Sol always hated his name. His mother named him after her own name, Solana, and thus he became known among the children as the "guy who had a girl's name." In retrospect, they probably found any reason they could to tease him, as he was always awkward and small. Prime pickings, Choi would say.
One particular memory always stung him. As he entered adolescence and all the other children around him began their own journeys into puberty, the whole idea of social circles became more and more prevalent. His best friend at the time, who he now fails to recall, decided in that instant that Sol was no longer in the "in" crowd. And so, as the young boy tried to join the wooden table his friend sat at during lunch, a message that would echo in his ears for years to come came out of the other boy's mouth.
"I don't know you," the boy said while glowering at the person trying to intrude in his table of friends. There was no actual spite, no real reason to dislike Sol, but the boy with the girl's name was just too awkward, too small, too weak-looking.
For a growing child to be isolated from their peers was disparaging, and a tiny speck, a spark of hate, grew in the boy's heart that day.
His mother would caress his hair and rest his head on her lap whenever he would come home crying after mandatory schooling. Their family wasn't wealthy enough to hire a private tutor, so they had to settle with public school, an institution that was no longer optional after the king of Groffelheit decreed that children of all ages must be skilled in both maths and Common.
The human king was known to be full of wisdom, but Sol thought otherwise. He very much disliked school.
Sol was 13 when he engaged in his first fight. It was against a boy much bigger than him, and he mustered up his courage to duel the overgrown child in a fistfight. They were fighting over a girl, a girl who the small boy had fallen in love with at first sight. He swung with all his might and threw his body into the punch as if a man possessed, but he had never been trained to fight, and the bigger boy threw his head down into a nearby rock. It was a quick loss and a shameful one at that.
The giant boy who had fought Sol dated the girl for a week before getting bored of her.
After the fight, Sol had to rest in bed for three days before getting his bearings. After hearing of his loss and the situation with the girl, he curled up into a ball and wept for hours. The boy learned to distance himself from others after that day, emotionally and physically.
In the subsequent year, his father died from an illness. The man who had served as a pillar of the community was gone, and people began to scorn the mother-child duo as if they were the ones who caused his demise. Sol had already left school discreetly with his mother's encouragement at that time, but the loss of his father was a huge detriment to both their living conditions and mental health. His mother began having bouts of psychosis, seeing and hearing things that weren't really there.
In two years, she disappeared. No one knew where she went off to, but many suspected she committed suicide.
Finally, saviors emerged from the darkness. Bandits arrived, slaying and pillaging throughout the village. Sol had been coming home from gathering berries in the woods at the time, and watched the bandits from afar. As the heroes of the story slaughtered and looted, he felt an odd sensation.
Glee.
His former bullies were killed, and the only thing he felt was a slight twinge of happiness. Was he a psychopath? Those kids who had tortured him both physically and emotionally were finally getting their just deserts. He shuddered, thinking about the time they had waterboarded him for hours on end. But he was safe now. Or at least safe from his former enemies.
A big man with muscular arms noticed him and walked over. He had tan skin like bronze and looked like a warrior. Sol considered running away but decided not to. Even if he died today, at least he got to see a spectacle he never thought would happen.
The man looked him up and down.
"Kid," he said, a gruff voice emerging. "We need new recruits. You interested?"
Sol, surprising even himself, nodded. He noticed a pin of a crow icon with a gentle luster on the man's torso.
"Prime pickings," the man said. "The name's Choi. Welcome to the team."
He never understood why Choi chose him to join their team. There were far bigger and stronger men his age. Was it because he didn't resist? Or maybe it was because he could sense that Sol was like an outsider to the village? Either way, the boy didn't care too much and never did question it.
That was the day Sol joined the Black Crow.
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"One day, we'll have mages and sorceresses at our command," Bellyboy said, laughing mirthfully. He wasn't actually named Bellyboy, but most people in the Black Crow consisted of outlaws, people who wanted to hide their origins.
"Yeah, right," Choi said. "That'll be the same day you find yourself a woman." Sol laughed, and Bellyboy glared at the two of them. They were near the beach, in a town called Yuula, named after a long-dead princess. The smell of the ocean made the mood jolly among the bandits, and even those who were the most cranky liked the atmosphere here.
"Do you think I'll find a woman soon?" Sol asked. He was hoping that would be the case, as he had just turned 17 and was beginning to feel a little... frustrated.
"When pigs fly," Choi replied. Bellyboy giggled in his iconic high-pitched little squeal of a laugh, and Sol couldn't help but chuckle along. He was aptly named for his bulging belly, and Sol had taken a liking to him. Though the 17-year-old had only been in the Black Crow for a year, he already felt like a part of the crew.
The first time he killed someone, it was nauseating. Choi had taken a criminal out from a pillaged town's cell and given him a dagger. No words were said, but Sol knew what he had to do. Silent, a nickname given to the mute in the Black Crow, had handed him the records of the criminal's deeds. The man in front of him was a rapist and a murderer, but it still felt wrong to end someone's life without some actual legal system to carry it out for him.
In the end, he did it. And he only threw up once. Choi had patted him on the back and welcomed him as an official member of the Black Crow.
He was now bathed in the sins of bandits.
"It's time," Redface interrupted him from his train of thought. Redface liked to tell people he got his name by slaughtering people till their blood covered his face, but Sol believed it was because he would flush red during a long night of drinking.
"Alright," Sol said, getting up.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
"We act more like a mercenary group than bandits these days," Choi grumbled.
"I like it that way," Bellyboy said. "Less loot this way, but our reputation is getting better."
Redface brought over four horses. "The Captain wants this done discreetly. The four of us are getting in and out as fast as possible." He nodded to Sol. "You think you up for this, kid?"
"Aye," Sol said.
"Brave little fucker," Choi said, thumping him on the back with one huge hand. "Just don't shit yourself when the blood starts falling." He grabbed onto his horse and saddled it.
"Let's go," Sol muttered to himself. This wasn't the first mission he was going on, but it was the first time he went with such a small team. The plan was to kill a void mage, a big guy for a magic wielder with the name of Lio. Rumors say that he had been hit with the curse of lycanthropy but could maintain his human form until night fell. A void mage by day and a werewolf by night. Sol shuddered.
They rode in the night, the stars littering the night sky and shining a path for them. Sol had quickly taken to learning how to ride horses, which was about the only thing he was good at. He wasn't an outstanding fighter, but he was a good rider and would be the messenger for the rest of the Black Crow troops if things went south.
All four of them were untalented in magic, and even the common mana ball ability used by some fighters eluded them. They were amateurs in all degrees of magic, but martial skill was another thing. Choi was raised in the barracks of his city's standing army and had learned how to use the sword and spear since he was young. Bellyboy might not have seemed like much, but he was quicker on his feet than you'd expect and was a clever swordsman. Redface was, well, an animal. He was the worst with a weapon, technically, but on the battlefield, he went wild.
Sol couldn't compete with them, but he knew how to support them and not get in their way. It was even something that could be described as a strength, though he personally didn't think so.
They finally reached the castle walls, and it was apparent from the looks of things that the person they had to assassinate was of high standing.
"Shit!" Choi cursed. "We can't do this with just the four of us."
Redface sighed. "Nothing we can do about it. Captain's trying to root out spies among our own ranks."
"I say we kill the spies and use Denali to use them as skeletons," Bellyboy said. Denali was a necromancer, and the Captain trusted him a lot.
"Skeletons don't come from human corpses, idiot," Redface replied. "Zombies do, and Denali can only summon them if the corpses are halfway intact. Which won't happen if we just start killing anybody we suspect to be a spy."
"Guess we're doing this," Sol said.
"Guess so," Choi affirmed.
They were already informed that some palms were greased, and they had some inside men working in the castle, but it was hard to breach into somewhere this grand.
Redface led them to the first guard.
"Code?" the guard asked warily.
"Yuula," Redface replied.
The guard seemed nervous but began to guide them anyway. Something began to bug Sol about this.
They had already unmounted their horses and began walking through a secret entrance the guard showed them.
"Continue along this path," the guard said. "You'll find who you're looking for soon."
The irritating feeling came back to Sol, threatening to bug him for the rest of the operation. What was it? What was this feeling? Sol thought for a minute while walking with the rest of the crew. It just seemed too... smooth. Why was there only one guard here?
Sol caught up to Choi and opened his mouth, about to speak, but he noticed something odd. Choi's eyes had a dull glaze to them as if he was under a hypnotic spell. He looked to Bellyboy. The same thing. He then looked at Redface, who did not have glazed eyes. Redface gave him a smirk.
"Guess you found out, huh?" Redface asked. "Seems you're a little too weak to get caught up in Lio's spell, but that's alright." He walked over to a dead-frozen Sol and raised a fist. It all went black.
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Sol opened his eyes to find himself in a dilapidated dungeon.
"Dud, dud, dud," a voice echoed from beyond the darkness. "When will my experiements ever work? Release this one."
"Yes, sir," another voice emerged.
"I'll take him," Redface's voice said. "The Black Crow will be under your control after this is over."
"Very well," the first voice said. "I'll find a use for them somehow."
A floating being with a skull for a head and tattered robes came into view. They almost had an ethereal feel until Sol saw the glowing embers deep within their eye sockets.
He opened his mouth, curiosity peaking. "Are you a lich?"
The skull turned his way. "Who is this youngster, Lio?"
A wolf came out of the darkness, except this beast walked on two legs instead of four. A werewolf. He had a careful stride as if he was afraid of what would happen to him if he erred in front of the lich. However, when he saw Sol, he carried a ferocious glare.
"Just some kid from the Black Crow. They're all a bunch of useless criminals, and this one is no different. Most likely doesn't have talent. Don't even bother testing him."
"Well," the lich said. "We'll see." He floated in front of the bars encompassing Sol and held out a hand. The boy winced, but the lich caressed his face gently.
"Youngster," the lich said. "We are attempting to discover if we can force awakenings. I'm sure you know what an awakener is?"
"Someone blessed with a god's powers," Sol replied.
The lich said, "That's what they seem to all believe. But as a scientific man, I think otherwise. And so, we will begin a procedure that will awaken you. Whether you live or die is up to your own strength of will."
Sol was scared but also excited. He had heard the lich say to release someone, presumably someone else who was locked up, so he didn't think there was much trouble associating with the "scientific man" in front of him. What's the worst that could happen?
They began to hook him up with wires, mainly around his chest and his head. He was shaved clean and unclothed, the lich saying that it was to improve success rates.
"Are you ready?" the lich asked. Sol nodded. They flipped a lever.
Then, the pain struck. It was mild at first, but it began to grow and expand exponentially, striking the middle of his chest and spreading to his limbs and brain. The pain stung, then burned, then ached, then everything crashed. Sol's consciousness was on the brink of destruction, such was the pain he was subjected to. He screamed.
"Stop! Please stop! I don't want to do this anymore," he groaned, trailing off at the end.
"Endure, boy," the werewolf said, a smirk on his face.
Hours passed in this state of pain. Sol wanted to die, but he thought of his comrades, of Choi, Bellyboy, and the Captain. His pain turned inwards; it became almost masochistic. He would endure this and survive; he would even try to enjoy this pain. He dug his nails into the palms of his hands until they bled. He grimaced and swore and prayed to the heavens.
Finally, the pain subsided.
Sol promptly passed out.
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When he woke, he was lying on the ground, dirt covering his cheek.
"Guess you were a failure as well, huh?" a man's voice asked him. Sol looked up. The man in front of him had a bulging belly and was completely nude. There wasn't a speck of hair on him. He looked awfully familiar.
"Bellyboy?" Sol asked. Bellyboy ignored him as if he hadn't heard his voice. There were tears in his eyes and his voice was quivering.
"Choi died, you know? He died in that filthy dungeon, and there was no one there to save him." Bellyboy said, a crude smile appearing on his face. "Who knew Redface was a traitor? I didn't. No, I didn't know at all." He laughed. Sol didn't know what to say. "It's all so ridiculous, I was praying to the gods to see if they would save us, and they ended up not doing a thing." He turned to Sol. "But maybe you're not religious, huh?"
Sol was silent. Bellyboy's face turned grim.
"Are you... a traitor as well?" the man asked, gazing at Sol.
"No, no I'm not," Sol eked out.
"Yes," Bellyboy drummed his thigh. "Yes, you are. You are, aren't you? You're hiding in our ranks just so you can kill us all. You'll kill us all, won't you?" He had a maddened tone to his voice. He walked over to Sol and slowly placed two hands over the boy's throat. "I have to kill you first, for the crew."
Sol backed away, panicking. He grabbed a nearby rock, surprising Bellyboy at his sudden movements. In an instant, blood stained the stone as Sol bashed Bellyboy's head in.
Thud, thud. The sound of the rock hitting Bellyboy's cranium resounded throughout the forest they were in.
"I have to do this," Sol cried. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
Suddenly, Sol felt a surge of energy course through his veins. It felt like... something expanded in his soul. He felt like he had gotten stronger all of a sudden and wondered where it was coming from. This wasn't the first time he was killing someone, so why was this happening out of nowhere?
A voice appeared in his head.
Congratulations. You have become an awakener. Leveled up from Level 1 to Level 2.
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"This was the start of the legend of Sol, the being who becomes stronger by killing." a voice resounded.
An angelic voice interjected. "You have too much fun these days, don't you?
A deep chuckle could be heard.