Days passed. Sean was bathed in warm water mixed with rose milk to ward off disease. His arms and legs were swaddled tight for his first year a common practice of the time. Baptism followed quickly, as villagers believed it secured a child's place in heaven.
In the outskirts of the kingdom of Eldoria, Sean grew. His father, a blacksmith, died when Sean was still young. His mother succumbed to illness soon after, leaving him alone. The villagers whispered that Sean's eyes were strange sharp, alert, as if he saw more than a child should.
From age six, he worked in the smithy, learning the weight of iron and the discipline of labor. The world was cruel to the weak, he learned, and strength came in many forms mind, body, and heart.
At ten, Sean witnessed a robbery in the market square. Masked bandits attacked merchants while corrupt guards looked away. Instinctively, he chased one of the thieves and barely escaped with his life. From the thief, he recovered a golden medallion etched with a lion and strange runes, which glimmered faintly in the dark.
That night, a hooded scholar appeared. He whispered:
"This medallion chooses the one who will see truth where others see only lies. Keep it, boy. Destiny begins now."
From that night, Sean's life changed. By day, he delivered ironwork; by night, he studied old scrolls and maps in secret. The hooded scholar returned from time to time, teaching him history, philosophy, strategy, and the art of observation.
Sean learned:
Knowledge alone is useless without understanding.
Courage without strategy is foolish.
Sometimes, to survive, one must move unseen a shadow among shadows.