CHAPTER 1 – Birthday

“Yushia, wake up!”

What a squeaky voice.

“Wake up already! I won’t let you sleep all day on such an important day!”

Inside a mud house, a young boy awoke on his straw bed topless, wearing only a pair of baggy pants dyed dark cobalt. His long hair had become bushy like a bird’s nest from lying down for the past dozen sunrises and sunsets. His light blue eyes fluttered open and his yellow pupils dilated to adjust to the light. Above him was a straw-thatched roof in dire need of trimming.

A sickness had stricken the Cerulean Village. It wasn’t dangerous to catch, but it could leave you feeling weak for days on end. Yushia had become its victim, and since then, he’d been bedridden and drenched in sweat. He moved his hands to his face and rubbed off the crust around his eyes.

His vision blurred as he removed his hand, and a young girl’s face replaced the sight of the straw roof. She too had blue eyes and yellow pupils.

Shiashia?

Her black hair tied in a ponytail had streaks of dark blue mixed in the bunch. Two moles sat right under her slanted sky-blue Cerulean eyes, and like Yushia, her yellow pupils shone brightly—perhaps brighter than his. She wore a long blouse that hid her frail body.

“You sure rested well!” she said, a sly grin on her face. “Guess what day it is today?”

Yushia remained quiet momentarily. Having been sick for the past few days, it was difficult to keep track of time. “Is it time for breakfas—”

A small fist bludgeoned his stomach. His eyes widened, and he quickly sat up, coughing up saliva onto himself and his blanket.

“You’re horrible!” Shiashia yelled. “I’m the same age as you now, ten! How could you forget my birthday?” Everyone in the village knew of her birthday. Being the village chief’s youngest daughter, celebrating her birthday was an event prioritized second to none. “Not only that, but it’s also our first anniversary!” she added, removing her fist from her husband’s gut.

Had it really been a year already? To Yushia, it felt like only yesterday he got married.

“I would have remembered if you gave me some time,” he replied. He turned his head to his wife, hunched over as he held his stomach in pain. “You know how I’ve been lately.”

“But you didn’t!” She sat on the edge of her husband’s bed and calmed herself. She sighed. “My parents are planning my birthday party down by the river and they’ll be done, I think, before sunset. Can you make it?”

“Yes, I’ll be able to make it to your birthday if it’s by sunset.” Yushia smiled. The herbal medicine he’d been taking helped him a ton, but it’d still take a long while before he could leave his bed. Shiashia pouted, the opposite response he was expecting. “What’s wrong...?”

She stood up from the edge of the bed and looked down at her husband. She knew how he was, always making promises he couldn’t keep. She had to make him accountable, and so she stuck out her hand and formed a ring with her index finger and thumb. “I won’t believe you until we ring promise.”

Yushia complied. He put his index finger and thumb inside the ring his wife made and connected them. The two pulled away with all their might, but in the end, their fingers couldn’t break apart. Unable to pull apart from each other, their promise solidified.

Hoping for forgiveness for punching her husband, she hugged him before leaving. Her sweet smile alone was like medicine. “You won’t forget my gift, right?”

Yushia waved her off. “I couldn’t forget if I tried.”

***

Sunset neared and Yushia awoke just as he’d promised Shiashia. His condition improved, and he felt well enough to leave his bed and move freely. He picked up a jug of water beside his bed and set it to his lips.

He stepped out of the doorway and gazed at the village bathing in the evening sun. In the distance, he saw a little school the children attended—it was just a bigger mud house. Beyond that and surrounding the village was an endless sea of forest and many dangers that he and other men often faced. He was still young and mainly observed, but he still fought occasionally. Having lived in these conditions, he and the other Ceruleans became one with the forest itself, and their slim, athletic bodies were proof of that.

“Yushia!” a bald, older man shouted out. “Just the man I was looking for!”

To Yushia’s right, a village elder lifted a tall stack of crates all by himself. The elder’s head tilted to the side, his bald head reflecting the sun.

“Hello, Mr. Shushin!” Yushia shouted, waving his hand as he walked toward him. “Do you need a hand with those crates?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Mr. Shushin insisted. “I’m not so old that I can’t carry a few crates on my own.”

“I would feel bad if I left this all to you, though. And I’m not so young that I can’t help out someone your age.”

Mr. Shushin peeked his head out further. “You should respect your elders.”

As he said that, he began to wobble, and the crates he held swayed left and right.

“I respect you the most.” Yushia ignored Mr. Shushin’s words and placed his hands on the upper half of the stacked crates before taking them. “If I let you carry all those, you’ll be rejoining Inanis in no time.”

“Don’t remind me of such a thing,” Mr. Shushin said. Deep down he appreciated Yushia’s help and led him to the school. “I appreciate you coming over to help me, but that wasn’t what I called you over for.”

Yushia tilted his head. “What was it for, then?”

“You know it’s your wife’s birthday today, right? She told me that I’d better wake you up before the party started or else she’d kill me. She wanted me to remind you of her presents as well.”

“No need for that. I remembered.”

“Good. I wish I could attend, but I have to stay behind and watch over the village.”

“Well, if it weren’t for you protecting our village, I’m sure terrible things would’ve happened by now. You’re our only capable ether caster, so you have to protect us all.”

“I’m reaching my limit with my age. Eventually, someone will have to succeed me. I’m not so sure how much longer my ether will keep out uninvited guests.”

“We have Shiashia, don’t we? I heard from my mother that she’s been getting better at controlling her ether.”

“By Inanis’ standards, she’s a prodigy. Where she is now was where I was a decade into my studying.”

“Then why are we worrying?”

The two arrived in front of a shed behind the school and set the crates down on the dusty ground. Yushia let out a groan, surprised by the weight of the crates. He’d assumed there were rocks inside, but that didn’t seem right. “What’s in these?”

Mr. Shushin scratched his chin. “Swords.”

“Swords?”

“That’s right. Chief Chiyou says that the kids should pick up swordsmanship. He also says our days of peaceful living are bound to end soon. It was in one of his dreams.”

A concerned look appeared on both their faces. Chief Chiyou had grand strength, but his ability to peek into the future made him grander. It was a power unlike anything ether could ever output. His dreams were often vague, but he always thought it’d be better to be safe than sorry.

“Perhaps he noticed my ether weakening too.” Mr. Shushin laughed and placed his hands on Yushia’s shoulders, turning him around, and pushed him away. “You should hurry now. I’m sure your wife’s birthday party will begin soon. Don’t want to miss it, do you?”

“Yes, I know,” Yushia said. How many more times was he going to be reminded of her birthday? He darted off back to his mud house and waved goodbye.

Hurrying back to his house, he reached under his straw bed and pulled out a thin box. Inside were two brilliant eagle feathers, the canines of a Silverwolf, and a blue crystal the size of his finger. He grabbed the crystal first. A lucky find. The crystal had come from a mysterious rock in the forest and glowed a strange blue that reminded him of Shiashia’s eyes. It stuck deep within the ground with other blue crystals poking out, practically begging to be taken, and when it did, it stopped glowing. Still, Yushia could stare at its beauty forever.

He began assembling the gift, taking the line of string first before sliding the items along its length. The result was a fine necklace, one he could be proud of. With the addition of the blue crystal, he knew it would look amazing around Shiashia’s neck. He reached under his bed again and grabbed a large leaf, wrapping the necklace.

In the corner of his eye, a squirrel peeked through the doorway. What was it doing here?

Kikikiki...

The squirrel vanished in the blink of an eye.

***

“YUUUUUSSSHIIIIAAAAAA,” Shiashia screamed, “YOU MADE IT!” she ran toward her husband and opened her arms to give him a big hug, almost causing him to drop his gift. “I never had a doubt in my mind!”

“Shiashia, this is embarrassing,” Yushia said nervously as he looked down at his wife, returning her hug. Dozens of other Ceruleans watched. “But happy birthday, and happy anniversary.”

A colossal figure towered over the two—Shiashia’s father, Chiyou. He wore a vest made of thick hide and stood twice as tall as his son in law. “It’s hard to believe that this little Cerulean boy has been married to my daughter for over a year now! Time moves too quickly.”

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Yushia chuckled and nodded. He felt intimidated in front of the village chief, afraid that if he made any mistake, he’d break him in half like a twig. In the early stages of Yushia’s marriage, such a case nearly occurred when he didn’t catch a fish big enough for Shiashia. To the Ceruleans, catching a small fish called for misfortune, and to come back to your significant over with one was considered disrespectful.

“Oh, please dear, you’re scaring the poor boy,” a lady said. She cradled a baby in her arms.

That was Lishia, the chief’s wife. She wore a white dress and rocked a baby in her arms. She had long, black, and straight hair reaching down to her ankles. 2 moles sat under her blue eyes, the same as her daughter, Shiashia.

“Your parents should be further down the river if you’re looking for them,” she said. “You haven’t seen them in a long time, right? I believe they were going to collect some wild berries and hunt some of the forest beasts.”

Shiashia turned her head and glared at her mother. “Don’t try to separate us right now, mama! He’s just arrived!”

Lishia put a finger to her lips. “Shhh! You’ll wake up your brother with that voice!”

Yushia listened awkwardly but felt comfortable in their joyous presence. Everyone, and not just Shiashia and her family, were fond of one another and treated each other as family. The air had a tender warmth he enjoyed being surrounded in most.

“I’ll see my parents in a moment,” Yushia said, letting go of Shiashia. He then handed her the wrapped-up necklace. “Here’s my gift for you. Its creation took a long time.”

Shiashia looked down at the gift wrapped in leaves with wide eyes. “You didn’t have to!” She said joyfully, greedily taking it.

“But you told me you’d beat me up if I forgot your gif—”

Shiashia cleared her throat, interrupting her husband. She gave him another hug and held on to him tighter. “You’re so nice, Yushia!”

What a confusing girl, he thought. As he held her, he eyed the parents watching, which made his face cringe.

“Oh, my Shiashia!” Lishia cried as she buried her face in her husband’s chest. “My baby is growing up way too fast! Soon I’ll be having grandkids!”

Chiyou pretended to cry as well. “You’re right! We must embrace these times! Before we know it, the future will come, and we’ll regret all the decisions we didn’t make!”

“You guys are embarrassing me right now!” Shiashia cried frustratingly, letting go of her husband “You two tease us and say this every time you see us together!”

The two parents smiled and giggled. “We tease you two because we love you both,” said Lishia.

Still, Shiashia stuck out her tongue at them. Once her parents finished teasing them, they headed elsewhere to take care of other business.

“I really have to go now,” Yushia said. He faced the same direction as the river’s stream and ran down it. He turned back one last time and yelled, “I’ll be back soon, so please wait for me!”

A broad and radiant smile formed on Shiashia’s face as she yelled back. “You better!”

Being sick and all, it’d been a long while since Yushia had seen his parents, but with his improving state, it must’ve been fine to see them now. As he walked along the rocky shore, he wondered if their hunting and gathering was bountiful. Just the thought of dozens of beasts on a spit roasting and turning above a fire made him salivate.

Kikikiki...

He came to an abrupt stop.

A squirrel—was it the same one as before? It perched on a boulder peeking out from the water. It seemed a bit fatter now, like it had been stuffed with acorns. It leaped a second later to the shore and vanished back into the forest.

Yushia raised an eye but shook his head. Squirrels aren’t smart creatures, and it wasn’t likely the squirrel was following him. He continued his walk, and the thought of the squirrel left his mind.

The sun had moved further down a tiny amount since leaving the party. In the distance, further down the river, smoke rose in the air and the smoky aroma he desired rushed his nose. Again, just the thought of it made him salivate. Are they cooking the meat already?

He sprinted toward the smoke but hit a stopping point. Strange, he thought as he reached the edge of a waterfall. Nobody was allowed past it without twenty other people accompanying them, so it didn’t make sense for his parents to be below it. He considered the idea that they were with others, but that was unlikely. Everyone was up the river to celebrate Shiashia’s birthday. It made even less sense why they’d be roasting meat below the waterfall, too. After all, the smell would attract forest beasts from all over. Curious, he approached the waterfall’s edge and peeked his head over it.

Fire.

Orange filled Yushia’s eyes. The source of the smoke didn’t come from the roasting of forest beasts. Six crosses were erect in the ground with tall, powerful flames engulfing them. Two people hung on two of the crosses, each with their arms spread across it.

Mother... Father...

He could hardly tell them apart now, but he knew which one was his mother when he saw his little brother’s charred corpse beneath her feet. He was always being carried in a cloth around his mother’s neck, so he must’ve been burned while being carried.

Kikikiki…

Yushia’s eyes slowly turned to the other side of the river. The same squirrel he’d seen before jumped into the air before dissipating into white threads of ether.

What is this...?

It hardly made any sense. Yushia looked over the waterfall again and spotted an old man in white robes with a book in his hand surrounded by hundreds of men clad in metal. The ether from the squirrel traveled inside the book. Was it his?

Yushia fell back and clutched his chest. Was that real? Outsiders weren’t supposed to find them, and it’d be impossible with Mr. Shushin’s mist barrier! Whatever the case, he jolted away from the waterfall and back up the river.

We were found, we were found! He repeated to himself. He stopped suddenly and crashed face-first onto the rocks below him. He dug his nails into his head, fighting against the throbbing.

An old man’s voice invaded his mind. “Your people will pay for what you did those two hundred years ago! Hail the Igneelians of Kratia! Hail the Igneelians of Kratia! You Ceruleans have stained the world, spawns of demonic beings! Offer your lives!

The sharp pain from his nails broke him free of the voice. Another round of adrenaline coursed his veins, and he stood, forcing himself to keep running. He screamed into the air. What if they were already chasing him? He didn’t dare look back and just kept running. His legs felt like they were being burned alive, but he had no choice. He had to warn everyone still at the party!

The smell of roasting meat penetrated Yushia’s nose again, this time from the party. He stopped when he saw his wife sitting on a large rock with some of the much younger village children. She was already wearing his necklace around her neck.

“Shiashia!” Yushia shouted. He walked nervously over to his wife, trembling with fear he’d never once felt before. He didn’t care that his body was ridden with scars and dripped with blood from when he tripped.

Shiashia turned from the kids and hopped off the rock. Her husband was back, and she couldn’t be any happier. “Yushia! You’re ba—”

To her surprise, her husband hugged her tightly. In the distance, Chiyou and Lishia noticed Yushia’s distraught face and injured body.

“I love you...” he whimpered repeatedly. He cried quietly as his hands stroked his wife’s long, silky hair. Are you going to die too? You can’t! I don’t want you to die! I love you!

“W-W-What?!” Shiashia said flustered, her face hot and pink. “What’s this all of a sudden...?”

Chiyou’s large hand gripped Yushia’s shoulder, pulling him away from his wife. “Let me see your body.” He bent down to level himself and grabbed the boy's arm, analyzing. “Goodness... What happened?”

Yushia took several deep breaths before finally speaking. “Igneelians are here, that’s what they call themselves... They were below the waterfall, and they killed my mother and father... My little brother too. They burned them and... and...” He took several deeper breaths but couldn’t continue.

Chiyou held the sides of his son in law’s head and straightened his gaze to meet his. “I need you to take Shiashia far from here. Run as far away as you can, keep running until your legs detach from your body.”

“W-What?” Yushia stuttered. “What do you mean take Shiashia—”

“No questions. Is that understood? The forest is our home, and we are its rulers. They shouldn't...” Chiyou stopped. His own panic had driven the boy madder, and he had to be careful with his words. “...they won’t be able to catch you both."

Yushia wiped his tears, but they kept streaming anyway. He glanced back and forth between the village chief and Shiashia. “What about the rest of you? What are you all going to do?”

Chiyou held his tongue and released his grip. He didn’t expect his dream to come so quickly, and to make matters worse, it was on his daughter’s birthday. “Didn’t I say no questions?”

Watching them made Shiashia’s curiosity grow. Their secretive speaking made for an unsettling mood in the air. Considering the sudden actions of Yushia as well, it was only right that she too began to worry. “What are you two talking about—”

A high-pitched whistle blew through the air. As Yushia glanced back at his wife, his eyes caught a rock speeding past.

His surroundings had gone silent. The sound of his racing heart stopped and his body, no matter how much it wanted to move, couldn’t. He froze out of fear; Inanis had never been crueler than now.

A warm, wet sensation soaked Yushia. He looked down at his wife who had fallen on his chest. His arms naturally wrapped around her, and they too felt warm and wet as the same sensation soaked them.

Blood poured from both of Shiashia’s temples. The rock he had seen blew straight through her head, forming holes that gushed out with blood. She was moaning, gasping desperately into her husband’s chest as she trembled sporadically.

In her final moments, Shiashia’s eyes shot up to meet her husband’s. The blue and yellow in her eyes had dimmed and turned into a dark red from the blood. In her final moments, she kept staring, as if expecting something from him. In her final moments, her lips parted, but wouldn’t let her speak.

Shiashia’s moaning stopped.

“No...”

Yushia fell to his knees with Shiashia in his arms as a crowd surrounded him, casting their shadows from above. For whatever reason, he clutched his wife’s back and held her tighter, as if she was still there and in need of protecting. He knew in that moment that she had died, and that warm wetness staining his clothing was her blood, but he didn’t want to believe it. He caressed her head, and he did so lovingly. What else was he supposed to do?

Across the river, the same old man from below the waterfall entered Yushia’s peripheral. His palm was pointed at Shiashia, and the book in his freehand was open with threads of ether pouring out from it.

Chiyou had also seen the man and picked up a rock from the ground. His arm pulled back and he lunged forward, hurling the rock at tenfold the speed of an arrow. It flew between the old man’s brows and through the back of his head. He stumbled before falling into the river, dying the water red.

An unfamiliar voice shouted suddenly behind Yushia. “Your chief reinforces the stereotype we hold of you. Beasts with no grace at all.”

A young, blonde man strutted out from the forest, adorned with plated armor holding the emblem of an orange pheasant on his breastplate. He held a sword as long as he was tall in one hand and was equipped with a kite shield in the other. Hundreds of men in chained armor followed behind and formed a circle around the Ceruleans.

“Ethercaster William was too full of himself after killing a few Ceruleans.” The blonde man stepped foot inside his circle of men. “For his age, even a pile of decomposing trash like him should know that not all Ceruleans are weak.” He glared at a young Cerulean holding a dead girl in his arms and smiled. It took all the power in him to not laugh out loud. His eyes met the brute, which he assumed was the chief. “I am Captain Vilhem, proud knight of Kratia and commander of the men you see here, today.”

The hundreds of Ceruleans on the riverbank stood behind their village chief and backed away from the man. They had no fighting experience apart from hunting in the forests. Chiyou tried pulling Yushia behind him, but he refused to move an inch and continued holding onto Shiashia. Yushia cried, his tears mixing with the blood of his love.

Vilhelm snarled under his breath just loud enough for the Ceruleans to hear. "Monsters don't cry."

With his sword raised into the sky, Vilhem’s voice echoed as he commanded his men to show no mercy. The Igneelian knights swung their blades at those who showed resistance and handled the women like savages. Fighting became futile as another ethercaster—one still hidden in the forest—cast a spell that numbed the Cerulean’s bodies. The Igneelians finished off the men before hauling the children and the remaining women inside cages to be taken to wagons nearby.

Yushia had been spared, and his tired eyes fought to stay open as the numbing spell sought to bring him to sleep. He missed Shiashia already. His tears had run dry, but he couldn’t wipe away the anguish inside himself as he stared helplessly out the wagon’s backside, at his wife, who lay motionless along the river shore. Let me die too.

Through the eyes of his waning consciousness, he saw a glowing blue light emitting from afar. Had his sanity already left him?

A body rose.

If Yushia’s sanity had vanished, he wished it didn’t taunt.