《KING OF THE CURSED FATE》


 Thunderstorm

    There''s a saying that goes like -


    '' everything happens for a reason ''


    No one knows if it''s true or not, is there a reason life exists ? It seems like nothing will change if we were to be wiped out from the face of earth tomorrow but can anyone be sure of it ? Who makes decisions of life and death of all living beings ? Are we really independent to do anything with our lives ? And most important question of all - what happens when someone refuses to give up on his life ?


    '' When someone refuses to die ? ''


    During simultaneous creation and destruction of countless universes - What is Consciousness ? What is the purpose of life ? What can be the worth of life ? What do we intend to gain by living ?


    These were the questions all the worlds were looking for an answer to. Countless universes, galaxies in the cosmic ocean, sailing in the flow of time. Wrapped around the fabric of space - time everything was going accordingly.


    Until some beings were able to free themselves from the '' cycle of life and death '' shook the heavens.


    The rainy monsoons when the green plants appear greener due to rainwater washing away the dirt on them. It was indeed a rainy day, sky covered with black clouds, among which long irregular trails of lightning can be seen occasionally.


    A child was born to a family considered as nobles, Lady Silvia and lord Vellion.


    Husband and wife away from any dangers and distractions living their lives peacefully in a faraway village.


    When the child first opened his eyes in this world he began to cry as loudly as it seemed to be competing with the thunderstorm outside.


    Upon hearing the first cries of his newborn lord Vellion was overjoyed with happiness.


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    His eyes begin tearing up as he picks up his son in his arms. With the running tears from his eyes he looked at his wife with a smile of satisfaction. Lord Vellion sat closer to lady Silvia hugging her with one hand, holding newborn with the other said


    " feels like our little family is now complete, thank you my dear, I feel like the happiest person in the world today "


    Holding her son in her arms Lady Silvia said


    " he looks like you ". As she smiled holding Lord Vellion''s hand.


    " So ? Have you decided any names for our boy yet ? " The lady asked the father.


    " Our son is born to achieve greatness so his name shall be : AUGUSTUS, " (meaning: great/magnificent) said his father proudly naming him.


    " Augustus, what a fine name..... It suits him " mother holding the newborn in her arms they both sit side by side enjoying the moment of happiness together.


    [The next day ]


    The people of the village came to congratulate both lord and lady as they were very respected individuals in the village.


    Village people came bearing gifts along with good wishes for young lord, despite social standings because lord and lady were always kind towards villagers, hence earning their genuine respect.


    After all the villagers were gone, in the afternoon a sage came expressing his wish to see the young lord.


    Sages were the people who used to meditate for years to attain enlightenment. For a sage to come at one''s doorstep was considered as a good omen.


    Lord Vellion asked the sage to follow him as the newborn was asleep in the room.


    They arrived in the room as the lady got up greeting the sage.


    Looking at the sleeping newborn, sage felt some divine energy from the boy.He said


    " Hmm... Your son is indeed a gifted child, from what I can see, he has a long future awaiting. His destination is something us mortals could never hope to achieve, but the path leading is filled with pain, as if he was cursed by his own past fated to be up against forces denying the laws of nature itself..... In any case do not worry, he is in the protection of a divine power "


    '' cursed by his past huh ! '' what does that even mean ? " trying to understand the riddle sage left behind Lord Vellion thought much about it but at last he left all the worries up to fate.


    Apart from all the divine talks, the young lord was a huge crybaby. Not finding his mother upon waking up, not hearing his father''s voice for sometime and he would start to cry loudly.


    Taking care of a newborn comes with its fair share of problems like ,Father and mother cannot complete their sleep. Taking care of his meals and other things.


    But there was something parents were worried about. It was when in the middle of the night, boy would wake up from his deep sleep and start crying as if he was in some kind of pain. Parents consulted many healers but at the end they all said one thing that for children of this age crying out of nowhere is normal. And told them to not get worked up about something so normal.


    *********

 Headache

    The days passed gradually making August aware of his surroundings. A world having the possibility of a supernatural phenomenon to take place which people call magic.


    Magic here was possible due to the presence of '' mana '' in that world. Whether it was an element or a substance since it could not be seen with the naked eye but only be felt, thus was supposed to be having no physical form.


    But this doesn''t stop people utilising it according to their needs. Using their fixed amount of mana present in them since birth they could manipulate the mana in their surroundings to create possible outcomes.


    [ After three years since August was born ]


    It was a day of early summer, and the sun was high up in the sky. It was quite amusing watching a three year old boy staring into the books so attentively like he understands everything. August seems to take a liking to study books, whether it was magic, ancient tales or spiritual books.


    There were many books around because lady Silvia used to teach mana manipulation ( basics of magic ) to children in the village.


    " Look at our little scholar, i think he would become a genius mage in the future " talking to his father said lady Silvia. " Hmm.... Oh come on dear how can you know maybe he would become a swordsman " said Lord Vellion teasing the mother of the child.


    " It doesn''t matter what path he chose to follow I just wanted him to be happy and live a normal life. May he live his life in peace. He should not have to face the difficulties because his incompetent father " closing his eyes with despair said Lord Vellion.


    " Are you calling my genius - warrior husband incompetent ? ....( Wrapping her arms around him )


    You did what was best for all. There is no point in further burdening yourself. No matter what happens we will stay together and go through every difficulties life throws at us. You remember our promise don''t you ? " Said Lady Silvia confronting her husband.


    '' until death do us apart '' both said in a united voice.


    " I am so glad to have you by my side... thank you for bearing with me facing all the problems I created."


    Said Lord Vellion as his heart felt heavy weighing him down tied to the past with a loose string.


    " Why are you talking about like it''s all your fault, you do remember that I was the one who came looking for you - besides its time to let go of the past and thinking about the future. " Said lady Silvia, gently touched his face.


    " Yeah you''re right, we came here for a fresh start so let''s live happily....." Said Lord Vellion.


    About the young boy, both parents were happy to see how dedicated he was towards books. Looking at pictures and even staring at ancient texts written on them for too long.


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    Lord Vellion owned a portion of land on which farmers used to plant crops supplying food for the whole village. Because both lord and lady were high grade combat mages - the town remained safe from monster attacks or any external threats.


    August was very interested in learning magic. Lucky for him, there were two best teachers at home, be it in basics or in high grade combat magic.


    Watching her son take interest in magic Lady Silvia started teaching him some basics of magic.


    There were two ways to use magic in this world. With spells and incantations and other was silent casting.


    Incantationless magic was something not many mages could accomplish in their lives because it has to be practiced since childhood strengthening immature mana within.


    The first step was to stabilize one''s mind with concentration and focus, which was attainable by meditation.The young boy was quick to catch on and started meditation regularly.


    Apart from these magic lessons his father started to teach him swordsmen ship and basic combat since it was a world where skills mattered above everything.


    All the things were going great but the headache August was getting since he was born gradually became more and more severe.


    **********


    [ Five years since August was born ]


    During these basic lessons two years flew by. Until now August was able to concentrate and his basics became stronger whether it was magic or combat. Watching him learn all that at a pretty early age his parents were surprised as well. More than that they were proud of their young genius.


    One day in the afternoon when both parents were busy doing their work August was taking an afternoon nap. He saw a dream followed by a severe headache


    " what ?? Who ? Who''s that ? Who''s calling me ? " He mumbled in his sleep, unable to comprehend the situation, when August slightly regained his consciousness he found himself somewhat far from his house. As he remembered chasing after a female voice shouting his name he thought of it as a dream and headed back to the home. But in this condition of sleeplessness and severe pain he was unable to walk anymore. After taking a few steps he lost consciousness and finally collapsed.


    After about two hours August opened his eyes. With a blurry vision he saw a girl ( two years older than him ) treating his wound that he got upon falling down on the floor.


    Regaining his consciousness August asked her


    " who are you ?, why were you calling for me ? ".


    Confused by his statement the girl replied


    " who me ? , I never called for you, we brought you in when you collapsed in front of our house "


    " Sorry i might be hallucinating....and thank you for your help "


    Watching a young boy speaking politely like an adult the girl was amazed " you are the teacher''s son right ? " Asked the girl as if she had known him already.


    " Teacher ? Oh! you might be talking about mother.....


    yes, ..... yes I am" August replied.


    " what''s your name " the girl asked as she continued to wrap bandages around his injury.


    Teasing the girl he said " why would I tell some stranger my name ? "


    " Because this stranger saved you just now " said the girl slightly poking his injury.


    " Aaah... It hurts hey why''d you do that for ? I was just kidding...well My name is AUGUSTUS, it''s nice to meet you. " He said as he smiled.


    " And you are ?? " Asked August.


    " my name is Shelly, you can call me big sister " girl replied with a sweet smile.


    " Yeah !..... Sure " said August sarcastically. " That''s what you thought I would say ? I bet that sounded way cooler in your head " said August staring at her with dead eyes.


    " Ahh....yeah I know I am lame, that''s why I have no friends " said the girl as her expressions turned sad.


    " ( Oh no...i shouldn''t have said that ) No you''re not...I mean that was kind of lame but no.....o.. okay I will call you big sister " said August flustered.


    " Hah....got you, emotional blackmail always works " the girl said laughing her lungs out.


    " Ha ha very funny " said August being irritated.


    " I should go home now "


    Hearing his words Shelly said : " Don''t worry my father recognised you lying there and brought you inside, he told me to look after you while he will be informing the teacher "


    After a few minutes lady Silvia and lord Vellion came running to their son who were searching for him all along when they noticed his absence.


    Accompanied by Shelly''s father - Wilson, a farmer.


    Hugging her son with running tears from her eyes Lady Silvia took a breath of relief.


    Lord Vellion thanked Wilson and his daughter for taking care of his son.


    After they arrived at home his father asked August about how he ended up there ?


    August said he thought someone was calling for him, tripped and injured himself keeping the truth about severe headache from them so that they won''t be worried unnecessarily.


    As expected they weren''t satisfied with this explanation either but August seemed fine now. So they let go of this incident.


    **********

 First lesson

    As the days gradually passed August came closer and closer to perfection in his basics in mana manipulation. By meditating regularly he was able to concentrate all inner mana. Since the inner mana was limited by birth, in order to use magic one has to increase the quality of his inner mana by positive energy, to manipulate the mana in the surroundings.


    It was like the poles of magnets which can be changed to the same and opposite according to user''s will. Therefore in order to make use of mana in the surrounding one has to conquer his inner mana first.


    Now after years of meditation it was about time for August to receive his first official lesson.


    About his lesson lady Silvia gave her son the basic information regarding the elements present around them :


    [ There are three kinds of particles around us


    * MATTER - (all the things consuming visible space)


    * MANA - ( non visible matter particles charged with positive energy: makes magic possible)


    * Scion - (non visible matter particles charged with negative energy ; few but dense)


    Mana particles are most important in order to use magic while the other two are raw materials or absent from the process most of the time.


    One has to gain control over inner mana by positive energy of stable mind which comes from meditation in order to successfully use magic.


    The shortcut to skip the hardwork of meditation is to use incantations or spells in which words are set in a definite order to produce the desired effect. Most of the mages use that kind of technique since they are unable to manipulate mana around them based on their imagination purely.


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    The only downside for them is that incantations are lengthy, most of the time and will not function if not spoken correctly. So for using magic with incantations one has to be the whole spell memorised and spoke with clarity. ]


    August being able to use silent casting was now able to create water from vapours surrounding by manipulating mana around it. Fire and wind spells were also working for him at a small amount.


    Since there were too many elements to work with at surrounding one have to chose an attribute to master it. Most of the time beginner mages use to choose whatever element they could use as their attribute since it was not possible for all people to work with more than one element.


    As for his mother she had an Ice type attribute and father had his attribute as Fire type wielding an ancient weapon, the sword called '' flamebearer ''.


    But in his case, August seemed to have no problem in using water, fire, wind along with some minor spells also.


    As good he was doing in magic, combat training wasn''t going much bad either. His father fixing his stances so many times managed to make his movements seemless enough. Not perfect but it was too good for a child of his age. Even though his parents were the one surprised to see their child making progress at an early age.


    During his free time he used to play with Shelly very often as he got well acquainted with her. She was like an older sister to him, whether it was playing with him or taking care of him she was dependable.


    She wasn''t very good at magic but possessed an exceptional talent when it comes to combat training. Because of that she used to train a lot hoaning her skills in whether it was hand to hand combat or weapon based. Due to her strength she preferred heavy weapons over swords.


    It was good for August as she was his first friend in this world, caring on top of that. Shelly''s having a caring attitude towards August was because of her brother who died at an early age. Due to that she used to see him in August.


    Therefore whether it was to train, study with him or cook for him when he felt hungry she used to do that all happily. August also liked her cooking very much.


    With the passage of time their bond grew stronger and stronger.


    A child who seemed always lost in himself, never talking to anyone unnecessarily. That shy and nervous child got a friend who was polar opposite to him.


    Apart from all of this August had a serious concern in front of him as his headaches were getting more severe and out of his control, up to the point that he was unable to hide from his parents. It wasn''t that his mother and father didn''t knew about his condition but there wasn''t any cure for it. Rather than a physical pain it seemed to give him mental pain often leading to hallucinations. A same dream kept repeating again and again which he used to forget upon waking up.


    As August continued with meditation it helped him upto a certain extent. The pain became manageable but the dream and the voice kept repeating as if some woman is calling his name.


    **********

 Him and her

    After a few months the season of frequent rains came, washing away everything, raindrops falling onto leaves of trees, soil being soaked wet.


    Along with these rains came the day of the month in which August was born. It was an occasion of everlasting joy for the Lord and the lady but August seemed to differ. As a person who enjoys being alone, he doesn''t care much about his own birthday.


    But this time as their son turned five, his parents decided to celebrate his birthday by throwing a party.


    Though the guests were mainly villagers. Apart from them there was only one invitation sent outside the village, it was to invite Lord Vellion''s one close friend staying in the capital, Lord Victor who used to teach at imperial magic institute.


    A celebration in which people came bearing gifts and goodwill. Their home was livelier that day, smiling faces all around without a speck of malice came because of their admiration and respect for the lord of the mansion.


    So many people greeting him for the first time, made August somewhat nervous, as he was not used to being around more people and the fact that he was the centre of attraction today was enough to make him anxious. August always preferred studying and doing everything alone by himself, because of this other children of his age thought of him as some arrogant kid and they dared not approach him.


    To help him socialize with other children of his age, that was the reason his parents arranged this party in the first place. But despite their efforts August was feeling alone even when surrounded by this many people.


    As a kid who was more mature for his age he wasn''t tempted by various gifts people brought him. Despite being anxious he managed to maintain his calm demeanor. He felt relieved when his sister - like a friend arrived. " Happy birthday " Shelly greeted as she handed over the gift she brought for him.


    Her gift excited him " a ring ? Ooo...I know it''s a healing ring right ? "


    " No " Shelly replied.


    " Then can it boost my mana levels " August asked with a shine in his eyes.


    " No, it can''t do that either " Shelly replied bluntly.


    " So what can it do?? ....big sister ? " Looking at her with so much expectations August was more curious than ever.


    " Ahem... I am glad you asked. So let me show you .... ( Proceeds to split the ring into two ) Tadaa ! "


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    " What ? " He asked being confused.


    " Don''t Just look disappointed you brat... Are you not excited this ring can split into two. That means you have two rings and one at the same time " Shelly said again looking too proud of herself.


    " Ahh... ! What a letdown " sighed August with an air of disappointment over his head.


    " Now now, my dear you forgot what you have to say while receiving a gift ? " Said Lady Silvia.


    " Thank you " said August with a lower tone.


    " What was that ? I couldn''t hear can you say that again ? " Said Shelly - picking on him.


    " I said what i Said.....I am not repeating it again " said August with a teasing smile on his face.


    " Ahh.. you boy you don''t know how much I have to go through for buying you this present. I have to save my allowance for two months, you know how much I have sacrificed ? And yet you stand there not appreciating my gift it makes me sad.....I guess it''s time for me to die ahh....no...."


    " Enough ! You know ? You are also bad at acting....but I guess it''s not a bad gift after all. " Said August.


    " Yes there you go, good for you. Now tell me where the food is I''m hungry " said Shelly with a worn out face.


    " That''s not a surprise. But tell me the reason behind this two in one ring ? " Out of curiosity August asked her with the expectation of something meaningful.


    " Hmmm.....there is no hidden meaning just give the other half to your girlfriend in the future, hehe....." Said Shelly smiling weirdly giving him thumbs up - to what August seemed to be annoyed thinking ( ahh.... I was a fool to expect a meaningful answer from her ).


    ************


    Not long after the long awaited guests of the evening arrived. Professor/ Lord Victor Hartwell along with his wife Aisha, son - Damian and daughter - Emilia.


    Lord Vellion greeted his close friend he came to see after a long time.


    After all the greetings Lord Victor expressed his desire to meet August. His father called for August,


    He stood before Victor greeting him when Victor asked " so what is your name young lord ? "


    " My name is Augustus sir " replied August.


    " What a fine name it suits you " said Victor - bowing down with respect.


    Lord Victor is a professor at capital - being in higher social standing than my father he was so respectful towards my family, even me - thinking victor''s actions as Chivalry August didn''t give more thought in that.


    But there was something strange as if something was being kept from him, not only Victor but his parents were keeping something hidden, some big secret. Even when August had his suspicions he never gave much thought into it.


    As the conversation proceeded,


    " happy birthday dear Augustus " said Victor further introducing his family to August.


    Lord Victor is my father''s closest friend, his wife who seemed cautious type lady as my mother, his son Damian - there was an air of uneasiness around him, as if he was in deep greif hiding something, his eyes were dull like he was in some kind of pain, pain of regret, that he couldn''t tell anyone, and at last his twin sister Emilia - A girl about same age as me, however she was on a wheelchair but her elegance was overwhelming. Out of the whole Hartwell family, no..... of all the people present there she stood out very differently to me. Her presence was gracious, beauty captivating enough to make even gods fall for her. The way she carried herself was something else.


    But the tension I felt from Damian, the same was to be felt from her.


    " Happy birthday " said Emilia in a sweet - soothing voice while Damian did a nod as their mother handed a gift box to me. " Thank you " i replied as i smiled.


    " Okay then everything is done, let''s have dinner " said my father breaking the silence. Never leaving his sister''s side Damian pushed her wheelchair to the dining room.


    There wasn''t any much of an interaction between me and Hartwell siblings that night but that thought about those two - i kept thinking about it. Were they two in a fight with each other ? They didn''t seem like the type quarreling over trivial things though. Not like I can know - I never had any siblings to begin with. What kind of fight do most siblings usually have ? About what ? Could it be like me and Shelly ?


    I guess I''ll never know.


    **********

 The incurable disease

    The next morning when I woke up with dizziness - I heard rain pouring down, and with the foggy windows it was the perfect day to sleep more.


    '' a little extra nap would not hurt '' lying on my bed i wrapped the blanket around - all ready to go to the land of dreams, when I heard


    " you aren''t going back to sleep are you ? " Said mother as she pulled the blanket from over me.


    " Please mother ! Promise I will wake up in Five minutes, just Five more minutes "


    " It''s time for breakfast son, you better show up... besides Emilia is alone, down at the dining room, wake up and keep her company until her family returns " said mother. " What ? Where do they go leaving her behind ? " I asked my mother - rubbing my eyes.


    " They had to visit the healer in the village, so they asked your father to accompany them, since it was raining that''s why they did not take Emilia with them, it might be uncomfortable for her to go out in the weather like this. So, my dear son, wake up already "


    Mother said as she left my room.


    '' mmmm.....what is my mother thinking ? What can I possibly do to keep her company ? If I were to approach her directly she might think of me as some kind of weirdo. It''s not like we''re friends or anything. ''


    After taking a bath, putting the clothes on i reached the dining room. As I opened the door " mother " calling for her I entered. Not being able to wake up properly even after bathing, watching everything with half closed eyes, blurry vision. The moment my vision became clear was the time when I saw her. Sitting on that chair against a half closed foggy window. Watching her playing with the raindrops, looking like diamonds resting on her fair skin. That was the moment I knew, how many things I left unnoticed about her aside from her beauty last night. Her long Silver hair flowing like waves with the wind, her pearly blue eyes reflecting the shades of white sunlight... Charmed by her beauty, i came to my senses just before she shifted her gaze towards me.


    As I looked at her again " have you seen my mother ? " I asked her - gathering every bit of confidence present in my soul up to the point - maybe my words came a little arrogant. The time she took to answer my simple question was like torture to me. '' i screwed up, congrats !! now she thinks I am some kind of delinquent '' i thought. '' sorry mother I think talking to people isn''t my strong suit '' cursing myself I was about to turn back.... When she said " k..... kitchen "


    Listening to her stuttering voice '' oh my god ! , I scared her, she''s afraid of me..... Well done me, what would I say to mother ? Not only I failed to befriend her, She''s scared of me now '' i thought smiling at her - when I was about to head out after screwing this bad.....she said completing her sentence


    " kitchen.....your mother might be in the kitchen " again stuttering - struggling with her words.


    " Oh !! I see, thank you by the way " words left my mouth like a reflex action. " Can you ask her when my family will be returning ? " Again with the trembling she said. " Ah.. okay " i replied as she continued to watch the raindrops fall. '' oh poor girl, is she that afraid of me ? Am I that arrogant ? No I have to clear things up. '' as i thought of leaving the room, I once again gathered the confidence to ask her the last question " excuse me ! ( Her gaze once again shifted to me - nervous by her looking at me I was at the loss of words ) are you perhaps uncomfortable here ? " I asked finally '' she might not tell me the truth since I am standing right here, but i can at least make an assumption by her answer ''. There was a moment of awkward silence once again. '' ahh !! I take that a yes, i really came as an arrogant to her '' i thought closing my eyes in disappointment.


    " No... that''s not it, i was trying to close this window here because I was feeling cold with the chilling breeze incoming..... That''s why I am shaking " she said finally giving a smile with her previous expressionless face. " Oh ! " As I sighed in relief, reached her and closed the window. '' thank God she was just cold and i thought ''


    " Thank you, your name is AUGUSTUS right ? I am Emilia....nice to meet you again " Smiled as she asked me that. Watching her greeting me so warmly, the tension between us suddenly vanished, i felt at ease.


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    After talking to her sometime, I came to know a lot about her, it seemed to me that she was indeed feeling lonely not only in my home but in her life as well. The moment I felt this conversation was going to end she asked me a question - hesitating a bit


    " so can you tell me..... why not ? "


    " What is it about ? " I asked her back with a light tone.


    " Why haven''t you asked me about my condition ? ( Suddenly the mood changed serious ) ...umm sorry, that came out wrong, it''s just people always ask about my condition when they first meet me and see me as an object of their pity. Kids of my age rarely approach me, that''s why I don''t have any friends. And you talked to me so normally, so i don''t get it, I guess I got curious - Why ? Why haven''t you asked what everybody asks ? " She said facing downwards hiding her incoming tears.


    '' that''s right, it''s here, the tension I felt last night '' I thought while I got a grasp of the situation.


    " Well it depends " i said. " Depends on what ? " She asked aggressively.


    " It depends whether you want to talk about it or not.... to be honest I was kinda curious about your health condition when I saw you last night but i didn''t care much about it till now... I know it''s rude to say but i don''t care much about myself either let alone of medical condition of yours. I do what I like to, I have only one friend who likes to be called my big sister and I don''t care about anything else. Say that is the whole point, why should we care what people think, why can''t we just live life as it is. I mean life is beautiful like you are....Aaaaa.....( Ahh...damn slip of tongue ) - most importantly I talk to people whom I want to. " Somewhat confident and flustered along the lines as well i said this to her.


    '' this awkward silence again huh ? I guess I went little overboard there...is she mad ? Did I offend her ? Oh no....what do I do ? '' as i was wondering in my thoughts she said.....


    " You don''t care huh ? "


    '' crap! that came out wrong, she''s definitely mad ''


    " No i didn''t mean by you, I said i don''t care about what people say " I was giving clarification but it somehow felt i was making even more mess.


    " So you''re saying you care about me huh ? " She said with the same tone. " I didn''t mean it in a weird way, I mean we are friends now aren''t we ? " This came also as a reflex from my mouth and with this I felt like I''ve crossed a line. I was already having trouble reading her emotions since she was facing down and now i thought I have managed to anger her.


    " Pfft.....hahaha... " She laughed in an feminine elegance, while I was left in confusion. " You are so easy to tease ha ?...


    ( I sighed in relief watching her laugh ).... thank you Augustus, thank you for understanding, thank you for your advise and most importantly, thank you for being my friend " she said while facing me with a smile and tears still in her eyes. " To think I would talk this much to anyone beside my family "


    " Ummm no problem.... By the way you can call me August, it isn''t that short but i think it goes. " I said lightning up the mood and with this I succeeded to make her smile again. Since it was going great between us, one thing was still bugging me.... I wanted to get this off my chest, I wanted to help her, i wanted her to trust me, I wanted to know so I asked


    " Umm...so can I ask you one thing ? Feel free to say no if you don''t want to answer. "


    " You want to ask me what happened to me ? Why am I in this wheelchair don''t you ? " She said..


    " No, I want to ask about your brother. Why does he look so..... drowning in despair ? " Felt like I asked the right thing when her eyes shone upon hearing this. It was like she wanted to talk to someone about her brother and I happened to be there.


    " Damian ...he ...he feels guilty,... guilty of my condition, I have a disease called mana poisoning by birth. It happens because of negative flow of mana in the body affecting all the parts in body one gradually overtime. Starting from my legs it now has spread to my spine as well, leaving me unable to stand. Father consulted many skilled healers but since it is an incurable disease they all said only one thing that I don''t have many years to live. That I will probably live twenty years, and because he is my twin brother Damian thinks it''s his fault that I am going to die, he thinks I would''ve been healthy if he hadn''t been born.....no matter how much I try to tell him it''s not his fault, no matter how much I try to make him understand, he never listens to me.. he takes care of me, never leaves my side, not living his childhood, nor making his friends..." Listening to this i never realised that I was already hugging her, it was quite forward and unlike me but aside from all it felt right to give her support at that time.


    When She said all that with the tears running continuously from her eyes as I felt the weight of the burden she was carrying around. At the same time I also felt happy that she opened up to me.


    After wiping her tears, lightning up the mood I left the room to find mother - when I thought where could mother have been all this time after telling me to show up on time..... - saw her standing behind the door, with her holding cold - gone breakfast, it was clear to me she overheard us when I saw tears running down her eyes. Putting the plates down I wiped her tears, holding me her arms - kissing at my forehead she said -


    " I AM VERY PROUD OF YOU SON "


    **********

 Wake up call

    After hearing about the pain Emilia was going through made August to respect her. Sitting on the wheelchair - moving according to the will of others, the fact that she feared - the sense of responsibility her brother was carrying because of her - more than her own death, kept August thinking about her even after she was gone.


    Since they were friends now, Emilia and August started exchanging letters, in which Emilia used to tell him about her daily life, the short moments of happiness. she wrote everything to him, it was probably because she was going to die before him.


    August also kept writing her back about his moments of happiness, but unlike her - August hid the fact that he was desparately turning almost every library in the town upside down, not leaving a single page unturned in search of the cure for mana poisoning


    ( her illness ).


    With the passing of seasons, seven years flew by. August continued his training, that''s why he became good in both magic and combat gradually overtime. Being able to learn directly from masters of their crafts was the biggest advantage of his, not to mention they were his parents. That wasn''t the only case though, he was quite an understanding boy for his age, in the most crucial of times he used to remain calm and cool headed, never taking decisions without thinking about their consequences.


    Following that, August knew his parents were hiding something big from him, and he also had so many questions about their past, how come masters like them are living in this faraway town ? - but he neither cared nor asked, they living peacefully together was enough for him - thinking that they would tell him eventually. Besides he was also hiding the truth about his headaches and the dreams he used to forget upon waking up, from them.


    Learning how to control mana with the help of teachings from a high class mage ( his mother ). He was able to use magic more efficiently. Being able to cast any spell silently was his biggest advantage.


    Just like his magic lessons, August received combat training from a high class as well ( his father ). After sparring with so many kids of his age there was no one who could compare to him, even the adults.


    Life was going great, August had everything one could hope for. Loving parents, good friends but there was one thing he couldn''t ever forget, that he was on a time limit, and the fact that he never found anything related to her illness was beyond disappointing. He had to help his friend, while it has been seven years since they had seen each other, but by exchanging letters August and Emilia were in contact because of that, with the time their bond grew nothing but stronger.


    After coming home from a hard day training - August fell on his bed. Lying on it like a log he was about to fall asleep when he felt sudden piercing pain in his head. It was by far the most severe, even more than when he collapsed outside Shelly''s home.


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    Feeling that pain, his vision became blurry, no matter how many times he tried, he couldn''t move a single muscle, sweating profusely his skin began to appear red. One could assume the severity of his pain while looking on his nerves and blood vessels which were about to burst. On that moment August tried to scream but he couldn''t do that either. After struggling some time he lost consciousness.


    When August opened his eyes, he was somewhere else. No matter how much he opened his eyes he couldn''t see anything, it was pitch black. August knew what was about to come, he had listened previously though, an unrecognisable feminine voice calling for him but this time was different.


    [ WELCOME AUGUSTUS


    '' THE ONE CHOSEN BY FATE '' ]


    The words echoed coming from an unfamiliar manly voice.


    August noticed unlike previous times he was able to say something this time as he said


    " what ? Who are you ? Show yourself " with uncertainty and not being able to perceive the situation due to no vision he asked what comes to his his mind.


    " Oh! My apologies " following these words suddenly the space lit up. As August regained his senses he found himself in a white space not having any starting nor end. Looking at his feet he saw himself standing on white floor designed with many squares.


    While there were many questions in his mind but despite that August wasn''t feeling any rush or anxiety. He wasn''t even trying to be calm, naturally feeling at ease - relaxed.


    It was like this place covered with an infinite shade of white was deceiving his senses. A realm of nothingness. The ticking sound in the background was calming and irritating at the same time.


    " Over here " said that voice from behind. August turned, standing in front of him was a tall man dressed in all white, his face looked familiar and never seen before at the same time. Standing still he said with his sophisticated manner of speech


    " i know you have many questions for me but it''s too early for me to answer any of your questions, I will only give you some answers for now, so choose your words carefully "


    Hearing him say that August gulped, finding the most effective question so that he can get more information. '' not now ha ? That means I would probably meet him again. I at least have to know who this man is, so that I can find more about him '' thinking that August asked him


    " tell me who you are ? "


    " Me ? I am a form less entity, who according to the rules of cosmos shouldn''t have a physical form, but the matter in hand have so much importance that I have to break this rule. As you can see, it is not easy for me to maintain this form, I am constantly making it while the universe is trying to erase it at the same time. I am the one who sets the order in the universe, while it may be creation and destruction, everything happens following my rules. I never stop, I always move forward somewhere slower and faster somewhere but never do I go back. I am the unseen force....


    the one known as '' TIME ''. "


    *****


    '' what ? He said he''s time ? What does that even mean, this doesn''t make any sense. Is he speaking truth ? How can I trust him ? ''


    As August was wondering in his thoughts the man said " I shall give you the guidance, since it''s my duty.


    Go to the dungeon called as '' Nightshade '' you will find something you''ll need there. And take this


    '' it belongs to you ''. " He raised his hand, suddenly a bright star illuminating dark light contradicting the laws of nature appeared, hovering above his palm. It had dark aura around it as if the space around the star was being sucked in it.


    " What ? It''s mine ? What is it anyway ? What''s going on ? I don''t understand. " Even after trying hard to ask important questions and suppress the rest, August flustered with his words not being able to comprehend the situation before him.


    " My apologies ! I can''t answer that now, though i warn you not to take my words lightly, you have to bear the responsibilities more than anyone, no matter what it costs, '' no matter who you lose ''. Now I must take my leave...." Said the man with his same calm manly voice.


    With the blink of an eye the star left his hand, coming towards August like - metal attracted to a magnet. At the same time the realm itself was falling apart.


    " At least tell me, whom that feminine voice belongs to ? " August asked in the moment, the man was vanishing before his eyes.


    " She''s someone who cares for you very much "


    the man said with his fading words.


    The incoming star struck August at his heart forcing August to wake up.


    **********

 Future plans

    Due to the illuminating star striking at his heart, August woke up suddenly. Drenched in sweat, feeling extremely thirsty, he stood up putting hand on the left side of his chest - he inhaled deeply.


    Shockingly there was no pain or anything, despite of his prior state in which he fell unconscious, now he was not tired - August felt like waking up from a good night sleep. To his surprise, it was the next day.


    '' what ? Was that a bad dream ? Was I hallucinating ?


    What did that man do to me ? Well, i don''t feel anything weird. So that was a dream afterall. There''s no chance that was real, I''ve had these kind of weird dreams lately, so what I can remember this one.


    Ah.. nothing comes from overthinking. '' August thought as the moments he saw kept running in his mind. ''


    August didn''t tell his father or mother about the pain he gone through last night and thus ignored the dream. A few days later in the morning, while eating breakfast, his father asked


    " so, what have you thought about the future, son ? Are you going to study magic formally by a teacher or else ? "


    " Yes father I want to keep studying magic further, but as you know i haven''t found my attribute yet, so I was thinking about joining the '' imperial magic institute '' for higher studies. " August said as he watched his father''s expressions changing from relaxed to somewhat worried. August thought he would probably be denied the admission in institute - that his father won''t allow it judging by his reaction.


    To his surprise, Lord Vellion said " ah the one in the capital. It''s okay, you can study where do you want. So when do you think of enrolling in that institute ? "


    " I haven''t thought that yet, as I''m lacking so i should focus on my basics first, and I also don''t have experience about anything outside of this town, so maybe ...or can I go on an adventure or something?"


    August said indirectly asking for the permission to leave the town and see outside world.


    It''s not as if he was not allowed to go outside the town but because of his immense concentration in learning magic, and the zeal of his for a particular goal, the thought of going to new places never fancied his mind. August was a child who didn''t care much about anything besides the place and people of his own. And he was not a type of person to be excited over going to new places either.


    The fact he wanted to go on adventuring was to become stronger, to gain real life experience of harsh outside world.


    The moment his father was about to answer his question there was a knock on the door.....


    " Welcome, long time no see... How have you guys been ? " Said lady Silvia welcoming the guests.


    A tall muscular man looking like a giant accompanied by a girl with slender physique entered. Dressed in combat ready gear. " We are good ma''am, thank you for asking " said the muscular man in his deep and heavy voice while smiling. " Please sit while I prepare some tea for you guys " said lady Silvia.


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    " Ah!.. greetings my lord " bowing their heads to his father said the guests. " No need for formalities, we are old friends after all " said his father. " You humble us my lord " said the man with his chivalrous tone.


    " Ah.. son these are my old friends, Red ( the man ) and Reneir ( the girl ), we used to adventure together back in our days..... And you two, this is my son Augustus. " Said Lord Vellion introducing them to each other.


    " Ah! So this is the young lord, I''ve heard a lot about you from Victor, nice to meet you." Said the man with joyous nature while a smile on his face as the girl behind did a nod. Judging from their behaviour they were polar opposite of each other.


    In the moment of reunion they were telling stories of their various adventures to August together with his father. Listening to them, the time they spent together, facing various monsters and beasts August was interestingly lost in their stories.


    With the further conversation, they told about them heading on a dungeon raid. Apparently there were rumours about monsters waves coming from a dungeon which was said to be dangerous enough to be called as '' unconquerable '' dungeon. As August heard them going on a dungeon raid his eyes began shining from excitement, staring at his father with the intent of expressing his desire to join them.


    Thinking about how dangerous this mission was Lord Vellion tried his best to avoid the excited - piercing gaze of his son, but at the end he couldn''t keep that act of his going. As he asked Red and Reneir about allowing August to adventure beside them. With the conflicting emotions in his mind Red asked


    " but my lord this is a very dangerous raid, how could we possibly take him with us knowing that his life would be in danger. "


    " That is true this mission of yours is extremely dangerous, but according to what you''ve said it''s about three months of a journey from here. I request you two to allow my son to accompany you in your journey, he wants to gain real battle experience and become strong. As for the dungeon, I can''t myself allow him to go inside that. " Said Lord Vellion as he shifted his gaze towards August making him sure of his decision.


    " But sir, i can''t possibly say which type of monsters we might encounter on our way, we can keep him outside that dungeon but the journey isn''t any less dangerous. " Red said with the worried expressions on his face.


    " Oh! My friend, how can one possibly say which kind of danger you will encounter, I am on the same boat as you, i myself don''t want my son to face danger but the boy wants to learn more, getting stronger and aquire the real life experience is only thing he wants. This might help him grow and maybe he might be able to find his attribute as well. And also you don''t have to be so worried, August is already stronger for the children of his age. Trust me when I say you don''t have to worry about him. He can protect himself. So what do you say ? " Said Lord Vellion looking at August and subconsciously telling him that he had done his best to convince them.


    " Umm..... ( Looking towards Reneir as she gave him a nod with a satisfied look ) If you say he''s strong, i believe you - he is your son after all. " Said Red as they agreed to take August with them on his first adventure.


    The heart of the young boy was filled with excitement. Late at night :


    " No! How can you allow our son to go on a


    dangerous journey ? " Said lady Silvia while expressing her disagreement with her husband.


    " It''s because he wanted to go on an adventure and experience the wilderness himself. You know how sad he''s been not being able to choose an attribute for himself, so i thought it might be a good chance for him to try various things and decide what suits him best on his own. And I can''t possibly send him alone beside Red and Reneir are experienced adventurers, he will be safe with them. " Said Lord Vellion while confronting his wife.


    " I know how skilled they are but how can I not worry about our only son. What if he got injured ? "


    " Injuries are a part of adventuring " said her husband.


    " Do not worry my love, he will be alright August is not a child anymore he can take care of himself. As his parents we have to respect what our child decides for himself. Besides he will only grow stronger in the wilderness. Trust me he will be safe. " Said Lord Vellion giving his wife confrontation.


    " Okay if you say so " said his wife agreeing - putting her head on his shoulder sitting against the fireplace.


    After some moments of silence, breaking it she said with a subtle Voice


    " when are you going to tell him about '' that '' ? "


    Judging from the worried - turned face of her husband, wrapping her arms around him she said


    " it''s okay if you don''t want to, we can just....."


    Closing his eyes in despair he said


    " No.... He deserves the truth, I will tell him after his return "


    ----


    While passing from outside, August overheard their conversation as questions regarding - started to raise in his mind. Suppressing the unwanted thoughts, lying on his bed, with the conflicting emotions he had trouble sleeping on that night.


    **********

 Adventurer

    His mother was very furious with this decision as she couldn''t even bear the thought of her one and only child getting hurt. But his father knew, it would be a useful experience for August. He said yes only on one condition though, that August will not enter that high difficulty type dungeon which was dangerous enough to acquire its other name as '' unconquerable ''.


    With the fall of night, the next day came bearing the new shades of light - the day of departure. August, being dressed in a battle ready gear - cloak resistant to fire and other basic type spells, a bracelet with healing properties given by his mother, a straight, slender sword long enough to suit his stature, double edged with a pointy end, suitable for slicing, severing as well as for fencing.


    His shoes, light and easy to move around. The gear of his besides having their own protective properties, protected by another layer of armour type spell. - with this August was ready to be off on his first journey as an adventurer.


    '' Do not take any unnecessary risks, listen to Red and Reneir, eat your meals properly, and most importantly - do not put your life in danger. '' With these words from mother, '' have fun '' from father and


    '' no matter what you do I''ll always be stronger than you, take care '' from shelly - August began his journey with two experienced companions.


    " Let''s go to the adventurers guild first and get you registered as an adventurer " while moving on a horse back carriage Red told briefing him on their travel plans. After August being successfully registered as a rookie adventurer, using the guild''s portal ( portal used to travel long distances in a short amount of time ) they reached the city closest to their destination.


    From now on it was a long journey on foot due to the wilderness in between, crawling with beasts, being used to hunt during the day and nocturnal as well.


    For monsters like that there weren''t any limits when it comes to prey. Any living creature which resists to save himself was good enough for them even if it''s one of their own.


    Due to regular human movement there was a way, on which avoiding most of the danger to reach the destination was possible. The two experienced and the rookie continued their journey.


    They weren''t able to cover much of a distance on their first day resulting in placing their camp outside the forest for night. To their surprise, the young rookie wasn''t holding them back, in fact keeping well with them.


    After some time the sun was about to go down, leaving the sky and clouds coloured in various shades of red colour behind.


    As expected from veterans, there wasn''t any difficulty with setting up camp and bonfire. Sitting around the fire watching the water placed above it, boiling -


    there was silence.


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    August, being younger, and also he didn''t know much about them besides the stories his father told him - he wasn''t very confident to start a conversation.


    Red, unlike his usual self was silent thinking about the ways to keep the young boy out of the danger.


    Watching both of them lost in their own thoughts Renier said breaking the ice


    " So young lord Augustus "


    Flustered listening to her speech August interrupting her said " please call me August " -


    '' dammit what am I doing? What is up with these people keep calling me young lord like i am some bigshot or something.. ''


    Looking at their surprising faces August in order to cover up the situation said


    " I mean, we are fellow adventurers now, and I am also a newbie compared to you two... It will be more comfortable for me, if you just call me by my name. "


    After giving each other a satisfied look, Red said


    " Okay, works for us. So August can you tell us more about your combat abilities, it will be better for everyone to know about each other before entering the forest tomorrow. "


    Judging from his somewhat hesitant expressions easing up the mood Red said


    " I''ll start first, so my ability is my brute strength, since I am not very good with magic, using a weapon fit for my use I can take care of any beast although there are limits as well. "


    Further carrying the conversation the quiet girl said with a simple calm tone


    " I can use magic up to an extent, and my agility and cunning movements make up for the rest. "


    " Yes she''s quite good with the daggers in close combat." Said the man praising his companion.


    Watching them being friendly to him and their continuous efforts to lighten up the mood, August eased up a little on his nervousness, he said


    " I can use magic but haven''t had any real battle experience, so I don''t know very well what I am capable of. Please tell me if I ever get in your way. "


    Listening to August, humbling himself - both his companions gave him a satisfied smile as subconsciously they both agreed with his words. Not having a prior battle experience makes one nothing but prone to external dangers like monsters lurking in the wilderness.


    But they weren''t completely disappointed in the boy because of his humble nature as more people in the wilderness lost their lives because of overestimating themselves, being able to know one''s limit was already a remarkable skill which the young boy seemed to possess.


    " You don''t have to worry, dangerous beasts live deep in the forest so it''s unlikely that we will encounter them but if it turns out that way, you can just trust us to keep you safe. " Red said these words to provide the young boy a sense of security.


    Replying to him the boy said


    " thanks to both of you, I''ll be in your care then "


    The conversation continued between Red and August with a light hearted mood. Listening to his stories - mildly joking around, August seemed to be somewhat comfortable around them now. Though, the girl was silent most of the time. After dinner, the three of them were sleeping in a deep state early then they knew. Since they were camping outside the forest there wasn''t any need to keep watch at night.


    In the middle of the night August woke up by the strange rustling coming from outside. Coming outside he saw the hollow clear sky illuminated by the countless stars giving off the impression of an art on a canvas. Beneath them sitting, the girl watching the endless night sky.


    August came - sat beside her admiring the art of nature as she said " can I ask you a question ? "


    Feeling the cool breeze, without giving any more thought August said " yes, why not ? "


    " Tell me August, why do you want to become an adventurer ? I am asking you because, I''ve met countless people along the way with different opinions about life. I was curious what could be your reason to put your life in danger like this ? So what is it that you want to achieve ? " Asked the girl looking at the stars.


    " There isn''t any grand ambition of mine that I want to achieve, it''s just I thought I knew the worth of life but I was mistaken. I want to clear that doubt of mine. I want to experience my life, I want to do everything that excites me. As for adventuring, you can think of it as me wanting to experience something new " said August, watching the girl not satisfied by his answer as she wasn''t even looking at him.


    '' what did I even expect, of course it''s for childish excitement to see new things. I don''t know why i assumed that he might have a good purpose for going on this journey with us. A child is just a child, we have to keep him safe.'' with these thoughts, In that moment of silence she closed her eyes, smiled and said


    " I hope this journey will be a great experience for you "


    **********

 The abyss

    With the first light of the Sun in the morning, a party of three adventurers continued their journey, as they entered the dense forest called as '' the triglades ''.


    People call it '' triglades '' because, it consists of three types of tree varieties. Most commonly found in those areas oak trees -- long, messy with gradually decreasing density of theirs from bottom to top --pine trees and last but not least, the trees responsible for giving a specific colour to the forest in the Autumn


    -- the maple trees.


    Reaching somewhat deep into the forest, the young rookie was surrounded by his overprotective - experienced party members. Things were going pretty smoothly so far.


    They managed to cover more distance than they previously thought without encountering any forest beasts. Relieved by their smooth journey up until now, expressing his joy he Red said


    " I can''t believe we haven''t faced any danger so far, i think those merchants really made this forest route safer "


    The girl carrying an expression of dissatisfaction on her face said with a strict tone


    " we aren''t safe yet, don''t let your guard down "


    Agreeing with his companion, the man resumed to be careful. After walking the whole day, they found a spot near a lake to set up camp for the night. It was really a successful day so far, without having to face any unnecessary danger, they were able to cover more distance.


    Also the encounter with even smaller beasts comes with their own disadvantages-- like injuries during the fight, not to mention, fights happen to be tiring unnecessarily. So as far as they were concerned, the day was a success.


    But it doesn''t necessarily mean that they were safe. Even though they were not very deep into the forest, there were many predators who were used to hunting at night, even for the sole purpose of killing if not hungry.


    The countless trees surrounding them give out a beautiful appearance, was nothing but to deceive the prey, so that the predator lurking in the shadows could attack its target after letting its guard down.


    After the meal, keeping the fire burning to scare away smaller threats, August was sleeping soundly. Sometime after, he woke up looking for his sword as he heard strange noises coming from outside of the tent.


    To his surprise August found his two companions fighting Ino - bear : a bear-like creature with two horns from the side, growing from below the ears. Roared as he was attacking with his thick paws, capable of delivering a blow of brute strength, good enough to smash a normal person to death, beneath it.


    But the people fighting him weren''t ordinary, they were the ones possessing great combat skills after facing countless monsters like him or even stronger.


    Throwing its paws carelessly at them he was roaring in rage with his eyes glowing reflecting the moonlight in the darkness. Dodging it''s attacks without breaking a sweat, the girl concerned for his safety, in the middle of combat said


    " Go inside, it''s not safe here, August "


    Not afraid for himself he said being hesitant to distract her " but... trust me Reneir, I... can help ".


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    Red keeping the bear busy with his moves, Renier said having a moment to speak


    " We are enough for this beast, so don''t put yourself into danger "


    With this dodging the bear paws, closing the distance between them Red punched the beast in the face but even after putting so much strength behind his attack the monster didn''t even flinch.


    Renier on the other hand was busy preparing the spell as she completed the incantation :


    { By the blood of the sun and the heart of the earth,


    I command this fire to unleash its worth.


    Let it consume, let it ignite. An eternal blaze, a soaring light! }


    followed by it, the fire started concentrating above her palm, putting the beast into burning pain as she targeted the bear with it.


    The monster roared while burning, distracted by its pain, Renier, moving stealthily with daggers both in her hands, severed the beast continuously as she closed the distance between them.


    While she was keeping the monster busy, Red after concentrating for about a minute, summoned a mighty long sword suitable for someone like him.


    '' oh! So he uses a sword huh ? ''


    Assuming the stance, Red shouted to let his companions know " Reneir I''m ready "


    Continuously pushing the beast back with her daggers she managed to corner him, backing off as she heard her companion giving the signal.


    '' aaa..die.....you monster....'' he rushed to the beast, shouting along the way, hitting the monster with his sharp sword Red managed to cut its neck off with a clean strike.


    Proud of himself for a second he stood there admiring the lifeless blood spilling corpse like an art, wearing the smile with his unfathomable pride like a badge of honour.


    Reneir started to skin the corpse of the monster to obtain the priceless fur of it. Slicing some pieces of meat she started to grill it on the fire.


    Proud of themselves sitting around the fire facing August they realised the expressionless face of his. At that moment of victory even the person who had experienced battle would be excited but to think a young child wasn''t even fazed by their performance. Red, it was clear from his face that he was concerned about the young boy not getting excited over his victory - but according to common sense he couldn''t ask August directly, there was a risk of being more disappointed or even more, embarrassment.


    On the other hand, August was struggling with his emotions as he was barely keeping himself from laughing out loud.


    '' what were they even doing ? A grown ass man shouting die...'' to kill an enemy weaker than him was the most hilarious thing August had ever seen.


    Although Renier wasn''t showing anything, but she was also curious about August''s opinion about their fight.


    Unlucky for her August had an even bigger reason to laugh at her, more than Red he wanted to laugh at Reneir. '' what was up with that huge ass incantation, I''m so cringed right now ''.


    Everyone was barely holding their curiosity in, without speaking a word to each other Renier kept watch, and both the boys got to bed. Not being able to sleep again, August got out to drink some water. He watched the calm lake, reflecting the light from the moon. Small waves slowly make it to the shore interrupting the smaller ones of their own kind.


    August stood there, watching the reflection of himself in that clear water as he sat on his knee. At this time one thing was going on in his head, like he was being pulled by himself.


    '' why is it so beautiful, who is it ? Wait it''s me.... I''m being mesmerized by my own face ? How could that be ? ''


    It was difficult to disturb one''s gaze from that young man with not so long dark hair, black eyes with a hint of red shade. Just like August himself. He was him, more accurately, a reflection of him.


    As this one saying goes :


    '' if you look into the abyss, it looks back at you ''


    When August staring at himself was about to put his hand into the water in order to drink it, instinctively, August suddenly took a step back. A golden black eye, as big as his head August saw it looking at him.


    Aware of him not being lured into the trap successfully, the eye vanished from the water surface. Sensing something strange, Renier came running pulling the boy back and standing between Him and the lake.


    " Go back, inform Red and stay in the tent "


    Obeying her command the boy ran informing the other companion. Watching from afar - them both standing before the lake in their battle ready stance, August knew the seriousness of the situation.


    As he couldn''t sense mana nor anything strange from the lake, he knew despite that, there was a threat lurking in that lake, dangerous enough to easily surpass the Ino - bear. But the feeling that he couldn''t comprehend wasn''t because of that unseen monster. It was how he was able to step back in time, how he was able to not fall in its trap.


    '' As i remember, I subconsciously was being drawn to that image and suddenly I felt a wave rising in my heart. It was like my heart was warning me, by skipping a beat which felt like a wave. ''


    As August was gathering his thoughts without thinking more about the unseen monster, it was quite the opposite for his two companions. It seemed like they knew who or worst, what they were up against.


    Whatever it was, watching the two veterans shivering, August was able to tell that much, it was bad.....


    ....very bad.


    As it revealed itself, slowly rising up from the water surface, with his sapphire red - shining eyes. Looking at the prey before. The two veterans got a chill down their spines as the worst fear of those two became reality, presenting itself in the worst case scenario.


    Standing there as he gulped in fear red whispered with the shaking voice :


    " That''s him isn''t it ? "


    Feeling the same emotion his companion, the girl said as she licked her dry lips :


    " Yes, that is the giant serpent


    '' VYRRATHAX '' "


    **********

 Vyrrathax

    When the new threat made itself visible. The monstrosity in front of him wasn''t something he had seen before. It''s sapphire - red glowing eyes making its colour more refined under the white colourless light of the moon.


    Two long straight fangs got unfolded as it opened its mouth -- drenched in a colourless liquid dripping from them, watching at the serpent it was obvious as anyone could tell that the liquid was nothing but its acidic venom, making the water around poisonous as well. Moonlight wasn''t enough to expose its whole enormous body to them, there was no telling how much of the form of his was hiding under the water.


    Without any movement it was just staring at the pitiful creatures in front of it for a few seconds at least, as if waiting for something to happen. And the thing indeed happened, the whole lake and the forest around it got covered in a white mist. As the red eyes did vanish before them, the adventurers made themselves a little more careful as there was no telling from where it would initiate the fatal attack.


    Closing her eyes, concentrating -- Renier shouted


    " Dodge " as Red made a jump backwards, feeling the impact of the attack in front of him. Continuously dodging the incoming attacks, there was the skill and experience of the two veterans, in action. At that state of no visibility, only the loud hissing of the serpent was to be heard, from everywhere that is.


    Red making vibrations with his sword hitting the ground attracted the serpent towards him as Reneir was reciting the incantation. By the time she finished, Red was exhausted by moving continuously. As the spell did its work, the strong winds came from everywhere heading the command.


    The wind came making the surroundings clear as before as if they erased the existence of the white mist in a second. With the deep marks of its fangs on the ground around them covered by the colour less venom burning everything grass or leaves coming into its contact. Unlucky for them, the serpent was nowhere to be seen.


    Desperately looking right and left for the serpent, the veterans were shaking, aware that there would be a surprise attack.


    '' where is it ? In the lake ? Is it on the land ? '' gulping in fear they thought as it wasn''t even injured yet. Everyone present there knew that it was his domain, the monstrosity was toying with its prey....


    As Reneir closed her eyes to concentrate once again, a drop of hot liquid fell on her shoulder, burning her skin at the point of contact. The moment was so intense that she didn''t even acknowledge the pain as she continued to concentrate with her eyes closed.


    The moment she heard something or rather someone shouting, calling for them. Reneir heard August shouting


    '' what ? Why is August calling ? He is supposed to remain hidden, without making any noise. So Why ? Can it be ? The serpent is attacking him ? '' thinking about the possibilities in a split second as she concentrated on the words coming from afar growing louder and louder


    " guys....look above !! "


    '' no ''


    She thought looking above her, as she saw the enormous and ridiculously long body of his coiled around the trees above them, looking straight at them with his two red glowing eyes, the venom dripping from its fangs, it attacked down as Reneir realised it was too late for them. Red followed her gaze quickly coming to the same conclusion.


    As the serpent set its long body loose with some amount of force behind it against the two human adventurers. They thought it was over for them.


    Just before when the attack was about to hit them, the adventurers opened their eyes-- alive , being swept back a few steps by a strong wind.


    Coming back to her senses, Renier saw August standing just a few steps behind the serpent. Luckily it hadn''t located him yet. Realising that the girl shouted :


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    " Thanks for the help but go to the camp, your safety takes priority here "


    Enraged from their previous actions, the serpent attacked the two continuously with the hits getting stronger and stronger. Red exhausted, running continuously, with him distracting the beast, Reneir somehow managed to get close to the monster as she tried to stab him with all her might using both of her daggers. When, One of her daggers shattered, she backed off immediately In confusion. It was when the moonlight got reflected from it, she realised the presence of hard, shiny scales on its body.


    Pissed off from her cunning moves, ignoring the man it came straight for the girl with the intention of killing her. Watching the incoming death straight for her, Renier closed her eyes in acceptance as there wasn''t any chance of winning against this monstrosity, even her strongest weapon wasn''t able to scratch it.


    " No... !!!! " Tears fell from her eyes As she heard the cries of her long time companion.


    '' it''s over, I am about to die. Ah! I Can''t believe my life is ending like this... There are so many regrets, so many... I wasn''t able to say goodbye to Red, I wasn''t able to complete my last mission but the biggest regret of my life is that I was unable to fulfill my promise of keeping August safe... Please god ! You can take my life, but please keep that child and Red safe. ''


    As i gathered my last thoughts in the final moments of my life. when the incoming death hit me, I felt the impact, sending chills down to my spine... feeling nothing in the moment of numbness


    '' I am dead, my life is over '' or so I thought. When I opened my eyes, I saw a saviour, standing between me and my death in the shape of that giant serpent.


    With his hands imbued with mana, holding its two fangs, unaffected by the acidic venom. It was the moment I saw him as he turned his head backwards, realising who he was i said with my shaking voice....


    " Who ?Red.....no ... August ? "


    Smiled towards me as he broke its right fang into two with his bare hands. Feeling sudden pain the serpent broke free taking a few steps back, confused by the moment in front of itself.


    Summoning his sword out of nowhere, as he slides the new weapon in the air saying


    " Are you alright ? "


    On the other side I saw the serpent, who managed to pull itself together ready to devour the boy standing in front of it, in order to avenge it''s one of the two precious fangs....


    Fearing the worst for August, watching Red unconscious below a tree, I said instinctively ---


    " Run... August, save yourself "


    Ignoring the monstrosity in front of him, he turned towards me lowering himself, reassuring me as he put his hand above my head saying --


    " I told you I can help didn''t I ? "


    Although he was a child, the words of his felt reassuring as if Lord Vellion was standing in front of me himself telling me to not be afraid.


    Hearing the Roar, I glanced behind him -- the serpent coming towards August with his full force unleashed... But the scenario that left me in awe was that young boy, sitting with his back towards the incoming threat... UNFAZED.


    ***


    Suddenly the air around August changed, with his hands covered in orange - red flames, the winds revolving around his legs..... The trails of lightning that could be seen occasionally coming from his body.....


    '' so that was when he said, August hadn''t found his attribute yet..... To think it was because he can use all of them at such a young age..... And that is without incantation, the boy is also a [silent caster] ''.


    As Reneir evaluated the situation, with the fear of death from her heart long gone.


    August assuming a stance, suddenly vanished from in front of her as due to blinking, her eyes couldn''t catch up with his speed. August reached the serpent faster than itself, dealing a huge cut on the soft skin around his mouth. Thanks to Reneir previously attacking the serpent on its scales, August knew that the only way it could be killed was to stab it around his mouth.


    Drenched in its own blood, enraged -- as it was gone berserk attacking August and anywhere around him without giving much of a thought. August dodging continuously when he put his strength on a single attack in order to stab the serpent to death.


    His sword shattered as it came with the contact of it''s smooth skin inside the mouth. Renier was confused by the situation, but August didn''t even flinch as if he knew that it was going to happen...


    Suddenly Renier sitting there quietly realised the reason why his weapon shattered, it wasn''t because of the monster but the sword couldn''t handle the energy of the young boy.


    August continuously punched the serpent at its face with his fire-covered fists, hovering in air dodging its attacks, dealing huge blows with the lightning speed.


    With the intention of killing the serpent roaring in pain, August backed off a few steps, closing his eyes for a few seconds, Standing there without any expressions on his face, August raised his hand in the air with the two index and middle finger towards the target and three folded towards himself.... As he manipulated the mana around him.... Concentrating it in a single spot, the mana started glowing like a small Sun... As he pointed out towards the serpent.....The blazing fire concentrated on one point, putting some pressure on it.


    [ BLAZING INFERNO ]


    The surroundings got lit up, giving out the illusion of the day in the dark night..... The fire making a straight line coming towards the serpent, severed in half with respect to its length ( length wise ), two equal halves fell on the ground opposite to each other. The inner skin of its burned to the crisp, red.


    " Ah.... " The boy sighed, stretching his arms in relaxation. Smiled as he glanced towards the girl, a companion of his....


    Looking at his child-like smile, she couldn''t believe what she even saw, but the truth was they were saved. And it was all thanks to the boy she thought was a mere child. She smiled back at him as she sighed, relaxing herself.


    Suddenly the other companion of theirs woke up from the after - shock of the fire beam. Coming to his senses watching the corpse of the mighty serpent


    '' Vyrrathax '' lying in front of him, he immediately asked the girl, in confusion


    " what.... What happened ? "


    Placing a hand on her forehead she smiled as she said :


    " WE ARE SAVED "


    **********

 The dead dungeon

    After slaying the giant serpent '' Vyrrathax '', August sighed and ran to his companions. Stranger to everything happened, while he was out, looking at that pile of flesh appearing as though sliced with the hands of a seasoned warrior using the finest of the blade, Red asked Reneir as he turned his head towards her in utter confusion


    " what...what happened here ? "


    With the smile of satisfaction on her face closing her eyes the girl replied " we are saved "


    Not convinced by the answer, Red because of his own condition at that time, didn''t give much of a thought about it.


    Realising that it''s just midnight, Red apparently forgot about his pain due to excruciating hunger rising inside him. Without thinking much he took out his dagger and started slicing the meat from the corpse of that serpent.


    Who gives a damn about pain and suffering, while facing with hunger. Looking at him grinning while slicing, Renier smiled holding the injury on her waist with one hand. August, returned with the first aid kit from the camp..... They didn''t have any healer with them and none of them specialised in healing magic, so carrying a first aid kit was a must.


    August tied the bracelet possessing healing abilities, given by his mother, on her wrist to fasten up the healing process. As for the incoming blood from her wounds, he wrapped bandages around them.


    It was a good thing that none of them were fatally wounded. Serious injuries in this forest were bound to cause problems as severe as death. Take one step wrong and the person could become target for the beasts who used to follow the trails, smell or some could even sense the blood.


    Obviously, even without any beasts around, injuries weren''t any good things to have. As soon they were done with the healing, they sat around the fire quietly, as after the tiring night, they didn''t have any more energy to spare, with the juicy tender meat of the serpent being grilled on it.


    Since there was the essence of the giant serpent


    '' vyrrathax '' in the air, around the area, no creature would dare to come near the lake. It was the biggest reason they didn''t have to be careful or worried about any ambushes tonight.


    As soon as the fire went out, Red was sleeping soundly beside it. Renier seemed to be struggling with some kind of conflict in her thoughts.


    August, who was sitting right beside her looking at the starry sky she said


    " So you meant it didn''t you ? ....your desire to experience the new things in life. "


    Following her gaze, with a seemingly sweet smile he said " what ? You didn''t believe me ? "


    " To be honest, I thought of you as some kind of strange kid, uttering his own written theory and presenting it like the philosophy about life.


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    When I told you that I''ve met countless people having different opinions, the truth is that more than half of them died during the journey, they seemingly put themselves through. People come -- some for excitement, some to obtain divine weapons and artifacts, some for fame and riches,


    but the people who survive the longest in these wilderness are the ones who are desperate...desperate enough to live, desparate to be able to feed their families, and worst of all the people who are desparate to die. " The girl grew silent as she said.....


    Scratching the back of his head, in confusion, August asked " how does this connect with me ? "


    Smiled as the girl said with the expression of satisfaction on her face :


    " Apart from the desperate ones, none of them had the enough power to back their words.....


    The other ones didn''t have the necessary power either, but the thing that made up for the rest was their will power to them. And so they were able to live another day.


    I thought the power I imagined didn''t exist in this world but after watching you today single handedly taking down a giant monstrosity on your own, gave me hope -- that the mankind can be powerful..... More powerful.


    If you don''t mind answering, tell me when exactly you thought that it''s time for you to step up ? "


    Said the girl staring intentively at the young boy with the curious eyes of hers.


    Closing his eyes, recalling the moment he said


    " As i watched you two fighting the monster, you seemed very good to me, but the moment I saw the serpent playing tricks on you, I immediately senses some kind of fade magic from it..... At first I thought the situation was under your control, but when I saw it rushing towards you two i decided to step up...


    And when it attacked you specially in order to kill you i suddenly felt like a wave rising in my heart as it skipped a beat. That was the moment I was about to lose myself to an unknown power residing in my heart. Getting the hold if myself I was able to pull myself together from that raging fight of power. "


    With the sudden change in her expressions, looking tensed she said


    " Hmmm... I see, I also felt something strange from you. But i think all is well that ends well. Afterall we are all safe. "


    With his smile growing wider he said


    " Yes you''re probably right "


    After grinning in joy sometime, the girl said with a little serious tone


    " But August, don''t ever lose yourself in front of that power "


    After thinking about it few seconds he replied with that same tone


    " Yes, I understand "


    With the rise of the Sun, a new day came into existence making all the darkness unseen against the bright, warm light of Sun.


    After, a sound good night sleep, wrapping up the things, the adventurers were totally prepared for their journey ahead. With more knowledge regarding combat about each other as they continued to navigate the forest encountering and slaying the mid range beasts on the way for almost about two weeks.


    After two weeks wondering in the forest following the straight root to their destination, the three adventurers accidentally discovered a long lost dungeon, devoid of life and maybe any treasures appearing as the lowest of low tier.


    The two veterans suggested to not going into the dungeon as they thought it as waste of their time.


    The young rookie perhaps, seemed to differ. Being a child who hadn''t seen a real life dungeon from inside, he got excited, as he was not allowed to enter the unconquerable dungeon in any case though.


    The request seemed genuine enough to the veterans, so they decided to give it a try after all. It''s not like this low tier dungeon would have more dangerous beasts than they had encountered during their journey into the forest.


    Some time passed after they''d entered in the dungeon, without having any difficulty and not encountering any dungeon monsters the veterans were not very surprised to reach the final point this quickly. But the boy was bored, sighing as they reached the final point of the dungeon.


    Being bored in frustration the boy said


    " Forget about treasures, there isn''t even a single spider to be seen Ahh.... It''s so infuriating. "


    Replying to him patting his shoulder Red said


    " C''mon be realistic, what would the spiders even protect here ? "


    Passing the same vibes if frustration, syncing with each other the dungeon case seemed to be lost.


    Renier listening carefully, as though there was something wrong..... August watching her and leaning towards the rocky platform at the same time located in the centre of the room.


    The moment as Renier finally caught up to what was wrong with that dungeon, shouted while trying to grab the hand if August with the surprised expressions on her face.


    To August everything became silent and Reneir tried to grab him slowly followed by the same reaction by the other companion, unable to realise what was happening, why were they trying to reach him and in slow - motion besides all.


    Feeling himself getting unconscious by the second and as though falling into an endless pit, August lost the sight of them at last.


    Finding himself surrounded by never ending darkness as he opened his eyes


    '' what ? Not Again ? Am I still asleep ? Is it a dream ? ''


    **********

 The obsidian sanctum

    Falling for at least what felt like a minute or something, August opened his eyes regaining his consciousness. Although his body felt heavy, like being crushed beneath a giant rock. Not being able to see anything in that eternal darkness, he found himself lying on the floor.


    '' what ? What''s happening? Where am I ?..... Am I still alive ? Ah.... I am so tired of these nightmares. I must be still sleeping. '' wondering in his thoughts, surprised and reacted quickly as he heard some strange noise.


    With a flame on the palm of his hand, the surroundings lit up. Surprised as he realised that he was still in that dungeon which they thought to be a low tier one, but it was somehow different. As if it was newly built completely different from that rundown version of it.


    He called for them as it seemed Red and Reneir weren''t here.


    Right now, there were two ways in front of August, not knowing which one to take he was standing there giving it more thought. He knew that dungeons like these were like a complex maze. He might get lost and worse -- could keep repeating the same route again and again.


    Staring at the left and right doors standing in front of them, they both looked the same to him. Lost in his complex thought process he heard the voice once again, but this time it was clear as an announcement


    A heavy voice :


    [ WELCOME TO THE '' OBSIDIAN SANCTUM ''


    '' THE PLACE WHERE WISHES COMES TRUE ''


    AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE ARE TWO OPTIONS BEFORE YOU.


    * THE RIGHT DOOR : WILL TAKE YOU TO THE EXIT WITHOUT ANY TROUBLE OR DANGER


    * IF YOU DESIRE SOMETHING, THE LEFT DOOR HAS THE ACCESS TO THAT DESIRE OF YOURS.


    BUT, THAT WILL NOT BE EASY, YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH UNIMAGINABLE PAIN.


    AND A WARNING : THE TIME FOLLOWS DIFFERENT RULES THERE


    --- MAKE YOUR JUDGEMENT --- ]


    Carefully listening to the voice, August now had the information that he needed in order to move forward.


    '' Hmm... So I can exit this dungeon easily through the right door. And for the other door, there''s no telling what would be waiting for me there. On top of all that, there is a time problem. The announcement said that time flows differently in that part, probably if I take too long inside, the world outside may cease to exist as I know it or it may be that i would spend eternity there and nothing much would change in the outside world. Well it is too good to be true, the first one is the most possible outcome. ''


    Thinking about all the possibilities thoroughly, August reached a conclusion at last. To enter the left door of the dungeon. To be honest, after hearing those words, he didn''t even consider exiting the dungeon to begin with.


    He had a goal, that he wanted to achieve since he was five years old after all. He was determined to see through that no matter the cost. But the price here was the same thing he was limited with, '' TIME ''.


    It was a once in a lifetime gamble.


    Not taking too long, August reached a conclusion, that he would enter the left door. August was determined that, no matter the cost he will make it happen.


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    Standing in front of the left door, with the determination in his eyes, knowing that he had to slay everything in his path and that too in a time limit.


    Closing his eyes, August inhaled deeply, raising his hand and manipulating the mana around his palm, August made four independent flames, protecting them with two spells.


    First : so that they could keep burning continuously until August himself turned them off and the second : so that they could move accordingly with his speed.


    After doing the arrangement to counter the darkness, August assumed the stance in which he could run faster. With a deep inhale, he started running.


    Giving the straight path forward, the dungeon was too generous. As August was running with all his might, the flashes of lightning could be seen occasionally from him.


    Back when August was training at his home, he tried so hard to be able to move at the speed of light.


    But even after his countless efforts to combine magic with his strength and stamina, he wasn''t able to achieve that speed.


    But as per the human standards, he was moving at least ten times faster. After covering a distance of about a kilometre or something, he reached a room that appeared to be the same as the previous one. There were even two gates right and left, just like the previous one.


    '' No, it can''t be. It was a straight way here, it''s too soon to get lost. can it be some kind of illusion magic ? ''


    Not losing his cool, August looked around carefully and found a detail which made him sure that he wasn''t in a loop. Looking above at the center of two gates he saw a strange symbol


    [ ---- [ || ] ---- ]


    Not thinking much, August took it as number two.


    That means it was the second room. Following the example from before, August took the left gate.


    Moving through the path that seemed the same as before after a kilometre, August reached the room that too shared similarities as the previous ones apart from the one detail, the symbol :


    [ ---- [ ||| ] ---- ]


    Now he was sure, and kept moving without stopping.


    Along the way, one thought was bugging him.


    '' I am about to cross the fourth room, but no monster has attacked me till now. '' This thought was relieving and unpleasant at the same time. August began to wonder if he was on the right path or not.


    After crossing the fourth room and almost reaching the fifth -- he got the answers to his question as a giant claw attacked him inside the fifth room from darkness.


    Dodging it as August glanced at the way out thinking that he just had to escape the monster without engaging in a fight with it. To his surprise, the gates were not there this time, only the symbol :


    [ ---- [ V ] ---- ]


    Looking at that, he immediately knew that he had to kill the beast in order to get out of here, and that had to be quick.


    With the flames surrounding him getting brighter and brighter, expanding his fire domain. Now August was able to clearly see the monster. It was ugly, unrecognisable, like a huge pile of flesh concentrated together. With the disoriented body, it was rather quick to maneuver.


    Two sharp claws were its only modes to attack or defend itself. But even, with all that enormous body of its, the movements and attacks were clumsy and repeating. But the thing, that August was unable to understand while dodging the huge but clumsy blows from it --- sound, the monster was making. Like it was in some kind of pain and asking someone to help put it out of its misery.


    August would''ve loved to hear and resolve that problem of the monster, but time was the essence here. So without giving it much thought August attacked it with continuous fire blows.


    Noticing that fire is making it cry more -- August, dodging the blows, closing the distance in between, moving his hands in a coordinated -- circular fashion, gathered the strong winds around himself, reaching at the arms length from the monster, he jumped on top of the monster. Sensing him landing above itself, the monster tried crushing August between his claw and its body. Watching the attack incoming, August jumped straight in the air as he was done preparing the final attack to end the battle.


    Reaching at the limit of his jump August performed a slash with his left hand midair.


    [ ZEPHYR''S CLEAVER BLADES ]


    The winds, following his movements, carried the same slashes along with them resulting in severing the monster in countless halves. To deal the final blow, August covering his right fist into the flames, using negative wind pressure he rushed to it with full force and speed.


    Striking the center of its body the monster got blown to pieces following the cuts that it previously got. The whole place felt the vibration.


    Right after slaying the beast and catching a breath August glanced at the exit and just as he thought, the gates appeared.


    Without wasting any time August took the left gate and headed to the next one.


    **********