Jade Idle wasn't a particularly large town.  In fact, the village barely had a spot on the map.  With a population of less than five hundred, a uneventful history, and a name that doesn't hold much creativity, not many people seem to have even heard about Jade Idle, much less care about it.  However, what the town does hold is many precious memories from one teenage boy.
Zeke sighed as he admired the simplicity of the village, while he sat on the back of his family's horse-drawn carriage, which was parked right beside his home.  The sun had began to set, so he didn't have much time left to enjoy his hometown.
“I'm going to miss this place...” Zeke sighed.
“No you won't.  You won't even remember this damn village in a month, trust me,” retorted the girl next to him.  Zeke glanced over at her.  Her brunette hair was partially covering her pale white face.  Her cheeks had just a tinge of pink in them.
“What makes you say that?” Zeke asked.
“Come on... no one cares about Jade Idle.  This place is a hellhole.  You'll be glad you got out of here.  Where are you going, anyway?”
“I dunno, exactly.  My dad said something about wanting to get a taste of the farming life... my parents really haven't said much about it, otherwise.”
“Ouch, that sucks.  You, on a farm?” The girl took a moment to laugh out loud.  “You'll never survive.  So... you have no idea where you are going.  Damn.  I guess I won't get to write any harassing letters.”  Zeke chuckled at this remark.
“Well, even if I don't miss Jade Idle... I will miss this,” Zeke said slowly.
“This?”
“You know... just sitting here.”
“You can do that anywhere,” she replied sarcastically.
“You know what I mean!” Zeke laughed.  There was a short pause.
“...Yeah...” she whispered.  Her knees lifted to touch her chin, and she hugged her legs.  A long pause followed as the pair sat silently.
“Taryn?” Zeke said awkwardly.  The girl smiled at him.
“Yeah?” she replied.
“Will you...” Zeke started, seemingly unsure of himself, “...miss me?”  She reached up and ruffled his spiky blond hair.
“Zeke... I've known you for ten years,” she started.  Zeke smiled back at her.  “Then again, I am only fifteen, I'm sure I'll get over it quickly enough.”  Zeke's smile faded.
“H-hey!” he said angrily.  Taryn laughed, and stuck out her tongue.
“Zeke.”  Zeke was startled by this new voice, and as he turned he noticed his father standing outside of his house.  His father was tall, had short black hair, and a short beard and mustache.
“Yeah, dad?” Zeke answered.
“We're leaving now.”
“Now?  But... the sun hasn't even set yet...” Zeke complained.
“Your mother wants to get a head start,” his father replied.  Taryn hopped off of the carriage.
“Well, I guess I'd better head home,” she said.  Zeke's mother came out of the house, and gave a heartwarming smile to Taryn, one that Taryn returned.  Both of Zeke's parents climbed into the front of the carriage, and prepared for departure.
“Bye, Taryn...” Zeke forced himself to say.  He could feel his eyes starting to itch.  He was trying his hardest not to cry.  At least, not in front of her.  He didn't want his final moments with his best friend to be filled with tears.  He didn't want her to remember him that way.
“See ya, Zeke,” she smirked in return.  If she was feeling any sort of resentment because of Zeke leaving, she wasn't showing it.  The carriage started to move.  Zeke and Taryn were becoming more and more separated by the moment.  At one point, Zeke began to wave.  Taryn raised her hand, and began to wave as well.
When she was sure he was out of earshot, she said, “You'd better come back... you lazy slacker.”


...


“So where exactly are we going?” Zeke asked his parents.
“East,” his father replied.
“That's no help,” Zeke said flatly.
“There's a farm out here that I got for a nice deal.  I even got all of the equipment.  The man who owned the place seemed all too eager to sell it.  I can't imagine why.”
“Maybe he was sick of being a farmer...” Zeke said under his breath.  “Why do you want a farm, anyway?”
“You'll understand once you get out in the hot sun and do some real hard work.  There's nothing like the value of hard labor.”  Zeke jumped at the thought of this.
“What?!  There's no way I'm doing anything!” Zeke yelled.
“Zeke, don't talk back to your father.  You're fifteen years old, you will help on our farm,” his mother snapped.  Zeke groaned.


...


“Come on, son, help your father in the fields,” demanded his father.  Several days had past since moving from Jade Idle.  Taryn was wrong.  Zeke missed the village more than he ever thought possible.
“Yeah, that's gonna happen,” replied Zeke sarcastically.  His mother scolded him.
“Zeke!  Don't talk like that to your father!  Now go out there and plow!” Her shrill voice made Zeke flinch.
“Aw... come on...” he pleaded.  His mother pointed sharply towards the fields with an angry look.  Zeke knew this meant he had no choice in the matter, but he really didn't want to do it.
Zeke slowly stepped outside, and shielded his eyes from the bright light.  His father was already fixing up the donkey for plowing.  The heat was intense, he wasn't sure he could stand it for much longer.  His father looked up from his work and smiled proudly at his son.
“Why don't you go get the plow while I finish up here?” his father asked.  Once again, he didn't want to, but he knew he wasn't really being asked, he was being told.  He nodded and headed off in the direction of the barn.
“Yeah, yeah.”  Zeke was the kind of teenager who took his parents for granted.  He thinks he knows how parents work.  If they ask you to do something, you have to do it, no questions asked.  Questions get you in trouble.  Never disagree with your parents if you can't prove it.  Never pursue an issue, you will lose.  And most of all, you can't trust them.
Zeke pushed the barn door aside, and looked around for the plow.  He spotted it near the back.  “Now why would he put a plow in the back of the barn?” he wondered to himself.  He sighed as he attempted to retrieve it.  When he reached the back of the barn, he noticed two small dusty boxes on a table.  He was interested as to what was contained within the boxes.  One was close to being a small square, while the other was long and slender.  He opened the square one first, and noticed it opened on a hinge.
Inside there was a small gray stone, carved into a peculiar shape.  “What is this doing in here?” he asked himself. He sat the stone aside and opened the long, slender box.  Inside, there was a sheathed sword.  “A sword?  I didn't know that old farmer was a swordsman.”  He unsheathed the sword, and viewed the blade.  It seemed to be in very good shape, not the slightest hint of rust.  At first, he figured the old farmer had polished it recently.  But, he was puzzled by the build up of dust on the cover.  The sword itself was not so special, just a simple steel blade attached to a seemingly normal hilt.
But, upon closer examination, he noticed there was a small hole in the center of the hilt.  Forgetting about the plow, he absentmindedly snatched up the stone and shoved it into his pocket while examining the hole on the hilt of the sword.  He walked back out into the sunlight, still examining the sword.  He got the stone out of his pocket and stared back and forth at each.
“Ah, I see.... the stone fits into the hole on the hilt... what's the point of that?”  He shrugged, and fitted the stone into the hole.
The air seemed to ripple.  The sword glowed a bright light, and Zeke was stunned by this, but he was unable to move.  Suddenly, light flashed into his left hand, and he felt something hard in his hand.  He immediately gripped the obstruction in his hand, and the light extended, until it was the same length as the light in his right hand.  The light faded, and he was now holding two beautiful swords.
“W-what the...?” he stuttered.  “The sword... multiplied!” he gasped, stunned.  He looked back and forth between the two swords.  How could this be real?  There's no such thing as magic, and yet, right before him, a sword doubled itself.
Seek me, and you will find me.
Zeke heard a piercing scream in the distance.  He then heard a loud snarl, and he turned to search for the direction the sounds came from.  He realized, with horror, that the sounds were coming from inside his house, where his mother was.
With both swords in hand, he quickly jogged back to the house, fearing for his mother's life.  However, when he reached the house, it was already too late.
He appeared at the door frame and was stopped dead in his tracks.  Inside, a great dark beast stood, staring at him angrily.  It was on two legs, but since its upper body was so large, it was hunched over severely.  Its glowing red eyes emanated evil.  With a jolt Zeke noticed his mother's body underneath the beast.
“Mom!” he screamed.
“You are the wielder...!” the creature whispered in a raspy voice.  “Master will be pleased.”  It reared its head, and let out a high-pitched shrill wail.  Zeke heard a loud explosion outside.  Before he could react, the creature pounced at him.  As an instinct he raised his swords, and they sliced easily through the beast.  It howled, and died.  Zeke turned to see the trouble outside.
When he peered into the field, he could see six more beasts.  They were surrounding something in the field, and apparently ripping it to shreds.  Zeke glanced to his left and saw the donkey untouched.  That could only mean one thing.
“Dad!!” he yelled with all of his voice.  The creatures looked up from their massacre, and howled with joy as they saw their next target.  They quickly surrounded Zeke.  Zeke had no time for fear, but he had never wielded a sword before.  The best he could do was swing in random directions.  Luckily, though, the creatures were stupid, and they ran into the blades killing themselves.
After those creatures were dead, he checked to see if there were anymore.  There weren't, and he retrieved his father's body, and laid it next to his mother's.  He crouched down next to them, and began to cry.
“Why... why did this happen?!  I never... had a chance to say goodbye... never had a chance to say I love them!  Those wretched... what kind of creature were they?!  They appeared so suddenly... and...” something suddenly occurred to him.  He took the gem out of the sword, and the second sword disappeared in a beam of light.
“This sword...” he muttered to himself.  “Those creatures appeared right after I activated its powers.  And they called me 'the wielder.'  It has to be this.  This...!” he attempted to throw the sword, but it was too heavy to do so.
“W-what the...?  It seemed so light earlier, but now...” he pondered to himself.  “Wait a minute... it all makes sense now... this is why the farmer was so eager to move!  He wanted to get away from this sword!  I have to... I have to get rid of this.”
Seek me, and you will find me.
Trust me, and we will bond.
Hold me, and I will protect you.
Fight for me, and I shall always bring you victory.
“What the... did you just talk?!” Zeke yelled in confusion.
The mind is a powerful tool.  You must not let it rust.
“Great.  My cursed sword talks in proverbs.  What next?” he questioned sarcastically.
Seek knowledge, young stranger.  Your great journey lies ahead.
“What journey?”
We must not let Evil prevail.
“Wait a minute... are you telling me I have to go on some sort of evil vanquishing quest?”
I was the seeker, you the finder.  Now it is your turn to seek what you desire.
Zeke groaned.  He knew that meant he'd have a lot of labor ahead of him.  This was going to be a long walk.