Chapter 1: Winter Storms in Crystol

Glitters of sun rays shone lightly on the children's drowsy faces. A kid tried blocking them with elbow-bent lanky arm and another placed themselves into the pillow front first but most of them were still sound asleep. Dusty beds with broken legs made cranky sounds every move the kids made. A young girl hesitantly woke up. Her scarlet hair vibrantly swept across the bed. She uncurled herself and started climbing down the double-decker, towards the living hall. She would have landed onto a door connecting to the living hall however it would seem that door was long broken and teared down.

As she drifted to a dirty table in the middle of the hall , she came to a halt.

"Ouch!", she exclaimed.

Front of her was a massive frame, an older man about in his fifties, with a rugged look and visibly short but deep scars plastered on his face. His hair was of an old prestige knight.

"HAHA- Careful there Sen, heheh", he said in a deep voice followed by a genuine hearty laughter.

"Good morning uncle Poe!", Sen replied hastily as if she wanted him to acknowledge her greeting.

"My Sunbeam.", uncle Poe grinned.

"Breakfast is on the table. Better get yours before the other kids take your share!"

Sen hurriedly limped her way to the wooden table. She sat on the floor with legs folded and placed her arm above her head. Stretched on one side, she used her arm to grab her food. After a few attempts, she managed to but what she saw was definitely not pleasing.

Fish again.

"Uncle Poe..", she looked up at him with sad puppy eyes.

"Sen. What can we do, we've only got fish around here. After breakfast, we are going to grab some wood again- yeah?", he replied.

"But Uncle Poe.. Why do you need me to help you? You are as stronger then all of us combined..", she said softly.

"It's just collecting wood. It's a good start.", he grinned once again.

"Sen is complaining again! Who cares, Stupid!", a sound passed through the room Sen was from.

A puny boy with curly bed hair emerged from the room, fingers intertwingled behind his head in a mocking stance. he held a grin just like Uncle Poe but this time more menacingly. Sen lowered her head submissively and looked in a different direction.

"You think I'll stop when you do that? That's why I call you stupid!", mocked the boy.

"Peter! You stop your nonsense and take everyone to find me later. We've got to collect wood. You know where to find me, right?", said Poe in a firm manner yet still somewhat gentle.

"Okaaayy"

"Sen, you have to stand up for yourself too. It ain't gonna' be easier around here.", Poe continued to Sen as he attended to her. He then took the axe on top of a wall robe close to the door and opened it. He gave one glance back to the children looking his way, did a small smile and closed it before walking towards the woods.

An awkward silence lingered in the room as Peter looked a Sen with a disapproving look. It was insufferable for Sen and she wished for the magical fairies to break the silence. Thankfully for Sen, the other children started to wake up and began to join the table. Everyone continued having breakfast then. After it was done, Peter hurried the other kids into a line and shouted for them to find uncle Poe. The kids started to systematically walk towards the woods. It was pretty safe as they have done it a million times and the woods Uncle Poe was always around the corner.

"Why does everyone listen to Peter?", Sen thought to herself.

"Peter is older than me by one year and that makes him twelve and the oldest.."

"but he is small..",

"and tiny..",

"maybe they are just scared of his noise-making like me", she proceeded.

Just when she was about to internalize further, she thoughts were put away when another boy nudged her back with an elbow lightly. Sen know him as Alberto. He is tall for his age and lanky with black spiky hair.

"Sen, Hey Sen.", as Alberto broke her thoughts.

"Oh, Alberto?", Sen replied inquisitively.

"Let us go collect wood together, Uncle Poe left small pieces over there.", Alberto worriedly spoke.

Sen nodded and the both went about to do just that. This ritual was common for the kids. It was just wood picking, into house cleaning, into educating lessons for Uncle Poe in the evening. Life in Orphanage was just that.

Wood picking went about normal and it was close to sunset. The children went back in line as Peter aggressively shouted at them into and orderly went back to their stoned-build household. Then it was cleaning. The kids were all in charge of various house work on various days. But today was probably the worst for Sen because she was cleaning utensils with Peter.

"So I am with Stupid. Well that is stupid.", mocked Peter.

When was the first time she was called that name she thought. She couldn't remember at all. Sen while upset at the name calls, continued washing and ignoring him. Peter did stop at that one statement though. They both washed the utensils with the collected water for a while.

"Hey..", a soft voice broke the silence.

"What?", Peter blurted out instantly before the word could finish.

"Why.. Why are you so mean?"

"What?.. I hate you that is why!"

"I will become a warrior of Crystol next year. You will go soon too right? But look at you.. Even if you don't say it, you are complaining, I know it. I see you.", he continued hastily, "You are so useless. You are a girl too meaning you will be even more useless for OUR army. Boys get stronger, while girls get weaker!"

"But.. why is stronger better? I can still help everyone. Just like washing this spoon..", she replied hastily also though softly.

"Ugh, I just hate you. Uncle Poe suffers most because of you."

"But..", she continued.

"SHUT UP!", he yelled.

The children rekindling the fire at the fireplace turned their heads towards the angered sound. Peter threw his last cleaned utensil into the small basket and walked out of the kitchen. He looked back before leaving and spoke.

"Uncle Poe's friend should be here so stay awake tonight."

Sen was left with a small tinge of anger and mostly curiosity of Peter's last comments. But one thing was certain as she was definitively going to do as he told so.

--------------------------

Night came, Winter storm howls. The stone house was battered by the strong winds. Eyes forcibly closed, Sen was up at her bed curled up. Silence in the house only broken by the snoring of some children. Sen was hoping for something. A sign of something different. And it came. A knocking on the door proceeded with the opening and the shutting. Someone has entered the premise and it was not Uncle Poe. Very much likely to Sen, she was going to get answers.

Heavy equipment was heard being placed onto the ground.

"Slowly.", Poe was heard saying.

"Yeah yeah. Do I have to mind every damn thing I do in your hut?", a rustled aged voice crackled.

"Yes you do. Have some respect. Children are living here. Sleeping.", poe replied sternly.

"Hah.. As if a bloodthirsty warmongering beast like you would actually care!"

"That's years ago. Don't expect me to be the same guy I once was.", Poe sighed.

"That is ridiculous if you ask me", the other ridiculed.

"Fuck, tell me what you want. I am tired of this.", Poe's tone started to turn just a bit.

"You know what I want from you. I told you the girl needs to go. She's from the other place up north. Once she starts using that freaky magic thing, people are going to know! She is getting older, we got to end this. My head will go off then yours!", he exclaimed in a angered whisper.

"I can't.. She is part of this family now. I know what I said about once she became older I would end it but I can't. Things are different now.", Poe sighed exasperatedly.

"Then I would have to kill you then. Then her.."

A cracking sound was heard though loud but acutely. To Sen, it sounded like when Albert was chewing fish bone frantically it snapped real hard. She saw it. With her head slightly edged out of the top double decker bed, an unsightly view. With one hand, Poe instantly grabbed the other man's neck. Three fingers and a thumb. One second was all it took for Poe to lift him by the neck and turn it 90 degrees, as well as turning him into an uncanny looking chimera. Well, Poe was truly an absolute unit.

But even more of a disaster was the scene to Sen. She wanted to regurgitate the fish she had out. She held her mouth and curled up in bed quickly. She needed to calm down but she couldn't help but think.

"Uncle Poe.. Is it my fault?"

"Is that why you killed him?"

"Did I kill him?"

"This is a dream. Right?"

Thoughts come but did not go. They stayed and manifested.