"They said that i'm special,

They said that people just jealous of me,

They said that i was born for a great cause, that the God him self bestow me this very own life that flow through me, with every breath that i take, every light that come from the sky"

Excerpt from an Uknown Sripture

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Its just another boring morning of spring where the breeze ever felt so pleasant. But there is already annoying noise that will force you to rise from your slumber.

"Hey Dio, how long you want to continue sleeping, the sun already rise and don't forget today is your turn to do the shopping"

"Zzzz"

"Hey Dio, wake up now or i will open this door with my foot"

When the girl finished the sentence the boy already scrambled to the door, afraid because she will do it exactly as she said.

"Whoaa, okay okay Lynn, i'm awake now, see " the boy Named Dio said while opening the door. "Ashes, Dio, how long you expect me to babysitt you? You are already old enough and you know you got responsibility to hold,,," Dio quickly interrupt her before this turn to be a morning lecture.

"Okay, i know that already , i heard that every morning last year, now let me wash my face, eat my breakfast, then go to shopping okay" Dio said while rubbing his sleepy eyes.

"Rrghh you little"

"What little Lynn, i'm just one month younger than you, its just you were born in end of a year and i was the begining of the next, now shoo shoo" he said while motioning his hand in shooing gesture

"Your breakfast is in the kitchen, now i will go to the library, see you later"

"Be safe Lynn" Dio said while smiled wryly at her retreating figure.

After Lynn went to work in the library Dio quickly made his way to the bathroom to wash his face, then he ate his breakfast that consist only a piece of ham and a slab of corn bread and a cup of cheap wine.

"Let see what market has today" Dio said cheerfuly closing the door of his home.

Tress market already bustling with life when Dio got there, with every shout of merchants as the usual music that accompany him as he come deeper.

Today the shopping list consisted of hams , corn bread, and heap of vegetables if he get any. That's pretty much their daily food. But they could not afford to be picky with our money now, they were the 'dragon' orphan, not much can be said, its just their parents died killed by the Prince of Destruction.

"Hello Arnie, the usual thing please" Dio said to the person behind the stall counter

"Oh hello Dio, heres 6 slices of ham, its 30 copper as usual" the lady said with smile

"Thank you"

"You are welcome son"

After that he went to the oldman place to buy the bread

"Hey oldman, 20 corn bread please"

"I'm not deaf you know, here, its 80 copper for ya"

"Thanks oldman, you always give me discount"

"Shhh, don't said it too loud, if people know i give you discount, they will ask me to give them too, now go, i got lot of bread to make" the oldman said that

"Haha, sure, thanks again" Dio grinned before walked off to wander at the market.

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Dio's life had been hectic and painful for the past few years. After his parents death, his life took a sudden turn that even he didn't expect it to happen.

The story went back to seven years ago. When he was seven years old and once part of the wealthiest family in the remote medium-sized town of Dintra. His parents are famous for their trade in silk and Orichalcum gem. Although started as a small family bussines, with his parents expertise they made a killing.

Born as the only child on an empire of money, his life was never in inadequacy, for everything already served before him. Although drown in wealth, his parents never changed their self, for they still humble like everyone remembered from the time when they were only a family that started as a little merchant. So even when he got everything he wanted, even when he socially stood higher, their parents always implemented the education of humility and the like. Dio became a likeable boy in the town, everybody respected his parents and love him because of his personality.

His parents made a gigantic estate that on par with a small castle, in the edge of the town. They also took the towns people to work for them, helping the towns to grow and creating new jobs for them. Even the major want to grant his parents a privilege to raise an army of their own, which they took eagerly, because hiring mercenary for guarding the bussines and estate proven to be expensive and somewhat 'unsecure'

He grew up with Lynn, the daughter of his family butler. She was his very first friend for she is only a month older from him. They spent their childhood together, giving both of their parents endless worry, because they like to 'gone missing' unnoticed. Once when they were six years old, they made their parents almost went crazy because some people saw them went into the woods near the town. The woods had reputation of wild beast that lived inside, that made their parents mobilized almost the entire town to search for them, only to found that they were fell asleep in the guards barracks.

Dio and Lynn got grounded for almost a month, before they were released. After that their time for playing noticeably dwindled. Dio's parents hired tutor to teach them all kind of things, from basic literature and language , until the art of alchemy.

Surprisingly, Dio was good in the art of creation, like alchemy and artificing, where Lynn was good in swordmanship and language. They made an odd pair that was known to the entire town.

Although he was so likeable by the adults, somehow all the children seemed so reserved near him, it made him uncomfortable and at loss on how to act. Slowly his only playmate left were only Lynn and the guards in his estate. Though he never regreted his life.It was a perfect life.

Until one day, the life shattered on front of him. A ball of fire was thrown out to the heart of the town. A Dragon suddenly came out of nowhere. Disguised in the burning light of the high sun.

Yes Dragon, the bane of humanity that had been ravaging the world for as old as legend itself.

Although the prophecy told, the heroes will come, but none has appeared. The Dragons still living as they pleased, sowing seed of destruction everywhere.

The panic spread faster than a fire on a barn full of haystack. The town armies and guards busy attacking the Dragon, while at the same time evacuating them into safety. But no arrows that could pierce the skin, no swords that could bleed the flesh. Their struggle was a bravado that will ended up in vain. But still they fought for the safety of their loved ones. At that time, Dio was in his private laboratoty that his parents build for him. When tremors can be felt. Peoples scrambled in panic, but he saw his parents calmly directing them to the underground shelter.

Instantly Dio thought of Lynn, she supposed to be in the yard practicing sword. When he made a run, a hand suddenly grabbed him, it was his mother. Wordlessly she pulled him, but when he tried to break free, a roar suddenly heard nearby. It made his legs wobbly. Then he noticed Lynn was running towards the shelter with a someone. He immediately ran after her followed by his mother.

The shelter was packed full, with sobbed cry and hard rough breathing filled the room. The stream of peoples keep coming, his mother helped them to be orderly, while Dio searched the crowds for any sign of Lynn. There he found her in the corner, trying to help a crying boy.

That was the last thing he remembered before he regained his consciousness. The towns people said they found him burried in the rubble with broken arms.

When he asked about his parents they all fell silent, until an elder came and sit near him. Telling him everything that happened to the town.

The Dragon destroyed more than eighty percent of the town. Killing more than five thousands people, his parents included. And after doing its deed, the dragon just flew away, like a small kid that got bored ransacking an ant nest.

He was in grief the whole week. Peoples came to saying their condolences, but that was the worst part, he didn't need the whole town keep reminding him that he was an orphan now for the whole week.

It was at the end of the seventh day someone that he completely forgot came in.

Lynn came with bandages all over her body and head. It was heart wrenching because he forgot completely about her.

She came at him and hugged him desperately and they cried together.

Then he found out that Lynn also lost both of her parents, when he heard that, he almost cried when Lynn flicked his head, saying that he already cried enough. Then they laughed , laughing at their fate at the miserable life that they got.

The day after that, they went outside to see how bad the town was. It was catasthropic, the destruction made them barely recognize the town. It was not like anything he ever seen before. Although he saw some familiar faces, he couldn't find light inside them anymore.

It was a week after the attack, an employ from the Imperial Palace came to help rebuild the town. There were talk about building garrison here.

And he overheard a talk about an academy that soon be opened on a town called Lath, a big town about a 4 days travel from Dintra.

'Thats it' he thought, an academy is something he needed , a way for him for revenge. He didn't have the skill with tongue like his father nor the capability to managed things like his mother, but an academy will open a path for him.'With my intelligence, i will destroy them, i don't need the heroes, they can all go die' he secretly vowed in his heart.

When he consulted it with Lynn, she made him realize that his entire fortune now gone, broken under the siege of the Dragon. The only thing that left was the land and some part of the houses.

He decided to sell the land and anything within it for a small fortune. Then he planned to move Lynn moved to Lath, At first Lynn refused to live with him, because she felt it will be a burden to him. But after some persuasion and talk about finding a job, she finally gave in. After arrived there he bought a small house near the outskirt, a warm and cozy place to live in.

The remaining money he got, he saved for the academy , later in the future.

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(Present)

"Hello Dio, delivering lunch for Lynn as usuall?" A middle aged woman asked Dio from behind the reception desk, when he entered the library.

"Hello there Auntie, yes i came to deliver lunch, where is Lynn?" Dio came closer to the desk while smiling.

The woman is Nurna Nemata the head librarian in this place, with thirty years of service now she already passed half century in age. Her eyes still looked sharp although the time evidently already took her within its embrace.

The once one of the most beautiful girl in the town, now only an old woman with greying hair.

"Second floor at the H section reading booth" she said while adjusting her reading glasses.

"And please do tell her to meet me after lunch okay?" Nurna said

"Sure"

"Lovely, now sho, she must have been starving already, waiting for you" she said before went back to read a book

"Later then Auntie" Dio said while going to the nearest stairs.

This library was once something that towns people seldom to visit or use. Because the growing town, people prefer to work for money and not really interested in reading.

But Nurna was already been there as long as people can remember. The library started as two stories building that have books on the shelves. Every single of text and books was from Nurna parents. But now, it was a palace of text , a keep of knowledge , and many more of it in here. Thanks to the help from the Palace, now it stand five stories high with four times wider and thousands books richer.

And with the academy in town, the library became one of the place to go if you ever want to enter the academy.

Dio made his way through the marble stairs, everytime he was in here, this place never cease to amaze him. The intricate design and decoration gave unworldly feeling that contrasted to the world outside the door.

Dio made his way smoothly between the high shelves, because he already made mental map of this place some years ago. He was humming lightly, made his way towards the far end of the second floor when he heard people voices between the shelves.

"What do you mean by that? How did you get this information?" A husky voice said that

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"I clearly heard that, they said he is the one, and the stone was alive when they checked it. So yes, but to think it come from that place, how could we expect the salvation to come" someone with a croaky voice answered.

"They also said that the king will officially announce it and will give full support to him, this cause the tension to reach its peak between the faction" the same voice said that again. That greatly pique Dio interest. He tried to find the source of the sound, but from the vast shelves it will proven to be difficult. When he crept closer to the source of the sound,

"Hey Dio" a hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder, it made him spun and almost attacked the person

"Whoaa, easy there" a tall young adult said that

"Ah,Curses Dan, you scared the hell out of me" Dio cursed

"Whoa, i just tapped your shoulder man, no need to get offensive with the language" Dannuar Shelton is one head taller than Dio, which made him the tallest person on the town with more than two meter in height

"That's your fault, sneak up on me like that" Dio said but still breathing hard.

"Haha, sorry man, never intend to, what are you doing here , your girlfriend already waiting for you" Dan nudged Dio's elbow with a grin that saying what-are-you-waiting-for.

"Stop it, for the thousand times Dan, she is already like a sister to me, we not in any romantic relationship"

"haha yeah yeah, now go, or you will make her wait even longer"

"Who's the cause of it heh, see you later" Dio said sarcasticaly before went ahead to the destinated place.

He actually wanted to stay and try to eavesdrop once again, but with Dan nearby ,thats seemed unlikely. He absentmindedly arrived at the booth, with a soft knock he announced his presence to the occupant

"Wait a sec" a voice answered , a second later a soft click heard and the door opened, revealing a Lynn in black robe.

"Ah, finally, come in" Lynn said taking the sandwich from Dio's hand

"Sorry, i met Dan on the way, so we talked a bit" Dio said while unwraping his own lunch

"So, how's your research ? Anything new?" Dio asked

"Hmm, ohing ew"

"Swallow it first then talk, that's why no man can last long with you"

"Shut up, like you one to talkz anyway nothing new about it, every record about the order is already lost or destroyed in the first Dragon War after the First Revelation." Lynn said disheartenedly

"Well, what do you expect? That order is as old as the first military force known to the world. Even the Olden Prophecy has them in it." Dio said

"Yeah, i know that already buut its still so frustrating for no official record about them left behind, only legends and rumours that passed down mouth to mouth. You know spoken words that already passed down is more unconsistent than weather in stormy days" Lynn angrily chew her last sandwich

"Well i'll let you to whatever you are doing here and Auntie said that you to meet her after you finished your lunch" Dio pointed at the booth that full of books

"See you later at home"

"Yeah i will after i clean this mess , and see you later" Lynn said before Dio closed the door

Lynn job was easy for the most part, she only need to organize and deliver books to the reader inside the library. It came with decent payment and a lot of free time. A perfect job for her and her obsession. The order she talked about was the OathBlade , an order from the Hand of King organization, the oldest and the most powerful organization that run as the shadow of the Olden Kings and Queens. It was said that the first Dragon war wiped them out, but no concrete evidence was found to support any theories about their disappearance and why they never showed up in the years after the war.

But, Dio's mind already drifted back to the two person conversation that he accidentally heard.

'What was they talking about, and why they bring the king's name in it, looks like something really big will be happening soon'

When he reached the spot where he met Dan, he didn't see anyone nor he hear any sound, slightly disappointed he made his way down.

"Auntie, i will take my leave now" he said cheerfully to Nurna

"Oh, finished already? You didn't forget to tell her that she need to meet me right?" Nurna said while placing a bookmark on her book.

"Yeah , she is cleaning the booth now, see you tomorrow Auntie"

"See you tommorow Dio"

Dio made his way towards his workplace half running, the place it self was not pretty far from the library but with lunch already in time, peoples busily crowding the street. Thankfully he already knew the street shortcut inside his head. Alternating between alley and main road he reached the place under ten minutes.

With little sweat beads in his face he opened the door and sent his greeting

"Good day Mr.Bram" Dio said to the man behind the counter that smiled at him.

"Ah, Dio you came at the right time, we have an order that need to be delivered" the man, Mr.Bram said while taking out a leather bag in size of Dio's head

"Um, deliver this? To whom ?" Dio surpressed an urge to sigh

"To the Resterian house, the payment already been made, so you just have to deliver it"

"Oh okay, later then" Dio walked out from the store disheartenedly

The place wasn't far, but he was tired from running. He walked slowly, savoring the crowded street with the mixture smell that hung in the air. The place where he worked was a Pharmacist or herbalist as the towns people called. It was the knowledge that interested Dio to work there. While making money he could learn basic and advance Pharmacology for free.

Right now he is already capable to distinguish most herb and plant, complete with their effects and how to use it for certain purpose.

And the pay was good, even though he often had to deliver the meds all over the town.

The Resterians house already in sight, Dio sped up his pace.

He found that Mr.Restari was sipping tea peacefully at the terrace.

"Hello Mr.Restari, i'm here to deliver the meds from Mr.Bram" Dio greeted

"Ah, yeah, thank you so much" he said while taking the bag

"Wait a moment please" Mr.Restari said before gone inside the house, a moment later he came bringing a piece of paper in hand

"Now please give this to Bram, he will know what to do"

"Sure, now if you excuse me" Dio said bowing to Mr.Restari

"Ah yeah, be careful on your way back" he smiled at Dio retreating figure, before sat back again in his chair

His way back was smoother, because most of the people already finished their lunch and back to their previous activity. Although several peoples still walked down the street.

"Oh , you back already?" Mr.Bram said that when Dio entered the store

"Yeah, but Mr.Restari said to.give you this" Dio took out the paper from his pocket and hand it over to Mr.Bram.

Mr.Bram eyes widened when he read the paper, "oh he want us to make this" then he turned towards Dio

"Now please gather two slot of Nightbane, Nightshade and Wolfsbane, also a bottle of Imp Blood, a spoon of Glow dust and a head of Garlic" when he finished that Mr.Bram already made his way towards the brewing room, and Dio went into the storage room where almost all ingredients kept.

But the ingredients confused Dio, while Nightbane and Nightshade could damage health, Imp Blood enchanced and restore stamina, Garlic is the deal breaker, it can cause the body to breakdown the meds effects faster, making it less effective.

Not wanting to waste his time to thinking it, he swiftly gathered the required ingredients in a basket then made his way to the brewing room.

No matter how many times he come here, Dio always struck by the sheer sophistication of the place. For the eyes of ordinary person, this place maybe looked like a mess with tube and stuff, but for a herbalist or pharmacist, this place was like heaven. With a soft cough Dio announce his presence, this also a way not to startled people, because it proven to be fatal for someone that working in this kind of environment.

"Ah, you already finished gathering the ingredients?"

"Here" Dio showed the basket to Mr.Bram.

"Ahh good job, now you go make those aromatic candle that you made before , it sells like hot cake, and several people already order it ahead of time, you will use the second room ,and don't disturb me, except for something urgent and important" Mr.Bram dismissed Dio without a second glance.

Dio knows better not to disturb Mr.Bram when he on that state of mind, he will make something extraordinary and unique for Mr.Restari that's for sure, you could not miss the glint in his eyes.

"Well candle to go" Dio said to no one in particular

The second brewing room is where Dio's little kingdom take place. Although it lack the "wow" feeling compared to the other room, for him, this was perfect for him right now.

The ingredients were already available for making the aromatic candle, although it was so simple and less flashy.

The wax was already prepared before hand, because making it from beeswax took much time and couldn't be done everyday. So the process will be extracting the essence from the aromatic source.

Dio used four types of aromatic plant, Bloodwort, Anmita grass, Lavender and Citrus grass. The four of it already dried of course

Carefuly he crushed them together until it became powdery. The next step was mixing filltered water with it, filltered water used so it won't affect the scent later on.

After that Dio put them on the distillation device where the heat will separate the water and the essence. After a few minutes Dio got a strong scented essence for the arimatic candle.

Then he mix the wax with some steric acid to make before adding several drops of the essence to the mixture. After that he heated it carefully for several minutes until the mixture fused and melted. Then he poured it to the mold while adding wick. "Then there you go, aromatic candle ready to sell" Dio muttered happily. He then made another batch of candles with the remaining essence until a bell was rang, indicating it was already four in the afternoon.

He then clean the room and stored the finished candles in the shelf. He then went to check Mr.Bram, but he was not in the room anymore. Dio knew Mr.Bram was likely to be in the second floor. He made his way to the library/private room of Mr.Bram with knock he said

"Mr.Bram, are you there?" A voice answered him telling him to come inside.

"So, how many candle you finished today?" Mr.Bram asked without glancing from the book in his hand.

"A dozen of them" Dio said while curiously looking all over the place. He only once ever came to this room, that was the first day when he applied for the job, because he was under pressure back then, he never noticed the paintings and the "weird-but-interesting" ornaments the room had. The painting clearly portraying a human taking out the heart of a Dragon, but the ornaments intrigued Dio the most, it was full of the things that related to the Hand of King, maybe Mr.Bram has some books that related to the OathBlade order.

"Hey, are you listening to me Dio?" Mr.Bram said with a hint of annoyance in his voice

"Ah,sorry what is it? i was lost in my thoughts" Dio said apologetically

"Whatever, just listen, i need to take care of several things, so tommorow you don't have to come, ah and the day after tommorow too, i will give your full payment early with the price of the candles" he then took out a pouch of coins and set it in the table infront of him, the coin clinked indicating the presence of many of them in the pouch

"Sure" Dio said taking the pouch, but it was several times heavier than it supposed to

"The amount seemed to be wrong Mr.Bram" Dio said giving back the pouch

"No its not, just take it boy, and now leave" he said

"Thank you" he said simply

Confused but still Dio took the pouch, he will never turn down money espescially the one that he earned.

When he reached out for the door knob, Mr.Bram called out to him

"Dio, take this with you too, i know that your sister interested in the OathBlade order, this book might contains something in that nature"

Dio's eyes brightened when the words enter his ears,

He quickly took both of the books from Mr.Bram hand

"Thank you so much, this mean alot for me" he said bowing his head

"Yeah yeah, now go" Mr.Bram back to his book once again

This was definitely the best thing that happen to him for the whole year, not that many thing occured in it though

His step was thousand times lighter and he radiated happiness when he made his way home.