In the distant past, the world was in chaos.

The death of a tyrant conqueror ushered forth a period of endless war and bloody conflict. The powers that he once controlled quickly rebelled, and all vied for their own little slice of land.

Brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor, like a chain reaction, sporadic conflicts quickly dotted the land as greedy princes and scheming merchants toiled away for their own profit. They incited battles, manipulated their own people, and sent the land spiraling down into a red tainted abyss.

In the background of such mayhem, those that hid in the darkness grew increasingly restless. With no one to manage and control everything, the monsters that once lurked beyond the border quickly gained courage and attacked, spilling blood and stealing away countless innocent lives.

As for the poor citizens caught in between, well, their situation could be imagined.

During those days, the flames of war and the cries of the damned spread through the entire world like slow acting poison. It was a time when smoke filled the skies and the corpses of the dead littered the lands beneath.

But even amidst all the darkness, there shined hope, weak and fickle it may be.

In a little corner of the world, where neither monster nor man could reach, was a village. It was a village built in the middle of a dormant volcano. A village where the sun shined the longest, and the stars above twinkled like the quiet backdrop of an enchanting dream.

Half-light village, the fabled haven for the weary.

This village was one that only knew of peace. It was built by the ancestors of those who fled the continent due to war, famine, or any number of countless tragedies. It was a small, yet thriving community, populated by people of all races and origins. Even amidst the world’s darkest times, this village continued, oblivious and unaffected.

Within Half-Light village, there lived a young boy named Karm.

He was a child born within the village, and knew of nothing but the village. His world was compromised entirely off rickety wooden cabins, and the vast starry sky that existed far above his head. In his world, nothing ever changed. It was the same old people, doing the same old thing, within the same old place.

Maybe it was because of this, but as he grew older, the spark of curiosity ignited within his heart. The world outside of his little hole was something that fascinated him dearly, and this fascination only increased with the passage of time.

He harbored numerous thoughts of adventure, but those thoughts were suppressed by the elders of the village. They preached of danger, and of the terrible mad king that ruled the land. As a child, these tall tales were the things that kept him up well into the night, and as a youth, they were the shackles that chained him down to the village.

Still, those desires, which he buried deep within his heart, where no one could find them, still persisted, like a tiny, flickering flame that refused to die out.

Because he could not go out and see the outside world, he satisfied himself with the edges of his own. Karm spent hours upon hours, staring out into the vast unknown from atop the dormant volcano. Wisps of endless clouds and foggy mist obscured his vision, but during the early mornings, when the stars were still visible, and when the sun first shined over the horizon, there, beneath a sea of purple red skies, he could see it.

A vast, almost endless expanse of emerald green. A forest, as boundless as it was beautiful, surrounded his little world. Beyond the forest, in a place where his eyes could not reach, was the truly unknown. It was the world that Karm longed for. The world ruled by the mad tyrant king, the world that he both feared and loved.

On a night just like any other, as Karm sat quietly on the edge of the volcano, waiting for the sun to rise and for the clouds to disperse, he met a butterfly in the shape of a girl.

A fairy, no bigger than the palm of his hand.

Fairies were not an entirely foreign existence to him. He had interacted with a few of them in the past. Some lived alongside the villagers, while others preferred the isolation of the forest just beneath the volcano. The latter would occasionally visit the village, bringing with them mischief and goods from the outside world.

Karm liked these fairies. He liked their playful personalities and the tall tales that they brought with them. In part, the fairies were what motivated his desires, and fanned the flames of his obsession.

The fairy before his eyes was not like any of the other fairies that he had met before. It was different. With a body that appeared to be made out of endless space, brilliant, shining stars twinkled within its eyes, while streaking comets and the galactic splatter of the cosmos glittered through its wings.

She was a fairy molded from a little piece of the universe.

The fairy introduced herself as Celeste, a goddess who lived amongst the stars.

Karm did not readily believe her claims, but as he stared at the fairy that looked up longingly at the night sky, his curiosity grew uncontrollable. He wanted to talk to her, to ask her of the things that she had seen, and of the things out there that he could not experience.

To Karm’s delight, Celeste answered his questions.

She talked of the skies, and of the myriad stars and endless universe. She talked of its vastness, and how it covered the entirety of the world. Through the stars, she could see everything. From the things that happened within his little village, to the things that occurred all the way on the other side of the continent, she knew of it all, for she had seen it with her very eyes.

“What was the outside world like?” Karm asked with eyes filled with curiosity.

He asked many things, such as what the outside world looked like, or where his little village was located within the boundless continent. He also asked whether or not the Tyrant King really was as bad as the elders had made him out to be.

In response, the celestial fairy smiled.

She said that the Tyrant King was bad, in fact, even worse than he could possibly imagine.

“The Tyrant King was a man who built his empire on the blood of warriors. In a time where war was all that the world knew, the rise of such a man was only inevitable.” She slowly explained to the youth with curious eyes. “The Tyrant King was terrible, but he was not eternity. He has already died.”

“Then, does that mean the world is safe now?” Karm couldn’t help but ask.

“No.” Celeste shook her head. “On the contrary, the outside world is now more dangerous than ever. Although the Tyrant king has passed, the impacts of his actions still linger within this world. He left behind deep-seated scars that bore into the very foundation that mankind steps on.

“The Tyrant King created an empire that stretched out from one corner of the globe to the other. With an unshakeable iron fist, he suppressed all the grieving citizens, hungry merchants, and viper like lords, but… an empire supported on the back of one man will not last long. The moment such a man dies, the moment his legacy wanes, the outcome becomes obvious.”

The fairy spoke with a hint of solemn melancholy, but the clueless Karm did not know the severity of her words. He only understood one things; the world was still in chaos.

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As if to validate his thoughts, Celeste continued, “The world is in a very precarious state. Monster attack the innocent, while the innocent quickly turns ruthless in the face of such hell. People die every day, and I’m afraid no one man has the ability to stop it. What this world needs right now is a hero… someone to hold their hand and get them through this time of plight.”

Celeste paused, and turned towards Karm. With an ambiguous smile, she asked, “Are you willing to be that hero?”

***

“Huh? That’s it?” I furrowed my brow, and unconsciously frowned.

I reached the last page, yet for some reason, I felt utterly unsatisfied.

What I had first assumed to be a simple children’s book wasn’t exactly a children’s book. While it did share similarities in its writing style, and in the fact that the pages had pictures, there was something off about the whole thing.

The tone was a bit darker than what would have normally been appropriate for children. I don’t know whether this sort of thing was the norm here on this world, but reading this book felt a lot like I was reading an old fairy tale, and not the usual happy-go-lucky ones that ended with a happily ever after.

It gave off a similar impression to the darker stories, the ones where ugly witches ate children and beautiful princesses cut off their own feet.

That was what this book felt like; a somewhat dark, somewhat brooding fairy tale. There was nothing weird about that. The story itself seemed like your standard archetype about a hero saving the world, albeit with a darker twist, but it just felt so… incomplete.

The book ended abruptly with nothing significant happening. The ending felt more like an introduction rather than an actual ending.

Was this seriously the type of book that Mereli’s father read to her daughter? Grimdark fairy tales with unsatisfying endings?

Again, the faint impression I had of the mysterious owner of this castle slightly changed, but that was another matter.

“Mereli, was this all? Is there any more to this story?” I tilted my head down and asked the little girl clinging to my chest.

Mereli wasn’t asleep, but she was silent, to the point where I thought she was sleeping. Her eyes were slightly glazed over, as a blank expression filled her face. Her breathing was faint, yet I could feel the warm puff of air tickling the nook of my shoulder blade.

“Mereli?” I asked again, finally snapping her out of her momentary reverie.

She craned her neck up, and stared at me for a few seconds, before a faint smile filled with indescribable warmth stretched her lips.

“Thank you.” She stated simply.

For a moment, I was caught off guard. I let out an awkward chuckle and scratched the back of my head.

“Well, it’s not really an issue. Something like telling stories, if it’s something like that, then just come ask me anytime.” I was feeling a tad bit happy, so I haphazardly offered without hesitation.

In response, she simply dipped her head down. “Alright.”

“But still, was this really all of it?” After a moment’s hesitation, I couldn’t help but add. “The book felt a bit short, didn’t it?”

Mereli turned away, before she shook her head. “I don’t know. Father only read that much.”

A faint trace of longing and an even fainter trace of nostalgia flashed through her eyes.

“I see…” I mumbled quietly, almost to myself, as my gaze landed back over towards the book in my hands.

The book was still flipped to the last page, but this time, I noticed something. The inner back cover was weird. At first, I thought it was merely a collection of stains, but upon closer inspection, those stains looked a bit too… intricate.

Dark brown splotches dotted a light brown canvas like drops of spilled ink. The splotches formed odd shapes, all of different sizes. It gave off the faint impression of purpose.

It took me a while to realize, but those splotches, the whole inner cover, it was a map. At least, it resembled a map. And again, like the book itself, the map felt incomplete.

I mulled these things over for a while, before I eventually lifted my head. Staring out at the only window within the room, I noticed that the sun had long set. Night had come. Soft silver moonlight now replaced the room’s earlier orange glow.

I don’t know for how long I was lost in thought, but one thing I noticed was that Mereli was still here, clinging onto my chest.

Her breathing was light and airy, but from the slight fluttering of her eyelashes, I could tell that she was still awake.

“You know, I think that this book is still incomplete.” I spoke amidst the silence.

I did not know why I felt compelled to talk, maybe it was Mereli’s earlier, lonely expression, which still flashed through my mind, or maybe it was the choking quiet that slowly closed in on me, but regardless, the words that materialized in the night air were no longer mine to control. Whether or not she was listening didn’t matter anymore.

“I don’t know how long it’ll take, but if something’s incomplete, then the only thing to do is to complete it.” I continued. “So, when— if that time comes, and we really do complete the rest of this book, then… if you want, I can read the rest of it for you, just like I did today.”

Mereli did not respond for a long time.

Her body remained still, her eyes closed, and her breath so faint that she appeared almost like a corpse. With the distance between the both of us being practically nonexistent, the silence painstakingly crawled forward like an aged, dying turtle. Eventually, with almost imperceptible movements, she nodded her head.

“You promise?” She asked quietly. After a few seconds, she added, “You can’t break promises, okay?”

Hearing those familiar words, I couldn’t help but let out a faint chuckle. “I got it, I got it, I promise.”

That simple response seemingly set her at ease, as she suddenly jumped off of my lap, and dove into the sea of comforters and blankets below. After a few seconds, she popped up from underneath with a particularly thick blanket wrapped around her body.

With a head of hair messier than before, she opened her mouth to speak, but before a single word could escape from her parted lips, a look of sudden realization suddenly flashed through her face.

“Oh yeah, Mr. Homunculus doesn’t have a name yet, right?” she asked, while crossing her arms and tilting her head.

“Come to think of it, I don’t have one.” I nodded my head in confirmation. The fact that I couldn’t remember my old name had always bugged me, but I didn’t really put much thought into it until now.

I thought about it for a moment, before I suddenly said, “Then, why don’t you call me Big Brother?”

“Big brother?” She asked aloud.

I firmly nodded my head.

Yes, Big Brother. Aren’t I a genius?

If she calls me that, then its practically admitting that I’m the older one.

It’s not that I’m still obsessed over the possibility that Mereli might be my mom— my older sister. There’s no way I’ll admit she’s my older sister, and it’s even more of an impossibility for her to be my mother. I’m completely not worried, but wouldn’t it be nice to have a bit of validation?

Again, I don’t really care. I’m simply suggesting such a thing because I think this little girl needs family, and we are technically related, so it works out. I have no ulterior motives. I’m pure, I’m clean.

Mereli tilted her head to the side and furrowed her brow. “But you’re not my big brother though?”

“Well, technically I’m not…” I mumbled. “But, aren’t we technically related?”

“We are?” Even more question marks appeared above her head.

“I think we are, but forget about that for a second.” I continued. “It’ll set my mind at ease— No, I mean, it’s just a little nickname, like a little bit of self-assurance.”

“Self-assurance?”

“No, that’s not what I meant. Just…” I could feel the sweat dripping down from my brow as I fumbled through my words. “… You know how you call your Father’s knights ‘metal uncles’, right?”

“Yeah.” Mereli obediently nodded her head. “The Metal Uncles are the Metal Uncles.”

“Right, right.” I quickly bobbed my head. “They’re the Metal Uncles even though they’re not really your actual uncles. It’s just like that, a nickname. You get it?”

Mereli’s frown caused tension to grab hold of my body. She crossed her arms and moved her head from side to side, as she thought for what felt like infinity. Eventually, she turned back towards me, and plainly nodded. “Okay, then Mereli will call you Brother from now on, is that okay?”

I sighed lightly, as I stiffly nodded my head. Although I wanted her to call me Big Brother or Elder Brother, this would work for now. You can’t force these types of things to happen, it has to happen organically, that way it’ll give me more reassurance— it’ll feel more comfortable.

So, one step at a time. Brother today, big brother tomorrow.

“But doesn’t Brother still need a name?” Mereli suddenly stated as she peered up at me with questioning eyes.

“Do I?” I asked back.

I didn’t really feel that I needed anymore names. With Mereli calling me brother, was there really a need for another one? Rather, anything else would just feel a tad bit too much.

She seriously nodded her head. “Brother is Mereli’s brother, so only Mereli can call you Brother. People need to call you something else.”

Hearing, her say that, I couldn’t help but let out a faint smile.

“Then, can you help me think of one?”

Hearing my words, Mereli’s eyes suddenly widened in excitement. “Really? I can really name you?”

Seeing the impossible-to-ignore glimmer in her eyes, my earlier enthusiasm waned. After a few seconds of hesitation, I bit the bullet and resolutely nodded my head. “Sure, just don’t go too overboard, okay?”

She vigorously nodded her head, before she tilted her head in thought for a moment. Not long after, she eagerly shouted out, “Karm!”

“Like from the book?” I asked incredulously.

She nodded again with a smile on her face. “Is it no good?”

I thought about it for a few seconds, before I eventually consented. “Fine, Karm it is. Although I don’t know whether that’s a weird name or not…”

“Don’t worry, it’s cool, a really cool name! Too cool for you Brother, but I’ll still give it to you, so be thankful.” She reassured me in her own special way, to which I could only respond with a wry smile.

I bitterly chuckled. For some reason, I felt more tired than usual.

 Mereli approached me, a light smile on her lips, and said, “Then, Brother Karm!”

“Yes, yes, I’m Brother Karm.” With a resigned sigh, I placed my hand on top of the crown of her head. A slight smile floated to my face, it was a smile that perfectly mirrored Mereli’s own.

The night ended with a little demon’s boisterous laughter, and the inauguration of my new name.