In a wasteland filled with skulls and bones, a certain female dressed in a white hooded cloak walked past the corpses of humans, orcs, humanoid tigers and lions and grey skinned humanoids with pointy ears and horns that laid on the ground.
Arriving at a blood red sea, the woman sat on the ground and a little flaming red dragon arrived and rested beside her.
"Destiny works two ways: it is either made for you or you make it yourself. However with the current state of the world, i am no longer sure if this was our choice or the work of fate.
Signs were shown. Prophecies of the end were given, yet we all chose to focus on ourselves. In our greed for power and pursuit for Conquest and destruction, we ended up dooming ourselves.
Was there no other way? Could we have chosen a different path? Was war and bloodshed the only way? Even i that am speaking... I am no better. My hunger for power and vengeance played a large part in this destruction. I saw what i only wanted to see and in the end, i helped bring the apocalypse.
In a world where might is right and a battlefield fought with Fists, there was a strange power that flowed in us warriors... Kan. A power that enabled us to break steel with our hands and move beyond what the eyes could see. This power also granted us full immunity to magic, telekinetic control and weapons. The stronger any of these three were, the stronger the immunity.
With this power, the might of many races increased but the human race stood supreme and as time passed, a nation was born from it... Agaroth.
The human race declared it as the first warrior realm of mankind, defeating and destroying all that stood in its way and within the human race, five mighty tribes were spawned. The Dreygar tribe, the Ripar tribe,the Kenar tribe, the Graundar tribe and the Tenplar tribe.
Though not every human came from these five tribes and not every human had kan. Those that had were seen as majors or ones from a higher rank and those that didn't were seen as minors. But there was a strange boy, a mysterious person with white hair who didn't come from any of these clans but defied the odds. A minor who had hopes of becoming a Phlgrm and the greatest warrior in not just Agaroth but all of the warrior realms despite his status, and his name is Cloud of the Sturmwhnd tribe.
Many would say that he is the cause of the tragedy that befell us but i disagree. As i said before, we all had our parts to play,each and everyone of us. So rather than a 'main character story', I would say this is an anthology.
The world never revolved round him but the actions he took affected us all, and i would say this.... Is where the story all began.
Years ago, within the bounds of Phlgrm Academy, nestled in a forest of blue-leaved trees, a seventeen-year-old boy with tan skin and wild, spiky white hair lay asleep on the grass. He wore a short-sleeved, cyan-blue, high-collared top, a fang pendant around his neck, and black armbands with white wraps around his wrists and forearms. A brown cloth was tied around his waist, complementing his black trousers and open-toed black boots.
As he slept, the boy's head tilted from side to side in a restless, frantic manner, as if plagued by unease.
"Cloud," a soft feminine voice whispered.
"Cloud," came a hushed masculine voice.
"Cloud. Cloud. Cloud. Cloud..."
The voices multiplied, echoing in his mind, each one quickening the movements of the sleeping boy.
Suddenly, a hand—radiant and feminine—reached toward his face, glowing with light.
"Young one, the time for what is to come is at hand," the woman spoke.
Cloud's eyes slowly opened, blue irises reflecting the fading light as he stared up at the sky. He watched the sun begin to set—until his eyes suddenly widened with a mix of shock and fear.
"…Huh?"
Cloud realising what the time is, shot up and ran.
"Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap!" Cloud said within while running, "I'm late! I'm late, again!
It was just a little nap... How could this have gone so wrong?!
What am i going to tell them now?... I know...! I'll just-"
Cloud halted as a man with a sand yellow skin, a short spiky brown hair with strands hanging at the side of his head, blue colored eyes and a trimmed beard, glared down at him. The man had a huge black earring on his ear and wore a burgundy-red coat with white collar and a yellow stripe on the shoulders, an emerald inner shirt, a blue trousers and a pair open toe boots.
"Schroeder of the Graundar tribe..." Cloud said in his heart as he slightly shook with fear.
"Hey, Schroeder. Uhm... How is it going?" Cloud nervously asked, "Well, it's not what you think..."
"Come here!" Schroeder said as he extended his arm and grabbed Cloud by the ear.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Cloud said in pain as Schroeder dragged him by the ear while walking .
"Do you know what today is?" Schroeder asked Cloud, "Do you have any idea how many times you have done this now? Today that is supposed to be the day your phlgrm candidate ranks will be announced, you're out here sleeping. You did this once in the exams and now... Cloud... You already know you are not on good terms with 'her' and with you coming five months late out of the nine months isn't helping. "
A flashback takes place three months ago as a man with ghost-white skin, long black hair with a single strand hanging on his forehead and purple eyes with no pupils, stood in front of a classroom. The man wore a black coat, a red qipao-style inner shirt, black trousers and black open-toe boots.
"You have all come a long way." The man said to the students, "I know these five months that just passed were tough for you. From your intense trainings, to the brawls among you.. Even the deaths during your tasks and trainings. Yet you here you are. I congratulate you all.
The first phase of your phlgrm trainings and tasks has ended. Now these remaining four months will be the second and final. But before i continue, will anyone want to remind us what a phlgrm is? "
A female with fair skin, red hair and pointy elf-like ears, raised her arm and the man took notice.
" Yes. "
The female stood on her feet and bowed her head.
" Thank you, Zotek of the Ripar tribe. "
" Just Zotek. " The man replied.
"Oh, yes. Zotek." The female said, "A phlgrm is an elite warrior of Agaroth, chosen to go on dangerous tasks and missions that benefit the nation, whether it's protecting it from external threats, escorting, gathering information, retrieving stolen items or carrying out tasks requested by the higher ups or the tribal chiefs."
" Yes. Correct. " Zotek replied," Now-"
" Zotek! " A masculine voice called.
Zotek turned and saw a man with brown skin, red hair and pointy elf like ears, walk towards him. The man leaned closer and whispered into Zotek's ear.
" He was allowed in?" Zotek asked.
"Yes. The chief requested for him to join despite the months that has passed." The man replied.
"Fine, then. If the chief says so, then i can't argue with that." Zotek replied.
The man nodded his head and walked away.
Zotek the returned his gaze to the class and spoke.
"It would seem you are going to have a new classmate, today."
The revelation brought confusion to the class and made some murmur among themselves.
"What? A new classmate?"
"Isn't that a bit late?"
"Not a bit. It is late."
"Who is this person? What tribe does this person come from?"
While they were talking, Coud walked into the classroom and stared at his new classmates.
"Everyone, this is your new classmate." Zotek said, "I would have introduced him but i prefer to let him do it himself."
Zotek glanced at Cloud and Cloud exhaled.
"Hello. My name is Cloud... Cloud of the Sturmwhnd tribe." Cloud said as he scratched the back of his head, ".. And it is a pleasure to meet you guys."
However the class kept quiet and continued to stare at Cloud.
"Anyway, i just want to say i have two goals." Cloud continued, "The first is to be the first person in my tribe to become a phlgrm. And the second..."
Cloud stayed quiet for a while and grinned deviously.
"Is to surpass everyone and become the greatest warrior that ever lived!!" Cloud said as he raised his fist in the air.
In that moment, the entire classroom burst out in laughter and began to ridicule him.
"Are you for real?!"
"Please tell me this is a joke!"
"It has got to be a joke!"
"Yeah, like a minor could ever compete with one from a higher ranked tribe!"
While the class laughed at Cloud, Zotek stared down at him with a raised brow.
"Hey, what's so funny?!" An annoyed Cloud asked as he placed his arms round his waist, "Laugh all you want now, but one day you will be the ones looking at me in awe!"
"Take a seat, would ya!" A male voice sounded.
"Stop embarrassing yourself and sit down!" A female voice sounded.
"Man, this might be the best thing i have heard all day!" Another male voice sounded.
"Talk about delusion!" Another male voice sounded again.
After remembering that moment, Cloud saw some of his classmates holding their results in their hands and staring at it. Some with shock, some with indifference. Some smiled at their rankings and some stared at theirs with sadness. Seeing the emotions of several of his mates, Cloud exhaled and entered the class.
"Wow. You actually arrived." A masculine voice said to Cloud, "Though I'd say you came quite late."
Cloud turned to the direction of the voice and saw a ghost-skinned 17 year old teen with a wild messy pale yellow hair and a single large wavy bangs on his forehead. The boy had purple irises with no pupils and wore a green hooded coat with a tattered tail, a red inner shirt, blue trousers and a mid-length opened toe boots, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed while holding a paper in his hand.
"Sting of the Ripar tribe." Cloud said in his heart.
"So, what made you come late this time?" Sting asked.
"Well, I... Uh..." Cloud said while scratching the back of his head.
"You know today is supposed to be the day we collect our ranking results." Sting said with a raised brow, "I was given a B plus."
"Honestly, this means i didn't do well enough." Sting said as he turned his gaze away and tilted his head down, "I was thinking I'd be lower but... Oh well."
"Anyway, Zera is still here, so if i were you, whitehead, I'd go meet her right now." Sting said as he returned his gaze to Cloud.
"Zera of the Ripar tribe is still here?" Cloud asked.
"I think i just said that now." Sting replied.
Cloud spotted Zera who happened to be a woman with ghost-white skin, long red hair with a single braid that drapes over her left shoulder and angular bangs towards the right side of her head while possessing green eyes and as a traditional Ripar she had no pupils.
Zera wore a qipao-styled beige colored robe that had a baggy sleeve at the right side while the left was sleeveless; the chest area down to the belly of the robe was open, exposing her inner brown midriff top that had an brownish-red lace underneath the top. On the left side of Zera's arm were a single black arm band on her upper arm, a long metal band on her forearm, a flaming yellow colored bead on her wrist and a dark brown fingerless glove. Zera had a yellow sash tied round her waist and wore a dark brown opened toe boots that had three large dark brown coils round it (the top, the middle and the bottom close to her ankles) while the soles of the boots were white in color.
As Cloud approached her, Sting stared down at his results again and sighed.
"Damn. A B?"
While Cloud was grinning nervously at Zera, Zera handed him his result. Cloud stared at his result for a while and raised his head in shock.
"A C?! Why am i-?!"
"Shut up!" Zera interrupted as she slammed the side of her right fist on Cloud's head.
"Ow!" Cloud said as he held his sore spot in pain.
"It's more than you deserve." Zera continued, "You came five months late, failed a lot of physical activities and did poorly in your exams and here you are, complaining about a C? You should have been given a D minus, but we gave you a C not because you earned it but because we took pity on you and there was no other C class candidate.
So don't go whining about your rank, YOU DAMNED WHITEHEAD!!"
Sting seeing how Zera was yelling at Cloud, turned his face away and chuckled. After Zera had left, Cloud stared at his results and pouted.
Cloud then turned his head and caught sight of a group of students of whispering among themselves while staring at a particular direction.
"Is it true?"
"Yeah, she got it."
"She is the highest among us."
"The SS class phlgrm candidate."
"I heard the big ones got an S but she is the only one with an SS."
"Of course she would be."
"That's Karma of the Dreygar tribe."
Cloud turned to the direction of the person they whispered and saw Karma, a tall 17 year old female with fair skin and long, jet-black hair that has jagged and spiked layers at the sides of her hair, several bangs over her forehead and long locks draped over her shoulders.
Karma wore a small black scarf tied around her neck, a black sleeveless tailcoat-style dress that extended to her thighs and a short red skirt. A thick white vertical stripe ran down the front of the dress, splitting below the waist and parting across the sides of the tailcoat. A blue sash hugged her waist, and long black armlets covered her arms while her legs were wrapped in black thigh-high, open-toe boots.
Cloud observed Karma staring at the window with crossed arms, carrying a plain expression on her face.
Meanwhile the group of students were still whispering about Karma.
"I knew she would rank high but i didn't think she would rank this high."
"Well, I'm more surprised that she has stayed this long in the academy despite her actions."
"Yeah, the things she has done, makes her seem inhuman."
"Well, she is called the 'Dragondevil' for a reason."
"That doesn't mean she should be kept."
"Yeah, i agree. If she caused this much problem here at the academy, how much problem will she give the phlgrm organization?"
"Then again, it won't be fair to throw her out when we have the likes of Van and Onak."
While the group were still whispering , Karma turned her emotionless gaze at them and her red irises glowed, causing the students to instantly turn their faces away.
"Karma of the Dreygar tribe. A survivor of the unknown slaughter just like me." Cloud said in his heart, "While i never spoken to her, i have learnt that she is an arrogant pain in the ass... And crazy too.
She may be the best for now, but one day, I will surpass her."
Karma's cold eyes then shifted to Cloud and stared at him for a moment before returning her gaze to the window.
Later in the dinning room as Cloud was eating alone, four teenagers walked up to him and circled round him. The first was Van of the Tenplar tribe who happened to be a fair skinned 17 year old teenage male with a brown spiky slickback hair, purple irises and pointy ears, with 4 earrings on both ears. The fair skinned human wore a long sleeved black high collared tailcoat styled top, a baggy red trousers and black open toe boots.
The second was Garl of the Graundar tribe who happened to be a sand yellow skinned 17 year old teenage male with a crimson colored irises and long yellow hair that is only tied at the top with the hair on the sides moving freely while having a mid-length spiky curtain bang. On the right ear, Garl wore a long red earring , a red short sleeved, high collar tailcoat styled cloth while keeping his green inner wear exposed at the chest and abdomen area. The red tailcoat cloth had five horizontal v shaped symbols from both sides of his body, ranging from his ribsides down to the side of his cloth. On the upper right arm of his red tailcoat, Garl had two large coils and on both of his wrists were black armbands with a white circle. Round the waist on his tailcoat, Garl wore a white sash and also wore a blue trousers and a pair of black open toe boots.
The third was Juni of the Kenar tribe who happened to be a 17 year old brown skinned female with a large long curtain bang golden-blonde hair, a braided hair that drapes over her shoulders and bright green irises. On the forehead of Juni is a light blue crown-like marking, round her neck is a light blue stripe and in the middle of her collar bones is a small light blue circle. She wore a long-sleeved, fur-collared icy-blue top, with fur detailing around her shoulders and wrists. Juni also had blue markings on each of her fingernails. A white sash wrapped her waist above a brown skirt, lined with fur at the hem. Underneath the skirt was a black knee-length trouser and on her exposed skin was a light blue stripe markings round her shins. Juni wore a brown short-length opened toe boots with fur round the mouth of the boots.
The final was Rico of the Ripar tribe, a 16 year old teenage male with ghost-white skin, a black wild and unkempt hair and blue irises with no pupils. Rico wore a black earrings on both ears and a black open-slit top that extends to the upper end of his thighs. On the chest of Rico was a large vertical pale blue stripe that parted across the sides of the cloth below the waist. On the large vertical stripe on his chest, there was a vertical rectangular opening with cross stitch patterns that somewhat exposed his bare chest. Round his shoulders were large pale blue vertical stripes and on the lower parts of his upper arm down to his wrists were also large pale blue stripes. Rico wore a black trouser and a short open toe boots.
Three of the teens (Van, Garl and Juni) smirked at Cloud and crossed their arms.
"Well, what do you know. Looks like the little whitehead is sad." Van said, "Hey, tell me, what is your candidate ranking, 'greatest'?"
"Come now, Van. You wouldn't want to upset the little whitehead, would you?" Juni asked Van.
"So what if he is upset. Serves him right for that foolish belief of his." Garl said to Juni, "When he first came to this academy, he opened his mouth and bragged about how he is going to be the best among us. Look at him now."
"Uh, i don't think now is the time for this, guys." Rico nervously said to the other three while scratching the back of his head, "Why don't we just let him be-?"
"Hey, whitehead. Tell me... What's your candidate ranking again?" Van asked Cloud as he interrupted Rico, "Word in the academy is saying that you are a C."
"It is worse than that. I heard he should have been given a D but because there were no C class candidates, they decided to give him one." Juni said.
"Humph. Pathetic, really." Garl said.
"Uhm... Guys..." Rico said while still scratching the back of his head.
"Van, Rico, Juni and Garl. The self-proclaimed rulers of the Tall order academy." Cloud said while staring at his food, "You know i got to hear what your rankings are.
Van an A plus, Juni an A, Garl an A minus and Rico a B plus.
I gotta ask, why is there no S among the 'rulers'?"
"If you guys are actually the rulers, then there should be an S class candidate among you. No you all should be SS." Cloud said as Van's eyes rolled towards Juni, Garl and Rico, "But no. We got a demon wannabe and his little followers with nothing better to do than picking on someone lower than them just to make themselves feel good."
"Isn't that right.... Imbeciles?" Cloud said as he glanced over his shoulders with an open smile.
Hearing Cloud's words, Juni slowly emitted a faint green aura while she forced a smile as her eyes were closed.
"Wow. You still got that sharp tongue, huh."
"How about i rip it out!" Juni said as she took a step forward.
However before she could reach close to Cloud, Garl extended his arm sideways to stop her.
"Let him be, Juni. He ain't worth spit." Garl said.
"He is right.The only people that were worth it was his dead tribe." Van said with a smirk as he walked towards Cloud.
"Van...?" Rico called out with widened eyes.
"So here. Be sure to give this to your people." Van said as he stood close to Cloud.
Van then spat on Cloud which immediately made Cloud lose his temper and hastily stand to punch Van across the face but the attack didn't even move Van's head.
Van smirked and landed a swift punch right on Cloud's face which sent him rolling back and crashing through other students chairs and tables in the dinning room.
"Damn it." Rico whispered as he faceplamed himself.
Many of the students in the dinning room, stood on their feet and began to murmur while Cloud laid on the ground.
"What the hell?"
"Van just punched Cloud."
"These two are going at it again?"
A female Ripar among the students, stood on her feet and turned her back to walk away.
"You all can deal with this nonsense." The female Ripar said.
Cloud groaned in pain as he sat up. Cloud's vision blurred for a while and as soon as it cleared, he saw Van standing from afar with both arms crossed while giving a cocky smirk. Cloud felt something wet pouring out of his nostrils, and as he touched his nose, he saw blood on his hand.
"Come on now. That was a weak punch... As usual... Greatest." Van mockingly said.
Cloud wiped off the blood from his nose and glared at Van but Van responded with a a cocky arched brow
Cloud immediately stood on his feet and ran towards Van to punch him but Van sidestepped him. Cloud repeatedly tried to land a punch but Van continued to evaded casually.
"Slow. Too slow." Van said while effortlessly evading Cloud's swings.
In the middle of Cloud trying to land a punch, Van landed a swift punch right on the face again which made Cloud slid backwards.
Cloud laid still on the ground for a moment before groaning in pain as he sat up.
"Come on, come on! You're letting me down, greatest." Van said.
Cloud stood on his feet but before he could take a step forward, he fell on one knee and started panting heavily.
"Hoh?" Van said in amusement.
"What was that?" Van asked as he walked towards Cloud, Two weak punches and you are already on one knee? How embarrassing."
Van stood in front of Cloud and smiled.
"Really embarrassing."
Cloud hastily stood on his feet with an attempt to land a punch on Van but Van slapped him across the face instead. The slap sent Cloud soaring backwards in a spinning motion until he crashed on the ground.
"And predictable." Van said.
"I saw that coming, you know." Van said as he was walking towards Cloud, "It's sad, really. To have a mouth so big and yet be unable to back up a damn thing."
"You have improved, though." Van said as Cloud was struggling to stand on all fours, "When you first came, your way of throwing punches were terrible, even for minors standards."
"Regardless it's a shame your fists can't do anything." Van said as he stood close to Cloud.
Silence stayed in the atmosphere for a time as Van watched Cloud struggle to stand on his feet.
"If my fists aren't doing anything..."
"Then I'll just have to change tactics!" Cloud said as he twirled his body to land a kick on the side of Van's head.
However, before his leg could get close, Cloud's leg was caught with one hand by Juni.
Cloud's eyes widened and Juni's eyes rolled towards him. Juni then effortlessly threw Cloud to a wall, which made him cough out blood and lay flat on the ground.
"You know... I'm still not over with what you said to us." Juni said to Cloud while her eyes were closed in fury, "I think you need something your tribe neglected to give you."
"Proper..." Juni said as she opened her eyes.
"Discipline." Juni said as her irises glowed.
"Humph. That sounds about right." Garl said as he slammed his fist against his palm and cracked his knuckles.
Rico's eyes widened in worry and he extended his arm forward.
"Uh, guys. I don't think -"
"Don't worry. Just leave the discipline to me." Van interrupted as he walked towards Cloud.
Van stood in front of Cloud and squatted to grab a fistful of his hair and gaze at him. Van's irises glowed as he evilly grinned at Cloud before letting go of his hair.
Van stood and stared down at Cloud.
"Hey, whitehead." Van said as he raised his foot high, "Sleep tight."
Van drove his foot down, only for his foot to be blocked by another person's foot which turned out to be Sting.
"Hm?" Van said with a raised brow.
The other students seeing what Sting just did, began to murmur among themselves.
"Wait, is that Sting?"
"Sting? When did he get here?"
"D-did he just stand in Van's way?"
Van stepped backwards a little and Sting's eyes slightly observed Cloud's state before returning it's gaze back at Van.
"What do we have here?" Van said, "The weird one, coming to save his best friend."
Sting stayed quiet for a moment while carrying an unreadable expression until he finally spoke.
"Four idiots picking on a minor just to make themselves feel good..."
"Why don't you pick on someone your own size." Sting said as he began to discharge a faint purple aura.
"Like you?" Van asked with a grin as he began to discharge a purple aura.
As the two stood, discharging their auras, the other students watching began to murmur again.
"Wait, is Sting really about to fight Van?"
"Man, this is suicide!"
"For Sting, right?"
"Something isn't right, tho."
"Yeah, i agree. Is that pressure coming from Sting?"
"I'm starting to feel it, too."
While Van and Sting eyes were still locked against each other, Van smirked.
"That's quite the energy you got there."
However before any of the two could make a move, a masculine voice sounded.
"Enough!!!"
Van and Sting turned to the direction of the voice and saw the person to be Rico whose blue irises were glowing.
"Can we stop and reason for one minute? Just one minute?" Rico asked, "If this goes on, we were going to get in trouble, so let's just leave."
Van and Sting stared at each other for a moment before Van scoffed and turned his back on Sting.
"I'm going to kill you one day, you little weirdling." Van telepathically said to Sting as his irises glowed.
"You wish." Sting telepathically replied.
After Van and his other three friends had left, Sting turned his attention to the barely conscious Cloud.
"Hang on. I'll get you to Leorona, right now." Sting said as he placed one of Cloud's arm over his neck in an effort to raise him to his feet.
While Sting was walking with Cloud, Cloud had a remembrance of his little self years ago in the Sturmwhnd village.
Little Cloud wore a short-sleeved cyan-blue top with a wide turtle neck. Underneath, a black long-sleeved inner cloth stretched down to his wrists, adorned with a white band on his forearm and wrist. A black sash was tied snugly around his waist, and he wore black shorts with open-toe sandals.
In front of him stood two adults who happened to be his parents.
The woman had tan skin, blue eyes, and a long brown hair that has a large single bang at the right side of her face. The woman wore a maroon colored dress with a long sleeve at the left side, leaving her right shoulder exposed; the woman wore a blue short sleeve top underneath the dress that had a circular opening on the upper arm. The woman had Black tribal markings wrapped around her right forearm—lightning-shaped with two crescent shapes to each side while a white beaded bracelet encircled her wrist.
Beside her, stood a man with tan skin and long slick back brown hair that was shaved at the sides while the rest draped over his shoulders and was decorated with a single bead. The male had black colored irises, wore fang earrings on both ears and had a brown goatee beard. The male wore a light blue sleeveless tailcoat styled cloth and underneath it was an inner navy blue short sleeve top and a fang necklace.
On the right shoulder of the man, underneath the short sleeve was a similar tribal lightning mark stretched across his right shoulder. On his right wrist was a black band and on the left was a white bead.
The man also wore a black trouser and black open toe boots.
Little Cloud turned around and grinned excitedly with closed eyes.
"Don't worry. If they should reopen the phlgrm organization, I will join it!" Little Cloud said, "When i grow up to be big and strong, i will be the first of our tribe to become a phlgrm and the greatest warrior that ever lived."
The woman chuckled and smiled at Cloud.
"Im very sure you will do well, son." The woman said to Cloud.
"Yes, and we'll be there to support you as proud parents do for their children." The man said with a smile.
Years later while it was raining, little Cloud stood in the midst of Sturmwhnd corpses including the corpses of his parents.