1 The Unfortunate Kid

*Swoosh*

Cold winds, a typical sign when seasons are changing, usually there would be more signs but this doesn't really matter since everybody is struggling just to get food for the table.

"How much for this piece of bread?"

"3 coppers."

"I'll buy 5..."

"Come customers, take a look at our new clothing, made out of Winter Tiger's leather suitable for harsh environments especially cold ones."

"We're selling swords and armors, take a look it may interests you!"

Myriad of voices can be heard from the merchants, trade in this area is always active specially that the a certain sect collaborated with the kingdom to open up roads and this city happened to be the closest in the intersection.

Certain phenomenas such as clouds appering and disappearing, land tremors, fierce whirlwinds, water geysers etc. are very frequent if you just step outside the wilds. This era is wonderful and harsh at the same time.

Legends said that since the immemorial time, strength always was the king, you can only have what you desire if you're strong.

Status, wealth, respects, territory, love, land, country, even the world can yours if your strong. Many people think that this is absurd but come to think of it, it's entirely possible. If your strong, normal weapons can hurt you, if your strong natural calamities can't touch you, if you're strong many people would admire and fear you, if you're strong then how can weak people disobey you? And if you're strong, death itself would avoid you. But alas how can it be that easy?

***

"Hmph! There he is again! Everybody get away, lest we get infected by his 'disease'..."

"Don't approach him! Heck don't even look at him! You'll get infected!."

" *sighs* Let's get away then..."

At one corner of the city, some people are busy whispering amongst themselves while throwing disdaining glances to a certain youth. His apperance compared to the other kids is normal, even his clothing is fine, his expression however is just steadfast coldness, or some would say indifference, a face can only be had if everything that give things colors we're already gone.

"Poor kid."

He can't even remember how many times he heard this phrase already, he lost the reason to care approximately 3 years ago, it might also apply to other things with some few exeptions here and there.

Was i really cursed?

Nobody can answer this question for him. Well, no one would even dare approach him in the first place so, off goes the conversations as well.

His name is Sieg, turned 15 just this morning, he also has a nickname that made him stand out from his peers, "The Unfortunate Child" is what they call him. And the series of events that happened is what gave birth to this alias.

He never knew what his real parents looked like, a couple adopted him since they saw him sleeping nice and sound while a snake was eyeing him.

Some odd months the husband died because of poison, 2 months after the wife followed him. A month after that he was yet adopted but same deal, the husband died from poison, and the wife died because of depression.

He was adpoted 10 times and all of the people that adopted him died with no exception. That's the time when people thought that he was strange and did not paid attention to him anymore.

He grew up looking at people from a distance since they don't want him close. He fend off for himself learning how to hunt for food, build a shelter, and make some clothing all by his own since no one would take care of him.

It would be a lie if Sieg said that he wasn't affected cause he is, he is but a child who grew up alone and can't help but long for affection as well...

It was until 4 years ago that a girl named Fey came up to him and asked him to be her friend, at first he was startled then he rejected her since he was afraid that his 'curse' would affect her as well, but unexpectedly she insisted that she was been extremely lucky since birth and even told him that he has nothing to worry about. But this only lasted for a year before she died

Sieg was devastated, he thought that he will no longer feel alone, he thought that this was the start of his normal life but Fey died in just a year. Fey's family and friend detested him, they throwed almost everything that they got their hands on to him, he was covered in bruises and cuts all over his body, what's worst is that he wasn't even allowed to go near the burial. All he can do was to dejectedly retreat into the forest and silently cry on his own.

For him, he didn't just lost a friend. He lost the only thing that brought color in his life, he lost the one thing that he ever cared about, he lost his love so he thought that he might as well lose his life by jumping off a cliff. But he didn't because he wanted to fulfill Fey's last wish…

***

"Fey! Listen to me, j-just don't close your eyes, hang on okay. I-i'll call for help!"

"Sieg, listen to me…"

"Yes Fey i'm listening, i will listen to everything that you say forever just don't leave me okay."

"You retard…shut up and listen…"

Sieg shutted his mouth and stared at this young lady in her arms, her clothes are stained red and her face shows a pained expression yet smiling at the same time as well…

"You are a wonderful person Sieg, you are not like what you think, you are not cursed! You deserve to be happy, and don't you ever think that my death is related to you okay…"

"Nothing is related to me i know since you're not gonna die right? Yes, yes you will not die."

"Fool.. *chuckles*, this is my limit already. I'm afraid that i can't accompany you to play anymore… *coughs* "

"No…Fey please don't say that, don't leave me please…"

"Fight for your place in this world Sieg, that's my last…wish…"

"FEY!!!!!!"

***

"It's been 3 years Fey, i still can't find my self do it. How should i do it? I don't think i can do this without you…"

*Cluck* *Cluck*

"Ooh! I think i've got a big one…" Sieg said as he pulled the reel immediately, he wished that this fish is big so that he won't have to fish again at night, he was also tired of eating just vegtables since he's been doing so for a week now every night.

Sieg thought that it was wierd since even though the catch is heavy, it was not struggling that much, compared to his past experiences, fishes this big would certainly be more troublesome. As the catch moved closer and closer Sieg's heart starts pounding even more, he deeply wished that it would be a big fish but fate isn't so kind to him afterall…

" *sighs* That's why it wasn't struggling that much, it was just a lump of metal after all. Guess i need to stay for a bit longer here then."

Sieg started fishing four hours ago, this was his first catch and it is a lump of metal. If anyone encountered this they would be devastated, one has to know that he didn't even had breakfast yet and noon was fast approaching. This type of event can only make Sieg sigh since he knew that it can definitely get even worse than this.

While he threw his cast again into the water, Sieg tried to examine the lump of metal that he just got. The metal looked like a piece of rock to be honest, in fact it resembles a meteorite, what remains of it that is. It has some parts where it caved in, this must be the reason why the hook catched it.

"Hmm?" Sieg frowned a bit because at the middle of the rock there was a strange sign, it was an intersection of lines that formed a ritual circle, but as Sieg looked closely, he was surprised since he saw that there's a line in the line, which means a single line from the overall design lies another intersection as well.

"Is this what Fey called as *Inscriptions*? He remembered Fey saying something that these so called *Inscriptions* can be inscribed at weapons or even armors and it provides a certain boosts to it depending on the grade of the *Inscriptions* itself.

For Martial Artists, weapons are the only thing that they can have absolute faith on, weapons would not betray their masters unlike sentient beings. If one treats his/her weapon right then it's comparable to having an extra insurance for their lives.

"Why would it be on a rock though? I don't remember Fey saying anything about using *Inscriptions* on rocks. Is this a deformed weapon or armor then?" This is only the most plausible explanation that Sieg can come up with at the moment. He also think that this lump or rock/metal isn't going to worth anything anymore since it became like this.

Sieg placed the rock beside him and closed his eyes while the fishing rod is being clamped in his both thighs, he relaxed his body and started breathing lungfulls of air while holding it for a moment before releasing it. Sieg is now doing one of the *Breathing Techniques* that Fey taught him before. This is one of the few ways a person can breathe in *Ki* inside thier bodies to nourish it and amplify thier striking power. Sieg had been doing this *Breathing Technique* for years now but just like the story of his life, *No luck*.

For the first few months Sieg was not discouraged yet since Fey said the it would take a long while before one could *sense* the presence of *Ki* in thier surroundings and it would take even longer to completely integrate with it. Fey or course, being a lucky lass that she is, sensed *Ki* during her first time, took only a week to get used on absorbing them. Sieg on the other hand used a full year just to sense it and can't even absorb it up until now, the difference is really there.

This might also be because of the difference in thier *Soul Sea*, the former is divided in 7 different colors namely: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet.

*Soul Seas* are one of the main factors on how one can tell thier respective potentials with Red being the lowest and Violet being the highest. Of course, it's no surprise that Sieg has a Red soul sea while Fey has a Blue one, this is also one of the main reasons why Fey's clan is so bent of wanting to kill him, the only reason why they can't is because of their Patriarch which opposed to this