Me and my friends had just repelled an attack by the ghoul, they had attempted to kill the queen mother.  We 
were quickly told of another mission that we had to participate in, well my friends anyways I as a loyal soldier went on 
orders, but it was not always this way.  The name and identity of Zechs Merquise is all a facade, I hide my face behind
 a mask, to hide my true purpose in life.  That is….

	I am of noble birth, my family, the Peacecrafts, was a prominent one on Rykros, as any child I had a proper
 upbringing.  My father as a stern elf with the staunchest stand on defending the capital city.  Also he was a great warrior
 and general, and spirit warrior pilot I wanted to be just like him.  My mother possessed great beauty, and had some skill
 in the arcane arts, but not much as she was busy raising me and my younger sister.  Ah Relena, her smile and cheerful
 disposition was always a joy in what would be an otherwise gloomy day, so young and so naive about the world around
 her.  I myself was also as naïve about the world but that quickly changed as I would find out.

	“Milliardo, where are you going?” my mother asked that faithful day.  “I’m just going out to see some of my 
friends mom I will not be long” I replied.  “All right son, but be back before dark, I do not want you to get hurt.”

	“Me get hurt” I thought, ‘’t will never happen, besides if anything give me trouble, I’ll just defend my self.'
  Little did I know it would not be me who would get hurt but my family.

	“Hey guys what’s up guys, how long has it been since we last got together” I asked my friends.  “Oh come
 on we got together last week,  I can’t believe you miss us already Milliardo.” said Treize, the oldest in our group. “I do
 not, I was just curious that’s all, so what are we going to do today” I replied.  “Well we’re going to…….”  We had fun
 all the way in to the night ~sigh~ those were good times.

	“Hey guys it’s getting late I have to get home” I stated.  “Come on Milliardo you afraid of the dark or 
something” teased Treize.  “No it’s just that my mom asked me to get home before dark” I replied.  The gang kept
 teasing me and egging me to stay longer, but I told my mother I would be home, I had never broken a promise, and 
I was not about to start now “Sorry guys but I got to go.”  With that I ran home, although in our fun we had walked 
a while I still knew the strait path home.

	As the sky grew dark I picked up my pace from a brisk jog, to a steady sprint, when I reached our house, 
I was utterly surprised.  It looked like a battle scene, windows were broken and there was blood everywhere, I ran inside
 only to see my mother lay dead on the floor, the sounds of combat could still be heard, but first I ran to my sister’s room,
 thank Corellon she was safe, but only for a moment, she was hiding in her closet,  so I barricaded her bedroom door with
 all that I could find.  When I was sure that no one could enter the room, I reassured my sister that all would be fine, I went
 out the window.  

	I reentered our home and began searching for my father, so I just followed the sounds of combat.  There he was
 in the kitchen fighting off three drow assassins.  My father being the great warrior that he is was holding his own, but he was
 badly wounded, but then again so were his attackers.  As he cut down the first drow, he spotted me, “Get out of here now
 Milliardo, I’ll hold them off, you go get help!” he shouted.

	With that I turned and ran as fast as I could, I grabbed one of my father’s spare swords and went for the front
 door.  That is when I heard my father scream out in pain, as one of the assassins connected with a critical hit.  I realized that
 my father would not survive for very long; so I did as any son who loved his father would do, I went to help him.  As I 
reentered the kitchen I saw my golden opportunity, the more injured of the two remaining had his back to me.  Not wanting
 to let this opportunity go to waste I sank the blade of my father’s sword in to the drow’s back, his blood flowed down the
 blade and covered my hands.  As my father turned to see what happened the leader of the group took that opportunity and
 stabbed my father in the back, hitting a vital organ.  “NOOOOO………DIE YOU BITCH!!!” I screamed in sorrow and anger.

	I don’t know what happened next but the adrenalin running through my body must have been at quite a high level.  
With tears in my eyes, I charged the leader, she was caught unawares as to what I did; but maybe by the sheer anger I had felt,
 or perhaps Corellon himself guided my strike.  I sank the blade, into her stomach and with a quick motion, pulled the blade up,
 leaving a large gash from stem to stern, there was a short pause as she realized what happened, and I saw the look of surprise 
in her eyes, and she then fell on top of me, dead.

	I could not bare the fact that most of my family was dead, so I ran from the scene, leaving behind everything, what 
was left of my family, my life and even my own identity.  

	“Mother, Father, I will make those heathens pay for what they did, I swear that all of them shall pay every last one
 of them, even if it takes me a hundred years, I shall relinquish my past until redemption is won.  I’m no longer the Milliardo you 
knew and loved, from now on my name is Zechs Merquise.” I screamed in the woods far from our home.  In order to keep my 
true identity a secrete I hid my face behind a mask for all of what Rykros, and better yet my sister, knew Millardo Peacecraft 
died in the drow attack.

	I was lost in my thoughts, until someone knocked on my door “You may enter whoever you are.” I said with out 
turning to the door.  “I see some things haven’t changed at all Zechs,” said a mysterious female voice. “Lucretia, it has been a
 long time hasn’t it” I replied turning around.  “It’s good to see you Zechs, I missed you.” she said.  I gave her no response 
just a warm smile.

	Lucretia Noin, we had met each other during the Unhuman Wars, stationed on the same ship.  I had always confided
 in her some of my darkest secretes, she was my shelter from the storm that was life.

	The smile on my face quickly faded as the memories of family came to mind, the burden was great, but I knew I had
 to shoulder it I would not let my younger sister carry it.  For all she knows I perished in the attack, and I would like to keep it 
that way.

	Lucretia looked in to my eyes and  knew that there was something troubling me, “Zechs, I know that there is 
something troubling you, whatever it is you can tell me.  You do not have to suffer alone, I’ll help you shoulder your pain.”

	Lucretia, I knew that we would have a lasting friendship, perhaps it was the bond we forged during the war, 
or the fact that she was able to get me to open the shell I had formed to protect my inner most feelings.  I truly trusted her,
 on the battlefield with my life, and off it with my secretes.

	I had just been given my first mission, I was stationed on the man-o-war Libra.  I was excited, it was my first
 time on the front lines in a major conflict.  Most of the crew were made up of young elves, all new to combat, we looked
 to our superiors, especially the spirit warrior pilots, with awe and great respect.  One of the crew, a lovely young girl by 
the name of Lucretia Noin had caught my eye, but I was filled with self doubt about approaching her.  Instead she 
approached me, asking why I wore the mask, I simply replied that it was personal, she told me that one way or another
 she would find out why I wore it.

	The battles were endless, the toll severe, I had lost many friends during those days, but I showed that I had the
 right stuff by saving the life of my superior officer.  I had to take his place temporarily as he was too injured to command, 
we had lost the other officers during the course of the campaign, it was truly a sad time.  If only I was strong enough I could
 have saved them as well.  

	For my actions I was made a spirit warrior pilot, and during the end of the war I had truly made a name for 
myself, the speed at which I took down the enemy had earned me the nickname the “Lightning Baron“.  Lucretia incidentally
 was also an officer on the same ship that I was on during the last days of the war.  It was then when I had confided in her my
 darkest secrete, the guilt of keeping it from her knowledge was eating me up inside and I could not take it any more.  

	In those final days we thought the war was over and were about to return; but then disaster struck, as one of the 
charmed orcs we were going to use as a suicide bomber had broken free from the spell and started a rebellion on among the 
P.O.W.s, there was much fighting on the ship soon afterward.  I had attained some heavy injuries before reaching my spirit 
warrior.  I had no choice but to carve my way through the prisoners, those who gave up willingly I let live, I was not going to
 sink to the  level of a drow and kill every one who rebelled.  

	As I reached the forward cabin, I learned that the leader of the rebellion had barricaded himself in there, he was 
also holding some elves hostage, among the hostages was Lucretia.  They wanted to be let free, or else they would kill the 
hostages. I got out of my spirit warrior and sneaked a peek in to the room, there were 6 orcs all armed with an assortment of 
elven  weapons, I had enough ammo to nail them all at least once, but that was it.  

	‘Please Corellon let my bolts strike true’ was going through my mind and my heart as I slowly entered the room, for
 what seemed like an eternity, I walked and shot the orcs.  Each bolt had found it’s mark as they planted into the skulls of the 
orcs, instantly killing each one.  I had saved the hostages.  For saving their lives and keeping controll of the ship I was awarded a 
medal from the queen mother, she had asked me if I wanted to reveal everything now, I was a bit shocked but them I remembered 
that she is also a great mage.

	The mask that I wear still has the scars of past battles, and It bears a prominent crack in the middle, upon looking in the 
mirror, I realized this.  This mask is as much a part of me as my own skin, and I feel that it knows the proper time to remove itself for 
the public, so I shall keep it on until that time.

	“So Zechs what about that promise you made, is it still in play or is it finally completed” asked Lucretia.  “As long as this
 mask can bear the weight of battle, Lucretia, my promise is still yet to be fulfilled.” I replied grimly, “It seems that Corellon has much 
more planned for me, and it seems as if my true identity, as well as my true purpose in this existence is yet to be revealed.”

	“I want to be there for you Zechs, when that day, the one where you may finally hold your head up high with out the mask, 
comes, but it will be difficult for me to call you by your true name, I have only known you as Zechs Merquise” stated Lucretia as she s
at on the bed.  “Lucretia, we have been through a lot together, just remember that I am who I am, and a name is just that, a name; it’s 
not who I am inside, only my actions can  signify that” I replied with a smile.

	Soon I will be going on that mission with my comrades, I hope I will be able to control my actions if we meet up with any 
drow.  The hatred I have for them is unrelenting, but perhaps my purpose in life is some how entwined with these people I has met: Kez
 is a great warrior and some one who I would be able to have great respect for, he was able to defeat a rogue spirit warrior by himself; 
Arianna, she has her heart in the right place, but her naivety about the world around her may cause her to get into trouble.  I hope that 
the day my burdens will finally be lifted will soon come, I’m just so tired.

	“Now if you will excuse me Lucretia, I must get some rest, I have a mission that I must attend to tomorrow, and I want to
 be in fighting form.” I asked politely.  “Ok Zechs, just be careful out there, believe it or not I have a tendency to worry about you.” she 
said as she left the room.  “Don’t worry I’ll be fine; I haven’t lived through a war, just to die on some small mission” I chuckled.  “I guess 
you right” she chuckled as she left