Three hundred years ago, the known world consisted of 9 continents spread across a vast ocean. The centre of this world was "Ohka", a wondrous continent rich in Oriental mysticism. Ohka was ruled by five "Bumon," or houses of martial arts, each boasting their own unique fighting style. It soon became apparent that invading forces led by the "Demonic General" from "Sema", a continent far to the west of Ohka, threatened the rule of the Bumon's. Following a fierce battle, the five Bumon's finally brought the war to a close, "sealing" the Demonic General in Ohka by means of a mysterious "Key". With the war ended, all believed that peace would reign eternally...   The story begins with Shinbu, a young boy residing in a village near the Gate of Seiryu, earning his living as a hired bodyguard for travelers visiting the area. A few years earlier, his parents left on a trip from which they never returned. Rumor had it that his father and mother met with an unfortunate accident. Shinbu now lives with his foster father, Seidatsu. Like his father, Hohaku, who was adept in the martial arts, Shinbu was a disciple of the Gate of Seiryu. However, Shinbu was expelled from the Bumon when he was caught attempting to read the "Monument of Secrets", a right he had yet to earn. One day, while returning to his village after delivering a traveler to safety, Shinbu saves a girl named Suirin - a disciple of the Gate of Seiryu - from being attacked by members of the Gate of Kirin. Suirin was on her way to see Shinbu. When Suirin learns that her rescuer is the one she seeks, she informs Shinbu that a party from the Gate of Kirin raided the Gate of Seiryu, and that the Master of the Gate of Seiryu and all his disciples - with the exception of herself - are dead. She goes on to explain that the group took the Divine Sword of Seiryu. As the only survivor of her Bumon, Suirin sought Shinbu in the hope that he would help her recover the sword and restore the Gate of Seiryu...