Hailing from the secluded village of Annala, Renji had long had fanciful dreams of venturing out into, as his father had once described, "the cold lands of Hel". The stories told of the land outside the village did not frighten him, rather, they excited him. Finally, at the age of 17, Renji set out on his own journey to reach the city Redbridge. He had heard from a passing merchant some months prior of the Knights of Kael, the noble protectors of the realm. With his mother in the burial grounds since his birth, and his father now resting beside her after succumbing to illness one year ago, Renji decided this would be his best opportunity to leave the village and realise his dream.
 
For weeks, Renji travelled through forest and along roads. His rations quickly ran out, and he had to resort to learning how to hunt, or else going hungry for the night. He also spent time each day training his sword arm, so, as he thought, he would be more prepared to both defend himself and be accepted as a knight in training. Gradually, he became more skilled, and his natural strength allowed him to wield heavier objects with relative ease.
 
Finally, after 3 years of travelling and training, Renji arrived at Redbridge. Hailing from his small village, the city's immense size was somewhat intimidating, but he continued on through the streets, until he reached his final destination. After a number of gruelling tasks, Renji was accepted into the ranks of the Knights. And yet, despite his goal being achieved, he didn't feel a sense of accomplishment - rather, he felt uneasy. The brief encounters with the Knights he'd had hadn't given him the impression that these were the noble protectors he'd envisioned. This unease and suspicion bore further fruit when the new initiates were able to collect their equipment. Renji was the last in line, and there was only one sword left when it was his turn - a huge sword, with a faded golden fuller and blue gemstone embedded in the hilt. Renji wondered why no one had chosen this blade, for it was one of the finest he'd seen.
 
He quickly came to learn why nobody had chosen his sword. "The Bastard Sword", as it was known, was said to be cursed so that only a bastard child could wield it effectively. For this, Renji was humiliated by his peers, and became a laughing stock - to them, being a bastard was almost equivalent to the dirt on the ground. For the next 4 years, Renji suffered their torments in silence, earning a number of scars when their tricks became more dangerous.
 
But the suffering he endured physically was nothing compared to what ran through Renji's mind. He was a bastard? Did his father lie? Was his father even his real father? These questions raced through his mind, and he wondered if he would ever find out the truth behind his origins, or if the tales of the Bastard Sword were nothing more than a rumour, spread to give the Knights an easy target.
 
It wasn't until his fourth year that everything really changed. Renji, along with a small group of Knights, had been tasked with rescuing a village from a group of bandits. Up until now, his tasks had been menial, and, as he thought, not befitting someone with the rank of Knight, a protector of the realm. At last he was able to exercise his training and save people in need!
 
Or so he thought. When the group arrived at the village, they took out the bandits, Renji handling a number on his own with his expert wielding of the "cursed" sword. But in the aftermath, the other Knights took the opportunity to, in polite terms, reap their reward. Renji could not believe his eyes. Of course, he had endured a great deal of pain from his comrades, but he had not considered they would stoop to this level. As he saw one of the villains approach a terrified woman, something in Renji snapped. He ran at the armour-clad creature, and cut them down with his sword.
 
Of course, there were consequences. Killing a Knight, no matter how much Renji believed they deserved it, was a grievous crime. Renji was swiftly exiled from the order, and promptly sentenced to be banished to the Wildlands. The Bastard Sword, a name now synonymous with both the weapon and Renji himself, was to travel with him, as a reminder of what brought about his banishment, and who he was in their eyes - a bastard.
 
As Renji was escorted to the prison cart, a new goal formed in his mind: discover the truth of his past, if there was one to discover, and destroy the Knights of Kael.