One of a kind

He had been inside the temple as long as he could remember the best part of such accommodation was the constant presence of food. But the price paid for such treatment was rather heavy; he had yet to see any affectionate parent taking care of him or siblings to play with. There were many children present, all sharing similar backstories. However, no one felt upset about it, as if it had been the natural order of the world. Even the priest responsible for their well being never mentioned anything about the strange circumstances. Everyone chose to ignore the love of family, only focusing on the prosperity of the village.

He was different from them, at times he felt lost and abandoned. Thinking with himself, he would mumble: "I only know a name from my past, Sep, I don't even know if this name was given to me by my birth family or the guardian priests. Even though I haven't seen them, I still miss them"

Sep was unique, not only in his feelings but talent as well, being a spectacular swordsman. Soon he became the center of attention inside the holy grounds. The guardian would usually praise him on his accomplishments, before a scolding session would begin, intervening his fantasy of finding affection. He was frequently told: "With your talent bringing honor and glory to your name would be a matter of time; concentrate on training. Ancestors will surely bless you; forget about trivial matters, not recognizing parental love is the way of our tribe"

Sep would listen and nod to show understanding, yet deep in his heart of hearts, he rejected such cold truth. This was indeed the way of heroes, staying true to their heart no matter the difficulty. Sep pursued his dreams, hoping to find his lost ones one day, his mind was filled with thoughts of finding his background, being deeply connected to the matter. After all, protagonists were not simply grown on a tree, all having a rich history!

As he was immersed in such thoughts, Sep did not pay attention to his surroundings, just sitting on a stone, deeply frowning. This was a strange sight to witness, as the onlookers only saw a child very frustrated at some matter, the immediate theory would be some trivial issue like losing a toy. none could believe the comprehensive understanding this child had if they were told, no one would dare underestimate this monster in child skin anymore.

Suddenly a soft voice of female broke his daze, it was Rev, his best friend, and confidant. She knew of his inner struggles, yet to his surprise she was always there, ready to lift him up. Sep never figured out why she was there for him, through thick and thin, but he was grateful, nonetheless. She was the sunshine in his gray world, each ray of light emitted would wash away some of the doubts and exhaustions he carried with himself.

Besides Rev, there were many others he had found around himself, a small group.

Tall and muscular Len, another one of his close friends came up to them, calling out:

"He there Sep, you worry too much you know, we have your back; to the end of time"

Another beauty in their midst named Kol added: "Sep we are your family, as long as we have each other's back, we can do anything"

"As long as you lead, I am willing to follow you to the end of the land, where ancestors reside" A fat boy by the name of Jar mentioned, with sparkling eyes.

They say we cannot determine where to born, but we chose who to call a family.

Sep was speechless for some time; he did not expect his friends to show so much support and love. His eyes tiered from gratitude he was feeling inside, Sep could not be happier at that moment; thus, he swore to protect his newfound family at all cost. However, he still felt a strong lingering concern, pulling him towards solving this mystery.

Meanwhile, the priest came to check on the youngsters, since the curfew had passed; all should have been resting now. But, checking their beds, contrary circumstances were discovered.

Once the silhouettes of the bunch were found, he walked towards them angrily, getting ready to fiercely scold them. Yet, he overheard some of the conversations; touched by the bonds formed, his heart softened. It was similar to a faithful encounter, as the pieces were all gathered in the right place and time.

Fate was a mysterious force, manipulating small details, pulling on everyone's heart to change their minds; all in order to get the desired effect. It was akin to someone fixing dominoes on the ground outlining a picture; in the end, a simple nudge was sufficient to drop the first piece, followed by second, third and etc. Ultimately constructing a marvelous scene, leading to painting the desired portrait. However, it also harmed many in the process, not caring for the cost paid by others. For a hero to rise there had to be an opposition, one that took the role of evil, degenerating from morals. Even their views would be tainted, no matter how glorious their cause, it had to be trampled by the main characters for their development.

Fate was a cruel hand, not caring who it crushed while helping someone up. Finally, when the mission was accomplished, the protection of such energy would be lost, leaving the survivors to fend for themselves. No matter how they danced to the tunes, trampling on feet of others was inevitable, making many animosities. This was the reason that the hero would choose solitude and peace after the game had been finished, or their enemies would find them for revenge. Even their old allies would turn on them for more benefits.

Sep touched by the sentiment of his newfound family declared to his close friends: "Today we shall swear to become brothers and sisters, in the future we will aim to raise in the hierarchy, making each other proud. Now, who is with me?"