Chapter 14: The Chosen One
Two years before the current timeline
"Lost and abandoned, I am a soul severed from faith, seeking meaning again and again in you... Can you give purpose to my life?"
"Child, the world awaits divine intervention. 'He' will soon grace us. Keep faith in the Almighty."
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Slave Market, City of Ihled, Sternfall Dynasty
Reign of Williams Sternfall IV
Freya Continent, Present Time
Lines of people stood bound by thick chains around their necks, their dignity stripped away, left with only the barest coverings. In this market, identity held no meaning—only the price tags and number plates written in Heraphant distinguished one from another.
Aristocrats wandered between shops, examining their potential purchases with calculating eyes. Ten Kata marked the standard price for a child of ten years. Female prisoners commanded higher prices, their value determined by age and appearance.
"This one appears somewhat unkempt, but the price seems reasonable," remarked a man in his forties, adjusting his monocle beneath his tailored tall black hat.
"Indeed, sir. You have an excellent eye," the shopkeeper fawned. "She has just reached her eighteenth year, so it will cost two additional atana above the base price."
"I'll take her," the man declared without hesitation. His imperious gaze briefly shifted from the shopkeeper to the young girl, assessing her worth like cattle at auction.
A servant stepped forward to handle the transaction. Few customers paid above base price unless they were wealthy merchants or nobles with coffers to spare.
Though the United Governance had officially abolished slave trading under the Mortal Rights Law (10089 L.C.), only twenty nations had adopted the practice. Enforcement remained largely impossible due to various global factors. The deployment of military forces across seas solely to protect slaves exceeded the UG's practical capabilities. The fifteen UG-affiliated nations could only enforce these laws within their own borders.
The market housed establishments ranging from year-round vendors with extensive inventory to smaller shops with merely one or two captives. Along the pitch-black road stood exclusive houses reserved for those of noble birth, commanding prices from five to twenty-five kata. Throughout the Freya Continent, these establishments were known as "Veneria Carnalis."
At night a man in a loose white robe, cinched carelessly around his stocky frame, dragged a dark-skinned boy, his build unusually mature for his age forward. The boy's golden eyes remained vacant—this marked his twenty-fifth such encounter this month alone.
"Let's try something different today, dear Clotho," the man said, his grip tightening around the boy's waist. "If I didn't have to maintain appearances before the nobles, I'd have chosen you over my wife long ago. You cost less than she did, after all."
The boy remained expressionless as his tormentor continued, his dignity and fate having been stolen long ago, like countless others in this cruel market. His eyes fixed on the clock, his mind waiting for his owner's pleasure to be satisfied.
As the clock's hands moved slowly, distant memories surfaced in the young boy's mind. It was stormy weather when a tempest blew away his life.
Clotho remembered his childhood friend Hasina, the most beautiful girl in his eyes. His very first kiss, his mother's warm smile, his father's complaints. A village that always welcomed people from anywhere.
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Two Years Ago
Tempa was a country between the borders of the Sternfall Kingdom and the Meritocratic State of Intellex. It was a very small nation. Sternfall had recently declared war against the nation to capitalize on the trade routes between Intellex and itself, as Intellex offered huge commercial opportunities with its prestigious National University drawing admissions from noble families each year.
Williams Sternfall IV despised the small country that stood between these two mighty nations. Tempa's king tried to negotiate countless times but failed due to the current monarch's attitude. In the year 11999 L.C., Sternfall deployed a sizable army to conquer Tempa. The UG remained neutral, their attention divided among various global matters. Since neither Tempa nor Sternfall were affiliated nations or posed any threat to the Unified Government, they turned a blind eye to this small-scale war.
In a small village near the Tempa forest lived a happy family of three. A woman in her early thirties called out to a running youth.
"Clotho, your father will soon return. Don't wander around the forest too much with Hasina. Come back in an hour or so."
The boy stopped and replied, "Mom, I'll be back before lunch. You worry too much."
"You always say that, but when you go around with your little girlfriend, you seem to forget time," she replied with a teasing tone.
Clotho's face instantly turned red. "She's not my girlfriend! I don't like her a bit—in fact, I actually hate her. She's a bully!" His voice rose as if to deny any possibility of it being true.
"Is that so, Clotho?" a girl asked, standing beside him.
"Ha...Hasina?" Clotho fell to the ground as if he'd seen a ghost.
"Did you hear that, Hasina? Clotho doesn't like you—in fact, he hates you," Clotho's mom said, enjoying the scene perhaps too much.
"I...I didn't mean it that way."
"So do you like me?"
"Like...? Ah, no, I..." Clotho grew increasingly flustered until he finally ran toward the forest.
A smile appeared on Hasina's face.
"Hasina, take care of my foolish son. He's already seventeen and still acts like a ten-year-old child. Oh, and don't forget to bring him back before lunch—his father is coming home."
"Sure, aunty. I'll bring Clotho back safely."
"Oh, Hasina, you're so much more mature than my useless son. I hope you marry him quickly. How is Isabella?"
"Mom is doing fine nowadays. My father hasn't returned from the war, so mother seems to worry too much these days," Hasina said with a solemn look.
"Don't worry, he'll be back soon. I recently heard some good news—our king has personally requested help from the UG reserve military. So this war might end very soon," Clotho's mom tried to cheer her up.
"I hope so..."
Hasina was a clever girl, praised for both her beauty and intelligence in the village. She was the only one who had cleared the Intellex National University entrance exam. But due to her family's poor condition, she couldn't attend. In her darkest times, only a certain foolish boy from this village could cheer her up, and she had fallen for him since that day.
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After walking some distance, Hasina slowed her pace to observe a dark-skinned boy with beautiful golden eyes and seaweed-like blue hair. It was said that golden eyes and dark skin were characteristics of a warrior race with four arms that lived in the Lupus continent. But no one knew for sure, as it was almost impossible for common people to travel between continents.
"Clotho?" Hasina asked, feigning surprise.
"Ah...Ha...Hasina..."
"What is it?" Hasina asked innocently, feeling particularly devilish that day.
"Ah...mom...that...this..."
"I can't understand you clearly, Clotho. What are you trying to say?"
Why do I feel like she's bullying me again? Clotho thought.
"That thing...as I said earlier...it's not true," Clotho barely finished his last words in a low voice.
"Earlier? I can't remember. What did you say again?" Hasina asked with a confused look.
Clotho grew increasingly flustered. "I...like..."
Hasina cut him off. "Oh yes, I remember—you said you actually dislike me. I thought we were friends, but I didn't know I was such a bother to you. I should just stay alone—"
"What are you talking about? I like you... I like you more than anyone!" Clotho shouted.
"Really?" Hasina smiled and asked.
Clotho suddenly recalled what he'd just said. "No...I mean not that way...I mean it's—"
Stupid Clotho. Why did you backtrack? Just hold me already. I'm getting so impatient with your child-like attitude, Hasina thought.
She suddenly moved closer to Clotho and touched his lips with hers briefly, like a peck that lasted mere seconds.
"Huh?"
"What? Do you have anything to say?"
"No, I mean...was that..."
"We're getting late. We have to head into the forest to meet up with the others. Let's get going."
"O...okay."
Was that a kiss just now? Did she just kiss me? The thought consumed Clotho's mind.
What did you do, Hasina? Are you stupid? How could you just kiss Clotho without his consent? You really are unbearable. But...that felt so good. My heart is still pounding like crazy. I need to calm down. Otherwise, Clotho will notice my face. I don't want to face him right now, Hasina thought to herself.
They walked through the rest of the forest silently, avoiding each other's gaze, to meet up with their friends.
The village was small, so most kids knew each other. They had all grown up together. After walking through the forest, they reached the end where two more boys waited for them.
"You're late, Clotho," said a black-haired boy named Tadano, who usually worked in his father's fields.
"Hasina, why did you meet Clotho before us? I told you to wait for me," Marco said scornfully, expressing his discomfort at seeing Clotho and Hasina together.
"I don't need your permission to do anything," Hasina replied dismissively, as if Marco wasn't worth arguing with.
"You and I live very close. You're acting like you didn't visit me just yesterday."
"Stop twisting your words...it was with my mo—"
"Okay, okay, stop fighting now," Tadano interfered.
Why did Hasina visit Marco? The question arose in Clotho's mind.
"Clotho, don't think like stupid people like them. I told you before that they're a bad influence on you."
"You bitch, what did you just say?" Marco pushed Tadano aside and stepped toward Hasina.
Hasina didn't flinch. She smirked and said, "That's why I hate men like you who can't feel comfortable unless they're in control of something. I remember your father used to beat your mother every day..."
Hearing these insults from the woman he loved, Marco couldn't control himself. He tried to slap Hasina with full force, but his hand stopped mid-air.
"I think that's enough..." Clotho said with a serious expression.
Clotho was physically very strong. He could pull a Botia fish on his own, which weighed around 300 kilos. At 6 feet tall, he was an imposing figure in the village.
"What do you think you're doing, Clotho? So you'll even face your friend for a mere bitch? You and I were friends even before she came into our group. Did you forget?" Marco shouted in frustration.
Hasina looked at her man with sadness.
Clotho...
"I am your friend, so I'll let you go unharmed this time. But don't try to touch my woman," Clotho said while pulling Hasina closer.
Seeing this scene, Marco's eyes turned blood-red. If he had a weapon, he would have killed Clotho instantly.
I will not let this go. Just you fucking wait. You little fuck and this bitch. I'm going to kill you both, Marco thought.
Tadano looked at the scene and sighed.
"I knew this would happen one day. The moment Hasina came to our group, I knew Marco was always chasing her...but I never thought you had this in you, Clotho...you really scared me too," Tadano laughed.
"Sorry..." Clotho said apologetically.
"Clotho, you shouldn't grab there. Try placing your hands higher up," Hasina said with a teasing smile.
"Huh?" Noticing his hands in an inappropriate position on Hasina, Clotho tried to pull away, but his hands were stopped by the much weaker hands of the girl in front of him. It was as if she were saying, 'If you let me go, I will take your head off.'
Clotho nervously looked at Hasina and let his hands rest on her waist.
"Ahem..." Tadano coughed slightly to remind the couple of his presence.
"Okay, today is enough adventure for me. I need to return to the field. You guys can...hang out on your own for today," Tadano walked away nonchalantly, as if nothing in this world concerned him.
As soon as Tadano left, Hasina pushed Clotho onto the grass in the middle of the forest. She looked like a ferocious beast instead of the intelligent girl she was known to be.
"How dare you try to let go of your hands from me?"
"But..."
"You dare question your wife?"
"Wife? When did I get married?"
As soon as he said that, he felt something wet on his lips, caught off guard during his protests. His defenses were broken in one go. No 300-kilo fish could do that to him. He closed his eyes to match the pace of the certain beast sitting on his chest.
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"I'm home, honey," a dark-skinned man said with a tired voice.
"Max, you're finally back. I warned Clotho to return before lunch. That boy is getting irresponsible day by day."
"Don't worry, honey. That girl is with him, right? He'll be fine," Max said while taking his seat.
His wife handed him a glass of water. After gulping down the whole glass, the man said, "I think we should return to Lupus."
His wife paused upon hearing these words.
"Max, you know it's not possible."
"I know, but I have these uneasy feelings about this whole war. I heard that UG is ignoring the issues in Freya currently. Aurelius and Swanflok both could help, but if they joined this war, other nations within Freya would not stay quiet. It's not looking good for Tempa on the frontline."
"Is it really that bad...?" Clotho's mother asked, concern clear in her eyes. As she was just going to ask her husband something she heard a knock on their door.
Knock knock
Clotho may have come back
She was just about to open the door when her husband Max stopped her. Grabbing her mouth and pulling her to the side of their door as if to hide from something.
What is Max doing ?
“I can sense it…don't you also Annie..the scent of blood”
Both their golden eyes turned sharp. They felt like an animal that was hidden and waiting for their prey to step forward.
“Which race do you think reign supreme in the entire world currently ?”
A voice came from the middle of the house even though they never opened it themselves. At that moment both of them thought of the same thing.
An Essentia.