A New Beginning

Graviary was like any other kingdom at the time, ravaged by wars that set the lands on fire and plagued with poverty and the oppression of its people, with no sign of salvation from their God. No one dared to stand up to the tyrants who oppressed them, however, for if they did, their heads would be put on display at the top of spikes surrounding the city walls for the whole world to see. Because of such evil and disregard for life, the people of Graviery one day decided that they'd had enough and united behind a single man that led the rebellion against these evil tyrants, Vskryan Merum.

This great rebellion then escalated into a war for Gravieries soul with both the people and the tyrant's army suffering tremendous loss. Graviery's once beautiful streets were now submerged in pools of blood that racked up bodies on every corner. The rebels were forced to go underground and maneuver through the city via underground passages that were called "The paths to Salvation''. These safe passageways didn't last for very long and were eventually discovered by the great tyrants.

This nearly caused the rebels the war, but eventually, in the battle that gave this rebellion its name, the people managed to break through the castle's defenses, slaying any guard that refused to surrender and burning the tyrannical family's portraits. The angry rebels then stormed the council room where the family was hiding away and beheaded each and every one of them, including the children. The rebels dragged them out from beneath their beads and slit their throats to ensure that they wouldn't seek vengeance against the people.

After this great victory, Vskryan Merum was crowned the first supreme Knight of Graviery, where he ruled the lands for fifty years until his passing, and then his heir to the throne took over and continued his father's rule. This continued for at least two more generations after him, where we now arrive at the present day, in the modern city of Graviery. Where it has not seen war in over a century, at least for now.

***

{Apollo}

The High Grounds is a place where only the richest may live. It is a place where a kid like me could only imagine through fantasies cooked up by the wildest parts of their brain. The people here live freely and without worry about whether they'll be able to eat at night or if they'll have a comfortable bed to rest in for when the sun sets.

Their houses are like castles that kings of the past used to dwell in, with beds made from the finest fabric and wood that money could buy and doors that were easily twice my size. I could get used to living here. But, this is not my home nor my life and I am here for one reason and one reason only… Their INCREDIBLE PANTRY!

I mean sure, their houses are freaking HUGE! And their beds are certainly more comfortable than sleeping on some old, chewed-up couch, but their food storage…

I remember the first time I snuck into a High Grounds home. I was trying to steal some gold jewelry to trade for food at the Farmers market, but as I was digging through all their belongings and exploring the house, I happened to stumble upon their food storage, and OH. MY. GODS.

Let's just say we didn't go hungry for at least a month. And so, that is why I'm back at the High Grounds.

Recently, I've been breaking into multiple houses at the High Grounds trying to determine which one among them possesses the highest supply of food while simultaneously trying to avoid leaving a trail behind.

Over the past three months, I determined that one specific house seated at one of High Ground's highest points is stocked with food that can last them the entire year. They even have a delicacy called Ice cream and it's this house that was the target of my attack.

It was around four at noon and although I do not know whose house it was, I assumed that an individual with this large of a house was probably too busy to enjoy it, and as for why I'm attempting to rob a house in the middle of the day and not at night is because I doubt a certain somebody will last without food till morning.

Anyway, I stepped into the estate through an open window at the very top just like before, but this time the room I entered was different. The walls were once brown but were now the color of roses along with the bed sheets. Additionally, it looked like a poltergeist rearranged all the furniture in the room making me question whether I'd broken into the correct house.

Ignoring all the obvious signs that someone was home, like a candle whose wax hadn't melted, I quietly and quickly made my way to the back of the house where the kitchen was and opened the wooden door to the enormous pantry.

This is at least the size of my house, I thought.

I opened up my bag and started to pour in as much food as possible: Meat, rice, beans, and even ice cream. How could I fit that much stuff in a single bag? Magic. Thanks to my… friendship with the God of winds, Anemo, he generously granted me a special bag with an enchantment that transferred all Items into a separate dimension and stored them perfectly, whether it be food or weapons.

Now naturally, a problem most people would think of is, "If you store so many things in a basically infinite bag, won't you eventually lose the item? Or how will you get it back?". Well, thanks to the enchantment, if you simply thought of the item you wanted, you'll pull it out of the bag. Oh! And a person can't go into the bag themselves either, Mel tried that already.

With everything I wanted already tucked away I began to prepare for my escape until I suddenly heard a noise coming from the back of the house, the same part of the house I was in.

Seeing a small hiding spot behind one of the shelves holding the food, I immediately went into hiding, hoping that the person outside wouldn't notice the door to their pantry being opened. That's when I heard their voices.

"The doors open?" they asked themselves.

It sounded high-pitched, perhaps a girl about the same age as me. Actually the more I thought about it the more it sounded familiar.

No way, it can't be, I reckoned.

Hearing the door to the pantry close, I waited to hear her footsteps get quieter and further away, indicating that she was heading towards a separate part of the house. Finally, after what felt like hours of freezing my ass off in the pantry, I slowly began to crack open the door, making sure to limit the noise it made as much as possible until I was positive the coast was clear.

"Thank the Gods," I whispered to myself.

"It's you!" A voice hollered from behind.

As I turned to meet my victim, I could almost feel my blood vanish from my face as I realized whose house I had just broken into, Agumis Gwendwarf. A hyperactive girl with black hair and eyes red enough to set anything ablaze.

"You broke into my house!? Really? You dumbass."

Shit, I thought. The whole reason I was being so cautious as to not leave a trail in the houses I was scouting out, was so that the people who lived in them wouldn't report any suspicious activities to the Knights of Graviery. But NEVER would I have guessed that the house I was targeting was owned by the very knight I wanted to avoid.

"That's a lot of food for someone as skinny as you, don't ya' think?"

The second the word, "think," escaped my mouth, three arrows lunged in my direction.

Although I managed to dodge the first two arrows, the third one managed to slash through the strap of my bag. As soon as the bag touched the floor, Agumis was already in my face ready to tackle me to the ground. I quickly sprung back and landed on her table and jumped right over her.

"Did you get faster?" I asked honestly.

"Did you get slower?" She replied.

I tried reaching for my bag as fast as I could to make my escape, but just as my fingers were about to wrap themselves around it, Agumis stomped on my hand and kicked me clean across the face. I could almost feel the heat of the impact burn my cheek right off.

"The hell were you doing in my pantry?" She pestered.

"Making sure your food was edible, what the hell do you think?!" I shouted back.

Before she could ready another arrow to shoot at me with, I speedily pulled out a small knife from my back pocket and slung it in her direction, knocking the bow right off of her hand.

The knife managed to knock her off balance and seizing the opportunity, I used my elemental powers to generate a sphere of wind at the palm of my hand and shot it in her direction. The second the sphere made contact with her belly, it popped. Sending Agumis crashing through her window.

"Oh shit! You ok?" I asked from the inside.

I really didn't mean to blast it that hard, but oh well. I snatched my bag and dashed for the exit, forcefully pushing open the massive door she had separating her kitchen from her living room and then the door to the outside.

I stopped to catch my breath and made sure I wasn't forgetting anything. But from the corner of my eye, I spotted another arrow gunning for my head and just barely managed to avoid it, seeing as the tip sliced bits of my grayish hair right off.

"And where do you think you're going?" She asked triumphantly.

From out of the blue, she'd changed. Inside her house, she was wearing red pajamas with small teddy bears as their design. Now, she was wearing her knightly armor.

Metal plating covered her shoulders, forearms, and shin, but the rest of her was only secured by thick leather clothing that seemed far too worn out for it to be safe.

I knew that if I got captured here, Mel might have to go yet another week without food in her belly. So, not being able to afford getting thrown into a dungeon, I dashed for the stone streets of the High Grounds with Agumis in pursuit.

I tried everything to get her off my trail, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, leaping through windows of occupied houses, and I even let out some horses from their cages in hopes that she'd focus on them instead of me. But of course, it didn't work.

Agumis was still after me, shooting arrows every time she saw an opening.

As the chase continued, the houses began to change from polished stone to decaying wood. The streets went from stepping stones to dirt roads infested with filthy men and children who had their arms extended with hopes that a kind soul would spare some change. The rich called it the Rat houses but I know it as the Lower grounds. The only place in the city where I can find people like me. The very bottom of the barrel.

Agumis was no longer in the safety of the High Grounds. Here, the Lower Grounds weren't guarded by the Royal Knights for one reason, the Upbringers. A gang of assassins who banded together to protect the Lower Ground people from the High Grounds and the only individuals in the city of Graviery to give even the Royal Knights a run for their money.

As a matter of fact, recently a pretty huge fight broke out around Central Square where the Knights and Upbringers fought for three hours straight until Grayce and Dansfer both had to step in and ended the fighting with their presence alone.

As Agumis continued to chase me, I knocked over as many boxes of meat and fruits as possible in an attempt to slow her down, but nothing worked. It was as if the only thing that mattered to her was putting me behind bars. Scary.

But just when I thought the chase would never end, Agumis disappeared.

The hell? I thought.

Just a few seconds ago Agumis was shooting arrows at me from behind and now she was… gone?

But that's when I heard it. The sound of matches being scraped against the striking surface of a matchbox. The sound of fire taking its first breath.

I turned in the direction in which the fire was lit and that's when I saw her. The sky had gotten darker and her face was illuminated by the light of the flame she had conjured at the tip of her arrow. Sparks of fire flickered off as the flames grew stronger, matching the intense heat in Agumis's eyes. It was like staring directly at the sun.

"Apollo, you're under arrest." She declared.

With no other options left, I unsheathed my blade and brought it to the front of my face in a defensive position, and then shifted it into an offensive one. I'd seen this attack before and there was no way I was fast enough to evade it.

I closed my eyes, feeling the weight of the sword in my hands. I took a deep breath and steadied my breathing.. First, it was my fingertips, then the handle, and then the blade. My entire body began to glow a greenish hue like grass blades in a prairie as winds began to circle me.

Dust and rocks began to swell around me as the winds roared even louder with each passing second and in response, I could hear Agumis's arrow ranging even more ferociously than before.

I was ready. I opened my eyes which I was sure were glowing brightly. Sweeping my right leg behind the left, I raised my sword high into the air, guiding the wind with it, and unleashed a destructive blast from my blade.

Agumis quickly followed up by gathering the last bit of energy she needed and released the arrows, the two attacks clashed mid-air creating a sphere of fire that could be seen from the High Grounds until it erupted in an explosion of scorching winds, nocking everything in the area back including myself if not for me digging my sword into the ground.

Slowly, the winds died down leaving behind a cloud of smoke that smelled like charcoal with little cracks of fire erupting every few seconds.

"Holy shit!" I shouted, "I got better…"

But just before I could drown myself in my own self-improvement, Agumis came out of the cloud of smoke like a hawk, grabbing me by my arms and neck, sweeping me off my feet with her leg, and slamming me to the ground so hard that the dust moved out of the way.

"Ugh!" I shouted as Agumis sat on top of me, her knees planting both my arms firmly to the ground and an arrow already readied to go.

"That was nice," she said, "It had more power than last time, did you practice?"

"Here and there," I replied.

"You're under arrest," she said while nodding in approval.

Just as she was about to put me in handcuffs, a group of Upbringings showed up at the scene.

"She's a knight!" an Upbringer shouted.

As she turned to face her new opponent, I took the opportunity to spring my hips upward, knocking her off balance and removing her from on top of me.

"Get outta here kid," the Upbringer ordered. I didn't need to hear him say that again. I was already leaving the area when he completed that sentence. However, I did turn back to make sure my eyes weren't deceiving me, and they weren't. It was an Upbringer, and five of them too. I knew Agumis was strong, I mean considering what just happened it was obvious. But the Ubringers weren't your average gang, some of them were known to conjure powerful magic that could seriously hurt Agumis, even if she was granted the gift of fire.

I stood there looking back, contemplating if I should help her escape. She was a pain in my ass, sure. But she wasn't a bad person. As I debated my next move, Agumis readied another fire arrow and shot it at the center of the group, disassembling the group with a single attack.

"Ok, never mind," I said to myself.

Not wanting to deal with her anymore and knowing that I had someone to attend to back home, I quickly snuck out of the city and made my way into the Forbidden Forest, and began the journey home.

It was already pretty dark and the fact the trees of the Forbidden Forest were like giants the size of watch towers made it even more difficult for the moonlight to creep through their massive leaves.

Now usually, I get to my house by jumping across the trees since it prevented me from having to deal with all the creatures that dwelled on the forest floor, however, since it was night time, most of the creatures that lived in the forest were asleep so I wasn't in too much danger walking on the ground and the creatures that were still active in the night were Hell bats.

Rat-like creatures with pointy ears that were the size of small children and a wing span of at least twice that size. Their eyes were big and blood red with contracted black pupils, hence the name.

As I walked I made sure to look above my head every few seconds since I was in hell-bat territory. If you looked away from them for a certain amount of time, the bats would take the opportunity to fly down and snatch your head right off using their sharp teeth.

As I looked toward the top of the trees, I saw them. Hanging upside down with their eyes locked on me. I counted at least thrifty of them. I was confident in my abilities to take on maybe four or six of them, but any more than that and even I wasn't so sure if I could come out unscathed. If it wasn't for the fact that these creatures were a bit cowardly, not wanting to attack anything that noticed them, I would probably be dead right now.

Still, I made sure to remind myself to keep an eye on them every few seconds, at least until I made it out of their territory.

After a few more minutes of walking, I made it. I exited the Hellbat's hunting grounds and entered a round open field in the middle of the forest, and at its center was a massive hollowed-out tree with a wooden door sticking out of it, covered in vines and leaves.

I walked up to the door and was getting ready to turn the nob but just as my fingers were about to touch its rough surface, the door violently swung open.

"Your home!," Mel shouted, "Finally, what took you so long?"

I could hear both relief and annoyance in my sister's voice as she wrapped her small, fragile arms around my waist, stopping my blood from flowing to my legs.

"Ok! Wow, you have a strong grip for a girl of your stature, Mel. How?"

I'm not gonna lie, as a man, it was a bit shattering to realize that my little sister might possess more strength than I did.

"Hm? Isn't my strength normal? Or, how would you know? It's not like you've been hugged by any other girls besides me."

And although her statement is true since all of us don't have many social interactions outside of each other, her words still kept chipping away at my already fragile ego.

"Mhm, you're totally correct."

Closing the door behind me, I placed the bag on our small wooden table and smacked the mighty God of Winds awake.

"Wake up dumbass!" I shouted, ready to give him an earful.

Right before leaving earlier this morning, I made sure to tell the God to get Mel all cleaned up while I was away, but much to my dismay, Mel's beautiful silver hair was still layered in dirt and she was still wearing the same black dress as the day before.

And to make matters worse, the all-mighty God, Anemo, was slouched over the table, his robes covered in throw-up, and was DRUNK! A literal GOD, DRUNK!

"I'm up!" He said springing up from his chair.

"What'd I say before leaving this morning, huh? I thought I told you to clean Mel up! Did I not?"

"I forgot."

"You forgot? You're a God, I'm expecting a lot more than just 'I forgot' Anemo"

"Aw, come on! She's safe, isn't she? Besides, before I began to indulge myself in some drinks I managed to cook her some breakfast before I passed out."

"You did?"

"Yea, I did. Ain't that right, Mel."

"Mhm, he made me some beans with a bit of white rice on the side, all things considered, it was pretty good," she said with a smile, propping herself up on a stool I made for her.

"Really, I thought we had no food?"

"Aha, well, me being me I had some food stored up on the side in case we absolutely needed it. Of course, it was only enough for one person and I was saving it for Mel anyway so it's still a good thing you went out to steal some food."

Seeing that Mel was pretty happy as indicated by her smile I decided to let the God off the hook. I reached for my bag and took out the items we could store in our cabinets, like a bag of rice, beans, and certain meats that needed to be at room temperature to be just right.

"Where's Ruby?" I asked Anemo.

"She's outside, sleeping."

"K," I replied.

"Where are you going?" Asked Mel as I grabbed the bag off the table and headed for the door.

"Ima feed Ruby. Wanna come?"

"YES!" she shouted enthusiastically.

Encasing her hand in mine I walked Mel outside and toward the back of our tree on a small hill with a smaller tree at the top.

"Wanna do the honors?" I asked.

Mel gladly took the whistle out of my hand and puffed in its hole, unleashing a really loud whistle that signaled Ruby to come out.

Just then, the small hill with the tree planted on top of it began to shake, and then suddenly, it stood up, rock falling from its back. The hill grew two tails with small spikes sticking out of it. The hill also had huge arms with claws and a face that resembled that of a gorilla with teeth that resembled that of a tiger and small appendages that looked like a beard. It was Ruby the man-eater, perhaps the most powerful creature in the forest.

As it stood proudly, Ruby let out a massive roar that I was sure could be heard all the way to the city walls.

"Wow!" Mel shouted.

Ruby and she had a strange fondness for each other. Ever since the day Anemo wanted to show off his great might to Mel and me about four years ago, he did it by taming the strongest creature in the forest, according to him.

It wasn't going too well but after a while of him wrestling with Ruby, he somehow managed to tame it. Since then, Ruby would come by the tree every once and a while, and Mel would always be the first to greet it with a piece of meat, calling the massive ape "Cute". It took me a while to get used to it but eventually, I began to take a liking to the monster and Mel ended up naming it Ruby.

And after receiving its name, Ruby became especially attached to her.

As Mel extended her arms toward the beast, Ruby slowly lowered its head to meet Mel's height, gently tamping her arms so that she'll pet him. Honestly, It's thanks to Ruby that I'm so confident in living here with all the dangerous creatures nearby.

"You're so cute!" Mel said as if talking to a baby.

Much to my surprise, however, Ruby began to act like a baby cat, purring as Mel scratched the top of its nose. I smiled warmly at the sight of the two being so close together.

I placed my hand on Ruby's nose and began to speak to him as well.

"You hungry? Big guy," I asked him

Reaching inside my bag, I brought out a massive piece of chicken and fed it to Ruby.

"Thank you for always protecting us," I said.

Ruby suddenly stood back up and began punching his chest, roaring at the moon as he did.

"Alright, calm down. Tomorrow we're gonna go hunting again, so make sure to get plenty of rest, ok?"

"We're going hunting?" Mel asked.

"Wait, 'we're'? It's only gonna be me and Ruby again."

"That's not fair!" She complained.

"You promised to take me hunting with you too, remember?"

Shit. I did promise her that, now that I think about it and if I don't keep that promise I'll lose serious trust in her.

"Ok, fine," I said reluctantly.

"But promise me you'll stay close, ok?"

"I promise," she said.

Taking her word for it, I gave Ruby one more piece of meat and headed inside, letting the behemoth rest for tomorrow.

"So, you fed her?" Asked Anemo.

"I did," I said quickly, trying to go to bed.

"Hey, Apollo, may I ask you for a favor?"

I looked at Anemo suspiciously, whenever he'd ask me for a favor it was usually for something stupid like getting more beer or massaging his back. I didn't mind it all that much but it's kinda sad seeing a God get drunk because his people no longer hold as much faith in him as they once did.

"What is it?"

"May you be so kind as to go to the other side of the city and collect some wine I ordered from a friend?"

"You have friends?"

"Well, that's just rude," he said.

"Well, no thanks," I said, retreating underneath the dirty bed sheets.

"Wait! I'll make it worth your while," he said smiling, his hands clamped together as if he was praying for something.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you know what a Royal Blessing is?" he asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"A royal blessing? Sounds interesting, what is it?"

"Hehe, well you see, a royal blessing can only be bestowed upon an elemental user by the God of that respected element if they meet two criteria. First, the elemental user must be strong enough to withstand a royal blessing for if they are not, their bodies might crumble. And second, it really just depends on the God of that element's criteria."

"Criteria?"

"Yes. Along with being strong enough to wield a royal blessing the person must also meet certain personal criteria that the God is looking for. And that criteria depends on the Gods bestowing it."

"Are you saying that in return for getting you your wine, I'll get a royal blessing?"

"Goodness, no. You'll die. No, in return, I'll train you to be able to wield a royal blessing. I mean sure, my power is far from what it used to be, but! That does not mean that my wisdom has dwindled away as well. I can still teach you a thing or two."

I thought about it for a second, being taught by a God, even a God who's lost his divinity is still bound to hold an important lesson or two.

"Is this a promise?"

"It is."

"Will you keep it?"

"Look at who you're talking to."

"...Ok, fine."

"Can I come too?" Mel interjected.

"What? What for? I'm just gonna pick up wine on the other side of the city. It's nothing exciting anyway. Plus, I'm pretty sure the Knights of Graviery are gonna be on high alert for me."

"Why? what'd you do?"

"...nothing. Let's just go to bed."

And with the day coming to a close, The God of winds, Mel, and Apollo all went to bed. Ready for the day ahead.

***

{Agumis}

"'Come for me!' The Brave knight shouted in the depths of Bonehill Mountains. His shouts bounced off the walls of the ravine and rattled the bones of the screetchers attacking him." The man told at the top of a wooden stage supported by four pillars in each corner.

He was short and covered with black powder from head to toe, his beard nearly reaching his belly. The old man carried with him a staff as thin as the twigs he called arms and nearly twice his size. He carried the staff around him with claims that it gave him the power to witness events that had happened a long time ago.

Of course, no one believed him. But his talent for telling stories still pulled a crowd together.

Unfortunately, I had no time to listen to them.

"Agumis!" Elane shouted from across the crowd. She waved her hands as if she were a child trying to get the attention of her parents.

"Coming!" I shouted back. I pushed my way through the ocean of people, getting a few grunts and snarls thrown my way until Elane grabbed a hold of me and dug me out of the crowd.

"Quickly, come!" She insisted.

Following her lead, we made our way across Vskryan Plaza. It's a shame we didn't have time to stay and enjoy the place.

The food stands were decorated with colorful paper mache, blue, red, green, and all in the shape of the foods that were being sold or in the sigil of Graviery. A bird in the sky, placed in front of a crescent moon.

Torches with fires of both red and green were placed across the plaza, illuminating the games, shows, and of course, the food stands. But even so, the fun would have to wait. We were there for one reason and one reason only.

Elane kept on leading me past a crowd of partiers and to the front of… a bar?

Ok, fine. I had no idea what we were doing here. Actually, I wasn't even planning on going out today at all. I wanted to spend my time shooting at targets with my bow in Emerald Palace, however, just as I was slipping on my quiver, Elena barged into my room and kept on yelling about some guy she really wanted to meet. She didn't even give me time to ask what for since by the time the first word escaped my mouth, I already found myself being carried off to the front gates of the Palace.

Unlike the rest of the attractions at the plaza, all basically sitting at the center and colored to the point that it'd make any Hell-bat fly the other way, the bar was sitting at the borders of the plaza, essentially next to the city walls.

From the outside, you'd never guess that the place was open for guests. The shattered windows were half-assedly bordered up with wooden planks and the stones that made up the place all had moss creeping through the cracks.

The outside walls had multiple stains, some wine, some barf, and what looked to be a pile of shit. The wooden door at the center of the building was the only thing that looked clean and the only indication that the place was open was the light shining through the door's window grille.

"Well, let's go!" Elena yelped with joy.

It's as if she and I were seeing two completely different things.

"Let's go?" I asked, "The place looks like it caught on fire yesterday. I'm not going in there."

"Oh, come on. What have I told you about judging things based on appearance?"

"Not to do that," I blurted out rapidly, "But if I hadn't I definitely wouldn't have made it this far in life, especially considering my father's reputation. I mean what are we dining here!"

"Agumis," she said pouting, "It'll be fun! You'll see."

She walks over and places her hand on the door, ready to push it open. However, I stop her just in time, wondering if she even knows how reckless this is.

"No, 'You'll see' isn't an answer and I don't see how walking into a building with blood stains all over it could be fun. I mean what if something happens and I'm ill-prepared to handle it all because you haven't told me what we're doing here? You're Elane's sister. If something were to happen to yo-"

"I know whose sister I am, I don't need you reminding me of it like everybody else," she snapped, "Have a little faith in me, come on."

I hold her arm even tighter.

"Elena, I want to know what it is we're looking for. Maybe I'll even be able to help."

She pinched her nose and gave a sigh of exhaustion

"Fine then," she said mockingly, her lips pressed together as if she were about to blow me a kiss, "The guy we're looking for might have some information on a guy I'm looking for."

"A guy you're looking for?" I ask.

"Voskrin Bone." She replied.

She can't be serious right now, I thought to myself.

Voskrin bone? I remember being in an inn once with my father and on the table next to us a child was misbehaving, probably the same age as me. So his father went on to tell him the tail of The Ugwazi family and the Red Sky. In it, he explained how the original family that lives in the castle, Sky Tower, were known as the Ugwazis and were famous for their inhumane forms of torture. I didn't know torturing had humane ways of doing it.

He then goes on to tell the kids how the head of the Ugwazi family, Cole, tortured a father in front of his son. Cutting off bits and pieces of his skin as if they were skinning a pig and marking him with a hot iron bar all across his body saying how they were, "Correcting," him. Once the man's spirit was shattered and he no longer lifted a finger when being burned, the Ugwazis simply gutted him and let the boy watch as his father's intestines fell to the floor.

They then let the boy go after branding him as well and years later, he executed his vengeance by murdering the entire Ugwazi bloodline, more specifically, he came back disguised as a cupbearer for Cole's son, Toll Ugwazi. He earned the boy's trust and then did to Toll what his father once did to him. Years later, I don't know how, but someone managed to turn the story into a lesson about disobeying their parents. They tell kids that if they disobey their parents, Voskrin will come to punish them.

After the inn, my father would always chuckle when picturing my face. After hearing the father tell his son that story, I too suddenly began to behave.

"Voskring bone? The children's story?"

"Well if you ask me that's hardly a story that should be told to children. Still, yes."

"Elena, he's a story. A myth. He's not real."

"He is."

"And what makes you so sure of that?" I ask annoyed.

"I just know it! Now come on."

Tugging at my hand, Elena pushed the door open and the odor of wine, grilled meat, and fresh bread caught my attention.

The inside was well-lit with torches and chandeliers hung all over. The tables were placed parallel to each other, ten tables total, each with two benches on each side and each one occupied by drunk men, or men who were halfway there. All except for one.

A table at the far left corner of the bar was empty except for a singular man sitting there with a glass of wine that appeared untouched. His beard was feral, dirty, and had only a few white strings of hair. His eyes are the color of maple syrup and his skin seems harder than rocks.

"I think that's him," Elane points out.

"You think?" I asked, "If you're going to go out and meet somebody, shouldn't you know what they look like?"

"Just come, he seems to be alone anyway."

Following her lead, we walked over to the man who took notice of our arrival, already having two plates of food and drinks set up for us.

"Sit," the man offered, opening his arms to both of us.

We listened and sat down while I maintained eye contact with the man the entire time.

"So, I take it you're Barbara?" he asked. His voice was strange. It sounded almost like he had two rocks lodged in his throat scraping together.

When I finally had a closer look, I could tell that the man was wealthy, definitely not from the Low Grounds. However, he also didn't seem to be from the High Grounds either. For starters, the people there would never visit a place like this and they dressed far more glamorously too. He wore a brown robe with a leather vest over it. He had four rings on each hand, with the middle finger of both having rings in the shape of a dead tree and a skull respectively.

"That's me," Barbra replied. Smart of her to use an alternative name.

"So, who's your friend here?"

"Oh, don't worry about her, she's just here to make sure our exchange goes smoothly."

"So a soldier. Smart of you to learn from your past failures, Barbara."

"Yea…" She replied. A silence fell upon the bar as if everyone there came into an agreement to do so. The room stayed silent for what seemed like a decade until the man sitting in front of us broke the silence.

"So, what questions does the girl have for me?"

Elena paused to think for a second and then turned to me. I looked her in the eyes resisting the urge to drag her out of there and simply nodded for her to continue.

"I was told by another man at a bar that you had some information on Voskrin Bone?" She said nervously.

"I do."

"Ok, well, do you know where he is?"

"And why might the girl want to know this?"

"I want to meet him," Barbara replied after pausing for a few seconds.

"And why's that?"

"I want to confirm the legitimacy of Voskrin Bone's existence for myself. And what better way to do that than to meet him one-on-one."

"One-on-one? Doesn't look like you're interested in a one-on-one conversation with the man if you brought a soldier along with you."

"As I said earlier, she's only here in case things go south, and besides,"

As Barbara continued her conversation with the man, I took the liberty to observe the people in the bar. The noise had picked up again, but not quite as loud as it was before they all went silent.

Looking around, I noticed that two tables down sat four men, all wearing the same chainmail armor with a skull painted on their chests. They were quietly eating their food, one hand on their swords and the other holding the spoon they were using to feed themselves. Their shields were laid next to them and they too had a dead tree painted in white at the center.

Their movements seemed unnatural like they were mimes copying each other's moves. When one moved the spoon to his mouth to feed himself, the others did the same almost exactly as he did.

Behind me sat another four men that looked and acted exactly as the others. The three tables near the entrance of the bar were no different except for one table, which had four men dressed in dark blue robes, and in place of a shield and sword, was a wooden staff that might have been made from Cefilis Trees.

Everyone else there seemed to be random citizens with a few knives and swords strapped to their hips.

"Listen," the man interrupted, "You seem like a good girl with a good heart. Can I just ask one question?"

"Well, I don't see the harm in that."

The man slapped the table we were sitting on twice, quieting the bar almost instantly. I looked around to see what was happening and just like before, almost everyone had their eyes locked on us except for two tables whose men looked around the bar curiously just like me.

I looked at the soldiers and noticed their hands clutching the hilt of their swords. I then looked at the robed figures and noticed that their hands were also tightly gripping their staffs.

I began to feel like I had just run a marathon. My chest kept pumping up and down and I began to feel conscious of the fact that my breathing got louder and louder with each breath I took.

I felt as my eyes dashed from one corner of the room to the next, watching every man there. I hadn't noticed until now, but my hand had already locked itself onto my bow without me even meaning to.

"Your friend seems nervous," the man said as he pointed at my face with his crooked finger.

"Oh, don't worry about her, she's just the paranoid type."

As much as I loved her, I had never felt such a strong urge to backhand someone across the face. Was she so stupid that she couldn't see the strange people in the bar? Was she so blind to see the fact that the man she was talking to wasn't even from this city?

But that's when it hit me. I could almost feel my bowels twist into a knot at the realization that we'd been played. I felt a big lump build in my throat as I turned my head to meet the old man pointing at me.

I knew he saw the fear in my eyes build up when his smile began to form.

"How, uh… How did you know to set up two plates instead of one?" I asked nervously.

I could see Elane's face turn fearful from the corner of my eyes. She turned to look at the man and asked, "What was the question you had for me?"

The man's smile disappeared from his face as he turned his finger from me to Elane, asking his question.

"Why did you lie to me, Elane?" the man said.

Never in my life did I imagine that silence would be so loud. The room would be lifeless if it weren't for the crackling sound of fire coming from the fireplace and torches. The man stared at us as we stared back. For ages, this went on. I saw his eyes turn dark and cold like winter. The sound of fire crackling and sparking went out with the whistle of the wind blowing it away.

Then, the torches on the right side of the room began to go out, one by one, every two seconds until the only light illuminating the bar was the torch sitting behind the man.

I prayed to all seven gods that the light wouldn't go out. It was like a darkness with an unquenchable hunger consumed the bar. The only things visible in such darkness were the man, Elane, myself, and the table we were sitting at.

But almost like the gods spat on my face, the fire behind him began to swerve on the wall like a snake until it too sparked out of existence.

I couldn't see anything. Nothing! It was like all my senses were shut down. Even the table that we had just been sitting on… it was like it was never even there.

One second, two seconds, then three. The silence continued for what seemed like an eternity.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of swords being unsheathed and multiple people running in my direction. And although I couldn't see it, I flipped the table in front of me and slammed my hand to the ground, encasing myself in a ring of fire, and that's when I saw all the soldiers in the room surrounding me.

"Agumis…"I heard the man whisper into my ear. I quickly drew my bow and arrow and lit the tip of it on fire. I turned in the direction of where the man was sitting and let go without giving it a second thought, only to see that the man was no longer there.

"Daughter of Pyker," his whisper echoed in the darkness. Where was it coming from? I quickly drew another arrow and lit the arrowhead on fire. I stayed quiet as the light from the ring of fire around me flickered away, the light it gave off disappearing with it. Now, all I could see was myself.

I stayed quiet and waited. I waited for the sound of the men moving towards me, but nothing came.

That's when I heard a thud coming from behind me. I quickly snapped in the direction of the noise and drew my arrow back. I let go of it and watched as the flames cut through the darkness and pierced through the wall of the bar.

That's when I saw him. The man was grinning from ear to ear as he held Elane in his arms, squirming to break free from them. He had one hand on her mouth to forbid her from making any noise and another holding a dagger to her throat.

I panicked. Unsure of what to do next. Elane's hand reached out to me, begging me to help.

The man then brought the dagger up to his lips and pressed them together, "Shhh."

That's when I heard the steps behind me begin to approach. I panicked and turned back to face the oncoming threat. But just before I could ready another arrow, I was shoved, nearly losing my balance and falling to the floor. And suddenly, I was back at the bar.

My breathing was still fast. My chest was still pumping and I moved my hand to my eyes to shield them from the sudden outburst of light from the room. I looked around the bar, noticing that the soldiers that were once there were gone. The table at which we were sitting was empty and the people that were still present looked at me like a child who'd just seen magic for the first time.

I felt a sudden warmth build up in my stomach like a candle had just been lit inside me. I made eye contact with one of the men who asked me, "Ms, are you ok?"

I tilted my head at his question and looked down at the spot where the warmth kept building up and I saw a stain of red growing through the leather armor covering my belly.

Elane, I thought to myself.

I quickly turned around to the spot where I had last seen the man with her and that's when my body gave out on me. My legs were no longer able to support my weight and my vision became blurry. I fell to the ground with a single thought still kicking inside my brain.

Where are you?

That was the last thing I thought of before the darkness returned to me once more.

{End of Chapter 1}