Chapter 1

Tragedy

A long, long time ago in the vast cosmos twelve gods were born from the stars. Together, they roamed the infinite cosmos in search of a world to call their own, and after countless millennia, they finally found one suited just for them. They called the world Constella and within it lived twelve races.

Recna chose the long-eared tribe of the forest and called them Avel.

Oe chose the short and stocky tribe of the caves and called them Dorav.

Ogri chose the curious midgets of the plains and called them Gomnos.

Arbi chose the wandering giants and called them Egeri.

Oiproc chose the habitants of the night and called them Kardem.

Suirattiga chose the short and nimble tribe of the valleys and called them Havos.

Nrocirpa chose the strong and savage warriors of the mountains and called them Bravia.

Suirauq chose the furry half-beasts of the jungle and called them Verva.

Secsi chose the feathered people of the skies and called them Arvina.

Seir chose the scaled people of the seas and called them Mermos.

Surua chose the green people of the land and called them Polon.

And finally, Inime who loved all beings, chose to accept the tribe no one chose, a tribe of simple people with no distinct trait except for their diligence in their everyday lives. Inime called them Hom.

Thus, the twelve gods guided the twelve races into prosperity. Sometimes they would walk among their chosen people. Sometimes they would shower them with blessings from above. Sometimes they would make them encounter tribulations in order to develop them into a stronger race.

And so countless years passed and the residents of Constella grew stronger and wiser. They realized that there was a power guiding them and they worshipped their respective gods and gave them offerings and praise.

But then conflict arose. Each race wanted to prove that their god was better than the rest. The outcome of this was war.

Death. Destruction. Grief. Hate.

It was a vicious never ending cycle. This lasted for centuries. Blood was spilled as needless fighting continued on and on.

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No one knew which god did, but the gate to the heart of the world was opened. This was where the gods resided, and the clueless residents of Constella who sought for their god’s approval entered the heart of the world.

Their impure hearts tainted it causing corruption to spread. All manners of living beings turned into monstrous abominations and savage beasts. The earth was tainted black and the seas red as blood. The sky was covered with dark clouds and hail and lightning fell destroying everything on land. Dust storms swept and cold blizzards ravage the earth.

Seeing this, the gods gave up on this world as there was nothing they could do to reverse the situation. Once tainted, the heart of the world can not be cleansed anymore.

One by one, the twelve gods took one last look upon the world they once called their home and left to wander the vast cosmos for a new one.

As Inime was about to leave, she felt deep sadness. She loved all the beings of Constella and seeing this world in such a tragic state broke her heart.

Although unable to repair the world, she thought of at least doing something for them.

She whispered upon the ears of the wisest of the Homs and told them to spread her words to the other races. They were to build a tower far above the clouds in the sky and build their new homes above the sea of clouds.

Inime overwatched the building of the tower, doing her best to stave off the corruption from reaching the residents of Constella as they built it. Floor by floor, the twelve races who once warred against each other worked together in the hope of surviving this unprecedented disaster.

After a few days, the tower finally broke through the dark clouds and revealed a bright blue sky filled with hope and dreams. They build twelve cities around the top of the tower and once again rebuilt their homes. They named the twelve cities after the twelve gods.

But the corruption was not easy to escape from. The tower, which they called Exodus, was corrupted and turned into a lair of monstrous creatures. These monsters appeared from the exit on top of the tower and attacked the twelve cities.

Inime have already foreseen this. In preparation for this she had already granted a power to a select few of the Homs. This power allowed them to grow stronger as they fought the corrupted monsters of the tower. Thus, the Homs became the guardians of the tower exit. They built a shrine to Inime on top of that tower in praise of her blessings.

Seeing that the residents of Constella were finally able to live a stable life on the cities atop the clouds, she, too, left to rejoin with the other gods.

After a long time, the power granted to the Homs were spread to the other races. Soon, all the twelve races had their own respective shrines where those who received the power to fight against the monsters of the tower gather.

This power was called…

“Gemini Soul!” ten-year-old Riley answered enthusiastically as he jumped up from a sitting position. His eyes glowed in excitement as he said, “I will awaken my Gemini Soul and defeat the evil monsters of the tower Exodus!”

“Haha, that’s right,” an old man said as he leaned his back against a wall. His warm gaze rested upon his cheerful grandson. He had already told this story many times to the young boy, but he never seemed to get tired of it.

They were currently in a small room which served as their living room, dining room, as well as their bedroom. The only two doors lead to the exit and the bathroom. It was nighttime and their only light was a simple dim lamp which flickered every now and then. They were poor but lucky enough to get this room for themselves.

Aside from the two, there were two others who lived with them. Riley’s parents were currently out working, but they would usually arrive at this time of the night.

As if on cue, the door opened and two exhausted figures entered the room. Although they were obviously tired, they had excited smiles on their faces.

“Father has a surprise for you, Riley,” the man said as he knelt in front of the ten-year-old child.

“What is it?! What is it?!” the boy asked excitedly.

“Haha, I’ll tell you later after we eat dinner!”

“GRRRR!” the boy growled at his father’s teasing which was laughed at by the other members of this small family.

“Mother worked really hard to day to get these food, so be sure to eat them all, OK?” the woman said as she took out an assortment of steaming bread and meat from a bag. They were placed on wooden plates and bowls. As they had no kitchen, they would always buy their meals.

“Oh?! Why did you spend so much on these?” the grandfather asked.

“It’s a celebration!” the woman answered.

“It’s about the thing I’ll talk about later,” the man said as he took a sit on the floor. The four people sat in a circle as they feasted on their first extravagant meal in a while.

“Burp!” Riley let out a belch quite unsuited for his size. With a satisfied look, he snuggled up to his grandfather and fell asleep.

“Oh, dear,” the woman said as she watched her child’s sleeping expression. “And we were about to tell him the big surprise.”

“There’s no helping it. We’ll just have father tell him tomorrow,” the man said with a shrug.

“Can’t you tell him yourself?” the old man asked with a tinge of confusion in his voice.

“We have to leave early tomorrow morning, at dark,” the man said as he brushed his son’s hair from his forehead. Warmth and joy could be seen in his smile, and anticipation glimmered in his eyes. “I awakened my Gemini Soul. Although, it’s a bit late, but having it is all that matters. I will be heading out to the shrine tomorrow.”

The old man widened his eyes in surprise. Then, tears formed at the corner of his eyes as his happiness overwhelmed him.

“Finally, finally… we could move on from this sort of life,” the old man said with a choking voice. The woman knelt beside him and hugged his shoulders.

“That’s right, father. We won’t need to live in poverty anymore,” she said. “I’m tagging along to make sure that this son of yours doesn’t do something stupid. Like making decisions with his lower body.”

“Hey, hey. Do you think I’m that kind of guy?” the man protested.

“I believe that’s the right course of action,” the old man agreed to the woman’s words.

“We can’t trust a man whose ego might ‘awaken’,” she said.

“Hey! Are you ignoring me?”

“Shh, be quiet. You’ll wake him up.”

Oblivious to their talk, Riley continued to slumber on his grandfather’s lap.

As morning came, Riley woke and rubbed his eyes adorably. The first thing he saw was his grandfather’s back as he stood by the window and stared outside. It was not that bright outside yet, so the sun must have just risen. At this time, his parents would usually still be at home, but seeing that they weren’t, a question-filled look was on Riley’s face.

“Grandfather, where’s father and mother?” he asked as he stood up staggeringly.

“They already left,” the old man said with a somewhat lonely smile. His gaze continued to look outside. Riley hopped to where his grandfather stood and tiptoed to peek over the windowsill.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“They’re not outside?” he asked, somewhat disappointed.

“They were already gone long before you woke up.” At the old man’s words, the boy became teary-eyed. “What’s wrong?” the old man asked seeing his expression.

“Did they left because I slept when they were supposed to talk about something? Was it because I was a bad boy? Are they not coming back?” the young boy asked questions. It seemed like he misunderstood something, and the old man smiled at the thought.

“No, of course not. It’s because your father has an important mission!”

“An important mission?” Riley tilted his head in confusion.

“That’s right! Your father… remember the surprise he said he would tell you?” The boy nodded. “He awakened his Gemini Soul!”

The boy’s eyes widened and a bright smile replaced the almost crying expression he had earlier.

“Then! Father’s going to the shrine!” the boy said as he jumped around excitedly. “Father’s going to beat bad monsters. Father’s going to be a hero because he will save everyone! But… what about mother?”

“Ohohoh. Your father can’t quite do things on his own, so your mother’s making sure he does his work properly.”

“As expected of mother! Father can’t be a hero without a heroine!” The boy then started laughing happily. He then hopped in front of his grandfather and said, “I will awaken my Gemini Soul, too, and I’ll take grandfather to the shrine so we can be all together!”

The old man was surprised at his grandson’s words. Then, a his lips curved into a small warm smile as he patted the boy on the head and said, “This old man will be waiting.”

Bright laughter filled the small poor home.

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But reality can be extremely harsh.

“Cough!” the old man was lying on the cold floor, unable to properly move. It was night, and the cold breeze seeped through the broken window. More than fifty day-night cycles have passed since the couple left, but their life had not turned for the better.

A guilty looked filled the old man’s eyes as he watched the sleeping face of his grandson.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly as he brushed the child’s hair, then entered a coughing fit. Something wet splashed into his hand, and in the dim light from the star-filled sky passing through the window, he could see a dark red stain in his palm.

“Grandfather?” Riley asked as he tried to wake the old man. Normally, his grandfather would already be awake before him. Today was the first time he woke before the old man. Furthermore, it was already bright outside.

“Grandfather? Are you still sleepy?” He felt that his grandfather was slightly cold. “Did you not sleep well last night because I hogged all the blanket?” A smile appeared on the boy’s face as he picked up the thin blanket he used. It was warm from him using it, so he placed it on his grandfather.

“Then, sleep for a while, OK?” He then hopped to the window and peeked outside. “I wonder when father’s letter is coming?” Every ten-day cycle, his parents would send a letter and his grandfather would read the contents to him. Today was the sixtieth day since his parents left, so the fifth letter should arrive today.

He waited patiently at the window while staring outside. Soon, it started to rain, and water dripped from the leaks on the roof. Using their wooden bowls, he placed them under the leaks.

“Grandfather is still sleeping?” he muttered to himself. “Grandfather, I’ll eat the leftovers, OK? I’m already hungry, so don’t be mad later, OK?” Hesitatingly, he took the hard bread that was left of their dinner from the night before. He then drank the rainwater to push the hard and dry bread down his throat.

It continued to rain until afternoon, and the room started getting smelly. Thinking that it was him that was stinking, Riley went to the bathroom and took a quick bath. Since it was raining, he made sure to replace the water he used with the rainwater.

“Hmm? Grandfather, did you not take a bath yesterday?” he asked as he tried to wake the old man up. “Grandfather? Still sleepy?”

The rain stopped by nightfall, but the letter have not yet arrived. His grandfather had not budged an inch either. The room also got so smelly it was unbearable.

Just as he tried to wake his grandfather again, a knocking sound came from the door. Excitedly, Riley ran up to the door and opened it quickly.

“Letter?” he asked with an expectant look but was soon replaced with a frown. It was their neighbor that they would usually borrow money from.

“Your grandfather promised to pay this morning but he did not arrive. I thought that it might be the rain… but whew! What’s that smell?”

The boy was dejected after knowing that it wasn’t his parents letter so he did not respond to the man’s words. The man waved his hand near his face as if to shoo away the smell, then peeked inside the dark room. Seeing the huddled figure of the old man in one corner, shock filled his face.

“Don’t tell me…” he barged right into the house and as he approached the old man, the stink got stronger. He pinch his nose and with trembling hands, he reached out for the old man and turned his body around.

“Hey, don’t wake grandfather! He’s tired!” the young boy said as he dashed beside the man and tried to kick his leg, but he suddenly froze in place as he saw his grandfather’s face.

The overpowering smell filled his guts and a burning sensation rushed up his throat. With a heave, everything he ate in the day went out of his mouth.

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Josef Coal. Died of an unknown illness.

Jared Coal. Killed by a monster from the tower a few days after arriving at the shrine.

Melisa Coal. Committed suicide after learning of her husband’s death.

Those were the stories of the deaths of Riley Coal’s family. Only him, the ten-year-old child, remained. They were Homs living in the poor outskirts of the city of Arbi. It was to be expected as the city of Arbi itself was the most impoverished among the twelve cities.

“So, what will you do?” a growling voice came from the huge shadow sitting on a chair behind a table, customized to suit his size. It was an Egeri. Before him sat a young boy. His eyes were blank as he stared in front of him.

“You have awakened your Gemini Soul by chance because of the harsh circumstance you were put in, but it doesn’t mean that you could live a leisurely life just because of that fact. Because of your age, you can’t be sent to the shrine. So, what will you do?” the Egeri leaned forward and asked. “Will you work for me? If you do, I could have you trained to properly use your power. Then, you just have to follow my orders and work as my dog for a few years. After that, you can do whatever you want. You can go to the shrine and be a hero, it’s all up to you.”

The Egeri then leaned back on his chair and said offhandedly, “Or you can choose to go back to your old life and die rotting like your old man.”

Hearing those words, the young boy bit his lips. It was an emotion he could not understand.

“So?” the Egeri asked impatiently.

The boy only hugged his knees and buried his head in them.

With a sigh the Egeri said, “Take him away and throw him back to that dump.” He then whispered to his aide, “Have some men watch over him and make sure he doesn’t learn anything. Also, report immediately if he decides to change his mind.”

The aide, a male Havos with a scarred lip, nodded in understanding.

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His old home had already been burned down in order to not spread any contagious disease. What was left were burnt wood and broken glass.

“There, there, don’t cry.” A sickly sweet voice.

“Shut up,” the boy said in a low voice.

“I’m here for you.” It said.

“Shut up,” he repeated.

“You’re not alone.” It tried to comfort him.

“I said shut up!”

The rain fell and drenched the young boy who stood in front of the burnt remains of his old home. His head was bowed low, and his fists were clenched tight. The rain masked the tears falling down his face.

“I will awaken my Gemini Soul and defeat the evil monsters of the tower Exodus!”

“Father’s going to beat bad monsters. Father’s going to be a hero because he will save everyone! But… what about mother?”

“I will awaken my Gemini Soul, too, and I’ll take grandfather to the shrine so we can be all together!”

The words he said replayed in his mind and he grit his teeth as he realized that it was all useless now. Without his parents, without his grandfather, what was the use of having a Gemini Soul?

“UWAAA!” He fell on his knees and wailed as hard as he could. “FATHER! MOTHER! GRANDFATHER! UWAAA!”

Under the rain, a lonely boy cried his heart out at the tragedy that had befallen him.

*** A/N: So, some of you may know me as the writer of Hazard Frontier (still on indefinite hiatus). This is the fourth story I\'m trying to write, and the other three have not made any progress at all (one\'s only at two chapters, so sad). Hopefully, this one would not end up like the others.