The Dark Edge Sword Arts, it was an art that Murkel had never heard of before. Part of his training was learning the arts of the clans in the nearby area, and this wasn't one that he was familiar with.
Regardless, he had decided to take on the challenge and the two of them went head to head against each other. As the fight continued, Murkel had gone up against the Dark Edge Sword Arts for the first time, and he had come out of the match with a loss.
At first, the mysterious man had used a number of different wanderer techniques, but when going up against the Dark Edge Sword Arts he had never seen before, the techniques were odd and didn't feel like anything he had gone up against. On top of that, they were extremely powerful, all of these things had ended up with Murkel's defeat.
The mysterious man's sword was pressed up against Murkel's neck, but the man soon put the sword away, and offered a hand, lifting Murkel up off the ground.
"You are probably one of the most talented people I have faced so far… for your age that is." The man said.
"Does that mean you have fought many before? It's hard to test my skills as I am only able to go up against those that are in my clan." Murkel replied.
"Yes, I'm being honest and I'm not just saying that. The continent of Pagna is vast, and the history of arts that have been improved upon from years and years is extremely impressive." The man went on to ramble, talking about some of the groups he went against and the arts they used, which he liked.
"Your art, it doesn't feel like it's based on anything, not even on any of the wanderer techniques. It almost feels as if Qi is not meant to be the basis of the power." Murkel commented.
A large smile appeared on the man's face.
"I knew you were special, you are the first person to realize this. You are right, that's because, this sword art, although I have made it for Pagna warriors, I haven't created these techniques with Qi in mind."
The reply didn't make sense to Murkel. If Qi wasn't the basis for the energy to be used then what was? Qi was the only thing that he knew. On top of that, the techniques were already powerful enough, with just Qi on its own.
"You said before that you are competitive, that is why you are creating these arts, but are they for yourself? If only you know the arts, then when you die, no one will know that your art is the strongest." Murkel replied.
It was standard for Pagna warriors to try and claim their arts were the best, and would use them to continue to grow until they reached the divine realm.
"You're right, that's why I need to perfect these techniques. Once they are perfected, I will pass them on, but only after I know they are strong enough to face everyone here." The man replied.
"Only then? From the sound of things, you wish to pass it on so everyone has the same strength, what's the reason for that?" Murkel asked. "Shouldn't you keep this knowledge within your own clan? Otherwise, it will just make everyone the same."
"Even though you teach all of your clan the same techniques, not everyone is the same." the man replied. "And besides, there are already those that have techniques stronger than all of those in Pagna, including those in the Divine realm. If those from the Divine realm could have their strength down here in Pagna, then even the strongest would lose, correct?"
"So, before ascending, one needs to be the strongest here, to have the chance against the strongest up there."
"I don't think that's something we should worry about." Murkel replied. "After all, they are up there, and even in the other realm, one can continue to grow their strength."
"Do you think that they will always be up there? And what if there are other threats? You should know, we are not the only ones in this world." The man stated.
Murkel thought about it a bit more, and now seeing the strong wanderer, another rumor had entered his head, it was about the dimensions.
"Are you talking about the dimensions, you think that is something that Pagna should worry about, are they even real?" Murkel asked.
"They are certainly real, and the rumors about them are correct. They are able to connect the world of Pagna to these other worlds, and I will tell you something else. In these other worlds, there are not just beasts, but people as well."
"In these places, the restrictions of the Divine realm are not present either, and if the world of Pagna can be connected, then it means other worlds can be connected to the same place as well."
To Murkel, hearing all of this, he just thought it was the ramblings of an older man. It was quite common for strong warriors to be a bit crazy in the head. Sometimes their radical thoughts weren't so radical when breakthroughs would occur in the warrior world.
"You have impressed me a lot, so I have a message for you and one that you should take seriously." The man said. "One of these portals, these dimensions could appear any time, even in such a place , in your lovely town."
"At the moment, the portals that are opening are unstable, so more than likely a portal break will occur. If a dimension portal does appear, you have two options. You must warn everyone, and tell them to run."
"If this does happen, then there is no doubt a lot of lives will be saved, but some will still end up perishing, not believing your warning."
"Then there is a second option, grow strong, strong enough to enter the portal, and fight. If you do that, you can protect everyone that you care about in this town. It's a journey that you don't have to do on your own, and if there are more of you, you can convince them, then you will be able to save many."
Without letting Murkel reply, the man had left, and it was only later that the world would learn that the mysterious man would go on to become the founder of the Dark Faction, and of the Legendary Noctis Clan.
However, Murkel himself wouldn't learn of this fact at all, due to strange circumstances, as the world had other plans for him.