Years before, when Rei had just started his journey, Bret was in Orville Village training with Kisa and Lisa. "Hey, when I grow up, I'll join the Imperial Army," Bret said, his patriotic heart swayed by his mentor's patriotism.
"Then I will follow you and become a patriot too," Kisa said.
"Don't forget about me," Lisa added.
"Then let's make a promise," Bret declared. "We will appear together in the Imperial Army and become the best soldiers." Kisa, Lisa, and Bret made the promise and engraved it on a tree.
Months later, Bret's naming ceremony arrived. He was given the surname of his father, Bret D. Walters, and the title "Patriot." The next day, as was customary in every naming ceremony, he was sent out from his house. Bret didn't blame his parents; he knew he would one day have to explore his own destiny. This aligned with his goal of becoming a symbol of peace. Looking toward the capital, Bret began his journey.
After months of walking and doing hunter's work to earn money, Bret arrived at the Imperial Capital a year later. He noticed that the Imperial Army was hosting a tournament. The five winners would become guards for Severous Town without having to go through the training. Bret saw this as his chance to fight and secure a spot. With six months until the tournament, he began to practice. As the days passed, Kisa and Lisa arrived.
"Kisa, Lisa, you came! Look, there's a tournament," Bret said excitedly.
Kisa and Lisa looked at the poster. "If we win, we'll be assigned as guards," Kisa said.
"But won't we have to fight experts for that?" Lisa asked.
"So what?" Bret said with determination. "We will fight, and we will win. We just have to practice harder."
"Sure, let's go!" Kisa and Lisa said in unison.
Six months flashed by, and the day of the competition arrived. Bret, Kisa, and Lisa registered. Bret was led to one room while Kisa and Lisa were taken to another. A man who looked like a doctor, accompanied by his assistant, came in to examine Bret. After some time, he told his assistant to put a cross on the list.
"What's your name, young one?" the doctor asked.
"My name is Bret," he replied.
The doctor thought for a moment. "Bret, you have a unique condition. Your body seems to be built differently. Along with your qi, your body has a trace of magic in it."
Bret was surprised and happy. A person with both body qi and magic was a once-in-a-lifetime event. The doctor continued, "However, the trace of magic in your body seems to be violent, as if it's not your own. It's like a whirlwind, always moving and harming your body. We have concluded that you only have 30 years to live. Those years will be shortened to 27 if you continue to fight, so we have decided not to recruit you."
Bret was in shock. He had hoped to be a symbol of peace, but he only had 30 years to live. He left the building without even seeing Kisa and Lisa. He went to his inn room and sat on the bed, his motivation gone.
As Bret wallowed in self-pity, he heard a commotion outside. A bandit was escaping after looting a store. They had become bold because all the guards were at the tournament. Bret was about to help when he stopped. "What's the use, Bret?" he thought. "You are going to die anyway. What's the point of working and doing anything?"
Suddenly, he remembered a voice, the scene of panicked children giving up, and the resolute voice of Rei. He remembered Rei pointing his scepter at him and saying in a menacing tone, "Either you die, or you fight. I don't want to hear any more excuses." Bret laughed to himself. "How could I have forgotten those words? There are no other options: either fight or die."
Bret grabbed his sword, jumped down, and ran toward the bandits. "Get back, you scum!" he shouted.
The bandit stopped and laughed. "Like I fear you!" he sneered. But then he saw a general running behind Bret. The bandit started to run, throwing a powder at a nearby horse-drawn cart and kicking the person controlling it. The horses became violent and started to run. The general saw the situation and quickly headed for the cart. Bret, being the closest, quickly grabbed the edge of the cart and held onto its roof. The general was surprised. "Who is that boy?" he thought.
The cart was traveling at a very high speed, but Bret held on, using his strength to climb onto the roof. The general kept trying to catch up. Bret noticed children playing ahead. "Oh no," he thought. "If these horses collide with the children, I have to do something!" He quickly opened the cart's door. "Merchant, your horses have become violent!" he yelled.
The merchant, seeing Bret, said, "Young boy, save me!"
"Hold my hand!" Bret said. The merchant took his hand, and Bret pulled him onto the roof, then threw him onto the roof of a nearby cloth stall so he wouldn't get hurt. Seeing the children, Bret took some stones from his pocket and threw them at the horses' legs, making them stumble. As the horses fell, they started rolling. Bret jumped from the cart and landed on the road. "Children, run!" he shouted. The children saw the horses and ran away.
As the horses stopped rolling, Bret thought, "Oh no, I have nothing to bind them." Just then, two arrows with chained ends were shot, binding the horses. More arrows followed, completely securing the horses. Bret looked up and saw Kisa and Lisa on top of one of the buildings. Bret saluted them, which was a sign to execute one of their plans. The general, who had been watching, thought, "Wow, these kids are so thorough and experienced. I should watch them from afar."
Bret threw two daggers from his waist to the building, jumped, and grabbed them. He used his strength to climb to the daggers and stood on the daggers. He then used them to jump and grab the roof of the building. The general thought, "This is one of the imperial techniques. It looks like their master is a soldier."
Bret saw an arrow fly above his head, pointing west. He changed his direction. This was part of their plan: Kisa and Lisa would use arrows from higher ground to show Bret the direction of the enemies. Bret followed the arrows. He then used his sword to slide down a rope and jumped directly onto a horse, chasing the bandit. The bandit was close to the gate and thought he could escape, but he saw Bret with a sword on a horse. "You are not getting away!" Bret said.
The bandit's eyes widened. He turned to Bret, his sword igniting. "Do you think you can fight me, the Flaming Sword Bandit?" he challenged.
Bret jumped from his horse to attack. "Yes, because I am the Patriot!" Bret twisted his body, taking the bandit's sword on a non-fatal part of his body. He then used his own sword to attack the bandit's shoulder and his dagger to attack his chest, avoiding fatal blows. Bret kicked the bandit in the stomach, placed his feet on the bandit's chest, and held up his dagger. "Don't underestimate the Patriot!" he said.
A clap came from behind him. The general, who had watched the entire fight, said, "What a show of courage, young boy. Do you want to be a soldier?"
"According to my medical records, I will die in 27 years," Bret said, his face determined.
"I don't care about that," the general replied. "My offer still stands, because you are still standing here."
Bret was surprised. With new determination, he said, "Then I am ready, only if you let two more people join me: the ones who helped me."
The general smiled menacingly. "Then I guess we have a deal."