Bloody beginnings/ the master

 

1798, Norway

 

It had been two hundred years since the battle of Twin Peaks was decided and the warriors of the Order of the White Rose fought a long and grueling battle, losing over half their fighters against the Army of the Lord of Shadows.

The reason for the losses of these brave heroes was due to the evil dictator known as the Lord of Shadows. With his army, he descended upon the Scandinavian countryside to destroy all who stood in his way. Pillaging and selling the vanquished into slavery, he showed no mercy to his victims. He was defeated, however, not by the army, but by one man. That man was the leader of the Order of the White Rose, Master Eirik. He was a monk who had studied the ways of the warrior and mastered Aikido and Stav fighting. He fought the Lord of Shadows near the evil one’s temple.  He was able to seal the Lord of Shadows using the forbidden technique of the Soul Seal, banishing him into an object.

That was Master Eirik’s last battle because he gave his life to seal the evil one. The Lord of Shadows had been imprisoned for two centuries. This left five keys with the five Masters of the White Rose. The Lord of Shadows became imprisoned inside a statue of a Norse god. His power was dispersed among the five keys, and only if those five keys were brought together within the temple would he regain his power. The Guardians were there to make sure that did not happen. To further protect the keys, the Guardians eventually spread out among the world. For generations, the keys had been passed down from master to student.

This was where our story begins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 1 Bloody Beginnings

 

It is 1998 in Oslo, Norway, and a young boy of about sixteen years with blond hair is running to the bus stop. “Alexander, you forgot your lunch!” said a woman with a white apron on her slender figure.

The boy turned around to her. “Thanks, Mom” He grabbed the bag and got on the bus for school.

In the house, the mother walked into the kitchen. “Honey, you up?” The woman called up the stairs, directing her voice toward the bedroom.

A man in his thirties with dark-black hair walked downstairs wearing a suit and tie. “Hey, honey, did you get Alexander off to school?”

The kind woman smiled. “Yep. Do you want breakfast?” she asks before he kisses her.

As he sat down at the table he replies, “Sure. I've got an hour before heading into work.”

“So when will you tell him about the test?” asked the mother

“When he gets home, I’ll tell him about the test to be a teacher in the dojo.”

“Are you sure it’s not too soon?” A tone of worry in her voice.

“Rachael, he's almost at my level. In a few years with his own self training he does when he thinks we aren’t looking, he'll surpass me. If he hasn’t already.”

“I know, but I don't want the position to go to his head. He is young still. Give some more time training the other students and ease him into it.”

“He's got a good head on his shoulders. Plus, I made it clear he's to get an education for me to give him the rights to the dojo. After all, I had to make the same sacrifice with my training,” said the father.

"I guess I can’t make you change your mind?” asked Rachael.

"I'll think on it at work and make a decision later in the day." He then hears the door in the foyer open as Theodor jerks his head around as a loud creek echoed from the foyer.

His eyebrows furrowed. “We aren’t expecting anyone, are we?”

“Not that I'm aware of,” Rachael said with confusion.

The man sniffs and gets up immediately. “I smell smoke. We have to leave the house. Now!”

The two get to the door and are instantly attacked by assailants in black clothing with white masks on their faces with a red diagonal slash on the mask. The two look around and see few areas to escape with.  

“Run, call the police!” Theodor shouted as he punches the first assassin knocking him out. “They picked the wrong house to rob!”

Rachael scrambled for the phone, grasping it tightly in her shaking hands. Theodor’s eyes widened as his wife suddenly tumbled forward, the phone falling from stiff fingers. The glint of throwing stars shone from Rachael’s back as blood started to stain the white apron. With a ferocious yell, he sprang towards the unknown enemy.

Avoiding the first punch, Theodor trips the attacker and kicks him as he is falling down, breaking his spine from the force of the hit. Raising his leg up and hands out, he blocks another attack and tosses the enemy. One of the assassins stands back from the fighting; analyzing the style used against him men. He's using counters against our numbers thought the assailant.

Making his way to the kitchen, he grabs a knife, hurling it at the closest attacker.

Grabbing another knife from the kitchen, Theodor stabs the second assassin, killing him.

 Pulling out the kitchen knife from the body causing it to fall, he turns around and round house kicks another enemy into a glass case, killing the opponent from fallen shards in his skins. The remaining four attackers surround him. The one standing back finally sees an opening rushes forward. Seeing no other way, he throws the knife at one of the other men killing him as the other three converge on him, their weapons drawn.

 

At Oslo High, Alexander Theodorson was sitting in class, listening to the teacher drone on about some famous person. A boy with red hair nudged him.

“Hey, Alexander, you want to go to the arcade?”

Alexander sighed. “No, Samuel, I have to head home. I've got practice.”

The boy shrugged his shoulders. “Still practicing? Man, I know you can beat any of the students in the dojo. Only your father is stronger than you. You aren't too far off from his level.”

“I need to keep practicing so I can improve my skill set. I hope I can take the master’s test soon. I am ready. Besides, there's no such thing as being good enough. You can always learn more, even a master.”

Samuel stared at him and rolled his eyes. “You’re kidding me, right? You have been practicing martial arts since you were six years old, studying at least one style and working on a sword style. You’re more than ready.”

Alexander shrugged his shoulders. “I haven’t mastered real swords, only wooden ones. Father will tell me when I am ready.”

This is so boring, thought Alexander as he tried to listen to the teacher.

After his second class, he saw Samuel being thrown into a locker by a jock in jeans and with brown hair. He then falls to the ground after the impact. “Tom, didn't you learn your lesson last time?” asked an annoyed Alexander.  

 “You got a lucky shot,” said Tom with a scowl. “It won’t happen again.”

Alexander smirks before replying “I remember that, and I got a lucky kick and a throw last time we fought as well."

“Let us settle this after school. Same place,” said Tom walking away as Alexander helped his friend up.

“You need to stand up for yourself, Samuel. I won’t be there to bail you out every time.”

 

When school finished, and Alexander went to the spot behind the makeshift baseball field and saw a crowd as Tom walks up with two of his buddies

“Let us see how you do this time,” said Tom

“This is one-on-one. This is total crush�"for you,” Alexander states, getting into his stance. The three boys attacked him, angry looks on their faces.

Alexander blocked the first blow, sweeping the boy’s feet from under him. He grabbed the punch heading for his head as the other jock shouted.

 “You're an idiot. When launching a surprise attack, keep your mouth shut!" Alexander then tossed the boy away.

“Tom, there's no shame in backing out,” Alexander said.

 Tom responded by running at Alexander trying to hit the blond haired teen, but missed every sloppy punch he sent with Alexander dodging the punches calmly.

 “I'm done," Alexander state with boredom before punching Tom in the stomach and knocking him down. Alexander turns away and scoffs at the one-sided match. “Get better. That wasn’t even a warm-up and you made me miss the bus,” said Alexander walking away from the three down bullies.

Samuel and Alexander were heading to their respective houses, chatting about the fight. “I am heading to the arcade Alexander, see you later,” said Samuel.

After Samuel walks away, Alexander heads in the direction of his house. 

 

As he approached his house, he saw fire trucks and about ten police cars out front and tape surrounding the house. Being rolled out was two gurneys with bodies on them. The house was half burned down.

 “Mom, Dad!” he shouted as he ran up to the barricade. An officer stopped him.

“Who are you, son?” asked the officer as Alexander stopped in front of the tape.

“I live here. What happened?” asked the worried teen as his eyes darted to the burnt house.

The officer sighed. “What’s your name?”

“Alexander," he said and then asked again. “What happened?”

"What is your relation to the deceased ?” asked the officer.

“Deceased?” asked Alexander with a stutter. “Who?”

“The couple who lived in this house,” said the cop.

“I am the son of the couple,” said Alexander,.

The cop sighed and pulled the young teen aside. “I hate my job sometimes. I'm sorry son, but both your parents are dead. We found their bodies riddled with cuts and partially burned with most of the house. We got here a few minutes after a neighbor called about a fire in the house.”

Alexander turned in shock. How could this have happened? Father should have been able to fight off any intruders, he thought as he clenched his fist, nails digging into his palm.

The boy looked back at the cop and asked, “How were they killed?”

The officer, who was really a police captain, noticed the tears welling up in the eyes of the teen.  Seeing no harm in anyone overhearing due to keeping the populace out of the crime scene, the officer replies “We think it was murder due to the damage on the bodies.” Then the chief of police runs up and yells, “Captain!”

 “Yes, Chief?” replied the captain.

“Did you find any clues?” the chief asked.

“Yes, sir. We found a used match by the gas line. We have also found some of the weapons on the body,” replied the captain.

“Who is this?” asked the Chief.

“I am the son the deceased,” said Alexander.

“No harm in telling what we found so far,” said the chief, turning his attention to the officer.

“What did you discover?” asked the Chief.

“The lady was hit with what appears to be throwing stars from the initial investigation. The man was cut by a sharp object, some kind of blade. We don’t know what type,” said the captain. “Your parents put up quite a fight, five dead assailants littered the floor, one in the foyer and four in the kitchen."

Alexander’s eyes narrowed as he listened to the two men. His sadness began turning to rage and anger. “Did you recover anything?” he asked through his tear-stained face.

The two looked at each other. “No,” said the captain. “After we complete the investigation you can enter your house and salvage anything you can find.”

Alexander nodded his head. "I’ll be by."

“You are a minor so you need to stay with a family," said the officer.

“My friend’s family will be fine,” said the teen.

“We will wait for you to call your friend and have them pick you up.”

Thirty minutes later, a blond haired woman in a black dress used for office work drives up with Samuel. Rushing to Alexander, she hugs him. “I am sorry for your loss. When I heard what happened, I rushed over," she said with sorrow.

“Are you a friend?” asked the officer.

“Yes." She showed the officer her identification.

“Very well,” the officer replied before turning to Alexander and putting his hand on his shoulder. “We will find out who did this and you will get justice.”

Alexander nods his head and is led away by Samuel’s mother.

Alexander was later called down to the station so the officer can escort him to the remains of his house. “I am sorry about your loss but we will find the ones responsible. You have my promise,” said the officer at the station.

 

Getting to the house, the officer told Alexander he will be outside.

Walking in, Alexander looks around and sees a glimmering object in the floorboard that was cracked.  Pulling up the board, Alexander sees a box underneath. He quickly puts it in his backpack and looks for more stuff to grab that might be intact. After an hour, Alexander finds nothing salvageable.

  Getting outside, he is taken to his friend’s house by a squad car. After getting to his room, he opens the box and inside was a cubical item with the carving of a rose and a note.

 He took out the note to read it.

If you're reading this, then you must be a descendent of Master Eirik or one of his Guardians. Inside this box is a part of the key that will release the evil one known as the Lord of Shadows.

Alexander folded the note and took a look at the key inside the box that appeared have some kind of writing on it. Is this why my parents were killed? he asked himself as tears fell down his face. He balled up his fist, crumpling the paper in a rage. His parents were gone.

A few days later, a small funeral was held for the couple. The students of the dojo paid their respects as Alexander gave his speech and he fought to hold back his tears.  He then laid a flower on the coffin and walked away.

At school a day after the funeral people gave their condolences to Alexander. The school counselor told Alexander to come to her if he wanted to talk.

 

At the lawyer’s office four days later, the man in charge of the will sighed sadly. "I was a friend of your father’s from the law firm and I am sorry for your loss Alexander." Then getting down to business he says. “Alexander, your father left you over two hundred thousand dollars. Your mother left you another two hundred thousand dollars from her will also, and the deed to the dojo is yours as well.”

The distraught teen then shouted, “I don’t care about the damn money. It can’t buy my parents’ lives back!”

The lawyer then got up and put a hand on the boy’s shoulder. "I know, Alexander. You’re strong, but even the strong have limits. My advice is to get some counseling to heal from this tragedy. It’s how you move on from here that determines your state of mind,” he tells Alexander with sincerity and seriousness.

 

In a temple made of stone on the top of a mountain in northern Norway, three men walked up to a statue. In the middle around the statue were pillars with indents of a shape. They kneel is reverence.

 “Did you find one of the keys?” asked a presence with a deep voice.

One of the men bowed. “No, my lord. It was well hidden, but I did find the sword of the one who banished you.” He held out a jeweled sword to the statue.

The Voice inside laughed. “Yes, a good gift, but I don’t tolerate failure! You didn't look hard enough!”

Just then, lightning shot down from out of the sky, hitting one of the men. He screamed as his body was wracked with spasms. His cries drifted away into silence as he faded into ash.

 The jeweled sword the man had been holding clanked to the ground. One of the other men grabbed the sword and put it on a pedestal in front of the statue where the voice was coming from. He then went back to kneeling position.

“I might be only at one-fifth of my strength due to the seal, but I can still deal with failures. Kira, you’re in charge of these fools,” said the deep voice. A young woman sauntered out of the shadows, her flaming hair accenting the forest green of her eyes. The sword strapped to her back sat perfectly over her short, striped coat. Her low sitting pants hugged her muscled legs, making them seem like they went on for miles.

The voice was cautious of Kira because he knew she served out of fear, not loyalty.

The red-haired woman bowed down and asked, “What are your orders, my lord?”

“According to my spies I have in the area, the son retrieved  a box from the shell of his house. I think that contains what I need. Take it from his lifeless corpse if you have to. Do not fail me,” said the voice.

The woman bowed and responded, “Understood, my lord.”

Kira and the two men walked out of the temple. Another soldier of the Lord of Shadows appeared to take the place of the one who had been reduced to ash.

Alexander was absent from school for a week due to the death of his parents. In a clearing nearby a forest, he was practicing with his wooden sword, fighting an invisible enemy. His reflection is seen off the lake next to him as he goes through the form of his style. Why did this happen? What were you part of, Mother, Father? asked the teen to himself.

For the previous two days, he had gone to the library to see if he could find anything about this Lord of Shadows mentioned in the note found inside the box.

His search came up empty despite his best efforts.

I suppose it wouldn’t be public knowledge, thought the teen. Alexander heard a rustling in the forest. “Come out!” he demanded raising his wooden sword in a guard position.

Four people came out into the clearing. One of them was the red-haired woman, Kira. The other three were mere soldiers of the Lord of Shadows and decked in black tunics with cloths over their faces..

Stepping forward from the others, Kira said in a smooth voice, “Alexander, you've got something of my master’s. It is a key, and your father had no rights to it. He stole it from my master. Bring it to me, and you will be rewarded. It's of no use to you.”

Alexander’s eyes narrowed. “Who is your master? Were you the one who murdered my parents?” He growled from his throat while slowly backing away.

“No, I'd not gotten the pleasure of watching them burn,” Kira said maniacally grinning. “If you do not bring us the Key, then we will have to destroy you. Will you take us to it?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about. I do not have any Key,” he lied; he had the box safely hidden in his room at Samuel’s house.

The woman smirked. “Nice try, however, you will not be alive long enough to protect it” she replied.

Alexander tensed. “We will find out where you have been living and kill all those in the house. Now will you take us to the it?”

Alexander shook his head, still brandishing his wooden sword gripping the handle in preparation of the coming fight. He did not trust these people and knew the key must be very important. "How can I protect Samuel and his family from these thugs? he thought.

“Kill him,” she ordered as she stepped back.

The three charged Alexander with their weapons as the woman looked on with a cruel smirk. The first man swung his duel short sword but missed and was kicked in the back by Alexander.

The other two charged forward as Alexander blocked a wooden staff with his sword. He struggled to push back against the larger of the two men and fell to one knee from the sheer power of the man. The man turned around and kicked the teen in the chest, knocking him down.

The large man raised his blunt weapon over his head, ready to deliver the killing blow, when he was sent back by a strong kick. The woman glanced up and saw an old man who appeared to be of Asian descent. He was wearing a blue robe with a symbol of a white rose on his back. He had white hair in a pony tail. “Who the hell are you?” she demanded.

“My name is not important to the dishonorable. You strike a downed warrior. This I can’t allow. You are a disgrace to warriors everywhere,” said the man in the blue robe, he pulled out a dagger and announced. “Come.”

The large man sprung to his feet and snarled at the newcomer, he then charged forward and brought his weapon over the old man. Quick as a flash, the large man was spewing blood from his jugular vein as the old man slashed his neck with a dagger.

The old man glanced at the downed warrior as the other two men charged in as well, but with little movement both thugs were mortally wounded one was stabbed quickly in the chest while the other was cut in his throat.

He turned around he asked, “How about you, young lady?”

Kira backed away with a little fear in her eyes. She looked at Alexander and said, “You got lucky, boy, but I’ll be back.” She fled into the forest. Abandoning her companions as lay on the ground lifeless.

The old man looked at the teen who was breathing hard and frowned. He has already seen death, and yet he's so young. What brought him to this? thought the old man. The old man walks away in the nearby forest

 

Alexander looks at the form of the man getting further away and decides to follow him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 2 The Master

 

 

Following the man to a cottage of medium size, he stays hidden behind a tree. “I know your there young man,” said the old man. “Why not come out?”

Alexander walks out of his hiding place and approaches the old man, Alexander readying himself to defend even he knows he has no hope of winning in his current state

 “Would you like some tea or maybe a soda?” asked the man. The old man walks into the cottage motioning Alexander to follow.

In the cottage was a shelf with various trophy’s and medals. On that same shelf was two picture on was a young boy with older looking man both wearing purple gi’s.

The second was the adult with a blond woman in wedding dress. The woman was being carried bridle style in front of the camera. The picture was black and white showing it is old picture.

Alexander sat down “Coke is fine. I want to thank for saving my life,” said the teen.

The old man gives the teen a coke while pouring some tea for himself. “You’re lucky I came by when I did,” said the old man taking another sip.

Alexander bowed and said “Thank you. Um, I don’t know your name.”

The old man chuckled. “Yes, that would be a good thing, introductions. You can call me Master Luray, and you're Alexander, according to the identification in your wallet,” Luray said.

“That name sounds familiar. I know that name,” said Alexander as remembers where he heard that name. “I know now, you trained my father. But he never completed his studies, did he?”

“Your father? Ah, yes Theodor,” Luray gains a faraway look. “He was a great student, but he had his school to deal with, so he could not complete his training even though he was so close. Though I believe he studied other forms from another dojo, attaining a master level. I was sad to see him study in another dojo, but I gave him my blessing. I am very sorry to hear of the fate of your parents, did you know those warriors that attacked and why they wanted to kill you?”

“No, I did not know them,” said Alexander bending the truth slightly. “They wanted something that was left to me. That's all I know.”

“I see, what‘re you going to do now young man?” asked the master.

Alexander sighed and replied “I don’t know. I'm lost as to what to do.” Thinking for a moment an idea struck him and he gets down on his hands and knees and asks, “Can you train me, Master Luray, like you did my father?”

“Why do you want to learn under me?” asked the Master as looks at Alexander with a piercing gaze bearing into teen soul to decipher the teen intent.

“I did want to avenge my parents, but I realize this would tarnish their memory. They would never want that. I want to make it so I can defend myself and others close to me. Please, Master Luray,” he asks with determination, sincerity and a hint of grief. Luray looks into his eyes and see the fire of a true martial artist in them. Who is willing to do what he must to protect his friends.

Master Luray responded, “I could, but you must pass a test first and I must gauge your commitment.”

Alexander looked at him and asked, “What's the test?”

Master Luray smiled. “You must land a clean hit on me to pass. Only your father was able pass my test. But you can start tomorrow since you're still injured,” said Luray.

"Very well,” said Alexander “I will be back tomorrow.”

“Do you have a place to stay?” asked the master.

“Yes, I'm staying with my friend Samuel.” Alexander was so excited at the thought of being trained by Master Luray I will return and I will begin my training tomorrow.” Everything was still confusing and explaining the warriors and the content of the box was something he didn’t want to talk about with anyone right then.

The next morning, Alexander walked into the clearing in the forest and saw Master Luray sitting in the lotus position. He arose and commanded, “Come at me!”

The master took his stance. 

Alexander got into his own stance, similar to that of a boxer but with more fluid movement.

Alexander charged forward and threw a quick jab but was blocked. He went for a kick, but it was caught by the master, and he was thrown to the ground.

“That can’t be all you got, boy,” mocked the master.

Alexander sprang to his feet and went for a sweep hoping to trip his opponent, but the master jumped over it and kicked him in the process, causing Alexander fall down from the power

 

The teen had sweat on his face, while the master was relaxed. The difference in our skill is too great, thought Alexander. The master smiles and Alexander found it difficult to breath. He falls to one knee. What is this? What is this feeling? Fear he thought. Whatever Master Luray is doing is making me fearful.

The old man took in Alexander’s form. “Having trouble with your balance young man?” asked Luray. “Your father should have trained you to protect yourself from this attack.”

“Father did mention this attack, Alexander recalled the lesson of that day

 

Theodor was in front of his students with Alexander in the front next to two students. “Alright now we will learn how to defend against an attack known as 'Killer Intent' or as it's known in eastern countries Sakki.”

“First you must learn how to identify it; it will be a sense of dread or doom.”

“How do you fight it Master?”asked a student.

“You must counter with either pain or use your own will to fight it,” said Theodor. “Sometimes you'll need to summon all of your will as well to overcome it.

“Now we will start with me unleashing a small amount.” As his eyes narrow the students instantly start to have difficulty breathing. Several fall down in heaps from the fear. Alexander found it hard breath also before collapsing.

“Use what I have taught you.”

 

Alexander starts to move his foot as he fights the oppressive feeling being given off by his opponent. “Impressive, a few seconds under the 'Killer Intent' and already able to move.” Luray keeps his attack going.

Alexander overcomes the feeling of fear by biting his lip inflicting pain on himself to help release the effects of the intent and rushes the master, but is quickly grabbed by his shirt and sent back by a throw “Here is a hint it isn't always the strongest that wins, but it sometimes is the craftiest.”

Alexander steadied his breathing and kicked dirt in the master’s eyes. Seeing his opponent strategy Luray took it on purpose.

Alexander believing he had the advantage of the temporary blinding of his opponent, charges the master

“Clever. That's more like it.” The master closes his eyes. “It will take more then that to beat me.”

Master Luray changed to a style once more. “The previous stance was Snake style kung fu, which is meant to end the battle quickly. This is the Crane style kung fu, meant for parrying blows and is more defensive or it can also be offensive, depending on your preference."

Alexander went for a punch, but his fist was grabbed, and he was tossed over the master. "You’ll have to do better than that, boy, even your father didn't struggle this much with my test.”

Alexander huffed, determination not wavering but getting stronger due to the master’s remark and landed on his feet and went for a punch, but every punch was dodged or parried. Every kick was deflected or jumped over. How is he dodging my attacks? thought the teen as he was soundly being blocked and dodged.

The master chuckled as he deflected another blow. “You lasted longer than most prospects, but you've yet to land a hit,” said Luray as he dodged a punch just as it passed over his face. He then grabbed the teen’s arm and sent him flying a few feet back with a throw. “Taking advantage of my distraction, smart."

Alexander was getting frustrated as all his attacks were ineffective. Blast it. How can I land a hit? Alexander asked himself. His skill is too great. He breathed in and sent a powerful kick at the master, but it was blocked with both hands.

“Powerful. Not bad, but not enough,” said Luray Alexander then smirked, twisted around and tried to kick with his other leg, but the master blocked it with his own leg. “Nice try, boy,” said the master as he once again threw the boy back with a slight push.

“Want to come again, or have you had enough?” he goads the teen with his words.

Alexander was breathing hard and replied. “I will fight until I land a hit,”

 The master smiles kindly then sighed. “Sometimes you must cut your losses on the battlefield and retreat to fight another day."

“You are saying an enemy would let me flee?” Alexander received a clap from the master with that response.

“Very good, they won’t but you passed my real test. I will train you,” said Luray

Alexander looked confused. “But I never landed a hit on you, master." Which the old man chuckled at.

“The point of this test wasn't to actually hit me, but really to see your determination against a stronger enemy, which you passed with flying colors. Most of my other prospects gave up around thirty minutes of failure to hit me and, therefore failed my test. You, however, proved to me your worth. Now I'll begin your training. Meet me here whenever you're off school,” said the master.

“Thank you, master.” Alexander bows his head, with the master bowing in return.

“Let me write up a training schedule for you to follow when not with me. Meet me here after your classes and I will give it to you then."

The two bowed at each other once more, and Alexander left the forest. Master Luray headed back to his cottage. He was excited about the chance to train another pupil. It had been a long time�"a long time indeed.

Author's Note

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