*This series will contain scenes with violence, felt I should warn you*
The smell of burnt flesh filled the air. His screams were carried for miles. The fire crept up his body slowly, like little orange spiders. He remembered a different time, long ago.
Part One: Early life
It was a hot summer day, the tar on the roofs had begun to melt, people lay in the shade of the largest trees they could find.
A barefoot boy clutching a stuffed bear runs past, followed closely by a slightly older looking Neflin girl.
"Give it back!" she screams.
"Come get it!" he yells back.
He turns down a small alley with a cheap noodle stand at the end. The vendor looks behind to see the boy running towards him, he realizes at the last moment that they are not stopping, and he dives aside.
The young boy slides over the stand's countertop, knocking down bowls of noodles and silverware. The girl apologizes to the man and carefully slides past the stand. She runs through the small village, it was only a dozen huts or so.
Eventually she finds the boy at a ledge overlooking the vast ocean. He was accompanied by an Ailor man with a wispy grey beard. She approaches them.
"Daddy! Make him give it back!" she yells, trying to force back tears.
The man nods "Zaheer, return your sister's bear."
He groans and passes it over to her "Shes not even my real sister..."
The girl finally bursts into tears at the mention of this, clutching the stuffed animal to her chest as she runs off.
The boy, Zaheer, looks upset. "Oh cmon... I didnt mean nothing by it... whys she gotta go n' cry?"
The man shakes his head in disapproval. "Your sister is sensitive. She doesnt like it when you bring up her adoption, my lad. Why don't you go apologize?"
Zaheer groans "Okay..."
His life wasn't perfect in the village, but it wasn't horrible.
Part Two: Older Childhood
"You dont have to make yourself lose y'know... I don't mind." he says to his sister as he clutches the fake sword. He had grown taller now, and his dark black hair had gotten long. His sister no longer looked older then him.
"W-what... no... I dont." she replies as she parries one of his blows.
"Ooo-kay, if you say so. But thanks anyways..."
She smiles.
Part Three: Starvation
The whole village had gathered to watch him leave. He stood at the dirt road out of the village that went further into Ithania.
His people were counting on him, recently it would seem the Gods had punished them. The crops would no longer grow. They had enough grain stored away to last but a year. He needed to bring home enough cash to support the entire village.
His sister was sobbing, his father looked at him like he was already dead, even the noodle vendor seemed upset. They passed him his bag, it didnt have much, just a map, some food, and a bottle.
His father tried to smile as he pressed an amulet into Zaheer's hand, it was a sword wrapped in linens.
"It belonged to your mother... she would be so proud of you, my son." his father says.
"Thanks dad... I wont let any of you down." he replies.
After embracing his family one last time he ventures out into the unknown.
To be continued
The smell of burnt flesh filled the air. His screams were carried for miles. The fire crept up his body slowly, like little orange spiders. He remembered a different time, long ago.
Part One: Early life
It was a hot summer day, the tar on the roofs had begun to melt, people lay in the shade of the largest trees they could find.
A barefoot boy clutching a stuffed bear runs past, followed closely by a slightly older looking Neflin girl.
"Give it back!" she screams.
"Come get it!" he yells back.
He turns down a small alley with a cheap noodle stand at the end. The vendor looks behind to see the boy running towards him, he realizes at the last moment that they are not stopping, and he dives aside.
The young boy slides over the stand's countertop, knocking down bowls of noodles and silverware. The girl apologizes to the man and carefully slides past the stand. She runs through the small village, it was only a dozen huts or so.
Eventually she finds the boy at a ledge overlooking the vast ocean. He was accompanied by an Ailor man with a wispy grey beard. She approaches them.
"Daddy! Make him give it back!" she yells, trying to force back tears.
The man nods "Zaheer, return your sister's bear."
He groans and passes it over to her "Shes not even my real sister..."
The girl finally bursts into tears at the mention of this, clutching the stuffed animal to her chest as she runs off.
The boy, Zaheer, looks upset. "Oh cmon... I didnt mean nothing by it... whys she gotta go n' cry?"
The man shakes his head in disapproval. "Your sister is sensitive. She doesnt like it when you bring up her adoption, my lad. Why don't you go apologize?"
Zaheer groans "Okay..."
His life wasn't perfect in the village, but it wasn't horrible.
Part Two: Older Childhood
"You dont have to make yourself lose y'know... I don't mind." he says to his sister as he clutches the fake sword. He had grown taller now, and his dark black hair had gotten long. His sister no longer looked older then him.
"W-what... no... I dont." she replies as she parries one of his blows.
"Ooo-kay, if you say so. But thanks anyways..."
She smiles.
Part Three: Starvation
The whole village had gathered to watch him leave. He stood at the dirt road out of the village that went further into Ithania.
His people were counting on him, recently it would seem the Gods had punished them. The crops would no longer grow. They had enough grain stored away to last but a year. He needed to bring home enough cash to support the entire village.
His sister was sobbing, his father looked at him like he was already dead, even the noodle vendor seemed upset. They passed him his bag, it didnt have much, just a map, some food, and a bottle.
His father tried to smile as he pressed an amulet into Zaheer's hand, it was a sword wrapped in linens.
"It belonged to your mother... she would be so proud of you, my son." his father says.
"Thanks dad... I wont let any of you down." he replies.
After embracing his family one last time he ventures out into the unknown.
To be continued
