My name is Akzamwakoikau Ali Kasser.

Akzam is the name of my ancestors, which means the one who bears the edge. It is both a warrior's name and an auspicious title. Akzam was the last mage king. He fell before the Golden Legion and the Celestials under the command of the Sun Empress of Shurima, and the kingdom of Acacia was opened.

Wa is my mother, Koi is my father, and Ekasser is the name of the blood clan into which I was born. Ekasseur has a glorious history and has been loyal to the Mage King.

I have inherited these names from the moment I was born.

My name is Akzamwakoikau Ali Kasser.

Only Kauali was newly added. It's a new name, but it already feels natural. The name has now become one with me and has burned a burning pride in my heart. Kauali used to be the personal guard of the mage king, all of them were dead soldiers, and they used their lives to serve their masters. When King Akzam fell before the Sun Queen's warriors, and Acacia became a vassal of Shurima, each of them had taken their own reproaches.

But Kauali has been reborn, once again serving the new mage king, and regaining his former glory. My arm is branded with their insignia, a sword wrapped in a scroll.

My name is Akzamwakoikau Ali Kasser. I repeat it again and again, clinging to what it represents.

I don't want to forget. That's all I have.

Am I dreaming this morning I strode through the streets of Acacia with the reconstituted Kaualian, feeling like it had been a lifetime since the last time.

Thousands of men, women and children gather on the wide main road. Dressed in the brightest clothes and the finest jewels, they cheered and saluted us as we marched. They came to witness the rebirth of their kingdom.

Because today it is Acacia who has been reborn, not just Kauali. I puffed up my chest and felt a surge of pride.

We marched in unison, wielding rattan shields and Nimcha scimitars. Shurima's laws prohibit the possession of Acacia's weapons, but the city has secretly forged and stockpiled enough weapons to prepare for the day of the uprising.

It was an unforgettable day.

Screams echoed through the city, and people shouted to hunt down every Shurima official. For hundreds of years, humiliating laws have been to eradicate our culture and bloodily punish all those who refuse to give in. On this day of bloodshed, the resentment of the people reached its peak. Although these people are just notaries, merchants, and tax collectors, it doesn't matter, they are all lackeys of the odious Sun Emperor, and they deserve to die.

Overnight, Acacia was restored

The statue of the Sun Disc was torn down from the roof and smashed by the crowd, Shurima's writing paper was burned, and their treasures were looted. The statues of the deceased emperors were desecrated, and even I destroyed a huge mural in a way that made my own mother embarrassed.

I remember the smell of smoke and flames. It's the taste of freedom.

I reminisced as I walked.

My memories are full of smiling faces and cheers, but I can't make out any specific words. The sun was too bright, the noise was too strong, and it rang in my head for a long time.

I hadn't closed my eyes the night before, and the upcoming battle had made me nervous. I wield Nimcha's scimitar with decent, and the serpentine recurve bow on my shoulder is the one I take my life. The bow is made of well-trained wood and painted with a layer of moisture-resistant red lacquer. The arrows are made of pale blue beak bird feathers, and I have carved obsidian with my own hands as arrowheads. The obsidian came from the creation of the Sorcerers, who were the controllers of the earth and stone magic. Running along the forested coastline of Acacia gave me the physical strength to fight all day long, and the treacherous roads in the mountains gave me the arms to draw a strong bow.

A young girl with silver braids and some of the deepest green eyes I've ever seen. She put a wreath of flowers on my head. I was intoxicated by the scent of flowers, but when she pulled me closer and kissed me on the lips, I left everything behind. She wore a necklace with an opal in the middle of a gold spiral, and I recognized it as my father's handiwork and couldn't help but smile.

I tried to catch her, but I was carried on by the team. So, I could only imprint her face firmly in my mind.

I can't remember it now, only her eyes remain, the deep green of which resembles the forest I ran in my youth

Soon, this remnant will fade away.

"Don't worry, Aza," Sejax Cayurensko Ali Carson said, shoving a freshly peeled egg into his mouth. "After this matter is settled today, she will wait for you."

"That's right," said Kogelin, Aisakoa, Aliaisson, as he elbowed me. "Wait for him, and twenty other awesome guys."

Coughlin's words made me blush, and he laughed.

"With Shurima's gold, tie her a fine necklace," he continued. "She's your person, forever and ever, at least until tomorrow morning"

I should say something to rebuke Coughlin for so much contempt for this girl's honor, but I'm a junior, and I just want to prove myself in front of the veterans. Sejax is the real heart of Kauali. He was a big man, with a shaved head, his skin covered with pockmarks from his childhood illness, and his thick beard split in two strands and shaped with wax and chalk. Cottlin was his right-hand man, with cold, cruel eyes, and a tattoo of his berecourse, but I had never heard him speak of his wife. These people all grew up together, and when they were old enough to pick up a sword, they began to learn the secret martial arts of warriors.

But a career as a horse is new to me. My father trained me to be a lapidary, specializing in identifying gemstones and making jewelry. Unlike me, he is meticulous and cautious in his words and deeds, and such obscene words must be like five thunderbolts to him. Of course, I had a lot of fun and wanted to get along with these tough guys as soon as possible.

"Don't bully this lad, Coughlin," Sejax patted me on the back with his broad palm. His friendly slap made my mouth ache, but I still used it a lot. "At night he is a hero.".

He moved the axe he was carrying on his shoulder. The weapon was enormous, with the names of his ancestors engraved on the black hilt and the blade of the bronze axe as sharp as a razor. Few of us can lift it, let alone swing and slash, but Sejax is a master of all weapons.

I turned my head to take one last look at the green-eyed girl, but between the crowd of soldiers and the barrage of weapons, she was nowhere to be seen.