CHAPTER=01
(THE ARENA OF THE TEN RINGS)
Part 1 – The Hidden Village & The Forbidden Sword
This story begins in a hidden village, nestled deep within the Himalayan mountains.
In this village stood a Samurai temple, where a master named Korasaki Hashibara trained children in the art of combat. There was also a kind woman in the village who lovingly cared for all the children.
Among those children was a boy named Ray, who learned every skill very quickly.
Inside the temple, however, there was one place that was strictly forbidden.
Ray did not know why it was off-limits.
One night, driven by curiosity, Ray secretly went there. Inside, he found only a sword and, behind it, three statues. Just then, a voice echoed behind him:
"Ray… what are you doing here?"
Ray turned around and saw his sensei standing before him. He nervously asked,
"Sensei… whose sword is this?"
The sensei sighed deeply and then gathered all the students to tell them a story.
"This sword," he said, "once belonged to the most powerful warrior in the entire universe. Let me tell you his tale…"
The story went back 2 years into the past.
Sensei recalled being inside a hut with one of his students, a young man named Sam, who lay there unconscious.
"Sam, wake up," he whispered.
When Sam finally stirred, he said desperately,
"Sensei, we must stop him… or else he will do something terrible. But none of this is truly his fault. If anyone is to blame, it is me. I could have saved him, but now he has been forced into this path because of my failure."
The boy they were talking about was far away, sitting under a tree in a garden of flowers, holding a locket in his hands. Tears fell from his eyes as he closed them in pain.
And so, the tale drifted even further back—20 years into the past.
It all began with King Logan, the ruler of ten planets.
Logan was not truly evil, but he had an unshakable desire: to become the most powerful king in the universe. For that goal, he was ready to do anything.
Logan had three children:
• His eldest son Kyle, a strong but arrogant warrior.
• His second son Sam, calm, kind-hearted, and wise.
• His youngest daughter Ahana, gentle and pure of heart.
On the ten planets, Logan enforced a two-caste system:
• The upper caste, who had every privilege.
• The lower caste, who lived in hardship and were forbidden to rise, except by one way—joining Logan's army.
Every year, Logan held a brutal tournament called "The Arena of the Ten Rings."
If a warrior from the lower caste won, he would be allowed into the king's army.
But in all history, no lower-caste warrior had ever won… except one. And that man was executed.
Kyle, jealous of Sam's closeness with their father, grew hateful, though he still loved Logan deeply. He spread fear across the universe with his strength. Logan also declared a terrifying law: If anyone ever killed him, the deadliest warriors, hunters, ninjas, and demons of the universe would hunt that person down.
Among the ten planets, Earth was considered the weakest, filled with the weakest warriors. But the planets were constantly under attack from demons.
On Earth, there was a small village named Norfolk, which supplied food and weapons to the upper caste. In this village lived a woman named Ruhana, who ran a grocery shop with her two children: her son Rex and her daughter Mika.
Mika suffered from a strange illness since childhood—visions of demons calling to her, sudden fainting, and even vomiting blood. Rex, as her older brother, cared for her deeply and protected her as best he could. Their mother loved Rex dearly, but he had dreams of his own: he longed to become a warrior.
But lower-caste people—especially those from Earth—were never trained. Still, Rex secretly practiced in hopes of one day entering the tournament and joining the upper caste. His mother opposed the idea, but Rex's determination grew stronger.
Finally, the day of the tournament came. Without telling his mother, Rex left, asking his sister Mika to keep it a secret. She agreed, but only on one condition: "Bring me back a new dress." Rex smiled and promised.
At the arena, warriors from all ten planets fought. One by one, all lower-caste warriors were defeated. Only one remained—and when he was about to be killed, Rex leapt into the ring to save him.
His mother, who had rushed there after learning the truth, screamed in fear for her son, but the guards held her back. She begged Logan to stop the fight. Logan hesitated, but Kyle reminded him of the rule: once someone entered the ring, they had to fight—whether child or adult.
The battles raged. Rex was beaten down again and again, but something inside him refused to break. When he looked toward Logan's throne, his eyes met those of Logan's daughter, Ahana. She was watching him with sorrow in her eyes. In that moment, Rex felt something he had never felt before—love.
Fueled by this, Rex unleashed all his strength and, one by one, defeated the powerful hunters. The entire arena erupted in cheers. Even Logan stood and applauded.
For the first time in history, a lower-caste boy had won the tournament.
Logan asked, "Where are you from, boy?"
Rex, still panting, replied, "From Earth."
Logan declared, "From this day forward, you are no longer lower caste. You are welcome among the upper caste."
But Rex's eyes remained fixed only on Ahana.
Later, when Rex returned home, his mother wept, scolding him for disobeying her. But Rex embraced her and said,
"Forgive me, Mother. Everything I did was for you and Mika… so that one day we could escape this lower life."
Ruhana held both her children close, tears falling down her cheeks.
Rex then surprised Mika with the new dress he had promised her. She hugged him tightly, whispering, "Thank you, brother."
That night, Rex wandered to his favorite secret place, a beautiful and peaceful spot where he always went when he was happy, sad, or troubled. Lying down, he closed his eyes…
And now, in his dreams, he saw Ahana.