Many people were standing in a narrow street, leading up to a run-down house that was being fixed slowly. There was excitement in the air, with some carrying clean water that looked muddy, yet cleaner than anything or anyone in that street, while others were carrying bits of food, and bits of cloth.

Inside the house, a woman’s screams could be heard and a few moments later, a baby’s cry followed.

Suddenly, the house’s door flung open and a man stepped outside. His clothes were tattered and he looked young, but he stood tall and proud in front of everyone! He looked down with a smirk on his face

“I’M A DAD” he cheered, which was followed by the cheering of the people around him. Earlier, he was in a panic and he had knocked on his neighbor's doors and asked for help because he didn’t know what to do, his wife was giving birth earlier than expected and the midwife that should’ve been there wasn’t. Luckily, the entire neighborhood, men and women with children of their own, got ready to help.

The child was yet un-named when a group of soldiers walked through the slum and dampened the excitement with the sounds of their steps, and the loud voice that shouted

“Hear Ye! Hear Ye! The Kingdom of Idle is attacking us and every man above the age of 16 is to be conscripted. You have moments to say goodbye to your loved ones, and then you are to follow us to become soldiers in the army of Oretom Kingdom.

The young man who was filled with exciting moments ago about becoming a dad went back to his wife, hugged her - and while she was still in a bit of pain with a desire to push him away, she held it back and held him just as closely understanding that this might be the last time she might hug him.

“His name… we haven’t decided on it yet” the man exclaimed with sadness in his eyes. It was bad luck to name the child before he is born, and so they hadn’t thought about it yet.

The woman, with a soft smile, and a tear in her eyes replied “Your name, he will have your name. He will be Edmund, and he will await your return”

The man turned away and was about to walk out when his wife suddenly held him back “Let’s just run. Who cares about what happens to this kingdom we can go anywhere else as long as we are together”

Everyone on that street had a similar thought or discussion. The neighborhood was shaken, they knew that the kingdom didn’t care for them, and that most of them will be used as cannon fodder and are likely to never return. Those that were holding food to gift it to the new parents immediately took back the food to their home, they kissed their wives, their children, their mothers, and fathers. Some thought about escaping or hiding, but the soldiers had the street cornered and one found a way out.

“I feel like a lamb to the slaughter, but I don’t see a way out of this - but, we are untrained, by the time they finish training us, it is likely the war will be over -don’t worry, I’ll be back soon”

Stolen novel; please report.

It was 7 years later, when news came back about the war ending. Everyone waited in high hopes, for their family members to come back, but after a few months, it was clear that no one was going to return. The small hope the neighborhood had, ended with the majority of them becoming officially widowed or orphaned.

Those living in that neighborhood were always poor. It was the poorest neighborhood in the kingdom. But, they were happy - they worked longer and harder hours than anyone else in order to buy food, but at the end they had a hope of a better future, and they had food at the table.

But, that all changed. The loving neighborhood became a desperate one. In the kingdom, all the women took over their husband’s work. But, the physical labor wasn’t suited for them and while they made as much as their husbands made, they had to work a few hours longer to complete the same work, while the price of the food was going up due to the war. They would go out every day in the morning, buy the food for their children, and then they would go to work, only to come back at night too exhausted to breathe, and so they would go to sleep.

Except for the few moments in the mornings, most of the children in the neighbor had no parental figure around them, they would just try to figure out what to do together.

It was law that children under the age of 16, may not be put to labor. The idea was, that they should go to school instead. If a child was deemed responsible enough to work instead of go to school, then they can be responsible enough to join the army and fight in the war. Except for the fact, that the school system was never implemented in the poor districts, especially not for the poorest neighborhood.

So, the children figured out what to do all day on their own. The criminal elements were strong, some joined gangs because their friends were in one, others because they felt the world was unfair and they wanted to punish others, some stole in hopes of their mother's working less, and some stole simply to eat and feed their siblings.

Betweem them all, one child was different. Edmond's mother was barely there, she would leave everyday before he woke up and so she almost never saw him, and his father was probably dead. He was old enough to go out and play with the other children, but he always remained in his small house. The rest of the children in the neighborhood never saw him, and he never looked around either. His world, was inside that house and he was like an empty shell inside it, bound to it. He was a child, he did not know that the world had more to offer, and when he tried to explore it, he'd get an intense headache that would make him sit back on his bed.

It was only when he turned 9 that he started having dreams about an older man who would urge him to leave the house. But, the child would try many times and would always fail to make it to the door without the headache getting more and more powerful. In the end, in one of those dreams the old man spoke again.

'This might be your body, but this is my soul. I can not move on knowing how much you will continue to suffer due to my curse. Child, you are but a fragment of me and I can't let it go on like this, my enemies fear of me, is the reason why I will return to bite them, it is time for you to close your eyes and rest'

That night, the child opened his eyes and in them you could feel the presence of someone else.

The child put a smirk on his face, and took a step toward the door. The headache was intense, he could feel his body shaking as he tried to get closer to the door that bound him inside the house. He then took a step back "This body is too weak. But, I'll over power this curse soon enough. This emperor, will not let this slide easily - this is war my child, this is war..."