Just as many tales do, this particular one begins on another seemingly ordinary day in a most unremarkable place: a tourist trap. Long ago the One True Goddess gave her life in battle to seal the Demon Lord of the West. On her last breath, she cast her holy blade back into the human empire with a promise that her chosen hero will reclaim her weapon. Together with her descendant, the hero will free the land of demonkind once and for all, or so they said.

It did not take long for those who believed they were prophesied to find the weapon. Many have tried to claim it, and many have found ways to profit from their attempts. Over the years the open field became a bustling town. Every day adventurers from all corners of the kingdom have their dreams dashed, to the crowd’s delight and entertainment. At the very least they could then drown their sorrows in an assortment of drinks and deep-fried meats from the never-ending fairground that surrounded them.

On this day though, one adventurer stood out in line for not standing as gallantly or well-endowed as the others. His raven-like hair drew the gaze of those that passed by with their contrasting earthy or bright tones. It did not help his cause that his armor looked like it was pieced together from the bargain bin.

“Just like pulling radishes back home… just like radishes” the boy whispered to himself.

“HEY! MOVE IT, KID! YOU’RE HOLDING UP THE LINE!” roared the burly man from behind.

“Sorry!” he replied with a yelp.

The boy sprang to the safety of the person in front of him as if he were being hunted. He did not dare to make eye contact with the man behind him, but from the corner of his eye he already saw a mass of muscle where a person should have been. If hearts could leap out of chests his would be running around without him, but the sword now was visible in all its glory. Pristine: If a single word could define the sword that would be the closest one to it. Light danced on the blade giving it a multi-colored aura that put rainbows after a storm to shame. The blade stood locked in place at the peak of a massive boulder despite an armored man pulling at it until his hands were raw. Inscribed in the stone for all to see were the words left by the goddess herself.

On the day my hero comes to claim the sword

Their arrival shall shake the world

With my power I give to thee

Make our lands demon free

As the boy inched closer and closer the sword looked more and more out of place. Not a single speck of moss or growth touched the rocky sheath of the sword. It was as if time stood still the moment the blade joined the stone. In front of the stone was a reception desk that processed all the would-be heroes before they climbed the wooden staircase that wrapped around the back of the stone. At the desk was a young maiden, typically one of the prettiest girls in town, who gave the contenders an extra bit of courage after taking the coin. With each step closer the boy’s stomach turned until it was finally his moment to register.

“You’re different from the usual ‘contender’ aren’t you?” the attendant said with a sultry voice.

“Can you write your own name or shall I?”

“My name sounds like crow, but it’s spelled weird, so I should probably do it.”

On the desk was a book filled with countless names. There he wrote K-u-r-o and stepped back with pride. The attendant turned the book towards herself and smirked.

“That’s cute,” she remarked. “Do you have your entrance fee?”

Kuro reached into his pants pocket to pull out a small coin purse. He turned it upside down just over the table to have five yellow coins spill out next to a loose string and a button. Kuro gave an uneasy grin as he put the button back into his pant pocket for later.

“You’re really betting your all on this aren’t you?” she said as she slid the coins into a small chest.

“It’s kind of been my dream for as long as I remember,” Kuro answered with a red-faced smile.

“Earnest type, huh?” she mused. “You’re a breath of fresh air around here, I really hope you do it!”

“I’ll do my best!”

The attendant led Kuro to the staircase that wrapped around the boulder. Each step made the young boy’s heartbeat ring in his ears. His stomach turned as soon as the sword peeked over its rocky scabbard. When he reached the top, two people stood there on opposite sides with the blade in between. The one on the right was dressed in long robes with the bright green symbol of the Church of the One True Goddess on his chest. The other was the striking beauty of a familiar face that made the anxiety Kuro felt drift away time and time again. Her long blonde hair shimmered under the sun and her smile matched its warmth. Just being around her made Kuro feel like everything would be okay as if he had an older sister watching over him.

“Sera? What are you doing here?” Kuro asked.

“Ah! Kuro! I took the job because I had a good feeling about today! I’m glad to see you finally saved up enough.” Sera replied.

“Just barely, I’ll have to take a few quests right after if I don’t make it.”

“Oh my, well if you are the chosen hero I’d owe you a meal, but if you aren’t I’ll treat you as a consolation prize.”

Kuro nodded in appreciation. Sera was the highest-ranked adventurer in town, but there was no way that he would have known upon their first meeting. He never imagined the person he asked for directions would become his mentor at the guild. Kuro felt confidence surge to the very tips of his fingers as he stood before the blade. He slowed his breath, focusing on the task at hand. The priest after spending all day in the sun gave a half-hearted prayer to the Goddess, but it was drowned out by Sera’s cheers. Kuro felt unstoppable.

“Plant your feet down and give it your all, now stand tall!” Kuro declared, coaching himself to relieve his nerves.

At first touch, he felt a surge of energy reach into every part of his body before he gathered all his might. All at once all of his body connected in one single unit of motion to pull at the legendary sword. Pain surged through every corner of Kuro’s body and his hands burned from the tension. Every part of his body felt like it was shattering except for his will. “Just stop”, “You can’t do this”, and other thoughts filled his head, but his heart disagreed.

“Goddess… It’s moving!” Sera shrieked.

“It’s sideways!” the holy man proclaimed.

Silence swallowed the crowd as all eyes focused on the lone boy’s struggle. Within moments a murmur spread like a plague as word reached every corner of town. Crowds of people packed in to bear witness to history in the making. Kuro’s will would not break as beams of light began to shine from the small gaps that widened between blade and rock. The crowd roared with every small bit of freedom the sword took. Kuro’s vision blurred with the sole focus on his goal. He let out a final desperate roar to summon the last of his strength that rang louder than the crowd's uproar.

“KURO!” Sera yelled. “YOU’RE PUSHING YOURSELF TOO FAR!”

The sword exploded with a brilliant light that shot into the sky, however, whatever glimmer of Kuro’s desperation faded from his eyes as his body went numb. Sera made an urgent leap to place herself between Kuro and the end of the stage and laid him on the ground. Her head made its way to his chest to check for a slow but present beating before checking for signs of breath. She let out a sigh of relief and placed him on her back.

“We need to get him to the guild,” she said to the holy man.

“Certainly! This boy could be our greatest ho-- BY THE GODDESS!?” the holy man yelled.

A second blinding flash burst forth with a single shadow grasped at the holy sword. As soon as sight returned to the onlooker’s eyes they became breathless. For the second time that day, the crowd roared with strength greater than a dragon’s.

“Kuro?” Sera questioned while rubbing her eyes. “Wait… that can’t be.”

The holy blade was raised to the sky and its wielder was otherworldly. His delicate face and slim figure contrasted with the size of the holy sword. What stood out further was not just his raven-like hair, but the strange clothes he donned made of materials that Sera had never seen before. Sera looked at her unconscious ally and back to the stranger torn between the two paths that lay before her. With a sigh, she placed Kuro on the ground and a green crystal on his chest. It glowed a faint green light before shattering into two. Kuro’s eyes began to open after a few seconds to see Sera grabbing the stranger by the arm with the holy sword in tow. As their outlines disappeared from his view, Kuro reached out his hand towards the blade once more with tears welling up in his eyes.

“What the…” Kuro uttered before passing out.