They say the day I was born was the day the sky opened in half to signal the prosperity of the clan. Spoiler? It didn’t. I was born a cripple. Unable to externalize what our clan was most famous for. I couldn’t utilize the energy that came freely to most, Tora. This energy is ever flowing in this world. It penetrates every rock, every tree, every leaf and for the most part, almost everyone is able to use it to some degree. Those that excelled at it, had a golden ticket to a clan. I was lucky though, my parents were strong and often undertook difficult assignments for the well being of the clan which allowed me to live somewhat peacefully. We formed part of the Kilos Clan. This clan was famous for producing quality mages for the Kingdom of Yasuy. This alone made them one of the most terrifying opponents to meet in battle and a valuable resource in this Kingdom. 

As you can guess, I was treated as a freak by almost everyone in the clan because I could not use magic like my clansmen and women could. My parents would never admit it, least of all now that they can’t but I know why they took so many missions. It was to keep the eyes of the elders away from me. As a cripple I was just another mouth to feed. Their logic was simple: what good is a person that can’t use magic in a clan of magic users? But the elders had other plans entirely. 

On the eve of my seventh birthday, my father had been discussing important matters with my mother in the study. We weren’t by all means rich or politically powerful within the clan but we got by. We had a two story house  made out of pine wood on the edges of the clan’s compound. My mother used to joke all the time that our house resembled a witch’s cabin but with extra steps. I was being nosey and trying to listen in on their conversation.

 ‘’Alec, we cannot take this mission. This is simply too dangerous to do with so little of a team. You know what the consequences will be if we fail?’’ said mother in a very worrisome tone. 

This was the first time I’ve ever heard my mother worried about the outcome of a mission. My mother was a powerful healer and could heal most injuries if there was enough ambient Tora around or her reserves were full enough. Father on the other hand. He was known as a powerful caster that bent reality to bring forth elemental attacks by using Tora. In other words, he was an elemental mage. To hear them with concern in their voice was not something I was used to. Once I heard my father speak up, I came out of my musings. 

‘’What’s the alternative Lexa? To do nothing and risk getting kicked out of the clan?’’ 

At this point I was starting to put two things together. One, this was apparently something that could threaten our position within the clan and two, something that would give one of the most powerful elemental mages in the last ten years, pause. 

Suddenly, the door to the study bursts open and I fall backwards, 

‘’What are you doing, Eliran!?’’ Spoke father with a voice full of playful anger. ‘’I’ve told you, just because you can’t externalize your energy doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.’’ said father.

 ‘’We could feel you from outside the door as soon as your emotions got out of control.’’ My mother said as she looked at me with an expression that I couldn’t read. Perhaps, I was too young, too immature to understand. 

I summed up the courage to ask. ‘’Where are you going? Are you guys leaving me behind to go on another mission?’’ My face must have been an open book to my parents. My mother specifically, she just looked at me again with that unreadable expression she would make whenever she was hiding something. 

‘’There is this mission we need to take, it will be dangerous but we have to leave at first light.’’ My father said as he turned around he added, ‘’Next time you try to spy on someone, Eliran, try to keep your energy contained. You may not be able to use it like most people are but of one thing I am certain, is that it exist.’’

I felt anger trying to overcome my good senses. ‘’Why are you leaving, tomorrow I turn seven, we’ll know for sure tomorrow whether I really won’t be able to use magic at all.’’ 

‘’We understand that tomorrow’s your last opportunity to develop a talent. Be it elemental, the ability to heal or imbue energy on to things, you know we can’t afford to say no to the elders.’’ Said mother before my father had a chance to reply. ‘’It’s okay Eliran, we’ll be back before the year is over. We’ll be here in no time.’’ 

‘’It’s time to sleep, I’ll take him to his room Alec.’’ said mother as she forcefully removed me from the study. Mother led me up the stairs to the second floor, past their room to the left, once in my room she spoke once more. ‘’Have faith in your parents, Eliran. For not even the nine hells themselves could stand between us and our love for you.’’

Those were the last words I heard my mother and father speak but I didn’t know that then. Turns out, they were sent to the border of the kingdom to put down a rebellion that had escalated between our Kingdom and the neighboring free cities. They were to hold off the fortress located at the border of our Kingdom with only one hundred able bodies. It was blatantly set up by our clan elders. I don’t know why they did it, but I know they did. What happened next in my life could only be described as the first of The Nine Hells. 

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My birthday came and went, uneventful until about two months after my parents went away on their mission, I heard a knock on our front door. I thought to myself that this is indeed a weird thing, outside of my parents no one bothered with the magic cripple living in the corner but I was a fit child. I couldn’t exercise my magic but I could my body so I devoted time to that every morning. Father would always say, ‘’a healthy body, houses a healthy mind.’’ I would simply run laps around the house and help with the daily chores, father told me that as I grew older, more exercises would be included. Even when they were away, I tried to keep it up. As I made my way from the backyard to the front door, the knocking became incredibly louder, and louder. ‘’Open up! Eliran Kilos, Open the door. We know you’re there so come out already dammit’’ I heard a rough voice yell. As I was about to get to the door I remembered that I knew this voice. This person had dealt with my parents previously. This was the captain of the clan guards, Kelio. Why would he be looking for me out of all the people, I wondered. Once I finally open the door I’m able to take in everyone that’s in front of our house. Captain Kelio was a tanned man with darker than night hair which he kept in low. He always dressed in light leather armor, a short sword strapped to his waist. He dwarfed every one of the soldiers that accompanied him. Wait a minute, soldiers? Why would he bring soldiers here? 

‘’Good Morning, you’re Eliran. I presume.’’ Kelios said almost dripping venom out of his mouth with every word. 

‘’Good Morning Captain. Yes I am Eliran. How may I help you today sir?’’ I asked, my heart pounding, threatening to burst out my chest at any moment. Why is he here? The tension kept building but at last he said. 

‘’I hate having to come out here to give you this news, but I hate even more having to talk to a cripple that can’t even cast the most basic spells.’’ he sighed as if he was bored, he continued talking after a short pause. ‘’But, duties are duties. Your parents are, in the lack of a better term, dead. The fortress they were supposed to be protecting was overrun by the militia of the Free City known as Riverbank City. They now occupy the fortress and because they failed their duty, the Riverbank has become an enemy of our Kingdom and has gained a foothold in our frontier.’’ He delivered this news to me and tone deaf matter, disconnected from all reality, as if he was speaking to a pile of trash and to be honest in his eyes, he was. Before allowing me the opportunity to process what he had just told me, he continued on like the march of an army. Uncaring to anything but his goal. ‘’That being said, we of the Kilo clan cannot freely house a cripple that will never amount to anything, thus we were going to dispose of you in the pits but at the mercy of Elder Gen, we shall instead disassociate the name Kilos from a failure and instead offer you to become a servant.’’ he looked at me and once again before I could say anything, he continued. ‘’This is not necessarily a bad thing, a kid like you would never make it out in the wild, be a grateful cripple. I would have sent you to the pit myself but we can’t defy the elder’s rule. Take him to Elder Gen, she’ll assign him his duties and new living arrangements.’’

Everything he said hit me at once, like if I was being hit with one of father’s spells head on. My body refused to move from what I had called home for seven years of my life. It felt like I stood there for an eternity. Once Kelio gave the order, two soldiers came forth and grabbed me, their grip cold as ice. No doubt casting their magic to make me understand that they could hurt me and that I should move. Not one to argue against unnecessary pain and very much against my will, I moved. It was a very silent walk, the soldiers didn’t talk to me no matter how much I tried talking to them, so I gave up and just walked. We walked for about twenty minutes until we reached the building where Elder Gen conducted the screening for servants.

This building felt more like walking into a prison than a place one of the elders conducted business in. Unlike what used to be my home, this building felt like it was carved by an artist out of a rock and to be honest, it probably was. There are elemental mages that could shape rock like that. I was taken directly to the top floor to speak with Elder Gen directly. This was my first time meeting the elder personally despite living in the same compound, no doubt due to my condition. She was seated at her desk. The Kilos clan can be described as a pyramid. At the top we have the head of the clan, Elder Guru, followed by the clan advisors, the clan generals and their respective captains. Elder Gen was the advisor for staff related duties. She was known to be a sadistic old woman, she had a funny way of mispronouncing words and punishing everyone that called her out on it. She looked to be in her mid fifties but with mages you could never know. It is said that a mage of sufficient power could slow down their aging enough to look twenty when they hit their fifties. It was really hard to know how old she was but one thing was for sure though, she was ancient. And it was this ancient woman that finished ruining my life. 

She looked at me disapprovingly with eyes that seemed more dead than alive and in a raspy and menacing voice said. 

‘’Is this the boy? The so called ripple?’’  

‘’Yes elder.’’ one of the soldiers holding me in place said with a half bow.

Elder Gen stood up, and very slowly made her way to me. ‘’Listen boy, I will give you the opportunity to join my staff as part of the servants, of course I know you will join because the alternative is the woods and you wouldn’t like that.’’

‘’Yes Elder Gen!’’ I said with the sound of defeat in my voice. She hit me square in the mouth. Hard enough to draw blood.

‘’I don’t remember telling you to speak!’’ She spoke with disdain as she cleaned her hand of the blood I spilled. Who would have thought this hag could hit this hard. She spoke again. ‘’I don’t have the time nor the inclination to explain the rules of servant nor your duties. You start tomorrow. Take today to murn your parents and tomorrow speak with Algios, he’s the senior servant and in charge of those sorts of things. I find that I often ire of looking at ripples. You will find him by the stables at first light. I do not, and let me be clear. I DO NOT want you in this office ever again ripple boy!’’

With the taste of iron in my mouth as I was led to the servant’s quarters where they told me to figure out where I would sleep. As I walked deeper into the servant’s quarter, I kept looking for someone that seemed in charge so I could find out where I would sleep. I didn’t find anyone and the guards made it absolutely clear that I couldn’t go back home. That night I slept outside the servant’s quarters. I remember that night very vividly, I didn’t shed a tear for my parents. That night something in me broke and I made a vow. I will not let a single tear fall down for my parents until the entire Kilo clan burned and turned the sky black with their ashes. It was a very dark and lonely night. I knew that I was weak, I knew that I was different but father always told me that even though I couldn’t externalize my energy doesn’t mean that it isn’t there and if it is that means I can use it. I just need to figure out how. I did know one thing though, I need to get away from here.