2-The Whole New World

There has never been a different morning for him. It has been the same morning from the other day and days before that. He'd wake up before the first rooster crows and starts his toil by fetching buckets of water from the well, a good ildwyrm distance. He'd fetch the water back to his barracks until the first sight of the sun peeking in the horizon.

Usually, before he goes back to the barracks, he would rest himself by an old Oker Tree facing towards the vast icy mountain ranges. The day was colder than usual. He rubbed his hands together and blew his warm breath in between them.

He savored the majestic view of the landscape, envisioning himself to one day conquer the jagged stronghold that kissed the sky. The golden rays of the sun slowly kissed his skin with its warmth. On the far side of the sky, the crimson streaks are now overwhelmed with the glorious yellow light.

He felt the soft grass he sat on and crumpled a handful to release its wonderful aroma. He climbed the Oker tree and took some fruit from it. The sweet delicious pome of the tree has always been his favorite. It's been his source of energy throughout the day. As he climbed the branch, he saw an empty bird's nest. From the looks of it, the nest has already been abandoned. The birds already flew towards the vast sky and to distant lands. He took it and put it inside his pouch.

He envied them-- the birds for they can freely go to wherever they wish. He on the other has always been bound to the land. He can no longer fly, nor run fast. The land he lives, he owes and thus, he serves.

The sun has already risen to a lower level of Obura. He hurried back home afraid of the consequence that awaits him for being tardy. He grabbed his bucket and meticulously brisked his way to the barracks without wasting a single drop of water.

He poured the water into their primitive storage and quickly disposed of the pails. He quickly snuck inside the mess hall, hoping to get his ration for the day. His stealthiness paid off as he availed himself his portion.

He happily left the mess hall with his meal on hand. Recently, the food rations had been scarce, and thus, being on time or being able to sneak in on time is very important to him. He gleefully grabbed the stale bread and starts to eat it.

The dry bread parched his mouth as it absorbed most of the moisture. The flavor didn't help either, since the stale bread tasted like salty mold which added to its horrendous taste. He looked around to see if someone was looking. When he realized no one was, he took out his pouch and got himself a pome.

The juiciness of the pome masked the terrible taste of the bread while it moistens his mouth. The creamy consistency of the fruit, made him want to eat more of the bread-- or at least made it bearable for him to eat.

After eating his fill, he went straight to the fields, toiling the land to harvest before the winter. He planted crops and vegetables then waters them. He diligently cleaned the area around the planted crops, removed weeds and insects that could risk the growth of their crops.

Noon came fast, and now he turned his sights to his lunch. His food wasn't that different from the breakfast he had. It was the stale bread and pome to fill-up his hungry stomach. Luckily, there were some meat jerky today!

He joyfully nibbled on one of them, saving the other for later. The mid-day sun scorched his skin and so he decided to take shelter umder the shade of a tree. There, he sat and reflected on everything that he's done in life and to what made him get there.

A smile cracked his face as he tried to recall the adventures he had during his glory days. His feats of heroism and the songs written all about him echoed in his mind. People calling out his many names throughout the eras and ages made him wish to turn back time.

But that's not even possible. Not anymore. No god can hear him call especially after he destroyed the last world he sworn to protect. Here, he is all on his own.

He tried to close his eyes for a while to rest but remembered the other errands he had to do. He took back his farming tools to the shed and started cleaning the barn. He washed all the manure out of the barn and cleaned the stables for the stallions.

After that, he gathered some firewood from the nearby forest and stacked them up at the back of the barn.

Later that evening, he boiled some water in his little clay pot and took out the nest he kept in his pouch. He cleaned it with the little water he had left, before putting it into the boiling water. He took out the remaining jerky and added it along with the nest. Lastly, he took out his remaining pome and squeezed its juices to the stew before adding the crushed contents of the fruit.

When it was ready, he took out his remaining piece of stale bread and dipped it in his stew. The taste wasn't phenomenal. In fact, it lacked salt and the sweetness of the fruit didn't really compliment the flavor of the stew. As for the bird's nest, it was also bland but at least it satiated his hunger.

After cleaning his meal, he went back to the barracks where the caretaker waited for him. He greeted the caretaker and stretched out his arms forward. The caretaker nodded and cuffed him. Then, the caretaker skilfully placed a chain on top of the arm that ran below his feet before locking it with the shackles on his ankles.

It was a standard routine that they do every night, to ensure that no slave would run away. He dragged his feet to his bed and then closed his eyes, hoping that the nightmare would end forever.

"Arise! All of you arise!" the booming voice of their caretaker woke him up.

Has it been morning already? He thought.

He looked outside by their slitted window and saw the moon in all of its glory. It was still the mid- hour of Obscuros. But here they are, awakened by their caretaker.

Not long after a gentleman in a Principalia's uniform walked into their barracks. From his looks, he seemed to be a ranked officer. It was clear he was appalled by the stench and filth that he saw. He covered his nose with his white handkerchief before whispering to the caretaker.

The caretaker nodded anxiously. The officer left in haste after that.

"Starting tonight," the caretaker started, " You are now conscripted to the Principalia! You shall dig the mines in Arenfall, near the valley of the Wyrmins." He announced with a smile.

"Consider this a great honor for you, slaves! You will help the Principalia to rise into glory."

The caretaker walks out of the barracks and all of them were left there in somber.

"The mines! We are going to die." whispered one of the slaves.

He couldn't agree more.