Reborn Again was written with the concept that each Breath of Fire game (1-3, anyway) constituted the critical point of a Destined Cycle of about 500 years duration. The “signs” of a Destined Cycle are a great threat to the world and/or its people that is confronted by a group of brave heroes, called in various texts the Destined Ones, the Reborn or simply the Destined. The members of that group vary in race, personality and background, but their leader is always a member of the Light Dragon clan named Ryu, accompanied by a Windian princess named Nina.

The Destined Cycle was conceived by Ladon, the Dragon God of Balance, who rules over time and fate. With it in place, the people of the world he and Myria created could enjoy long periods of relative peace and prosperity, interrupted by much shorter periods of world-wide strife. Basically, fate was 'polarized' so that all of the worst fates of mortalkind would culminate every 500 years, and thereafter be vanquished by Ladon's chosen, the Destined Ones.

(to be continued)