The Two Swordmasters

The Thumbtack Picture

Just a quick Author's note. This Story is a prequel/backstory for one of my other stories (as mentioned in the summary). It's actually where the whole Prince of Aincrad storyline was based off of. But, this isn't supposed to be happy, but I hope you can enjoy it! Though it's not finished just yet, it's kinda twisted so...be prepared to either be thrown off course, or confused (which I hope it doesn't happen). For whoever didn't read the Prince of Aincrad, it's okay. This can be read by itself. But If you want a continuation of this story, then go ahead and read POA. You'll be in for one heck of a ride. Keep in mind that Kirito and Kazuto are two completely separate people. So, umm...Enjoy!

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The Thumbtack Picture

The thumbtack picture on the wall swayed gently in the wind as a breeze swept through an empty, untouched room. The photo was old and the edges were yellowing with age. In the photo was a picture of two children about the age of eleven. The child on the left was a boy with black hair and eyes. A smudge of red on the photo covered nearly a half of his body. He was standing next to a girl with hazel eyes and silky honey colored hair that fell to her upper back. The boy had a bright grin on his face with his arms crossed. The girl had gentle smile on her thin lips. She wore a shirt that was twice her size and a pair of jeans that were held up by a rope. The boy wore a sleeveless shirt that was once a t-shirt and his shorts fell past his knees.

Anyone would wonder who these children were. To many, they were just children living in a poor place. But to those who knew them, or have heard them talk, they knew otherwise.

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"Kirito!"

A black-haired teen turned around and saw his friend, Lisbeth, running toward him. He dropped the axe in his hand next to the beaten tree stump he had used. With the back of his hand, he wiped the sweat off his forehead and gave Lisbeth a wary smile.

"Ah, Lis," the teen, Kirito, said. "Perfect timing. I need someone to help me carry all the firewood back to the village."

Lisbeth skidded to a halt in front of Kirito. "We can do that later! There's something more important and The Elder wants us to gather at the plaza."

Kirito gave her a confused look. "Why...?"

His friend just grabbed his wrist and began to drag him to the plaza. "The Knights of the Blood Oath are headed this way."

Realization dawned on Kirito. For seven years, he and Lisbeth had trained under warriors, learning how to fight to protect their small village. And now the day has finally come. It was time for Kirito to show his loyalty to his village.

By the time the two reached the plaza, it was crowded with others; all with men, women, and teens with the ability to fight. At the center stood an old, short woman standing on top of a stage. She had a fiery expression in her eyes and her gaze swept across the flood of people. Everyone silenced when she raised her staff high above her head, demanding attention.

"My people," she began, her voice loud and clear with wisdom, "today is the day we must stand! The Knights of the Blood Oath from the Shadowlands is almost upon us. Soon we will stand and fight against them. They cannot take our land away from us for we have been here generations upon generations! Tonight they plan to attack us as we rest. Take the children to the underground area and prepare for battle! We shall not let them take another child away from us! We will stand together and fight!"

Everyone cheered and yelled their determination. Lisbeth joined the yells with her own. Kirito, however, did not join. Silent and unnoticed, he slipped away from the plaza and made quick haste to his home. When he arrived, no one was there to greet him since his "mother" was at the meeting.