Chapter 1 (The child)

7 years later.

“Mum! Mum! Look!” as the boy ran fast ahead of his friends towards his mother. His friends, dared not enter into the cave. In previous years, they had dared not even enter the vicinity around the cave.

The boy ran up to his mother, with the carcass of a deer pierced by shards of ice in his arms.

“Oh… very good my child. Very good.” His mother replied in a dreary voice. Ever since he could speak, this was the only voice he knew. A loving, but tired voice.

At a young age, he could listen as his mother told him stories of the outside world. She’d teach him the basic knowledge, maths, common sense in the world and even magic. When he was 2 and able to crawl around, wolves from the mountains came. Even though they could not talk, they understood each other. They were his first friends. Now numerous years later, they were all inseparable.

2 years had passed by again. The boy had now grown into a fair height and stood before his mother in a rag covering his lower body. His thin body were with little muscles, almost no fat existed. It was efficient that his body was maintained for survival and hunting. His white hair and white eyes stared lovingly at his mother.

“My child… I… do not… have…long…” his mother slowly spoke. Each word sounded seemed to take away her life.

“Mother… no… don’t say that…” The boy pleaded with years in his eyes.

“Hush… my child… and listen well…” She paused to regain her strength. “I am… a sacred holy white wolf. I have lived for far longer than I could remember… I have no children…”

“You have me mother! You have me!” Tears streamed down from his face. He knew this day would come. But no one could ever prepare for it.

“Yes… yes I have you my child. And I am glad. When I met you, I was interested as to why you were here. So I saved you. If you had made a fuss, I would’ve killed you right there. But no… you looked at me… and smiled. I am glad I kept you.”

The cave fell silent filled with only the sound of his cries.

“Don’t be upset. I was nearing my day 9 years ago. I should have passed on, but I… wanted to see you grow. And you have. Splendidly. I can tell, you have a great destiny ahead of you. It is time for you to leave and see the world.”

“No…no… I want to stay with you mother…”

“No my child. Be brave. See the world. And remember all that I taught you.” She paused and opened her mouth. Two orbs both blue and black floated in the air. Their shining radiance bought a huge drop in the temperature of the mountain. “Take it… and eat… it.”

The orbs floated in front of the boy, he held it in his hands. He looked at his mother, unable to speak. His mother nodded and he complied swallowing the orbs. His insides immediately cried, and he lay in pain for several hours. Before he fainted, he could clearly hear his mother saying,

“I love you… my son…”

He awoke lying in the cave. He sat himself up, he could feel a depth to his powers incomparable to before. His eyes then laid on his mother, tears began to unwillingly flow from his eyes. He knew, at the moment, that his mother had passed away. He cried and cried, for several nights he cried himself to sleep. Until there were no more tears that he could shed, he slowly got up and walked towards his mother.

“I love you mother.” And kissed his mother on her head. He then took a few steps back. And stretched his hands out in front of him.

“Lord of Ice, heed my call, my bidding, my wish. Ice tomb!” Magic gathered and immediately filled half of the cave with ice entombing his mother. Once again, he placed his hand on the ice, kissed it and left the cave. Once outside the cave, he did the same towards the entrance of the cave. No one would disturb my mother’s rest, he thought.

Several pack of wolves waited outside of the cave, the ones he spent the most days with were closest to him. They numbered several hundreds as they all howled in unison. A cry which shattered the heavens itself. The boy too, looked up and howled his pain of the lost of his mother. Some time passed before he stopped and began his descent of the mountain.

*************************************************************

The descent of the mountain took no longer than an hour, for the boy who knew the mountain like the back of his hand, it was as easy as breathing. He stepped foot on the foot of the mountain and looked up.

‘This is the furthest I’ve travelled in my life.’ He looked forward, towards the forest in front of him. He breathed a deep breath and began to walk forward. Each step taking him one step further from the world which he lived.

As he wondered through the forest, he marvelled at the world itself. Admiring every tree, plant, bird, animals that came into his path. He carried nothing but hope for the world. Shouldered nothing but freedom. At last, he had set his eyes upon a village.

The village was a rather big village, close enough to be a town. As he entered, unusual stares gazed upon him. Not only because it was rare for outsiders, but because they realized he came from the forest. And not only that, but both his eyes and hair were pure white. He carried an air of coldness around him with only a rag around his lower body.

He was just as fascinated with them as the people were towards him. This was the first time he had met a human. Just like him. He tried to talked to them, but all shunned him away. He wondered through the village, some paid him no attention, some looked at him and made a disgusted face.

He passed by several streets which were busy with life as he came closer to the middle of the village. Stores, street vendors were buzzing with people. He, being 9 years old, got pushed and pulled around. With occasional comments of ‘Get away you brat!’ But he paid them no heed, he only absorbed his surroundings. By the time he realized, it was close to night time.

And in that moment, he would realized several years later how he would never forget this moment. The worst nightmare for kids, other kids. These kids had just gotten off school and caught the sight of him. Not knowing how devious people were, he approached them.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Oh? Who’s that? I’ve never seen him around.” A boy with a condescending attitude said. He stood in the front of the pack of boys, seemingly the leader.

“He’s a beggar, who knows them all. Pieces of trash.” A boy behind him replied.

“Look at him! He’s kinda cute.” A girl commented and the other girls agreed. Little did they know, that this was the spark which changed the boy. The leader of the pack, looking annoyed as he had a crush on the girl who commented, walked towards the boy. Just as the white haired boy was about to say something,

“Lord of wind, heed my call, my bidding, my wish. Wind!” A gust of wind hit the boy from the side and carried him across the street. Too shocked to do anything, he was met with a beating.

“Piece of shit. Get off the streets!” He kicked the boy on the floor, the pack of boys following did the same. The girls had all run away. Moments later, when the boy laid still on the floor, they left.

At the dead of night, he awoke lying on the side of the street. Bruised and bloodied. There was no anger in him. Just shame and disappointment. First humans he had come into contact with, the first people who were like him. But they weren't like him at all. He dragged himself to a nearby alleyway and looked towards the stars.

“I miss you mother…” he sobbed silently as he whispered towards the night sky. He remembered stories of human depravity from his mother. The sadistic side of humanity. How he wished he could return the beating.

“Remember my child… you possess a very rare power. Do not show it needlessly.” His mother’s words flashed before his mind. He silently replied ‘Yes mother’

Months passed as nobody paid him any attention, everyone shunned him. He would later realize the major reason was because of his white hair and eyes. Which made him seem like a freak. He didn’t know and he never will that he had been born with black hair and eyes. But due to his mother saving him, he was granted a portion of her powers which changed his body structure.

He spent months going between the forest for food and the village for knowledge. He knew that in order to escape he needed to understand the world. He had met the bullies several times, and he was beaten every time. Sometimes he would retaliate, but his body was weak from starving all the time. He never once used magic on them. At night, he would heed his mother’s teachings and cycle his power and increase it.

On a fateful night, he sat under a small bridge and began to cycle his powers. From within him he felt 2 powers whirling inside. He could feel 16 orbs inside his body.

Then suddenly he realized a man stood in front of him.

They stared at each other for a good couple of minutes.

“You have an interesting power…” The middle aged man said.

For the past few months, his knowledge had accumulated of the world and he didn’t want to owe anyone. He knew of the dark side of humanity. He turned and began to walk.

“Stop.” The boy turned to face the man

“What?” He asked. His tone was emotionless, his demeanour was cold.

“I’m guessing you’re homeless correct?”

Silence.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Become my student.”

The boy remembered his mother telling him about teachers and students. About the trust they shared. The bond they had. He too, wanted one for his own. But since coming to the world, he no longer trusted anyone.

Seeing the boys eyes of rejection towards the world, the man said began again ‘I felt a familiar power inside of you.’ He paused and looked at the boy wanting a reaction. There was none.

The man held up his right hand to the level of his chest and seconds later dark smoke engulfed his hand. This boy the boy showed an reaction, a look of shock as if to say, how did he know? His mind once again flashed back to his younger self, his happier self.

“Child, today I will begin to teach you magic.” His 4 year old self beamed at the thought and hugged his mother.

She patted his head with a smile on her face. Such warmth. “You possess 2 very rare powers my child. One even rarer than the other. You must never show this power to anyone unless you trust them. The other, you can. Understand?”

“Yes mum! But what power?!” The boy at the time, still had no idea what powers were in his hands. What destruction it could unleash.

“You have the gift of ice and darkness. Darkness, you can show. But never the other.” She looked intently at the child, the child nodded. “Now… I will first teach you how to hide your other power…”

“I can teach you.” His voice snapped him out of his reminiscence.

‘Just once… just once more mum. If not… I’ll kill him…’ The boy thought. He nodded and followed him.

They walked silently together.

They headed to an inn, to which the boy was offered food, bath and a new set of clothes. This was the first time the boy had received kindness from humans. But it would take far greater things to melt the ice around his heart.

The man sat in their room as the boy entered dressed in his new clothes, although cheap, it had to do for now. They stared at each other as water dripped from the boy’s hair. Now that the man got a better look at him, his hair was pure white. His eyes, shone with a whiteness which carried with it a chill. He gestured for the boy to sit in the bed opposite him, he did.

“My name is Atos. I am a 3rddegree mage of fire and darkness.” He gestured for the boy’s turn.

“Link.”

*Hi, Blancq here. I just finished an impossible essay for university. So hopefully I'll have more time to think about the stories.

Yes, I will continue Atlantis. But I have learnt some things from Atlantis and from people's comments. So this story I'm hoping will be a little bit more... coherent. And flow better hopefully. Thanks :)