Kalin, 5 light-years away from Rien, at the end of the war. Afternoon
"Kaiji! Go chop some wood for the night, we are out!"
"Okay, Mom, I'll be back in an hour."
Young Taiji jumped up from his chair in his room and walked towards the wooden shed. He picked up an old, rusty axe and a wooden basket they used for carrying firewood. While walking towards the woods, he was thinking about what type to chop down. On Kalin, you were able to find almost all kinds of trees in the universe, so his choice wasn't limited. He decided to go the old-fashioned way and chose maple wood. It was objectively the best wood type for burning and was easy to come by, so there was no need to go deeper into the woods.
As he reached the first tree of the day, he lowered the basket from his back and took the axe from a leather scabbard on his hip. He swung with power, allowing him to take down an entire tree in 3 swings. As the tree fell, he stepped to the side and watched it fall. Taking the axe, he chopped it into smaller pieces, making them easier to carry. It was getting dark while he stood there debating whether to chop down another one so he wouldn't have to do it tomorrow, but he ultimately decided to leave with just one tree.
He packed it up neatly into the basket and started walking home. The Sun was setting more by the minute. As he reached the house, a wave of unease hit him.
"Mom!" he shouted—nothing.
"MOM!" Again, silence.
He ran into the house, now getting worried. The scent of blood was everywhere. He tried to follow it and got to the bedroom. Everything was destroyed, windows were shattered in pieces, a lamp was on the floor and the clothes were all around the floor. His mom was lying on the bed, bloody and full of bullet holes. Her face was almost unrecognizable from the sheer number of bullets.
Taiji's eyes widened as he felt a strong urge to vomit. He collapsed to the floor, vomiting violently and sobbing. thud. Footsteps, many footsteps. Taiji jumped to his feet, still crying, but alert. Nobody except his family knew he was there, so he was sure it was the attackers.
A tall man stepped through the door, covered in white plated armor, a face mask covering the bottom of his face. His eyes were covered by glasses, and his long white hair was tucked beneath his white and black helmet. On his shoulder, in black paint, was inscribed "IM-SF."
"It's the kid, kill him!" he shouted to his teammates while raising his gun at Taiji.
Taiji instinctively jumped through the broken window, bullets flying right next to him, just narrowly missing. When he touched the ground, he started running towards the woods. He knew them well and hoped his attackers would get lost. He couldn't think straight; his mother's death plagued him. It hijacked his mind, making him unable to think about anything else.
The soldiers were fast, always behind him. His only advantage was that he knew those woods better than them. He ran through ditches, rivers, ponds and bushes. His breathing got heavier with each step while his lungs burned and his muscles ached.
He soon ran out of stamina and collapsed on the ground. He couldn't move, speak or even think. Everything hurt. He only managed to crawl a few meters forward when a hand firmly grabbed his shoulder and pulled him up. The gray-haired man looked at him for a brief moment before throwing him through a tree. It collapsed and fell right on top of Taiji. A searing pain engulfed his left arm.
The man slowly walked towards him, stopping just a few centimeters away from Taiji. As he pulled out his sword and put it in a hammer grip, he spoke: "Sorry kid, nothing personal."
His sword stabbed through the air, straight towards Taiji's face. But it never reached it. Instead, it got thrown in the air by a quick flash of light. In the same moment the tree pinning Taiji to the ground was cut into pieces, freeing him. The gray-haired man's sword landed upright in the ground.
Taiji stood up, his legs shaking. The mysterious flash lingered beside him. As the flash faded, it revealed the sword. The sword glowed in a dim blue, green, and purple light, while the symbol on the bottom of the blade glowed in a bright gold color.
The man stood frozen in place, a look of fear clearly visible on his face.
"That's an OmniBlade," he said, his voice shaking.
Taiji didn't move. He didn't hear the man speak, but he heard something whisper those words to him. He wasn't able to move on his own. Something was controlling him. His right arm grabbed the sword. In that instant a surge of power filled his entire body. Agony. His DNA was changing, or rather, becoming what it was always meant to be. He endured the pain, standing still, unable to move. When the pain passed, he felt different. Stronger, but he was still being controlled.
His body moved at speeds he had never experienced before. With his left hand now healed, he punched the man in the face. The punch sent him flying through the forest. Taiji's body leapt into the air. It floated there while Taiji tried to regain control over it. It was unsuccessful. He couldn't move a muscle voluntarily. His body flew towards the man.
The sword struck quickly across the man's neck. Blood started gushing out as the head and body fell, separated from one another. Taiji's body and clothes became soaked in the man's blood. As he regained control, the tiredness hit him. Unable to move, he dropped the sword to the ground. He felt weak and dizzy. He tried to walk but was unable to. He looked at the man's lifeless corpse as he collapsed to the ground.