First draft sketch of Slade Burke
Childhood
Slade Burke was born on 4 August, 1321, in the Tevernid suburb of Farringway. Living next to the capital of Kiillaana, he was exposed to all of the political news as it happened and had an early knowledge of the methods of war. His whole young life was peppered with tragedies, including the deaths of several friends and close relatives due to sickness and battles that were starting to come about. When he was five years old, his brother and only sibling, Blaise Burke, was born (5 November, 1326). From an early age Blaise showed signs of the illness that plagued so many and was extremely hard to manage, leading to many dark times.
First draft sketch of Blaise Burke
The family tragedies continued with the death of Slade's mother, Adele Law, in 1329 leaving Slade motherless at the age of seven. By now Slade was darkened by death, afraid to invest in close relationships for fear of loss which would translate into a lifetime of seemingly cold and uncaring ways. The loss of Slade's father, Arthur Burke, in 1335, left Slade an orphan at the age of 13 and fully responsible for then 8-year-old Blaise. After this, Blaise and Slade lived alone, supported by the town. Many would stop by and bring meals or volunteer to watch Blaise so that Slade could go to school. They were left with a healthy sum of money that would continue to support the brothers for a few years. Their mean grandmother moved in with them for a few months but her own bad health forced her to leave and she died when Slade was 15.
Initiation
Apart from S. R. Sorela, who was initiated at 14, Slade is the oldest person to receive initiation as a Terabikai just a few months shy of his 14th birthday. Exactly four weeks after the death of his father, Slade was gently taken into the Realm where he was given his Blade of Lovelight and taught in the Realm's ways. He humbly questioned his ability as a Terabikai, given his rough nature, but Terabi smiled and explained that he chose him precisely because he had this angry aura about him. Slade had been chosen as a Terabikai because he was to fulfill a special mission, one that had never been given to a Terabikai before.
Terabi explained that Slade was to be a double agent. Osai and Terabi had long foreseen a great battle that would commence starting just north of Farringway involving three corrupted and powerful enemies that had used their Gift of Swaying to manipulate others to help ascend them to power. Slade's job was to pretend to be on the enemy's side- to the point of being hated by others and almost sending Kiillaana to destruction. However, when the time was right, he would find out the information he needed to defeat this enemy and redeem the area north of Tensk. He was to tell nobody of his Great Catin Gift and to keep it totally hidden.
Slade could do this easily as he had been doing it for most of his life. He didn't care what others thought of him and was very distant; the only person he was very close to was his brother. While he came off as hardened, dark, cold, blunt, and uncaring to almost everyone, his first request after his initiation was to see his parents. They were all reunited in the Realm and Slade would turn to them for advice time and time again, as he pretended to sleep, and was thus effectively raised into a good man by dead parents.
Armed with this information, he found it somewhat difficult at first to keep from melting into compassion but his set ways made it easy for him to hide behind a mask. The only person that knew of his deep secret was Blaise, who was also the only one who demanded Slade's company. Many didn't know they were related after they grew to adulthood and wondered why on earth of all people Blaise would always call for Slade to be at his side in times of distress. Of course, only Slade knew why- because he was a Terabikai after all and had the aura of comforting and peace.
Military School
Upon the death of his grandmother, Slade and Blaise moved south to the capital city of Tevernid. Slade enrolled himself in the military and was taught classes through Tevernid Royal University. Though Blaise could never be in the military due to his extreme medical issues, he was still encouraged to contribute and helped to design and implement decorations on armour, shields, and banners. While Slade learned and mastered the art of the sword (something he was naturally good at because he had a blade of Lovelight) many wonderfully kind people volunteered to watch Blaise and teach him as best they could. Slade would go through this program for 7 years, being silently admired by many and feared by most. He lived in a nice house away from the dormitories with his brother and would watch over him with all of his spare time.
History Career
Slade found that he was naturally talented and interested in History- so much so that he caught most of the teachers' attention. He excelled through the history courses faster than they could be taught and was approached by the headmaster of the Tevernid Secondary School and asked if he would be the new history professor. Slade agreed and began command of a lecture-classroom in September of 1344 at the age of just 22. He was again provided with a lovely, although dark, living quarters that was big enough to accommodate Blaise, who was by now about to turn 18. During the day, when Slade was busy lecturing, many wonderful people agreed to take Blaise out into the city to enjoy it and find inspiration for artwork.
Blaise Burke, portrayed as a young adult
Professor Burke was known for his strict and foreboding classes. Everyone had to take from him and although he was feared for being so cold, he was an excellent teacher and his students learned a lot. Having the power to know the true intents of his students helped as well and he was able to tailor each lecture to get through to everyone. Many people commented on his incredibly detailed knowledge of Terabi, of which he always spoke very highly. Everyone assumed that this was his field of study; nobody ever suspected that he could be a Man of Terabi. Even the fact that he spoke fluent Keòen didn't catch their attention. This was the way Slade wanted it and the way Terabi had intended it to be. Despite his mask of coldness, Slade was a good man and would often use the Realm to do random acts of kindness to students and staff, always anonymous, to brighten their day. Nobody figured out who was doing this but certainly nobody expected it to be Slade.
Slade Burke as a history teacher
Slade would go on teaching under this dark mask for almost 15 years until the spring of 1359 when he would leave along with most of the school to fight in the war that had been raging since 1354.
Terabi's War
Being cold and uncaring, Slade was able to put on another show that he was out to get gain. This helped get him deeply acquainted with the three leaders of the opposition that had grown so big. He pretended to be in their side, committing bad acts (that he would later sneak up and undo, if possible). He was one of the few people that weren't manipulated by the enemies' misuse of the Gift of Swaying, although he pretended that he was. They never suspected he was a Terabikai at all, too blinded by their own corruption.
Five years into the uprising and battles, it was time for Kiillaana to assemble and fight against this corruption and greed for power. By this point, many hated Slade, thinking he was on the enemy's side. While the Kiillaanian army assembled, Slade was nowhere to be found. His room would be deserted and nobody would see him for days. In reality he was in the Realm, getting special instructions of Terabi and was preparing for the day when he would be betrayed by the enemy and turn the tables for good.
The Mask Removed
(written in narrative form)
It was a cold night that night. Blaise was safe at Professor Rysco's house and the war in the city of Raanlen had commenced. While everyone thought that Professor Burke had fled once again to give aid to the enemy, he was in reality hiding in a very dark corner of the woods, Terabi standing right in front of him, and had just had an icy purple aura thrown at him. As the disc hit him in the chest, his whole body glowed brightly for a moment before sinking back to almost total darkness.
"This will protect you," Terabi whispered. "You know what you have to do now."
"I will bring you honor, Master," Slade whispered so softly that his lips barely moved.
He then turned on his heels and began walking towards a tower; he had arranged to meet with the chief enemy to discuss some information he had discovered about the military's strategy, information that would be deadly should the enemy learn about it. Terabi looked at him for a moment, fading into the background until he disappeared completely.
As Slade walked quickly, his stride quite large, his dark and sunken eyes wide with the fear that someone would see him (really he was worried about the death he would shortly endure), he thought over the recent events in his head. In fact, he could even begin to see his life flash before his eyes. It wasn't particularly happy- he could see his whole family dying and his brother twisted and screaming from the effects of the illness that wreaked havoc on his thin body. He silently made his way to a tower that was a stronghold of food and supplies for the enemy's army and walked around to the door hidden by trees.
However, he had been spotted by two of his former students who had broken away from the main army in order to pursue Slade and see if he really would leak valuable information to the enemies. Sorrell Montalo and Alain Arthur Knightsword were on his tail and managed to quietly creep into the room. Slade knew of their presence, of course, but realized that they were likely sent there because of Osai to create a diversion and knew that they would be ok- if he acted fast.
The two students watched through a small window as Slade passed four guards and went up a small flight of stairs where the corrupt and bend figure of the enemy leader was standing, the light in his eyes totally gone and replaced with stony greed. They exchanged greetings and as they talked, Slade and the two students could see the large sword that the enemy was holding- stroking its hilt even then. Finally, the topic turned to the war and Slade quietly and emotionlessly divulged everything that all those on the good side of this battle feared he would tell. Sorrell and Alain looked at each other with wide eyes, sick with shock that Slade would commit such a betrayal. They did not know what to do but knew that they couldn't move. They had no idea what would happen when they were found but were too shocked to care.
After he finished, the enemy smiled.
"Your move now," Slade said flatly, aware that these two students were watching and had no idea that he was a double agent, "Your move."
"All right, here's our little move..." cackled the enemy as he too divulged in great detail all of his plans for this battle. Sorrell and Alain felt even sicker as they literally saw their world collapse. Maybe death would be better than anything. Fearing the worst, they looked on, but the couple of events that happened next were completely unexpected.
"And," said the enemy, "now that I've told you all of that, it's time your little story ends. You've been a great help, Slade, but I just can't keep you around anymore. I've used you for what I needed and you're no use to me now."
With that, Slade's eyes grew wide with fear and although he said nothing, he bit his lower lip, knowing what would happen. As the enemy said this (and whether it was Slade's doing or the enemy nobody knows) the two of them backed into a corner, Slade defenseless. In a flash faster than light, the enemy turned and with a sickening crunch plunged his long sword into Slade's unarmoured sternum.
Sorrell and Alain were now even more sickened. Even though Slade had betrayed them they couldn't help but feel a serious blow when he was so unfairly and unjustly killed, all because the enemy had no more need of him! What treachery!
Slade's mouth opened as he attempted to yell but no sound came out. "This is the way the world goes now!" laughed the enemy as Slade fell, shaking, to his knees, still choking for air as life was sliced from him. He weakly lifted his head a bit and then with total calmness lifted his eyes until they met with the enemy's. After a half a second that seemed an eternity he spoke, clear as day, a smile coming to his face, "You're wrong!"
With that, he disappeared, leaving the enemy holding a bloodless sword to the wall. He knew the moment the enemy had spoken that the aura of protection would work and never doubted it; most of his fear was what it was going to feel like (it turned out to feel like a cold object in a powerful forcefield- no pain at all!). Sorrell and Alain let out an audible gasp! They could hardly believe their eyes! Slade was a Terabikai! He was on their side! However, that was as far as they got because their gasps were loud and easily audible to the still bewildered enemy who had only just begun to realize what had just happened.
"YOU! Intruders! How dare you enter this forbidden place!" the enemy screamed at them, his face red with fury, as he charged at them with his large sword raised high above his head, ready to slit both of their necks. They hadn't thought that part through and realized now that death would likely come. They backed in a corner, Sorrell covering Alain, as the enemy drew nearer. Sorrell figured that the enemy would have to kill him first and maybe Alain could escape somehow. Time seemed to slow down as the enemy sped closer, ready to strike at any second.
"DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO INTRUDERS!" the enemy shouted, milliseconds away from striking. Suddenly, there was another loud cracking sound as a long, thin blade shot through the enemy's chest, hitting Sorrell fairly hard in the sternum enough to cut his skin but not enough to pierce through to his heart. As quickly as the enemy had shouted, he was now silent, his mouth still open as if to say something more as he would kill these two young students. Just like that, he fell over sideways, exposing the tall, thin, dark figure of Slade Burke, their professor, the man who had just "betrayed" them, the man who had just stuck his sword through the back of the enemy, all the way to the hilt, and had saved their lives. His eyes were glowing with the mark of Terabi and he was looking directly at them, his thin mouth in a straight line as always.
The two students were dumbfounded. "How did you-- When were you-- You're... GOOD?"
"No time to explain!" shouted Slade, "Kill the guards!" He threw his sword, one he had found in the storehouse, at Alain and removed the one from the enemy's hand and gave it to Sorrell. "I have the key to this storehouse now. This battle belongs to us!"
With that they all easily killed the four totally unsuspecting guards that were standing around the entrance, effectively claiming the storehouse for themselves. Mere hours later, the army leader of Kiillaana charged into the battle, Slade Burke riding ahead, to announce their victory. The first enemy had been destroyed and Slade's secret was finally going to be revealed.
Later Life
After Slade's victory over the enemy, he was quickly crowned a hero. Finally able to remove his mask and be known as a true Terabikai, he was forgiven by his people and crowned as a national hero, someone of the same caliber as Dragon Dodger and his four friends. He went on to fight in the other two great enemy battles, emerging victorious. After the war ended on 29 March, 1360, Slade returned to teaching, this time at Tevernid Royal University, where he was received with great admiration.
Slade married a longtime friend, Leial Ried, in 1362. Though they were older parents (he was 40, she was 38), they had three children: Sloan, Sidonie, and Bryon. Blaise lived with Slade and his family until his death in 1388 (age 61). The whole family cared for him until his last breath and he was a treasured uncle to Slade’s three children.
Slade lived the remainder of his life in Tevernid and went back to the Realm at the age of 74 in 1396. Many of his descendants live in Tevernid today under the crests of Burke, Carrow, Corund, and Machey. He has left a lasting mark as being the Dark Terabikai or the Double Agent. Those two students became famous for their personal firsthand accounts of the moment that mast was removed and he was found to be an actual Terabikai.
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