Death's Redemption

Chapter 5: Forged By The Whispers

The golden locket swiftly closed, causing a faint popping sound to be heard in the air. The man holding it looked down towards the callous rocks near his boots, thinking of what the locket meant to him.

The outside of it had now worn down patterns depicting great battles between men and monsters etched into it. They told stories of the long-lasting feud between orcs and men and how they fought against each other for so long. Lockets like this were custom of most men enlisted in Stormwind's numerous ranks. Contained within the shiny object was a small piece of paper with drawings on it of two people standing next to each other with a smile. One of them was a young woman, and the other a young child. The two had their arms around each other, the pose immortalized in print.

The man had been staring at the picture of his wife and child for quite a while before he had closed it, returning it to the chain around his muscular neck. He had always carried the golden locket for as long as he could remember, almost as long as he could remember. Then, painful memories started to run through his mind, reminding him of his many failures.

He tried to shake them from his mind, but that only caused more to flood through. His resistance finally broke when he started to see memories of his very distant past, of his life before Death claimed it...

The man was a lot younger looking in this memory since it had occurred over ten years ago. Since then, the man had gone through hell, which aged his features at an increased speed.

He was walking along a wide stone bridge that led up to a giant iron gate. As he drew nearer to the metal, men nearby motioned, causing the iron bars to begin raising slowly. The man was walking into the gates of the prize jewel of humanity: Stormwind.

Much of his life before then had been spent in the walls of the city. His childhood had taken place within it, but at that time, he thought the stone barriers could protect him from any danger. He had felt untouchable as a child, but that changed with age. As he grew older, he had heard of great battles between soldiers and some green creatures called orcs. He had never seen an orc, but he wanted to. So, he trained in the way of the sword, learning from some of the best how to fight and defend himself. After a few years, he had joined the army, finally making a step towards his goal of sharing in the glory of combat.

As he had served his time under the kings' orders, he had learned to love the city and its rulers. He no longer viewed the walls as some magical barrier that kept out all the evils of the world but now as something to be protected, held sacred, for it was his home. The few people he knew lived within its borders, and he wanted to ensure their safety with his life. Over time, he had climbed through the ranks and became one of Stormwind's greatest and most revered champions, but he never let it go to his head. He felt that there was still much more he could give to his people. His noble ways would finally take him on the day he walked through those gates, returning to his memory.

The man continued on, his golden shoulderplates reflecting the sun's strength. He walked through the city, most people recognizing him and cheering. But, as he strode through the residential area of the town, he felt distracted. He hoped to one day have a family, but he had given that up when he joined the army, but that changed after he met someone he truly cared for.

That day, he had been interrupted by a woman running through the streets, seeming unaware of the marching group of guards nearby. She seemed to be chasing an animal as she ran around the streets, eventually catching her target as she wrapped a chicken into her arms. She sighed in relief, only to hear the sound of a bulky man clearing his throat. She looked up and saw the man, realizing she was standing in the way of one of the city's most highly ranked people and his escort.