Connected Destinations: A Different Hearth
Author:© WebNovel
Chapter 1: Beginning
Legend has it that the kingdom of Levilliam had been threatened by a terrible plague of insect monsters with a hunger like no other. These insects threatened all living things, animals, humanoids, and plants, those insects had no intention of leaving a single piece of food unconsumed, completely threatening not only the kingdom but the whole world.
During that atrocious period, it seemed that life was destined to perish under those hungry creatures who had no mercy or control over their appetite. They thought only of consuming until there was no more food and they ended up eating each other. However, when hope finally seemed to have abandoned us all, the sun gods guided by the elder god gave the five chosen guardians, five divine relics that far surpassed the strength and tenacity of these fatal insects. Thus was born the legend of the Guardians of the Sun, great champions with their weapons and even with hope in their strength managed to repel those insects away from us, save the balance of life, and above all, help to heal all the damage that the insects had caused.
As well as any legend and dangers, these insects were baptized as the zerbarix because they were born in the lands of Zerbuir, a place where nothing alive existed and you could only go if you wished to die. One would think that peace and life would rule thanks to our saviors, but, when they disappeared, a new threat began to be born, corruption, malice, and hatred became a new plague, an invisible one that was difficult to eradicate because even the kings loved it, that's how different factions of the Guardians of the Sun were born. One after another they ended up forgetting the cause that had provoked their births, making one wonder which plague was more dangerous, hunger or human evil.
A hundred years had passed and a young man in his twenties with snow-white skin, green eyes, and orange hair in tattered and dirty clothes, was running happily while being chased by an old man with a cane that no matter how hard he tried, that older gentleman could not catch up and eventually lost more speed.
"Damn brat!" the poor old man shouted with hatred.
"Don't hate me my lord, life was the one who prepared the board, the players and the rules! I'm just another participant like you!" that thief exclaimed with laughter.
"When I catch you you will suffer my divine punishment!"
"If you manage to catch me, old senile man!" he thought.
While the little thief ran proudly from his trap, he did not realize that in front of him stood a gentleman with fair skin and black hair with orange, carrying a hammer ready to connect his blow against him. The thief did not even know what happened until he woke up after a while with a terrible pain in his head worse than any hangover he had experienced in celebrations in the town's bar; besides, he noticed that his arms and legs were tied to him to prevent his mobility.
"What happened? Am I dead? No, the pain is too terrible to believe that." Looking better around he sees the gentleman handing the money to the poor man. "Not there, my brother."
"Thank you, young man, it's good to see that youth is not all lost."
"Don't worry, sir. As long as I am here, I will make sure that the justice of the knights of the sun continues to brighten your life!" he replied in a proud voice.
While that knight was distracted talking, the thief tried to walk stealthily to escape from his captor. However, the latter had already noticed before that he had awakened.
"Fenrir, I really wouldn't recommend you to escape if he doesn't want another blow to match the first one."
"Lion, what do you say? I wouldn't run away without your permission."
Once the knight bids farewell to the older lord, he turns around to look at his older brother in a pitiful and judgmental manner.
"I'm sorry brother, but I think I warned you that if I caught you doing this again, this time you would go to the cell for a night." He receives a rope.
"How would I go to the cell if you can't even tie strong knots against me. You improved this time I'll give you that, but nothing I can't handle." he commented with a smug grin.
"Grr... When will you stop scamming and stealing from the townspeople and make something better of your life! By the gods, sometimes it seems like you just don't seem to want to change to be a better person!"
"I don't know, should I care about that?"
"Yes! You should care if you wish a better life for yourself!"
Fenrir laughs a little as he watches his brother easily lose patience with him like in his childhood. As much as his brother was recognized common great knight, inside he was still his younger brother whom he could emotionally manipulate.
"You know very well what I think of your dear faction. I am not the only thief in town. However, at least I do keep honest to my nature in comparison to your captain and those you call friends."
"Again with that nonsense." He sighs. "It is impossible for knights to be corrupt, we are heroes, keepers of the peace, but you behave as if they are the same trash as you Fenrir."
"Tell me Lion, when I stole, who benefited the most from my corrupt acts?"
"That's different." He relaxes his expression. "We were orphans and had nothing and no one to help us, that was a necessity, but now everything is different, I am a gentleman, we have opportunities to make things better, and we can finally be men of good. It's only you who doesn't want to accept this new chapter because you are too stupid to accept it."
"Nothing changes so easily. As I told you on that occasion, I am happy that you want to make a difference and I am sure that you are the only light that is worthwhile. However. " He turns his back on his younger brother. "There is a darkness that you refuse to see, I can see it, it's funny, isn't it? You call me stupid, but more stupid who plays the blind, anyway, I'm off to the bar to deal with this headache you gave me. It was good talking to you Lion, I hope to repeat it soon."
Lion looked angrily at his older brother, he wanted to arrest him once and for all so that he would finally understand the meaning of his actions. If he did it, maybe he would change, but Lion remembered that it was Fenrir who stained his life to make him live a better one, he owed him everything, even if he didn't say it out loud and that's why he wanted to return the favor by helping him to leave that world that Fenrir considered his home every day.
Some years passed and in the town of Rinhood there was an unexpected earthquake that caught most of the inhabitants by surprise and they fell underground. However, this was not the worst scenario for that place, no, the knights of Rinhood noticed that beneath their feet was the worst threat of all alive and in greater numbers.
"Zerbarix!"
As Fenrir reached the age of twenty-five and Lion twenty-four, the terrible news manifested itself in the lives of both.
"You are mad Lion! I knew the knights were knuckleheads, but this was too much, you know those things are dangerous and hard to take out without Sun Saviors and you will willingly go to face those creatures with a bunch of lambs going to slaughter!"
"Fenrir it is the duty of every knight of the sun to go when a call from the king is made, no matter if I am afraid or if I don't like the decision. I will go, our family honor depends on it."
"What family honor? Are you talking about the Blackfaces? Dad died being devoured by minotaurs and mom died a shameless prostitute who didn't even acknowledge her two children. We have no family honor."
"I surrender, it doesn't matter if you agree or not, I made my decision and I'm going to stick to it. I just came here to let you know that this time I won't be around to watch your back anymore. So please, if only for once, while I'm gone, avoid trouble. If for my sake Fenrir."
"You are going to die and I will not allow it, you are my only family and I will not let you go!"
Lion determined to prove to his older brother that he is no longer a little boy who is scared by everything, attacks him with his hammer, but Fenrir still at a disadvantage or without armor, knocks him down before he wields his weapon and aims at Lion's neck with a knife proving his point.
"If you go over there, you will always have a knife threatening you and I won't be there to take care of you. You think you are doing me a favor, but in reality I am the one who keeps doing it because I love you so much Lion, if I lose you, I will be alone in this rotten world and that is the last thing I want brother, so please give up that suicide mission and let's go somewhere else well away from the dangers."
"Sorry Fenrir, you want to live your life and I want to live mine, in the end,
only one wants to change the world. Goodbye, and I hope not to see you executed when I return from my mission."
Those last words had left a big hole in Fenrir's chest, he could somehow feel that Lion was walking with death by his side, he was afraid and sad because he knew deep down that his brother would not return. He accepted the farewell asking just for once in his life, that he was wrong and that Lion was out of danger.
Some time passed after that discussion and Fenrir was traveling through the forest with his brown horse pushing the carriage. Fenrir was looking at his map noting down commentary of the places and preparing different plans because where he was going, was hell itself for any living being that wasn't zerbarix.
"At last, I have arrived at my destination. Rinhood, home of the zerbarix nest."
He advanced a little further when a group of sun knights with the symbol of an eagle on their right arm shield stopped him mid-step. It seemed the rumors were true, travelers would not be able to cross through the area because it had been controlled and isolated by the knights to prevent some poor unwary people from dying.
"Turn around and leave, this place is a danger.", ordered the knight.
Fenrir looked at the situation, he was analyzing all the elements around him and preparing a mental scenario to respond to the threat in case he had to fight. He said goodbye to the knights telling them not to worry, he had important business there and would not bother anyone. The knight who was guarding Fenrir's front points his spear at the horse, the animal stops terrified at the sight of the weapon, he repeats the same message adding that it would be the last warning and that he would not be held responsible, for what might happen if Fenrir did not heed the friendly warning.
"How these vermin annoy me." Fenrir thought as he became irritated.
"Pufff. I guess it's impossible. Okay, you guys win, I'll turn around and find another way." He smiles. "Ah, almost forgot, not without saving my little brother first."Fenrir removes his hood that covers his arms, revealing two golden gloves with lightning-black stripes, some gems around his wrists, and a glow on his forearm that seems to indicate something about artifacts. In the blink of an eye, Fenrir moved like lightning to take down all the knights that had surrounded him in a matter of a second, he didn't kill them, he wasn't going to waste time wiping the blood of scum that didn't deserve interest from him, but he did make sure he didn't disturb them as he went deeper into the horror that was hidden underground.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone