In the seventh millennium, between the 3rd and 4th centuries, the world came to know a hero who called himself Vagus. A skilled swordsman and wanderer, he traveled through the three great empires fighting the corruption of emperors, defending the freedom of peasants and legal slaves. After his death in 7,430, the Order of Vagus emerged—an almost military organization.
From a very young age, many dream of joining this order. A minority use this privilege for evil, taking advantage of soldier-like permissions to do as they please. The majority, however, seek to help people wherever they go, expanding their influence and rising through the ranks.
A group gathered at the center of a dirt square, shouting and bellowing as if chanting a ritual hymn. They watched a sword fight with keen interest.
One of the fighters, drenched in sweat, stepped back, analyzing his opponent's movements in search of an opening. The adversary, on the other hand, maintained a confident smile.
"You agreed to fight for money, so why are you avoiding the confrontation, villager?" mocked a man in the crowd.
A wheat-haired boy circled the inner perimeter, observing the fight while the audience applauded the beating the villager was taking. The villager was thrown against the crowd and shoved to the ground by a burly man.
"Uuh…" the boy grumbled. "That one hurt."
The other combatant, a Vagus agent, seemed to revel in the entire situation. With arms open, he nodded to the spectators, begging for more cheers.
"May I borrow your sword? I promise I won't break it," he murmured, picking up the villager's sword.
The Vagus agent sensed the boy and quickly turned to face him.
"Who are you?" the agent demanded.
"I'm Theo, a novice agent of Vagus. And you, sir?"
"I am Sigmore, a fourth-degree agent," he replied with a smile.
"May I challenge you to a duel?"
Sigmore nodded in agreement.
'He's two grades above me… probably an experienced fighter. This will be a good opportunity to gain experience and combat practice. But this sword…' Theo reflected, looking at the villager's weapon. 'A xiphos… its quality seems well below standard.'
'This kid thinks too much,' Sigmore thought as he advanced toward Theo. He launched a strike at the boy, who deftly dodged.
"Sir, I haven't finished my reasoning yet," Theo complained, evading Sigmore's blow.
"Will you have time for that in a real fight?" Sigmore retorted, attacking again and bringing the blade dangerously close to Theo's face.
Theo leaned back, escaping the attack, then quickly dropped to one knee. He locked Sigmore's left arm, gripping the hand that held the sword.
"I don't know. We'll only find out if we try, won't we?" A smile curved across his face.
"What's the point of trying and ending up dead?"
"Death is the end anyway. At least, that's what they say."
Theo flung Sigmore's arm back and stepped away. 'How am I going to deal with this sword? I should've brought my own,' he thought.
Sigmore advanced swiftly, delivering a flurry of sword strikes aimed at Theo. The boy remained on the defensive, skillfully dodging while searching for an opening in his opponent's movements.
Realizing that attacking with the sword alone wouldn't change anything, Sigmore attempted to strike the boy with kicks.
With their swords locked, Sigmore delivered a kick with his left leg, supporting his body with his right. Theo, in turn, caught the opponent's leg before it could hit his ribs.
Exploiting the boy's defensive posture, Sigmore sharply retracted his left leg, pulling Theo along with it. As he unbalanced the boy, Sigmore tried to strike with the flat of the blade—but failed.
'What is he going to do? Advance? Normally that would be it. But he's a fourth-degree agent—he already has enough rank not to act so predictably. So…'
Sigmore tossed his sword into the air, spinning it along its axis. With a powerful slap to the pommel, he sent it flying at high speed toward the boy.
Theo was forced to take the initiative and counterattacked, deflecting the projectile, knocking it to the ground, and preparing a charge against Sigmore—who had already moved from his previous position.
Sigmore ran to recover his sword, but Theo acted suddenly, landing a kick to the agent's chest. Thrown backward, Sigmore resumed his combat stance while waiting for Theo to approach.
In a simple motion, the boy attacked with a right-hand jab, but missed. The two agents began trading punches and kicks, with the advantage favoring Theo, as he still had a weapon.
The higher-ranking agent landed a knee strike to Theo's stomach, while Theo delivered a jab to his opponent's cheek. Both hits were enough to force them to retreat.
They each leapt back about a meter.
Sigmore seized the moment and advanced, going after the sword he had lost once again. Theo tried to intervene, but the other agent was faster and managed to recover his weapon.
With sword in hand, Sigmore turned sharply and slashed through the air toward Theo, who lacked the reaction speed to dodge. Throwing his weight downward, Theo dropped to the ground. Still, Sigmore's blade sliced off a lock of Theo's hair.
Theo's amber eyes burned with rage.
Driven by that emotion, Theo reacted, striking Sigmore with a kick to the chin, followed by an elbow to the stomach, pushing him back.
Sigmore retaliated, attempting to attack, but Theo dodged and slid along the ground.
A wave of cold, chilling wind swept over Sigmore, literally pushing him backward. Gesturing with his fingers, Theo extended his arms toward Sigmore.
"Huh?!" Sigmore murmured, surprised.
'A Deviant!' he realized.
With a quick motion, Sigmore rolled to the other side. Surprised, he broke the crowd's silence with a grin.
"Who would've thought you'd get so angry just because I cut your little fringe…"
'I almost awakened an unwanted storm…'
"My hair is sacred," Theo shot back, examining the cut.
"So, you challenge other martial artists to gain combat experience?"
"Exactly. At just fifteen years old, it's recommended that beginners fight other agents as much as possible. I was lucky to find you at the city's border."
"Theo, will you take him home?" Sigmore asked, pointing to the fallen villager while giving Theo a one-eyed wink. "Take this—you won. I promised five hundred coins to whoever defeated me."
"But sir…" a subordinate protested.
"This kid is a Deviant. Do you think I'm going to face that? Even if he's a teenager, that would be foolish." Tossing the bag of money toward Theo, Sigmore asked one last question. "Hey, do you already have a pseudonym?"
Theo tied the bag of money to his waist, looked Sigmore in the eyes, and made a respectful gesture as he replied:
"Yes. Call me Lumen."
"Lumen, huh?" He sketched a sarcastic smile. "See you around. Come on, boys—how about we spend the night at the bar?"
As Sigmore and his subordinates walked away, Theo approached the fallen villager and wondered:
"How am I supposed to find out where your house is?"
The crowd gradually dispersed, each villager heading in a different direction. One, however, was different: a hunched old man, overweight, his eyes closed, his body covered by a leather apron.
"Sir Sigmore… that idiotic little worm," the villager muttered. "Always making a mess and dumping it on the backs of the naïve. I want to see what he'll do when the king promotes him."
Theo watched the old man walk up to him, touching the lock of hair Sigmore had cut.
"Boy, since it's already getting dark…" The villager pointed toward a steep street. "At the end of Rudsir Street, the last house after the slope. That's this fellow's home. Good luck…"
"Thank you…"
With a gesture of his fingers, the wind lifted the villager into the air and placed him onto the boy's back. Theo walked with the old man until well past dusk.