On a secluded shore, an empty boat sits stranded in the sand. The barnacles on the underside bleach in the sun as the crabs colonize underneath the bent planks. Gulls sit in their nests on the deck as curious children from an inland tribe wander toward the abandoned galley. The children stop several yards from the wreckage with strong caution…all except for one. His bright blue eyes shone in the sunlight as his blonde locks blew in the sea breeze. At his hip he wore a slingshot with a pouch of small projectiles. From his perspective, he could see a man lying on the deck. He didn't dare get closer because of his lack of size, so he decided to check on the man in the only safe and logical way.

"THWIP!"

The small pebble hurtled through the air and connected with the man's arm. After a rather impressive ricochet (by the boy's standards), the pebble fell unceremoniously to the ground as the man lay without reaction. At this point, the other kids ran away, but the boy with the slingshot was of another breed. He fearlessly approached the hull and climbed his way on the deck via the buckled and broken boards of the wreckage. He observed the body of the man. His tunic was tattered, as were his pants. He wore no sandals or shoes of any kind, wait…there was a glittering bangle on his wrist. If he is dead, this would be a great prize to take back to town. He would be able to buy a tame gryphon with the potch he could get from that bangle… The boy reached toward the man's wrist, but when his hand was nearly touching the bangle, the man grabbed his arm. Everything in the boy's mind told him to scream, but he was unable to muster a sound as fantastic and terrifying visions began racing through his thoughts.

The ship was in the midst of a massive maelstrom. It pitched and yawed in the sea as two black knights were locked in combat on deck. The blonde knight cast his blade at the black-haired knight. The black knight dodged the blade and rushed the blonde knight, cleaving his adversary's arm with his own blade. The blonde knight cackled as he held onto the black knight's blade. His own errant sword was flipping back toward the two. Just as the black knight could turn his head, the flying sword plunged into his lower back and pierced through his armor and into the blonde knight's abdomen.

"Your plan has failed, Yuber…" said the black-haired knight.

"Maybe, Pesmerga…but once again, you lack a complete victory, for you share in my fate…" coughed the blonde knight.

A bright light consumed the two as a single body emerged. The pieces of armor turned into pure energy and bolted toward the horizon through the storm. The body that remained had two sword wounds. The man drew up a hand to examine his injuries before collapsing to the deck.

The boy gasped as he sat back on his rear, free from the grip of the man. This man was still alive. The boy jumped from the wreckage and cut a line in the sand as he dashed back to the village.