Tales of the Fall: Birth of a Guardian
SamuelJPrescott
The origin tale, and first installment, recording Hogo's arduous journey in restoring his fallen family to their past glory is a story that asks the question of whether love is truly the answer to happiness or taking what you want when you want it. In Hogo's struggle to determine the answer, he must excel past his formidable peers in attaining nobility and woo his longtime friend, then admidst all the turmoil of his trodden path, he must discreetly continue his quest to find truths of the father that left him behind, realizing that his family may have more to do with the impending war than he thought.
Hogo of the fallen Mori clan begins his journey in what is called the Shogun's Tournament, where he has to duel against 59 other young ones for a slot under one of the 5 Cardinal Lords, powerful ambassadors of their respective lands, only to be selected by a Lord Fon who trains him to be a young and powerful lord. On this path, Hogo faces challenges by way of the growing anarchist organization, Kaizen, and learns that his long-lost father might be involved in the war against anarchy even before his birth. Hogo strives to become strong enough to protect what he cares about most: his lover and his name. Meanwhile, his fated nemesis, Ito Ikki, delves deeper into the darkness of Kaizen's beliefs, becoming the terrorist faction's Champion with a sole mission of killing Hogo.