Prologue

???: "I miss you, Hartea. You and your older brother Harashi have been gone for awhile. Why don't you both come home? Me and your Father are waiting for the both of you."

The warmth and comfort of a mother's voice, his mother's voice, that's all Hartea needed to put himself at ease. He was resting his head on her lap, as she stroked his hair with one hand while weaving a string of yarn with another. His mother had beautiful long white hair, and light blue eyes, eyes that matched his. Hartea would smile, looking up at his mother as he drifted off to sleep, she hummed him a soft, and soothing lullaby -- this feeling, it almost felt as if Hartea was in some sort of paradise, just being in his mother's presence was all he wanted, and all he needed at this very crucial and hard time in his life.

Hartea: "Mom... Don't worry, me and Big bro will be heading home soon! Not now though....I'm tired."

Hartea's mother: "You haven't done anything all day, what are you tired of?"

Hartea: "I'm tired....of being tired! Quite a predicament I've caught myself in."

The boy's mother laughed, leaning towards his face to kiss his forehead, which would put a smile on both of their faces.

Hartea's mother: "I feel your struggle...Being at home with that father of yours puts me in the same situation."

The door would soon swing open as a taller male would be standing in the doorway, looking down at Hartea who's head was resting on a wide black pillow. The taller male looked very similar to Hartea, as he had white hair and blue eyes, but he was wearing a fur coat and jeans along with a pair of shoes. This male looked down at Hartea in utter confusion.

Harashi: "Lil' bro...Who are you talking to?"

Hartea: "Mom! She was...Oh, where'd she go?"

The boy sunk into reality, as the warmth he thought he felt from the mother that was never here would alter into a cold pillow his head rested on. He curled into a ball, embarrassed at the thought of what just transpired.

Hartea: "I know what you're thinking, I'm not crazy."

Harashi: "Hard to believe....come on, we need to get out of here."

Hartea: "Hm? Why?"

Harashi: "I can't afford to keep it anymore.... we're moving in with Hikari over in Airys."

Hartea: "Airys?! What's he doing there?"

Harashi: "Living there. Just come on.... there's just one issue, though."

Hartea: "The forest we've got to get through?"

Harashi: "Yeah....it's packed with those damned elves. We've got to be careful in there, I don't want to get into any unnecessary conflict."

Hartea: "Let's just take a different route!"

Harashi: "A different route how?"

Hartea would hop off the couch and walk out the door, giving his older brother Harashi a signal to follow him. Harashi followed Hartea out the house, closing the door behind him as he pointed towards a set of mountains northwest from their location.

Hartea: "Look, see the mountains are all the way over there, and the forest is just straight ahead? The mountains wrap around the forest, there's a lot of roads and such in the mountains so we can just take those roads, wrap around the forest, and then end up in Airys!"

Harashi: ". . . That's not going to work. Lil' bro, just because we can see them doesn't mean that they're not that far away. The forest is several miles away and the mountain will take days to reach. Not to mention the mountains are extremely cold."

Hartea: "We'll make it, trust me! Let's try to find a map somewhere..."

Harashi: "Hartea, no."

Before Harashi knew it, his little brother ran off, jumping up into the air as he sprinted forward as soon as he touched the ground again. Harashi sighed, as he would begin to dreadfully follow his younger brother. The two were currently in a small village, one with a blacksmith, carpenters, and travelers who come and go often. Hartea would stop at the blacksmith's counter, hopping up and down to try and get his chin above the counter.

Hartea: "Hey... Blacksmith! Can you give me a map?"

The blacksmith would rest his arms on the counter, leaning down over it just to see Hartea, the blacksmith was a very tall man.

Blacksmith: "A map, you're gonna have to fight me for it."

Hartea: "I'll beat you like your mother did!"

The Blacksmith chuckled, seemingly not taking Hartea's "threat" seriously, as he stood away from the counter and opened the door.

Hartea: "Hey, come on in then!"

Hartea's older brother soon arrived, watching Hartea run into the Blacksmiths workshop as he walked towards the door entrance.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

Harashi: "Mr.Iron, what do you have Hartea doing now?"

Blacksmith (Mr.Iron): "He's gonna fight me for a map!"

Harashi: ". . .Can I watch?"

Blacksmith (Mr.Iron): "Of course you can!"

Harashi smiled, as the Blacksmith grinned, as Hartea began punching the air in front of him, practicing his uppercuts and jabs. Harashi placed his hand over his face, trying to hide back the giggles as the Blacksmith towered over his younger brother.

Hartea: "Hey Big Bro, watch me beat wi-"

Harashi: "Show no mercy Mr.Iron. You have my permission."

Hartea gasped, placing his hands over his mouth as he looked at his brother in shock.

Hartea: "Not gonna root for me? Wow. I see how it is."

Blacksmith (Mr.Iron): "Hit me with your best shot, Hartea!"

Hartea would nod, taking a step forward as he jabbed the blacksmith's stomach by taking a leap into the air! The blacksmith would unleash a fake Oof, as Hartea smiled, thinking he's delivered a damaging punch, but the blacksmith wasn't fazed at all, as he wrapped his arms around Hartea's waist, lifting him off the ground and Hartea would begin to kick his legs and swing his arms around in panic.

Hartea: "WHAT!? NO, NO PUT ME DOWN."

Blacksmith (Mr.Iron): "RKO!!"

The blacksmith would put Hartea down, and he punched his chest as he smirked a little.

"Alright, now, take your defe-"

The Blacksmith locked his arm around Hartea's neck as he hopped into the air, capturing Hartea in his grip as he slammed Hartea to the ground. The blacksmith would stand back up, but Hartea did not. Harashi would give the blacksmith a high-five, as they both chuckled.

Blacksmith (Mr.Iron): "Haha, here..I'll get that boy a map."

Harashi: "Thanks, Mr.Iron."

With these events out of the way, Hartea and Harashi would find themselves walking out of the Blacksmith's workshop, as Hartea held a map in his clutches, pointing at several spots on the map and looking over at his older brother each time he does.

Hartea: "See, I told you! There's this map on the base of the mountain, and then it curves around the forest, and into another....forest? Huh....but, passed that forest, it's the Blockades!"

Harashi: "Why do you call them blockades?"

Hartea: "Isn't that what they are?"

Harashi: "No, a blockade isn't even a place. It's an act of where people try to stop imported goods from coming in or out, they're cities, you've just been giving them these weird nicknames."

Hartea: "Well...Battle, Nature, Weapon, and Modern Blockade sound way cooler than whatever their city names are."

Harashi: "To each his own. Well, come on. Let's go to that mountain road."

Hartea: "Awesome, let's get to it!"

The brothers arrived at the base of the mountain, as they weren't prepared to struggle through the cold and harsh weather. Hartea's teeth chattered, and be would slide his bandana up to cover his mouth, sighing relief. Harashi could see his own breath, as he placed his hands in his pockets, looking down at his little brother.

Hartea: Okay! We're. . .doing great! Let's just look for the way around the forest. . .

He would rub his hands up and down his shoulders, as off in the distance a man from afar would wave towards him. Despite his insanely far distance, Hartea could see him perfectly. He could easily point out the man's black hair, along with the man's necklace, his large black cape with a white fearsome symbol emitted on the back of it, and his light red eyes.

???: Yoo, Hartea! Over here, take that brother of yours with you on the way.

Hartea: You've got it, Pops!

Harashi: Pops?

Hartea: Big bro, come on -- let's get going!

Hartea would begin to run towards this male, through the harsh storm as his brother would reach out to him -- unable to stop his restless little brother. His brother and Harashi were now separated, with Hartea losing sight of who he was following -- accompanied only by a small chuckle.

???: Hey there, Kid! How's it going? Whatcha doin' down there?

A boy with golden eyes stood on top of a stone, swinging his legs around as Hartea looked up at him with curious eyes, and the boy stared back with a sinister grin.

Hartea: Hey, have you seen a man around here, by any chance?

Zodiac: Any man? Nope, the only man I know around here is me -- Zodiac!

The boy, who claims his name is Zodiac, would throw his hands to his sides, quite literally -- they went flying off his arms. Hartea would cringe his face, slowly walking back, but a big golden hand would push Hartea back, grabbing him and dropping him on the stone along with Zodiac, then giving Hartea a light pat on the head.

Zodiac: Yo, Kid...You uh...you lookin' for someone?

Hartea: Yeah. . I'm looking for my Dad along with my big br....Where's my brother?

Zodiac: Man, you just can't seem to keep anyone with you, can you? I'll tell you what Kid...I know a guy. And this guy -- is actually a girl, but she can grant you wishes. No Bullshit, no scam, 100% legit! Trust me. How do you think I got these contacts?

Hartea: Oh! You're wearing contacts?

Zodiac: No.

Hartea: . . .

Zodiac: ANYWAYS, She's in that forest you've been trying to avoid. Just past those elves. . .but just say that you're with me and they'll buzz off. Trust me, I'M ALL KNOWLEDGEABLE.

Hartea: Alright. . .thanks. . .Mister....Zodiac.

Zodiac would hold out his hand, and Hartea would grab Zodiac's hand, shaking it with a strong and firm grip,

Zodiac: Please, call me Doctor Zodiac. I have a Ph.D. in physics.

Hartea: What's a Ph.D.?

Zodiac: It stands for PowerHouseDude, I'm the Ph.D.

Hartea: Huh. Well, My name is Hartea -- Hartea IDka! Nice to meet you Doctor Ph.D.!

Zodiac: Whoa whoa whoa whoa....Hartea....IDka!? IDKA!?

Hartea: Um, yeah.

Zodiac: HOLY HELL, I THOUGHT YOU WERE ALL DEAD. So let me get this straight -- You're an IDka? You know...Haneto's boy? OR, ONE of Haneto's boys! Haneto...met a demon girl named Shiro, and they got to know each other very much and reproduced children! And, you're one of those children!

Hartea: Yeah, I am.

Zodiac: Oh....fuck yeah. This makes my job MUCH EASIER. Kid, you're gonna have to die.

Hartea: . . .

Zodiac: Yuuuup, My boss sent me. You've got some....thing I gotta take, and....I've gotta kill you for it.

Hartea: Hmm......You know uh, I think I hear my brother calling me! I'll see you around!

Zodiac: YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE.

Zodiac cried out in the highest of pitches, as the ground rumbled and Hartea fell down -- a huge bear-like creature with snow colored fur lashed at Hartea with a mighty roar. Hartea would hold his ground but would go flying once he placed his hands over his ears. He landed in a pile of snow, shaking his head left and right as he saw for a spilt-second the bear running towards him, and hearing Zodiac's chuckles.

Zodiac: Haha, I'm just yakin' your chain kid...but let's have a little race!

Hartea would quickly hop out of the pile of snow, and run off looking for his brother -- and the bear continued to chase him, Hartea retained his league -- but he knew that this beast would catch up to him sooner or later. Hartea would roll through the ground, picking up snow and rolling it into a snowball, exhaling as he threw his snowball right into the beast's eye, Hartea would ball his fist, and throw it into the air -- shouting in victory

Hartea: HA.

He didn't have much time to celebrate, and his older brother would come running towards him, as his jaw dropped at the sight of the bear.

Harashi: What the hell...?

Hartea: Big bro, we've gotta get out of here...we've gotta go through the forest! AND I WON THE RACE, ZODIAC.

Harashi: . . .Hartea. . .are you sure you haven't taken any drugs recently?

Hartea: What? No! Don't you see that giant bear, and that Ph.D. guy! I THREW IT A SNOWBALL AT ITS EYE.

Harashi: Hartea I saw you throw a snowball at the snow and you screamed.

Hartea: . . .

Harashi: . . .Yeah.  Come on. Let's go.

Hartea: I SWEAR IM NOT CRAZY SOMEONE WAS THERE.