Prologue 1- A Tragic Beginning

The rhythmic clang of the hammer striking steel slowly faded away as Cian fell deeper into his thoughts. Although his body sat behind the counter, his mind had wandered far beyond the four walls of the shop.

"Cian," a familiar voice called out, and the bell above the door jingled. He didn't need to turn around to feel his face light up with excitement.

"Elsa, what brings you here?" he asked, doing his best to conceal his joy.

"Are you busy right now? You promised you'd help me fix my cooking stove." She said as her fingers gracefully swept her lustrous brown hair behind her ear.

"You know I'm supposed to be a craftsman, not your repairman," he replied with a soft smile.

"More like a repair boy, Mr. Apprentice," she teased, her laughter filling the shop.

Cian couldn't help but admire the beautiful smile he never grew tired of seeing after all these years.

 Her sparkling, ocean-blue eyes were windows to her curiosity and youthful spirit, often reflecting a mischievous glint. She possessed a slender, graceful figure, and her infectious smile radiated warmth.

Elsa was one of the few people Cian had any form of friendship with in the whole of Lowdan. Which was unusual since Lowdan was a small village with rarely any outside interactions except for the occasional visitors like traders. So most villagers kept a fairly friendly relationship with each other, only that Cian didn't really see the need, but with Elsa it was different.

"Well, you made a promise, so you have to keep it." She teasingly said.

"Okay then, I'm busy, so you might have to find someone else."

"Okay, I'm sorry, pleaseeee!!! I'll even bake for you," she pleaded.

'She always had one problem or the other that needed my assistance, and no matter how I try I always end up fixing it…. Better not drag it out for too long before she gets cranky and free bread is always welcomed' he sighed 

. "Alright, I'll come have a look once I've informed my boss." He answered after a quick silence, with a light tone.

"Thank you very much, my good sir. Tell Sir Owain I stopped by," she said excitedly as she hurried out of the shop.

Cian smiled as he found himself gazing at her departing figure. He smiled as it left an indelible impression on his mind.

"Is that a customer?" a voice called from the back room, and the clanging of metals paused momentarily before resuming.

"No, it was just Elsa," he replied as he walked out from behind the counter to the back room to reveal a compact, sinewy figure glistened with perspiration, his muscles defined and taut, a testament to his physical prowess. His slightly squircle face covered with thick grey beards

"Oh, why didn't she come inside to greet me?" The shirtless, sweaty man asked, his tone slightly worried.

"I think she was in a hurry." Cian replied

"She doesn't visit as often as she used to," he mused while wiping his sweaty face with the towel on his shoulder.

"She used to love watching me work."

"You kids are growing up too fast. Soon you'll stop being my little boy and take over the shop," he said with a proud smile. "I'm sure you'll be a fine craftsman."

"Father, I stopped being your little boy years ago."

"Yes, yes, I know you're a man now, no need to remind me…. Okay now, pay attention so you'll be able to become a master craftsman like me " he said as he resumed his work. Cian laughed at the thought, 'master Craftsman'

Cian's father and boss was the resident craftsman, he crafted items, mostly weapons and armor, to sell to the passing traders and warriors that momentarily wander into the village. Although he made very little profit due to the fact that the items he crafted were of low quality, it was enough to sustain him and his son in this small village.

Clang, clang, clang.

The sound of the hammer striking steel echoed through the shop once more. As Cian watched his father work, he couldn't help but reflect on his father's words. What a bittersweet reality.

"You make it sound like I have no other options," Cian remarked playfully.

"Other options?" his father inquired. "You're going to be a craftsman, just like me, your grandfather, and his father before him. This shop is the Branwen legacy."

"I know, I know, but what if I wanted to be something different, something else?" Cian said, trying to keep the tone light.

"Something else?" he asked. "Like a warrior?"

"Yeah, let's say, for instance, a warrior."

A sudden silence enveloped the shop.

Before his father burst into laughter, gasping for breath and struggling to regain his composure.

"My son, a warrior," he managed to say in between laughs before calming down.

"We both know it's not possible. Those people aren't like us; they have talents and special powers. They live a whole different life."

"This hammer is your destiny, just like it was mine. Don't worry; I'll teach you to be a fine craftsman, it doesn't matter if your Branwen blood hasn't kicked in yet."

'That's rich coming from someone who can only create low-grade items,' Cian thought to himself.

"Now, finish up here; I'm going to rest" his father said as he headed for the stairs. 

"Okay, sir," Cian answered without an ounce of joy.

Cian waited for a while after hearing his father's door close, before taking off his working apron and quietly leaving the shop.

"The Branwen legacy," he thought as he walked down the evening steets of Lowdan. Why do I have to be so unlucky to be born in this stupid village? Doesn't anyone else in this village wonder about the world outside? So I'm meant to live and die here. 

"A fleeting existence," he said out loud.

In Aetheria, a world where dragons roam the sky and monsters walk the earth, a world filled with so much mysteries and adventures I've been cursed to live my life as a craftsman in Lowdan.

'Well, whatever. It's not like being a craftsman is that bad anyways. Who knows I may actually end up being a master craftsman', he laughed self-mockingly at the thought. 

I wonder if Elsa has been waiting for me. He drooled at the thought of the free bread that awaited him as reward. Due to the drought in the Eastern region of the lowlands the food shortage was growing drastically especially for self-sufficient villages like lowdan.

Cian's village, Lowdan was a small settlement at the Eastern region of the lowlands, it was mostly filled with single storey wooden buildings with very little space in between, so the walk to Elsa's house was relatively short.

As he neared Elsa's house, he saw three people walking out of an alley in the distance. From their armor and weapons, he could tell they were warriors. It was a rare occasion to see a warrior in his small village, Mostly because the services available in Lowdan were of low level.

As he got closer, he could properly see their height and physique. He almost laughed at himself for ever having a thought of being like them; they looked very strong, enough to make the village gaurds look like a joke. 

One of the warriors had white long hair and wore an amour unlike anything he had seen before, it was black and looked like it had a scaly texture, He had a sword by his side in a scabbard with red and black dragon decorations.

'is that dragon scale!?' Cian eyes widened with disbelief 

Dragon scale was an item above mythical. His father had told him how the Dragon scale was tougher than even the strongest of steel. Just being able to see one in his lifetime felt like a blessing from the gods.

The others also wore armor and carried weapons made of foreign materials that even him, the son of a weapons craftsman, had never encountered before. They all had a similar symbol of a moon crest with five stars on different part of their armor.

He couldn't bring himself to look away as he stared in awe. They really were made different, Not just their armor the pressure he felt from a distance was something he couldn't explain.

"Dude, why didn't you show me this sooner?" Cian heard one of the warriors say as they approached.

"What if she dies, and you get sanctioned?" another one asked.

"How would that work if we are far gone by then, plus a 1st level sanction would go away on its own; we wouldn't even be fined since it's a small village," he replied with a smile.

"But didn't you see how real it felt? It was almost like I was doing the real thing,".

"I still feel it was too risky; what if—"

"What if this, what if that; you keep on speculating crap. Didn't I say this isn't my first time? Just chill," he said as he shoved his friend, almost bumping into Cian as they walked past. They didn't even bat an eye, just walking on like he was an ant. Compared to them, he probably was, he chuckled.

"Who could have thought you could use NPCs like that? How could you have kept this from us for so long, and I thought we were friends?" The white haired spoke, laughing.

Although Cian could hear everything they said, he couldn't understand a word of it. 

'So this is the language of the gods that people say the warriors speak' he wondered. 

As he got farther away, he could still hear them chattering and laughing in the distance.

As Cian walked past the alley, he noticed a figure that looked like a person lying on the ground. .

"Hey, are you alright?" he called out as he got closer to the girl lying on the ground, until he could fully make out the image of Elsa, bruised and battered, her face covered in blood, her clothes torn, her body lifeless.

"ELSA!!!" he screamed as he panickly picked up her lifeless body.