Chapter 1 - Food Thief

On the right side of the road, I managed to spot a wooden stall with bread on top of it and the owner sleeping. I walked closer and closer to it, then looked left and right to see if there were people looking at me. Luckily, there weren't a lot of people in the area. With my stomach grumbling, I decided to move my hand swiftly to steal the bread, and so I did. Smoothly and without anyone seeing me, I put the bread in a leather pouch that I had. Unfortunately for me, though, as I turned left, thinking no one saw me, the owner who seemed asleep had just woken up. And so he saw me, screaming 'Hey, kid! Give me that bread back!!' with an urgent tone.

He got up from his chair and started chasing after me. The guards who had seen what happened immediately started running after me too, shouting, 'Please make way!' as they chased after me. On the sidewalk, I bumped into a bunch of people, causing me to lose speed against them. I saw a bunch of crates that were on the left side of me and noticed that this was my moment to stop them, even if it was temporarily. It would give me a chance to escape. I pushed the crates with my arms, and they started to fall one by one, making the guards stop because of the dust that was in their eyes from the crates. While they were rubbing their eyes, I ran far enough away for them to not catch me anymore, even if I was walking. Seeing their disappointed faces, I smirked, raising my hand towards my mouth, since people would think I'm crazy if they saw me bizarrely smiling for no reason.

For the next hour or so, I made my way into the woods next to the city I was in. Walking through the dirt and branches, barefoot, did some scratches on my feet, but it was fine since I was already used to getting hurt. On the right side from where I was, there was some noise, like someone walking. Between the trees with yellow and red leaves, there was an animal of low stature, getting closer and closer. I couldn't see it properly because of the shadows. As it got closer, I screamed, "Don't come near me!" but it was just ... a rabbit. 'I screamed out of fear at a rabbit, am I an idiot?' All embarrassed, I started turning red. The white rabbit ran when it saw my face. After that, I felt at ease and still, a bit embarrassed. Since there was a lake next to me, I decided to go and wash my face. So, I did just that, but in the reflection of the water, I saw my face. A dirty face, black-haired with black eyes, the pathetic basic features of a commoner.

"That is me, a fourteen-year-old commoner named Alden. My mother left me at a very young age, to the point where I can't even remember her face. My father, on the other hand, was murdered at the hands of a noble, more accurately, a count named Edward Raich. Both of them were friends back in their academy days; they were both aspiring to become knights. My father actually became a knight, but Edward didn't manage to make it. And so, he was enraged that a commoner stole away the position from him. Edward didn't really want to become a count, but since he failed, he was forced to. When he officially became a count, he framed my father and had him publicly executed for treason, a crime that he didn't commit. I always respected my father; he was hardworking and he didn't abandon me in dark times like my mother did. I honestly have good memories with him; he was a lovely parent to me. It's been three years since he passed, and I'm still furious about his death.

My house was in the same woods I am in right now; my father's grave is there too. I walked again, something like from one hundred to one hundred and fifty meters; it wasn't that long of a walk. My home was a simplistic house made out of wood, with a bedroom, and well, nothing else really. I went to my father's grave, thinking about the good memories I had with him, almost crying on the way. In the moment I arrived there, I knelt and prayed for him; maybe he will have a better place up there. As I was about to leave, I sighted a strange object lying next to my father's gravestone. As I got closer to it, I identified it; it seemed like it was a blue book, but it was glowing. As I opened the book to see if there's anything it contains, suddenly, I could only see blue, with some small white particles. 'Damn it! Is this another witchery made by the count?!' In the next moment, a bluish object appeared in front of my eyes.