A pregnant woman can be seen running thorugh the forest, bloody and battered as she was, it is surprising how fasts he can still run.

The woman was chased by hounds, and their constant barks and howls were the only thing that allowed the woman to gauge their distance and hide. 

The woman's scent should have been hidden from the noses of the hounds, covered in mud as she was, the reason for this was because of the accumulated injuries all ove her body , and the fact that she was about to give birth.

The woman held on and ran with all her might with a single thought: My child must not die.

With this thought and by her will alone, she was able to run a distance that should have thouroughly exhausted her.

She ran heedless of her fatigue, and the intinsifying labors of child birth.

As if a miracle, she spotted a light of a village large enough to be a town.

She ran with all her might, towards the lights of hope she saw.

The men above the towers saw a woman running towards the the wooden pallisade.

When they saw the running woman who was pregnant they were amazed and shocked to see her running so fast.

The men quickly called those below to open the closed bridge.

The captain of the village guards was quickly informed of the unusual situation.

The woman running towards the bridge, saw a huge muscular man, easily a head and a half taller than the men surrounding him wearing studded leather armor, the surounding men also wore the same armor, five men in front carried spears as long as 7 feet, the huge man was carrying a great sword, the other five men carried bows with arrows nocked and ready to fire.

As she ran towards the men, the hounds chasing her rushed out of the forest, trailing her scent, as the hounds got out of the forest they saw the woman they were chasing, they ran faster and howled. 

The archers fired their arrows and shot down five of the eight hounds chasing the woman.

As the other three approached, the spearmen attacked in a disciplined manner that put other city guards to shame. 

As soon as the woman arrived, the huge man caught the woman who tripped when she ran away from the approaching hounds.

The huge man displayed dexterity and movements that did not match his large body, he deftly carried the woman inside the the pallisade and ordered the village guards to close the gate at the bridge.

Upon arriving the huge man bellowed an order:"Inform the healers, she is in labor, quickly!".

As one of the guards ran towards the temple, he carried the woman to the temple, he slowed down so as to not make the woman suffer any more pain. 

As he arrived in the temple of Xerene, he was greeted by a healer, the woman's beautiful face was full of worry for the woman being carried as she greeted the huge man "Oh, Kaiser is she the one who Amis told us about?". "Er, ah, yes Anne". The huge man, Kaiser, answered hurriedly. 

As Anne and the anxious Kaiser entered the temple, Amis the soldier who ran ahead saluted Kaiser, by pounding his right arm on his chest.

Kaiser hurriedly put the woman inside one of the rooms on the side of the temple. 

As he put the woman down his gaze locked  at Healer Anne's body, how she was wearing a white robe that was thinner than what she usually wore, and how it shows her youthful curvaceous and toned body, brought about by working at the temple, Kaiser immediately shook his head and said to himself 'She probably already has someone she likes, it would be rude if I continued looking at her, since its obviously her sleeping robe'. 

As Anne was a telling a fellow Healer to fetch hot water and a basin, she tied her long red hair that reached her shoulders.

The healer Ami, who was a fresh Healer barely 16 years old , returned, carefully carrying a basin the size of a picnic basket.

While the Healers were preparing hot water the woman's injuries were tended by another healer, 19 years old Krisna, although she was a Healer for three years now, this is the first time she witnessed how to assist a laboring mother, and thus her nervousness was shown clearly on her face.

As the woman, went to labor, was assisted by the 20 year old Anne, who was both Krisna and Ami's supervisor.

The cry of a child was like, the coming of spring after a very long winter, the tension in the air relaxed a bit.

As both Krisna and Ami breathed sighs of relief, Anne handed the child and said "Congrats miss, the child is a healthy young boy", as the words left Anne, tears of joy gathered at the woman's eyes, but the joy in her eyes quicly turned to grief as she looked at the huge man named Kaiser, she told him

"I now know ............. that my son is safe, ..............but I ask you, .................please take care of him, my body is giving out........my name is Alexa,............tell my son that name..........give ......my ....pendant to him.........it is our f-f-family's......." was her last breath as her body's fatigue of running and her injuries along with giving birth snuff out her life. 

Despite Krisna's application of healing magic she died, she entrusted the child to Kaiser, who was dumbstruck at how her eyes, which conveyed grief and loss was, pleading with him as she was dying, to take care of the child. 

At her death, the Healers' mood fell, they were despondent with the fact that they failed to save someone.

Kaiser stood up, kneeled at the woman's corpse, and made a vow, "I, Kaiser Galor, vow to cherish, protect and love your son as my son".

The Healers were surprised at Kaiser's demeanor, which was more suited to a knight than a simple village guard's captain.

One of those Healers, Anne, looked at Kaiser and her heart beat faster and louder, it was almost loud enough to hear in this solemn atmosphere.

As Kaiser stood up, he approached Anne who was cradling the the child after the death of his mother.

As Anne gave the child she cradled to Kaiser, she imagined that it was their child who she was cradling, this made her blush, but Kaiser did not see this, because he looked at the little boy in his arms.

He then spoke to Anne and the Healers present "Hmm...... I shall name this child as Alex, in memory his mother, welcome to the wide world, Alex".

Anne and the Healers nod their heads, the soldier Amis, was stiff and was not sure how to react to this air of sincerity. 

His only thougth was that the captain now had a son. 

The baby looked really small compared to the large frame of Kaiser, who was looking at the baby who was now sleeping in his hands.

The mother's body was now inside the temple, being prepared for a burial.

Only Anne was with him as he got out of the temple, Ami and Krisna reported the situation to the priests and priestesses.

Suddenly Kaiser gave a rather loud exclamation "OH! now that I think about it, I have no crib at home, how could I take the child home" he was really agitated, this side of the normally stoic military man made Anne laugh in a good natured manner.

Hearing Anne laugh, Kaiser said to her

"Anne could I ask that you keep the child in your care for now?".

This request came out of nowhere for the laughing Anne.

She then replied "Of course, I kind of share the responsibility for him. Come with me, let us ask the priests for permission" she smiled at Kaiser who also smiled in a similar manner.

As he was about to enter the temple, a stout man with a scar across his face which made his face look sinister, called out to him in a deep voice, as he approached, Kaiser could not help but imagine a black bear upon seeing the man, the man was only a head shorter than Kaiser, but his muscles more than made up for his height in terms of intimidation. 

"Captain, I came here to inform you that the guards have been awoken so as to guard for pursuers of the woman".

He said so while maintaining a salute.

"That is excellent news, Beck. Sadly the woman died giving birth, we couldn't ask the reason why she was chased by dark hounds"

Kaiser then remembered those hounds, dark hounds are beasts that are fiercier than wolves, able to keep following their prey's scent over vast distances, they can also be grown by different races to be pursuers and killers.

"Captain, did she not tell you any other reason?"

"Sadly no, she died after entrusting her child to me, to which I accepted"

Kaiser said with confidence, but Beck's expression was not surprised with his Captain's actions, he remembered that this was the man who helped him, a total stranger to be accepted as the vice-captain of the village guard, infact, this behaviour of Kaiser worries Beck, since Kaiser is selfless and kind, although Beck knows that Kaiset is not a naive person, nor is he someone who can't see past helping others, he can't help but worry about his selfless friend

"So, I guess you are a father now eh?"

He said so with a  laugh.

Kaiser sighed "I guess so, but I barely know how to take care of a hound, much less a child?".

"That is why I will go with Healer Anne to ask for advise on how to take care of a child".

Beck looked at the fidgeting Anne nearly hidden by Kaiser's large frame.

Beck could already surmise what these two felt for each other, but Kaiser was insecure by the fact that he was 40 years old, while Healer Anne was 20.

And Healer Anne was too shy to express her feelings to Kaiser.

He sighed internally at that thought

"Captain, if that is all, I would like to return to the barracks".

They called it a barracks, but the fact was that it was only slighly larger than a military garrison.

"Is that so? Well then carry in".

Beck sighed again, this time externally, while his captain was able to hide the neves in his voice, he said a wrong word in the end.

He saluted to gloss over the mistake and promptly returned to the barracks.

Then he and Healer Anne went inside the temple, then inside the convent where the priests, resided.

Although Healers work and live in temples, they were not Nuns, Nuns were Holy women who excelled in demonic and undead excorsing,  they were a step below the priests and pristesses, their male counterparts, the Holy monks, were the same. Monks and holy monks differed from each other, Monks fight with their fists, and their their spiritual force can even heal physical wounds, but not ilnesses and curses, like the priests. 

Holy Monks and Nuns were the step before reaching priesthood and paladin status. 

In their training for priesthood, they learn how to heal with divine magic and remove curses, they are also trained on how to fight alongside adventurers or paladins. 

Priests take on the role of support in combat group, they heal and remove curses and wounds.

 While Holy monks and Nuns were trained for exorcising Demons and Undead, priests also have the same stronger ability to exorcise the undead and demonic. 

While Nuns and Holy monks know how to fight, they don't begin serious combat training until they start priestly training. 

Priests, priestesses, Nuns and Holy monks are not celibate, they can marry and have children, but most tend to spend their life in celibacy, thus causing the misconceptions that all holy men and women other than the paladins were celibate.

As Kaiser and Anne were walking, they were surrounded by an awkward air, atleast it was what Kaiser thought. 

Upon arriving at the convent together, they were slighly surprised that a priest was waiting for them at the door.

This priest's name, Mild, did not match his very sinister appearance, his eyes that belonged to those of a murderer, and his lithe muscular appearance which was rare for a 70 year old man.

When Kaiser first came here and saw Mild, he did not believe nor did he ever imagine he was a priest.

But as he spent years living here in Xerendia, he saw that Mild is the head priest who administered the church of Xerene, he might come across as a very frightening, calculative man, but Mild is the kind of man, who was very caring and protective, not only that he was also a kindly old man.

Both Kaiser and Anne smiled as they saw Mild.

"Oh ho, Kaiser and Anne, good evening to you two".

""Same to you Fr. Mild"".

They replied simultaneously.

"Ho, so, what brings you here this night?".

Fr. Mild's voice was melodic, and Kaiser surmised that, in the past, Mild would have been a compelling commander.

"Actually, we are here to ask for advise on how to raise a child".

After saying those words, a great change in the murderer's face, it warped to that of a fierce snarling beast.

"Oh! So you are with child then Anne, I congratulate you and Kaiser, but when and where did you get married? I would be rather sad if you didn't invite me!"

Both Anne and Kaiser froze at the fierce-looking old man, not at his face but at his words.

As Anne was blushing in a very visible manner, she was too flustered to talk.

Meanwhile Kaiser looked petrified, like he was hit by a petrification effect

"Whats with those faces?".

Mild was thoroughly confused.

Kaiser's mouth opened and cleared the Old man's confusion as he told him the circumstances of the woman's child and how she was being chased by dark hounds.

"How I pity the mother and child, so I understand Kaiser's reason, and I also know that Anne felt that she was responsible for the death of the mother".

As his words were kind, his face softened, from a dangerous growling animal, to that of a beast's stare.

Kaiser and Anne bowed their heads, and they entered along with Mild.

They were greeted by silence, as the convent was only the priest's home, they worked at orphanage and the churh, however, they were a distinct minority, most priests along with bishops would travel the world, either accompanying adventurers, or being on a missionary mission. 

The priests, bishops, along with the some archbishops that did not roam the world were those that spent there retirement without a family. 

Healers work at safe zones since they had no combat experience nor were they combat trained, they focused more on healing wounds, ilnesses, and some powerful Healers could remove curses. 

The convent was silent because only three priests slept here, Mild would be the fourth, another slept at the orphanage, that said, the management of the orphanage was Mild's responsibility, but Priests were assigned to the orphanage, the Priests would alternate daily.

There were three Head priests currently inside the convent, Mild, who lead this congregation was under the Archbishop Reclo. 

Mild's situation is special, Mild has three priests under him despite not being a bishop, this came about because of Mild's military history. 

Father Mild only had the rank of priest mainly because he was not interested in leaving Xerendia, that said Mild was or is a rather famous General, his figthing prowess was equal or surpassed Archpaladins, and his strategy was seemingly a mismatch for his clerical position, those facts, combined with his fearsome visage, he was called the "Demonic Priest". 

Paladins, by the way, focus more on martial matters than spiritual ones, A Holy Monk or Holy Nun can choose between being a Priest or a Paladin. 

The leadership roles of Priests and Paladins work hand in hand, The Pope and the Grand Paladin. 

The Pope is chosen from Arch bishops. 

The Arch bishops convene to replace a Pope if the Pope steps down, is too old, or if the Pope died. 

In this conference which can last for a couple of days, they are evaluated by each other and their god, the chosen candidate become the Pope. 

The Grand Paladin is selected from Archpaladins, the structure of the paladins only have three levels, Paladin, Archpaladin and the overall commander: The Grand Paladin, they have few leadership roles mainly because they are helped and managed by the Pope and and the Archbishops, the overall commander of the church during peacetime is the Pope, but during war and Military operations the Grand Paladin takes charge, because of this Grand Paladins are not just chosen for their prowess but their intelligence and strategic mind. 

Grand Paladins have a two stage selection for all Archpaladins, the first is the holy tournament, where they fight for the rankings, only the top fifteen are chosen to proceed from the hundreds of Archpaladins, the second is where they wage simulated wars and other situations where brute force wasn't necessary, the one who manages the selection for the second stage is the current Grand Paladin, if the current one is unable to do it because of death or disability, then it falls on the Pope to judge the second stage. After the second is the deliberation, this is where the Pope or the Grand Paladin decide who will get the position, the fifteen candidates thus far are obviously all strong, but even the weakest among them can be chosen as the Grand Paladin, since the deciding factor is not strength or prowess but leadership and cunning.

As they sat down Mild then went on how to care for a newborn child, and of course how to take care of children, the kind and loving words of Mild was surreal since his expression looked like a sadist remembering all the brutalities he has done, but since both of them were already used to his fearsome visage, they were unbothered. 

At the end of his explanations Fr. Mild excused himself as he said that his old body is too tired and that he still has a pretty early start tommorow. 

And so months pass, Alex was taken care of not only by Kaiser and Anne but also the healers and soldiers, and it was also at this time that those who were hunting Alex's mother attacked Xerendia.