Grachus Lau was a selfless instructor. He trained his cadets at the Imperial Academy with unstinting perfectionism. With no direct family of his own, Grachus imparted his wisdom to his students, raising cadets that had been forced to fend for themselves.
It surprised no one to see Grachus return from a campaign with a newborn he had found huddled outside the Immortal Annex. Grachus took it upon himself to rescue the young child. The newborn was shown to his physician who informed him that although he could determine nothing about the girl’s family, he could determine the date of her birth: the tenth day of the second month of the year 1381.
Grachus spent the next four years searching for her parents. After exploring and exploiting every option, he looked upon the girl with the eyes of a father and named her:
Carsera Lau
By this point, Carsera was approaching four years of age and had begun wielding her wooden sword with impressive vigor. She was just like him! Her stabbing stick, as she called it, never left her side. She cared for it as if it were the most prized treasure in the world. Grachus, taken to his new role as guardian, exposed Carsera to many other children, one of them being Shinji. The two were not immediate friends, preferring to be competitors in the same tournaments.
As is the case with rivalries, the two gradually became closer and closer. They were far more similar than they were different. The world lacked an ability to understand what drove them. Carsera was driven by a need to prove herself to a world that had abandoned her, and Shinji sought to show himself worthy of the greatness thrust upon him.
At the age of six, it was clear to Grachus that Carsera was meant for great things. He conscripted the help of his own tutor, Avelan Orreth, the wisest master in Ausgyth. Carsera and Master Orreth talked for many months until it was finally decided that he would take Carsera with him back to the Imperial Society that he led.
If Grachus was the soil into which Carsera blossomed, then the Imperial Society under the guidance of Master Orreth is where she bloomed. A world of knowledge opened up to her, and for the next three years, her teacher became her closest companion. Master Orreth taught her everything he knew.
In 1390, Avelan Orreth died. Tears streamed down from Carsera’s eyes for three days. She had never cried before. She has never cried since.
Nine years after Master Orreth’s death, Carsera won the Hallowblade Championship, becoming the best Blademaster in the empire and the youngest Imperial General in its ranks.
