Daniel Kowalski, 21, was a college student who attended the University of Toronto in Toronto, Canada. His life was completely unremarkable. He was born into a Polish-Catholic family in Ontario Canada in 1996. His father died of lung cancer when he was only six years old and was raised by his mother and as an only child his mother was extremely religious and an extremely devout Catholic but Daniel reverted away from Catholicism and Christianity and became an Atheist. He was a good kid with good grades in school and was majoring in Economics and had a vast knowledge of Science, History and of course Economics. But deep down he felt unremarkable like his life had no meaning that if he died tomorrow no one with the exception of his mother would remember and he would have no lasting legacy on this Earth. Kowalski was an Atheist and he believed there was no afterlife but he was not afraid of that at all but what he was terrified of is being forgotten by everyone once he was gone.
He took his bike to ride to class and on his way there he contemplated his life. It wasn't like before though and he began to have a nervous breakdown. He started to sweat bullets and get lost within his own paranoid mind. He heard a sound and voice of a man saying, 'Kid look out!' And when he looked up, he was right in front of the fast-moving Mack Track and then one second later it all went black. Daniel woke up in a strange forest that was quiet and serene; above him was Ungar staring down at him with his pitch-black cape flapping in the wind. Daniel got up, 'Who are you, where am I, is this a dream?!' Ungar spoke, 'I can assure you Mr. Kowalski that this is not a dream though you may find that hard to believe.' Kowalski was shocked and could only stand there with his mouth open, Ungar began to speak again; my name is Ungar and I'm a Warlock and the main student of the Wind God, Ebisu. To answer your question in regards to where we are, this is the Planet Helios and you were dead. Perhaps you've heard of re-incarnation, there is an afterlife but you are not there you are not a spirit you have been reborn into another body.' Daniel said; 'another body,' just then he noticed that he had elf ears and blonde hair when he looked at his reflection in a small pond. 'What the hell is going on???!!!" Ungar spoke again, 'I am to take you to the Faustian University of Combat which is run by the famous Jinn warrior who serves as the headmaster known as Dr. Faust, there you will learn everything you need to learn about combat I will be your tutor and I will train you in the ways of fighting and war. We should arrive at the University in a couple of days. I would take you there right away but I decided traveling on foot would be better for you as you will not learn anything the other way.' Daniel began to step back and then he began to run but it was futile Ungar picked him up by the Scruff of his shirt. Ungar was at least 6 feet, 9 inches tall and therefore towered over Daniel who was only about 5 feet, 8 inches in his current form. 'Put me down, said Daniel, I don't care who you are, this is all just a dream.' You spoiled little brat, said Ungar, 'weren't you just contemplating how your life had no purpose well now it does, you've been entrusted with an important task.' Daniel spoke up, 'what important task?' Ungar replied; 'to be the guardian warrior of a god,' Daniel froze up. It took around 30 minutes but Ungar sat Daniel down and explained everything on his mission, his new path in life and the planet they were currently on. Ungar explained that Helios was the size of the planet Jupiter in your planet Earth's Solar System and that Ungar himself came from an alternate version of Earth. He explained how Dr. Faust was a great warrior who would help teach Daniel how to fight but that his primary teacher would be Ungar and that from now on Daniel would refer to Ungar as master as he now says in the matter and everything had already been decided. Daniel of course barked back, 'What do you mean everything's' been decided I don't have a vote here!'
'No, you don't!' replied Ungar and besides this is what you wanted to have a higher purpose. Some people have their religion or their career and you have this so stop whining and accept this.' Ungar was not patient and told Daniel before they set off on their two-day journey to the anniversary, he wanted to spar with Daniel for at least a few minutes to which Daniel exclaimed he did not know how to fight. Ungar stressed that in his new body he had instincts but there was still much to be desired. The one key aspect of all of this Ungar left out was that Daniel was chosen to be the next Gatekeeper of the god Ebisu and the divinely chosen warrior of a specific god. This would all have to come in time however. As Ungar feared that this piece of information would prove too emotionally burdensome for the young man at this early point in their training. And so, after 30 minutes of training Ungar and Daniel began their two-day journey to the University first coming across a small stream or a river depending on your persuasion. That night Daniel and Ungar sat down to eat but really only Daniel ate as the situation with Ungar was explained before. Eventually Daniel asked; what changed you Ungar? Why are you no longer evil? I don't understand you lost everything. I do not know if I'd ever be able to change what would be the point. I mean, you're going to suffer no matter what so why join the side of good?' There was a minute of silence until Ungar began to speak; "That was the lie I told myself for over 1,000 years and the lie became so convincing that I believed it without a second thought. And then Lord Ebisu revealed it to be what it was all along, nothing more than a lie… I witnessed the destruction of my tribe on the Steppe and in Hungary and was reborn as a terrible tyrant. I tried my hand at world conquest (and ultimately destruction), and failed, and I believed if I no longer loved I could no longer be broken again and I would only fear death. I have realized now that what I believed was a lie. I am a Warlock but I am no longer a tyrant. I will not hesitate to kill the enemy for a second but I will in turn defend the innocent. That is my mission in life." Once again there was a long pause and then finally Daniel spoke up again, 'But what Ebisu said to you to convince you of this certainly did not change you overnight.'
Once again Ungar spoke; "I will tell you this once and only once… I now serve the great Shinto God of the Wind, Ebisu, the guardian of the planet Helios. I know that I will live for hundreds of trillions of years before I die but I now have found true inner-peace. Once all I sought was world conquest and destruction as an immortal warlock and a tyrant. I was sealed in a sword for 1,000 years before finally being released and I was angry at the mortals who sealed me away. Now I am sad that I committed such terrible sins in my past life. I will spend the next countless trillions of years defending the innocent and mastering the Wind God, Ebisu." Now Daniel was deep in thought thinking, 'Jeez I get his point but this guy seriously sounds like he's straight out of a comic book or an anime, talk about over dramatic.' Meanwhile in Ungar's mind he began to recount the memory he had while speaking to Ebisu in the Heavenly Wind Palace. Ungar spoke up to Ebisu; "But I don't get it people have killed each other, raped each other, stolen from each other, I was able to see when I was locked away for 1,000 years the destruction huSekuty wrought on itself. I saw the rise of Charlemagne and is butchering of the Pagan Saxons as well as his fellow Christians, I saw the rise of Genghis Khan when he united the Mongol tribes and him and his sons and grandsons pillaged all of Eurasia across China, Europe, India and the Middle East killing tens of millions of innocent people. I saw the Turkic warlord do the same thing in the name of Genghis Khan and his religion being in his case Islam. I saw the rise and bloody conquests of various empires the Russian Empire and the evils committed by Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible of Russia, the Ottoman Empire and the bloody siege of Constantinople in 1453 C.E., the Mongol sacking of Baghdad in 1258 C.E., the destruction of the Spanish by the Aztecs and in turn the terrible things the Aztecs committed against other Indian tribes in Mexico, the Islamic conquests of the Arabs, the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte in Europe which left over 2,000,000 dead across the continent. The crimes committed against the Chinese and Koreans by the Japanese in the 1930s and 40s. The rise of Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Mussolini, Mao Zedong and the rise of Communism, Fascism, National Socialism and other ideologies that butchered countless human beings. And the fact that huSekuty only began to attempt to wake up when the atom bomb was discovered. But even then, violence continued throughout the world. All of this before I was finally freed from that sword and the seal that bound me inside it. I didn't even have to lift a finger and in the span of 1,000 years while I was sealed away huSekuty murdered countless tens of millions perhaps even hundreds of millions of human beings and I didn't have to lift a finger nor did any other outside force. Now tell me how these vermin are justified to be allowed to live." For a while there was a pause and then Ebisu spoke; "That was quite a lot Ungar I see you had a lot on your mind, let me try to explain it to you this way… 'I've watched over mankind for hundreds of thousands of years and I watched over mortals for over 100,000,000,000,000 trillion years. Believe me people haven't reached 1% of their collective true potential there is still much to grow."
Ungar was blown back by the statement which seemed heavily Eastern in nature; "1% of their collective growth, if mortals or in this case humans like I myself weren't able to accomplish this for trillions of years what makes you think they will ever change as a whole." Ebisu recounted; "Who said anything about wishing or believing people will change as a whole." This time Ungar was shocked he could not believe what Ebisu had just said. Ungar spoke once more; "If that goal isn't realistic then why allow this to go on any further." There was a long pause longer than usual and then finally after what seemed like an eternity Ebisu finally spoke; "Because without struggle, heart-ache, and countless death and suffering there would be no way for people to appreciate love and compassion. It seems almost cliché but this is one thing the Taoists of ancient China certainly got correct and that is the idea that there needs to be a balance in the Cosmos so-to-speak in their case this was between Yin and Yang or to westerners for example Light and Darkness, Good and Evil. I have seen people do countless terrible things, and even evil things. But I do not see it as true evil only as evil acts. Those people you spoke of; Napoleon, Genghis Khan, Hitler, Stalin and Mao did evil things but they had goals in mind. Napoleon wanted to make France a superpower and the dominant power over all of Continental Europe including England and Russia that is why he invaded Egypt to cut off British trade to India and weaken British power, but he was not all evil. Napoleon despite the fact that he disliked Jews and Gypsies for example gave the French people freedom of religion and cultural practices. He also spread different ideas around Europe such as Nationalism and Liberalism. You may disagree with these things but he didn't just do it for himself even if it was in large part because of his Ego. In the case of Genghis Khan or Temujin his life began to similar to your own he united the Mongol tribes and conquered a great empire and killed millions in the process, but he also did many things that were good he abolished torture and enslavement among fellow Mongols, and gave the Mongolian people their own written language based on the Uyghur script, he also granted freedom of religion in the Mongol Empire to all those who were free-men and not slaves and freed religious institutions and their leaders from taxation. He also, despite being a Mongolian ShaSekust, listened to the ideas of Confucians, Buddhists, Taoists, Magians, Christians and Zoroastrians. In fact, his god-father Tughril Khan was a Nestorian Christian. And finally, in the case of Hitler he committed great sins but he did it for his people he wanted to exterminate the Slavs in the east or drive them past the Ural Mountains to give 'Living Space,' for the German people. And as far as things that were good, he tried to outlaw smoking and animal abuse. This is not to say that their sins are justified, it is only to say that even their sins were committed from a place of selflessness. True evil is pure and consistent selfishness and this is extremely rare among Mortals. But these complex workings of good and evil and right and wrong make life all the more interesting as they give life purpose. If life was only peace or only war it would have no value. It is the balance that makes life worth living. As hard as that may seem. But in time you will understand." After this Ungar felt great the memory was a good one and helped him remember why Ebisu was and continued to be such a great master. And this motivated him to be a great master not only Daniel but all of his other students as he began to meditate through the night. As Ungar and Daniel settled down for the night they were ready to begin their two-day journey once again tomorrow. But in the meantime, an evil plan was being hatched in a far-off realm.
Meanwhile... in a dark fortress in another realm was the evil but minor demonic warlord known as 'Emperor Taipei.' Emperor Taipei was an ape demon and resembled a large gorilla with horns and heavy ancient Chinese armor who wore a cape with the Chinese symbol of Chaos on it. He was a stereotypical comic book super villain if there ever was one. He witnessed the rise and fall of great conquests throughout many histories and wanted his time in the sun but he would make sure there was a rise but not a fall. One of his ministers known as Zhongdu began to speak; Master Taipei, why have you gathered everyone here today. Why are we graced here with your presence?" After a short pause Taipei barked back; "I'm in such a good mood today that I don't even mind you ass-kissing today Grand-Vizier Zhongdu, for I have terrific news." After this the lizard headed Zhongdu screeched back; "What is the good news, my lord?" And then Taipei began to laugh, making Zhongdu and the other Imperial Ministers very confused as Taipei continued to laugh very loudly; "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! So, you don't feel it Grand-Vizier Zhongdu, how about Chancellor Kaifeng, or chief Eunuch Taipan, or my highest official Grand-Chancellor Xinjiang? None of you feel the power of the Spirit Blade. Yes, the Spirit Blade after 200 years the Spirit Blade has finally awoken which means that Ebisu has finally chosen a new Gate-Keeper to defend him and the realms. If I retrieve that sword, I will be unstoppable!" Emperor Taipei took a big gulp of wine and smiled; 'but my lord,' said Grand-Chancellor Xinjiang a deer spirits; "the last Gate-Keeper was killed in a battle against River Demons over 200 years ago what makes you think that Ebisu has chosen a new one now?" Taipei barked back joyfully; "Because the sword doesn't begin to emanate its dormant power until Ebisu chooses a new Gate Keeper and keep in mind when the Gatekeeper is young, he is in-experience and I can either take the sword first or nab it from him in the worst-case scenario. With the infamous 'Spirit Blade,' I will be able to not only defeat and slaughter Ebisu, seal away his student Ungar the Warlock and his other Immortal followers in a chest for eternity that I can kick into the Dragon Sea. How I hate that Ungar he defeated me with his dark magic but once I have the sword, I'll be unstoppable and him and Ebisu will be powerless against me. And then why stop there. I'll conquer and defeat all of the other gods and finally overthrow and kill the Jade Emperor and rule over all of Heaven. My Empire will reign for a million years and will be un rivaled in its splendor and second-to-none in its great wealth. I will be invincible!" After Taipei's long-winded speech footsteps began to close into the room and two individuals walked into the room. One was a dragon-like creature that was muscular and very high in stature and the other was of moderate height and what seemed to be a human with a black beard, an eye patch and a futuristic looking metal armor suit. The big one was Commander Taiping who had lead a rebellion against his old slave master and become one of the most ruthless mercenaries in the galaxy, the other was Commander Qingwa meaning Frog in Chinese; Qingwa was a Cyborg and had finally found a way to escape his fear of death by becoming a machine, he was already fairly powerful but his machine body pushed his strength much further. Although he simply preferred to go by either Qingwa or Acon 01 01 01 short for Acon 01 01 01 ymous as nobody knew his true identity as he destroyed his old identity over 300 years ago. Few knew who he was but Taipei did not used as black mail however as this mercenary would do just about any job for money. The first of the two mercenaries began to speak being Commander Taiping the Lizard Demon; "Lord Taipei we are humbled by your presence but be reminded that we are not loyal servants of yours and as such payment is required." Taipei threw a sack of money in front of the two mercenaries; "Way ahead of you Taiping you and your partner will get the rest when the job is done. And this job might take quite a while. After this Commander Qingwa spoke up (we will be referring to him as Acon 01 01 01 for the rest of the story as that is what he is most commonly called). Acon 01 01 01 said; "What do you mean this will take a while I thought you were just killing the target?" After this Taipei replied;
"You are up to speed on all the key details except one that I forgot to bring up in the letter I sent to you and that is the boy must live and you must bring him to me alive. If the boy does nothing will happen to you as without the sword you are both much stronger than myself but you will not get paid and I know your mercenary code forbids you from taking wealth that was not rightfully earned. And also, as this is a child, Acon 01 01 01 will be happy, he does not have to kill as that is one of the few no-nos of his terms of service. But it should be noted that when I retrieve the sword, I will not kill the child as he will no longer be a threat but I will strike down the Wind God Ebisu. I hope this is not a problem seeing that you and Ebisu were once allies Acon 01 01 01 ?" Acon 01 01 01 disgruntled replied; "That old coot and I stopped being friends and allies long ago. This occurred at least 150 years ago, this is no current event by any means. And besides, I could only tolerate his Moral Superiority for so long anyway. If you want to kill that old bag of bones, be my guest. It's no skin off my back." Taipei smiled;
"Well then excellent; you two will be leading my Mercenary army. Set out for the Atari Mountains on the Continent of Shizue; the boy will be there. It should take some time to get there so I expect you to be well prepared for the six-month journey from this realm to the Planet Helios. Good luck! I wish ultimate victory for your part and good health. I have the utmost faith in both of you." After this Commander Taiping and Acon 01 01 01 turned around and walked into a portal that was set up for them, they would have to travel for six months before they arrived on Helios. And soon Ebisu would warn Ungar of this approaching threat to the Planet Helios and the entire Cosmos as a whole.