Gray sandstorms were sweeping through the empty desert like a scene from the apocalypse, and in the midst of this barren landscape, a caravan of warriors was moving.
Dozens of warriors wearing leather armor and riding lions the size of horses, moving slowly but steadily, piercing through the veil of the sandstorms.
"Commander, look at this."
One of the warriors pointed towards a faint figure moving within the sandstorm.
It was a frail human form, merely black, tattered skin wrapped around a fragile skeleton, while tattered rags barely covered its body.
The warrior who pointed out the frail, staggering figure on the horizon seemed deeply perplexed.
"How strange to see a Hollow wandering alone in the Desert of Sorrow."
No one from the caravan of warriors replied, as everyone looked towards their leader.
He was like a warrior from Greek mythology, with a giant body nearly 5 meters tall, covered in golden armor whose brilliance not even the clinging gray sand could hide.
With a great helmet shaped like a lion's head, while the leader himself rode a giant lion, twice the size of the lions of the other warriors.
"It is impressive, in fact. Even the mightiest warriors might not be able to reach here, yet this little Hollow managed to achieve this feat."
The Commander's voice was hoarse and loud, like the rumble of thunder, audible even amidst this terrible storm.
The Commander approached the frail Hollow with slow steps, saying,
"Unfortunately, although he achieved this great feat, his final fate will be death if he continues his path like this."
"Therefore, let me give you a gift, little Hollow."
The Commander extended his arm, covered in a golden gauntlet, towards the Hollow's head. Its eyes looked at the Commander with an empty gaze, showing no reaction.
"From today onward, you are no longer a Hollow."
Simultaneous with the Commander's majestic voice, a golden light spread from his fingers, covering the Hollow's body.
As all the warriors raised their weapons towards the sky and repeated majestically after their leader:
"Rather, today you are reborn."
"As a warrior in the great War Lion Legion."
The golden light covered the Hollow like a cocoon woven from pure gold, before dissipating to reveal the form behind it.
There, the frail Hollow with bluish-black skin was no more. In its place stood a young man in his twenties, with healthy white skin, brown hair, and eyes of the same color.
Yet, his eyes still held that empty gaze, though it had become closer to confusion, like someone who had woken from a long dream.
The Commander did not bother speaking to the confused young man. Instead, he turned towards one of the warriors and gestured with his hand.
The warrior advanced with a majestic expression towards the young man before stopping and throwing a leather armor and a long iron sword at him.
After doing this, the warrior returned to his original position with the same majestic expression held by all the warriors as they looked at their leader, waiting for him to complete the final step in the ritual of a new warrior's birth.
And indeed, the Commander extended his armored arm towards the young man's head to pluck a part of his hair.
The young man was still so immersed in confusion and emptiness that he showed no reaction to the Commander's action, who threw the hair into the mouth of the giant lion he was riding.
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrroar!"
And at the same moment, the sound of the roars of the warriors' giant lions spread, as if they were celebrating the birth of a new comrade.
While the Commander's giant lion coughed violently.
And amidst its coughs, it coughed up a fur ball which, in a magical way, began to enlarge and transform, becoming a brown lion cub.
But the strangeness did not stop there, as the cub grew in a crazy and illogical manner, transforming into a giant lion the same size as its brothers.
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrroar!"
The roar of the newly born lion seemed to declare the end of this strange event, as that majestic look vanished from the warriors' faces, and their gazes returned to being cold and indifferent.
While the majestic Commander looked towards the young man, around whom the newly born brown lion curled, as if protecting him from the desert's stormy winds or the Commander's cold gaze. He said, unconcerned whether the young man had regained consciousness and could hear him or not:
"From now on, you are considered a warrior of the great War Lion Legion. Strength, courage, and love of war flow in your blood."
"But a true warrior is the one who determines the war he chooses to fight, the leader he wants to follow, or whether he wants to be a leader himself."
"The choice of where you wish to direct your sword is yours."
After saying this, the Commander turned to continue his journey through the stormy gray desert, followed by the rest of the warriors.
Leaving behind the young man, submerged in his confusion.
"Who am I…"
"Where am I…"
It seemed as if every question and every thought was clearing some of the fog from the young man's mind, like a rusty machine that had finally started working after a long halt.
"Why am I not at home… Wait, where is my home? Who is my family?"
"Do I have a family?"
"Yes, yes, I have a family and I have a home."
"I am… I am…"
"I am Edward Williams, just a man in his twenties, unemployed."
The young man's eyes shone for a moment, as the confusion vanished from them.
Before his gaze became confused again as he looked at his surroundings.
"Where am I?"