would have an inevitable meeting, orchestrated by the whims of destiny.
- For the Light of Illumin:
The eldest son of the Lyon arrived to Fiore after arduous months of journey. The city of Crocus stood before him. Even if he’d grown within the aristocracy of Peregrande, the majesty of the capital city of Fiore immediately captivated him. The towering buildings, the imposing aura of the Domus Flau, the solemnity of the Grand Cathedral and the beauty of Mercurius, the King’s residence deeply surprised Ragar. After wandering about for a while, he decided to immediately go to the Domus Flau. The Lyon mage was eager to find out what type of warriors the colosseum harbored. As he absentmindedly hurried his way to the arena, Ragar bumped into a man about his age with violet hair and a stiff appearance. The stranger raged immediately, claiming an apology by Ragar’s side. However, the Lyon heir was too excited to even pay attention, and as he quickly helped the man up, he muttered a rapid heartless: “Sorry”. As Ragar flew away from the scene, the violet haired man clenched his teeth in anger. ”Hmph! He’ll get his someday.”. He couldn’t believe the disrespect shown towards such a noble personality as himself. He’d make sure to teach him a lesson. After what seemed an eternity and endless wrong turns and dead ends, Ragar finally managed to escape the maze of streets of the holy capital. His adventurous heart pounded with excitement as he crossed the imposing arches on the walls of the Domus Flau and its four gigantic statues that guarded towering over it. Making his way to the tournament master, Ragar signed up for the next scheduled duel available. When the time finally came, Ragar admired his sword as he secured it on its sheath, entering the battlegrounds. As his eyes adapted to the light, the first thing he noticed was the frown that looked at him from his both surprised and pissed off violet headed opponent. ”You!” Ragar turned back to see if there was someone behind him. After finding himself alone, he faced at his opponent and cluelessly uttered an innocent, ”Have we met?” The man was visible altered by Ragar’s words. However, he quickly composed himself as he adopted a high posture with a face of entitled dignity. ”Well… No wonder such an unrefined commoner would have no clue.” He proceeded to unsheathe his blade as he pointed it towards Ragar. ”Listen well! I, Lionel Luxar of the noble Luxar family shall teach you what good manners are. I’ll make you properly apologize for your rudeness earlier today. Now. Prepare to face defeat!” It suddenly hit him. This was the man he had bumped into earlier. An excited grin appeared on Ragar’s face as he unsheathed his own sword. ”Huuh? So you fight then… We’ll see about it.” The fight began immediately after. Both men dashed forward as their blades met in a powerful lock. Even if Lionel tried to hide it, he couldn’t help but to unconsciously smile. The duel continued at tremendous speed, both men clashed swords endlessly in synchrony with none getting the upper hand over the other. The ground began trembling with the pressure exerted by the two great swordsmen. Even bystanders and other participants having their own duels stopped whatever they did to contemplate in awe the near to inhumane level of heated deadlock that unfolded before them. Only a few minutes had passed, but by the time, both Ragar and Lionel had already developed a profound respect for each other. Ragar’s blood was boiling with excitement. Deep down he knew that after so many years, he had finally found a worthy rival in Lionel. As both swordsmen took distance from the other, Ragar spoke first with an agitated voice. ”You’re not half bad!” Lionel couldn’t help but chuckle as he tried to catch his breath, ”I guess you’re not that weak either.” he answered with a smile. Before the swordsmen could resume their battle, an ominous, evil presence suddenly appeared from nowhere, engulfing in a fraction of a second the area around the Domus Flau with a dark aura. A hooded man in a black cloak floated over the grand arena of Crocus, threatening the surroundings with his powerful and evil magical pressure. Both Ragar and Lionel trembled for a moment before regaining composure. This was the darkest aura any of them had ever felt. Heightening their senses to the max, both men unanimously turned to face the evil figure with serious determination as they prepared for the imminent battle. The evil mage extended his arm as Lionel and Ragar faintly heard his words. ”Come.” - Spoiler:
A dark portal surged from the ground as a 15-meter-tall and grotesquely evil demon crawled out from within. A red colored blob of darkness, pitch black eyes, twisted large horns, sharp and long claws that grew from both hands and feet and a frightening wicked smile that held two rows of razor sharp teeth. It held out its elongated pointy tongue as a terrifying roar echoed through the arena. Lionel was the first to take a step forward. ”Leave.” He said, extending his arm towards Ragar. His battle partner chuckled as he took a step forward on its own. A half smile of amusement appeared on Lionel’s face. ”Just don’t get in my way.”Both mages dashed at the demon as they swung their swords. Making their way towards opposite ends of the demon, each tried to find openings to attack. The fight that unfold next, tore the ground of the arena, and began damaging the structure. Lionel and Ragar understood immediately that the damage here could be easily fixed with magic, but the damage that this demon would deal to Crocus if it left alive would have no repair. They assaulted the demon as they desperately tried to dodge his blows. Both were quickly growing tired, but the demon remained as if unscathed. As Ragar climbed the demon’s arm to attack its chest, he noticed Lionel attacking the demon from behind. It was only a split of a second. A sharp tail formed from the side of the demon and immediately flew towards Lionel’s blind spot. ”BEHIND YOU!! Desperately warning Lionel, he couldn’t notice the powerful blow that came his way. The demon connected his attack with its strong claws. Tearing through Ragar’s left side, the demon crushed some of his ribs, sending him flying towards the stone stands of the Domus Flau. Lionel heard Ragar’s warning and could avoid the deadly piercing attack of the demon’s tail. However, when he saw the blood from his partner, he too lost focus. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the demon quickly grabbed Lionel with his free hand and lifted him up, crushing his body. The strength of the grip was overwhelming. Lionel coughed blood as his insides began giving way. Just when he was about to lose consciousness, a blue flash flew past him and cleanly sliced the demon’s arm. Lionel fell to the ground as he lifted his head to see Ragar standing next to him with a glowing sword in hand. ”I’m glad you’re okay.” The heir of Lyon struggled to stand as his bloodied body took a step forward. The demon raged in pain as a purple miasma of blood gushed from its cut arm. A dark mass of energy gathered around the inside of the demon’s mouth, preparing to unleash its final attack the defenseless mages. Ragar however, was unfazed. While a vortex of evil, powerful energy condensed the atmosphere around the area in the sphere of darkness inside the demon’s mouth, Ragar lifted his sword as a stream of blue flames engulfed him. His sword fired a beam of light that traveled from his blade to the sky. Amid the chaos, as the demon finished condensing his attack, Ragar calmly conjured a simple phrase. ”Sword Magic: Réquiem of the Blades. 13th virtue of the consummation: Lux Aeterna! Both attacks fired at the same time, clashing in the center of the great Domus Flau arena. A loud roar was heard as the ground trembled and the skies thundered. Then. There was silence. A couple of minutes passed before the dust and smoke cleared. Lionel had closed his eyes during the clash. As he slowly opened them, he saw Ragar barely holding up, standing with his blade in hand motionless. Finally, Lionel saw it. The demon’s lifeless body. It was finally dead. It seemed as if a huge powerful cannon had torn through its body, disintegrating more than 3/4 of it. As Lionel struggled to stand up, Ragar’s sword began to shatter. He suddenly fell to his knees and back. Lionel barely made it as he caught him midair. He could hardly move. As both mages grinned, their attention was brought back to the dark mage that they had completely forgotten about. In their struggle, both had ignored that the real danger was calmly observing the action progress. Fearing for the worst, Lionel placed Ragar on the ground as he painstakingly rose his sword. The hooded man however, floated towards the dead demon’s body ignoring the violet headed. Placing his hand on the demon’s corpse, he muttered a simple sound. ”Tsk.” Immediately after, he and the demon disappeared. It was as if they never were there to begin with. However, he had been careless. Without noticing, a bright golden object dropped from the insides of the cloak that concealed him, falling to the ground. Dragging Ragar’s body in search for help, both swordsmen noted a sparkling light gleaming from the sport where it fell. As they got closer, Lionel’s face visibly expressed concern. The dropped object was none other than a broken golden chain, holding on its center the symbol of the eternal flame of the Divine Everesia. Symbol only used by those of the Church of Illumin.
Ace IX du Lyon:
- The Hill of Blades:
After the events in Crocus, Ragar returned immediately to Peregrande. A couple of years passed before he consolidated the Lyon family as one of the most honorable and respected houses in the Kingdom. As it was custom, Ragar as its head formed a family, having children soon after. He and his wife were blessed with 6 wonderful kids. Two boys, one girl, one boy and two girls in that order. The youngest boy of the family, Ace was named the Ninth of his name of the noble house of Lyon. His older brothers were twins, Ignis and Axis. He also had three sisters; the oldest Azura, and the twin youngest Zarina and Sophia. They all lived happily together in the Lyon state. The family had inhabited the property for centuries by now.
Ace grew up as a happy kid. Before he could take battle training along his brothers, he’d spend the summer afternoons playing with his older sister Azura. Either that, or chasing wild animals and insects with the younger twins. Azura was a beautiful and refined young lady. Ace was 4 by the time she had 11. ”Sis. Are you going to live with me forever?” he said an afternoon, as he hopped over some rocks. He and his older sister were on the property’s fields. Azura sat on a rock, reading a book with a title that immediately bored the young boy. -Philosophical reflections over the political climate-. His sister simply chuckled, taking her hand to his head. ”Well, one day I will marry. And you will go and travel around the world like father did, having lots of adventures.” She paused for a second before grabbing him by the sides and lifting him up towards her and onto her lap. ”However. Make sure you come back once in a while. Your big sis will always be waiting for you.” For Ace, her sister’s smile was precious. That was the first moment in his life that he felt he had to become strong in order to protect something.
The years passed, and Ace grew an ever so restless kid. He was playful, and somewhat mischievous. He would sneak into the kitchens at morning trying to steal some chocolate treats before breakfast. He and the young twins were usually accomplices in this. Unfortunately for him, he was always found out by his mother. She was a caring one, always pretending not to notice the smudged chocolate faces of her three younger kids. ”Did you get chocolate for you and your sisters Ace?” Ace immediately became pale, taking a look at his younger sisters who looked at him without knowing what to do. With his mother’s continued gaze, Ace’s trembling voice could barely respond. ”N-No… We were… Hum. J-Just playing here…” His mother simply smiled with sweetness, telling them to go play somewhere else and get ready for breakfast. However, it wouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes until she found her son coming back at her looking down and with a sad face. ”I-I’m sorry mom. I stole some chocolate for Zarina, Sophia and me. They had nothing to do. It was my idea.” Ace could never hold a lie. Guilt killed him from the inside as tears began rolling down his cheeks. His mother was kind, and always hugged him until he calmed down. ”Now Ace. Don’t cry. You’re a good kid. You’ll grow up to become a great man some day. Always remember to be honest with others, and always stay loyal. Always be kind. Help others in need when you can. But above anything else, always be true to your heart and what you believe.”
When he was finally old enough to begin with his swordsmanship classes, Ace could barely bring himself to sleep at nights. He would live constantly excited over the next day. He had always looked up to Axis and Ignis, and how they began beating adults during training at the age of 13. Deep inside, he wanted to quickly catch up to them. He would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and scurry his way out of his bedroom in order to get some more practice under the belt. He would grab his wooden practice sword earlier during training and hide it under his bed until the time at night came. Once every while, his father would find him out. ”Your form is a bit off.” Ragar told him the first time he found his boy training. Ace was completely startled. Caught off guard, Ace lowered his head silently. Waiting to get scolded. Ragar got close to his kid and helped him position both hands correctly on the hilt. ”Here. Like so.” Always after their little trainings, father and son would tumble on the fields to observe the stars. Ragar was a strong man who commanded an aura of wisdom and respect. Not only for Ace, but for the entire Kingdom of Peregrande, Ragar IV du Lyon was a hero. He had fought countless battles for his country, leading the King’s armies to victory in war. It was in these moments though, under the starry skies that Ace really wanted to become like him. Ragar would entertain his son telling him stories of his travels around the world and the people he met during them. He was particularly keen on talking about his travels to Fiore and his good friend Lionel Luxar. Ace could notice even at a very short age that his father was rather close to this man. Something he could never puzzle though, was the reason behind his father’s worrisome expression whenever he talked about Fiore. Throughout the years, Ragar would constantly travel to the Kingdom of Fiore. Even when he was usually outspoken with his children, Ragar never mentioned what he did during his travels there. The only thing he told them, was that he had some matters pending to arrange with Lionel.
More than a decade passed, and Ace’s skill with the sword grew exponentially. He was close to turning 20 when both Ignis and Axis were summoned to battle. They were appointed as leaders of a squad, following their achievements during a skirmish a couple of weeks ago in Bellum. A full-scale war was about to begin, and the Kingdom of Peregrande requested the Lyon brothers of their service. Ace was not allowed to go though, since he was not done with his training yet. Its final stage involved a journey to the southern border mountains of the kingdom; deep within the heights, where dragons and monsters nested. According to traditions passed by generations of Lyon history, a secret portal laid hidden within the mountains. As it was custom, male members of Lyon would need to travel alone to the mountains, find said portal and return with what they found inside.
Before leaving, Ace said good bye to his mother and sisters. As he patted both Zarina’s and Sophia’s heads, Azura approached him. ”Come back safely brother.” It was evident that concern plagued his sister’s face. Ace simply smiled as he hugged her. ”Don’t worry. I still have much left to do.” Bidding farewell to his parents, Ragar brought his son to the side. ”Son.” Ace could notice the pride in his father’s face. ”The journey ahead of you is dangerous. Even then, I’m confident that you’ll be fine.” He took a small pause before continuing. ”The portal of legends is real. There is where the soul and temple of the young bloods of Lyon shall receive their power from our ancestors. Throughout the generations of our family’s history, countless paths have opened. Once you’re inside, you shall be presented with endless options to choose. Choose carefully the path you’ll take once you’re inside. At the end of your way, you’ll reach a place where you shall be gifted with one of the powerful magics of our founding fathers. Follow your instincts, they will lead you through the correct way.” Just with that, Ace left to challenge his destiny. He was excited to face the dangers ahead. However, what he didn’t know was that the real danger was just at his back.
Not even a minute had passed after Ace left when a courier with an urgent message arrived. It was directed towards Ragar. Looking at the letter, he noticed the noble crest of the Luxar family of Fiore guarding its contents. As he proceeded to read the first lines, Ragar quickly readied a horse and parted for Fiore. Leaving behind wife and daughters alone, he hurried his way to meet Lionel Luxar. The Church of Illumin was on the move again. More than 3 months had passed, and Ace still fought his days in the mountains in the search for the portal of legend. It was then, that a request from the King of Peregrande arrived to the Lyon state. One of the king’s trusted advisors had requested Azura du Lyon’s hand in marriage. Getting a marriage request directly from the king was one of the kingdom’s greatest honors. As a noble family of Peregrande, Azura was in no position to refuse. Even when Ragar was not present, the marriage was decided upon and arrangements made. Azura could only pass her days deep in thought. She knew the day when she’d marry for her name would come. However, she wasn’t prepared to face this moment without her men brothers or her father.
A couple more months passed, and the wedding ceremony was close to arrive. That day, a message from Ragar arrived. It only contained a single phrase. ”I’m coming home. Please stay safe.” Even if its contents were rather normal, the handwriting suggested it was made with a hurried, and perhaps trembling hand. Neither Azura, her mother or her younger sisters understood what it really meant, but they were close to find out.
The day of the ceremony, Azura had to walk to the altar by the hand of her mother. Her older brothers were at war. His father had yet to arrive from Fiore, and there was no news of Ace. Of everything that was crossing through her mind as she arrived to the end of the cathedral’s hall, the thing that worried her the most was Ace. Was her little brother okay? The ceremony concluded without incidents. It was afterwards during the party and feast that a commotion arose. Entering with a heavy pace, with wasted equipment and dirty clothes arrived Ragar. He was glad to have made it in time. Or had he?
Before the Lyon head could even speak, the sound of a loud explosion filled the atmosphere. Everyone lowered their heads to the ground, as shattered crystals flew all around. In the middle of confusion, Ragar’s heart pounded as a familiar voice screamed. ”Father!!!”
Azura was being held up by her husband with a blade at her throat. Ragar raged immediately as a dozen of figures emerged from the dark. Standing from within them, a man concealed in a hooded black cloak was the first to speak. ”Look at what we have here…” A chill immediately traveled down Ragar’s spine as he heard the evil voice come out of the man. His sweat became cold as memories from the past flew back to his consciousness. The man before him was none other than the same that had summoned the demon in Crocus decades ago. ”WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?
Ace heard those words at the distance. He had finally arrived from his journey and was about to get home. He could see from a distance there was a party on the state. For what reason though, he didn’t know. When he heard his father’s voice echo through the open fields, he couldn’t help but worry as he galloped his horse to its location. He was just in time to witness the scene unfolding before him.
”Well… I had to pay you back didn’t I?” answered the dark voice to Ragar’s previous question. Trying to process everything, Ace noticed his sister held captive and endangered. ”AZURA!” The young man unsheathed his blade as he ran towards her. Ragar was the first one to turn to his son’s direction. ”ACE! Stand down.” Ace knew immediately it was the right thing to do. Even if he didn’t want to admit it. He clenched his teeth and fists as anger raged through his body, putting his sword away. The man in the cloak, with a golden chain with the symbol of the eternal flame of Everesia proceeded to speak as he took out and unfolded a scroll from the insides of his clothing, reading its contents. ”Ragar IV du Lyon. You have been found guilty of treason towards the noble Kingdom of Peregrande. Due to your past services to the king and its people, I shall arrest you. By orders of his majesty, the King of Peregrande along with the holy authority of the Church of Illumin, you and the family of Lyon have been sentenced to destitution. As the head of your family, you shall serve a sentence of life imprisonment. The noble house of Lyon shall cease to exist and will be stripped of all its titles, recognition and property. However, and out of his majesty’s mercy, the marriage of Azura du Lyon shall be honored and her safety assured for as long as you decide to abide by this verdict. Now. We have orders to bring you with us back to the capital of Peregrande to receive your punishment. Refuse. And your family shall die in the spot.”
The sky roared as the final words were pronounced. Drops of rain began pouring down as the noise of the crying skies filled the intense silence. Such false claims outraged Ace. He looked at his father as he readied his sword in preparation to fight the intruders. He was not sure what was the Church of Illumin doing all the way there, but what he could tell for sure was that they were enemies. ”Father… Let’s fight them! Are you going to stay with crossed arms as they come and defile the Lyon name?” Ragar simply looked at his son. ”Where did the portal take you?” Ace was disoriented. His father wanted to know how his journey went in such a critical moment?! He thought he was joking. As he saw his father’s insistent stare, he answered. ”The Hill of Swords.” Ragar burst in laughter. ”Hah! So our ancestors have chosen my son to carry on with the Réquiem. I’m proud of you Ace.” Ace desperately waited for his father;s reply. However, the words that came out of his mouth were once he did not want to hear.
”Ace. It’s okay. I’ve told you. I’d rather choose a million times a future where I have nothing, to one where I have no one.” he proceeded to give himself up as he turned back once again. ”Take care of our family.”
A year had passed since that fateful night. Ragar was taken to the capital and imprisoned in the dungeons of the king. The Lyon family lost all honor and respect, and their rank of nobles was stripped. Ace’s bigger brothers however, retained their positions within the army of Peregrande. Ace wasn’t sure why, but he never bothered to inquire much into it. Azura was held captive in her new husband’s house, but still safe as promised. One day as he looked over old possessions, Ace stumbled with his father’s personal belongings. Within a large chest full of letters, Ace found a small sealed box with the crest of the Luxar family of Fiore. Opening it, Ace discovered the mail exchange between his father and Lionel Luxar, current head of the Rune Knights of Era. That’s when he learned everything. Apparently, both had discovered a grave case of corruption within the Church of Illumin. The danger however, appeared to be of catastrophic dimensions. Even after reading the letters, Ace couldn’t quite understand what they meant. They spoke with codenames and weird symbols. However, he was now certain that there was a connection between the church and the plot against his family. Just as he was closing the chest, he spotted an unopened letter. Ace’s heartbeat got faster when he read the letter directed to him. He hesitatingly broke the seal as he proceeded to read its contents:
”My dear Ace. If you’re reading this letter it means I was too late. Back when your father was young I met Lionel Luxar in Crocus…”
the letter proceeded to describe his story in Crocus and the deadly battle he had with that powerful demon.
”…After finding out there was someone from the Church of Illumin involved in the incident, Lionel and I decided that we would devote our lives to figure who it was. The Church is full of corruption, but at the same time, not many of its members are aware of it. Even if Lionel and I failed to obtain leads during decades, a couple of days ago we stumbled upon the answer we searched. I don’t have time to explain in detail, but if you happen to ever read this letter, it means that I couldn’t make it back to Peregrande in time. My dear Ace… I’m sorry for whatever worries I might have caused you. I know it must have been hard for you and the rest of the family. However, I need to ask something of you. Live a good life. Travel around and make friends. When you are ready, head to Fiore. Find Lionel and join the Rune Knights. He is a fine leader, so you’ll learn much from him. Make a name for yourself in Fiore and develop your power. Once you’re ready, come back to Peregrande and look for me. I shall answer all of your questions then. Together we’ll restore the honor of Lyon together. – Love: Your father.”
After a small silence, Ace stormed out of the room. He saddled his horse and bid farewell to his mother. Riding towards Fiore, Ace now had a new objective. He would honor his father’s request and become a warrior so powerful that nobody could ever threaten his family again. When he did, he’d come find him. He would uncover the lies of the Church and cleanse his family’s name.
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