The Mage's Mark: Glenn's Rise to Supernatural

In the aftermath of the outbreak of war between Amedryl and Asteos, Glenn's village bore witness to the devastating consequences of destruction and loss of life. Virtually every adult, irrespective of gender, was conscripted into the army's ranks to impede the advance of Asteos' forces. Specifically, these inexperienced and unsuspecting villagers were exploited as pawns, sacrificial lambs intended to buy time and hinder the enemy's progress. Regrettably, they proved no match for the battle-hardened battalions of the western nation.

Glenn's own family fell victim to the massacre. Although he wasn't particularly close to them, the weight of their deaths weighed heavily upon him, challenging his ability to cope. Born into a destitute household, Glenn was perceived merely as a burden—a superfluous mouth to feed. This perception stemmed from the fact that his right hand, the dominant one, had been rendered paralyzed in an accident two years prior. Despite enduring the scorn of his family for his perceived uselessness, Glenn was largely unperturbed, perhaps because he internalized their judgment or simply remained unaffected by such obvious criticism.

Now bereft of both family and home, the young boy found himself adrift, without a place to call his own. The flames of destruction had engulfed his former abode, leaving him utterly alone in a world fraught with uncertainty.

Three days had passed since that fateful day. The lifeless corpses now lay decaying, attracting vultures and fleas, turning the once serene place into a scene of morbid activity. Glenn understood that he could not linger there indefinitely, but for now, he found solace among a group of surviving children. Venturing alone into the forest would mean certain death at the jaws of its wild inhabitants. With vacant, hollow eyes devoid of life's spark, he gazed at the ground, lost in a world of despair.

Suddenly, the clamor of horses and carriages grew louder, interrupting Glenn's desolate contemplation. Fear gripped him, knowing that if the enemy caught sight of these defenseless children, their lives would be forfeit, either through slaughter or enslavement. In a feeble attempt to resist their grim fate, the other children armed themselves with sticks and stones, determined to fight until their last breath. However, Glenn understood the futility of such action. He resigned himself to accept whatever awaited him, exhaling a heavy sigh of resignation.

Summoning his remaining strength, Glenn rose to his feet and approached the source of the commotion. As he caught sight of the banners bearing Amedryl's insignia, a wave of relief washed over him. Finally, the long-awaited aid had arrived, alleviating their constant fear for their lives. The platoon commander approached the group of children, instructing them to board the waiting carriages. They mournfully set ablaze the lifeless bodies of their parents, a ritual that unsettled Glenn, not because he cherished the memory of his own parents, but because he recalled the customary funeral rites of his uncle, where bodies were traditionally cremated, not burnt. Why would the knights of the royal kingdom engage in such an uncustomary practice? Curiosity gnawed at Glenn's mind, prompting him to gather the courage to pose the question to the captain of the squad.

However, before he could utter a word, the captain shot him a stern glance, as if reprimanding him for daring to speak out of turn. Perspiration trickled down Glenn's forehead as he trembled in awe of the commanding figure before him. After a momentary pause, the captain responded, his words laden with a sense of disdain, "We do not have the luxury of time to bury the kin of mere commodities." Glenn stood there, shocked beyond comprehension, struggling to grasp the meaning behind the captain's callous statement. Perceiving Glenn's shaken state, the captain's countenance softened slightly, and he spoke in a sympathetic tone, "Pay it no mind. Your suffering shall be but a fleeting agony."

With that, the captain retreated to his squad, casting a final glance at Glenn, who remained frozen in a state of shock. Observing Glenn's paralyzed arm, the captain remarked to one of his comrades, "Such an unfortunate child."

After a month-long journey to the distant outskirts of the country, the party finally arrived at an eerie and desolate place. A colossal gate emitted an otherworldly, blue-blackish glow, casting a foreboding aura over the entire area. In a somber procession, the children stood in line, their silence conveying a sense of resignation, as they awaited the knights' announcement of their fate. "One, two... thirteen... fifty-two... seventy-three... that will suffice," uttered the soldier in charge of tallying the children. Seventy-three young souls, plucked from their war-ravaged towns, forced to journey alongside the army.

A man clad in peculiar attire emerged from the gate, clutching a bag brimming with gold which he handed over to the knights. The children received instructions to disembark from the carriages and follow the enigmatic figure into the foreboding gateway. As they approached the gate, an immense force drew them in, engulfing them with a mighty pull. Emerging on the other side, they were greeted by a world distinct from their own. The dissimilarities were evident, starting with the weather that contrasted starkly with their side of the gate. The biting cold was so severe that Glenn feared succumbing to frostbite within moments. While he surveyed his surroundings, another man ushered in yet another group of children through a separate gate.

Glenn found himself bewildered, but soon the truth of the situation unraveled before his eyes when he noticed the flag of Asteos adorning one of the children's shirts. It became apparent that the war efforts of both nations were supported by the same organization responsible for the sale of children from the war-torn villages. The gravity of the circumstance dawned on Glenn, prompting him to maintain a discreet silence to avoid arousing suspicion.

Glenn seethed with anger as he contemplated the situation. "It defies logic to expend such vast resources solely for the purpose of manufacturing wars to procure slaves. There's no way they could orchestrate such a scheme without anyone discovering it! It can only mean that those despicable government bastards are colluding with them..."

This marked the first time in years that Glenn felt such overwhelming anger. Lost in his thoughts, he was interrupted by another individual addressing the man clad in black, inquiring, "So, how many made it this time?" The words struck Glenn with horror. He swiftly turned to survey his surroundings, and what he witnessed was a scene so grotesque it nearly compelled him to vomit. Out of the original 73 children who had crossed through the gate, only 25 remained. The others had met a gruesome fate, their necks twisted unnaturally, blood gushing from their mouths.

Overwhelmed by the horrific sight before him, Glenn let out a piercing scream. "What the hell is happening here?" In response, the black-robed man swiftly gripped Glenn's throat, lifting him off the ground. Glenn desperately struggled to break free from the firm grasp, but his efforts proved futile. Observing that Glenn could only use his left arm, the man sneered sarcastically, remarking, "This crippled brat isn't even worth a slave. Tell Subasa to dump him in the forest and deduct the cost from the Amedryl army for this defective piece of trash."

Glenn's anger intensified, but his overwhelming fear of such a fate becoming a reality eclipsed all other emotions.