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Grimden's people were wandering ascetics who traveled the land, peacefully following the will of the Goddess.
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So too did his parents follow the will of the Goddess.
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Though they possessed nothing of value, they were always full of love and generosity toward others.
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Elder
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Know that we are always loved by our Goddess.
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Elder
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Let us emulate our Goddess by continuing to share this love with all we meet.
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The boy loved his family and took great pride in being one of them.
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He strove to become like them one day, to join them as an ascetic who could truly share love.
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But it wasn't long before a man filled with greed and hate kidnapped the boy, ruining and chance he had as happiness.
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Guide
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Hm, of all the potentials that arrived today, you are the best. We don't often see such sturdy individuals.
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Guide
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You will become a fine weapon one day.
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The boy struggled in his shackles, determined to defy his captor.
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Guide
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This is your escape from an inferior destitute life filled with misery.
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Guide
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You will be reborn into a powerful, beautiful, and faithful existence.
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Guide
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Your re-education won't be easy, but I think we'll manage.
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From that day forward, the boy was extensively educated and trained as a merciless assassin under the guide's watch.
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The boy sensed that he was slowly losing himself and resisted as much as he could.
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But the guide was ruthless. He used violence and brainwashing to reshape the struggling boy's mind.
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Eventually, the ascetic child vanished into the darkness...
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And a powerful weapon roes in his place.
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After that, Grimden was regularly assigned missions for which he claimed countless lives.
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The endless pain and brainwashing had completely ravaged his mind.
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Voice
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...Know that... we are always loved... by our Goddess...
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As time wore on, he began to suffer excruciating headaches and hear thins that weren't there.
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One day on a mission, Grimden experienced a blinding pain. He quickly lost sight of his unit and fell behind.
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Soon, he discovered someone in need of help and managed to save their life. But his pain become too great, and he passed out.
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Old Woman
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I don't know if you remember, but you saved me.
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When he opened his eyes, he was in a small cabin, with an old woman beside him.
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The former Oracle tended to him with great care.
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She showed him warmth and kindness, and as the days passed, he slowly regained his memories.
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He recalled his family, happy childhood memories, and his precious dreams.
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There was far too much blood on his hands.
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A detestable shadow had no right to walk and live in the light of the world.
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Grimden
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How could a horrendous killing machine like me be allowed to exist in this world?
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The old woman took his trembling hands in her own and spoke.
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Old Woman
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Whether or not you deserve to exist in this world is for the gods to decide.
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Old Woman
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What's important now is how you live your live going forward.
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Old Woman
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Devote yourself to goodwill and live the life you've been given.
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The gentle, yet determined message touched his heart and granted him the salvation he desperately needed.
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But just as he began envisioning a new life for himself, he sensed multiple people surrounding the cabin.
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The shadows searching for their straggler had finally found him.
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After a fierce, the tormentors he thought he had escaped captured him, returning him to darkness.
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He once again came face-to-face with his lifelong tormentor.
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As punishment for his desertion, they had kidnapped the old woman as well. She lay frightened and trembling at the Guide's.
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Guide
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Even after all this time and effort, there's still a part of you that resist me.
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Guide
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I've often contemplated the best way to break you of that for good.
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At those words, the man's aides injected something into Grimden's body.
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A new kind of pain and madness tore through him.
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Guide
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You will kill this woman with your own hands. Show no mercy. Cut down your final flaw. Destroy the last of your petty will.
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The sound of Grimden's sword slicing through air was unmistakable.
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But it wasn't the old woman who fell to his blade. It was Grimden's tormentor.
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At least, he had overcome the darkness that bond him. He had killed his true enemy.
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They rushed through the halls freeing every child, then set the awful place on fire, so it could never be used for such evil deeds.
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Grimden finally escaped his dark past.
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After that, the two spent their days together in peace.
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As he made new, happier memories, his ravaged mind slowly healed.
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Over time, he recovered and learned to fin peace within.
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At the old woman's suggestion, he vowed to go out into the world and use his abilities to protect others.
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If he could atone for even a fraction of his sins, he could be content.
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As Grimden left the cabin that had been his sanctuary for so long, the old woman wished him well.
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No matter what challenges lay before him,
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he was prepared to face each and every one.
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