Theo De Lawrence (1)

In the seventh millennium, between the 3rd and 4th centuries, the world knew a hero who called himself Vagus. A skilled swordsman who traveled the three great empires fighting against the corruption of emperors, defending the freedom of peasants and legal slaves. After his death in 7,430, the Order of Vagus emerged, a quasi-military organization. 

From a young age, many dreams of joining this order. A minority uses this privilege for evil, taking advantage of soldier-like permissions to do as they please. Most, however, seek to help people wherever they go, increasing their influence and rising through the ranks. 

A group of people gathered in the center of a dirt square, shouting and yelling as if chanting a ritualistic song. They watched a sword fight with interest. 

One of the combatants, drenched in sweat, took a step back, analyzing his opponent's movements for an opportunity to strike. The adversary, on the other hand, maintained a confident smile. 

"You agreed to fight for money, so why are you avoiding the fight, peasant?" mocked a man in the crowd. 

A boy with wheat-colored hair circled the inner perimeter, watching the fight as the crowd cheered on the beating the peasant was taking. The peasant was thrown into the crowd and pushed to the ground by a burly man. 

"Ouch..." the boy muttered. "That hurt." 

The other combatant, a Vagus agent, seemed to revel in the situation. With open arms, he nodded to the spectators, begging for more cheers. 

"Can I borrow your sword? I promise I won't break it," he murmured, picking up the peasant's sword. 

The Vagus agent noticed the boy and quickly turned to face him. 

"Who are you?" the agent interrogated. 

"I'm Theo, a rookie Vagus agent. And you?" 

"I'm Sigmore, a fourth-grade agent," he replied with a smile. 

"Can I challenge you to a duel?" 

Sigmore nodded yes. 

"He's two grades above me... Probably an experienced fighter. This will be a good opportunity to gain combat experience and practice. But this sword..." Theo thought, looking at the peasant's sword. "A Xiphos... It seems to be of subpar quality." 

"This kid thinks too much," Sigmore pondered, advancing toward Theo. He launched a strike at the boy, who skillfully dodged. 

"Sir, I haven't finished my reasoning yet," Theo complained, avoiding Sigmore's strike. 

"Will you have time for that in a real fight?" Sigmore retorted, attacking again and bringing the blade dangerously close to Theo's face. 

Theo leaned back, escaping the attack, and quickly knelt. Then, he pinned Sigmore's left arm, holding his sword. 

"I don't know. We'll only find out if we try, right?" A smile formed on his face. 

"What's the point of trying if you end up dead?" 

"Death is the end, anyway. Well, that's what they say out there..." 

Theo threw Sigmore's arm back and moved away. "How am I going to handle this sword? I should have brought my own," he thought. 

Sigmore advanced swiftly, striking with his sword, trying to hit Theo. The boy remained on the defensive, skillfully dodging and looking for an opening in his opponent's movements. 

Noticing that nothing would change by just attacking with the sword, Sigmore tried to kick the boy. 

Locking swords, Sigmore kicked with his left leg, balancing on his right. Theo, in turn, caught the opponent's leg before it hit his ribs. 

Exploring the boy's defense, Sigmore abruptly pulled his left leg back, dragging Theo with him. As Theo lost his balance, Sigmore tried to strike with the side of his sword but failed. 

"What's he going to do? Advance? That would be the norm. But he's a fourth-grade agent, already ranked high enough not to act so predictably. So..." 

Sigmore tossed his sword into the air, making it spin on its axis. With a strong slap on the hilt, it was launched at high speed toward Theo. 

Theo was forced to take the initiative and counterattack, deflecting the projectile, throwing it to the ground, and preparing to charge at Sigmore, who, however, had already moved from his previous position. 

Sigmore ran to retrieve his sword, but Theo acted suddenly, landing a kick on the agent's chest. When thrown back, Sigmore regained his combat stance while waiting for Theo to approach. 

In a simple move, the boy attempted a right jab but failed. The two agents began exchanging punches and kicks, with Theo having the advantage since he still had a weapon. 

The senior agent landed a knee to Theo's stomach, while Theo landed a jab on the opponent's cheek. Both hits were enough to force them to retreat. 

They both jumped a meter back. 

Sigmore took advantage of the moment and advanced, going after the sword he had lost again. Theo still tried to intervene, but the other agent was faster and managed to retrieve his weapon. 

Recovering his sword, Sigmore turned sharply and slashed the air toward Theo, who didn't have enough reaction speed to dodge. Throwing his body weight down, Theo dropped to the ground. However, Sigmore's blade cut a lock of Theo's hair. 

Theo's amber eyes burned with anger. 

Theo reacted, fueled by that feeling, hitting Sigmore with a kick to the chin, followed by an elbow to the stomach, pushing him back. 

Sigmore retaliated, trying to attack, but Theo dodged and slid across the ground. 

A wave of cold, chilling wind covered Sigmore, literally pushing him back. Gesturing with his fingers, Theo extended his arms toward Sigmore. 

"Huh?!" Sigmore murmured, surprised. 

"A deviant!" he thought. 

With a quick movement, Sigmore rolled to the other side. Surprised, he broke the crowd's silence with a smile: 

"Who would've thought you'd get so mad just because I cut your bangs..." 

"I almost unleashed an unwanted storm..." 

"My hair is sacred," Theo retorted, examining the cut. 

"So, you're challenging other martial artists to gain combat experience?" 

"Exactly. At just fifteen, it's recommended for beginners to fight other agents as much as possible. I was lucky to find you at the city's edge." 

"Theo, take him home?" Sigmore asked, pointing to the fallen peasant while giving Theo a wink. "Take this, you won. I promised five hundred coins to whoever beat me." 

"But sir..." a subordinate protested. 

"This kid is a deviant. You think I'm going to fight him? Even if he's a teenager, it would be foolish." Tossing the bag of coins toward Theo, Sigmore asked one last question. "Hey, do you already have a pseudonym?" 

Theo tied the bag of coins to his waist, looking into Sigmore's eyes and making a gesture of greeting, he replied: 

"Yes. Call me Lumen." 

"Lumen, huh?" He gave a sarcastic smile. "See you around. Let's go, boys, feel like spending the night at the bar?" 

As Sigmore and his subordinates walked away, Theo approached the fallen peasant and wondered: 

"How am I going to find out where your house is?" 

The crowd began to disperse gradually, with each peasant heading in a different direction. However, one was different. A hunchbacked man, suffering from obesity. His eyes were closed, his body covered by a leather apron. 

"Sir Sigmore... That stupid little worm," the peasant muttered. "Always causing trouble and putting it on the backs of the naive. I wonder what he'll do when he's promoted by the king." 

Theo watched the man walk up to him, touching the lock of hair cut by Sigmore. 

"Kid, since it's almost nightfall..." The peasant pointed to a steep street. "At the end of Rudsir Street, the last house after the slope. That's your friend's house. Good luck..." 

"Thank you..." 

Gesturing with his fingers, the wind lifted the peasant into the air and carried him onto the boy's back. Theo walked with the man until well past dusk.