Once the sun broke dawn Damien awoke in an instant. He knew it was time to finally see the world instead of being stuck in the middle of nowhere in a forest. He quickly grabbed the set of clothes he laid down the night before. He had a simple gray garment, black pants, and a black overcoat which made him look more like a shady character.
He grabbed his suitcase and looked at himself in the mirror before opening the door. He was 160 cm tall with a thin frame, messy long hair that was snow white, and he wore the frames he was gifted. His looks can be described as flashy as his hair drew in all the attention.
He gave himself a nod of approval in the mirror and left with a smile. He walked out that door and bumped straight into Veron.
“I understand your excitement little one, but if you’re like this, then you won’t be able to handle it once we arrive.”
He patted his shoulder with a laugh. Damien looked up with a pout on his face.
“You wouldn’t understand, gramps.”
Veron’s laugh stopped at a standstill but he quickly put on a warm smile that shut his wrinkly old eyes.
“This just means your time has come, Damien. Destiny nor fate will be able to stop you, trust me.”
Damien was about to reply when Veron swooped him off his feet and started walking outside.
“I hope you have everything in that suitcase, we leave now, Damien.”
As he was about to protest they took off into the sky leaving behind their cottage. As they were flying above the clouds Damien was observing the scenery and couldn’t help but admire it. This was all he’s known and he’s leaving it behind today. He didn’t know how to feel at this moment, to be excited about flying among the clouds, to be happy he’s leaving, or to be scared of the unknown coming his way. He was just frozen with a confused look, but he knew deep down this was inevitable. While he was in deep thought, a huge land mass was coming to view over the horizon. He looked up and saw huge walls surrounding a coagulation of buildings. It seemed like there was no end to sight of the walls and buildings no matter how much he tried to observe it. He could feel the dense ambience of mass from so far away. Before he could even fathom to ask any questions about it they started to descend to the ground near a trail.
“We will walk from here little one, no need to draw more unwanted attention. Your looks will give us plenty already.”
He looked over to see Damien still in awe of the sight he witnessed.
“If you think this is amazing, then just wait until you explore this world, there is so much to see and discover still.”
Damien’s shock grew even stronger.
“I’ve always read about places like these in books but they can’t truly describe what it is. Is there truly so much more out there?”
“Yes… this is just your first step into it. Now follow this road, eventually more and more people will come into view.”
Damien nodded and began walking side by side with his grandfather, but they looked more like a young master and his butler.
After an hour of walking Damien kept seeing carriages pass by and he was only able to catch a glance at other people as they kept staring back at him. They came in all shapes and sizes but he came to realize everyone is alike in one way or another.
“Interesting, maybe I was stressing myself out for nothing.”
Veron looked over with a glance and gave a mischievous smile, not saying a single word. They came upon a hill and as they walked past the peak you could see countless beings walking into the city gates. It seemed like a mass pilgrimage all heading to one location. There was a line of thousands waiting to enter the city looking to sell their goods, start a new life, or for a better opportunity. As Damien looked closer he was able to see more than just humans, he saw elves, dwarves, beast people, druids, and demons.
Elves looked thin and elegant, appearing to be above others. From what he has read, they were blessed since birth with great magical talent and an extremely long lifespan. Their unfaltering pride and ego are easily mistaken as arrogance.
Next were the dwarves, they were sturdy and short. They were the loudest of the bunch. One can always find them having a good time or in a shouting match, but they should not be misjudged. They carry great strength and have meticulous hands with great dexterity. They craft the best weapons and every legendary artifact was always accredited to have a dwarf in the picture.
Onto the beast people they were the most diverse. Beast people is to describe anyone with the bloodline of an ancient beast. It causes them to gain features of their common ancestor and have access to some abilities they had. The most common around were the Felines, Wolves, Rodents, and Reptilians. You could see many with cat or dog ears and others with tails. Rarer bloodlines such as Draconian or Rocs were harder to find. Also the same bloodline family can differ in strength depending on the quality of blood and type of creature in the family. An example would be in the Feline family, there could be someone with Cloud Wind Leopard blood or the legendary White Tiger. There can be huge discrepancies so it’s always best to stay on good terms with them.
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Druids are one of the more mysterious types of races in existence. They were born from nature itself. Children of the world, birthed with elemental knowledge ingrained inside them. They are inconspicuous in nature and predominantly stay in the area of their birthplace. Although the majority stay away from the masses, some always make their way into the world with a purpose.
Finally were the demons. Some had horns of various amounts on their head and others had more limbs. The only common feature they shared was their white eyes. They are best known for being near perfect specimens. They are blessed by magic and have a near perfect body structure. They cultivate both magic and the body making them an ultimate machine. Their downfall is their low fertility which causes them to stick together closely.
All this information was running through Damien’s head and it was almost too much to process the information he read come to life. He started to hyperventilate and started to have a panic attack. It was then that Veron put his hand on his shoulder and calmed him down.
“It must be hard, I’m sorry that I was tough on you, but I’ll always be here for you little one.”
Damien’s shaking body slowly came to halt, he looked up to the sky with a sparkle in his eye.
“I know my dream now. All this time I just trained just to be in control, so I can come out here. Now I achieved it and felt confused, until now.”
Veron was a bit surprised, so he raised his brow.
“So tell me, what is your dream Damien?”
“I want to explore this world, every corner, every place, I want to know everything there is to know. I won’t allow myself to be in the dark anymore. I will unlock all of this world’s secrets and understand everything.”
Veron stared into Damien’s eyes with a serious temperament.
“So you wish to become like a God.”
“Like a God? Whatever you call it, that is my current goal.”
Veron felt a shudder go down his spine as he heard the conviction in his grandson’s voice. This was a feeling he hadn’t felt in a very long time. He just grasped Damien’s shoulder tighter.
“The path is open for anything Damien. I believe in you.”
As they neared towards the gate Damien was increasingly getting stares from others. White hair was very rare, especially in someone so young. They believed he was from a distant unknown land, so they murmured amongst themselves.
“So this is the unwanted attention you talked about.”
Damien tried to stay calm but the social anxiety kept creeping back. His breathing technique kept his mind at peace.
They kept nearing the gates until they finally reached the front. The gate spanned over 30 meters and you could see the walls were reinforced with many runes. Veron noticed his inquisitive expression.
“This is a fortress city, we are right next to the border of the Kingdom of Hanoi. War was prevalent before your time, but now it has turned to an economical giant. That is why there are many traders coming and going bringing goods and crafts not available in this kingdom.”
“Amazing…”
Before he could continue, a soldier wearing a full set of iron armor walked forward and interrupted their conversation.
“3 bronze coins each for entrance.”
Veron took out 6 bronze coins as the guard kept staring down onto Damien. Veron handed over the coins and as they walked past the gates. It was a transformation of the atmosphere. You could feel the hustle and bustle throughout the air. Veron led the way through the crowds and Damien followed him while spinning every so often to look at the surroundings. There were countless stands trying to sell their “rare” items, while on the other hand there were grand and prestigious stores that had bodyguards all around. The smell of various aromas came from all the different types of restaurants creating a unique fragrance that caused your stomach to rumble in hunger. They passed by taverns with loud yelling and joyous cries, and inns of differing qualities from worn down to practically glowing.
“It will calm down soon. Just follow me a bit longer.”
Veron grabbed his hand and breezed through the crowd and eventually the crowd of people became smaller and smaller. Damien was surprised to see it trickle down to what it is now.
“What was that, gramps? There was so much going on”
“That was the commerce district, people go there to make money, find treasures, or have a good time drinking with their buddies. We are now in the Guild District. If you look at the building's signs you can see which guild they represent, but you shouldn’t concern yourself with this just yet.”
The crowd was smaller in this area but the air was stiffer and the people walking around felt more dignified and stronger. Some wore long robes with staves on their hands or back and others wore armor sets along with the weapon of their choice. There were even some with leather aprons and lab coats. It seemed like there was a guild for every profession he had learned about in books. He was able to point out the Mage Guild, Blacksmith Guild, Adventurer Guild, and all the other ones in the district.
As they left the Guild District they entered an area with far less people walking around. There were homes laminated by the flames inside, breathing familiarity into the air. It felt cozy and welcoming allowing Damien to breathe a sigh of relief. They kept walking even past this area and finally arrived in a district that had an atmosphere of nobility. Mansions huge enough to shelter over hundreds of people taking up tremendous space. Guards were at every gate entrance and the people seen in this area all dressed immaculately with dignified poses. Every single one was staring right at him leaving him a bit nervous until they left the vicinity. They finally came up to a gate entrance where Veron stepped forward and flashed a medal. The medal was red and carved to portray a phoenix. The guard immediately bowed 90 degrees.
“Lord Veron, I’m glad to see your return, please this way.”
Veron walked on in, but realized he wasn’t being followed anymore. He turned around and looked at Damien with a smug smile.
“Oh yeah, I forgot to mention a thing or two about myself.”
He grabbed him by his hand and dragged him along until he finally started walking on his own. He looked around and saw a grand courtyard with a fountain and multiple gardens. They walked up to the entrance of the mansion made of gray stone. Wild vines and mold grew along them, unlike the others around. It looked ancient and a bit shoddy, but it was definitely fortified. Damien couldn’t help but think it definitely represented his grandfather well.
“So you’re some big shot gramps. What do you have in store for me here?”
He looked expectantly at his Grandfather before they entered the mansion.
“For you? Nothing. This is everything I acquired by my own hard work. I would hope you could do the same little one. You’ll become soft and weak if you get everything handed to you.”
Damien grew a face of disappointment, but after a little thought he saw the truth in his words.
“This will be nothing to what I will accomplish in 10 years. Let’s make it a bet!”
With a sound of surprise Veron replied.
“What’s the bet, little one?”
“You win, I’ll hold off on my dream and take care of you until the end… and if I win, you tell me about my past.”
Veron became dumbfounded, opening his mouth slowly.
“I’ll take that bet.”
Veron opened the door to his mansion and inside there were two lines of servants leaving the pathway open in the middle for his entrance. They took a step inside and every servant got on their knees and resoundly yelled out.
“Welcome back, High General Veron.”