Spring 2, Year 189, New Era, Gothia City, Country of Dunkel, Fros continent.
The sun was already setting on the city of Gothia; it had been an ordinary day, normal like any other. The merchants were about to close their stalls at the adventurers' fair. Leonard had just finished a temporary job at one of the stalls when a very kind lady thanked him.
"Thank you, dear Leo; here are some copper coins for your effort."
Leonard paused, catching his breath. With a weary sigh, he used his sleeves to wipe the sweat from his brow, a grimace flickering across his face as the rough fabric brushed against his skin. He took the coins and nodded to the lady as he left. He had a faint smile on his face, but a deep sadness lingered in his eyes.
Leo sighed, the sound lost in the murmur of the fair. Another day, another temporary job that barely paid for the stale bread he ate for breakfast. He observed the people passing: families laughing, friends chatting, couples holding hands. A sad smile touched his lips. He helped whenever he could, a gentle smile for the flower lady, a nod to the baker. But at the end of the day, he returned to his empty room, the indifference enveloping him like a cloak. Living or dying, deep down seemed to make no difference.
Walking through the streets of Gothia, some people would always stare at him; he was quite striking. His skin had a light peach tone. His straight, medium-length black hair often obscured his light blue, almost white eyes. His face was incredibly handsome, with delicate features. He was someone whose beauty drew attention, especially his eyes.
His beauty was often the sole reason he found odd jobs, as he was unskilled in conversation and lacked charisma; he was quiet and reserved.
Upon returning to his boarding house in the city's suburbs, he came across a large cart laden with furs. They were still loading it, but he noticed that all the weight was leaning to the right; its wheel was precarious and was about to topple the whole cart onto the old stallkeeper.
Fueled by a sudden burst of adrenaline, Leo reacted purely instinctively. In less than three seconds, he covered 60 meters, arriving at the cart just in time to support it.
"Watch out, old man, it's gonna tip!" Leo shouted as he supported the cart with his back.
The old man looked at Leo in astonishment, not understanding where, how, or why this young man had appeared so quickly. The helper who was loading the cart with the old man spotted the danger. Seeing the enormous effort Leo was making to keep the cart upright, he swiftly pulled the old man away from the vehicle’s side.
A second later, the right wheel cracked and broke, causing the entire load to collapse onto Leo, burying him under the leirion pelts. The cart's horses reared, letting out loud neighs, creating complete chaos.
The old man and his helper tried to rescue Leo from under the heavy load, and when they finally found him, Leo managed a strained smile.
"Do Gramps wish to die? What in blazes was that?" He spoke with clenched teeth.
"Good heavens! Are you alright? Get out of there; let us check if you are hurt!" The old man seemed very worried.
"I'm fine, Gramps, just be a little more careful." Leo got to his feet, brushing the dust off his clothes.
They carried many kinds of pelts on that cart, leirion spoils, used to craft armor, clothing, and utensils. Leirions, after all, provided the finest materials, so it was a valuable and heavy load indeed.
"Here, young man, as a token of my gratitude for saving my life, please accept this leirion’s pelt. It's not the most valuable, but it's incredibly useful and versatile. I'm sure you'll find a purpose for it.".
The old man presented Leo with a wolf pelt—a lycanthrope's hide, to be exact.
Leo looked at the leather, and seconds of silence made his heart pound with anxiety and a sharp headache throbbed through his temples. Leo then dropped to his knees, gasping for air.
"Good heavens, are you okay, kid? I knew something was wrong! Doctor! Get a doctor here!"
The old man was distressed and worried.
The old man's helper tried to support Leo to prevent him from falling, but Leo pushed him away and stood up on his own. It took Leo a few seconds to regain his composure; he shook his head twice forcefully and blinked a few times.
"I'm fine, old man; don't worry. I was just very tired before, that's all."
Leo simply turned and walked off, leaving them all bewildered and anxious.
“What was that just now? These flashes... why can't I recall anything?" He wondered, still feeling lightheaded as he walked.
He arrived in the suburbs and went up to his boarding room; he was exhausted, having worked all day, the incident with the old man, and now these troubles in his head.
Leo washed himself in the basin outside before collapsing onto his bed. He stared at the ceiling, thinking about the Lycanthrope pelt the old man had offered him. His head was a mess. After much contemplation, he fell into deep sleep.
Even without any blankets, the cold dawn didn't bother him. The hard, uncomfortable straw mattress didn't matter to him that night. He was completely numb in his dreams—nightmares that tormented him whenever he experienced such memory flashes.
Sounds of agony could be heard a few meters away from that hostel room. His dreams were not just any dreams; Leo was inert in nightmares that many humans would call hell itself; pieces of people flew amid screams; howls of Leirions formed a battle orchestra on the spot; the slaughter imposed a dense air. As he cautiously peered out the window, a leirion werewolf with white fur noticed a sweet scent of fear emanating from the room and fixed his gaze on him. Leo runs to the corner of the room and remains huddled, trying his best to hold back the tears with enormous despair. Suddenly a hand grabs his arm, pulling him hard; a scream of "run" echoes in the air, ending his nightmare.
"This again? Damn it... looks like I can't run away anymore." He thought as he got out of bed.
He walked to a sink in the corner of the room. While wiping the sweat from his face, he caught his reflection in a shard of mirror leaning against the sink’s edge and lost himself in disjointed thoughts for a few seconds. Afterwards, Leo made his way to the bedroom window, where the moonlight cast a warm glow.
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"This just won't stop haunting me." He whispered to himself.
Leo felt he couldn't keep running from these recurring mental flashes. He decided to make a concerted effort to make it clear that night.
He stood by the window, looking up at the four moons. He touched the ELEV on his nape; the faint numbness there was a constant reminder. He was a Neumond; that much he knew. He held a golden pendant, a portrait inside—a clue, maybe, to a past he couldn't recall.
Leo sat down in front of the window and absorbed himself in meditation, trying to relieve his stress, when he unknowingly activated his ELEV. His energy flew through his brain, recovering the lost path.
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Fifteen years ago, Leo and his family lived in the small village of Besen, north of Gothia. Besen was unique, built atop Lake Zafir on a massive pillar-supported platform. Two bridges connected the village to the mainland: one to the west and another to the north. All village gatherings and events took place on this platform. Besen's guard was made up of ordinary soldiers; they had not awakened any Neumond for the village's defense.
Besen was a remote village that lived on fishing and agriculture; small caravans occasionally passed through, little to no monster presence, and most were killed off by traps.
As Leo's memories of the village surfaced, a terrible headache pressed upon him, forcing more memories to the forefront of his mind.
It was a sunny day with a refreshing breeze in the village of Besen, something quite rare and valuable for the residents. It commonly rained even though it wasn't cold in the region. Everyone knew each other in the village, and disagreements were rare.
Leo was always with Mia, his best friend. He also harbored feelings for her, though he had never dared to confess them. Mia had long, straight red hair at the roots that curled at the ends. Her green eyes looked like tiny jade stones under the fluorescent light, and her skin was pale white with small freckles dusting her delicate nose.
Mia's enchanting smile, graced with delicate dimples, held the power to mesmerize all who beheld her beauty. Although at ten she possessed a beauty that many said belonged to the little goddess of Dunkel. Leo was always fixing the bangs that fell over Mia's face, hiding one of her eyes and making her look timid. Mia always smiled shyly, calling him annoying, and messed up his hair as punishment
On this day, Mia was acting quite differently than usual and invited Leo to walk in the chaff fields outside the village. Guards shouted at them while they were leaving. Leo and Mia laughed a lot as they got distant from the village.
Mia sat down on a pile of straw, and as the breeze blew, her hair danced in the wind. She gently tucked it behind her ear, her gaze meeting Leo's. It was the most perfect vision he had ever had of her. He felt his heart racing, and a shiver ran down his spine, making his hands sweat. Leo gently approached and sat beside her, offering her sandwiches he had brought in his backpack.
“Mi... Mimi, would you like one?" Leo asked hesitantly, offering her the sandwiches.
"Looks good!" she replied energetically.
Leo occasionally got carried away and addressed Mia as "Mimi." She thought it was cute, and to thank him, she nicknamed him "Kori" after the color of his eyes, which meant ice in the ancestor language.
"I wanted to thank you, Kori." Mia said thoughtfully.
"Uh... Err... you don't have to..." he replied embarrassed.
"It's not about the sandwiches, silly!" Mia smiled.
"Huh? What is going on?” Leo said, confused.
"You know, Kori, when you came to me, I was so lonely. Everyone in the village was always afraid and respectful because of my family's status. I always lived in complete isolation.” Mia's face was pale with a sad expression.
Leo didn't know what to say, just smiled and remained silent. He didn't understand why the other children avoided her; to him, it was a sin to wrong such a sweet and kind girl. Mia was the chief’s daughter, and her mother had been banished from the nobility of a big city to take over the place.
"I have never known what it is like to have a true friend or companion, but you saved me from a life of sadness and isolation.”
A heavy silence fell between them. Mia felt a big lump in her throat.
"And?" Leo asked, his gaze fixed on his feet.
"I will be eternally grateful! Because of you, I can finally laugh without feeling guilty about the past. You've colored my life.” Mia concluded with a huge smile on her face and eyes full of tears.
"Mimi... sometimes you feel so old," Leo said, perplexed.
He looked at Mia, at her bright smile. He reached out and fixed her bangs, like he always did. "I'll take care of you!" The words were out before he could stop them, a promise made
A peculiar, somewhat unsettling silence enveloped the space as Mia gazed at Leo, her heart fluttering with a mix of surprise and unspoken feelings. After all, she was always the one who took care of him.
"And this... is... for you!" He handed her a poorly made brown paper bag with a decorated straw ribbon sealing the opening.
"Uhm!! I hope what you said is a promise!" she retorted to his first comment.
Leo nodded, smiling at her.
"What is it, Kori?" Mia said, looking at him clumsily offering the package.
"It wasn't supposed to be for now, but you're so..." Once more, a heavy silence fell between them.
"Oh! A plushie! How cute...! " Tears welled up in Mia's eyes. "I'll call him Lenny! And hey, don't forget! A promise is a debt!" she said in an affirmative tone as she wiped her face.
"Uh-huh!" He nodded in agreement.
That afternoon passed quickly. Leo and Mia returned to the village knowing they would be scolded. However, the time they spent together was so unique that neither of them cared about the punishments. Mia was so happy with her gift that she didn't even care about her safety.
Upon arriving home, Leo endured a resounding lecture from his mother about the dangers outside the village, but his mind was elsewhere, thinking about Mia's smile and wondering if she was being scolded too. After the long talk, his mother just hugged him, saying that he needed to be more careful and that he was her reason for living.
His mother said a phrase that he would never forget for the rest of his life: wisdom is to comprehend, not understand.
“Isn't it the same mom?” Leo sounded confused.
"To understand is to know, to read, to hear, to acquire knowledge; to comprehend is to know more than that knowledge, but also the circumstances to which they are applied, and more yet, to better judge when to apply them. So I beg you, son, be a comprehensive person," she replied while carefully touching his face.
As night fell, Leo was preparing his bath when a deafening boom echoed from the north, shaking the entire village. The sound vibrated through the floor, rattling the windows. It was so loud that people thought the platform was falling.
Whistles began to blow in every direction, and the great bell used as an invasion alarm clanged loudly in the watchtower, but it was too late. All records indicate that the invasion that day was completely unprecedented.
From the tower, a horrifying sight unfolded: beyond the bridge, a sea of werewolf Leirions encircled the entire village. They were a mass of fur and teeth, a terrifying wave crashing against the village. An almost inaudible voice left the lungs of the tower guard after ringing the bell, uttering a hopeless cry.
"May the Gods of Humbra have mercy on us..."
Seconds later, a one-ton rock smashed through the tower, obliterating the guard and shattering everything in its path.