Summary of the 1st Arc: Boyhood.

(Prologue 'Not All Heroes are Sung' ~ Chapter IV: A Love that Cannot Be)

[https://i.imgur.com/hQjzXGt.jpg]

A woman attempts to flee the Gulf of Misra in the Caliphate of Camarilla with a child, an act that the Caliph himself has forbidden for 13 days. Yet she manages to put her baby in a basket and send him across the Middle Sea before she is captured. She named her son "Hadi" (which means Leader or Guide) after the man who helped him escape. She left a necklace with his name written in her language.

Hadi demonstrates a strange connection with Spirits, and they save him from drowning. They deliver him in the care of of the Duke and Duchess De Sforza, who had no children at that moment. "Verano" is the name that they give to Hadi.

Verano is raised with the uptight Marzia and the lazy Arnaud Jr. Their father is rough and often uses physical threats to incentivize their children to mature and follow rules. As an upset for everyone in the Duchy, Verano discovers his capacity to bend Fire (unlikely for a boy with no physical traits of the land) as he defends his brother Arnaud from his father.

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Years pass and King Heinrich of Aarchen, the ruler of the Kingdom of Aarchen to which the Duchy De Sforza belongs, gathers an army to go defend the King of Alba from the vicious Northmen, waterbending Sea Raiders. King Heinrich hopes to conquer the vote from the King of Alba so he becomes Emperor of the Holy Flame someday and unites all Fire Kingdoms to expel the Caliphate of Camarilla off the continent.

Arnaud Jr and Verano show excitement to the idea of discovering new lands and adventuring but Marzia doesn't allow them to go. Verano discovers that they are her only friends and she even confesses to have deeper feelings for Verano than those of friendship. Yet a possible relationship is a taboo since they were both raised as siblings. Marzia gives Verano the sword MAV (Marzia-Arnaud-Verano) as his 17th birthday gift and asks him to promisse her that he'll come back by the first snow.

As Verano and Arnaud depart to the north in search of adventure, the Duke sees his sons' naiveté with contempt:

"They are walking into hell with smiles on their faces."

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