1 Chapter 1 - Abandoned Baby

In the midst of a stormy night, two figures were running across the forest.

There was one man and one woman, and the female was carrying a baby in her arms, shielding him from the storm.

"We have to find a way to outrun them!" said the male.

"But where will we go? We need to find a safe place for our baby!" said the female, panting heavily. Both were heavily injured and had a hard time running.

"Look! There's a cave!" shouted the male figure. "We have to assure the survival of our boy, we need to leave him here!"

"No!" said the female, "We can't leave him on his own, he won't have us and will suffer!"

"There's no other way! If we don't leave him somewhere, he will die with us if they catch up. We need to ensure his survival!" the male countered. The female looked in reluctance at the boy in her arms, a single tear mixed with the torrent of rain.

The male patted her shoulder and looked at his son, "He needs to survive to carry on our legacy. I'm in don't want this as well, but there's nothing we can do."

The female closed her eyes and proceeded to place the child inside the cave. "Here little one, this necklace will protect you when you are in danger. Hopefully, if we make it out, we can return and take you back." The female placed a golden necklace with two gold colored dragons in a circular position on the baby's neck. She then held onto her husband's arm, looking back reluctantly.

"Don't worry, the heavens always protect those pure of heart, let's leave." The couple left the cave and blocked the entrance with a huge boulder. Suddenly, they heard shouts coming from deep within the forest.

"Shit! They're catching up, let's go!". The couple fled rapidly in the opposite direction

The next day...

Deep within the forest, the cries of a baby could be heard.

"WAAHHH!" the baby wailed. The cries seemed to carry a strange tone as animals that approached the cave for shelter were all scared away.

In the middle of the night, a hulking figure was roaming through the forest and came upon the sounds of a baby.

"Hmmm? is that a child?" The figure was confused. He then walked towards the sound of the cries and reached the cave where the baby was laying in.

The man noticed a boulder blocking the entrance of the cave. "The cries seem to come from behind this boulder." He lifted the boulder and entered the cave. "Why is there a child here alone?" the man wondered as he walked up to the baby on the rock. He held the baby and looked at his features.

"What's this?" the man noticed a necklace on the baby's neck, seeing two golden dragons biting each other's tails.

The baby looked into the eyes of the man with a ferocious glint in his eyes. The man was surprised by the look of the child and suddenly laughed. "Hahahaha! I like the look in your eye, you remind me of my son, I'll call you Ariel."

The man took Ariel from the cave and traveled back to his house in the woods. He traversed through many mountains and rivers to reach his home. When he reached his cottage, a little girl ran out of the house and jumped around him.

"Hi, Daddy! What did you bring back this time?", the girl cheekily asked.

"We have a little guest little apple." The man rubbed her head.

"Who is this baby?" the little girl asked. "

He is a new addition to our family. I named him Ariel," the man replied. "Now go help your mother with the food, we have a new mouth that seems very hungry, but don't tell her about him yet, I want it to be a surprise."

"Okay!" said the girl as she skipped all the way inside

"Get ready little guy, from now on, you're part of our family." The man lifted the baby into the air.

"Set the table!", a shout came from the kitchen as the male entered with the baby in his arms.

"Hahaha, let's see what type of face she makes when she sees you," he said mischievously as he entered the dining room. The wife and daughter pair exited the kitchen with the dishes the next moment.

"Why is the table so messy?" the female said disgruntled.

The man had a huge smile facing her question. "I think we need more space for our little guy here."

The female was confused at his statement, then her face was overwhelmed by shock as she realized that there was a baby in his arms.

"Where did you get that baby Leo?", Leo's wife glared at him.

"I found him abandoned inside a cave. What do you say, want to help me raise him?". The wife looked at the baby with a complicated look in her eyes.

"Come on Mary, he was all alone in the forest," Leo begged.

Mary sighed as she glared at her husband, "Hai, fine let's take care of him, but you will be mainly responsible for his upbringing."

"I know." Leo rolled his eyes.

"Let me get a better look at him.", Mary told Leo.

"Here, be careful."

"I know, jeez he's going to be my son now too." Leo handed Ariel over to Mary for a better look

When Mary gazed at the baby's eyes, she was mesmerized by the clarity and ferocity they contained.

"He has a strong fire within him."

"He is just like him." A single tear came out of Mary's eyes.

"We will raise him to become a strong fighter, you will have to teach him strictly and discipline him," Mary gazed deeply at Leo's eyes.

"I know, this time I will not make the same mistakes," Leo's eyes started to become sharp and determined.

"Abele," Mary called her daughter. "He will be your younger brother from now on, you will learn to take care of him and to teach him as his older sister."

"Yes!" said Abele, gazing at Ariel caringly.

"When he turns 5 years old, we will test him for his bloodline spirit, and I will make a plan for him to train his endurance and strength, while you can teach him about using his spirit to his advantage," Leo said to Mary.

"For now, let's build his foundation as he grows up," Mary said.

"We still have some herbs leftover and there are more that we can harvest towards the end of the month. They will be useful for his tempering," Leo said.

"Alright, now that we have a plan in mind, we will make sure that Ariel will become strong once it's time for his awakening," Leo told Mary as they both gazed at Ariel eating his food.