LORE (PART ONE)

Once, long ago, an ancient magical valley was plagued by horrible monsters. These creatures terrorized the land, spreading chaos and despair—until the Shinobi warriors emerged. Masters of both combat and invention, the Shinobi devised a way to vanquish the monsters into a dark, endless dimension known as the Shadow Realm. Their salvation came in the form of giant, mechanical, fire-powered gates—portals—designed to trap the monsters and keep the valley safe. This groundbreaking invention was created by a young Shinobi named Bob.

Shinobi guarding a portal gate

The war ended, peace returned, and the valley began to prosper. But peace has its cost. The Shinobi, bound by their duty, became the valley's silent protectors, tending to the fire gates to ensure the monsters never escaped. Shinobi were long-lived—most surviving for centuries—but even they were not immune to the passage of time. Bob, the genius behind the fire gates, is now just reaching middle age at the ripe age of 353 years.

BOB

Bob had always been a little different. He wasn’t the strongest Shinobi or the fastest. He wasn’t the smartest, either. But what Bob lacked in natural talent, he made up for in relentless determination. His strength wasn’t in succeeding—it was in trying. Perhaps that’s why he always found fascination in everything, always tinkering, always inventing. And perhaps that’s why everything changed when he met Sheila, the love of his life, when he turned 324.

A picture of Shelia helping Bob guard the gates and shooting them as she sees them.

The Shinobi believed that attachments weakened a warrior’s resolve. Bob thought differently. Sheila didn’t make him weaker—she made him stronger. But duty was duty, and Bob, ever loyal to the valley, took an oath to protect the people, even at the cost of his own happiness. To balance his responsibilities, Bob came up with another invention: a mechanical, AI-powered Robot Bob—a perfect replica of himself designed to guard the main portal and train new Shinobi recruits. With Robot Bob handling the valley’s safety, the real Bob could spend more time with Sheila.

For a while, it worked. Until it didn’t.