William Tao was a warrior for a day. While pondering about his life in the woods, he stumbled across an injured woman in a suit of armor. Once he went to her aid, five men surrounded him and began to attack. However, by borrowing the sword of the fallen lady warrior, William unleashed unbelievable strength, and soon defeated four of the attackers. The last of these mysterious men in black commented on his birth given name, and inquired about the man named "Union". The only connection William could make to the man mentioned was his own father.
William carried the woman underneath his left shoulder, and they began to walk out of the forest. “Lily,” William asked the woman. “Why did he call my father "Union"?” The woman Lily shrugged, “Do you not know about your father's legacy as a Synthesizor?” “No,” William replied. “My dad usually didn't like me practicing alchemical Synthesis. In fact, I got in trouble a few times before for doing it in the house.”
Lily sighed, “I wonder why. It's easy to combine base elements into magickal substances, and since you are your father's son, I would bet you'd be just as skilled as he was.” William didn't say anything in response. He was more focused on the fact that his father would soon see him drag a woman out of the forest. At that point, his main concern would be to explain what just happened to his family, let alone why there's a beaten woman in his arms.
His father still sitting on the porch of his home as the two of them exited the woods. Great, William thought. How will father react to this? Before either one of them could say anything, William's father stood up and walked toward his son and new companion. “Dad, I can explain,” William panicked, but his father raised his hand. “It's not your fault. The war has just now come to our doorstep. I was afraid of that.”
William was a little surprised that his father was taking this situation with such a calm attitude. His father knelt down to the woman and asked for her name. “I am Lily of the Tensa Clan,” she replied. “It is an honor to meet you Master Union.” William's father let out a small huff of interest to her comment. “How long has it been since I abandon that title in the name of peace?” He looked at his son, William. “Well, you know what this means, right son?” William was confused. “I don't understand.” “It's alright,” his father said in a slight chuckle. “Let's get inside and get something to eat.”
The inside of the house looked as plain as the logs that the trees in the forest appeared. The walls were slightly decorated with interesting fabrications of metal: sculptures and works of art that was made by the family. In the center of the kitchen area was a long mahogany table that was built by William's father himself. The bare wooden floor was smooth and polished; while in the ceiling you could easily make out the types of wood used to support the roof. Near the door, a fireplace made of stone kept the house warm.
The family sat at the large table. William's mother got out some cups and began pouring the recently made black tea from her slivery kettle. “Now,” Union began. “Where should we begin?” William was slightly tense, “Well, how about explaining why you are regarded as Union? And how all the Synthesizors know your name?” His father smiled, “Alright then. Since we have time for a long story, then we might as well go back to the beginning.”
“I was one of the first people to discovered alchemical Synthesis. Since I was studying in the dark and occultic arts when I was young, I saw that all elements on this planet shared one common property with energy. The electrons around the atoms move as waves. These waves have a set frequency and wavelength that gives the atoms certain attributes as to how it behaves in the universe. From that, and also my research in magick, I was able to first derive the first synthesis recipes that were later forged into the items that you see everyday in use.”
“But there was a problem. Many former nations at the time saw how powerful these weapons could be, and almost immediately, many countries began researching these alloys to begin raging their power in warfare. As such, a new global war broke out and from that, the nations of old were instantly destroyed due to the severity of battle. Their descendants are not the clans that we know today.”
Lily said nothing as she listened to the history of her fabled art. William inquired once more, “What does that have to do with you? I understand you created the process of Synthesis, but I don't get why you're such a legend now.” Union made a small chuckle as his wife refilled his glass with tea. He thanked his wife and took another drink. “We should go outside,” Union replied. William and Lily got up, and began towards the door. “Keita, tap the staff by the fireplace twice for the barrier,” Union asked his lover. “Yes dear,” she replied. Before he went out the door, Union grabbed a black rod that was no more than a yard in length.
