章節 2: Chapter 1 — The dream
He opened his eyes just to find himself in his own bed. A trail of cold sweat flew down his back, making this particular awakening really unbearable. Yet, it was time to rise.
"That dream again?" — the boy mumbled. Visions, prophecies of him being the legendary hero, fighting evil. Monsters of the wild and humanity. This has been a recurring phenomenon, yet the young man had never taken it too seriously. "The sun is up?"
Indeed, it was. Although still sleepy, the lad decided it was time to put on his working peasant's clothes and start a new day. Just like yesterday, and the day before yesterday.
After he was done, Keyaru — a name with which his parents blessed their red-eyed child with — took his wicker basket, a pouch with tools, and set foot outside.
"Father, Mother, I'm going" — said the boy to the void. The people who gave him life had long since perished, eaten by monstrosities from the south. And yet, this habit remained. The last memento the kid wouldn't throw away.
Alban, was the name this small but prosperous village carried. It was divided into three parts: a market, moderately decent houses built on the banks of the nearby river, and fields to work in. Nothing remarkable, and yet this scenery was peaceful, somewhat tranquil.
Keyaru walked by the empty counters and moved out to his gardens. Yes, for the most part, the boy led a life of solitude, with not many friends and only one truly dear person to him. He earned his bread and butter by working in the apple orchard left to him by his parents. It wasn't much, yet it was his.
"Time to harvest" — he murmured, smiling. Fruits had ripped, and the only thing left was to gather them. Then he would either sell them or make an apple pie. In any case, the lad wouldn't starve any time soon.
And here he was, climbing the tree, knowing all too well which branch would hold him, and which was better to be left untouched. Not so uncommon, and yet some strange anxiety started taking him over.
"Is this how you want to live? No, we are something bigger and you need power!" Strange, a cold and enigmatic voice, vocalized his demands in Keyaru's head.
"Yeah, you bet. As if I can do anything. Sheesh, I don't even have a class yet" — the young man answered himself. He was yet to reach his fourteenth birthday, the day when every human is blessed by the gods. A label that could determine someone's entire life. A set of talents and numbers. For example, a warrior would easily master a mace or a spear, while a mage would find learning a mastery of arcane much more effortless. Although there was no mysterious power that would snatch a sword from a caster's hands or forbid a fighter from learning a spell or two, both would eventually find their further efforts fruitless since one would lack physical prowess and the other — mana, resources that could be counted down to a single numeral point. Some called it Divine Providence, some the Laws of Deimos, but either way, nobody could deny it reigned over mortals.
There wasn't much time until Keyaru's fated day. There was only a week left before the higher forces would determine his future. He did have a few thoughts about who he wanted to become, but whether or not gods would give him powers to challenge the world and explore its wonders, all of them boiled down to one thing: the kid wanted to repay the one who made his life a bit brighter. Still, an apple farmer hoped to get a chance to break out of this small village.
After a while, the sun would already go beyond the horizon. Yet, the lad would be given no chance to carry his basket of fruits to the barn for the last time..
"A-A-A-A-A!!!" A loud scream came from the fields. The boy dropped his bucket and rushed to its source. What he saw was a fanged monster, an abomination maybe akin to a boar, wandering into the settlement. About a dozen villagers tried to handle the beast, but what can peasants with rusty war scythes do against something with stones for a hide? None of them were blessed with any comprehensive combat skills, making it impossible to leave Alban in hopes of a better job. Still, it wasn't their first time, so the men had what it took to at least drive the creature away. It was all good. But for a single thing…
"Anna!" Keyaru saw a familiar face. A red-headed woman tried holding her own against the monster. She was like a mother to the young man, someone who tried raising him with her husband like a son they never had after the boy got orphaned.
Anna tried to sweep the monstrosity with her scythe, but she failed. Her legs trembled. The woman would have fallen if not for the help of a fellow harvester. Keyaru stood confused, too weak to fight, afraid to end his life impaled on the beast's fangs.
"What are you trembling about? Scared of such a weak foe? Come on, strength isn't everything. Use our knowledge. " This voice again. He sounded exactly like Keyaru, but older. Mature and experienced. It was him, yet the boy barely recognized him as such. Nevertheless, for the apple farmer, this was the moment of enlightenment. It wasn't a boar, but rather something similar to a mole. The blind beast navigated with some kind of appendix around its nose, which let it feel the earth's vibrations.
Keyaru got all the grip he could, took his working knife and sprinted to the monster. Lad's quick rush confused both the beast and the villagers, and that gave the boy a chance. He jumped right on its back, stabbing the uncovered piece of what seemed like a nose. The rusty blade sliced open flesh, and the creature wailed in agony. Keyaru fell to the ground, but the beast fled. Although alive, it wouldn't live long without its main sensory organ. Either way, the young man just wanted to save Anna, nothing more.
"Keyaru... Keyaru! Oh, thank goodness, you're fine. But... it'll come back. You've angered it." — she said, hugging the boy.
"It's okay, it won't. It's blind now. " — the young man answered, with his voice being surprisingly calm and cynical.
Afterward, all the villagers would praise Keyaru for his bravery, predicting him a great future as a fine warrior. All except for Anna, clearly disappointed with how eager her ward was to throw his life away. Why wasn't he scared? How did he get to know the abomination's weakness? What was this voice? So many questions with so little answers. Until it happened again.
"We need power! Trust no one but me, I have knowledge of countless warriors and sages. Yet, I'm blind. I need an eye of jade to see!" Well, at least this time it was clear what it wanted. A new goal carved itself within Keyaru's mind, with a way to reach it. A lake in the forest, a place where the physical and spiritual worlds collided. Somewhere, he could contact a spirit with just the right words. As well as the reminder of the next chance like this being available after a whole thirty-four years. It was sheer madness, yet the apple farmer couldn't brush it off, because aside from the voices, he saw pictures of himself suffering and losing everything. Should he ignore it.
"I must see, you must remember. Only then will I be happy!"
Keyaru was bothered. Questions without answers gnawed at him. And yet, something told him the boy would have them answered if he just listened. And so the young man did. He returned home only to take a bag, some supplies, and torches before continuing on. He'd run and run, and then he'd find himself so happy that he laughed. He'd find his true self with the help of this voice...
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