Chapter I

With unyielding determination, the young Iesos labors in the dimly illuminated minjng tunnel. Wearing a rough gray suit that has been worn out from many days spent mining gold and platinum from the harsh dirt, his slender figure is outfitted. Sweat and soot smudges cover his face, yet his eyes shine with a ferocious intellect. His pick-axe beats unceasingly through the stony tunnel, and every blow echoes the unrelenting rhythm of his ambition. He carves a piece of gold free while lost in meditation, each piece representing a tiny victory along the way to a better future.

A voice startled Iesos out of his thoughts, "Iesos!" He turned to face the caller, lost in meditation as he concentrated on the process of digging gold from the rocky tunnel. Ulysses. Iesos answered with a wry smile, "Well, it's been an eventful day of mining, Ulysses. You can't blame a man for getting a bit lost in thought." The person grinned "Lost in your own world again, huh?" Ulysses mused. Iesos looked back to the mound of extracted gold.

His older stepbrother Ulysses, who is more muscular and has a larger build than Iesos, has burnt brown hair, tanned complexion, and amber eyes that resemble the outside golden color of a blazing fire. Despite having dark, raven hair and skin as pale as the white sand of a beach, Iesos's eyes glowed with a mesmerizing combination of ruby and blood.

With a sense of satisfaction, Iesos threw the large chunk of mineral he had successfully extracted onto his expanding pile. Ulysses's deep, raspy voice was too much for him to resist a hint of sarcasm. "Whatever, Iesos. We should head back now. You know Zephyr is going to be worried sick again if we work late again. That old man gets all that fatherly lecture again." Ulysses muttered the last sentence, but Iesos heard it and only slightly laughed before nodding. "Yeah you're right. Let's head back, I also have a piece to finish too," replied Iesos.After collecting their well-earned credits from the receiving room, they both returned to their lodgings. Ulysses entered first and greeted their return by entering with a stride, Iesos following.

The men had already met the individual mentioned earlier when they had arrived at their accommodations. Zéphyr. Despite being in his 50s, Zephyr's body is still well-built for hard work and labor, giving him a muscular appearance. His blonde hair and silver eyes accentuated his tanned complexion with a scar that ran from his left cheek and travelled up to his eye that was miraculously still in fine condition before it stopped at his left side forehead.

There sat Zephyr, deep in concentration in a book, at the edge of the sturdy slab that served as a bed. He said, "Iesos, your work is missing something. You'll have to clarify that," without looking up. But as he read on, he couldn't help but compliment, "But, you did a great job in your latest piece." Iesos grinned at the compliment, his chest bulging with a sense of pride and accomplishments.

Ulysses, on the other hand, grumbled something about being stuck in the middle of this literary chat. Zephyr chuckled at Ulysses's remark, knowing that Ulysses is barely a fan of reading but wants to listen to people especially Iesos read his works out loud to him. Iesos had the potential for greatness. Both Zephyr and Ulysses knows that.

The elder man walked up to them, placing a hand on each of their shoulders, and spoke warmly." You lads have grown so fast, I wish Thelma would have been here to witness it." There is it again. Zephyr's longing for the mother of Iesos and Ulysses's stepmother.

Both men knew it was hard to accept it but they need to move on, it's just Zephyr had a hard time letting go. Iesos and Ulysses understands the old man's loss and it was theirs too, and the silence was enough to comfort Zephyr's pained heart.

"Anyways, I should head out now. I don't want to be punished for slacking around and being lazy." Zephyr said with a sigh to break the slight building tension." I'll help you." Ulysses muttered walking up to where a pick-axe is peacefully laid on top, The older man slide into his ragged mining clothes and putting around a belt around his waist filled with several tools. Ulysses hands over the pick-axe and Zephyr gladly takes it.

Iesos finds himself to occupy with by tiding up their small quarters making it look a little neat and spacious. He organized his other works on their made-shift shelf and adjusting the light that hung above the table before checking the luminating essence if there is still plently to burn for lighting up the room.

"I'll be taking my leave, you boys keep a look out for each other while i'm gone." Zephyr said before he departed.

"We will!... like always and as usual." Ulysses responded and he said the last part in a lower voice.

"Take care!" Iesos said in a louder voice hoping it would reach the old man's ears and recieved a oh, i will response from Zephyr.

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Iesos jolted awake from a loud clanging of metals that had fallen from a high shelf. He sits up immidiately when he heard a noise that followed. A whisper perhaps. He couldn't make out what it was but the room is almost pitch black dark and his eyes could barely see anything. Like a sadornic mockery of his nightmares, his mind started another episodes of it's tricky hallucinations. His breathing became rapid that matches the rythmn of his beating heart, he sees someone standing in the pathway that leads outside their doorless lodging. The path outside is pitch black, all laborers are asleep. There is no way that figure is there. Standing and staring. A gaze that bore holes into his soul.

"Zephyr?" He called faintly, voice shaking slightly from nervousness. There was no reply nor does the figure moved.

Just then as Iesos concentrated all his attention to that figure, he is startled by a tap on his shoulder. He spun around quickly and almost fell out of the slab, his eyes wide like saucers and face soaked with thick syrands of sweats.

It was Ulysses, he had his usual scowl on his face but this time it shifted into a more concerned frown." Is it the nightmare again?" He asked, voice barritone and raspy, he was completely awake from all the slumberness earlier.

Iesos nodded as he shuts his eyes." Yeah... i saw-" Ulysses cuts him off." Zephyr. I know." Ulysses says with a hint of frustration. Iesos can tell that his older brother had enough of this and he lowered his head guilty and tears threaten to fall as they form for a flooded sob.

"I'm sorry." He murmured. Ulysses heard it and he sighs." I'm not angry." He grumbled, his face softens when he witnessed how vulnerable Iesos is." Look at me." He says. Iesos slowly lifts his head and his ruby gaze met the fiery gold ones from Ulysses.

"Mother and Zephyr didn't raise no pussy. You're strong, Iesos. You have a power within. Use it." Ulysses said pointing a digit on Iesos's chest telling him that deep inside is a man that wants to fight. Determination. Iesos only dreamed of an old memory. It was all just a dream. Zephyr has also died. Now the memories lingers in the shadows and haunts him like a whimsical phantom, all those memories he made with now all turned into reveries.