The White King

West

On instinct alone, Schwarz rolls off the bed.

As he catches himself in plank position, he properly awakens to the sound of a hammer impacting the wooden structure he was atop just a moment prior.

He reacts just as quickly to a second threat, lifting his hands just over an inch before slamming them down upon the floor. The force of that, combined with his own pushing, brings him close enough to standing to evade an ax swing.

Whirling around, Schwarz catches Dunkel's wrist before the hammer can strike again. The ax wielder, Spur, is in turn forced to halt his attacks when Schwarz bares his ally as a human shield.

There's a pause, the three of them trading glances, before Schwarz nods.

"Thanks for the help, you guys," he says, letting go of Dunkel's arm.

And immediately grabbing it again when he tries to scratch his ears in congratulations.

"I'm not six, Dunkel. I'm not even sixteen as of today, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't pet me."

Dunkel shrugs. "You turn seventeen today, but you haven't passed your coming of age ceremony, so you're still technically a kid to me. As a man myself, I can pet you all I like."

Schwarz frowns, glaring daggers at him, but lets it pass when Spur speaks up.

"Hey, it's almost sunrise, you know. You wanted to get there as early as possible, right?"

Schwarz spends a second processing that before it clicks in his mind.

"s**t!" he exclaims while tearing through a pile of discarded clothing for his black t-shirt and bracers. Sliding them on, he does a quick salute towards them. "Ciao," he says, running backwards into his open window.

Because of it's position, the surface clips his legs and sends him tumbling out into the street below.

That's not to say it wasn't planned. Falling upside down, Schwarz lands upon one of his hands and uses the leverage it brings to transition into a safety roll.

Already on his feet, bare as they are, he sprints across the dark dusty streets towards the Chief's lodge.

I wonder what it'll be this time. I hope I don't get a lion like everyone else.

Schwarz slips inside the beaded door, arriving just as the sun crests above the horizon.

"You made it."

Schwarz turns his head at the sudden voice, coming face to face with Abend, the village leader. The old woman was smiling calmly and her squinted eyes gave him a once over, clearly unimpressed by his state of upheaval.

Schwarz spares a moment to smooth out his black hair and tail, but replies without any real work.

"Of course I made it, I'm me. Now, what am I hunting?" he asks, obviously excited to get started.

She raises a hand to stay his gushing enthusiasm, taking careful steps to her seat at the antique decorated meeting table. Schwarz, rather than sit on a supposedly holy chair, simply stands behind the one opposite her.

She breathes deeply, her pale blue orbs meeting Schwarz's own hazel ones. "You know the story of the White Tiger, yes?"

Schwarz nods. The White Tiger was, supposedly, the inspiration for Jian Bing, the original Western Beast King, and his fighting style.

"Rumors have surfaced of a White Tiger near the Northeast border of our lands. While you're used to plains, I'm sure you will adapt well to the forests there. I say that because I need you to protect it."

Schwarz just stares for a moment.

Oh! There's a blink.

"Protect the holy beast?" he finally asks with more incredulity than any person should be able to convey. "That is my rite of passage?"

She only nods in reply.

"I will carry it out," he says, already making his way towards the door.

"'Ey! Don't forget the map!" she calls back to him.

"-right after I grab that map," he finishes, having totally intended that from the beginning.

The moment Schwarz arrives at his house, stepping inside the stone and wood fortress he'd lived in for years, does he finally consider the gravity of his situation.

Normally, people would be tasked with going out and slaying a troublesome predator somewhere. Such a task was difficult, but it could be completed with just a few days. Defending a potentially immortal holy beast indefinitely...

That wasn't nearly the same thing.

I guess I should say goodbye to everyone, then,

he acknowledges sadly. Despite having friends and allies, such as the people who woke him up today, you weren't allowed to bring anyone with you on your coming of age task.

He slumps against the wall beside the door, suddenly far less excited to get going.

Becoming a man was an honor, and one you were allowed to pass on. You were technically an adult the moment you turned seventeen, but manhood had to be earned at that age.

Would it be worth being seen as a coward to be able to stay at home?

The answer to that question would be a yes, but the problem came from what his task actually was. He wasn't passing on fighting a bear or lion; he would be refusing to aid a holy beast.

Their holy beast.

Why me?

he silently asks the universe.

But no reply came.

Schwarz opens his eyes, completely lost for a moment on where he was. After a few seconds to allow his vision time to adjust to the lighting, he realizes that he was in his house still.

What?

He glances around, his eye catching on black beneath him. His house was gray and brown...

But he wasn't.

What the hell!?

Beneath him was... himself. It was quite the uncomfortable realization, made slightly more so when a voice whispers into his ear as if from nowhere.

"You've come a long way, haven't you."

Schwarz looks all around, searching for the source of the voice, but finds none. It doesn't even really stop speaking, merely pausing for effect.

"I must say, I never expected to be caught out like this. My kingdom in shambles and my armies defeated... This is truly a dark day."

Schwarz stops looking for the voice, instead turning to inspect his own unconscious form. It was still against the wall, so it wasn't impossible for him to actually be asleep.

Then again, this had to be a dream, right? People don't just hear people's voices.

The universe begged to differ.

"This may be the day of your glory, but it's the greatest tragedy the world has ever seen. You may not see it, but you will regret it when I'm gone."

Schwarz realizes something, as unimportant as it is: the pauses were someone else talking. He couldn't hear them, but it would make sense. He hadn't said anything, after all, and the last time sounded like a reply of some kind.

"The legacy of The White Tiger has really fallen, hasn't it?"

The instant that was said, a visceral sound of bloodshed resounded in Schwarz's mind.

And then he awoke.

Breathing rapidly, Schwarz leaps to his feet the instant his body realizes he was awake. He wasn't in danger, but a haunting feeling rested on him.

He had to leave, yet he didn't fully understand why. The words...

What were they?

After a moment spent trying to recall, he can only remember three words: The White Tiger.

I guess that's the universes sign...

Giving his goodbyes on the way out of town, Schwarz leaves his hometown for the Angels Grove.