The Chains of Fate/Book Four: Redemption



3 thousand years have passed since the Demon of Shadows fell. 3 thousand years since Travis realized what it meant to be immortal. But now, long after he thought he had lost all hope of love, Travis finds himself caring for 4 orphans of a war he had never anticipated. Sivart, the oldest, Shizuka, the elder girl, Yuuta, the younger boy, and Akemi, the youngest, need his help, and have touched him to his very soul. Even as Travis learns how to love, remembers how it was like to be an innocent child who saw the best in everyone, even as he becomes a father and mother to these children, there are those who would oppose him. The Demon of Shadows was supposed to be one of the most powerful beings in the universe, and there are those who would use that power to their advantage once again…

Cover:

·          4 children, person with a shadow

·          Children:

o   Sivart, Age 7, Oldest and tallest. Standing over his younger siblings protectively and lovingly.

o  Shizuka, age 6, looking up at the sky and pointing at a small bird flying in the corner of the book.

o  Yuuta, age 5, looking up at the other side of the book, where the stars are, and writing something down on a piece of loose paper.

o  Akemi, age 4, kneeling down with a flower cupped in her hands, and a butterfly on her face. Look of wonder.

·          Stranger with a Shadow

o  Stranger is tall, brown hair, long black cloak/robe, hood fallen back, smiling at the children. Arms out around them as though he’s going to hug them all.

o  Shadow is large, and demonic. Looks like it want to rip the world apart, and stretches off into the distance. Stranger has is back turned to the Shadow.

Plot:

·          Direct Story Plot:

o  Beginning

§ Travis Palmer, the Demon of Shadows, is wandering the world still. It has been 3 thousand years since he was last called a demon, since he destroyed the lives of thousands. He has been wandering the world ever since, and comes across 4 young children, orphans of a war they had never wanted or been involved in. Orphans that love and care for each other, that remember to see the small things in life.

§ Travis Palmer, the ancient and infamous Demon of Shadows is wandering the world, offering aid when he can.

§ A terrible war is being fought, with a great many suffering from it, cities and towns destroyed by armies and weapons.

§ Travis comes across four young children, Sivart, Shizuka, Yuuta, and Akemi; who were orphaned in the war when their town was destroyed by an enemy army.

§ Travis takes them in, planning only to take them to a safe city where they can get the care they need, but on the journey there falling in love with their innocence and personality.

§ Travis decides to become their surrogate parents, learning how to care for children while traveling across the world and fleeing enemies and bandits who would take the children from him.

§ As they travel, they meet a large number of people, some of whom Travis has already met, which shows Sivart and the others that he is more then meets the eye.

ú Mistress Romana

ú Sir Kevin

ú Master Mage Henry

ú Sage Sivana

§ Travis takes the children to his monument, the Statue of 4 Heroes, and then lets slip in a small way that he is much more then just a wanderer. “Ah… I remember you, all of you. You were true heroes, more so then I ever will be…”

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o  Middle:

§ Early Middle

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§ Mid Middle:

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§ Late Middle:

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o  END:

§ Travis falls to Grat(who wants his power) and his first command to Travis is to destroy “these troublesome brats!” Travis resists, which surprises everyone. He then has his second surprise: Love is stronger then the Demon, then any other power in the universe. He overcomes the enslavement spell, and turns on Grat, killing both Grat and himself in the process. He does, however, manage to say a few last words, as his energies drain away and his life fades at long last.

§ “Please… Sivart… take care of your siblings. Take care of the world I left behind… take care… take care… take care of everyone…” Then, as a memory, he sees his old friends, from before he became the demon. Their welcoming him, and as he finally dies, as his 3 thousand year life comes to a close, he smiles…

o  Epilogue:

§ Sivart and his siblings have buried Travis. They have fallen in love and created families. Sivart’s firstborn son is about to be born, and the entire family is there. As his wife brings his son into the world, Sivart greets him with his name. “Welcome home, Travis”

o  The Final Word:

§ The future can hold many things, there are many paths you can take. But live Travis from the story, you cannot escape your fate. We are mortal, and because of that we will someday die. But that doesn’t matter. What matters are the small things in life, the little things. What matters are the people you meet, and the way you treat them. What you do for yourself will always die with you, but what you do for others will live on forever. That is the lesson that Travis learns, that is the lesson this book is supposed to teach you. Whether or not you listen, well, that’s up to you.

§ And if your wondering why I leave the story there, with the newborn son being named “Travis”, that is because the story is never finished. While life yet lives there will always be another story, another future. The future is yours, yours to grasp, and yours to change. You create your own future, you write your own story. So go now, go and write your stories…

Characters:

·          Main Characters:

o  Sivart:

o  Shizuka:

o  Yuuta:

o  Akemi: The younest of the Shinobu family, she is only 4 years old when the story starts. She learns how to use magic to a small level, but mostly learns to write and paint. When she is 6 years old she is captured by Grat’s mercenaries and held captive, losing her right pinky finger as proof they will hurt her if Travis doesn’t come. She is then forced by those same mercenaries a little bit later (still 6 years old) and recedes into herself, not letting anyone but her siblings touch her, and being absolutely terrified of anyone who isn’t related to her. She does trust Travis, and he eventually helps her to recover from the experience. She writes his story for the world to read as they near the end of the book, and is again captured by Grat’s men, but this time it is along with her siblings. She helps Travis regain himself in the final battle between him and Grat, as well as proving to be quite the fighter in battle, killing a number of Grat’s men when they attack her. She uses a knife and martial arts to do so.

o  Travis: Travis the central character, as well as one of the major protagonists of the story.

o  Grat: The main antagonist, he is trying to gain control of Travis and take over the world using his power.

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·          Secondary Characters:

·          Backup and other Characters:

o  Dandrita: Dandrita helps Travis smuggle himself and the children across the sea to the northern forested regions. Dandrita also shows up after that, having betrayed Travis to Grat for money.

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o  The Shinobu children’s parents, who are only spoken of in passing and mentioned in the proluge.

o  Mistress Romana:

o  Sir Kevin:

o  Master Mage Henry: A master mage, he is a friend of Travis’s and teaches Shizuka some skills in magecraft. Entrusts the rest to another of Travis’s friends.

o  Sivana: Sivana is a skilled healer and gardener. She teaches Sivart some skills in healing, while she helps Travis and Shizuka recover from their injuries. She is later killed by mercenaries hired by Grat to capture Travis.

o  Bandits: Bandits attack at several times throughout the story. They are usually mercenaries and barely make backup characters. Play a small role, to say the least.

o  Grat’s Mercenaries: Well armed and coldhearted, they do anything to get control over Travis. They even take Akemi as a captive and threaten to hurt her if Travis doesn’t come with them. They send her pinky finger to show they mean business. Later in that chapter, they force Akemi (who is only 6 at the time) and awake Travis’s inner rage. He doesn’t get to kill them though, because Sivart, Shizuka, and Yuuta beat him to it by about ten seconds.

Places and Locations:

·          The Southern Desert Continent- a large confident that is mostly desert, with the great 8 and other towns relying on oasis and rivers that pass through the desert.

o  Turkwall Ruins- Where Travis finds his four orphans.

o  The Dusty Road- most of the traveling in the “8 Cities” occurs on this road. Bandits and slavers common.

o  The 8 Cities- A set of 8 powerful cities that rule large areas of land around them.

§ Virko- Named for the Great Hero Benjamin Virko, this city is only slighty younger then Falnrii. Pop= 42 thousand +

§ Mirkwall- Centered in a dark and foreboding swamp, Mirkwall is the only of the great 8 cities to have an excess of water, which it sells to the others for great profit. Pop= 34 thousand +

§ Duridan- Named for the great Hero Horoshi Duridan, this city is older the Wirko but younger then Flanrii. Pop= 57 thousand +

§ Onola- Onola was founded by Travis himself, long ago. He created it to be a free city, but it has fallen into slavery with the rest. Pop= 49 thousand +

§ Gangta- Founded by Iyyena Malorn, this city is the only one to not have slavery within it’s borders. They are very proud of that fact, and any slaves that enter their territories are free people once more. The city has the largest population of all the great 8 Cities. Pop= 142 thousand +

§ Klit- The youngest of the 8 great cities, Kilt was founded on a few hundred years ago. Pop= 12 thousand +

§ Detiera- Detiera was founded by Falnrii but later escaped their control. There has been ongoing conflict between the two ever since. Pop= 48 thousand +

§ Falnrii- Named after the great Hero Lucy Falnrii, it is the oldest of the 8 great cities. Pop= 53 thousand +

o  Salfri- A small town that Travis takes the children to during his travels. Meets an old friend and pays respects to an even older one.

o  The 4 Heroes Monument- A Monument that has stood the test of time, created by Travis shortly after he was defeated. Depicts the 4 heroes of old standing together against the world. Someone later decided that they were standing against the demon, and created a statue of the demon across from it. The Demon looks eviler then Travis ever did, and doesn’t look similar to him at all, even when in demon form. He makes no effort to hide his dislike of the Demon’s statue.

o  Tonica Town- A large costal city filled with refugees from the Duridan-Falnrii war.

·          Northern Forested Continent- a cold, forested continent to which many refugees have fled, looking for a new life.

o  Portland- The largest of the cities on the norther continent, this is usually where all the immigrants end up while they try to make money to leave. Pop=34 thousand +

o  Foresta- A large lumber town. Pop 327 (5 children born while Travis stays there)

·          The Islands- A tropical collaction of small islands scattered across a small area of ocean. About half-way between the North and South continents.

o  Tropiclon- A large city in the Islands. Pop= 5 thousand +

o  Dromdun- A small port town in the Islands. Pop= 163 (4 children born while Travis is there)

Inspiaration:

·          The Song “You Could be a Hero”

·          The Book “Redemtion of Christopher Collumbus”

·          The Manga/Anime “Naruto” and “Naruto Shippuden”

·          The Game “Dragon Age II”

Trivia
I actually started with this book, that's why it's the most well designed of them.