The Still Growth Of Achromo

The town of Elna was a very beautiful one indeed. It was a well-known place among the neighboring areas and also a very big one at that. In this place, people get along well any way they are. It is indeed a magnificent sight to behold, of this place in the spring time. The spring time when all the leaves fall in a beautiful orange color; when a special type of flower blooms that is native to this town and it's neighbors; to see a sky that is the perfect blue shade instead of the typical pale; and to behold the sight of the brilliant people that make a happy hustle among the scattered markets, are all a common features of Elna in spring. 

In the corner of the village lies a very beautifully decorated house that stood high and proud, tough inanimate; which was lit up to life by the people who reside in it. It was the house of the people who were respected highly among the people, it was the house of Rey O' Yiostheou, who was currently acting as the Mayor of the town. There with him lived his wife who looked young for her age, like a maiden fair and had a totally bright emotion on her face.

 "Where is our son?" she asked to her husband. Rey looked around the hose and scanned the surrounding. He gave a knowing smile before he replied.

"I think I know." came the reply.

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There was a blast in the forest that came out as a loud bang. A small grey smoke rose up to the sky, and which almost was a trail. It stopped in a while. A group of young kids ran away from the noise and after they glared towards that direction in a small sense of a silent anger that did not show up on their face which then morphed into a appreciation that still contained their former emotion. 

"Come out, Achromo." one of the boys said.

"Did I get you?" came a question which was followed by a quick movement that was detected by the sound of leaves falling that were moved by a fast dash of movement. The first second it felt very safe for him, covered all around with people; the next a finger pressed against his neck like a sharp blade ready to kill. He gulped down hardly and then finally came back with his words,

"Stop it." It was still a struggling voice.

Achromo removed his finger from around his neck and looked the man in the eyes with a sharp glare.

"I told you," he pointed at the boy, "just me was enough for you."

Then emerged two more people from the woods behind them, both with a smirk covering their face which angered the other side even more. That made them even more angrier but they had no more of an option than to agree with the expression they gave with a unsatisfied sigh. 

"What did you expect from us?" Achromo addressed both of the people that came out of the woods. Both of them still continued with the smile that they had. There was a gulp that went down the boy's throat.

"So, you remember right." started one of the people who emerged from the woods behind, a friend of Acheron. She was a fair girl, one with flowing black hair, and a darker shade of the color they called black. She had the more mischievous of the smirks among the people. It was like a combination of a feast and then a starving to view.

"According to the rules," said another one of his friends, "you were at threat, and thus that counts you're defeat."

This was a boy younger than both Achromo and the girl that was with them. He had a voice that could be defined with the attribute of flow. It was a fair face with a smooth skin, that would have appeared like glowing snow if it was seen under a bright full moon light.

"Fine." admired the boy instead of the hat that he wanted to give off, "I admit to that I might have bragged a bit much. Guess we are quite less capable than what we have claimed to be. You are quite good at this."

The reply came off as a glowing smile that seemed to answer all the questions that the boy seemed to have. They were a different group of friends, and they were also quite the good friends of Achromo. They were not as good as the previously mentioned one; they were the ones that Achromo deemed to be their best friends- Lyra Mahiroh and(the closer one) Vincent Recanvaus. 

Both of them were also residents of the town of Elna, but not both of them were born or are originally from this town. It is only Lyra who was born in Elna. Vincent hailed from a faraway town that he didn't bother to mention and nor did any one of his friends ask where it was. From the descriptions of it, it seemed to be quite the place to be in, and he acted as a person from such town. He was an open-minded individual. He was praised for his creativity. The only bad quality he had(that could maybe not called bad) was that he was as sly as a fox and it was a terrifying thought that this was not even spotted by his closest.

The girl was originally from Elna. Lyra was a fair girl and was the first one to befriend Achromo. She was, in fact, the first real friend that he might have made. She was learning and practicing mana and magic along with Achromo. Vincent joined in later. An extrovert that would even befriend a sly wolf that Vincent was. A really independent women she was and that was what made Achromo admired about her. A wild tigress, with the hair as black as a starless night and eyes resembling the sun.

Achromo and his friends were now 16 years in age.

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"What are you thinking?" asked Lyra as she carefully looked for Vincent.

"Nothing much." came a bland reply from the Achromo who was now hanging on a branch of the tree he had been formerly sitting on. "It is just like the days of spring I remember, which I spent in solitude."

"Just say it properly," said Lyra with a face that hinted annoyance, "poetry and words are not my strongest point, you know?"

"Come on now." Vincent approached both of them with a usual mischief on his face, that resembled the tricky of fox. "That is what you can't understand. How are you going to make a knight one day."

Lyra had forever dreamed of serving as a knight of a high order in the nation of Illova, and thus because of this she became a little angry at this comment. She did not reply because of she knew Vincent, as witty as it gets.

Achromo had been training Mana for quite a while now, that too at a age at which people just being to start out. He was of course better than the rest of them(his friends) that were with him in the village; and unsurprisingly Lyra had envied this man. He was a prodigy not aware of himself, at least that is what she believed. 

Even tough all this, Achromo still did not acquire a nature to his mana. He stayed still the nature of Null, and that frustrated him greatly; tough he never really shew it. He had developed a good flow, one that was impressive for even someone trained. He had even adopted a new himself after making friends and not being exposed to the solitude that he had been in thought these days.

"Tell him, Achro." she commanded the person hanging on the branch.

It was a new name that had been given to Achromo by Lyra. This name was then pretty quickly adopted by nearly everyone except his parents, who did find more pride in the name they had decided to give him. According to Achromo, it was a better name to be used among friends. Long was the name Achromo, even for him. He, like his parents, found pride in his original name. This being concluded, he was also not the same around parents and friends. He was very different and about this no one knew for they did not visit him long enough; or they just did not notice for he was too cunning about this. This was not a thing he wanted to hid, but did anyway. He had adopted a new identity.

"Do you hear that." Vincent pointed out the noise that came from the center of the village and seemed to move on.

It was a rumble, startling all three of them. There were bangs of what sounded like drums and seemed the yell of praises rung across the entire town. Achromo, who had been hanging on the branch, swung himself up on the tree with not much expectations of what was the source of this unexpected rumble. When he seemed to get to the peak of the tree, the sight he saw turned his face into a different color.

Instead of questioning about this twisted expression he had, they decided to climb the tree for themselves. The tree stood in the closer end of the forest and was extremely tall. This had made it so that to spy the entire town but a breeze. This was their hideout. 

When they finally reached the point Achro was on they did behold the sight that had startled Achromo as well. It was a magnificent view. 

An entire army, not a battalion, but a huge army of who seemed like the king's soldier marched in the center of the town. It might be because of the security of whoever was being carried, but it was not hard to find out who was: it was the king. The chariot being carried belonged to the king. Therefore was this large army at the disposal and that had been a beautiful sight. No heads peaked out of the chariot but Achro was sure about this now. Why would the king be visiting?

"Intresting." called Vincent. "What should we do now? Head back. I don't want to miss such an opportunity. To see the king, I mean."

"Maybe." Lyra climbed down the tree and then soon to follow was Vincent. Achromo, however, stayed still. His eyes gazed the sence with an sharp eye. 

"What's wrong. Come down" Vincent called. 

Achromo did not reply. He climbed down the tree slowly and then fixed his coat. He had a serious glare in his eyes. This was quite the surprise to have a visit from the king. It was also similarly an enigma. This reaction was strange for the likes of Achromo as well. 

"Achromo." snapped Vincent. "What's wrong?"

"No." he replied, a thought was still rising to his mind. His words were delayed but then finally the reply came, "They are heading towards the corner of the village."

"And?" continued Lyra. 

"The road they picked..." he thought more for a while, "leads to my house."