Shadows of Tomorrow(English Version)

In the region of Korvak outside the limits of Theo's Empire, there was a young boy with blue eyes, silver hair, wearing a shirt made of cotton, black pants and boots.

'One more' said the boy, he had bent down to pick up the branch that was among the flowers on the ground.

Seeking to gather more firewood to take home, he looked up and saw the sky, once clear and shining, now covered with clouds heavy with water.

"It looks like it's going to rain," Ethan thought as he stood up.

The boy continued his search, but small drops of water began to fall on his body. Ethan ignored them and carried on with his quest.

Ethan picked up a few more branches that were trapped among a cluster of small rocks. Having gathered them, he decided to head home before the rain got heavier.

"That should be enough."

Wrapping the branches in his arms, the boy set off back to his house. On his way back, Ethan saw some animals hiding in the bushes, heard the sound of birds singing, and smelled the scent of old trees around him.

As Ethan neared his home, the rain intensified, so he quickly gripped the branches tightly in his left arm, running and being careful not to slip on the mossy rocks.

Emerging from the woods, there stood a wooden house on the path leading to the Nightmare Forest. The house was large but a bit old and rundown.

Ethan climbed the entrance steps, a layer of sweat streaming down his face, and opened the door.

"He's arrived," said the small, old lady.

Entering the house, he closed the door, and turning around, there was a beautiful woman with a scarf around her neck, curly gray hair, fair skin, eyes the color of the sky, wearing a long dress that covered her entire body.

"Welcome back, son," Hina said as she prepared the dinner ingredients.

The house was square, divided in the middle, so half of the house was the living room and kitchen at the same time. On the other half to the left, there was a small corridor leading to three other places: the first was his mother's room, the second his room, and the third the bathroom.

Ethan approached the table and placed the branches on it.

"That should be enough," the boy thought, looking at the quantity, with sweat dripping from his face.

His mother took the cut pieces of meat and vegetables and threw them into the pot, then she went to the table.

"It's enough, good job," the lady said as she took the branches in her arm and placed them in the oven.

Taking a stick, she lit it from the candle on the wall, burning it, and threw it into the oven.

"Take a bath, you stink."

Ethan sniffed himself, smelling a bad odor emanating from his body, and went to the bathroom on his left, the last door down the corridor.

Entering the bathroom, there was a basin full of water, large enough for a person to get into.

Removing his clothes, he stepped into the basin.

Despite being young, Ethan had a relatively strong body, due to his work in the mine and the physical training he did during the day.

As he bathed, his mother took the stew out of the oven and placed it on the plates.

"Hurry up, Ethan, dinner's ready!"

Ethan finished bathing, stepped out of the basin, and took one of the towels hanging on the wall.

Drying his body with it and taking his wet clothes, he wrung them out to remove the excess water and put them back on.

Leaving the bathroom, he headed to the kitchen, smelling the pleasant aroma of food in the air. His mother, already seated in the chair waiting for him, saw her son and gave him a slight smile.

"Come, son, let's eat."

Pulling out the chair, he sat down. Before starting the meal, his mother prayed every day, thanking for the food they had, spending a few minutes in silence, thanking God for the food on their table.

Although Ethan said his prayers every day, he didn't believe in them; he only did it to please his mother. After finishing praying, they began their meal.

Ethan wondered if his mother was feeling better, as she had been ill a few days ago, suffering from severe headaches.

"Mom, are you feeling better?" the boy asked.

She was pleased to see her son's concern, as it was the only thing she cared about.

"I am, son, maybe it's just age catching up."

He accepted her answer, though he was still worried.

"Son, would you like to move?" the woman asked, putting the spoon to her lips.

"Where to?" the boy asked, raising his eyebrows, looking up with his head slightly lowered towards the plate.

"To somewhere closer to the kingdom, since not many people live in this region and it seems that this place is becoming more deserted. Over the years, people are moving to safer places."

"But the journey would be long, we would need a lot of money, and you're not yet in condition to travel," Ethan said while chewing the meat, lifting his plate to his mouth and tilting it to drink the remaining broth.

The woman stood up and went to the kitchen, placing her plate on the sink.

"The moment I'm fully recovered, we'll leave here, okay?"

"Alright," the boy agreed, the corners of his lips raised and his eyes bright, standing up from the chair, taking his plate to the sink.

"But why now?" the boy asked.

"You deserve a better life, my son, than the one we have."

The boy was silent upon hearing her answer; he went to the dishes.

"Mom, you can go to sleep; I'll take care of the rest."

Hina nodded, agreeing with her son's response, and went to her room, entering through the first door of the corridor, going to her bed on the left.

"I think my time is coming," the woman reflected, removing her shoes, lying down on the bed, wrapping herself with the blanket, and finally relaxing her body.

Meanwhile, the rain had increased even more. Ethan had finished washing the dishes and went to the window, observing the rain through the glass, seeing that it was not possible to go out for training or even a short night walk.

He went to his room, climbed onto his bed, sitting on it, listening to the sound of the rain falling on his roof.

"Focus," he said to himself, closing his eyes, spreading his energy around his body.

Slowly opening his eyes, his vision was no longer the same, the color of his eyes had also changed slightly from blue to cyan, an aura formed around his body, and some rays came out of his eyes.

"It looks like it's going to rain all night," Ethan thought, looking up even with the roof over his head, knowing by the amount of energy the clouds carried.

Ethan maintained that state for a few more minutes, then slowly began to come out of it, his energy depleted, becoming unable to use it for a certain period of time.

The boy went to his room, lay down on his bed with his legs bent and his arms behind his head, his body heavy and weak, as manipulating the hon drained all his energy.

"What will the Empire be like…" the young man wondered as he fell into a deep sleep, imagining how beautiful the empire would be.

Everyone was sleeping, and the rain continued to fall throughout the night until the sun rose on the horizon and the wind pushed the clouds to another region, showing once again the beauty of the sky.

During the early hours, there was a warrior who had fled to the forest of nightmares. After spending a period in that place, he finally decided to return to the 12 kingdoms.

The warrior walked through the dense fog, arriving in the region of Korvak. He was not tired; his gaze was as fierce as an eagle's with his beautiful red eyes, his long black hair adorned with a Yukata.

He entered the forest in the early morning, walking silently, passing by the beautiful trees around him, avoiding the puddles of water on the damp ground.

However, parts of the forest were completely wet, so the warrior decided to climb the trees and continue his journey through the branches.

Jumping from branch to branch with care not to break them, he felt a powerful presence within the forest.

A little distance from him, he saw a man with a mask on his face, carrying a sword. Curious, the warrior decided to approach this man.

Ethan slept like a stretched-out cat on his bed, but little did he know that his life would change drastically at the next dawn.