Part 1: Birth of a Hero

A long time ago, a boy named Mark lived with Shino, his younger brother. Mark constantly sought attention and desired to become a great swordsman to protect his hometown, so he devoted himself to sword training. Shino was very shy and looked up to Mark, following him around and imitating everything he did.

As time went on, Mark indeed became a great swordsman, with strength easily surpassing all others. One day, a large monster ambushed the town, and the townsfolk asked for soldiers to protect them. And while some people fled in terror, Mark stood strong and headed toward the monster.

'I'll protect my hometown!' Mark cried valiantly. His sword was not fit to dispatch the monster, but he refused to give up and attacked the monster with all his might.

By the time the soldiers arrived, the monster had turned tail and ran, and Mark proudly stood there on the battlefield, covered in blood and gashes. Thanks to Mark's heroic efforts, not a single person was injured, and peace was bestowed upon the town once again. A mother clutching her baby thanked Mark, for she lived close to where the monster had ameared.

'Thank you, Mark,' the mother said. 'You saved me and my child. I will tell her stories of your heroics when she is older.' The baby smiled at Mark; Mark would never forget her smile. Everyone in the town praised Mark's bravery and regarded him as the local town hero.

Happy that his hard work was paying off. Mark devoted himself to his sword training even more. After that day, Mark always received praise and adoration from the townsfolk wherever he and Shino went. He was given special treatment at popular establishments and received gifts from many people.

Shino was awed by how much people admired his brother. 'How do I become a hero?' he asked one day.

'It's simple, Shino,' Mark responded. 'First, you get strong, like me. Then, when you defeat a truly horrible monster, you'll get recognition and finally become a hero.'

Shino nodded at his brother's advice. 'Okay. I'll work hard to become strong and be a hero, too!'

Something had changed within Shino the day Mark became a hero. It seemed as if Mark always did everything right, while Shino was destined to fail.

Shino had given in to this idea, but had given up on himself and his dreams in the process. But today, Shino had finally realized his dream, which was to become a hero. He would no longer live in his brother's shadow, but instead devote himself to becoming exactly like his brother. And from that day on, Shino studied under his brother's tutelage in order to become a hero.

Mark continued his heroics in felling monsters whenever they scourged the town. With each passing day, Mark's swordsmanship grew, and eventually he was able to tear common monsters asunder without batting an eye.

After battles, Mark would always wipe the blood off his sword in a stunning fashion, which gave Shino a sense of pride and the drive he needed to improve his own swordsmanship.

However, all the admiration and praise Mark received finally went to his head, and he came to the conclusion that he was superior to everyone.

'I'm the only one defeating monsters around here,' Mark arrogantly told the townsfolk. 'Giving me the same treatment as those too cowardly to face evil is an insult to my heroism.' As Shino didn't know any heroes but Mark, he began to believe that what his brother said was true, and this pushed his desire to be a hero even more.