Ting!
A vulture flew above the lifeless grey plain, looking for corpses. There were many, but no place to land.
The plains were lifeless, and the sky shed dead tears. The men fought like maniacs.
Cling! Clang!
Finally, the vulture found a place to land and then hovered over a corpse. It circled above it and then landed on the chest. The chest was slightly lifted and then lowered. The man was barely alive. He was about to die.
The eyes looked up, towards the dark sky.
“Mother…” The man said, and then his breath stopped.
The vulture stared at the man and his open wounds. It looked around and began to devour the flesh.
As it ate and ate, bright flashes caught its attention. It looked above and saw two men fighting.
Clang! Cling! Whoosh! Clang!
The meat dropped from the vulture’s beak, and it stared at the two men in awe. Though it was a bird, it was awestruck by the perfection of the two men.
The man with cyan eyes and white hair pulled back his sword and straightened his upper body. The man with black hair and grey eyes thrust his sword forward.
The cyan-eyed man, Emayla Gorbin, dodged by moving to the right. The grey-eyed man, Larnet Falva, released his sword from his right hand and caught it with his left hand before it fell to the ground.
Larnet rotated 360 degrees in the clockwise direction and attacked from below. Emayla lifted his right foot and stomped the sword below it. The sword was stuck beneath Emayla’s right foot, making Larnet vulnerable.
Emayla struck Larnet’s chin with his right knee and then gave a full kick to his face. Larnet fell back. Emayla kicked his sword towards him and walked back a few steps.
Emayla took a deep breath and stared at Larnet, then at himself. He was covered in blood and dirt. And so was Larnet.
Larnet stood up, spitting the blood in his mouth.
Emayla looked at Larnet in pity.
“This could have been different, Larnet. We could have remained the same friends as before. But you…You chose this yourself. You lied to me. I might have supported you if you had told me.”
“You would never have supported me. If you wanted to, you would have done it by now! The guardian told you everything. But you…” Larent pointed at Emayla. “You chose enmity. You chose to oppose me. You never trusted me…No one ever did…” Larnet grabbed his sword and got up with its support. “And now…Your fate will be the same as that of those before you…” He said in a hushed tone.
Emayla sighed. “Fine…”
Larnet rushed at Emayla. Emayla stood straight, and the diagonal line in his right eye shifted. In a blink, he had vanished.
“What?” Larnet was dumbstruck.
He suddenly felt a presence behind him. Scared, he looked back, and behind him stood Emayla, ready to strike.
“Singularity outbreak…”
Emayla spoke a spell Larnet had never heard. But he knew the term, singularity, very well.
“He reached singularity!?!? How!?!?” Larnet was caught completely off guard.
“Endless banishment!” Emayla completed the spell and landed the blow on Larnet.
The sword struck his back, and he hit the ground hard.
Black and purple streaks surrounded Larnet. He had a jewel of the same colour in his hands. He was safe from the spell’s effect, but not from the blade’s impact.
“Again…You choose the dark magic again. You don’t understand, but they are using you. They will dispose of you eventually.” Emayla sighed. “You lied to the whole world. Now, the world will see. They will see you fall and find your truth. They will know you aren’t a human; you are ………”
Emayla spoke the next word, but the word never came out. He looked down. He could clearly see a blade piercing through his heart.
He was very familiar with that blade.
Emayla remembered the vision he had seen before. He had seen himself burning up, and from his ashes a new person rose. The person had the same eyes as him.
’ I guess the vision was true. I really was going to die. Now…I hope that person is true as well… Emayla thought as he began to breathe his last.
Emayla’s vision began to fade. He knew this was the end. And then he saw a thing which even his soul won’t forget.
It was not the face of Larnet.
But the playful smile of someone he had always trusted.
100 years later
A cold breeze blew in the capital of the Russin-Solvo Kingdom, Maska.
Inside a school, a teacher was teaching the students the Block System. The students were around the age of 14.
The teacher completed writing on the board and then looked at the students, who were gossiping in hushed tones. “Alright, be attentive…” He adjusted his overcoat and began the lesson. “Write the lesson.”
“Now…let’s begin. The Block System is a system which is used to define the state of the respective user of magic.” He stopped, waiting for the student to write the definition.
“As defined by the Board of Education and Magic, there are 8 blocks currently.”
“So there is room for addition?” A boy with cyan eyes asked.
“Well, Felmer, as of now, there is no room for addition because all the observable states have been defined.” The teacher then placed his hand on the board, below the text saying ‘Block 0’.
“Block 0 is for those people who haven’t activated their magic yet. It depends on whether the dormancy is temporary or permanent. So, it can be activated after sufficient training.”
“And if it is not at all?” A student asked, raising his hand.
“This means that they might not have magic at all. Which is a bit rare nowadays.”
The student nodded and began to note something.
They looked at each other. All of them had activated their magic.
“Anderson…Write the important things only; save the extras for exams.”
The student stopped writing and nodded again.
“A person is on the first block…” The teacher continued. “If they have mastered the magic residing in them. The magic which belongs to them only. And second block people are those who can use the family-specific magic.” The teacher continued the lesson.
“But what is the difference? A person has genes from his family…” Zendaya asked, confused.
“No, there is a difference. Some things are only person-specific, and some things are passed down through the family. Now, let’s take an example. A leader of the clan is kind and has brown hair. Now, the trait of kindness won’t be common in the generations that will come. But there is a high probability that the hair colour will be transferred down the family tree. So a person-specific magic will be rare, but one passed down will be.”
Zendaya looked at the teacher. She sort of understood.
“Hmm…Another easy example. A person has a wallet that belongs to him. That won’t be family-specific. But an amulet or badge that belonged to the ancestor of that family and is still passed down to the children is family-specific.”
Now she understood and began writing it down.
“Now, next is the third block. At this stage, you will be able to use the speech technique known as the Arts. Only the ones belonging to your magic.
The students looked at each other.
“This is all for today. I have some work, so the lecture ends here. I hope you understood the lesson. You all can leave now…”
The teacher left, and the students began to pack up to leave as well.
Felmer packed his bag and got up, but he was stopped by a boy. He was Efkil, and he had three more boys with him.
“Hello, refugee or Cerfisian heir…” He said arrogantly
“Hi. How may I help you?” Felmer said calmly.
Efkil kept looking at him with a disgusted face. The class stopped and looked at the two of them. This had become usual, so they didn’t intervene but enjoyed the show.
“As you have nothing to say, I will take my leave.” Felmer grabbed his bag and got up.
“I thought I might help your poor refugee ass…”
Felmer stopped immediately. His eye twitched, but he controlled his anger.
‘Just as F said. Dogs always bark; no need to get angry at them.’ He thought, smirking.
Felmer ignored him and kept walking.
“Where you running off to? To your lover?” Efkil and his hooligans laughed. He took out some gold coins and threw them at Felmer. “Enough or need more?”
Now, Felmer was boiling with anger. He looked to his right, and Anderson was looking at him.
Anderson moved his lips, saying something, and Felmer understood it. Anderson took out a ball and threw it in the air. Felmer dropped his bag, grabbed the ball, turned, and threw it directly at Efkil’s forehead.
“Ugh!” Efkil shouted in pain.
Felmer grabbed the ball again and threw it at Efkil’s groin.
He screamed with pain again. Felmer grabbed the coins from the ground, walked up to Efkil and put them inside his mouth.
“Next time I will make you swallow them…”
The other three just kept looking at Felmer. They were powerless to do anything.
Felmer picked up his bag and left the room, with Anderson following him.
“Good work…” Anderson complimented him.
Felmer shook his head sideways. “I don’t understand what his problem is. Just leave me alone. I didn’t come here of my own choice.”
“Well, the only thing one can do is either ignore him or beat the hell out of him.”
“Yeah…It seems so.”
As they walked through the market, Anderson remembered something and stopped at a stall selling hot coffee.
Felmer noticed him stopping and turned back to ask. “What happened?”
Anderson ordered a coffee, paid, and handed the drink to Felmer.
“What?” He was confused.
“Here…Happy birthday…” Anderson smiled.
“Oh…” Felmer remembered. “I have forgotten. Thank you.” Felmer smiled and happily took the gift.
Then they headed towards Felmer’s house. On the way, Felmer stopped as he heard some words. A story he had heard so many times.
“Once upon a time, in the negative world of Lonicots, an immortal yet beautiful maiden lived.” A father told his sons, “She had a mysterious power, a purple vessel containing her essence, the maiden’s essence. The female Lonicots looked at her in awe, and the male ones wanted to make her theirs. One day, two brothers, with different bodies but one soul, went to the maiden. One of them said, “O maiden of beauty. O angel blessed by the heavens and the gods alike. I am in awe, and ask you to marry me.”
And the other said the same words of praise.
The maiden thought for a while, and said, “I hear your words, but I have a condition. Bring me a jewel which shines brighter than a diamond, is bigger than a ruby, and is more beautiful than anything in this world. It’s clad in pure purple and black.”
The first brother, upon hearing that, killed his other part and merged himself into one.
“I will bring it to you. My lady,” He said.
Then he went back, and after many months, he came back with the jewel.
The maiden happily took it. And then the man asked.
“Will you marry me now?”
She said, “Marry? Hmph, you are just a mere mortal.”
Having been lied to, the man attacked her, took the jewel, her essence and stripped her of her powers. Fearing her death, she ran away. Making the man the immortal and undisputed king of all Lonicots.” The father completed the story, and his sons smiled happily.
The story was new for the children, but it was very old for Felmer and Anderson.
“I have heard this for the hundredth time, and it is different every time I hear it.”
“Yeah…I don’t understand what is so special about this story. Just a failed love of two fictional creatures and nothing more.”
Soon, they left the market and arrived at Felmer’s house.
“I am pretty sure your family must have arranged something…”
“Hahaha…You are right…I had forgotten, so they have used that opportunity to arrange something.” Felmer said as he placed his hand on the doorknob.
But he suddenly stopped. He froze in front of the door as he remembered something vital. It wasn’t the presence behind him but something beyond this door.
He took a deep breath and opened the door. Just as it opened, he ducked. A cake flew above him and hit the face of the mysterious person behind Felmer. It hit Lelis, an old childhood friend of Felmer.
Felmer looked behind and then ahead of him. The cake was thrown by his younger brother, Flexin.
Flexin stood, paralysed. He looked at the clothes of Lelis, which were destroyed.
Lelis wiped her face, looked at her clothes, and then at Flexin. She took out a knife.
Flexin gulped; he knew he was done for.
“Oops…You destroyed her dress!” Benny, the youngest brother, said calmly and chuckled.
“Flexin! I am gonna kill you!” She shouted like a devil and rushed inside.
“No!” Felmer said and got in front of her.
Felmer grabbed her arms, and Anderson rushed inside to grab her legs.
“Felmer! Let me go…I am gonna kill him today!”
“No, Lelis!”
“Let me go!”
“No!”
“LET ME GO!”
“NO!”
“Move aside!”
“No, Lelis, no. Not the knife. Not the knife…Punch him as much as you want. But not the knife.”
“I just threw the cake; Felmer was the one who ducked.”
“Huh? Why are you blaming me? I didn’t even know she was behind me!” He was lying, of course; he knew she was behind.
Felmer turned his head towards Flexin. “What are you waiting for, dumbass? GO!”
Flexin looked here and there and went up the stairs.
Soon, Emilia, their mother, came and calmed Lelis.
“It’s okay…It’s okay…” Emilia said politely.
“I am sick of his shenanigans. This is the fourth time he has destroyed my dress.” Lelis said as a tear rolled down her cheek. “I wore it especially for today.” She said in a hushed tone.
Emilia wiped the cake off her face and clothes. “Don’t worry, I will clean it and buy you a new one…” Emilia smiled.
“Thank you…”
“Here…” Lelis said, handing Felmer the knife. “Your gift…”
“Hehehe…Thank you very much…” Felmer, scared, took the knife.
“She was gonna commit a murder with my knife?” He thought.
Benny gave him a diary.
Emilia gave a coat she had woven.
Soon, Flexin came down and handed him his gift, a quill. Then he walked to Lelis.
“Sorry, sister…”
“It’s okay…” She replied, still angry, though.
Then Emilia bought dishes, specially prepared for this occasion, and they all had a feast.
“Thanks a lot, Mother!” Felmer said happily, wiping his face.
Emilia walked towards a drawer and took out an envelope.
“Here…It’s a letter for you…”
“Hmm? A letter? Who sent it?” Felmer turned the envelope and saw a name.
“Ahh…It’s from Melfer!” Felmer whispered, opened the envelope, and took out the letter. Then he began reading it quietly.
“Happy Birthday, Felmer! You have turned 14, if I remember correctly. Today must be another special day for you. I wanted to send a gift; I even bought it, but the expenses were too much for me. But don’t worry, I have kept each of your gifts safely, and I will give them to you once you return to Cerfis. I still remember the day when you left suddenly and unannounced. It saddened me a lot, but later I understood why it happened. My mother is the same, and so is my father. Nothing has changed, but it becomes worse with each passing day. I know this is an unreasonable request, but I hope you return to Cerfis. The times were good when we were together. I will be waiting for you…”
Felmer finished the letter and put it aside on the table. As he looked outside the window, he remembered all the shenanigans with Melfer.
‘I will come back for sure, Melfer.’
Chapter discussion